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Actually IMO, the fanatic elements within the Islamic or Christian or other religions prevent their members from reading anything outside their scriptures..
There are several websites (funded by organizations of other religions) which highlight only the unpleasant facts from the RY or the MB and make the whole epic seem a third rate po*n novel. You can check it for yourself. That's when we too become wary of non- hindus' sentiments and become cautious
Hinduism or- Sanatana Dharma- is one of the most inclusive religions possible. It is unfortunate that you have had undesirable experiences in some social networking sites, but in my experience, the other religions are more closeted.
As fas as the MB is concerned, you can enjoy it at various level:
- As a story
- As a literary work without believing / agreeing the philosophy entrenched in it (one of my gurus is a foreigner by birth but a great great Sanskrit scholar and can quote, at random, from just about any Sanskrit text - but not a practicing Hindu. Till this day he cannot appreciate why someone would want to touch his feet )
- As a truly philosophical work (this is the approach adopted by our great saints and acharyas)
If you are reading MB for its story content, it is no different from a Bollywood thriller. Heroes, villains, romance, drama, damsel- in distress, hero- comes to rescue, fight sequences, tragedy...a ready made script for the Karan Johars of today. As far as the story plot goes, it is religion-free. You can forget that it is a Hindu scripture and enjoy it as you would any other thriller novel.
But having said that, I would like to add a caveat here. There is so much of philosophy entrenched in here that it may be difficult for a non Hindu (even Hindus, I would say) to appreciate and understand. Not impossible...but just a little bit difficult. Now, I know there are exceptions...Please don;t give me a list of Max Muller and his disciples..
If you have been in a Hindu family...you would have been taught from your infancy to worship a certain God who happens to have the face of an elephant. But for others, it may seem a bit quaint. Or the image of Durga inspires only awe and respect from us. But for outsiders it may seem grotesque. Hence, it becomes that much more difficult for others to appreciate out philosophy.
Just as you have been subject to unpleasant situations, I too have come across many people / institutions who openly mock our religious values. That hurts and that's when we too draw the line.
There are several websites (funded by organizations of other religions) which highlight only the unpleasant facts from the RY or the MB and make the whole epic seem a third rate po*n novel. You can check it for yourself. That's when we too become wary of non- hindus' sentiments and become cautious
Please don't misunderstand me. It is the same way I feel when I see someone eating non-vegetarian food. Just the way our mental outlooks has been shaped.
Of course, if you are genuinely interested, you do have every right to read not just the MB, but other Puranas, Upanishad as well.
Bon reading!
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