‘The Bhagavad Gita was my basis for counselling Hindus during the Iraq war’

[V.Balasubramani]

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‘The Bhagavad Gita was my basis for counselling Hindus during the Iraq war’

Interview with Pratima Dharm , the first-ever Hindu chaplain of a U.S. university
Indian-American Pratima Dharm has been a pioneer on multiple counts — last month she was appointed as the first ever Hindu chaplain of a U.S. university and in 2011 she made history after the Pentagon named her as its first Hindu and interfaith chaplain. Her appointments mark yet another feather in the cap of the Indian-American community, whose members continue to occupy top positions in the Obama administration. Ms. Dharm’s role in the Army also reflects a growing recognition of the need for more sensitivity towards minority religions in the U.S. and complements recent legislation enacted towards this goal.

She served in the U.S. military through some of the hardest times faced by its soldiers in the battlefields of Iraq, and counselled many of them afflicted by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, steering them away from suicide, and helping them reclaim their familial relationships. In excerpts from a conversation with Narayan Lakshman , Ms. Dharm spoke of her links with India and the principles of Hinduism that she associates with her upbringing in the country. She also shared her thoughts on Hindus in the U.S. military and the kind of leader she hopes Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be.

Your appointments as a Hindu chaplain at a major U.S. university and before that as an interfaith chaplain in the U.S. Army were unprecedented and made headlines in India. How did you come to take up these roles and what links do you have with India?

Read more: ?The Bhagavad Gita was my basis for counselling Hindus during the Iraq war? - The Hindu

 

[sarang]

Her reply to the question always asked by journalists irrespective of the issue under discussion is a pointer to the way sans and sensible people and leaders from outside india are viewing modi, hindutva and india. A hindu majority india will be a haven for other religions to thrive. Evangelical and 'peace loving' religions will destroy this fabric if get control.

"Looking now at India, what do you think the recent election of Mr. Modi and the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party means for Hinduism broadly?

I am very happy that Narendra Modi is [the Prime Minister], not because he is a Hindu or that he represents Hinduism, but in terms of his righteousness. I pray, given what little I do know of him, that he is indeed righteous. If that righteousness is carried forward, that will be wonderful, not only because of the righteousness itself but because Hinduism can coexist with so many different religions.
That is my war and fight here as well, and the struggle — that Hindus need to be accepted for who they are, without changing and shaping their Hinduism for anyone, or that if Hindus became the majority, anyone else had to shape themselves."

 

[CHANDRU1849]

For the last four or five decades, there is a concerted effort to make Bhaghavad Gita as the Holy Book for Hindus, as in the case of Bible and Koran for Christians and Muslims respectively.

Pratima Dharm used the book at the time of Iraq war which is reflected in her interview as follows:

QUOTE

Given your faith and background rooted in Hinduism, how do you help people deal with the fallout of war that you mentioned?

I was trying to make sense of the war within my faith condition. It is also very much part of the Bhagavad Gita — how we make sense of war and what is your duty towards that.

[The basis for war] is explained by Shri Krishna to Arjuna trying to bolster him and [guide him] to see the real from the unreal. That’s what I gave to the soldiers, and yes, I did counsel Hindus during the war in Iraq. My basis was the Bhagavad Gita.

UNQUOTE

It is not clearly known whether this book is exclusively dealt with only war like situation.

The State Prosecutor's Office in Tomsk, Russia wanted to ban the book (source: Wikipedia) but the Russian Court dismissed the petition (Source: Zeenews). The reason is:

QUOTE

The Bhagavad Gita trial in Russia or the Bhagavad Gita court case in Russia was the trial of the Russian edition of Bhagavad Gita As It Is initiated in June 2011 by the state prosecutor's office in Tomsk, Russia on charges of religious extremism, based on an assessment of the book by scholars of Tomsk State University, which concluded thatBhaktivedanta Swami's translations and commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita incite religious, social, and racial intolerance. (Source: Wikipedia)

Moscow: A Russian court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking a ban on a translated version of Bhagwad Gita for being "extremist", bringing cheers to followers across the world. (Source: Zeenewsindia.com)


UNQUOTE

Therefore, it becomes imperative to know the contents of this Book. Learned Sanskrit Scholars, both from B and NB communities, sit together and provide a translation in all major Indian languages and make it compulsory to Hindus of all sections to study (students and others) and review/debate/analyze critically, which will facilitate its position among Hindus, once and for all.

 

[sarang]

Therefore, it becomes imperative to know the contents of this Book. Learned Sanskrit Scholars, both from B and NB communities, sit together and provide a translation in all major Indian languages and make it compulsory to Hindus of all sections to study (students and others) and review/debate/analyze critically, which will facilitate its position among Hindus, once and for all.

What is the issue? Gita is a popular book, available in all indian languages with translation, promoted by many political leaders, philosophers, tv, radio, pravachkas, upanyasakars, management schools including harward.

Gita press, gorakhpur alone has sold 1142 lakh copies of gita. There are hundreds of other publishers too. And countless commentaries and translations. It was claimed some time back that gita had overtaken bible in sales.

What is to be settled once for all.

 

[CHANDRU1849]

What is the issue? Gita is a popular book, available in all indian languages with translation, promoted by many political leaders, philosophers, tv, radio, pravachkas, upanyasakars, management schools including harward.

Gita press, gorakhpur alone has sold 1142 lakh copies of gita. There are hundreds of other publishers too. And countless commentaries and translations. It was claimed some time back that gita had overtaken bible in sales.

What is to be settled once for all.

Most of the commentators may be from B community or trained by Bs. It needs verification.

It is good to see 11.42 cr. copies of Gita were sold. Assuming that it is sold in India only, and few lakh Tamilians from the above 11.42 cr. are in possession of Gita, from both B and NB communities, I believe it is accepted as the primary holy book of Hindus of all sects. It is also being carried and referred by all who possess it, like Christians and Muslims. There is a Gita study also every week on a specific day and time in all parts of Tamil Nadu. Am I right?

 

[JR]

Pratima Dharm reminds us of US Congress woman Tulsi Gabbard. Ms. Gabbard took her Oath swearing on the Bhagawath Gita (as opposed to the Bible).

 

[V.Balasubramani]

I would like to share excerpt from the article published in ‘HINDUISM TODAY’ on Captain Pratima Dharm, U.S. Army’s First Hindu Chaplin:

In our Hindu traditions, she points out, the emphasis is on understanding the self, and psychology also emphasizes the study of the individual. She believes that the Bhagavad Gita, the teachings of Sri Krishna, can be applied to our daily lives in powerful ways. "How does one go through grief, how does one go through anxiety? As we read Krishna's teachings and we understand it, it gives us a lot of courage to go through life and get self-knowledge."

"So once I understand who I am, what makes me happy, what makes me sad, I allow that to the other person, to my patients or my soldiers that I come across in my ministry. Their story perhaps may be different than mine, but the basic principles are the same, so it's about allowing the other person space to process their own story, and offering them understanding, offering them care."

Read more at: Ministry: Meet the US Army's First Hindu Chaplain - Magazine Web Edition > January/February/March 2012 - Publications - Hinduism Today Magazine