How Hinduism is Interpreted by Western Indologists: David Frawley. Wendy Doniger. Koenraad Elst

August 23, 2017: Hindu civilization, the oldest civilization of the world has been the hub of spirituality. Long before the conquests and colonization, travelers would come to India from all over the world to experience this spirituality and Hindu way of life. The Europeans especially have been fascinated by India.

Western philosophy is a mainstream academic field, but pursuing Eastern philosophy is an unusual choice that individuals make. Imagine how hard it is for a non-Hindu to comprehend and become well versed in the tough and robust literature of the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures.

ALSO READ: Dr. David Frawley: To respect Hinduism is to respect our ancient spiritual roots

Many white people do make a choice, and some of them excel. Names like David Frawley, Wendy Doniger, Sheldon Pollock, and Koenraad Elst are popular Western Indologists in the Hindu literature.

However, the arrival of these westerners into Hindu literature and interpretations have further divided the study of Hinduism in two distinct fields.

For instance, Wendy Doniger's sexual take upon reading Hinduism and interpreting a perverse storyline of it frustrated many followers of Hindutva. Even Sheldon Pollock's claim that Sanskrit, once a dominant language for Hindus, is a dead language led to outrage among many Hinduism supporters.

Wendy Doniger: Doniger's masterpiece work is titled 'The Hindus: An Alternative History.' She claims that Hinduism is a diverse religion developed over the many years with different sources of influence. It shows the violent interpretation of Hinduism. She talks about how the Brahmin men have been more privileged than other communities through out the Hindu history. Doniger portrays the Puranas as a hint of authoritarian Hinduism that is challenged by pacifist Buddhism. Wendy Doniger leans towards the left and her writings exhibit that. Looking through the victim-oppressor lens, Doniger tries to show the unfairness embedded in the religion. Needless to explain why Doniger inspires the leftists to a whole new level. She places the casteist truth above spiritual pursuit.

David Frawley: David Frawley is an American Indologist. Frawley's greatest work is the 'Gods, Kings, and Sages: Vedic Secret of Ancient Civilization' which is an honest display of ancient Hindu teachings. So much so, David Frawley converted to Hinduism and brands himself a Hindu. Frawley applauds that Hinduism is the oldest and hence it is original. Further, David Frawley acknowledges that India has given the world a beautiful language called Sanskrit, along with Ayurveda, i.e., medicine. Frawley rejects a scientific analysis (which is also biased) of Hinduism and glorifies the authoritative, yet original nature of it. Frawley has many followers from the Hindutva ideology, and rightly so. His understanding of the fact that science is inadequate for the Vedas has been proven correct on quite a few occasions. David Frawley has also emphasized that geography is dominant to Hinduism and it is only in India that gave civilization to this planet.

Koenraad Elst: Elst is especially popular among ardent Hindu followers because of his strong arguments that a Hindu Temple once stood where Babri Masjid had been built later on. Elst main area of study has been the Ayodhya. Elst agrees with Frawley that India was the origin point for language (Sanskrit) and civilization. But going away from Frawley, Elst does not call himself a Hindu. Rather, he insists that conversion to Hindu is not possible since the Hindu way of life is innate by birth and linked to geography.

– Prepared by Saksham Narula of NewsGram. Twitter: @Saksham2394