Wendy Doniger and the Bhagavad Gita [closed]

Question

Wendy Doniger is a celebrated indologist and has written many books on Hinduism. Amongst other things, here is what she says on the Bhagavad Gita

“The Bhagavad Gita is not as nice a book as some Americans think…Throughout the Mahabharata … Krishna goads human beings into all sorts of murderous and self-destructive behaviors such as war…. The Gita is a dishonest book …”

— Wendy Doniger, Professor of History of Religions, University of Chicago.

Quoted in Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 November, 2000.

What is the response to this according to Hinduism? Is there any truth in this kind of perspective?

I ask a question about the viewpoint of her student Devdutt Pattnaik here.

Answer 1

Wendy doniger "was" a celebrated indologist. Rajiv Malhotra for long exposed the credibility of writing of wendy and her ilk. he argued and presented case for her willfull wrong use of Freudian Psychoanalysis & eroticization & deliberate mistranslation of Indic Scriptures and gross inaccuracies by her and her camp. For instance her student Kripal refers to Ramakrishna as having homosexual tendencies and molesting his disciple Swami Vivekanda using wrong translation of bengali scriptures. For More information please refer to This 12 yr old article written by him

http://rajivmalhotra.com/library/articles/risa-lila-1-wendys-child-syndrome/

Sri Ramakrishna, the 19th century Hindu saint, has been declared by these scholars as being a sexually-abused homosexual, and it has become “academically established” by Wendy Doniger’s students that Ramakrishna was a child molester, and had also forced homosexual activities upon Vivekananda. Furthermore, it has become part of this new “discovery” that Ramakrishna’s mystical experiences, and indeed those of Hindu mystics in general, are pathological sexual conditions that need to be psychoanalyzed as such. Furthermore, these scholars have concluded that the entire Hindu society needs to be psychoanalyzed in terms of sexual deviance, in order to understand modern Indian society and politics objectively.

Other conclusions by these well-placed scholars include: Ganesha’s trunk symbolizes a “limp phallus”; his broken tusk is a symbol for the castration-complex of the Hindu male; his large belly is a proof of the Hindu male’s enormous appetite for oral sex. Shiva, is interpreted as a womanizer, who encourages ritual rape, prostitution and murder, and his worship is linked to violence and destruction.

Some Wendy doniger books have been withdrawn by publishers themselves, after their gross inaccuracies were established. She was being perpetuated by the left, as being an authority on hinduism. Who manifested/bestowed that authority-ship on her, is unknown. It is like Kim kadarshian is famous for being famous. Her ilk's just repetition that she is authority does not make her an authority. It was pointed out that she is writing with christian missionary zeal.

reference: http://writingcave.com/withdrawal-wendy-donigers-book-text-petition/

Answer 2

The statement by Wendy Donniger "The Bhagvat Gita is not a nice book ......" is height of academic dishonesty. She is deliberately creating confusion between Maha Bharat and Bhagvat Gita. Bhagvat Gita is only a chapter of Maha Bharat. It contains sermons by Shri Krishna to Arjun. Bhagvat Gita contains spiritual truths only. Bhagvat Gita does not glorify war. In Bhagvat Gita Shri Krishna says to Arjun you should fight for the truth as your duty without any fear because you are Atman that does not get destroyed. After that Shri Krishna explains to Arjun what Atman is and how does it relate to Brahman.

Answer 3

Shri Krishna tried to pacify Duryodhana, by asking him to return what he had wrongly won through deception in the game of Dice. But Duryodhana refused. Instead Duryodhana took the ultimate step of even trying to capture Shri Krishna. And so Shri Krishna took the step of going to war.

Now Wendy Doniger, would have to tell us how she would convince Duryodhana to give back to Pandavas their property?

Wendy Doniger, would have to tell us how she would have convinced Adolf Hitler to give up expansion?

Wendy Doniger, would have to tell us how she would have convinced Mr. Gaddafi to give up power and establish democracy?

Wendy Doniger, would have to tell us how she would convince Al Baghdadi, to surrender?

Wendy Doniger, would have to tell us how she would convince Dawood Ibrahim to surrender?

Wendy Doniger, would have to tell us how she would ...... I think those above examples are enough to comprehend what my point is.

What Shri Krishna did was not war. It was justice.