Getting Adjusted to Orthodoxy

Hinduism Orthodoxy that is! In my first two weeks here I've seen more Hindu temples and shrines than I've certainly ever seen before. I am admittedly ignorant on the ins and outs of this (very) old religion. Last night I stopped in by my Landlord's apartment as he lives downstairs. I had to ask him for a photocopy of the electric bill as this was requested (mysteriously) by my friends over at BOI. He seemed puzzled by this, but said he can get it for me, and made some remark about how registration for foreigners is done incorrectly. In addition, he confirmed for me for probably the 30th time yesterday (I griped a lot about my immigration) that researchers have such a hassle to get here, but that the Pakistani (suspected) terrorist got a business visa without much trouble. At least I'm not alone in that complaint. In any case, he invited me in and we had a nice chat. I spent most of the time asking him about two things:
1) how to say various things in Tamil
2) how some of hinduism works (as I am genuinely interested, and woefully ignorant).

I asked about the religious service that had awoken me yesterday. He told me it was a ceremony for an expectant mother in her 7th month of pregnancy. It is required to start before sunrise (which is 5:30 AM here!) and ends a "little while" later. It was still going when I left my apartment at nearly 8 (this perhaps accounts for some of the boredom and tiredness on the face of the man assisting the "priest"). So then I asked about various gods and goddesses and he tried explaining some of them to me, but there were just too many names to understand. This one is an avatar of that one, this one is an incarnation of that one. I got terribly confused. I decided maybe I should stick with asking about Ganesh (or as the Tamils call him Pillyar, which means something like Elephant man or Elephant face) and I couldn't really understand that either. I felt so befuddled. In the meantime, his wife brought he a Dosa with a little chicken. Sadly, I had just eaten a huge meal with a brazilian couple visiting the institute. But I somehow managed to force down a dosa. To be fair, I could probably stuff down one additional dosa at almost any time. They are so choice. If you have the means I highly recommend them. (I know I overuse Ferris Bueller, but come on...)

While I'm stuffing my face and working on the eating with the right hand only I'm still getting a lecture about gods and goddesses and this main division of two types of Hindus. Basically I got the following fact about Hinduism into my small head.

Hinduism is divided into two main sects. One follows Vishnu (mainly), with many incarnations and avatars and gurus etc) and the other follows Krishna. I'm sure I've made an egregious error in this recounting of my information, and will gladly accept comments to the contrary below. After I stuffed my face with the delicious dosa I went to wash my sauce soaked hand and saw a picture of a man whom I can only describe as a man who looks like an Indian Richard Simmons. This is the only description I can give you. I forgot his name, but my landlord told he his wife is a devotee to him. Again, intrigued, I asked what that meant. Apparently, again to my limited understanding, Gurus are like living saints. He described to me, that devotees pray through their gurus in the same way that Catholics pray through saints. I'd almost had enough and had decided to change the subject to international relations and India's take on them, but I had one REALLY BURNING QUESTION TO ASK!


For those of you unaware, read this article as soon as you can: Hindu Animal Sacrifices in Nepal.

In Nepal, today and tomorrow there is an enormous festival of cleansing and purity and I'm sure 8 million other things involving the sacrifice of over 300,000 animals in Nepal. Nearly half a million people are expected to attend, and more than half from India. MOST places in India have outlawed these practices, so about a quarter million
people have traveled to southeastern Nepal for this ceremony (which takes place every fifth year). Of course animal rights activists are protesting. The government of Nepal is not only NOT outlawing this practice, but has contributed 4.5 million Rs. to the cause.
Again, here is where India tears at my moral dilemma. I can't possibly place judgment on this ritual. It's been practiced for over a thousand years, and probably more than five-thousand years. Some ceremony participants have this to say on the protesters, "they have a right to protest, and we have a right to our religion." In almost every way I have to agree with that statement. It still doesn't make me easy about sacrificing 300,000 animals, but I get no vote.

So I asked my landlord about this. He said with some disdain that those are the "other" hindus. I was nearly hysterical with recognition. At least there are several universal things across all religions. There is no way in which we can all agree and everyone practicing any organized religion finds throngs of other practitioners embarrassing. I guess orhtodox and reformed sects of each religion dislike each other for these reasons:

1) Orthodox practitioners find reformed practitioners weak and not really dedicated
2) Reformed practitioners find orthodox practitioners too rigid and unable to adapt to the world around them.

Maybe adjusting to orthodoxy (hinduism style) won't be any more difficult than adjusting to any other orthodoxy.