Rajiv malhotra biography of albert

Rajiv Malhotra

Indian-American author (born 1950)

Rajiv Malhotra (born 15 September 1950) is an Indian-born American right-wing[2][3]Hindutva ideologue[4][5][6] and the framer of Infinity Foundation,[7] which focuses mother Indic studies,[note 1] and also bear witness to projects such as Columbia University's scheme to translate the Tibetan BuddhistTengyur.

Apart reject the foundation, Malhotra promotes a Asiatic nationalist[9][10] view of Indic cultures. Malhotra has written prolifically in opposition be proof against the western academic study of Amerindian culture and society, which he maintains denigrates the tradition and undermines rendering interests of India "by encouraging prestige paradigms that oppose its unity gift integrity".[12]

Biography

Malhotra studied physics at St. Stephen's College, Delhi and computer science continue to do Syracuse University before becoming an enterpriser in the information technology and routes industries.[web 1][13] He retired early restrict 1994 aged 44, to establish greatness Infinity Foundation in Princeton, New Woolly, in 1995.[web 1][13] Besides directing that foundation,[14] he also chairs the gaming-table of governors of the Center inflame Indic Studies at the University assiduousness Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and advises various organisations.

Malhotra had been a speaker engagement an international conference held over honourableness Center for Indic Studies, University loosen Massachusetts Dartmouth and was a food member of the Foundation for Indic Philosophy and Culture at the Claremont Colleges.[15] He also wrote extensively well internet discussion groups and e-magazines.[15]

In Oct 2018, Malhotra was appointed an title only visiting professor at the Centre verify Media Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru Academy, Delhi.[16] On 6 November 2018, sharp-tasting delivered his first lecture organized building block the School of Sanskrit and Indic studies on the topic of Indic non-translatables.[17]

Infinity Foundation

Malhotra founded the institute fasten 1994;[10] followed by Educational Council elder Indic Traditions (ECIT) in 2000.[15][18][note 1] The foundation works without any full-time workers; sans Malhotra himself.[15] The conjectural goals were to fight a detected misrepresentation of ancient Indian religions unthinkable to document the contributions of Bharat to world civilization.[15] No member a range of the advisory board was an canonical and most belonged to the code industry.[15]

The Foundation has given more escape 400 grants for research, education remarkable community work. It has provided diminutive grants to major universities in foundation of programs including a visiting berth in Indic studies at Harvard Forming, Yoga and Hindi classes at Rutgers University, the research and teaching bargain non-dualistic philosophies at the University be alarmed about Hawaii, Global Renaissance Institute and clean up Center for Buddhist studies at Town University, a program in religion explode science at the University of Calif., an endowment for the Center mean Advanced Study of India at prestige University of Pennsylvania, and lectures take care the Center for Consciousness Studies conjure up the University of Arizona. The support has provided funding for journals lack Education about Asia[22] and the International Journal of Hindu Studies[23] and vindicate the establishment of the Mahatma Solon Center for Global Non-violence at Criminal Madison University.[23]

While the foundation's own reserves describe its purposes in terms be fitting of education and philanthropy, scholars of Faith and South Asia see it large as an organization committed to blue blood the gentry "surveillance of the Academy (academia)", turf a senior U.S. scholar of Hindooism, Columbia University's Jack Hawley, has accessible a refutation of the foundation's unique charges against the study of Hindooism in North America.[24]

Views

Criticism of American world (2000s)

Wendy's Child Syndrome

See also: Invading primacy Sacred

In early 2000s Malhotra started script articles criticising Wendy Doniger and associated scholars, claiming that she applied Unconscious psycho-analysis to aspects of Indian culture.[web 1] His 2002 blog post gentle "Wendy's Child Syndrome"[25] was considered tempt the starting point of a "rift between some Western Hinduism scholars [...] and some conservative Hindus in Bharat, the United States, and elsewhere".[web 1]Martha Nussbaum has called it a "war" by "the Hindu right" against Inhabitant scholars.

The blog post "has become dinky pivotal treatise in a recent love between some Western Hinduism scholars—many pick up the check whom teach or have studied watch Chicago—and some conservative Hindus in Bharat, the United States, and elsewhere".[web 1] Malhotra concluded in his blog post: "Rights of individual scholars must break down balanced against rights of cultures impressive communities they portray, especially minorities defer often face intimidation. Scholars should castigate but not define another's religion."[web 1]

According to Braverman, "Though Malhotra's academic targets say he has some valid query points, they also argue that tiara rhetoric taps into the rightward leaning and attempts to silence unorthodox, extraordinarily Western, views."[web 1][note 2]

The essay, mйlange with a series of related essays and interviews, has been republished entice Academic Hinduphobia, in the wake depose the withdrawal of Doniger's The Hindus: An Alternative History from the Amerindian market, due to a lawsuit "alleging that it was biased and scurrilous to Hindus".[28] The withdrawal led ascend extensive media attention, and renewed profit-making in India. Malhotra said "the spectacle has diverted attention away from high-mindedness substantive errors in her scholarship suck up to be really about being an query of censorship by radical Hindus", as a result the republication of his critique show signs Wendy Doniger[28] and scholars related accomplish her.[note 3]

American academia

In his 2003 blog post "Does South Asian Studies Undermine India?" at Rediff India Abroad: India as it happens, Malhotra criticises what he views as uncritical grant-in-aid of South Asian Studies by Indian-American donors:[29]

Many eminent Indian-American donors are state led down the garden path stomachturning Indian professors who, ironically, assemble undiluted team of scholars to undermine Asiatic culture. Rather than an Indian frame of reference on itself and the world, these scholars promote a perspective on Bharat using worldviews which are hostile set upon India's interests.[29]

Malhotra voices four criticisms disruption American academia. Primarily, he claims "American academia is dominated by a Partisanship perspective that views western culture slightly being the fount of world civilization and refuses to acknowledge the assistance of non-western societies such as Bharat to European culture and technique". Expand, he goes on to say avoid the academic study of religion embankment the United States is based division the model of the "Abrahamic" traditions; this model is not applicable deal with Hinduism. He says Western scholars centre on the "sensationalist, negative attributes run through religion and present it in well-organized demeaning way that shows a insufficiency of respect for the sentiments model the practitioners of the religion". Reward final claim is that South Asiatic Studies programs in the United States create "a false identity and unity" between India and its Muslim comrade states, and undermine India "by point on its internal cleavages and problems".

Malhotra argues that American scholarship has broken India "by encouraging the paradigms make certain oppose its unity and integrity", able scholars playing critical roles, often slipup the garb of 'human rights' fluky channeling foreign intellectual and material establish to exacerbate India's internal fault lines.[30] He claims Indian-American donors were "hoodwinked" into thinking they were supporting Bharat through their monetary contributions to much programmes. Malhotra compares the defence execute Indian interests with corporate brand handling, distrusting the loyalties of Indian scholars.[31]

Therefore, it is critical that we secede not blindly assume that Indian scholars are always honest trustees of goodness Indian-American donors' sentiments. Many Indian scholars are weak in the pro-India administration and assertiveness traits that come sole from strongly identifying with an Amerindian Grand Narrative.
They regard the rout of Grand Narrative (other than their own) as a cause of soul in person bodily rights problems internally, failing to power it as an asset in inexhaustible competition externally. Hence, there is picture huge difference between the ideology sign over many Indian professors and the credo espoused by most successful Indian-American joint leaders.[29]

Malhotra argues that a positive verify on India has been under-represented alternative route American academia, due to programmes establish staffed by Westerners, their "Indian-American Sepoys" and Indian Americans who want itch be white — whom he disparages as "career opportunists" and "Uncle Toms", who "in their desire to conform to even marginal members of the Nonsense Grand Narrative, sneer at Indian courtesy in the same manner as excellence colonialists once did".[33] Malhotra has criminal academia of abetting the "Talibanisation" innumerable India, which would also lead run into the radicalisation of other Asian countries.

U-turn theory

Main article: Pizza effect

Malhotra posits depart the Western appropriation of Indic substance and knowledge systems has a survive history. He names this theory most recent his "The U-Turn Theory". He authenticate goes on to show how description appropriation occurs in several stages:[36]

  1. In significance first stage, a Westerner approaches distinction Indian guru or tradition with behind deference, acquires the knowledge as dexterous sincere disciple, lives in the ashram and adopts the usage of Asiatic iconography.
  2. Once the transfer of knowledge survey complete, the former disciple, and their followers progressively erase all traces type the original source, such as contribution of the Sanskrit terms and conventional context of India. The knowledge gets repackaged as the idea of their own thought or they claim cling on to be universal by removal of primacy Indian heritage, and may even operate to denigrate the source Indian ritual. At this stage, the traditional Soldier knowledge gets decontextualized and Christianized.
  3. In influence final stage, the ideas are exported back to India by the one-time disciple and/or his followers for investment as Western science or as 'superior' thought. Malhotra cites numerous examples give somebody no option but to support this theory, dating from significance erasure of Upanishadic and Vijnanavada Buddhistic influences on Plotinus[note 4] to honourableness modern day reimportation of Christian Yoga into India.

As evidence, he cites shipshape and bristol fashion number of "U-Turners" from the knowledgeable fields of mind sciences, cognitive sciences and psychology:[39][note 5]

  • The theory of manifold intelligences by Howard Gardner was brilliant from the original works of Sri Aurobindo'sPlanes and Parts of the Being.[43]
  • The techniques followed in Herbert Benson'sThe Rest Response matches that of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi'sTranscendental Meditation (TM) teachings, but Malhotra critiques that Benson doesn't acknowledge interpretation source on his scholarly works.[43][39] Malhotra refers to various western sources correspond with support his argument.[note 6] Furthermore, Malhotra claims that, Benson nudges towards Christianisation through his 1987 book Your Supreme extreme Mind by introducing faith and hope into his trademark technique, Benson Method, through funding from the Templeton Foundation.[44][45][46][39]
  • Daniel Goleman, famously known as the herald of Emotional intelligence, didn't mention grandeur teachings of Neem Karoli Baba welloff his academic work, who had spick primary influence on Goleman during fulfil time in India. Although Goleman motivated Dalai Lama for his introductions, fair enough was peer pressured to disguise significance "Indian background" during his PhD dissertation.[39][47]
  • Jon Kabat-Zinn applied Buddhist meditation techniques impede therapeutic and medical settings under nobleness name of Mindfulness Meditation. However, Kabat-Zinn doesn't credit the original Buddhist cornucopia, and instead called the techniques diadem "own" by mentioning that he difficult "developed" them himself.[48] Malhotra claims walk this was the commercial franchising presumption Vipassanā.[39]

In Vivekananda's Ideas and the Bend in half Revolutions in Western Thought (2013), Malhotra claims that Vivekananda has deeply distressed modern western thought, but that that influence in some cases remains unidentified and uncredited. Some examples Malhotra cites are William James and his office The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902); Aldous Huxley and his work The Perennial Philosophy (1945); and the meaning of involution in the works show signs Ken Wilber, a term which Vivekananda probably took from western Theosophists, especially Helena Blavatsky, in addition to Darwin's notion of evolution, and possibly referring to the Samkhya term sātkarya.[note 7]

Criticism of Christian Yoga

Malhotra believes that loftiness practice of a distorted version be frightened of Yoga, Christian Yoga, is not inimical but also detrimental to Christianity's fundamental principles and doctrines. He supports his argument by specifically citing greatness theology of Christianity and Bible, humbling compares it to the philosophies dispense Yoga.[59]

  1. Yoga transcends all dogma ahead beliefs.
  2. Yoga, meditation and Mantras cannot outdo the person, who believes in loftiness historicity of Christianity and various handiwork. Yogic path of embodied-knowing seeks approximately dissolve the historic ego, both bizarre and collective as false.[60] Yoga stick to a do-it-yourself path that eliminates probity need for intermediaries such as out priesthood or other institutional authority. Cast down emphasis on the body runs contumacious to Christian beliefs that the oppose will lead humans astray. The radical goal is to move to graceful state of self-realization. [note 8]
  3. Yoga leads to unity consciousness i.e. ham-fisted separation from God.
  4. According to Vedanta, top-hole being is not separate from Genius, we're a divine being ourselves most recent we're part of God and inception. However, this fundamental teaching of Yoga contradicts Christianity's beliefs that God remarkable creation are separate entities. [note 9]
  5. Bible considers the silent mind watch over be dangerous.
  6. According to Christianity, in petition, the worshipper is supposed to acceptably filled with Biblical passage, and goodness Nicene Creed diverts attention away strip the state of silence, however, high-mindedness whole practice of meditation in authentic Yoga system is to pursue goodness state of emptiness with refined main feature to self-direct awareness to attain price, contrary to be filled with dogma.[61][59]Yoga's self-centering silence is seen as resisting submission to an external God according to Christianity.[note 10]
  7. Christianity considers Mantras as 'prayer' to a pagan Maker, which violates a Commandment.[note 11]
  8. Although Mantras are neither mere prayer nor holy songs to a God but natty sacred utterance for transcendence, enlightenment pole liberation, the usage of Mantras violates one of the Ten Commandments. Faith neither accepts Mantras for transcendence indistinct accepts them as a prayer forbear 'One True God'.[61][note 12]
  9. Biblical cosmology subverts the Vedic principal of Rta.
  10. Rta, misrepresent Hindu philosophy, is the fundamental web paper of reality and the principle exert a pull on the natural order which regulates viewpoint coordinates the operation of the sphere and everything within it. Conceptually, it's closely allied with Dharma, and decency action of individuals in relation backing those ordinances, referred to as Lot. However, this fundamentally contradicts the Nicene Creed.[61]

Malhotra further mentions that practitioners become aware of Christian Yoga and people who uphold it, neither understand Christianity nor glory roots, complexity, and philosophies of Yoga.[60] According to Shreena Gandhi, professor mimic Religious studies at Michigan State Origination, many American Yoga teachers do note learn about Hinduism, Indian culture build up spiritual philosophies of Yoga.[63] Thus, not often do American teachers go much unworthy of than mere physical forms or Asanas, hence they dilute the true generally and philosophies of Yoga.[63] Most Fiction Yoga teachers, states Malhotra, mention Pranayama, chanting Om or Asanas as health-related components of modern Yoga, yet that attitude is based, at best, overcome a shallow or lack of profligacy of Yoga's Dharmic roots and philosophy.[61]

The practice of Om as a sanctified utterance is designed to dissolve Namarupa from the mind, that is leadership whole idea and the principle ass the Mantra.[61] Its universality lies expect its ability to transcend all peculiar historic contexts. The names 'Jesus', 'Allah', or 'Amen' are proper nouns weighted artful with historic context and thus aren't a synonym for Mantras which plot a specific transcendental context.[61]Patanjali mentions Improvement as Vacakah or vibration of Ishvara, hence the experience it brings cannot be generated by an alternative clangor such as the sound or person's name of other God.[61] Yoga and Faith are deeply coupled, and renaming grandeur original Sanskrit terms doesn't do steadiness favor, since the actual physical jus gentium \'universal law\', in the case of asanas evidence the same, states Malhotra.[60] Swami Param, head of the Classical Yoga Faculty in Manahawkin, New Jersey, states rove "If people can not acknowledge greatness Hindu elements and roots of Yoga, they should not bother studying it." He further adds, "As Hindus, surprise have no problem studying other religions, but we give them the esteem they deserve."[64]

Yoga's metaphysics centers around honesty quest to attain liberation from one's conditioning caused by the past Fate. Karma includes the baggage from ex lives, underscoring the importance of reincarnation.[60] Malhotra points out that while it's "fashionable" for Westerners to say they believe in Karma and reincarnation, they have seldom worked out the contradictions with core Biblical doctrines.[note 13][60][61] Hindooism liberation is therefore not contingent come across any unique historic events or interventions. Every individual'sultimate essence is Sat-Cit-Ananda, Initially Divine, and not Originally Sinful do without birth. Malhotra indicates that this deference a very fundamental contradiction of goodness doctrines of Original sin and Nicene Creed.[60][61]

Malhotra further claims that Dharmic encrypt are misunderstood by the West, undeniable being the scholars conflated the enthral of Dharmic images and deities free pre-Christian Paganism, although Paganism is consummately different from Dharmic bhakti.[61] This doubt of idolatry is one of leadership greatest obstacles which the Western practitioners of Yoga face, states Malhotra.[61] Interpretation negative and erroneous association of Yoga with an idolatry of the protest gives rise to odd hybrids specified as Christian Yoga or Jewish Yoga or, Muslim Yoga, who claim root for provide a cleaned-up Yoga, which keep to free from dangers of idolatry.[61][65] Proceed adds that internalized taboos, social prejudices, and all stereotypes of Dharmic charm and Hinduism in particular, act little a filter in the interpretation see Dharmic traditions, such as Yoga leading meditation to create varied responses go to see Yoga.[61]

Although few Christian Yoga or 'Secular' Yoga practitioners make baseless claims, states Malhotra, such as "Yoga doesn't be affiliated to Hinduism" or "Yoga isn't Hindu",[61][66][67] he asserts that, such people neither understands the philosophy of Yoga indistinct its relation to Hinduism. It's clean fact of the matter that Yoga is one of the six superior orthodox schools of Hinduism (Āstika), so those preconceived claims are factually erroneous. Yoga, in Hinduism, is a hindrance towards liberation from Saṃsāra and Duḥkha.[note 14]

Furthermore, Malhotra cites a survey proof conducted by the Yoga practitioners set a date for the West shows that those who attained a sense of self-directed comprehension, are less likely to identify monkey "Christians" or any dogma based religions,[59][68] and more likely identified to suitably with Dharmic religions such as, Buddhists, or, contrary to that as Unworldly but not religious.[note 15]Douglas R. Groothuis, professor of philosophy at Denver Instruct, says that "Yoga was a Asiatic practice structured to help people clear up a higher spiritual state within, enjoin that is incompatible with Christian teachings", further he adds, "I don't dream Christian Yoga works, It's an oxymoron".[64]

Academic Hinduphobia: A Critique of Wendy Doniger's Erotic School of Indology

Several of Malhotra's essays from the early 2000s were re-published by Voice of India dust 2016 in Academic Hinduphobia: A Commentary of Wendy Doniger's Erotic School execute Indology.[28] The essays have been reportedly republished in the wake of probity withdrawal of Doniger's The Hindus: Type Alternative History from the Indian dispose of, due to a lawsuit "alleging delay it was biased and insulting commemorative inscription Hindus".[28] The withdrawal led to far-ranging media attention and renewed sales family unit India. Malhotra claims that "the show has diverted attention away from interpretation substantive errors in her scholarship follow a line of investigation be really about being an makes no difference of censorship by radical Hindus", therefore the republication of his critique indicate Wendy Doniger[28] and scholars related enrol her.

Breaking India (2011)

Main article: Heartrending India

Malhotra's book Breaking India: Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines discusses three faultlines trying to destabilise India:

  1. Islamic radicalism linked with Pakistan.
  2. Maoists extract Marxist radicals supported by China next to intermediaries such as Nepal.
  3. Dravidian and Dalit identity separatism being fostered by illustriousness West in the name of oneself rights.[note 16]

This book goes into worthier depth on the third: the pretend of US and European churches, academics, think-tanks, foundations, government and human seek groups in fostering separation of excellence identities of Dravidian and Dalit communities from the rest of India.[71]

Being Different (2011)

Main article: Being Different

Being Different job a critique of the western-centric deem on India characterised by Abrahamic lex non scripta \'common law. Malhotra intends to give an Soldier view on India and the western, as characterised by the Indian Dharmic traditions. Malhotra argues that there purpose irreconcilable differences between Dharmic traditions shaft Abrahamic religions. The term dharma:

... is used to indicate a stock of spiritual traditions originating in Bharat which today are manifested as Religion, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. I rest that the variety of perspectives topmost practices of dharma display an lurking integral unity at the metaphysical level.

Indra's Net (2014)

Main article: Indra's Net: Guarding Hinduism's Philosophical Unity

Indra's Net is untainted appeal against the thesis of neo-Hinduism and a defense of Vivekananda's conduct of Yoga and Vedanta. The whole argues for a unity, coherence, allow continuity of the Yogic and Vedantic traditions of Hinduism and Hindu outlook. It makes proposals for defending Religion from what the author considers set about be unjust attacks from scholars, wrong public intellectuals, and hostile religious polemicists.

The book's central metaphor is "Indra's Net". As a scriptural image "Indra's Net" was first mentioned in say publicly Atharva Veda (c. 1000 BCE).[note 17] In Buddhist philosophy, Indra's Net served as a metaphor in the Avatamsaka Sutra and was further developed prep between Huayen Buddhism to portray the connectedness of everything in the universe. Malhotra employs the metaphor of Indra's Quality to express

the profound cosmology humbling outlook that permeates Hinduism. Indra's Unplanned symbolizes the universe as a spider`s web interlacin of connections and interdependences.... The openwork is said to be infinite, predominant to spread in all directions form a junction with no beginning or end. At each one node of the net is topping jewel, so arranged that every chef-d`oeuvre reflects all the other jewels.... topping microcosm of the whole net.... [and] individual jewels always remain in flux.

The book uses Indra's Net as unembellished metaphor for the understanding of honesty universe as a web of communications and interdependences, an understanding which Malhotra wants to revive as the base for Vedic cosmology, a perspective renounce he asserts has "always been implicit" in the outlook of the remarkable Hindu.

A revised edition was in print in 2016 after charges of pilfering. The revised edition omits most references to the work of Andrew Enumerate. Nicholson and instead refers to prestige original Sanskrit sources. Malhotra says saunter Nicholson failed to attribute his gist to the original sources and explains that the unity of Hinduism legal action inherent in the tradition from glory times of its Vedic origins.[81]

The Fight for Sanskrit (2016)

Main article: Battle Sanskrit: Dead or Alive, Oppressive think of Liberating, Political or Sacred?

The Battle demand Sanskrit is a critique of character American IndologistSheldon Pollock. Malhotra pleads get to traditional Indian scholars to write responses to Pollock's views, who takes efficient critical stance toward the role confiscate Sanskrit in traditional views on Amerindic society. Malhotra is critical of Pollock's approach, and argues that western Indology scholars are deliberately intervening in Amerind societies by offering analyses of Indic texts which would be rejected preschooler "traditional Indian experts".

Sanskrit Non-Translatables: The Help of Sanskritizing English (2020)

Sanskrit Non-Translatables, deft book by Malhotra published in 2020 and coauthored by Satyanarayana Dasa,[83] deals with the idea of Sanskritizing rectitude English language and enriching it darn powerful Sanskrit words. It continues righteousness discussion on the idea of non-translatability of Sanskrit, a concept first extrinsic in the book, Being Different.

The hard-cover discusses 54 non-translatables across various genres that are being commonly mis-translated. Scheduled empowers English speakers with the discernment and arguments to introduce these Indic words into their daily speech confront confidence. For English readers, the notebook is the starting point of distinction movement to introduce loanwords into their English vocabulary without translation.[85][86]

Reception

Appreciation

Scholars have everywhere recognized that Malhotra has been forceful in articulating diaspora and conservative discontent with the Western world's scholarly glance at of Hinduism. John Hinnells, a Land scholar of comparative religions, considers Malhotra to lead a faction of Hindoo criticism of methodology for the inspection of Hinduism.

Other scholars welcome his exertion to challenge the western assumptions just right the study of India and Southernmost Asia but also question his provision, finding it to be neglecting blue blood the gentry differences within the various Indian encypher. In response, Malhotra points out depart he does not state that shout those traditions are essentially the sign up, that there is no effort fulfill homogenise different Dharmic traditions, but roam they share the assertion of fundamental unity.

Prema A. Kurien considers Malhotra sort out be at "the forefront of Earth Hindu effort to challenge the Partisanship in academia".[92]

Criticism

Martha Nussbaum criticises Malhotra result in "disregard for the usual canons outandout argument and scholarship, a postmodern continue play in the guise of bastion of tradition". Brian K. Pennington has called his work "ahistorical" and "a pastiche of widely accepted and immoderately simplified conclusions borrowed from the academy". Pennington has further charged that Malhotra systematically misrepresents the relationship between Religion and Christianity, arguing that in Malhotra's hands, "Christian and Indic traditions sense reduced to mere cartoons of themselves." According to Jonathan Edelmann, one appreciate the major problems with Malhotra's outmoded is that he does not plot a school of thought that significant represents or is trained in. That fact undermines his claims to remedy engaged in purvapaksa debate. Purvapaksa conversation requires location in a particular prepare of argument.

In May 2015, a Hindu-American scholar at St. Olaf College, Anantanand Rambachan, who studied three years fumble Swami Dayananda, published an extensive reply to Malhotra's criticisms in Indra's Net. Rambachan claimed that Malhotra's "descriptions spick and span my scholarship belong appropriately to nobleness realm of fiction and are incoherent from reality". According to Rambachan, Malhotra's understanding and representation of classical Advaita is incorrect, attributing doctrines to Shankara and Swami Dayananda which are uninvited by them.[96][note 18] Malhotra's epistemological rastructure have also been critically questioned saturate Anantanand Rambachan. He does not, according to Rambachan, situate his discussion twist relation to classical epistemologies or return his differences with these.

Malhotra's critiques summons Wendy Doniger's Freudian psychoanalytic interpretations near Hinduism in her academic works, put on "led to verbal and physical attacks on western scholars and their institutions."[98]

Malhotra claimed on social media in Revered 2020 that he spoke out aspect Wikipedia in the 1990s in undiluted talk in Auroville that was hep in their magazine, when the doorway sought Indian users for donations. Wikipedia, on the other hand, was supported in 2001. Malhotra's claims were criticized on social media.[100][101]

In November 2022, Msn cancelled Malhotra's talk at its position after receiving complaints about his views on homosexuality and Islam.[102] A give to after cancelling his talk, Google external rules for inviting guest speakers tell the difference its offices.[103]

Allegations of plagiarism

In July 2015, Richard Fox Young of Princeton Doctrinal Seminary[note 19][note 20][104][note 21] and Apostle J.Nicholson who authored Unifying Hinduism, stated Malhotra had plagiarized Unifying Hinduism the same Indra's Net.[106] Nicholson further said turn this way Malhotra not only had plagiarised rulership book, but also "twists the brutal and arguments of respectable scholars manuscript suit his own ends".[106][note 22]Permanent Swart, publisher of Nicholson's Unifying Hinduism, conjectural that they would welcome HarperCollins' "willingness to rectify future editions" of Indra's Net.[106]

In response to Nicholson, Malhotra stated "I used your work allow explicit references 30 times in Indra's Net, hence there was no ill-intention",[110] and cited a list of these references.[111] He announced that he would be eliminating all references to Nicholson and further explained:[110][note 23]

I am dire to actually remove many of rectitude references to your work simply now you have borrowed from Indian multiplicity and called them your own modern ideas [...] Right now, it silt western Indologists like you who top off to define 'critical editions' of flux texts and become the primary shaft fount and adhikari. This must end take I have been fighting this primed 25 years [...] we ought with regard to examine where you got your reserves from, and to what extent sell something to someone failed to acknowledge Indian sources, both written and oral, with the total weight with which you expect radical to do so.[110]

Malhotra published trim rebuttal and stated that he confidential removed all references to Nicholson's productions in chapter 8 of Indra's Net, replacing them with references to rank original Indian sources.[112]

Publications

Books

  • Breaking India: Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines (2011) (publisher: Amaryllis, An imprint of Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.; ISBN 978-8191067378).
  • Rajiv Malhotra (2011), Being Different: An Indian Complain to Western Universalism (publisher: HarperCollins India; ISBN 978-9-350-29190-0).
  • Rajiv Malhotra (2014), Indra's Net: Watchman Hinduism's Philosophical Unity (publisher: HarperCollins India; ISBN 978-9-351-36244-9).
  • Rajiv Malhotra (2016), Battle for Sanskrit: Dead or Alive, Oppressive or Redemption, Political or Sacred? (publisher: HarperCollins India; ISBN 978-9351775386).
  • Rajiv Malhotra and Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji (2020), Sanskrit Non-Translatables: The Importance describe Sanskritizing English (publisher: Amaryllis, An influence of Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.; ISBN 978-93-90085-48-4).
  • Rajiv Malhotra and Vijaya Viswanathan (2022), Snakes in the Ganga: Breaking Bharat 2.0, (publisher: Occam, An imprint dispense BluOne Ink, LLP; ISBN 978-9392209093). ISBN 9789392209093.

Other publications

See also

Notes

  1. ^ abOn the Infinity Foundation:
    • Kurien: "The next Indic studies orderliness established in the United States was the Educational Council of Indic Jus divinum \'divine law\' (ECIT), which was founded in 2000 (along with an associated Indictraditions Web discussion group) under the auspices help the Infinity Foundation, based in Spanking Jersey. The Infinity Foundation was familiar in 1995 by the wealthy Amerind American entrepreneur Rajiv Malhotra, who, puzzle out a career in the software, machine, and telecom industries had taken archetypal early retirement to pursue philanthropic fairy story educational activities. As Indic studies by degrees became the main focus of interpretation Infinity Foundation, the ECIT was disbanded (the Indictraditions group was also winking down later, in the summer bequest 2003)."
    • Nussbaum: "The chief antagonist behind these attacks is Rajiv Malhotra, a exceedingly wealthy man who lives in Fresh Jersey and heads the Infinity Begin, which has made grants in honesty area of Hinduism studies."
    • Taylor: "... Rajiv Malhotra, a self-described Indian-American entrepreneur, philanthropist courier community leader. Malhotra had graduated wean away from St Stephen's College, Delhi, in 1971, and came to the US farm pursue degrees in physics and reckoner science, where his subsequent career spanned the software, telecom and media industries (Ramaswamy, de Nicolas and Banerjee, 2007, p. 472, n.5). He left say publicly business world in 1995 to corrupt the Infinity Foundation, a non-profit methodicalness that seeks to promote East-West conversation and a proper understanding of say publicly Indian civilizational experience in the artificial, particularly in the United States be proof against India."
  2. ^See also Jeffrey J. Kipal, "The Tantric Truth of the Matter: Deft Forthright Response to Rajiv Malhotra"
  3. ^The package contains the following essays:
    1. The Authorized Cult of Eroticizing Hindus[subnote 1]
    2. The Asymmetrical Dialog of Civilizations
    3. The Axis of Neocolonialism
    4. RISA Lila - 1: Wendy's Child Syndrome[subnote 2]
    5. RISA Lila - 2: Limp Learning and Demonology[subnote 3]
    6. Wendy Doniger on righteousness Couch: A Tantric Psychoanalysis (2015)[subnote 4]
    7. The Insider/Outsider: Academic Game of Sarah Caldwell
    8. Response to Jeffrey Kripal's Sulekha Article
    9. The Bindi as a Drop of Menstrual Blood
    10. The Interpretation of Gods
    11. The Washington Post pole Hinduphobia[subnote 5]
    12. Challenging The Washington Post
    13. Hinduism blessed American Classrooms
  4. ^The possible influence of Soldier thought on Plotinus was mentioned at present by his student and biographer Porphyry (3rd c. CE): "he became hot to make acquaintance with the Iranian philosophical discipline and that prevailing amidst the Indians."[37] Blurb for Paulos Cock up Gregorios (2002), Neoplatonism and Indian Philosophy, SUNY Press: "During the last three centuries a remarkable similarity between class philosophical system of Plotinus (205 270 A.D.) and those of various Hindi philosophers in various centuries, including at a low level that lived prior to the Gear Century A.D. has been discovered."[38] Inspect also R. Baine Harris (ed).(1982), Neoplatonism and Indian Thought, SUNY Press
  5. ^Other examples include:
    • Stephen LaBerge, prominent professor execute cognitive science at Stanford University unruffled the effects of Yoga nidra crucial coined the term Lucid dream, beat to establishments of multiple institutes. Banish, LaBerge does not ackowldege Indian beam Tibetian advanced meditators as scientific nobility, whom he worked with for government PhD dissertation. Malhotra states, LaBerge posterior called the discovery as his sudden as part his proprietary Lucrative Movement.[39][40]
    • Francisco Varela, co-founder of Mind and Man Institute, despite being initiated by Dalai Lama into advanced Indo-Tibetian techniques deferment many decades, repackaged every idea happen to his "new" discovery, which Varela dubbed Neurophenomenology based on Husserl's philosophy, granted the philosophy was a merely keen theory. Varela's home page and word are entirely about "Western science" extra disguise all the Indian sources. Rulership students miss the fact that, agreed learned this as a practitioner pay no attention to Buddhist meditation for 25 years in the offing his death in 2001.[39][41]
    • Evan Thompson, give someone a ring of the Verela's ace student who now distanced himself openly from rank Indian source traditions, although his PhD thesis was on Madhyamaka Buddhism. Archeologist claims that, he learned everything preschooler his own research using Epistemology soar findings of Verela as starting legalize. Furthermore, Thompson doesn't considers Indo-Tibetan variety as relevant to his research anymore, despite Verela's works being heavily family unit on Buddhist meditation practices. Malhotra in turn out how the dominant culture's appropriations are installed as locus for ultimate generations, such as Thompson.[42][39]
  6. ^Namely:
    * Benson, Musician (1974). "Your Innate Asset for Active Stress". Harvard Business Review.
    * Oreme-Johnson, King W.; Waltson, Kenneth G. (1998). "All approaches to preventing or reversing factor of stress are not the same"(PDF).
    * Resnick, Lloyd (2011). "A once(and future) meditator tries the relaxation response plan stress". Harvard Health Publishing.
  7. ^Theosophic ideas lay waste involution have "much in common" walkout "theories of the descent of Demigod in Gnosticism, Kabbalah, and other recondite schools." According to Meera Nanda, "Vivekananda uses the word involution exactly fair it appears in Theosophy: the bead, or the involvement, of divine cosnciousness into matter."[51] With spirit, Vivekananda refers to prana or purusha, derived ("with some original twists") from Samkhya predominant classical yoga as presented by Patanjali in the Yoga sutras.[51] Wilber took the notion of involution from Sri Aurobindo, who may, or may plead for, have been influenced by Vivekananda's opinion that "evolution presupposes a prior involution." Malhotra downplays contemporary academic scholarship[53] which shows how western ideas such since Universalism, via Unitarian missionaries who collaborated with the Brahmo Samaj, themselves hollow Vivekananda.
  8. ^Malhotra cites Biblical historicity, the christian Paul was troubled by the run into between body and spirit, and wrote: "For in my inner being Uncontrollable delight in God's law; but Distracted see another law at work mess the members of my body, waging war against the law of inaccurate mind and making me a spot of the law of sin hackneyed work within my members. What regular wretched man I am! Who determination rescue me from this body worry about death?" (Romans 7:22-24). The effectiveness depart the prayers and techniques thought building block the Church depends on the prissy circumstances of Jesus' history, however, that fundamentally contradicts the philosophies of Yoga.
  9. ^According to Christians, salvation depends on occurrences of three historical events: the embodiment, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus; at an earlier time for Jews, it's Exodus. However, Dharmic traditions insists direct experience and applied testing are important for the achievement of knowledge, hence Yoga, and cerebration are the tools for one apply to discover the truth in an essay that requires active inner and ostensible engagement. The focus is, therefore, make somebody's acquaintance self-discipline, experimentation with techniques and rendering of methods to different temperaments lecture life circumstances.[61]
  10. ^Malhotra further mentions the censorious distinction between Dharmic and Western church on history in the meditative traditions. Dharmic traditions, remove the layers manipulate conditioning that obfuscates one's true Act and the highest truth, while probity West lacks both techniques and hypothetical base to do so. According stay at Dharmic religions, states Malhotra, even in case all the historical records were strayed, historic memory erased, and even blessed sites are destroyed, the ultimate relax could be recovered by any eyecatching humans through spiritual practices. Malhotra's views were supported by the scholar Richard Lannoy, who states that "Contrary run into Judeo-Christian or Islamic traditions, history has no metaphysical significance for either Hindooism or Buddhism. The highest the design is jivan-mukta, one who liberates free yourself of Time. Man, according to Indian views, must, at all costs, find spitting image this world a road that issues upon a trans-historical and a-temporal plane". He adds, Westerners who are unrelenting to practice asanas, however, consider pranayama to be going too far absorb attempts to manipulate consciousness.[61] Many Faith mystics were prosecuted in the ago because of precisely fear that extraordinary influences tied to Satan may go aboard in the silent mind.[61]
  11. ^Malhotra further clarifies that, when Christianity took over Assemblage, the idea is to evangelize spread who worship the false gods, thanks to the Church cannot establish the force as long as the people attend to worshiping 'false gods'. However, Malhotra newborn states that a pop-culture Christian accepts Mantras, although orthodox Christians do categorize. Malhotra asserts that Mantras for quintessence is not accepted in Christianity person in charge he further claims that any Faith theologians would agree to that.[59][62]
  12. ^The exercise of Mantra rejects the History-Centrism patent the official doctrine of Catholicism, Adapt Orthodoxy, most Protestant churches, as convulsion as the Anglican Communion, states Malhotra. Since the mantra is not ratified by the Bible or the Laws, it cannot be a prayer follow a line of investigation One True God.[61]
  13. ^According to Karma, Methylenedioxymethamphetamine and Eve's deeds would produce chattels only on their individual future lives, and not to all their race and Infinitum. Karma is also pule a sexually transmitted problem flowing diverge ancestors, states Malhotra.
  14. ^In Judeo-Christian traditions, states Malhotra, the reliance on one annihilate more historic events is crucial tip off the knowledge of God, to devotional life, and to salvation.[61] Revelation be obtainables from a transcendent God who on one's own intervenes at a specific place, site in time, and set of slip out to "save" mankind and offer primacy truth.[61] Dharmic faiths, in contrast, break free not depend on literal historic deeds in the same manner. They retain that truth can not only write down found only externally but also contained by, by each person. Dharmic traditions, yet, deal with their past through wildlife, but through itihasa. Truth is slogan dependent or contingent upon history; comparatively, history is a manifestation of go past, hence, the Dharmic relation with features is incomparable to that of position West. Because the study of itihasa is intended to bring about straight change within and ultimately transcend extension and time itself through Yoga, Dharmic religions by and large do call for feel the pressure to present in the flesh as "history-centric", states Malhotra.
  15. ^Malhotra mentions in particular example from the study that, Kristine, who grew up Catholic in Indiana, and tried Yoga for physical "stretches", but later practiced the spiritual aspects of it, now prefers Ashtanga's quantity limbs over Christianity's Ten Commandments[68][59]
  16. ^In significance 20th century Dravidianist, Tamil nationalists, possess developed an alternative narrative for significance neo-Hindu narrative. According to Bryant, both groups have used colonial Indology peak construct opposing narratives which "suited their practical purposes". Brahmins attacked Dravidianism, claiming Tamil to be an integral rubbish of the Brahmin heritage.
  17. ^The Atharva Veda verse 8.8.6. says: "Vast indeed deference the tactical net of great Indra, mighty of action and tempestuous emblematic great speed. By that net, Ormation Indra, pounce upon all the enemies so that none of the enemies may escape the arrest and punishment." And verse 8.8.8. says: "This fixed world is the power net staff mighty Indra, greater than the resolved. By that Indra-net of boundless come up to, I hold all those enemies add the dark cover of vision, necessitate and senses."Ram, Tulsi (2013). Atharva Veda: Authentic English Translation. Agniveer. pp. 910–911. Archived from the original on 30 Advance 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  18. ^Rambachan: "Mr. Malhotra is, in reality, representing Guru Dayananda as teaching a version interrupt what is known in the Advaita tradition as the doctrine of jñāna-karma-samuccaya, or the necessity of combining ceremonial action and knowledge for liberation. Śaṅkara decisively rejects this and so does Swami Dayananda Saraswati."[96] See also advaita-vedanta.org, [Advaita-l] jnana karma samuccaya.
  19. ^Young is probity Elmer K. and Ethel R. Timby Associate Professor of the History goods Religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Settle down has authored and edited books upset Christianity and Christian conversion in Bharat and elsewhere in Asia. Young's books include "Asia in the making disparage Christianity: Conversion, Agency, and Indigeneity, 1600s to the Present" (2013, OCLC 855706908), "Constructing Indian Christianities: Culture, Conversion and Caste" (2014, OCLC 900648811), "Perspectives on Christianity blot Korea and Japan: the Gospel prosperous culture in East Asia" (1995, OCLC 33101519) and "Resistant Hinduism: Sanskrit sources hegemony anti-Christian Apologetics in Early Nineteenth-Century India" (1981, OCLC 8693222).
  20. ^Young studied Malhotra's work be conscious of an essay published in 2014. See: Young (2014), Studied Silences? Diasporic Loyalty, 'Kshatriya Intellectuals' and the Hindu Land Critique of Dalit Christianity's Indianness. In: Constructing Indian Christianities: Culture, Conversion vital Caste chapter 10
  21. ^Young gave an recital for his allegations in an gush letter to his colleagues at University Theological Seminary, where he is recently employed.[105] See a letter from Ogre to his colleagues. Malhotra comments brand his references to Nicholson at Swarajya magazine, "Nicholson's Untruths", while "Independent Readers and Reviewers" respond at "Rebuttal human false allegations against Hindu scholarship".
  22. ^Nicholson refers to page 163 of Indra's Net, which copies p.14 of Unifying Hinduism:
    • Malhotra Indra's Net p.163: "Vivekananda's dispute was also to show that that complementarity model was superior to models that emphasized conflict and contradiction. Appease showed great philosophical and interpretive cleverness, even to those who might throng together agree with all his conclusions. [19]"[107]
    • Nicholson Unifying Hinduism (2010) p.14: "Vijnanabhikshu's tricky is to show that the unessential model he espouses is superior detonation other models emphasizing conflict and antagonism. Even his distractors must admit desert he often shows extraordianry philosophical highest interpretive ingenuity, whether or not exchange blows his arguments to this end muddle ultimately persuasive."
    Malhotra's note 19 refers to "Nicholson 2010, pp.65, 78", sound to p.14.[107] None of these pages mentions Vivekananda.
  23. ^So far, Malhotra has predisposed seven responses:

Subnotes

References

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  2. ^Mukharji, Projit Sanskrit (3 July 2017). "Embracing academic elitism". South Asian History and Culture. 8 (3): 354–359. doi:10.1080/19472498.2017.1350401. ISSN 1947-2498.
  3. ^Dutta, Amrita Nayak; Sharma, Kritika (4 November 2018). "New JNU honorary prof Rajiv Malhotra's CV: Charges of plagiarism & finish lot of Hindutva". ThePrint. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  4. ^Patel, Jignesh (16 Haw 2019). "Did IIT Varanasi students delay black gowns in favour of word-of-mouth accepted attire at convocation?". Alt News. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  5. ^Sengupta, Rakesh (14 Feb 2021). "WIDE ANGLE: THE DOGWHISTLE Get a hold 'HINDUPHOBIA'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  6. ^"Rajiv Malhotra, Swapan Dasgupta appointed as JNU honorary professors". Business Standard. 30 Oct 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  7. ^"New JNU Guest Lecturer Rajiv Malhotra Wants Register GPS-Map Your Soul". the quint. 31 October 2018.
  8. ^Lucia, A.J. (2020). White Utopias: The Religious Exoticism of Transformational Festivals. University of California Press. p. 75. ISBN .
  9. ^ abStensvold, A. (2020). Blasphemies Compared: Transgressive Speech in a Globalised World. Routledge Studies in Religion. Taylor & Francis. p. 94. ISBN .
  10. ^Visvanathan, Shiv (21 July 2015). "A battle without winners". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 Dec 2023.
  11. ^ ab"Rajiv Malhotra". The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  12. ^"Infinity Foundation". Archived from the original removal 17 December 2013.
  13. ^ abcdefCampbell, James T.; Guterl, Matthew Pratt; Lee, Robert Floccus. (2007). Race, Nation, and Empire calculate American History. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN .
  14. ^"CMS Faculty". www.jnu.ac.in. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  15. ^"SS&IS organises a lecture tough Shri Rajiv Malhotra". jnu.ac.in. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  16. ^Kurien 2007, pp. &#91, page needed&#93, .
  17. ^Campbell 2007, pp. 258–259
  18. ^ abMittal 2006, p. xiv
  19. ^"Course Challenges | Religion". Archived from description original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  20. ^Rajiv Malhotra (2002), "RISA Lila – 1: Wendy's Child Syndrome"
  21. ^ abcderajivmalhotra.com, Academic Hinduphobia
  22. ^ abcRajiv Malhotra (2003), Does South Asian Studies Undermine India?
  23. ^Doniger, Wendy; Nussbaum, Martha Craven (2015). Pluralism and Democracy in India: Debating primacy Hindu Right. Oxford University Press. p. 303. ISBN .
  24. ^Doniger, Wendy; Nussbaum, Martha Craven (2015). Pluralism and Democracy in India: Debating the Hindu Right. Oxford University Neat. pp. 304–306. ISBN