The sculpture "Arhat" (2114 ДВ) in the Buddhist collection of The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko Nat... more The sculpture "Arhat" (2114 ДВ) in the Buddhist collection of The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts grasps the particular attention of the scholars taking into account its connection with the famous persons-the 13 th Dalai Lama, Pyotr Kozlov, and most likely with Nicholas Roerich and his elder son George Roerich. According to the memorial sign on the sculpture, the art piece is the 13 th Dalai Lama's present to Russian traveler Pyotr Kozlov in 1905 at Urga, capital of Mongolia. The "Arhat" was bought by the museum in 1969 as a part of a big collection of Buddhist art from Velichko V. S. (Moscow). The article touches on the historical events that forced the Tibetan ruler to arrive in Urga in 1905, and on the basis of documents and eyewitness accounts, sheds light on the circumstances of the Dalai Lama's meeting with Pyotr Kozlov. The authors provide some indirect arguments that "Velichko's collection" could belong to the Roerich family. The authors also give comments on the iconography of the sculpture, identifying it as an arhat or as a teacher. Arguments are also given on the sculpture's origin and dating-Tibet, the 19 th century-not later than 1905. Besides, the results of x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy are revealed in the article. It was shown that the figure was made from two different types of metalcopper (torso, shoulders, and legs) and brass with a high percentage of zinc (hands and ears). Surface of the figure is artificially patinated. Collecting all data authors propose to make the corrections in the inventory information of the sculpture.
Філь Ю. С. Культурні війни навколо індуїзму в сучасній Індії. Рец. на: Elst K. Hindu Dharma and t... more Філь Ю. С. Культурні війни навколо індуїзму в сучасній Індії. Рец. на: Elst K. Hindu Dharma and the Culture Wars. New Delhi: Rupa Publications, 2019. 261 p. // Східний світ. 2021. №3. С. 198–203. The term "culture war" dates back to the nineteenth century Germany history when Otto von Bismark started a struggle with the Church for control over education. Since then the term conveys the debate between modern and religious worldview and any non-economic controversy in the society. In contemporary India culture war around Hinduism is currently being fought by so-called "Nehruvian secularists” and the “Hindu right”. The former are the proponents of political nationalism or Indian nationalism, latter would see the future of India in cultural nationalism referring to Hindutva ideology. The author criticizes both sides of the discussion, but his worldview is more in tune with the right-wing nationalists. Up to him Hinduism is discriminated in modern India by law and to the Constitution of India made by biased westernized elites of the colonial times. For instance, the secularists' education policy nowadays creates the situation when minority schools are subsidized by the government, while Hindu schools have either to be closed or turned into ordinary secular unsubsidized governmental schools. He accuses "secularists" of harboring westernized views on Hinduism and pro-minority biases. The latter refer to the situations, when what is approved of in the case of Christian or Muslim minorities appears to be the matter of disapproval with regard to Hindu majorities. The author criticizes the Hindu right-wing groups for also harboring – albeit unconsciously – westernized views on their native religion and anti-Hindu politics. The culture war around Hinduism is being waged on not only the political scene, but in the public sphere and academia. According to Koenraad Elst, the international Indology has now become anti-Hindu. The ‘academes’ are biased toward secularist views and are incapable of self-critique. For all the variety of topics covered in the 25 essays that the book is comprised of, the above line of argument is present everywhere and appears to be the author’s favorite idea. Though an ideological line of his endeavors is clear and remains marginal in the Indological circles, his thoughts are proof-based and have logic inside his paradigm. Elst’s essays are very rich in facts and demonstrate a broad knowledge of Indian culture. The language of his book is very lucid, diverse, and sometimes emotional, which makes the reading delightful and intellectually stimulating.
The article deals with the relationship between faith and rational knowledge in modern Gaudiya Va... more The article deals with the relationship between faith and rational knowledge in modern Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It is shown that the position of modern Vaishnavas regarding revelation and critical knowledge is defined in the books of the reformer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism Bhaktivinoda Thakur. The positions of modern teachers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism – Bhaktivendanta Sadhu Swami and Dandi Maharaja are explained, the importance of their position for the development of interreligious dialogue in modern conditions is shown. The points of contact between Gaudiya Vaishnavism and Christianity in matters of understanding time, eternity, revelation and rational cognition are shown.
The article describes the main methodological difficulties in Hindu Studies and looks on the Bhag... more The article describes the main methodological difficulties in Hindu Studies and looks on the Bhagavad Gita as it is book trial in Tomsk (Russian Federation) in 2011–2012 years as on the case-study of actuality and practical significance of theoretical bases and statements of the discipline. Among the groups of methodological problems extracted by the authors (identity, terminological, classificatory and practical) the first one is the most up to date. It concerns with the questions of identification of essential features of Hinduism, the reasons to embrace numerous cults and traditions of India into one religion, to find the “Hinduism’ nucleus” and the time of its emergence and development. Article also points out two approaches for study Hinduism – centralist and pluralist, analyzing strengths and weaknesses of both.
On Bhagavad Gita as it is book trial and other events connected to the trial the numerous principal questions were discussed. The main one was about International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) attachment to Hinduism and Indian culture in general. During the discussion the argument about non-Vedic origin of Krishna’s cult was beaten. This argument leaves outside Hinduism not only ISKCON, but whole five hundred years old tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It was found out why it is incorrect to ask weather Bhagavad Gita as it is and Bhagavad Gita is one and the same books or different books and deconstructed many stereotypes about Hinduism and Hindu people like the stereotype that person to be a Hindu have to be born in Hindu family or the one that caste system is the essential feature for Hinduism. The discussions at the Court and during the conference proved that the centralist approach in Hindu Studies is more productive in the social practice. The trial not only provokes Vaishnavas of ISKCON to defend their identity but also leads to better understanding of ISKCON connection with the tradition of Hinduism and its role in Indian culture.
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Ukraine faces different kinds of chal... more International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Ukraine faces different kinds of challenges – practical as well as spiritual – since the war in Donbas had been started. The practical challenge deals with taking care of fellows believers from war areas. The spiritual concerns what the community stand for in the conflict. The response on the first one was the foundation of “Ukrainian Vaishnava Refugee Fund” which provides temporal shelter for the refugees and makes the premises in Vaishnava retreat centers ready for the cold season. Concerning the second challenge – ISKCON claims principal and conscious detachment from the war. One could not expect different positions from this religious organization taking to account its theological particularities of the religion. Firstly, Vaishnavism claims a strong division on material and spiritual (transcendental) worlds so that worldly deals including wars treated less important and valuable. Secondly, the Hindu imagination on time implies that Earth is facing the period of degradation (kali yuga) when wars are inevitable and no one can influence it, so there is no point in active participation in them. Thirdly, Vaishnavism does not think about its position on war as on the detachment rather it claims the different type of participation which derives from the understanding of its mission in any conflict which differs from missions of other religious organizations. The mission of ISKCON in the war not to take one or another side but transform the quality of ignorance (tama-guna) into the quality of goodness (sattva-guna) which is reached by transcendental, not worldly methods. Therefore, any ISKCON charity project does not deals with the help one or another side of the conflict directly but strive to be universal and provide help irrespective to war affairs. As a result of this position only two ways of charity was possible for the Krishnaites in a wartime – the project “Food for life. Donbas” and taking care of abandoned cows in the conflict zone.
However, the individual position of devotee could differ from organization’s one. Usually it depends on his or her personal experience or background, especially before coming to Krishna’s consciousness. There are devotees who follow pro-Ukrainian position as well as those who follow pro-Russian, thus Vaishnavas’ attitude to the conflict reflects, in general, the Ukrainian population attitude to it on particular territories. It does not mean that devotees on the Ukrainian territories are all pro-Ukrainian and those who are on the uncontrolled territories are all pro-Russian. Both positions exist on the both sides from the frontline. But because of curtain reasons one or another position is louder on one side from the frontline and almost silent on another.
It could be concluded that Vaishnavas accepted the spiritual challenge successfully on both collective and individual level. As field work has shown ISKCON avoided inner conflicts and schism on the political ground. Furthermore, Ukrainian Vaishnavas have not lost the connection with their fellow believers on the uncontrolled territories. Moreover, they also have not lost the good relationships and connections with Russian fellow believers. Though the intensity of such contacts decreased drastically it is more due to technical reasons connecting with the difficulties on the borders. Regarding ISKCON yatras on the uncontrolled territories of Donbas and in Crimea they are facing difficulties with selflegalization due to strict religious laws.
The article is dedicated to the identical aspects of the development of the International Society... more The article is dedicated to the identical aspects of the development of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Ukraine. To be more precise, to the place of Ukrainian culture in Society and in adherents' life. The topic seems problematic taking into account the huge role of Vaishnava culture (Hindu in its base) in ISKCON. Hence the question is whether there is some space for local (national) culture and national particularities in such Hindu oriented religious movement. The article is the result of fieldwork started in 2015 that has become systematic since 2019. The qualitative methods of sociology such as interviews and participant observation were used in the research. The material was collected in the temples of cities and towns in Ukraine such as Kyiv, Lviv, Rivne, Donetsk (the devotees were on the territories controlled by Ukrainian government at that time), Kharkiv, Mariupol, Berdyansk, Kramatorsk. There were temple administrators and Maharajas among the respondents. It was proved that in Ukrainian ISKCON as well as in every other Society in the world, the theology of Vaishnavism forms the attitude to the national culture-the aim of a devotee is rather to get rid of all identifications with the material world (hence with national culture) than to identify with it. So, it seems natural that on the level of ISKCON community Ukrainian culture is not cultivated much. Though taking into account the postcolonial context of the development of the country, some devotees have a particular attitude to Ukrainian culture and were trying to incorporate it in Vaishnava worldview. Such adherents see the value of national culture in its connection with the ancient Aryan culture, so they are searching similarities of both cultures in the language, art, way of life, etc. Thus, so-called "Aryan-Tripilian theories of Ukrainian ethnogenesis" appear attractive and relevant for many of them. Though this tendency is quite marginal in Ukrainian ISKCON, it can be named as a national distinguishing feature of Ukrainian ISKCON.
Статья посвящена влиянию европейской культуры на процесс формирования общеиндийской идентичности ... more Статья посвящена влиянию европейской культуры на процесс формирования общеиндийской идентичности в британский колониальный период. Особое внимание уделяется роли индийских вестернизированных элит в меж культурном взаимодействии и формировании национального самосознания. Также рассмотрены три основных вызова, с которыми столкнулись индийцы при знакомстве с европейской культурой. Первым вызовом стала евро пейская рациональность, вторым вызовом-идея равноправия и третьим вызовом-линейное понимание обще мировой истории. В статье анализируется, как на эти вызовы ответило индийское общество. Ключевые слова: Индия, общеиндийская идентичность, вестернизация, колониализм, индуизм, национальное самосознание. The article is dedicated to the influence of European culture to the process of common Indian identity formation during colonial times. Intercultural interaction of the westernized Indian elites and emergence of national self awareness are on the sharp look in the article. Furthermore, three main challenges of Indian elites encountering European civilization are considered here. The first challenge was European rationality, the second one-the idea of equal rights and the third one-linear understanding of world history. It is analyzed here how Indian society responded to all these challenges.
Філь Ю.С. Проблеми атрибуції тибетської буддійської скульптури // Актуальні питання організації т... more Філь Ю.С. Проблеми атрибуції тибетської буддійської скульптури // Актуальні питання організації та проведення державної експертизи культурних цінностей (предметів декоративно-ужиткового мистецтва). Матеріали семінару-практику (21-25 травня 2018 р., Київ): науково-методичний збірник. Київ: Національний Києво-Печерський історико-культурний заповідник, Видавництво "Фенікс", 2018. С. 90-95.
The article is dealing with the history of ideas about caste system starting from Brahmo samaj op... more The article is dealing with the history of ideas about caste system starting from Brahmo samaj opinion on it and ending with views of prominent politicians of Northern India. Article describes the whole variety of opinions about jati system among the politicians of the Punjab and NorthhWestern provinces on the second half of XIX-the beginning of ХХ century. It is concluded that two positions were dominant among the region's elites-"criticallmodernists" (B.N. Dar and L.L. Rai) and "modernists" (M. Nehru and T.B. Sapru). The solidarity among all politicians is seen on the question that caste system as it was at that moment is incompatible with the modern way of India's development.
The article reveals the activities of Christian missions in the North of India during the colonia... more The article reveals the activities of Christian missions in the North of India during the colonial period. The social and historical factors that prevented the spread of Christianity were revealed. A different perception of the activity of Christian missions by representatives of various strata of Indian society is shown.
The sculpture "Arhat" (2114 ДВ) in the Buddhist collection of The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko Nat... more The sculpture "Arhat" (2114 ДВ) in the Buddhist collection of The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts grasps the particular attention of the scholars taking into account its connection with the famous persons-the 13 th Dalai Lama, Pyotr Kozlov, and most likely with Nicholas Roerich and his elder son George Roerich. According to the memorial sign on the sculpture, the art piece is the 13 th Dalai Lama's present to Russian traveler Pyotr Kozlov in 1905 at Urga, capital of Mongolia. The "Arhat" was bought by the museum in 1969 as a part of a big collection of Buddhist art from Velichko V. S. (Moscow). The article touches on the historical events that forced the Tibetan ruler to arrive in Urga in 1905, and on the basis of documents and eyewitness accounts, sheds light on the circumstances of the Dalai Lama's meeting with Pyotr Kozlov. The authors provide some indirect arguments that "Velichko's collection" could belong to the Roerich family. The authors also give comments on the iconography of the sculpture, identifying it as an arhat or as a teacher. Arguments are also given on the sculpture's origin and dating-Tibet, the 19 th century-not later than 1905. Besides, the results of x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy are revealed in the article. It was shown that the figure was made from two different types of metalcopper (torso, shoulders, and legs) and brass with a high percentage of zinc (hands and ears). Surface of the figure is artificially patinated. Collecting all data authors propose to make the corrections in the inventory information of the sculpture.
Філь Ю. С. Культурні війни навколо індуїзму в сучасній Індії. Рец. на: Elst K. Hindu Dharma and t... more Філь Ю. С. Культурні війни навколо індуїзму в сучасній Індії. Рец. на: Elst K. Hindu Dharma and the Culture Wars. New Delhi: Rupa Publications, 2019. 261 p. // Східний світ. 2021. №3. С. 198–203. The term "culture war" dates back to the nineteenth century Germany history when Otto von Bismark started a struggle with the Church for control over education. Since then the term conveys the debate between modern and religious worldview and any non-economic controversy in the society. In contemporary India culture war around Hinduism is currently being fought by so-called "Nehruvian secularists” and the “Hindu right”. The former are the proponents of political nationalism or Indian nationalism, latter would see the future of India in cultural nationalism referring to Hindutva ideology. The author criticizes both sides of the discussion, but his worldview is more in tune with the right-wing nationalists. Up to him Hinduism is discriminated in modern India by law and to the Constitution of India made by biased westernized elites of the colonial times. For instance, the secularists' education policy nowadays creates the situation when minority schools are subsidized by the government, while Hindu schools have either to be closed or turned into ordinary secular unsubsidized governmental schools. He accuses "secularists" of harboring westernized views on Hinduism and pro-minority biases. The latter refer to the situations, when what is approved of in the case of Christian or Muslim minorities appears to be the matter of disapproval with regard to Hindu majorities. The author criticizes the Hindu right-wing groups for also harboring – albeit unconsciously – westernized views on their native religion and anti-Hindu politics. The culture war around Hinduism is being waged on not only the political scene, but in the public sphere and academia. According to Koenraad Elst, the international Indology has now become anti-Hindu. The ‘academes’ are biased toward secularist views and are incapable of self-critique. For all the variety of topics covered in the 25 essays that the book is comprised of, the above line of argument is present everywhere and appears to be the author’s favorite idea. Though an ideological line of his endeavors is clear and remains marginal in the Indological circles, his thoughts are proof-based and have logic inside his paradigm. Elst’s essays are very rich in facts and demonstrate a broad knowledge of Indian culture. The language of his book is very lucid, diverse, and sometimes emotional, which makes the reading delightful and intellectually stimulating.
The article deals with the relationship between faith and rational knowledge in modern Gaudiya Va... more The article deals with the relationship between faith and rational knowledge in modern Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It is shown that the position of modern Vaishnavas regarding revelation and critical knowledge is defined in the books of the reformer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism Bhaktivinoda Thakur. The positions of modern teachers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism – Bhaktivendanta Sadhu Swami and Dandi Maharaja are explained, the importance of their position for the development of interreligious dialogue in modern conditions is shown. The points of contact between Gaudiya Vaishnavism and Christianity in matters of understanding time, eternity, revelation and rational cognition are shown.
The article describes the main methodological difficulties in Hindu Studies and looks on the Bhag... more The article describes the main methodological difficulties in Hindu Studies and looks on the Bhagavad Gita as it is book trial in Tomsk (Russian Federation) in 2011–2012 years as on the case-study of actuality and practical significance of theoretical bases and statements of the discipline. Among the groups of methodological problems extracted by the authors (identity, terminological, classificatory and practical) the first one is the most up to date. It concerns with the questions of identification of essential features of Hinduism, the reasons to embrace numerous cults and traditions of India into one religion, to find the “Hinduism’ nucleus” and the time of its emergence and development. Article also points out two approaches for study Hinduism – centralist and pluralist, analyzing strengths and weaknesses of both.
On Bhagavad Gita as it is book trial and other events connected to the trial the numerous principal questions were discussed. The main one was about International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) attachment to Hinduism and Indian culture in general. During the discussion the argument about non-Vedic origin of Krishna’s cult was beaten. This argument leaves outside Hinduism not only ISKCON, but whole five hundred years old tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It was found out why it is incorrect to ask weather Bhagavad Gita as it is and Bhagavad Gita is one and the same books or different books and deconstructed many stereotypes about Hinduism and Hindu people like the stereotype that person to be a Hindu have to be born in Hindu family or the one that caste system is the essential feature for Hinduism. The discussions at the Court and during the conference proved that the centralist approach in Hindu Studies is more productive in the social practice. The trial not only provokes Vaishnavas of ISKCON to defend their identity but also leads to better understanding of ISKCON connection with the tradition of Hinduism and its role in Indian culture.
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Ukraine faces different kinds of chal... more International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Ukraine faces different kinds of challenges – practical as well as spiritual – since the war in Donbas had been started. The practical challenge deals with taking care of fellows believers from war areas. The spiritual concerns what the community stand for in the conflict. The response on the first one was the foundation of “Ukrainian Vaishnava Refugee Fund” which provides temporal shelter for the refugees and makes the premises in Vaishnava retreat centers ready for the cold season. Concerning the second challenge – ISKCON claims principal and conscious detachment from the war. One could not expect different positions from this religious organization taking to account its theological particularities of the religion. Firstly, Vaishnavism claims a strong division on material and spiritual (transcendental) worlds so that worldly deals including wars treated less important and valuable. Secondly, the Hindu imagination on time implies that Earth is facing the period of degradation (kali yuga) when wars are inevitable and no one can influence it, so there is no point in active participation in them. Thirdly, Vaishnavism does not think about its position on war as on the detachment rather it claims the different type of participation which derives from the understanding of its mission in any conflict which differs from missions of other religious organizations. The mission of ISKCON in the war not to take one or another side but transform the quality of ignorance (tama-guna) into the quality of goodness (sattva-guna) which is reached by transcendental, not worldly methods. Therefore, any ISKCON charity project does not deals with the help one or another side of the conflict directly but strive to be universal and provide help irrespective to war affairs. As a result of this position only two ways of charity was possible for the Krishnaites in a wartime – the project “Food for life. Donbas” and taking care of abandoned cows in the conflict zone.
However, the individual position of devotee could differ from organization’s one. Usually it depends on his or her personal experience or background, especially before coming to Krishna’s consciousness. There are devotees who follow pro-Ukrainian position as well as those who follow pro-Russian, thus Vaishnavas’ attitude to the conflict reflects, in general, the Ukrainian population attitude to it on particular territories. It does not mean that devotees on the Ukrainian territories are all pro-Ukrainian and those who are on the uncontrolled territories are all pro-Russian. Both positions exist on the both sides from the frontline. But because of curtain reasons one or another position is louder on one side from the frontline and almost silent on another.
It could be concluded that Vaishnavas accepted the spiritual challenge successfully on both collective and individual level. As field work has shown ISKCON avoided inner conflicts and schism on the political ground. Furthermore, Ukrainian Vaishnavas have not lost the connection with their fellow believers on the uncontrolled territories. Moreover, they also have not lost the good relationships and connections with Russian fellow believers. Though the intensity of such contacts decreased drastically it is more due to technical reasons connecting with the difficulties on the borders. Regarding ISKCON yatras on the uncontrolled territories of Donbas and in Crimea they are facing difficulties with selflegalization due to strict religious laws.
The article is dedicated to the identical aspects of the development of the International Society... more The article is dedicated to the identical aspects of the development of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Ukraine. To be more precise, to the place of Ukrainian culture in Society and in adherents' life. The topic seems problematic taking into account the huge role of Vaishnava culture (Hindu in its base) in ISKCON. Hence the question is whether there is some space for local (national) culture and national particularities in such Hindu oriented religious movement. The article is the result of fieldwork started in 2015 that has become systematic since 2019. The qualitative methods of sociology such as interviews and participant observation were used in the research. The material was collected in the temples of cities and towns in Ukraine such as Kyiv, Lviv, Rivne, Donetsk (the devotees were on the territories controlled by Ukrainian government at that time), Kharkiv, Mariupol, Berdyansk, Kramatorsk. There were temple administrators and Maharajas among the respondents. It was proved that in Ukrainian ISKCON as well as in every other Society in the world, the theology of Vaishnavism forms the attitude to the national culture-the aim of a devotee is rather to get rid of all identifications with the material world (hence with national culture) than to identify with it. So, it seems natural that on the level of ISKCON community Ukrainian culture is not cultivated much. Though taking into account the postcolonial context of the development of the country, some devotees have a particular attitude to Ukrainian culture and were trying to incorporate it in Vaishnava worldview. Such adherents see the value of national culture in its connection with the ancient Aryan culture, so they are searching similarities of both cultures in the language, art, way of life, etc. Thus, so-called "Aryan-Tripilian theories of Ukrainian ethnogenesis" appear attractive and relevant for many of them. Though this tendency is quite marginal in Ukrainian ISKCON, it can be named as a national distinguishing feature of Ukrainian ISKCON.
Статья посвящена влиянию европейской культуры на процесс формирования общеиндийской идентичности ... more Статья посвящена влиянию европейской культуры на процесс формирования общеиндийской идентичности в британский колониальный период. Особое внимание уделяется роли индийских вестернизированных элит в меж культурном взаимодействии и формировании национального самосознания. Также рассмотрены три основных вызова, с которыми столкнулись индийцы при знакомстве с европейской культурой. Первым вызовом стала евро пейская рациональность, вторым вызовом-идея равноправия и третьим вызовом-линейное понимание обще мировой истории. В статье анализируется, как на эти вызовы ответило индийское общество. Ключевые слова: Индия, общеиндийская идентичность, вестернизация, колониализм, индуизм, национальное самосознание. The article is dedicated to the influence of European culture to the process of common Indian identity formation during colonial times. Intercultural interaction of the westernized Indian elites and emergence of national self awareness are on the sharp look in the article. Furthermore, three main challenges of Indian elites encountering European civilization are considered here. The first challenge was European rationality, the second one-the idea of equal rights and the third one-linear understanding of world history. It is analyzed here how Indian society responded to all these challenges.
Філь Ю.С. Проблеми атрибуції тибетської буддійської скульптури // Актуальні питання організації т... more Філь Ю.С. Проблеми атрибуції тибетської буддійської скульптури // Актуальні питання організації та проведення державної експертизи культурних цінностей (предметів декоративно-ужиткового мистецтва). Матеріали семінару-практику (21-25 травня 2018 р., Київ): науково-методичний збірник. Київ: Національний Києво-Печерський історико-культурний заповідник, Видавництво "Фенікс", 2018. С. 90-95.
The article is dealing with the history of ideas about caste system starting from Brahmo samaj op... more The article is dealing with the history of ideas about caste system starting from Brahmo samaj opinion on it and ending with views of prominent politicians of Northern India. Article describes the whole variety of opinions about jati system among the politicians of the Punjab and NorthhWestern provinces on the second half of XIX-the beginning of ХХ century. It is concluded that two positions were dominant among the region's elites-"criticallmodernists" (B.N. Dar and L.L. Rai) and "modernists" (M. Nehru and T.B. Sapru). The solidarity among all politicians is seen on the question that caste system as it was at that moment is incompatible with the modern way of India's development.
The article reveals the activities of Christian missions in the North of India during the colonia... more The article reveals the activities of Christian missions in the North of India during the colonial period. The social and historical factors that prevented the spread of Christianity were revealed. A different perception of the activity of Christian missions by representatives of various strata of Indian society is shown.
"Cultural Wars": Nationalism and Religion in Contemporary India The term "culture wars" expresses... more "Cultural Wars": Nationalism and Religion in Contemporary India The term "culture wars" expresses the debates between secular and religious worldview and any non-economic controversy in the society. In contemporary India culture war around Hinduism is currently being fought by so-called "secularists" and the "nationalists". The former are the proponents of political nationalism or Indian nationalism, latter would see the future of India in cultural nationalism. Which concept of nationalism will finally win depends on the Indian voters and the diplomatic qualities of Indian parliamentarians.
Between the 25th September and 2nd October, the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture (Ista... more Between the 25th September and 2nd October, the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture (Istanbul, Turkey) organized an Islamic research study trip for Ukrainian academic researchers. The religious-studies oriented group attended a series of seminars and lectures facilitated by Foundation. Such experts as Prof Dr. Ismail Latif Hacinebioglu of Istanbul University, Rector of Ibn Haldun University Prof. Dr. Recep Senturk, Prof. Dr. Suleyman Derin, Prof. Dr. Alparslan Acikgenc and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Said Bilal gave lectures on Islam and Philosophy, Islamic Education in the Ottoman Period, Islam and Suism, Concept of Knowledge in Islam, the Human Rights and Islam by the professors respectively. Ukrainian researchers also made the reports on related topics. Within the framework of study trip Ukrainian group also visited several historical buildings and mosques in order to get an anthropological experience of being among Muslims and observe directly their religious practices.
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Books by Yulia Fil
Papers by Yulia Fil
The term "culture war" dates back to the nineteenth century Germany history when Otto von Bismark started a struggle with the Church for control over education. Since then the term conveys the debate between modern and religious worldview and any non-economic controversy in the society. In contemporary India culture war around Hinduism is currently being fought by so-called "Nehruvian secularists” and the “Hindu right”. The former are the proponents of political nationalism or Indian nationalism, latter would see the future of India in cultural nationalism referring to Hindutva ideology. The author criticizes both sides of the discussion, but his worldview is more in tune with the right-wing nationalists. Up to him Hinduism is discriminated in modern India by law and to the Constitution of India made by biased westernized elites of the colonial times. For instance, the secularists' education policy nowadays creates the situation when minority schools are subsidized by the government, while Hindu schools have either to be closed or turned into ordinary secular unsubsidized governmental schools. He accuses "secularists" of harboring westernized views on Hinduism and pro-minority biases. The latter refer to the situations, when what is approved of in the case of Christian or Muslim minorities appears to be the matter of disapproval with regard to Hindu majorities. The author criticizes the Hindu right-wing groups for also harboring – albeit unconsciously – westernized views on their native religion and anti-Hindu politics.
The culture war around Hinduism is being waged on not only the political scene, but in the public sphere and academia. According to Koenraad Elst, the international Indology has now become anti-Hindu. The ‘academes’ are biased toward secularist views and are incapable of self-critique.
For all the variety of topics covered in the 25 essays that the book is comprised of, the above line of argument is present everywhere and appears to be the author’s favorite idea. Though an ideological line of his endeavors is clear and remains marginal in the Indological circles, his thoughts are proof-based and have logic inside his paradigm. Elst’s essays are very rich in facts and demonstrate a broad knowledge of Indian culture. The language of his book is very lucid, diverse, and sometimes emotional, which makes the reading delightful and intellectually stimulating.
On Bhagavad Gita as it is book trial and other events connected to the trial the numerous principal questions were discussed. The main one was about International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) attachment to Hinduism and Indian culture in general. During the discussion the argument about non-Vedic origin of Krishna’s cult was beaten. This argument leaves outside Hinduism not only ISKCON, but whole five hundred years old tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It was found out why it is incorrect to ask weather Bhagavad Gita as it is and Bhagavad Gita is one and the same books or different books and deconstructed many stereotypes about Hinduism and Hindu people like the stereotype that person to be a Hindu have to be born in Hindu family or the one that caste system is the essential feature for Hinduism. The discussions at the Court and during the conference proved that the centralist approach in Hindu Studies is more productive in the social practice. The trial not only provokes Vaishnavas of ISKCON to defend their identity but also leads to better understanding of ISKCON connection with the tradition of Hinduism and its role in Indian culture.
However, the individual position of devotee could differ from organization’s one. Usually it depends on his or her personal experience or background, especially before coming to Krishna’s consciousness. There are devotees who follow pro-Ukrainian position as well as those who follow pro-Russian, thus Vaishnavas’ attitude to the conflict reflects, in general, the Ukrainian population attitude to it on particular territories. It does not mean that devotees on the Ukrainian territories are all pro-Ukrainian and those who are on the uncontrolled territories are all pro-Russian. Both positions exist on the both sides from the frontline. But because of curtain reasons one or another position is louder on one side from the frontline and almost silent on another.
It could be concluded that Vaishnavas accepted the spiritual challenge successfully on both collective and individual level. As field work has shown ISKCON avoided inner conflicts and schism on the political ground. Furthermore, Ukrainian Vaishnavas have not lost the connection with their fellow believers on the uncontrolled territories. Moreover, they also have not lost the good relationships and connections with Russian fellow believers. Though the intensity of such contacts decreased drastically it is more due to technical reasons connecting with the difficulties on the borders. Regarding ISKCON yatras on the uncontrolled territories of Donbas and in Crimea they are facing difficulties with selflegalization due to strict religious laws.
The article is dedicated to the influence of European culture to the process of common Indian identity formation during colonial times. Intercultural interaction of the westernized Indian elites and emergence of national self awareness are on the sharp look in the article. Furthermore, three main challenges of Indian elites encountering European civilization are considered here. The first challenge was European rationality, the second one-the idea of equal rights and the third one-linear understanding of world history. It is analyzed here how Indian society responded to all these challenges.
The term "culture war" dates back to the nineteenth century Germany history when Otto von Bismark started a struggle with the Church for control over education. Since then the term conveys the debate between modern and religious worldview and any non-economic controversy in the society. In contemporary India culture war around Hinduism is currently being fought by so-called "Nehruvian secularists” and the “Hindu right”. The former are the proponents of political nationalism or Indian nationalism, latter would see the future of India in cultural nationalism referring to Hindutva ideology. The author criticizes both sides of the discussion, but his worldview is more in tune with the right-wing nationalists. Up to him Hinduism is discriminated in modern India by law and to the Constitution of India made by biased westernized elites of the colonial times. For instance, the secularists' education policy nowadays creates the situation when minority schools are subsidized by the government, while Hindu schools have either to be closed or turned into ordinary secular unsubsidized governmental schools. He accuses "secularists" of harboring westernized views on Hinduism and pro-minority biases. The latter refer to the situations, when what is approved of in the case of Christian or Muslim minorities appears to be the matter of disapproval with regard to Hindu majorities. The author criticizes the Hindu right-wing groups for also harboring – albeit unconsciously – westernized views on their native religion and anti-Hindu politics.
The culture war around Hinduism is being waged on not only the political scene, but in the public sphere and academia. According to Koenraad Elst, the international Indology has now become anti-Hindu. The ‘academes’ are biased toward secularist views and are incapable of self-critique.
For all the variety of topics covered in the 25 essays that the book is comprised of, the above line of argument is present everywhere and appears to be the author’s favorite idea. Though an ideological line of his endeavors is clear and remains marginal in the Indological circles, his thoughts are proof-based and have logic inside his paradigm. Elst’s essays are very rich in facts and demonstrate a broad knowledge of Indian culture. The language of his book is very lucid, diverse, and sometimes emotional, which makes the reading delightful and intellectually stimulating.
On Bhagavad Gita as it is book trial and other events connected to the trial the numerous principal questions were discussed. The main one was about International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) attachment to Hinduism and Indian culture in general. During the discussion the argument about non-Vedic origin of Krishna’s cult was beaten. This argument leaves outside Hinduism not only ISKCON, but whole five hundred years old tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It was found out why it is incorrect to ask weather Bhagavad Gita as it is and Bhagavad Gita is one and the same books or different books and deconstructed many stereotypes about Hinduism and Hindu people like the stereotype that person to be a Hindu have to be born in Hindu family or the one that caste system is the essential feature for Hinduism. The discussions at the Court and during the conference proved that the centralist approach in Hindu Studies is more productive in the social practice. The trial not only provokes Vaishnavas of ISKCON to defend their identity but also leads to better understanding of ISKCON connection with the tradition of Hinduism and its role in Indian culture.
However, the individual position of devotee could differ from organization’s one. Usually it depends on his or her personal experience or background, especially before coming to Krishna’s consciousness. There are devotees who follow pro-Ukrainian position as well as those who follow pro-Russian, thus Vaishnavas’ attitude to the conflict reflects, in general, the Ukrainian population attitude to it on particular territories. It does not mean that devotees on the Ukrainian territories are all pro-Ukrainian and those who are on the uncontrolled territories are all pro-Russian. Both positions exist on the both sides from the frontline. But because of curtain reasons one or another position is louder on one side from the frontline and almost silent on another.
It could be concluded that Vaishnavas accepted the spiritual challenge successfully on both collective and individual level. As field work has shown ISKCON avoided inner conflicts and schism on the political ground. Furthermore, Ukrainian Vaishnavas have not lost the connection with their fellow believers on the uncontrolled territories. Moreover, they also have not lost the good relationships and connections with Russian fellow believers. Though the intensity of such contacts decreased drastically it is more due to technical reasons connecting with the difficulties on the borders. Regarding ISKCON yatras on the uncontrolled territories of Donbas and in Crimea they are facing difficulties with selflegalization due to strict religious laws.
The article is dedicated to the influence of European culture to the process of common Indian identity formation during colonial times. Intercultural interaction of the westernized Indian elites and emergence of national self awareness are on the sharp look in the article. Furthermore, three main challenges of Indian elites encountering European civilization are considered here. The first challenge was European rationality, the second one-the idea of equal rights and the third one-linear understanding of world history. It is analyzed here how Indian society responded to all these challenges.