Topic started by Balasaheb Deshmukh (@ 61.11.18.38) on Wed Dec 25 13:33:56 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I am from Maratha community of Maharashtra.
Our community is a major community of Maharasthra and we are about 28 percent in the total population of Maharashtra.

Marathas are Hindu by religion. This is a warrior caste.

In recent few years, the well educated and reformist Marathas are talking about leaving Hinduism as this religion is not good for self
development. There is inequality and the Brahmins are above all.

In 2005 some of the Marathas will found a new religion `Shiv Dharm'.
It has nothing to do with Shankar. It is religion named after the great warrior Shivaji. About one million Marathas will be initiated into this religion on 12th of January 2005. The aim of the Shiv Dharm is to initiate all Marathas in this religion.

But majority of Marathas want to remain Hindu. Some want to accept Buddhism, and some want to accept Jainism. Actually there are large
number of Marathas who follow Jainism on individual level. Now they are inviting other Marathas to join them instead of founding new
religion. According to them, Most of the Maratha clans are related to Jain dynasties, like the Shelars are descendents of Shilahars, Kadams
are descendents of Kadambs, Salunkhes are descendents of Solankies, Mores are descendents of Mouryans, Rathods are descendents of
Rashtrakuts etc. Moreover, many Marathas and Jains in south Maharashtra are of same hereditary lineage.

I would like to know what do you think about this issue. Would you like if Marathas join Jainism in large scale? Will the Jains accept them? Will the Jains make them relatives? What will be the stand of Jain social and religious organizations? And will it create problems between Jains and Hindus?

Balasaheb Deshmukh, Satara (Maharashtra)

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: guts (@ nw2pc62.stud.uni-stuttgart.de) on: Wed Nov 24 05:42:25 EST 2004
  
  I dont think there is any scope for mental development in hindu religion which has lot of constraints. i welcome this move by marathas to form a new religion..
  
  
• From: sharad (@ 210.18.104.222.sify.net) on: Mon Nov 29 07:12:21 EST 2004
  
  There is no point in joining budhhism or any other religion.
  
  Maratha's are maratha. Doesnt matter who are they.
  Maratah community is consist od Mahar's, Kunbi's, Dhangar's and other castes who were in Shivaji's army.
  
  Maratha is word that is used to give respect and bring all marathi people together irrespective of there caste.
  
  Buddist shud be allowed to follow buddism. They are also Maratha's.
  
  So no need to take any steps.
  
  Maratha's are Maratha's
  
  
• From: mummudicholan (@ ev1s-216-127-82-99.ev1servers.net) on: Mon Nov 29 20:26:45 EST 2004
  
  Is Martha Stewart a Maratha?
  
  
• From: davie (@ dell166a.utep.edu) on: Wed Dec 1 00:47:39 EST 2004
  
  @sharad
  thanks for ur info
  
  
• From: bond, mummudi bond (@ ev1s-216-127-82-99.ev1servers.net) on: Wed Dec 1 10:25:11 EST 2004
  
  Davie,
  
  What is this newfangled way of calling people "@sharad", "@davie" etc? :)
  
  
  Why put an "@" before people's ID?
  
  
• From: BAB (@ cache-rtc-ae05.proxy.aol.com) on: Wed Dec 1 19:34:49 EST 2004
  
  The link below presents a great exposition of what many Hindus have been alluding to, but without the kind of articulation seen in the exposition.
  
  This link is well worth adding to your library for reference. You may find it necessary to read it at your own leisure as it is very long and needs time for further analysis and internalization of the spirit in which it was developed.
  
  
  http://www.sulekha.com/expressions/column.asp?cid=305972
  
  
• From: Reena (@ adsl-tplus-14-201.intnet.mu) on: Thu Dec 2 03:52:22 EST 2004
  
  Maybe the Marathas should be left to do as they please. As a believer in reincarnation,I believe that if people are converting to different religions, it isn't for no reason. The religion that they want to pursue may be their established religion, the one that they were initially born with, thats why they would feel more at ease following that religion.
  Yogesh, don't you know that? the BK's teach you this theory. The BK's never prevent anyone from changing religion
  
  
• From: Himanshu PATIL (@ aca34c93.ipt.aol.com) on: Sat Jan 8 21:17:23
  
  After reading all the above posts i can only say
  that i am a Maratha and i am proud of it. I really dont beleive in changing your religion from Hinduism to Jainism. When i think that one of my ancestors was in the Maratha army i feel so proud. i feel proud when i read the glorious Maratha history. The last Hindu force to conquer the whole of India. I am born a Maratha and i will die a Maratha.
  
  
• From: happyindian (@ bbcache-11.singnet.com.sg) on: Sun Jan 9 08:01:06 EST 2005
  
  Religion is a matter of lifestyle, which culture you wish to adopt and which way you choose to communicate with the divine - all paths lead to one finally. So religion does not matter, neither does convertion. Its all a matter of comfort - however it is true that people are more comfortable with the religion which they are exposed to from childhood / which is followed by their family. There is no perfect religion yet and there can never be one. Only we humans can take the first step to making ourselves better people irrespective of religion, caste and creed.
  
  
• From: Shailesh (@ webproxy03qfe1.sbi.com) on: Mon Jan 17 06:05:36 EST 2005
  
  NO problem in accepting this religion...
  But I don't wan't to bring worship in this relegion again like hinduism..
  We must respect Jijau,fule etc. but
  can't give them deity status...........
  
  
• From: vimal (@ vashi-mhape-203.199.120.7.static.vsnl.net.in) on: Thu Jan 20 00:37:02 EST 2005
  
  Even though 100,000 + people converted to ShivDharma on 12th Jan. 2005 at SindhKhed in Maharshtra there was no news in Caste Brahmin Media of India. Whole media is brahmin dominated.
  
  Those proud marathas should feel shameful that their glourious act has not given any importance.
  
  Because the Hindu Religion is slave religion of Brahmins. For matching patrika, for getting Muhurat these caste hindus need Brahmin ! So brahmin can treat them as Sudra as slaves only.
  
  At the time of Muslim rule in India they used call non-muslims rest of Indians as 'Hindus' because the Persian language of meaning of Hindu is 'Slave'. Still indian people like to call as slave. The Brahmin media calls majority indian as Hindu , Slave because even in 21st century Brahmins think these people as their slave only.
  
  To break this slavery Maratha and all Bahujans should join BUDDHIST Movement. Only buddhism will give you self respect.
  
  Vimal
  From Maharashtra
  
  
• From: happyindian (@ bbcache-8.singnet.com.sg) on: Thu Jan 20 11:36:32 EST 2005
  
  Dear Vimal,
  Anti-Brahminism cannot always translate to conversion. The Persian meaning of Hindu is not slave, please check up the etymology of the word 'Hindu'. Whatever religion you follow, whatever way you communicate with the divine within you / outside you, you will still be a hindu, because hindu is your ethnicity, your bloodline, your history and roots. It is unfortunate that the word is associted more with religion than with racial ethnicity.
  
  
• From: dude (@ toronto-hse-ppp3720309.sympatico.ca) on: Thu Jan 20 17:43:21 EST 2005
  
  Response to general topic:
  
  Religion comes and goes over time. May be a sad fact for some.
  
  

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