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Theism, Atheism and Jainism
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We may climb the mountain from different paths but the view from the summit is identical for all.'*67 (b) Western View
For us, as we thoroughly know that, Upanisads are complimentary to Vedās, full of Philosophy precisely and subtly expressed. The Western Scholars do not agree to this, They maintain that-" the authors of the Upanişads lost faith, the efficacy of Vedic sacrifices and that they realized the conception of one God discarding the conception of many gods which is to be found in the earlier vedās."?68 shri B.K. Chattopadhyaya in his famous book “The Teachings of the Upanişads' quotes number of western scholars expressing the same View. Even Max Muller writes; “In these Upanisads the whole ritual or sacrificial system of the Vedas is not only ignored but directly rejected as useless, nay as mischievous. The ancient gods of Vedās are no longer recognised.''69 similarly we find Prof. Macdonald writes that the Upanişads form a new religion which is" In Virtual opposition to the ritual or practical side.":70 Such were also the hasty conclusions even by Dr. Robert Earnest Hume, Dr. Winternitz, Deussen etc. According to B.K. Chattopadhyaya the conclusions arrived by the western scholars are not acceptable. He says that because the Upanişads declare that there is one God (Brahman) it does not mean that the author of upanişads did not believe in minor Gods. In the same way the attainment of salvation through the knowledge of Brahman does not mean that the authors of the Upanisads did not believe in the efficacy of sacrifices in securing heaven. According to him both these conclusions inferred by the western scholars are illogical.
Here we may make a note that even some of the prominent modern scholars of India, like Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Dr. S. N. Das Gupta, Prof. Hiriyanna, Prof. R. D. Ranade, Dr. R. K. Mukherji and so on, also more or less bend towards what the western scholars have observed regarding the upanişads. To cut short, we may certainly are not rejecting, or refuting or contradicting the Vedās. The Upanişads certainly come before us as an entirely different type from the rest of the Vedic literature as indicating the path of knowledge (Jnānamārg)
67. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan; Radhakrishnan Reader Anthology (1988) p.260. 68. B.K. Chattopadhyaha. The Teachings of the Upanisads (1952) p.26 69. Max Muller, origin of vedanta p.16 70. Prof. Macdonald, History of Sanskrit Literature p. 215.
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