"Do they kill themselves beneath the wheels of the Juggernaut? Do the people of India throw their children into the jaws of the crocodiles?". These were some of the routine questions that were put to Swami Vivekananda in his lectures in the US during 1893-95 for many months.
Such was the picture about India and Hindus that the Christian Missionaries had created among the American public. If you didn't know it already, Juggernaut here refers to the chariot of Lord Jagannath.
In the current English, Juggernaut is a commonly used metaphor to denote a merciless, destructive, and unstoppable killing machine - an allusion to the '"ritual suicide of the foolish and superstitious heathens in front of their Satanic deity's chariot".
It is not clear which Christian missionary created this hate image first - probably the Franciscan monk and missionary Odoric of Pordenone who wrote about his travels in Odisha in 14th century.
But the word became popular and was used by famous writers like Dickens, HG Wells, Mark Twain etc. in their books.
Swamiji was utterly shocked and infuriated knowing that even the highly educated sections of America harbored such views about India.
Swamiji was utterly shocked and infuriated knowing that even the highly educated sections of America harbored such views about India.
He patiently and painstakingly answered to remove such misconceptions every time and even added some acerbic humor at times ('Yes, I was also thrown by my mother, but the crocodile didn't like the taste of my flesh'). For more than a year,
he delivered more than a hundred lectures on the topic 'India's customs and manners' before embarking to start the discourse on Vedanta.
Now, come to 2020. We see even many Indian English newspapers using the word Juggernaut.
Now, come to 2020. We see even many Indian English newspapers using the word Juggernaut.
In fact, there is an Indian publishing house named Juggernaut. Such is the power of a bad and evil discourse created about a meek and soft culture by an aggressor / colonizer that it lasts for centuries.
May the ever victorious Sri #Jagannath dispel such slavish and colonial tendencies still lingering in the minds of our countrymen. This is our fervent prayer on this year's #RathYatra that is coming through successfully even during pandemic times,
amidst the machinations of anti Hindu forces still operating in our soil.
Jai Jagannath.
Via: Jaatayu FB.
Original post : m.facebook.com/story.php?stor…
Jai Jagannath.
Via: Jaatayu FB.
Original post : m.facebook.com/story.php?stor…
