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Thread: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

  1. #1
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    Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    Not that I mind, since I was nearly finished anyway (last 3 anuvAkas are not that important as they pertain to kAmya karmas), but was there a specific reason besides perhaps the multiple posting going on?

    FYI, those write-ups were meant for a certain sri vaishnava forum group which I thought of posting here. I don't have a blog and don't intend to start one, so this was just an effort to share some vishishtadvaitic perspectives of the veda -- and I believe some people approved of it.

    Whatever, your call.
    [CENTER][COLOR="Black"][COLOR="Red"][COLOR="DarkRed"]No holiness rules over my freedom
    No commands from above I obey
    I seek the ruin, I shake the worlds
    Behold! I am blackest ov the black

    Ov khaos I am, the disobediant one
    Depraved son who hath dwelt in nothingness
    Upon the ninth I fell, from grace up above
    To taste this life ov sin, to give birth to the "I"[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]

    [B]~ "Blackest Ov the Black" - Behemoth.[/B]

    [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P-JdwtK1DY[/url] [/CENTER]

  2. #2

    Re: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    I don't understand why this thread was closed. It was clearly labeled as a Sri Vaishnava interpretation on the Rudra suktam, and was appropriately posted in the vishishtadvaita forum. No one was objecting to it publicly, and indeed, any objection would just amount to saying, "I don't like that because it contradicts my views, please don't post it, even though its in the Vaishnava forum."

    If this isn't the kind of thing that we are supposed to discuss on HDF, that what is the vishishtadvaita subforum for?
    Last edited by philosoraptor; 30 September 2013 at 09:56 AM.
    Philosoraptor

    "Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something." - Plato

  3. #3
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    Re: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    Namaste,

    I have understood that there is a fine line between posting of one's thoughts on a topic for discussion purposes and posting of voluminous data treating the HDF as a repository of Hindu data. The former is allowed and the latter is discouraged by the moderators, as it borders on posting of SPAM. Since we don't pay anything for the posting privileges, I would not make demands on the excessive use of system memory, the cost of which would come from the pockets of owners/moderators. Perhaps we should keep in mind that we are the (free) users (with moderator defined limits) and not owners of this site.

    Pranam.

  4. #4

    Re: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    Pranams,

    If I may make a few small comments on this issue, please just hear me out on this.

    We live in a world where, in spite of the internet and other popular media, information about authentic Hinduism remains very difficult to find. As evidence of this, consider where you would go these days if you wanted a translation of the Rig Veda. In most cases you have to rely on an on-line version of Max Mueller or an R.T. Griffith, both obviously non-Hindus. Or else, you have to go to a sectarian translation representing a relatively recent school of thought.

    Now, suddenly, on HDF, we have a member who is willing to provide a translation and commentary of a part of the Veda according to a centuries-old, ancient, Hindu tradition. This is something that is not available on any other forum, and indeed, is not even available in many of the prestigious universities with large Indology departments.

    This is not spam by any definition of the word. It's an invaluable treasure and should be thought of as such. This is the kind of posting that raises the bar of discussion, encourages intellectuals to come to and participate in these forums, and improves the standing of this Hindu community in the eyes of non-Hindu intellectuals. We can say that we are Hindus all we want. But if we do not encourage and respect the study and exposition of our literature, then we cede the right to be representatives of our tradition to the only people who have no inhibitions to its study - namely, the non-Hindu Indologist who will not be constrained by respect for our traditions.

    I'm not saying this merely because of my own passing interest in vishishtaadvaita. Had this been a commentary according to a traditional advaita school, or even a traditional Shaivite school, my feelings would be the same. The scholarly exposition of traditional scholarship with regard to ancient literature should be encouraged on a Hinduism forum, not equated to spam.

    I understand that there is a cost to maintaining a forum with large amounts of text. However, there are plenty of other postings with little or no intellectual content that could certainly be targeted for cost-saving measures. Instead of discouraging a treasure like this, consider the long-winded postings by some members starting off with such uninspiring phrases as, "In my opinion...." or "I believe...." and/or which seem to have no other purpose except to prolong an argument in which all issues have been explored to their logical conclusion. The forum isn't going to suffer for if we have 20 less of such postings each month. But, it would really be an opportunity missed if we didn't have the chance to read about a traditional perspective on our scriptures.

    Now, I know the other argument is that scriptures like this are heard from a qualified guru, not read on a forum. I fully agree with that point. But, thanks to the internet, the translations of unqualified scholars have become the default norm, and Hindus are rarely if ever exposed to a scholarly, insider's perspective on the literature. The cat is out of the bag, so to speak. The willingness of some members to help restore the balance by providing traditional perspectives should be congratulated and encouraged. Both Omkara and I have made similar attempts in the past, with our "Rudra in the Vedas" and "Narayana in the Vedas" threads. Hopefully, no one saw that as spam.

    I thank the moderators again for reopening this thread, and hope we can see more like it in the future.
    Philosoraptor

    "Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something." - Plato

  5. #5
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    Re: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    Namaste,

    Two brief comments:
    1. When I am in somebody else's house, I live by his house rules.
    2. Words can be made to mean anything we wish them to. If the moderators define voluminous amount of data as SPAM, then that is what it is, regardless of the technical definition of the word per a standard dictionary.

    I have maintained a website for 15+ years and would not mind having people submit relevant original Hindu data for posting there. It could then be referenced in HDF through providing a link. That would be one solution - just a thought. Let us forget divergence, find solutions to any issues that come up and get on the path of convergence with one Hindu voice.

    Pranam.

  6. #6

    Re: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    I think there is a serious problem if an original commentary on a Rig Vedic sukta is considered "SPAM" on a Hinduism forum.

    Perhaps we could get some clarification on this, because I am sure that I, for one, would not want to start a project on discussing something if it is merely going to be deemed as "SPAM" and the projected halted mid-way. For example, by the same token, is Omkara's discussion thread on "Shiva in the Vedas" (which I found very enlightening) considered "SPAM?" What about my discussion thread on "Narayana in the Vedas?" What about my discussion of varnashrama dharma in which I posted articles from a leading advaitin ascetic and followed it up with my own scripture-based explanations which backed up his views?

    I have to say, I'm a bit shocked that you are pursuing the "SPAM" angle on this. Especially when SV stated clearly that this was his original writing, and that too authenticated by his gurus (which in my opinion makes it far more valuable than anything I've contributed as an independent seeker), I'm just not sure where you are coming from with this.

    I would like to add (in case it matters, since Believer brought it up), that I, too, have moderated Hinduism discussion groups in the past, and this is the kind of thing I would have graciously welcomed. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that an original multi-part commentary on a part of the Vedas could be construed as "SPAM." On the contrary, those are the kinds of contributions that raise the quality and reputation for a Hinduism group.
    Philosoraptor

    "Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something." - Plato

  7. #7

    Re: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    Just FYI, here are the rules governing the issue of SPAM. I would appreciate it if someone could explain why SV's original commentary could be interpreted as SPAM, since it doesn't do any of these things:

    No Spamming, blanketing, or canvassing of any kind is acceptable on this forum

    Do not double-post or cross-post the same message in multiple forums.

    Short messages (fewer than seven words or a couple of lines) that do not contribute to a discussion in a positive manner are also classified as “spam”.

    Do not post for the sake of post count. Your posts will be removed if you are observed to be posting unhelpful or non-contributing messages simply to
    increase your numbers.

    Large cut-and-paste texts from other sites, without providing any of your own commentary on the material, is also considered “spam”. If you must
    use material from other sites in discussions on this forum, please provide a link to that material instead.
    Philosoraptor

    "Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something." - Plato

  8. #8
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    Re: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    namaste everyone,

    Let me start by saying that I value everyone's opinion here and your comments are valuable.

    That said, it has never been a question of posts vs money. With God's kripa, HDF is well funded and does not need any financial help nor do I care about how much space/memory posts or members might be consuming here. In fact, we have unlimited space and bandwidth to use on this site so no issues there.

    Now, the reason of thread closing was one of the rules of HDF. Going back many years, when we started with HDF, I found that members would sign up, dump large dumps of texts citing such sources as 'commentary by such and such my guru', 'explanations from their tradition' etc.

    While this is well and good it was decided by senior members of HDF at that time that these types of posts i.e. large dumps of texts do not add any value as we are more concerned with Quality vs large dumps of texts or number of posts. Therefore, a general rule was made that large dumps of texts will be considered spam on HDF.

    I try to do my job of moderation with closed eyes i.e. without bias. If I come across large dumps of texts, I apply the rule.

    If you are now questioning the rules of HDF, that's a different discussion that I am not sure I want to have at this moment.

    I hope this clarifies my actions.

    Thank you for your understanding.
    satay

  9. #9

    Re: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    So just to be clear - has it been determined that SV's posting on the Manyu Suktam is not in fact SPAM, as per the HDF rules posted above?

    I only ask to determine if it is safe for me to invest time in posting the kinds of articles I like to post, i.e. "nArAyaNa in the veda-s," "varNAshrama part I-V," "wife is the guru of the husband," and so on. None of these are SPAM as per HDF rules, but then, neither was SV's Manyu Suktam posting. I have other ideas to present, but would refrain from doing so if the above is considered SPAM.
    Philosoraptor

    "Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something." - Plato

  10. #10
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    Re: Closed the thread in Vishishtadvaita forums?

    Namaste,
    Again, large dumps of texts are considered spam on hdf. That's the rule.
    satay

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