The Hymn to Indra in Book 1 is pretty scary stuff if you ask me. The following translation is a lot tamer than the one in the book my professor assigned, which I will post after I get home. I don't know Sanskrit, so I can't say which is more accurate. However I think it still gets the point accross. The relevent passages are below, with my commentary. When I get back home in a couple weeks, I'll pull out my book and give you some more bloody sections of the Rig Veda.
With fairest hymns of praise adoring Indra, whom those who laud him must invoke in battle...thou [Indra] slewest with thy bolt the wealthy Dasyu, alone, yet going with thy helpers, Indra!
In my book it says that the "Dasyu," or "Dosas" as my book transliterates it, are non-Aryns who fail to worship the Hindu gods.
Far from the floor of heaven in all directions, the ancient riteless ones fled to destruction.
"Riteless ones" are again are non-Hindus. Most historians interpet these passages as Aryan invaders to thanking Indra for helping the slay population indiginous to India before the Invasion. Fighting with pious worshippers, the riteless turned and fled, Indra! with averted faces.
Hindu fundamentalists such as the BJP party interpret these verses as a liscence to kill (or persecute) non-Hinudus and lowcastes. They are "riteless Dosas," according to them since they do not honor Indra or any of the other Hindu gods.
I noticed someone this forum trying to downplay the significance of Hindu Fundamentalists in India. Well, folks, they control a major political party, the BJP, which I am farily certain controlled the India government not too long ago (and please correct me if I'm wrong). So this is hardly some fringe movement.
Hindu Fundamentalists have perpetuated mass murder of lowcastes in recent years. Here's a good link:
http://www.dalitstan.org/journal/genocide/dalits/dalits.html
A good link for information about Hindu anti-Christian violence, see this link:
http://www.dalitstan.org/journal/genocide/christians/christians.html
One last thing. It is undeniable that like the Koran, the Vedas contain sections that condone vilolence against those of different religions and that can be used to justify such violence. However, to characterize them as primarily containing such content is innacurate and uncharitable. I apologize for doing this.
I also concede that the passages in the violent passages in the Vedas pale in comparison to those in the Koran, and Hinduism comes nowhere near Islam when it comes to anti-Christian and anti-Western tendencies. My only point is that Hinduism is not all peace and love, as some people on this forum have been claiming.
With that, I bid you all a good night.
What you would be perfectly justified in doing is calling me a fool for not understanding what David, or Moses was saying -- for insinuating the Bible calls for Christians to murder infidels.
Did your professor not teach you the difference between HINDU and INDIAN? Hindu is a religious term -- a political. There are many Indians who aren't Hindu, and lots of Hindus who aren't Indian.
It's late, and I'm tired so I'll have to be direct here. Hindu fundamentalism is about nothing but recognizing the divine in all creatures, both great and small. Even the Sudra, untouchables, dalits --whatever you wish to call them, can become self-realized and know *who they are.*
I do appreciate the time you've taken to dig up the quotes, but I assure you they have absolutely nothing to do with the activities of the BJP.
By the way, if you understood any Hindu philosophy at all, you would be able to understand the quotes in the proper context, which is that God is in, and in control, of everything.
Most? historians? Please name names.
The Aryan 'invasion' is far from being an accepted historical fact.
It is more a relic of 19th century European ideology.