The Study of Indian History and Culture - Vol - 18 of 18 General Editor - Shripad Kulkarni "Let good thoughts prevail They are welcome from whatever region of the globe they reach us Wise counsel even from a teenager is acceptable He is ours, he is a foreigner, this thought process exhibits the narrowness of mind All the inhabitants of the globe are members of one family Here there is none superior, none inferior All strive together for the good of us all" "Let all people be happy" These are some of the maxims on which proverbial Hindu tolerance is founded It is not born out of weakness For our ancient seers have laid down Even one terrorist can brow beat hundreds of learned people So kill a terrorist without batting an eyelid Don't tolerate injustice Root it out These are some of the teachings which Bharata advocates and exhorts us all to imbibe them. Hindu or Bharatiya culture is thus accommodative and not divisive. Contrary is the case with the Semitic Faiths like Christianity (it is based on the teachings of Paul He used the name of Jesus for his ambition to be a Messiah) and Islam They are divisive and hegemonistic political creeds If God is defined as He who transcends all worldly differences the one above many, then this universalism is far more divine than the prophetic exclusivism. The prophet is no yogi With the prophet the consciousness is not turned inward It is in dialogue with an outside agency called Angel The Prophetic religions are based on hatred and revenge They make a distinction between a believer and a non-believer The non-believers are to be exterminated, wiped out of existence. The Western civilization founded on divisive Prophetic belief systems, is based on conflict between man and man, group and group. When Columbus reached the Caribbean island in 1492, a Spanish officer collected the local people and commanded them to be yoked and be obedient to the local Church and their k?ng The locals did rot understand a word of it. They were, then, all men, women and children shot down dead The same story was repeated in what is known as USA President after President since George Washington carried on the work of genocide till all the locals were exterminated I have therefore posed the question Is West. Civilised? The only hope for mankind is the Vedic way Toynbee declares, "At this supremely dangerous moment in human history, the only way of salvation for mankind is the Indian way. Published on 1997 Available in ENGLISH and MARATHI Hardcover, Pages: 330 Publisher: Shri Bhagwan Vedvyasa Itihasa Samshodhana Mandir (BHISHMA)