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Lingayat religion
founded by Lord Basavanna and followed by one lakh
ninety six thousand Sharanas at His life time, is a non-Hindu,
non-Vedic
Faith for the following reasons.
- Hinduism has no one single founder where as
Lingayatism has Lord Basavanna as its founder-prophet.
- Hinduism is based on the preachings of Vedas,
Agamas,
Bhagawadgita, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagawata, Puranas etc. where as
Basavanna questioned the authority of all these Hindu Scriptures and
rejected many of the tenets contained therein. Vachana literature which
opposed four-fold caste system, untouchability, polytheism, inequality
and preached equality, monotheism etc. is the authoritative source of
knowledge for Lingayats.
- Main ritual of Hinduism is Homa, Yajna and
Sacrifice. Lingayat religion totally rejects and opposes such rituals.
- Hinduism considers places like Kashi, Rameswara,
Tirupathi
etc as holy and rivers like Ganga, Yamuna etc as sacred. It believes
visiting of such places and taking dip in holy rivers will absolve all
sins committed. Lingayatism does not consider any such places on earth
as holy and any river or pond as sacred and mere dip in water will
absolve all sins. Concept of sin and merit in Hinduism and Lingayatism
is completely different.
- Geeta, Gayatri, Ganges and Govu (Cow) are most holy
and
worshipful for Hindus. But Lingayats do not chant either Geeta or
Gayatri, do not worship either Ganga or Govu.
- Hinduism believes in 5 pollutions- pollution of
birth, death,
caste, menstruation and orts. Lingayatism rejects these 5 pollutions.
- Hinduism believes in astrology, Vastushilpa,
horoscope etc where as Lingayatism totally rejects (denies) them.
- Traditional Hindu social structure consists of four
Varnas (hundreds of castes) and fifth Varna-untouchables. They are
Brahmin
Kshatriya
Vaisya
Shudra
Untouchable (Asprushya)
In the prescribed
form pertaining to census form of India the fifth
group is provided with seperate column as of S.C/S.T. The traditional
Hinduism gives Dwija Samskar (Brahmin-consecration) as follows :
1st grade - to Brahmins by birth
2nd grade - Kshatriyas by birth
3rd grade - Vaisyas by birth
In Hindu society
4th grade is given to Shudras (traditional manual
workers) and they are denied of any kind of religious consecration. It
is believed that Brahminhood (Dwijatwa) comes by upanayana i.e. through
wearing of sacred thread. Because sacred thread is not given to Shudra
he is considered as inferior to the other 3 groups. So if Lingayats
accept that they are Hindus, they are to be inevitably
grouped under Shudra column in the four fold social structure as they
do not wear sacred thread. Thus Lingayats who have independent
religious status do not like to be classified under Shudra class.
Hinduism believes in four fold caste system i.e. ladder type of society
and in its product-untouchability as God-made where as Lingayatism
disbelieves all these and considers this classification as man-made and
advocates for horizontal type of society based on religions and social
equality.
Lingayats have their own
- Metaphysics - Shunya Siddhanta
- Yoga - Istalinga Yoga given by Basavanna
- Mystic philosophy -Shatasthala
- Religious consecration - Istalinga Diksha through
which any body can be taken into Lingayat fold.
- Religious fraternity - Equal treatment without any
differentiation of
caste, creed, class, sex etc when once consecration is over.
- Burial grounds
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