Our ancient culture and religion are really two separate entities

Our ancient culture and religion are really two separate entities.

But quite unlike the western civilizations, every philosophic tenet has a religious face and vice versa.

You may be able to study Aristotle or Socrates without any touch of religion, but not Chanakya and Kanada that way.

So for a student of Indian Philosophy, even if he may be of very open mind viz-a-viz religion and God, the study of Religion becomes compulsory and inevitable.

Here a very difficult situation arises.

To make extensive queries on philosophy is a sign of mental alertness and thirst for knowledge.

But when specious and hair splitting question about the ritual in temples and religious questions are raised, no one can really give an answer.

As philosophy and culture in India have an inseparable relation to religion, the inscrutability of religious practices affect our understanding of our culture and philosophy.

Really wise scholars like Radhakrishnan etc knew how to draw the line.

The swamis and seers, mixed the philosophy and culture with religion to their own advantage.

There are great philosophical and cultural undercurrents in the writings of Sankara, Ramanja, Madhwa,,,,,, to Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, Tagore,... to the present day Sri Sri, Amrita some this and that Chaitanyas and even upanyaskaras like

Sundarkumar and Nochur.

If the discerning persons know what is to be respected as great philosophy and cultural residues, and what is to be dismissed as mere religious tenets bordering on fanaticism and superstition, he is safe.

Otherwise there can be only strife.

An intelligent person should skirt superstitious parts of religion. It is meaningless to question,, because it will hurt the hardcore believer and invite enemies from unexpected quarters.

But gems of immense value have got mixed up with the ashes and much of superfluity in the relics of our past.

If our forefathers were primitive in their approach to certain issues, we can try to correct those in this generation but criticizing the dead souls who gave us many good things is lack of Grace.