Суд над Бхагавад-гитой / Attempt to ban Bhagavad-gita

gita controvery in russia ndtv.flv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjRfI-ovEy0
Dec 28, 2011

Singapore center protest against ban of Bhagavad Gita
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhy7mgly_fM

Russian court finds no extremism in Hindu holy book

Indian activists of the right-wing Hindu organisation Shiv Sena shout-slogans as they burns a Russian flag during a protest against Russia in Amritsar on December 26, 2011 (AFP Photo / NARINDER NANU)

A Russian court has declared a Hindu holy book not to be extremist, denying prosecutors who sought to ban the text, claiming it incites religious hatred and enmity.

On Wednesday a court in Tomsk, Siberia, held a final hearing on the controversial book “The Bhagavad Gita as It Is” and decided against banning the book.

After the verdict was announced, the prosecutor left the courtroom without commenting on the decision. The defense representative said that the verdict “shows that Russia is really becoming a democratic society.”

The case was initiated by the prosecutor of Tomsk in June. In the petition to the court the prosecutors’ office asserted that the commentaries written by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, incite religious hatred and enmity. Thus he asked the court to ban the book as extremist.

In August the court held two preliminary hearings, during which the prosecution explained that the commentaries in the book mark anyone, who does not follow Bhagavad Gita as inferior and justify their murder.

The defense, represented by the local chapter of the Krishna Consciousness Organization, applied to the court asking for a human rights ombudsman to be present at the hearings. The court postponed the hearings till December.

Ahead of the final court hearing, India’s external affairs minister S M Krishna met with Russian ambassador Aleksandr Kadakin to express his concerns over the sensitive issue.

Another high profile Indian official, the Indian ambassador to Russia, Ajai Malhotra, has also commented on the issue saying that “the Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most important and respected scripture in the world,” and has called the procedures in Tomsk “absurd” and “bordering on the bizarre.”

Last week scores of Indian right-wing activists burnt the Russian flag in New Delhi in protest against a possible ban of the Gita. Activists from the Hindu political party, Rashtrawadi Sena, were carrying placards and shouting slogans saying they would not tolerate such disrespect to the Bhagavad Gita. Russian Hindus were also outraged by the trial and have been actively covering the hearings on blogs and on YouTube to attract public attention.

However, Russian authorities rejected the complaints. “This is not about the book itself but about a poor translation and the preface written by the author," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich.
‘A broad interpretation of extremism’

“The Bhagavad Gita” has had multiple editions and translations into Russian. The one that led to the trial is supplemented by the commentaries from Prabhupada written in 1968.

Sergey Serebryanny, the head of the Institute of High Humanitarian Studies at the Russian State University of Humanities and a prominent Indologist, says that Prabhupada added a lot of his own ideas and beliefs in his version of “The Bhagavad Gita.”

Regarding the accusations of extremism, Serebryanny explained that Russian authorities interpret the term “extremism” broadly, so they can label extremist anything going against the authorities, whether secular or religious.

“I know some Russian followers of Prabhupada sometimes argue with them, but I think they have the same right for the freedom of conscience as believers of other religious confessions that observe the laws of the Russian Federation,” Serebryanny concluded.

Meanwhile, the Tomsk chapter of Krishna Consciousness said this particular edition of the book had been approved by prosecutors twice in 2004 and 2005. The version on trial, they said, which was published in 2007, had only minor stylistic corrections.

http://rt.com/news/hindu-book-extremism-trial-763/

Krishna seeks Russian envoy's help over Gita row
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Tuesday met Russian ambassador Alexander Kadakin and conveyed India's hope that the issue will be resolved keeping in mind the sentiments of Indians.
http://video.in.msn.com/watch/video/krishna-seeks-russian-envoys-help-over-gita-row/24sokct6e

रूस में ‘भगवद् गीता’ पर प्रतिबंध का मुद्दा लोकसभा में गूंजा
http://hindi.in.com/latest-videos/mix/Ruckus-In-Ls-Over-Move-To-Ban-Gita-In-Russia-1296502.html

#7645: -

Да заткнитесь уже, провокаторы. Есть у вас свой сайт экстемистский, там и наслаждайтесь своим фанатизмом!

Russian court refuses to ban Bhagvad Gita, followers cheer across the world

MOSCOW: A Russian court today rejected a petition, described by India as "patently absurd", which had sought a ban on a translated version of Bhagvad Gita, bringing cheers to followers here as well as those across the world.

"We have won the case. The judge has rejected the petition," Sadhu Priya Das of ISKCON, Moscow, who is also Chairman of newly formed Hindu Council of Russia, told PTI.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna welcomed the judgement and thanked the Russian government for its support.

Prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk had argued that the Russian translation of "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" promotes "social discord" and hatred towards non-believers.

The text is a combination of the Bhagvad Gita, one of Hinduism's holiest scriptures, and commentary by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, that is commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, ISKCON.

The prosecutors had asked the court to include the book on the Russian Federal List of Extremist Materials, which bans more than 1,000 texts including Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and books distributed by the Jehovah's Witness and Scientology movements.

Reacting to the judgement that came at about 4:30 pm IST, ISKCON spokesman Brajendra Nandan Das told PTI in New Delhi that, "We are very happy".

ISKCON members have alleged that the Russian Orthodox Church was behind the court case as it wanted to limit their activities.

The case had created a storm back in India and even the Parliamentary proceedings had been affected by it.

Speaking in Parliament, Krishna had said the lawsuit was the work of "ignorant and misdirected or motivated individuals."

He also called the complaint "patently absurd".
Krishna had summoned the Russian Ambassador in New Delhi, Alexander Kadakin, yesterday and told him that Moscow should provide all possible help to resolve the issue that has been in the court for the last six months.

He had also conveyed to the top Russian diplomat the sensitivities involved with the issue.

Kadakin had assured Krishna that the Russian Government will do all it can within its power.

The trial began in June and was scheduled to conclude on December 19, just after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's two-day visit to Russia.

However, officials in Tomsk agreed to hear further testimony from experts and the Russian ombudsman for human rights and postponed the court decision till today.

Russian lawyers Mikahil Fralov and Alexander Sakhav argued strongly against the petition.

The judge, after reviewing the petition from the state prosecutors and the responses against it, dismissed the plea.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had last week insisted that the Tomsk court is not taking issue with core Hindu scripture itself, but rather with the author's commentary and poor translation in "Bhagavad Gita As It Is."

"I would like to emphasise that this is not about 'Bhagavad Gita,' a religious philosophical poem, which forms part of the great Indian epic Mahabharata and is one of the most famous pieces of the ancient Hindu literature," ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich had said at a briefing last week here, adding that the book was first published in Russian in 1788.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Russian-court-refuses-to-ban-Bhagvad-Gita-followers-cheer-across-the-world/articleshow/11280702.cms

#7646: -

Если вы такие осведомленные, то наверняка смотрели видео первого процесса, где БВ Садху Махарадж (руководитель томского отделения ИСККОН) ясно объяснил, что сознание Кришны = сознание Бога. То есть, христиане также относятся к разумным людям, не переживайте :) Да это и во всех книгах Прабхупады написано.

#7648: -

Да, уймитесь же...

Teaching Gita: Compulsory lessons?
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/teaching-gita-compulsory-lessons/205602
On The Buck Stops Here, we debate Karnataka's Education Minister's statement that says those who oppose the teaching of the Bhagvad Gita in schools should leave India. http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/karnataka-debates-whether-to-teach-the-gita-in-schools/205596

We are all children of GOD, please RESPECT each others spirituality people!!!!!!!

Can these people quote even one extremist quote from this holy scripture?

Gita is not Bibal of Hindu. Gita is a bible of Humanity

Their are no other book like Gita in the world.First we need to understand the language Sanskrit than you will understand what is Gita.

Bagavad Gita inspired Mahathma Ghandi to bring independence to India from Violent British through non violence.Bahtivedanta brought the language of personal love of god (Krishna)which the west was totally ignorant of .Though hundreds of bagavad gita interpretations are there, only Bhaktivedanta succeeded in transforming the west into loving Lord Krishna.Russia is so afraid of the real Love of Krishna taught by baktivedanta which is more powerful than communism or love of god taught in churches which has totally failed .So russia is banning gita. Krishna will save the Gita..as easily as He succeeded in conquering the west, but we must be ready to show our support by fighting the ban too.Om. ganesan

Treat people with love, not with fear. The Gita is about love and duty, it's a inspiration for whole mankind.

Мы требуем прекратить суд над священным писанием!

i do not support the ban.

#7669: -

 

Hare Krsna, isto é um absurdo
proibir que um livro seja lido ou estudado pelas pessoas. Deve ser proibido na Russia a protistuição, as mafias, as drogas, a bebida alcoolica etc..
Isto deve ser proibido e não o Bhagavad Gita.
Como dizia Srila Prabhupada são todos asuras

Het Hindoeistische geschrift Bhagavad Gita met universele lessen over dharma staat op het punt om gebanned te worden in Rusland, net zoals het boek Mein Kampf door Hitler. Hieronder een wereldwijde petitie met de oproep om deze te tekenen!

rusia is doing wrong........so we indian people requesting to rusia government to allow to distribute this bhagavad-gita

BHAGAVATHGEETHA, A GUIDE,COUNSELOR,ADVISER,FRIEND IN NEED,TEACHER. IT HELPS US TO ATTAIN HUMANITY.ONE CANNOT DIGEST THE PHILOSOPHY OF GEETHA EASILY.IT IS ONLY FOR WHO LOVES HUMANITY AND UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD. THOSE WHO ARE OPPOSING IT ARE TERORISTS.