Page 64 - Islam and Far Eastern Religions

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according to Hindu scriptures, someone who steals corn will become a
mouse in his next life. A dog that steals fruit or a hedgehog that
steals dyed fabric will be reborn as a leper. 14 However, it is not

known how these cause and effect rules operate, who the maker of
these laws is, who determines right and wrong and who operates this
system. There is no rational explanation available that would clarify the
situation and no Hindu inquires into this matter, nor does he seek an-
swers in this respect from the scriptures.
According to Hindu belief, washing in the Ganges River cleanses all
sins and provides for a higher form of existence. The dead body being
incinerated and its ashes strewn into the Ganges occupies a major place
in superstitious Hindu belief. The corpses of the dead are brought to the
shores of the Ganges River on buses, and then incinerated by priests

th
From the 4 centu-
ry Hindus have
pictured the
Ganges and
Yamuna rivers in
the human form,
often used to dec-
orate temple en-
trances. Pagan
Hindu faith sug-
gests that rivers
respond in a num-
ber of ways to rev-
erence offered by
people.