I am curious about Hinduism and the Golden Rule. Namely, does Hinduism have anything approaching or similar to a Golden Rule? Or is it more like, ‘Do unto others however you may please—whether bad, good or indifferent, just go for it’?’
Which accusation, phrased as a question, I found extremely offensive, and more applicable to islam than any other belief-system on the planet.
To tell the truth, I was thinking of posting this a long time ago. The little exchange you mention just brought it to the fore.
Jiva daya - “Jiva” meaning “living soul”, and “daya” meaning “kindness” - is the ground of religion, according to Hindu dharma. But it is interesting to note this verse from one of the Puranas, this is memory, not word for word:
“Even saints are happy when poisonous creatures like vipers and scorpions are killed.”
This was in reference to a powerful and evil tyrant king being killed. So even peaceful kind humans are wise, and know that violence sometimes must be meted out to those who are not peaceful, kind or wise.