India and Israel Against Islamic Terror

D INDIA AND ISRAEL
CHAPTER ] 6
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Christianity in cornparison leaves more room for individu

actions and interpretations of the religion, though it too suffer

from the same insistence on the sayings and deeds of jesi/

Christ, the genesis of human race, nature of universe and other

temporal matters. Lik;e lslam_it_insists .to a large degree, pn

externals, with disreg^rd~lbr inner search and spirituality.
In the praxis of thieir faith, both Christianity and Islam giVe

almost equal importance to God and His son or the Prophet

In Christianity, unlike R-linduism no salvation is possible without

Jesus, the son of Cod. |n fact, in Christian theology Jesus holds

the key to the communion of ordinary mortals with God.

Similarly, there are more references to Prophet Mohammed in

Muslim literature than tto Cod Himself. In every Qawwali, almost

the entire emphasis is on Mohammed and Kaba rather than

Allah. Even the prescriptive words on the entry permit for

conversion to Islam read, ”Ya ilah-Lilillah Mohammed Rasul Allah”.

(There is but one God and Mohammed is his prophet). As

opposed to this, Hindu ijsm concentrates directly on God and the

minor gods of Hindu poantheon, merely represent different traits

of this Cod, which aree easy to grasp and worship and act as

symbols, comprehensible to ordinary people who lack the

erudition and yogic power of concentration and the ability

thereafter to become one with the cosmic consciousness called

”Nirakar Braham”, eternal without beginning or end, all pervasive,

the creator and creation itself. But these gods have not been

given the same importance as God nor the key to man’s

communion with Him,. Even salvation is possible by entirely

concentrating on the ”Param Braham” without the aid of

intermediaries. In the .case of Judaism there is no interlocutor

between God and His jpeople. The role of various prophets had

been merely to educatle the Jews in the path of righteousness

and obeying the dictates of God alone.
To the early Christi ans Jesus came first, and it was he_.wh o

explained the nature oHf God and His Kingdom to the jews and

the pagans. In the sam.e manner, Mohammed came firsthand !t

was he who explained .existence and the nature of a monolithi c

and’shapeless Cod to the desert tribes who used to worship

various Focal gods and stone idols in and around Mecca an-d
TRUTH ABOUT HINDUISM 237
,. a This is in sharp contradiction to Hinduism where God
--- first and the prophets, sages and seers came later. In a
^’~rr”effort to pronounce the supra-state of Jesus Christ, the
/ tVa^Tn ’t’s annual Diwali greetings sent to India, has asserted
. t Christ is Cod himself and the ultimate fulfillment of the
”human heart’s restless searching”. This has embarrassed even
the offic’a’s °f tne indian Church themselves.
Hindutva is the cultural essence of Hinduism and is the endproduct

of three elements-cultural nationalism, intense

patriotism and a pride in the collective memory of India’s past

glor^T have mentioned this subject in brief in my book on

Nehru, but the subject bears repetition. The canard about

’Hindutva as a fundamentalist, misguided Hindu communalism

is the worst kind of pamphleteering from the English speaking

so-called elite and half-baked westernized intelligentsia,

consistently listing to the left. They are still willing slaves to their

imported socialistic, Leninist, Marxist thought, which has lost its

rationale and relevance in the world in general and the country

of its origin in particular. This breed nurses a pathological hatred

towards anything Indian or indigenous. For the last 50 years

since Independence, under the garb of progressivism a wellorchestrated

campaign has been unleashed to revile the tolerant,

mild, liberal and accommodative Hindu religion and the culture

and civilization that it has spawned. Through chartered media,

dedicated to destroy the self-respect and pride of this ancient

civilization, they nave spared no pains to traduce every thing

Indian or Hindu.|
In spite of the risk of incurring the opprobrium of the secularist

brigade, a Cartesian dialectic statement about Hinduism can be

made without any hesitation. That India’s ancient ethnic native

genius forms the colour and content of its Hindu heritage and

there is no reason whatsoever to be apologetic about it. Like

Christianity in western countries, Hindus form the majority

community and thereby have the right to be called the natural

civilizational core of India. They have, are, and will in future

determine the structure and ethos of our civilization and

nationality. There is no need to shy away from this reality. The
238 INDIA A/\D ISRAEL CHAPTF
M6
dragon seeds sown by Nehru, who can be well and truly called

the greatest Hindu baiter, have taken deep roots and his caucus

of leftist intellectuals, communists and JNU academ’iQ are simply

incapable of facing the fact that Hindu spirit and resurgence is

the natural order of the day.
The composite nature of our culture has often been touted

by our secularist brigade, discussed earlier and the i mpossibility

of the proposition have been established. Those,, who wax

eloquent on the multi-cultural!, multi-ethnic, -pluralistic and

composite culture must realise that 95 percent of the minorities,

who claim a separate culture are born out of the Hlindu stock.

They must realize that it is possible to change your ireligion but

not ethnicity. You can change yourself by giving y-ourself any

name but you cannot disown your ancestors or forebears. The

genetics and DMA code runs through centuries from generation

to generation.
British rulers believed, with some element of truth, that if

mental slavery in India is to be perpetuated as a natural corollary

to political domination, the first thing to do is to destroy Hindutva.

Unfortunately, they have found many Indian collaborators in

their grand design. To prove their secular credentials this group

finds it necessary to vilify Hindu religion and society. Trie Supreme

Court in its landmark judgment has upheld the proposition that

Hindutva is synonymous with India’s culture and is a way of life

and has no communal overtones whatsoever.’ Hindutva’ is a

product of the geography and history of this land mass called

Bharat, moulded and nurtured through millennia of traditions,

thoughts and beliefs, enunciated by our seers and :sages. It is

through their constant search for truth regarding GocB, universe,

man and earth, and a selfless striving for perfection that they

passed down to generation after generation, that the essence of

Hindu thought received its natu ral form. Inimical to none and

friendly to all it allows dissent and encourages reasoned argument.

Not being a closed system, it is open to constant development

and evaluation for ever revitalizin g itself through assimilating new

ideas, while it raises ever new edifices on the foundations of

universal cosmic truths. It is unlilce other so called well-defined
CHAPTER 16
TRUTH ABOUT HINDUISM 239
Ijgions with their teachings and practices frozen forever in a

fjme-warp of original thought and wisdom, thus denying

alternatives as a sequel to new discoveries, and in spite of

expanding horizons of human knowledge and perceptions with

each passing day. Evolving civilizations, as opposed to the

decadent, are not content with ”what is, but strive for what can

be”. Thus striving for achieving the highest in achievable, is a

common running thread in Hinduism. As opposed to this, both

Christianity and Islam prohibit any need for readjusting the

enjoined sayings and practices mentioned in their holy books.

No line written more than a thousand years ago can either be

questioned or erased, even though their validity and raison-de’etre

is open to scrutiny. Mere material well-being has never

been the end all and be all of the Hindu thought. While they

accept the need for freedom from want and never frown upon

material progress, the ultimate goal however had always been

much beyond satiation of physical needs and a constant striving

for perfection, spiritual achievement and even a final search of

and immersion into the universal God-head. A feature, however,

unique to Hindu thoughts is the importance of four ’Ashrams’

- Brahmacharya, covering the first 25 years, aims at asceticism,

scholastic pursuits, building of character, health, acquisition of

knowledge and sharpening of skills as a preparation for the life

ahead. Thereafter, Grahasth, which lasts for the next 25 years,

means entry into married life in the material world, providing

for earthly needs, excellence in profession, utilization of

knowledge, efforts at worldly success and raising a family as per

the needs of the society and the country’s, demands, fulfilling

the material and worldly obligations. Vanprastha, which

commences after 25 years of Grahasth life seeks something

beyond the material and routine, or acquisition of wealth and

worldly satisfaction. Social and national service and dedication

to the real issues of enrichment of society and the country

exploring the frontiers of knowledge and quest for truth super

cede, purely material pursuits. In the world and yet outside it

action without desire for rewards one strives, to achieve the state

of Sthitipragya, which means raising oneself above worldly
240 INDIA AND ISRAEL CHAPTER
16
concerns and total detachent from the fruits of endeavour. Servi

the world to the best of one’s ability, without a desjre for person i

gain and supreme mental equipoise is the essence of Vanprasth

Finally, man is ordained to achieve Sanyas, meaning total

renunciation of the world at 75 years. It involves meditation

devotion, ’Yoga’ and the attempt to reach the sublime, by cutting

loose from the worldly concerns and aiming to achieve salvation

through Sadhna (intense spiritual striving). With minor adjustment

, the system should and can continue in the present world order’
| Though present longevity is less than 100 years, the time span
• for each ’Ashram’ can be suitably curtailed by devoting the first
half of life for self-improvement and family and the second half

for impersonal ends. This system is unique and different from

ail other religions and systems of thoughts.
The Brahmin, the twice born, and who according to Indian
mythology came out of the head of the Creator Brahma, was
ordained to live the life of an ascetic. His was not the luxury of
palaces but to learn, meditate, acquire knowledge and wisdom
and disseminate it to all mankind. He was not to think of himself
but others and live for others. To lead and guide man in the
ways of God, to prepare them for the ultimate spiritual perfection
{ and salvation. Brahmins were not to earn or store money but
|j depend entirely on alms from the laity and material and
ij protection from the Kshtriya princes. From womb to tomb a
I Brahmin had to perform ”anusthans” (rituals) and ”Sanskaras”
1 for all Varnas or castes, educate the un-initiated, teach the
U ignorant and remonstrate with them, to the extent of
I chastisement, to bring them back to the narrow path of virtue
I and ”Raj Dharam” (the duties of the king). In brief, their duties
I lay in ushering into the world the rule of Dharma, which does
I not mean a sect. Dharma was a very sacred and emotive world
I during the times of our proto history. One hears of the splendour
I of the kings or Kshtriyas; the material wealth of the Vaishya or
the treasury of Kuber, but the Brahmin is always referred to as
ascetic and poor. With the passage of time and the corning of
priesthood many evils and covetousness entered the lifestyle
and the conduct of Brahmins.
rT” TER1 f, TRUTH ABOUT HINDUISM 241
The early Rishis, who shunned the comforts of cities lived in

. na|es and far off places to carry out their Sadhna and run the

Gurukuls (the family of teacher or a place of learning) and train

their disciples in godly pursuits and knowledge of the world. As

brought out earlier, these teaching places, or the sanctuary for

the Rishis, almost all of whom came from Brahmin class, are the

greatest assets of our civilizational foundations. Since they did

not work for themselves, these Ashrams were maintained by

grants released by the kings and princes of Kashtriyas’ class. As

pointed out earlier, the prisesthood as distinct from Brahminism

entered into our society much later.
To unlock the doors of this storehouse and repository of

profound learning, the key is a good knowledge of Sanskrit,

which is totally lacking in our present day intelligentsia. Even

Hindi, our national language is derided as a language of country

cousins and ’desi behanjis’. It is a crying shame that the post

graduate course in Hindi in Shri Ravi Shankar Shukla University

in Madhya Pradesh had to be cancelled because there were no

•students opting for the subject. When asked the reason for this,

a girl student interviewed by a Television staff replied that if they

apply for Hindi, they are made to feel inferior by their own

English class colleagues. Returning to Sanskrit, this is what Swami

Vivekananda had to say:
”The attempts of the great Ramanuja and of Chaitanya and

of Kabir to raise the lower classes of India, show that

marvelous results were attained during the lifetime of those

great prophets; yet the later failures have to be explained,

and cause shown why the effect of their teachings stopped

almost within a century of the passing away of these great

Masters. The secret is here. They raised the lower classes;

they had all the wish that these should come up, but they

did not apply their energies to the spreading of the Sanskrit

language among the masses. Even the great Buddha made

one false step when he stopped the Sanskrit language from

being studied by the masses. He wanted rapid and immediate

results, and translated and preached in the language of the

day, Pali. That was great, he spoke in the language of the
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