Final Statement on Hindutva Seventeen months ago I wrote a piece captioned ‘Hindutva and I’. In it I had pointed out the worthy aspects of Hindutva, on which I would agree with its sponsors or promoters. But then, the followers of Hinduism had not cared to remove the inherent, ages old weaknesses of their religion, and they happen to be the points of my disagreement. Hindutva is a qualitative term akin to the intellectual and universal aspects of Christianity, which give it the grand title of ‘Catholic’ on the spiritual side, and to the descriptive name ‘European’ that refers to the societal and political side of the Western people adhering to Christianity. This explanation can be extended to apply to the Bodhisattva people too. However, what the zealots of Hindutva have in mind as constituting its salient features and substance are chiefly, the ancient grandeur of the civilization it had created; the scientific advances it had made, and the venerated and rich Vedic contents of the peaceful Dharma that presided over the whole thing. And, they seem to aspire for its due recognition now by the international community, and apparently resent the same not forthcoming. Yet, it is not correct to say that the well-known awareness of humanity (of such fine issues) failed to grant that recognition at any relevant time in history. As a matter of fact, the time was ripe and relevant in the 19th century when the west had sufficiently eased itself into the higher stages of renaissance. The translation of the Rig Veda into Latin by Fredrich August Rosen in 1830 was the first milestone occasion. Here, one must respectfully consider the painstaking work involved in translating the intellectual-spiritual material which was very much in Birch Bark or Palm leaves. This was followed by translation into English rendered by H.H.Wilson between 1850 and 1888. All these had been done before the glorious World Parliament year 1893 which is fittingly attributed to Hindutva-oriented Swami Vivekananda on the Hindu side. Those, in my view, were also the memorable decades of that century in which Western scholars made the closest comparative studies of Indian and Hindu philosophies on the one hand, and western philosophy on the other. The verdict of independent development of the former and substantial similarity and equivalence recorded in the up to date Dictionary of Philosophy is something to be honestly acknowledged by the seekers of Hindutva recognition. What has perhaps agitated some prejudiced minds in the Hindutva camp is the profusely phrased praise of the IVC by some scholars of integrity, who have legitimately attributed it to the pre-Aryan or pre-Indo-European people. Not only that, it is also their failure to understand Islam and the ways to tackle it by something other than succumbing to it in the name of cultural hegemony or political correctness. Islam steadfastly believed from the very beginning in changing the world by capturing hegemony in various lands by force. Where it failed to perform later, it handed the hegemony to more capable hands. It happened in India in a big way. It was in consonance with Islam’s doctrine of necessity. That placing of the hegemony in the hands of the colonial power in India fixed the now proverbial ‘prejudice against the west’ in the minds of those still lingering in and being driven by the Vedas and the mythologies. Consequently, the Muslims were yet Dharmavadhis and the Christian colonialists were after all Adharmavadhis! Now, real and robust Hindutva can occupy the mind of the entire Indian polity only if the Hindus there move in bulk to Neo-Hinduism of my architecture, whereby nationhood determined by territory or language will switch to true secular humanism or Humanism as the new form and content of the Way or Dharma, and compel others too to follow suit. Hence, I strongly advise Indian academicians, politicians, and spiritual ideologues to be in the Parliament of World’s Religions with specific view to closely studying and absorbing the substance of my Blogs in PeaceNext. Otherwise, nobody in the world will entertain or be amused by Saffron Terror and illusory stunts like dividing the Muslims. Solid work to rise up to the level of understanding existential Trinity as interpreted in my philosophy is all that is needed. Any religious head in the Hindutva organism must be fully learned and trained in the three major world religions that I recognize and ask to transform. He/she must also be competent enough to correct the one wayward religion that separates itself from the others illogically, and has created a ring of existential animosity around it. Jagatguru.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:58:08 +0000
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