1. FESTIVALS: Mahashivaratri literally
means the great night of Shiva or the night of Shiva. It is
celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day of the Maagha dark
fortnight corresponding to March 10 this year. According to the Shiva Purana,
the Mahashivaratri worship must incorporate six items: Bathing the
Shiv Linga
with water, milk and honey, and Wood apple or bel leaves added to it,
representing purification of the soul; the vermilion paste applied on the Shiv
Linga after bathing it, representing virtue; offering of fruits, which is
conducive to longevity and gratification of desires; burning incense, yielding wealth; the
lighting of the lamp which is conducive to the attainment of knowledge; and betel leaves marking
satisfaction with worldly pleasures.
2. MAHA KUMBH:
THREE CRORE TAKE A BATH
ON MaUNI AMAVASYA DAY: The Maha Kumbh
at Prayag recorded an astounding tally of over three crore devotees on the occasion
of “mauni amawasya” on February 10. This is perhaps the largest religious
congregation anywhere in the world. According to Mahant Avadheshanand Giri,
head of the biggest ‘akhara’, the ‘Juna akhara’, the main reason for such a
huge gathering was the rare stellar combination on this day which would only be
seen after 147 years now. It is believed that the devotees who take a dip at
the ‘sangam’ on this day can wash away all their sins and attain ‘moksha’.
3. MANGALORE VIBHAG SANGHIK CREATES HISTORY: More than 1.1 lakh RSS swayamsevaks in ‘purnaganavesh’
attended the Mangalore Vibhag Mahasanghik on the occasion of Swamy Vivekanand’s
150th anniversary on Pushya Bahula Saptami, the 5th
February, (Swamiji’s birth anniversary day according to Hindu calendar). Mangalore
Vibhag Karyavaaha PS Prakash said that swayamsevaks from 1150 villages were
part of that mega Sanghik. It involved the mammoth effort of 10 months during
which nearly 15,000 Swayamsevaks visited each house in the Vibhag to personally
invite all of them to this event. RSS Sarakaryavah Suresh Joshi (Bhayyaji
Joshi), M Venkataraam, Pranth Sangachaalak and Dr P Vaman Shenoy, Vibhag
Sangachalak were present on the dais.
Sarasanghachalak
Dr. Mohan Bhagwat said in his address,” Swami Vivekananda dreamt of starting an
organization that will impart selfless and service-oriented education to the
youth and thus create youngsters who will serve the society without any
differences. Though Swamiji did not live long to realize this dream, but it
seems that he was talking about the work of RSS. When a Swayamsevak goes to a
shakha he goes to serve his motherland. Work of RSS is in the form of Swami
Vivekananda’s wishes and words. In our daily Prarthana, we ask for those
qualities in ourselves to serve this Hindu nation which Swamiji wanted to be
inculcated in the youth.
4.
VHP PASSES IMPORTANT RESOLUTION FOR CONSTRUCTION OF RAM TEMPLE: Kendriya Margadarshak Mandal
(KMM), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in a resolution passed at its meet at Kumbha
on February 7, has reminded the Government of Bharat of its statement on oath
in Supreme Court of Bharat that if “it is proved that there was a Hindu place
of worship or a Hindu building at the disputed site prior to 1528 A.D., the
government will act as per Hindu sentiments.” The 30th September
2010 decision of the Lucknow
bench of Allahabad High Court has established that the place where Ramlala sits
today is the birth place of Shri Ram and that there was a Hindu temple at that
place prior to 1528 A.D. The KMM has called upon the Government of Bharat and
the Muslim community to adhere to their statements. The KMM has also asked the
Parliament to pass a bill in its autumn session to construct a Ram Temple
and to hand over the place to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas. It also asked for the
handover of 70 acre surrounding land to the Nyas and not to allow any
construction of Islamic Cultural Centre etc. within the cultural periphery of
Ayodhya.
DHARMA
SAMSAD: RSS Sarasanghachalak Dr. Mohan
Bhagwat, VHP International President Dr Pravin Togadia and many prominent Sadhus
attended the historic ‘Dharma Samsad’ at Prayag Kumbh Mela on February 7, 2013.
Shri Bhagwat, addressing the Dharma Samsad, said “Ram Mandir is a matter
of our & Bharat’s self-respect & we will make it at Ayodhya, Bhagwan
Ram’s birth place. To make a law to make Ram
Temple we will influence the Parliament;
All in Bharat should come together to build grand temple of Bhagwan Ram.
5. ENSURE OUR STATES ARE NOT HIT BY YOUR
BRAHMAPUTRA DAMS: Bharat took an unusually sharp stand against China's unilateral moves to dam the Brahmaputra, saying it had "established user
rights" to the river. Asserting itself for the first time, Bharat asked China "to
ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities
in upstream areas".
In
its new blueprint for the energy sector for 2011-2015, China announced it would build
three hydropower bases on the Yarlung Tsangpo river, at Dagu, Jiacha and Jiexu.
A hydropower station at Zangmu is already under construction. The Chinese
announcement earlier this week was not preceded by any consultation or sharing
of information with New Delhi.
While
this actually indicates China's
consistent policy that it doesn’t believe it needs to engage Bharat on this,
the Bharatiya response represents a distinct policy change. So far, Bharat's
stated position was that it "agreed" with the Chinese statement that
it would "not hurt Bharat's interests".
6. Modi Mesmerises DELHI UNIVERSITY students: The atmosphere was electric. The connect
was instant. Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi at Shriram College of
Commerce, Delhi
not merely mesmerised 18,000 students but he received a standing ovation at the
end of his 75-minute speech which proved that he indeed has touched hearts of
the young Bharat. Today, the biggest challenge before Bharat is in how it uses
opportunity. Our nation is rich in natural resources but we are not using it
properly yet. Thus we are losing opportunities. Our economy is one third
agriculture, one third industry and one third services. Each of them supports
each other and we have developed all. There must be no one in the audience who
has chai without milk from Gujarat in it. All
the milk in Delhi is from Gujarat.
Milk in Singapore is from
Gujarat, Okra in Europe is from Gujarat.
Tomatoes in Afghanistan are
from Gujarat.
Modi said that Bharat must
take its place in the global economy. Biggest thing holding Bharat back, is its
slowness in adopting new technology. Skill development is the key. Whatever the
colour of our skin we are no less than anyone in the world. Bharat’s youth has
the desire but they have a lack of skills. Presently in Gujarat
we are having skill development workshops.
7. Bharat-origin woman selected for Order of
Australia Medal: 85-year old Krishna
Arora, who has been running a community service
has been selected for this year's Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her
contribution to the Bharatiya community.
"When
I came here, I found the only thing that needed attention was loneliness of new
migrants. Someone said to me Australians pass their time by doing community
work. I thought it was a great idea and then there was no looking back,"
said Arora, former principal of a Delhi-based catering college. Arora, also
popularly known as 'Auntieji', runs a hotline tele service offering cooking
tips.
8. Chouhan has made Madhya Pradesh a leader in farm ACTIVITIES: BJP
MP Chandan Mitra said that it is due to the efforts of the Chief Minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan that the Madhya Pradesh has bagged the top award for agriculture,
‘Krishi Karman Award’, while addressing a Kisan Sammelan at Rajgarh on January
30. The farmers of Rajgarh district had gathered to express gratitude towards
the Chief Minister for bringing this honour to them. The State stood at the
forefront of the agricultural States in the country and this had been made
possible largely by the efforts of the Chief Minister, Mitra said.
9. INDIA MUST REMAIN ALERT:
With Gwadar port deal, China flexes
muscle
China's recent takeover of the management of the Gwadar
port in Pakistan has
understandably been a cause of concern in New
Delhi. Once fully-operational, this warm water deep
sea port located in the restive Balochistan
Province could easily prove to be the
most lustrous element in China's
much talked about ‘string of pearls' — a reference to Beijing's
many strategic investment projects in South and South East
Asia. Apart from the Gwadar port in Pakistan
for which China provided
about 75 per cent of the initial $309 million in construction costs, these projects
include the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka,
the Marao port in The Maldives, the Chittagong
port in Bangladesh and the
Sittwe port in Burma.
When plotted on a map, they look like a ‘string of pearls' encircling India. Of
course, China has
consistently denied that the investments are part of any overall design to
‘contain' India.
Towards that end, it has repeatedly pointed out that the ports are purely
commercial in nature and essentially aimed at securing its own sea lanes. For
instance, the Gwadar port has the potential to open up a new trade route for China in the Indian Ocean and towards West Asia
that does not cut through the Strait of Malacca.
Dominated in the north by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Malacca Strait
is under the purview of US naval
power, and China
would like nothing better than to have access to a sea port that is not
controlled by a superior military power.
In
fact, even South Block has sought to soothe frayed nerves by urging people not
to “overreact” to the development and instead, accept the handover of Gwadar
port from the Port
of Singapore Authority to
the Chinese Overseas Port Holdings Limited as a purely commercial transaction
carried out in the “normal course of things”. Unfortunately, China's recent record of assertiveness and
indeed even outright belligerence in its immediate neighbourhood, particularly
in the South China Sea region, offers little
comfort. After all, a commercial port today can always be converted into a
naval base tomorrow. And even if that is not the case, the Gwadar port in its
non-military avatar will still serve as a good listening post for the Chinese.
This will be particularly valuable to Beijing as
it allows it some presence in the Indian Ocean
region where it has no territorial presence. Moreover, when fully developed,
the Gwadar port will also be beneficial to the Pakistani military. Located 400
kms away from India, the
port offers a perfect alternative to the one in Karachi
that is within India's
striking range and through which passes almost all of Pakistan's
trade.
Having
said that, however, it must also be made clear that it will probably be a while
before either China or Pakistan
can exploit Gwadar to its full potential. For one, the supplemental
infrastructure work that was to be done by the Pakistani Government in terms of
building a transport network leading to the port is still far from complete.
Consequently, the port has seen minimal activity in recent months — in fact, no
ship has docked at Gwadar since November 2012. Finally, there is also the
Baloch unrest factor that has to be taken into consideration. The Balochis are
strongly opposed to the Chinese in general and the project in particular, and
they are certain to put up a strong resistance.
(Editorial,
Daily Pioneer, February 5, 2013)
10. There's
nothing called saffron terror: Deoband: Darul
Uloom Deoband has dismissed the use of term 'saffron terrorism'. Maulana Ashraf
Usmani - the spokesperson of Darul Uloom Deoband - one of the most important
centres for Islamic studies in Asia, said on
Feb 9 that he disapproved the concept of saffron terror. He said attributing
communal colors to terrorism will only make the situation worse.
"Terrorism cannot be attached to a particular country, religion or
community. How can anything dealing with carnage of innocent people be linked
to something as pious and pure as religion," he questioned.
Maulana
Ashraf made the statement while commenting on the hanging of Afzal Guru for his
involvement in the Parliament. He said the law had taken its course, adding
"all terrorists will have to face the same thing as their actions are
illegal in the eyes of the law of the land. All those who indulge in such
activities should meet a similar fate.”
11. RSS IT Milan:
Taking Vivekananda’s Message to the APARTMENTS: RSS IT Milans of Bengaluru, under the aegis of
Vivekananda Kendra, set upon a huge task of taking Vivekananda’s words of
wisdom to the doorsteps of the citizens and kids of nearly 165 apartments on
January 27, 2013 to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth year. Eminent
personalities and senior executives from the IT and other fields were chosen to
deliver lectures to the adults on ‘Swami Vivekananda’s vision on National
Regeneration’. These were followed by a ‘Balabharathi’ session for kids organized
in 122 apartments and reaching out to nearly 1900 kids aged between 5 to 11.
Balabharati sessions comprised of traditional games, recitation of ‘shlokas’
and bhajans and telling of inspiring mythological stories.
12.
SAMSKRIT TEACHING CAMPS IN AUSTRALIA:
Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Australia organized Samskrit teaching camps in Australia – from 16th to 20th
of January at Sydney and Parramatta for the learners. Shri Vasuvaj, a
Samskrit scholar from Samskrit Bharati taught the learners how to construct sentences,
make introduction and ask questions. He advised them not to think in English,
but to think in our mother tongues—as all Bharatiya languages are similar. In
the last hour of every lesson, Vasuvaj asked them to perform a play, enabling
them to develop their ability to speak and understand the language as the plays
had to be written and performed only in the Sanskrit language. A Voluntary
Teachers Training Camp was also held on January 26th and 27th.
13. Agni-VI to carry multiple warheads: Bharat is developing Agni-VI, a successor to the ballistic
missile that can carry multiple warheads. Scientific advisor to the defence
minister and DRDO chief VK Saraswat on February 8 said Agni-VI will be able to
carry multiple warheads, enabling one weapon system to take out several targets
at a time.
"While
the Agni-V is major strategic defence weapon, the Agni-VI will be a force
multiplier as it will have multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle
(MIRV) capability," said Saraswat. The MIRV capability will enable one
missile to carry multiple payloads in a single launch. The design of the
Agni-VI has been completed and the DRDO is pursuing the hardware-realisation
phase. While Agni-V has a strike range of about 5,000 km, the Agni-VI will have
a strike range of more than 5,000 km.
14. KUMBH PILGRIMS DECLARE GANGA AS 'GREEN
VALENTINE : Over 500
"green Kumbh" participants, from more than 45 countries, carried out
a rally at the Maha Kumbh mela to declare river Ganga as country's 'green
valentine' on the occasion of Valentine's Day on Feb 14. The event filled with
dance and music was organised by Ganga Action Parivar (GAP) and was attended by
its founder and president of Rishikesh's Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Swami
Chidanand Saraswati. "Ganga is the past,
present, and future of Mother Bharat. She quenches our thirst, cleanses our
bodies, irrigates our fields and brings divine liberation and purity to every
moment of every day," Muni Chidanand Saraswati said.
Several spiritual leaders like Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of Isha Foundation
and B A Swami Paramadvaiti, a Vaishnavite spiritual leader and environmentalist
from Germany, also participated in the event. Participants wore colours of the Bharatiya
flag to give out its environmentally-conscious message.
15. GUJARAT’S GOOD SHOW IN URBAN PROJECTS PUTS UPA
IN A SPOT: Gujarat's high rating in urban infrastructure development
projects under the Centre's flagship JNNURM scheme seems to have become a new
headache for the government at a time when UPA-2 would like to highlight its
achievements before the next national polls. So far, a majority of models
suggested by the Union urban development (UD) ministry are from Gujarat,
whether it's self-financing of a road project or intelligent traffic While
another 'best model' in public transport system has become a reality in
BJP-ruled Karnataka, only one Congress-ruled state has followed suit ,Rajasthan
with 'Alwar Vahini'. The latest one was the Centre pushing the Surat model of developing an outer ring road
without any government investment. Under this model, the project would generate
about Rs 11,960 crore over five years against an investment of Rs 5,796 crore.
However,
for the Congress-led UPA, this is a sour pill to swallow and allow Narendra
Modi's government to take the credit of successfully demonstrating best models
of urban development.
16. Ghosh
Tarang: A three days Ghosh Shivir of Andhra Pradesh was held on
8,9,10 February, 2013 in Hyderabad.
A grand Ghosh demonstration by 900 swayamsevaks was the special attraction of
the Sarvajannik Utsav attended by thousands of people on conclusion of the
Shivir. Suresh Joshi alias Bhayyaji Joshi, RSS Sarkaryavaha addressed the
audience. Jagadish Prasad, Akhil Bharatiya
Sah Sharirik Pramukh, Mangesh Bhende Kshetra Pracharak AP and Karnataka and
others including many famous personalities from Telugu film industry were also
present.
17. England
students create artwork on
Mahashivaratri: Sixty Art and Design students of West Suffolk
College in United Kingdom have been reportedly
producing innovative artwork based on Hindu festival of Mahashivaratri. It
includes portraits, complex shadow puppet animation with digital technology, a
film and life-size three-dimensional sculptures of Lord Shiva. This project
also explored the link between Hindu philosophy and modern science, resulting
in some "particularly powerful images". West Suffolk College in Bury
St. Edmunds (Suffolk, England), whose history goes back to 1951, with about
19,000 students and turnover of GBP27 million, delivers 856 courses and uses
over a hundred different venues around the county to deliver its programs.
18. National
Conference on ‘Swami Vivekanand Ke Sapno Ka Bharat’: On the occasion
of 150th Birth Anniversary Year (Sardhsati) of Swami Vivekanand ji, Deendayal
Research Institute organized a two-day national conference on the theme of
“Swami Vivekanand Ji ke Sapno Ka Bharat” at Udyamita Vidyapeeth, Chitrakoot on
11-12 February 2013. The conference was chaired by Madhubhai Kulkarni, RSS
National Executive Member, Renowned thinker K.N. Govindacharya delivered the
keynote address in the inaugural session. In the closing ceremony participants
and delegates from more than 32 institution and Universities from 9 states of
the country and 2 other countries had the pleasure to listening to Er. Rajendra
Shukla, minister of Energy and mining resources of MP Govt., Others who spoke
included Madhubhai Kulkarni, Surrendran
Ji organizing secretary of BMS, Juilion Bory Chairman of Global Denture
Association France.
19.
ABVP ACTIVIST HONORED WITH PADMASHREE: The
Government of Bharat has honored Milind Kamble, a prominent face in the Dalit movement
with most coveted ‘Padmashree” award this year.
Milind
Kamble, a construction engineer, was Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)
full time activist for three years.
Milind
launched the biggest ever web site on Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar. His significant
contribution was establishment of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and
Industries (DICCI) and thereby giving a new dimension to the Dalit movement in Bharat.
“We will not beg for jobs henceforth but will give jobs to job seekers” was his
new mantra that generated a new confidence amongst the Dalit community. Now
DICCI has its chapters in almost all the states of Bharat and the Government of
Bharat has granted recognition to DICCI as official chamber.
20. Bharat
Parikrama Yatra: RSS Pracharak
Sitarama Kedilaya led Bharat Parikrama Yatra entered Karavle village in Kalyan
Jilla of Konkan Pranth on 30th Jan’2013. Shri Kedilaya addressed a gathering of
more than 100 people about gram vikas. Samskrut Bharati karyakartas from
Dombivili visited him along with senior pracharak Shirish Bedasgaonkar. RSS
Sarasanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat, Sarakaryavah Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi met Sitaram
Kedilaya at Panwel, Mharashtra on January 28, 2013.
21.
OVER 25 LAKH ATHLETES PARTICIPATE IN KHEL MAHAKUMBH
Gujrat CM Narendra Modi came down heavily against the proposed decision of the International Olympic Committee to abolish wrestling from the Olympics on 13th February while addressing the concluding ceremony of Khel Mahakumbh 2012-2013 and strongly urged the Prime Minister and the Government of Bharat to take the lead and oppose this decision. He congratulated all the 25 lakh participants of the sports extravaganza and added that 72 new records have been set.
Prizes worth Rs. 32 crore were given during the Khel Mahakumbh. Shri Modi shared that over 8 lakh women athletes and over 92,000 specially abled athletes participated in the meet.
He expressed joy that so many people above the age of 45 are participating in the meet with great zeal. Others who spoke were Cabinet Minister Shri Ramanlal Vora, Australia’s trade commissioner in Bharat Mr. Tom Calder.
Gujrat CM Narendra Modi came down heavily against the proposed decision of the International Olympic Committee to abolish wrestling from the Olympics on 13th February while addressing the concluding ceremony of Khel Mahakumbh 2012-2013 and strongly urged the Prime Minister and the Government of Bharat to take the lead and oppose this decision. He congratulated all the 25 lakh participants of the sports extravaganza and added that 72 new records have been set.
Prizes worth Rs. 32 crore were given during the Khel Mahakumbh. Shri Modi shared that over 8 lakh women athletes and over 92,000 specially abled athletes participated in the meet.
He expressed joy that so many people above the age of 45 are participating in the meet with great zeal. Others who spoke were Cabinet Minister Shri Ramanlal Vora, Australia’s trade commissioner in Bharat Mr. Tom Calder.
22.
SC PULLS UP CBI IN BABRI MASJID
DEMOLITION CASE: CBI's submission in the Babri Masjid demolition case that senior BJP
leader L K Advani and others had committed a 'national crime' drew a sharp
reaction from the Supreme Court on February 6 which asked the agency not to use
such a language till the case is decided by the courts."Please don't say
that it is a national crime or a matter of national importance. We are yet to
decide it. Until we or trial court decide this way or other, you can't make
such statements," a bench headed by Justice H L Dattu said.
The bench made the observations after senior
advocate P P Rao, appearing for CBI, submitted that leaders of BJP and VHP were
involved in a "national conspiracy" which was reflected in the Rath
Yatra and its a case of "national crime".
During arguments, the bench also questioned CBI over
the delay in hearings before the special court and the filing of the appeal
challenging the verdicts of the two courts.
"You said that it is a case of national
importance. Then can you say that the translation (of court records) takes days
and filing of case takes three months," the bench said.
23.
Durga
Vahini stopped Naked and Nude Exhibition in Delhi:
Durga Vahini,
the women wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, on February 4 shut down the exhibition
called "The Naked and the Nude - The body in Indian modern art" held
by Delhi Art
Gallery in Hauz
Khas Village,
New Delhi. Mrs
Sanjana Chaudhary, the state convener Duga Vahini said that she had personally
seen all such paintings and called the police to stop it as the nude and
obscene paintings which show women in very bad light and disrespectfully is
highly objectionable. The gallery was later closed.
24. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Visitors: Ma. Dr.Vinod Ambastha – USA,
Ashwin Popat, Balkrishna Tejpal, Ramesh Jogia, Haridas Pankhania, Harish Raja
and Smt Prafulla Raja - UK
Pravaas: Shri Ravikumarji sahsamyojak Vishwa Vibhag will return from Singapore and Australia.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: That man (Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa) was the embodiment
of renunciation. In our country it is necessary for a man who becomes a
Sannyasin to give up all worldly wealth and position, and this my master
carried out literally. … … … He was a triumphant example, a living realization
of the complete conquest of lust and of desire for money. He was beyond all ideas of either, and such
men are necessary for this century. Such renunciation is necessary in these
days when men have begun to think that they cannot live a month without what
they call their “necessities,” and which they are increasing out of all
proportion. It is necessary in a time like this that a man shall arise to
demonstrate to the skeptics of the world that there yet breathes a man who does
not care a straw for all the gold or all the fame that is in the universe. – Swami Vivekanand.
JAI SHREE RAM
FUNDAMENTALS OF FNDAMENTALISM
RATAN SHARDA
Typical
politically correct statements are being made for last many months since the
invention of word ‘Hindu terrorism’ or ‘saffron terrorism’. The hold-all
statements of various shades can be summarized in two statements – “terrorism
has no religion” and “all kinds of fundamentalism are bad”. While one may agree
with the first statement, the latter statement is born out of ignorance, or
anxiety to sound politically correct.
We
need to differentiate and delineate the finer nuances of fundamentalism of
different faiths/religions/ traditions. A few of my learned friends felt
that the terms like ‘secularism’ and ‘fundamentalism’ have been hijacked by
West-oriented intellectuals and given certain shades and it is futile to put in
efforts to change these perceptions. However, I think, that such debates are
required to bring back the right sense to such words. So, let us try to look at
the fundamentals of different religions and see how fundamentalism of one faith
is much different from another faith.
Since,
the fingers are currently pointed at Hindu fundamentalism, supposedly as
dangerous as Islamic fundamentalism, let us put Hindu dharma on one side and
Islam and Christianity on the other. I am using Hindu dharma as a ‘way
of life’ that encompasses different religions and faiths born in India
viz. traditionally called Hindu religion (Vedic/Sanatan), Jainism, Buddhism,
Sikhism and various other sects that grew out of traditional Vedic
traditions or deviated from mainstream Hinduism. Since, they are
all born in Bharat and from same roots, there are many common ethos and
practices which are common to all of them. Similarly, Islam and Christianity
also have common roots, though they are adversaries today. Both are born out of
Abrahamic faith of which Jew religion is the fountainhead. All of them are born
in holy Palestinian region, so they too have many common traditions and way of
practicing their religions. Thus, I shall be addressing the two groups as
Hindus and Abrahamic for easy comparison. At this moment in history,
there is a lot of difference between Christianity and Islam. However, when the
comparison is at a broader level, we can take the common practices that are at
the roots of these faith systems.
The
fundamental difference between Hindu and Abrahamic religions is that Hindus
believe in concept of knowledge and faith that can have space for different
beliefs. As I note in my book ‘Secrets of RSS’ it means, “My faith is
true and so is yours”. For Abrahamic religions it is, “Mine is the only
truth”. An oft repeated Sanskrit shloka says, “Truth is one, different
people say it differently”. This creates an environment of mutual
respect. For Abrahamic religions there is only one truth, all other
beliefs are ‘false’. Thus, while Hindu dharma is ‘inclusive’, Abrahamic
religions are ‘exclusive’, where there is no place for different views about
the ultimate truth. Therefore, Abrahamic religions have One Book, while Hindu
dharma does not have one authorized scripture that must be obeyed by all the
followers. For Hindus, one is free to choose one’s path to attain moksha, not
bound by what The Supreme book says.
From
this foundational framework flow more differences in approach. Hindu
thought allows different philosophies to crop up and prosper without any problem;
Abrahamic thought does not brook such deviations. This has led to religious
wars and bloodshed over question of faith, while Bharat has hardly seen such bloodshed
in the name of faith. Thus, Hindu dharma system presides over a republic of
religions, while Abrahamic faith systems may be termed as one party rule or
dictatorship.
Due
to this reason, West has seen exodus of various people at different periods of
history, Bharat has never seen such exodus (except during partition, brought
about by a demand for separate country based on religion). It has given shelter
to such persecuted people from across the world - right from Syrian
Christians, Jews to Parsis since hundreds of years.
Rajiv
Malhotra, a public intellectual, notes that Hindu dharma followers may not
necessarily need a medium to reach the Supreme being, while in case of
Abrahamic religions, if you do not believe in the prophet or the son
of God, there is no salvation for you. It is a pre-condition for
liberation. A priest in Hindu tradition is not a medium; he is only a person
who facilitates religious rituals. Closest in this sense of a medium is Guru,
but even Guru is not a pre-condition, nor is allegiance to one Guru necessary.
There are enough examples of people who attained self-realization without a
Guru or through a number of Gurus.
Hindu
dharma being a way of life and not really the only ‘way of life’, even an
‘atheist’ scholar like Chaarvaak can be a Hindu called a ‘rishi’. This is
simply not possible in Abrahamic belief systems and the ‘atheist’ or ‘heretic’
may be prosecuted or persecuted for blasphemy.
Abrahamic
religions believe in ‘niraakaar’ (or formless) God Almighty, while Hindus can
believe in ‘niraakaar’ or ‘saakaar’ (having a body which can be seen). Within
this too, a believer can seek his God in any form that he believes in. There
are no ‘false’ gods, there is a freedom of choice. They can be as comfortable
with Jesus Christ as they are with Krishna.
Abrahamic
religions tell their followers that only theirs is the true path and would
bring salvation to their followers, and all other ‘non-believers’ would land up
in hell for not following the prophet and his religion. It is enjoined as their
duty to convert others to save them from ‘hell’. With this as their duty, their
followers have aggressively followed the directions coming from their prophets
or holy books to win over countries, to convert the ‘non-believers’ to ‘save’
them, to earn goodwill of their ‘God’ and a place in ‘heaven’. Thus,
attacks by these faithfuls generally leave behind a trail of destruction of
defeated people, their monuments and religious places etc.
Compared
to this, none of the different off-shoots of Hindu dharma have ever gone out
aggressively or attacked any population to spread their religion. Their spread
has been through propagation of their ideas and acceptance by the local
populace. China and
whole of South East Asia is living proof of
this pacifist approach of Hindu tradition based religions. Utilizing
debates (shaastraarth) rather than sword by Adi Shankaracharya to win
over Buddhist scholars is classic example that saw the revival of Vedic
religion.
The
idea of ‘republic of faiths’ is the reason why democracy in its primary form
was prevalent in the times of Mauryas and why it took roots so easily
post-independence. The inherently built mental frame work of ‘One party rule’
or dictatorship is the reason why no Islamic country, except Indonesia and Malaysia has true democracy. It was
possible in these countries because they were cut-off from Wahhabi influence of
Saudi Arabia
for long and had a strong Hindu-Buddhist background to their ethnic
culture. Now, as Saudi
Arabia funded Wahhabism is slowly
making inroads into these regions, one can see similar intolerance for
other faiths emerging in these countries too.
Similar
to South East Asian experience, some critics talk of Sufism in Islam that is
syncretic and comparatively secular, but forget that Sufism is born out of Bharatiya
soil that had overwhelming Hindu influence, and Sufis were considered deviants
by dominant Islamic scholars. They adopted the principle of giving space to
other belief systems and made Islam more acceptable to ‘non-believers’.
In current milieu, ‘sufism’ has more resonance in Hindus than in Islamists. The
‘sufi’ music so popular these days, cannot be played in mosques as music is
un-Islamic.
All
Hindu dharma based faiths, in fact even other pre-Abrahamic religions globally,
believe in principles of karma, re-incarnation and worship nature as a form of
‘Supreme Being’. Principle of ‘ahimsa’ is born out of this respect for all
living beings and nature. From these thoughts flow the teachings of Hindu
traditions to preserve nature, farmers first worshipping mother earth before
putting his plough on her and an artisan worships the land ‘bhumi puja’ before
he digs it to make a house. For a Hindu, he or she is part of an
entirely integrated universe. Thus, love for environment and its
preservation is inherent in Hindu tradition. Abrahamic religions believe that
their ‘God’ has given them right to enjoy ‘earth’ to fulfill their desires as
it is a gift to them from ‘Almighty’ and thought of environmental protection is
born out of compulsion in West as it faces dire consequences of the pillage of
the planet for its unrestricted growth and self-aggrandizement.
Reader
may note that I have not talked of any current social or historical examples to
bolster my argument or criticize any faith as I wished to take it up at an
academic level and let readers ponder over the fundamentals of different faith
systems. Whatever has been stated above is easily available on public
platforms, on official websites and religious scriptures of different faith
systems. One can form one’s own opinion about what can happen when different
systems go back to their fundamentals or become fundamentalists. Once we absorb
these thoughts, we would not easily make sweeping statement that ‘all kinds of
fundamentalism are bad’.
(http://www.merinews.com/article/fundamentals-of-fundamentalism/15881193.shtml)
