ONE
INDIA :
SECULARISM
AND HINDUTVA
THESIS,
ANTITHESIS AND SYNTHESIS
(AVATARIKA)
INTRODUCTION
A
lot of leadership energy in India is lost in the acrimony that
surrounds the branding of the players in the political arena as
'secularists' or 'Hindutva' proponents. Strictly speaking,
ideological positions such as these should and do act as checks and
balances in a democratic polity. However, quite often they also
impede progress and distort a sense of purpose and direction. Like
the antlers of some animals interlocking and not letting the animals
do anything else, ideological opponents sometimes are not free to
devote their full energy to solve the innumerable problems facing the
country that are crying out for urgent and consensual action. When
the 'secularists' win elections they try to ride rough shod over the
'Hindutva' based parties. When the latter win elections the
compliment is returned. The country as a whole suffers either way. If
we rewind the videos of our Parliamentary proceedings of the past two
decades this conclusion is inescapable. Enervated by this kind a of
political dynamic, leaders are not able to give their one hundred
percent effort to economic progress, eradication of crime and
poverty, vital reforms in the institutions of governance, vigorous
legislative action and securing the country against grave threats
form several sources.
Against
this backdrop, is there something we can do to unleash the full
leadership potential of our country? Is there a better way of
collective political functioning that would do us proud? Is it
possible to fine tune our mindset that would lead us to function at
our optimum efficiency?
The
answer is definitely yes for two reasons. Firstly, Indian or Hindu
civilization has been around for longer than most others. The Vedas
representing some of the most ancient aspects of this civilization
are the oldest body of knowledge recorded by man according to many
scholars. They speak eloquently of consensus, of working with one
mind, of the vital importance of structured congregations (Sabhas)
and exchanging ideas in an atmosphere of mutual respect and regard. I
am not quoting from the Vedas in support of all this for the sake of
brevity. Indian civilization belongs to the whole of mankind. I am of
the humble opinion that we will succeed in fine tuning our mindset
towards greater collective efficiency because subconsciously we are
programmed for it by the force of our civilization.
The
second reason why it is possible to undo inimical political
intercourse and move on to a more synergistic and holistic paradigm
of collective living is based on observed facts and events as they
are unfolding right now. From among many other events let us take the
recent example of the process that elected our present President. At
first I was pretty uncomfortable at the thought that the whole world
is watching all the fractious goings on. Leaders dashing here and
there, talking to the media at every twist and turn, backtracking
like nobody's business, sometimes stabbing one another in the back,
clearly wilting under veiled threats that are after all not so
veiled, sometimes even using venerable icons of India's pride as a
cat's paw or as a pawn, jockeying for positions and so on and so
forth. On a little reflection I felt, what's the big deal? Let the
world watch. If transparency is needed for a healthy democracy, then
here it is. You can't have the cake and eat it too. You can't have
transparency and also appear spik and span, neat and tidy in all
aspects. Why should we apply cosmetics when the truth as it is needs
to be seen? After all nothing indecorous or unbecoming is happening,
though certain idiosyncrasies
of expressing oneself may not look attractive or charming for some.
From this transparency arises my hope that inimical and detrimental
political interactions are slowly yielding to the dynamic of
democratic consensus, howsoever wobbly and faltering it may appear
now. This new dynamic is now clearly seen in TV debates during prime
time. A senior bureaucrat turned politician who used to be invariably
abrasive if not apoplectic or abusive sought to remind his
co-panelists of the 'TV debate protocol' in a recent TV debate, when
he said they should wait for their turn to speak as the anchor turns
to them. He himself waited for his turn for a pretty long time and
when he got his turn to speak he did so with clarity and without
acrimony or acerbity.
In
order to strengthen this whole process of exchange of ideas or
debating an issue to arrive at a consensus, at a plan of action or,
at a policy framework, perhaps a conceptual framework for building a
healthy grid of energy between seemingly polar opposites of
secularism and Hindutva here in India may be attempted. This exercise
is worthwhile because, with minor variations, this kind of polarity
damages the effectiveness of democracies the world over leaving them
leaden-footed in responding to emerging realities in global
realpolitik. In such a scenario, at best international diplomacy is
tasked with handling such situations and at worst cloak and dagger
operations are carried out. Both are obviously costly and opaque by
their very nature. Both may play less prominent and more
transparent roles if the kind of conceptual framework referred to
above can be arrived at.
The
earth's magnetic poles are not at war. They envelop us in a magnetic
shield but for which the earth with all its life and beauty would be
inconceivable. In an analogous manner, if we in India can generate a
political grid of energy between 'Hindutva' and 'secularism', maybe
we will progress and evolve faster. This blog, though amateurish, is
such an attempt. It may not be very convincing in some aspects. It
may not cover the whole gamut of its subject matter. There may be
errors. But if it generates some fruitful thought or discussion
notwithstanding its defects, it would have served its purpose.
Incidentally,
the structure of discourse loosely used here is based on the paradigm
of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. It is called as
'poorvapaksham', and 'siddhantam' in ancient Indian
literature. The 'poorvapaksham' contains or anticipates the antithesis while the 'sidddhantham' rebuts the antithesis and arrives at the thesis with 'pramana vakyas', the Vedas being the last word in 'pramanas'. Since latter day discourses and debates have partial truths on either side, the synthesis is left to the reader who has to distil the best holistic truth from both sides. This kind of exercise gives us a rigorous discipline of abstract analytical
thought.
“Few
people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which
differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people
are even incapable of such opinions”.
ALBERT
EINSTEIN
HINDUTVA
AND SECULARISM
THESIS
AND ANTITHESIS
THESIS
(1)
India is a secular democratic republic according to our Constitution.
Therefore any talk of Hindutva or attempts to unite the Hindu people
of India on the basis of Hindutva is unconstitutional.
ANTITHESIS
Only
Hindutva as State policy making India a Hindu theocratic State is
unconstitutional. Hindutva as a body of knowledge about Hindus in all
aspects of what makes them Hindus is not unconstitutional. Hindutva
is an attempt to unite a people divided by several castes simply as
Hindus, an attempt at helping them bond together on the broadest and
most universal aspects of Hinduism. It is an enlightened attempt at
eradicating the evils of selfishness in the caste system and other
inequities that have plagued Hinduism. This would conduce to greater
harmony.
THESIS
(2)
Any talk of Hindutva divides Indians as a whole on religious and
sectarian lines. These divisions inflame passions and result in
sectarian violence. Hindutva should be completely obliterated so that
we have peace and harmony among all Indians.
ANTITHESIS
Hindu-Muslim sectarian violence has many historical roots, the most
recent and the most violent of which was the partition of India at
Independence, a partition that was more engineered than
spontaneous. Would you believe that one English Prime Minster
actually wrote to a prominent Muslim leader in the Congress Party to
insist on a separate land for Muslims just to incite the division of
India? You can actually see this letter in the British Archives of
that period that have since been declassified. All over the world
colonialism has left behind continuing strife, though counterbalanced
by a legacy of modern education and industrialization. There is no
point in emoting about it now. The present Prime Minister of the UK
had recently said Britain is ready to express its regret for its acts
as a colonial power. This shows him and his country in a better
light because his country is able to say sorry and learn from the
past. I wonder how many would do that in our own country.
Hindutva
per se is not the cause of sectarian violence. It is indeed true
that some proponents of Hindutva had tried to hark back to the
golden past of Hinduism with a certain zealotry, thereby creating a
feeling that Muslim invasions and British colonialism have robbed
them of their glory and power. This has spawned antagonism between
some sections of Hindus and Muslims. But today's poor Muslim is no
invader! Nor is today's Hindu a victim of any invasion or
colonialism! All Indians are one people today!!There is no room at
all for hostility TODAY !! If India had a golden past, a golden
future too beckons it. In fact, as the idea or the discussion of
Hindutva grows and matures, the true catholicity of Hinduism will
bring about enduring peace and harmony among all. Timeless words like
“Vasudaiva kutumbhakam”, (the entire world is truly just one
family) “eko devah sarvabhoota antaratma” (there is but one Lord
and He is the indwelling Spirit of all beings) and so on will help us
bond together across all divides. This is the true potential of
Hindutva.
THESIS
(3)
Hindutva takes us back to the dark ages. There is no place for it in
today's age of reason, of science and technology and human progress.
ANTITHESIS
“We
must conquer nature, both outside and inside” said Vivekananda.
East and West are integral parts of one whole mankind. The West has
progressed in mastering Nature outside in recent centuries. They have
made great scientific progress. The East has mastered spirituality,
in conquering Nature inside. The true power of Yoga and meditation
are slowly coming to light. Hindutva addresses the issue of the
Hindu aping the West blindly and losing the civilizational gains he
had made in conquering Nature inside. This aping is happening apace.
Hindutva calls upon the Hindu to keep alive his quest for spiritual
truths by reminding him of his rich legacy even as he benefits from
the progress achieved by Science, a progress to which Hindu or Indian
civilization has contributed enormously in earlier centuries. This is
not going back to the dark ages. In fact, as we slip from morality
due to lack of understanding and mastery of our inner forces, no
amount of scientific progress can ensure our happiness or survival.
On the contrary, without much more of Science, morality alone is
capable of making us happier today than we are collectively. Without
morality we may go back to the dark ages of the past in future
through the time warp of blind science. Hindutva warns us against
this danger.
THESIS
(4) Hindutva is
only a tool in the hands of cynical politicians who use it to gather
votes. This weakens democracy because the voter is swayed by the
appeal to his emotions through the Hindutva plank, when he should be
weighing the merits of competing candidates in terms of their
performance and potential. As a result, undeserving candidates get
elected.
ANTITHESIS
Politicians
do indeed use any tool to get elected. They use caste, businessmen,
actors and actresses, plenty of unaccounted or slush money,
criminals with history-sheets, state machinery, bribing voters with
alcohol or wining and dining and lobbying and so on and so forth.
This trend is slowly changing for the better. There was only one
occasion when some aspect of Hindutva stirred the voters to vote for
its proponents. That was the occasion when the Ram Janma Bhoomi was
used to win an election and chants of 'Jai Sri Ram' were heard in the
Parliament. This period was immediately preceded by the TV serial
Ramayana which brought alive India's great epic, the Ramayana, to its
people. It had the highest TRP ever anywhere in India. The story of
Rama and Seeta is a moving story and evokes deep feelings in Hindus
and others too even today. Barring this one election, the Hindus have
not been swayed by Hindutva to any great extent in voting during
elections. In fact, Hindus have often voted to power people based on
caste and other considerations as stated above. Even this is
changing. Voters now seem to look for leaders who can deliver on real
all round development and healthy growth. Moreover, election of
undeserving candidates will continue even without Hindutva till
electoral reforms are put in place and voter awareness improves.
THESIS
(5)
Hindutva leaders will not be seen as doing full justice to protecting
the interests of those other than Hindus. This will breed discontent
and disharmony in the country.
ANTITHESIS
This
is not borne out by facts. Instances of injustice to non-Hindus
under the rule of non-Hindutva leaders since Independence outnumber
those under Hidutva leaders. As Hindutva matures and finds its true
moorings in timeless affirmations like 'stayam eva jayate naanrutam'
(truth alone triumphs, not untruth) 'ahimsa paramo matah'
(non-violence is the highest religion) and so on, Hindutva leaders
are likely to ascend to higher levels of probity and selfless
service. People would expect them to practice what they preach. One
of the most common prayers of the Hindu is 'sarve jano sukhino
bhavantu' (may all that is born be happy). This level of love and
empathy is the ultimate goal, the real indestructible root of
Hindutva. This has indeed kept Hindutva alive from times immemorial,
in the face of many depredations.
THESIS
(6)
India is heavily dependent on Islamic countries for import of oil. If
Hindutva leaders come to power these countries will become hostile to
India.
ANTITHESIS
This
is untrue. Even if there are misgivings due to lack of personal
interactions between leaders of other countries and proponents of
Hindutva. these will be dispelled when it will be seen that dealing
with Hindutva leaders will be transparent, fair and for the benefit
of all concerned. As a matter of fact, any Indian leader
transacting business with other countries will be increasingly imbued
with these qualities.
THESIS
(7)
Similarly, a majority of developed economies of the West are
Christian countries. They will not take kindly to Hindutva leaders if
we elect them. The peoples of these countries are agnostic or
atheistic or Christian. India will suffer if Hindutva is allowed to
become strong in India.
ANTITHESIS
These countries are mostly liberal and pluralistic to a fault, though
of late a minority among their peoples are illiberal and intolerant
of outsiders. They do business with all types of regimes so long as
there is no genocide and such grave threats of humanitarian failures.
Many riots have shaken India in the past but trade with the Western
economies has not been affected. On the contrary, because India has
strong democratic values and institutions, because India can promote
peace and harmony in its neighbourhood,
Western economies continue to trade with India increasingly and
empower it to play its role in its area. As explained above
repeatedly, Hindutva leaders are likely to be guided by the most
universal values of Hindutva. In such a scenario the West or any
country would have no problem in doing business with India. Genuine
Hindutva can establish lasting rapport with Western nations and
across the globe when once they realize that Hindutva is a force for
harmony and peace.
THESIS
(8)
What is the need for Hindutva? It is a complete waste of time to
discuss it. Far more pressing problems need our attention.
ANTITHESIS
A
little thought will show that ethics is strengthened by morality,
morality is strengthened by faith, prayer and hope, intermittent
moral failures notwithstanding. Hindutva beckons us to rediscover our
faith and rekindle our hope. It is for lack of ethics that politics
and businesses have brought upon us the current global economic
crises. Barack Obama, during his campaign last time said, 'we must
rebuild morality'. He was only echoing the perception of many
ordinary people. How can we fight increasing crime and degradation of
human life without rebuilding morality worldwide? Police and courts
and hospitals will have to come to every street corner in the absence
of morality and ethics. “Everyman, I will go behind thee and watch
thy every step and catch thee in thy most criminal act” will become
the motto of governance, to paraphrase “everyman I will go with
thee and be thy guide in thy most hour of need.”
This
is already happening in the advanced Western countries. That is the
reason why their public expenditure is so high. Any amount of taxes
and borrowing is not enough to meet those expenses. Welfare
economics without morality is a sure recipe for collective
disaster whether in Western economies or elsewhere. This
kernel truth will be recorded by future historians when they study
the present global economic crises and other social ills like
alcoholism, breaking down of the institution of family, addictions to
nicotine and narcotics, heinous sexual crimes, human trafficking and
so on.
'WE
MUST REBUILD MORALITY'.
Hindutva
is India's contribution in this area.
THESIS
(9)
Hindutva is essentially based on religion. All matters of religion
are purely personal. There is no room for them in public life, much
less in politics.
ANTITHESIS
Sociologists say 'man is a social animal'. Anthropologists find that
across all human clusters man is a 'religious' animal too. From the
totem pole to the majestic church steeples to the minarets of mosques
and towering temples people gather in solemn and sacred places to
pray together, to seek salvation or enlightenment. The social and
religious animal that man is at the same time, how can religion be
cribbed and caged to the private domain? Almost all countries
constitutionally mandate the freedom to practice and preach one's
religion, the freedom to congregate in places of worship.
It is so with Hindutva too. If Hindutva should not be in the public
domain, no religion, no whiff of faith, no personal mark or emblem of
faith should be seen in public, including politics. This is just
impossible, unconstitutional and unscientific too from the point of
view of sociology and anthropology. Secularists will do well to
ponder deeply if symbols of religion per se divide people or cynical
and selfish people and people with deep seated psychological problems
exploit religion and religious symbols to satisfy their selfish needs
or to cover up their psychological problems, albeit of traumatic
origins beyond their control. In normal day to day life I had never
come across religious strife or quarrels among common folk. Unless
strongly instigated or paid for, the large masses of people are busy
earning their daily bread or pursuing their chosen avocation keeping
their religious practices to their homes, to their places of
religious congregations, to their accepted social and cultural
traditions and festive occasions.
THESIS
(10)
Hindutva is propounded by a small group of people called RSS. They
are responsible for the assassination of the Mahatma. They preach
hatred of other religions, particularly Islam. This is proved by the
fact that in Gujarat whose Chief Minister is from that organization
there was mass killing of Muslims after the Godhra train massacre. If
Hindutva becomes stronger, these riots and mass killings will
increase in intensity and frequency.
Taking
all the above into consideration there is no way Hindutva and
Secularism can act in synergy for the good of the country and its
progress. Hindutva has no place in India.
ANTITHESIS
First of all Hindutva straddles many millennia. RSS came into being
hardly ninety years ago. RSS stands for Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh
meaning those dedicated to serving the nation by themselves, without
depending on others. Secondly, RSS had nothing to do with the
assassination of the Mahatma. This has been proved. One has only to
go through the relevant court proceedings and other related
literature patiently. To repeat this accusation even now is nothing
but uninformed prejudice. I vaguely remember that one A G Noorani
once attributed the Mahatma's assassination to the RSS and, he had to
retract it when challenged, in or out of court, I can't recollect.
The statement that the RSS assassinated the Mahatma could be actually
libellous and defamatory now. Just like the Mahatma, the RSS does not
believe in the caste system that adheres to untouchability. It has a
cadre of dedicated workers who serve the country as much as they can.
True to their name, the RSS have earned a reputation for immediate
voluntary service by its cadres in times of natural catastrophes and
calamities, even before the authorities respond. The Divi island
cyclonic disaster in Andhra Pradesh, India, in the seventies is an
example. Soldiers were rushed there. When they arrived they found RSS
workers already working in the midst of rotten carcasses and
unbearable stench without any masks and equipment. The then Prime
Minister, Indira Gandhi had complimented the RSS about their work.
The Godhra train massacre and the riots that followed are a blot on
the image of India and a drag in the peaceful coexistence of Muslims
and Hindus. So are the many other riots in many parts of the country
since Independence. The causes of these riots have been dealt with
earlier above in some detail. When talking about the condition of
Muslims in India the Nawab of Arcot used to say that the Muslims in
India fare far better than those in some Muslim countries that are
torn by internecine strife and almost daily killings of Muslims by
Muslims.
As
Hindutva becomes stronger and the universal values as explained
earlier above gain ground, peace and harmony have a better chance to
succeed.
It
is likely that some politicians would prefer to have a perpetually
fractious, caste-ridden Hindu society so they can continue to exploit
castes to gain votes. If Hindus get rid of their caste baggage by
practicing the universal aspects of Hinduism explained above and
truly unite under Hindutva, many politicians would become outdated.
They can no more manipulate caste politics. This may be a
subconscious cause of the secular politician's berating and
condemning the proponents of Hindutva almost with a visceral hatred.
Such unbridled hatred is always a dead giveaway of selfishness and a
secret agenda whether it is found in the proponent of Hindutva or the
secularist.
As
for synergy between Hindutva and secularism, Hindutva has enough room
for the secular person. Hindutva does not proselytize and attempt to
convert the secular, non-religious person into a religious person. It
just lets him or her be.
Synergy
means the effects of two independent causes are enhanced if those
causes work together. The outlook of the secularist and the
universal values which Hindutva promotes can indeed reinforce each
other through mutual understanding and regard. We will see more of
this below.
The
spread of education, improvements in hygiene and health,
urbanization, inter-caste marriages of true lovers who stake their
all on their love and many such factors are already breaking down
caste barriers. Hindutva tries to further cement this process of
harmonious living. That is all.
SYNTHESIS
In
public life and especially in politics, working together by the
secularist and the proponent of Hindutva alone can bring about rapid
progress in India. The one cannot wish the other away. Fortunately
for us, our democratic institutions and constitutional provisions,
customs practices and usages, give us enough room for us to work
together. If we have a vision unclouded by prejudices, Hindutva and
secularism can work in tandem, within the ambit of the rule of law.
Tolerance and mutual regard is the key. This seems to be already
gaining ground.
India
has had communal riots at many places over a fairly long period of
time. The reasons are complex and historical. Politics too has played
a major part in all this. It would be unfair to say that Hindutva is
the reason for all the riots.
It
is true that the Godhra train massacre and the Gujarat riots in which
many Hindus and Muslims lost their lives reflect poorly on us. It is
true that all this is part of a long and vexations chain of events
of the past. We have had a very tragic historical baggage. However,
Hindutva as a call for Hindus to regain the most essential and
universal aspects of their ancient cultural and religious legacy, as
a call to rejuvenate themselves and do away with the selfishness
hiding behind castes, as a call to unite as one, is indeed good for
Hindus and good for India.
Secularists
are free not to believe in God. They are free to propagate their
views. They are free to label the Hindu's ancient cultural and
religious heritage as bunkum.
The
proponents of Hindutva are free to hold the view that it is precisely
because of secularism that morality and ethics have taken a beating,
that businesses without ethics have brought about the massive global
economic crises we are facing, that families are breaking down and
bestial behaviours are going berserk in human societies. Had leaders
not jettisoned the universal values of faith and religion there would
not be so much corruption in every sphere of life and consequent
degradation of human life, the proponents of Hindutva may hold. They
are free to do so.
The
freedom to hold positions, to take a view or a stance is indeed
essential in a democracy and inevitable too.
However,
there is such a thing as tolerance of the views of the other.
Politics is the art of the possible. And it is possible to put aside
one's views and focus on the art of consensus in problem solving. The
doable can be done, if one's view or ideology does not solidify into
egotism. This is precisely the trap that prevents collective problem
solving, the trap of one's egotism masquerading as ideology, as a
viewpoint. Is there a test we can apply to ourselves to find out if
we are holding on and acting according to a view because we believe
in it or if we are acting out of egotism? Perhaps there is. If we ask
ourselves how we feel towards the other person who is holding an
opposite view, we may find the
truth about ourselves. It may take some time and training to see how
we really feel. We are
so much used to lying to ourselves, to not go deep into ourselves and
see ourselves and admit our feelings to ourselves. However, with
honesty and perseverance we will get to see the truth of our feeling.
If it is one of revulsion, contempt, revenge, jealousy or anger
towards those who hold a view opposed to ours, we may be certain we
are operating out of egotism, that our arguments, however clever,
will not build bridges. Also, if we feel the need for approval and
acclaim, of wanting to be accepted any how for the views we hold, we
may be operating out of egotism. We cannot build bridges with the
other, the opposite. Consensus or problem solving will elude us. It
may be alright for ordinary people, for the faces in the crowd, to
operate from egotism. They may not cause any great damage. In a
leader, either by design or by destiny or by dynasty, egotism is a
very costly luxury. Leaders in any field shape events. Theirs is the
power to act, to make a difference. If they are egotistic, they get
bruised by the sheer force of circumstances and they will learn to go
beyond ego. But the price society pays for their egotism is usually
very high. However, a little thought and effort will propel them into
a higher trajectory of achievements beyond ego, causing no damage to
society. This is what needs to be done by the Hindutva leaders and
the secularists : build bridges beyond ego and serve India by
tackling problems that cannot fester any more. Problems of
corruption, crime, poverty, injustice, dysfunctional institutions of
governance, of not planning with foresight, vision and passion for a
future now .
We
are now going into the very essence of the Synthesis, the Siddhanta,
the synthesis that flows from the thesis and the antithesis of the
subject matter, the poorvapaksham and the Siddhantam in abstract
analysis according to ancient Hindu way of thought.
Man
is a social animal say sociologists. Man is a religious animal too
say anthropologists. Psychologists and neuroscience compel us to
admit man is a cerebral, thinking, logical and scientific animal too,
full of abstract thought. It can be argued that abstract thoughts of
philosophers has influenced the course of man's evolution to what he
is today significantly. Therefore we may now attempt to explore the
relationship between science and secularism on the one hand and
religious bonding between people on the other, and arrive at a
conceptual or philosophical framework that may underpin our worldview
and our motivation.
Science
is secular. At the level of the smallest subatomic particles Science
says there is only one substratum that exists as matter-energy
continuum. All differentiation depends on the tools used to examine
what exists at that level. If the tools used are meant to detect a
particle, then particles are detected. If the tools used are meant to
detect a wave function of energy, wave function is detected. What
exists is one but duality or multiplicity arises from how we look
at it. Mathematically too, beyond Einstein's E=mc squared, scientists
are attempting to cover all matter-energy states including gravity in
one elegant mathematical equation which may unlock the mysteries of
Black Holes and Dark Matter in the universe and explain every
phenomenon. They may succeed.
Advaita
philosophy of Hinduism says that there is but one substratum of all
that exists, namely Brahman. Advaita is the bedrock of Hindu thought.
Hindutva at its root, at its most sublime level, will have to stand
by Advaita. There is a meeting point between Science and Advaita.
Science calls the what is, as matter-energy-gravity continuum.
Advaita calls it Brahman. Ruth Ryena, a physicist, has written a book
'The Philosophy of Matter in the atomic era : a new approach to the
Philosophy of Science'' interpreting modern Physics in terms of
Advaita. It is worth reading to understand this whole train of
thought. (I have quoted the book from memory. I have not been able to
quote from it.)
When
this synthesis of thought is internalized by both the secularist and
the adherent of Hindutva, they will see that all differences are at
the level of naming or of method, not of substance. Science of the
secularist and Advaita of the Hindu thought are one and the same at
their deepest level.
Our
actions flow from our thoughts and feelings and our worldview,
'Weltanschauung' as the Germans call it. When we internalize the
clarity of thought arising from the unison of science and religion,
harmony and peace blossom and our evolution as a species is
quickened. This is the goal of synergy between Hindutva and
secularism in their purity. Or for that matter synergy between any
religion-based unity of man and secularism. Clashes between religions
occur for want of purity.
Religion per se is not their reason. Vivekananda says, “....these
are not at all necessary for salvation-neither wealth, nor position,
nor power, not even learning- but what is necessary is that one
thing, purity : “Blessed are the pure in heart,” for the Spirit
in its own nature is pure. How can it be otherwise? It is of God, it
has come from God. In the language of the Bible, “It is the breath
of God”. In the language of the Koran, “It is the soul of God”.
Do you mean to say the Spirit of God can ever be impure? But, alas,
it has been, as it were, covered over with the dust and dirt of ages,
through our actions, good and evil. Various works which were not
correct, which were not true, have covered the same Spirit with the
dust and dirt of the ignorance of ages. It is only necessary to clear
away the dust and dirt and then the Spirit shines immediately.
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” “The
Kingdom of Heaven is within you....”.... ”
There
is also another level at which Science and Religion can be
reconciled. It is in Yoga. By absolute inward concentration of mind,
the Yogi knows whatever exists by sheer Yogic power. Science on the
other hand depends on outward concentration of mind to know whatever
exists. At a certain point the scientist will be compelled to
concentrate on knowing the 'knower'. Science then departs and Yoga
in its purest form emerges. Whatever needs to be known is known
without the intermediation of the sense organs. When the 'knower' is
known in Yoga in its selfless purity, everything is known.
We
may adopt whatever conceptual framework appeals to us from the above.
If we are sincere and true to ourselves, if we are pure at heart, the
goal of synergy between apparently opposite mindsets and
transcendence of conflict and disharmony is achieved.
