BHARAT MATA
by Anwar
Shaikh
It
is not easy to inculcate into the mind of a Hindu that Spiritual Nationalism,
founded on the love of Bharat Mata, is the essence of
the Vedic doctrine. This difficulty arises from the fact that the fertility of
A
beauty of the Vedas is, that they strike a balance between secular and
spiritual pursuits in such a way that the patriotic actions lead to the
elevation of soul. In the Vedic language, patriotic action means the following:
1. Love of Bharat Mata
(the original
2. Attainment of power for the glory of
3. Willingness to fight for self-defence
and international brotherhood.
First
hymn, Book XII of the ATHARVA VEDA, comprising sixty-three verses, referred to
as Bhumi-Sukta, describes the celestial reverence
that the Vedas attach to
Hinduism
is an enriched form of humanism. It is a way of life, which does not admit
narrow nationalism. Thus a Hindu has no wish to rule the world but seeks a position
compatible with the dignity of a guide because he is destined to lead the world
with the Vedic Light. Therefore, he is the first among equals. This hymn
clarifies the fact with reference to other parts of the globe. Verse no. 1
declares
"Truth, high and potent Law, the Consecrating
Rite, Fervour, Brahma and Sacrifice uphold the Earth.
May she the Queen of all
that is and is to be, may Prithivi make ample space
and room for us."
Here,
it should be noted that the hymn shows respect to the entire earth but refers
to the
That
this hymn is about Bharat Mata (the undivided
"In whom the sea, and Sindhu,
and the waters, in whom our food and corn-lands had their being,
In whom this all that breathes and moves is active,
this Earth assign us foremost rank and station."
It
must be remembered that Bharat Mata is originally
associated with the areas of the
Again
verse no. 50 mentions Gandharvas and Apsarases, Kimidins, Pisachas and Rakshasas, which are
ingredients of the Indian mythology.
Verse
4 addresses
"May Earth, my Prithivi,
always protected with ceaseless care by Gods who never slumber ..."
Prithivi, as I understand, is the deified earth, when it refers to Bharat Mata. This hymn clearly states Defence
of India as the first and most sacred duty of a Hindu, who earnestly prays that
Gods should protect her with ceaseless care.
Verse
12 expresses the total devotion of a Hindu to Bharat
Mata:
" ... I am the son of Earth, Earth is my
Mother."
Study
of this hymn reveals that while the Vedic doctrine respects all gods, it
attaches the greatest importance to the
a. One can live in
b. This Vedic liberality is, however, restricted by
the Concept of Bharat Mata, that is, a dweller of
this land must confess:
"I am the son ol Bharat Mata, and Bharat is my
Mother."
It
goes without saying that just confession or love is not a convincing proof of
one's affection; it must be reinforced by sustained action. Therefore, a
dweller of
further, as love of Bharat Mata is the basic Vedic
demand, I believe, Bharat Mata is the Major Deity of
the land. It is especially true when we realise that
other gods have suffered from the effects of change but Bharat
Mata has always remained the same. Therefore, she ought to be worshipped as the
Deity of India. Therefore, worship of other gods is optional but the worship of
Bharat Mata, the Chief Diety
is a must for the simple reason that the people born on her soil are fed,
clothed, educated and cremated or buried there. Thus, their dignity, destiny
and dominion are directly dependent on their devotion to Bharat
Mata; a free and prosperous Bharat Mata is a source
of pleasure, pride and probity to her devotees but a betrayed, bedeviled and
battered Bharat Mata is the source of decay, decline
and disaster; other gods have come and gone but Bharat
Mata shall always be there. This is the reason that the Hindu gods are
different from the Semitic God, who is jealous and wants to be adored exclusively,
but a Hindu can welcome them all at the same time (R.V. 1: LXXV-V).
Again,
a person's national identity is determined by the land of his birth, and his
greatness or smallness becomes directly associated with the reverence that he
shows her in action. This is what makes a German, English or French great and
an Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi small. History testifies to the fact how
the former have adored their motherlands with blood and worldly treasures and
how the latter have dishonoured Bharat
Mata by truncating her to worship foreign gods whose validity cannot be
acknowledged rationally. Thus, one can establish the principle:
The more powerful a country, the greater the stature of her people.
2.
This brings me to the discussion of the second point i.e. attainment of power
for the glory of (
With
a view to achieving this end, a Vedic Hindu is the devotee of Indra, the Lord of Power;
Praise be to Indra, the Lord of Power, the holy synod's might. (R.V.I:
LVI - 2)
The
Rigveda inculcates into the minds of its devotees
that a characteristic of power is that it seeks to vanquish the adversaries of
the powerful:
"Indra goes on from
one fight to another intrepidly, destroying castles of the enemies."
(R.V.I: LIII - 7)
Again the purpose of power is to seek victory
through battles:
"Indra, the Victor is
great; he shines in manly battles; his character remains unstained; his might
sparkles like the peak of a mountain." (R.V.I: LVI - 3)
The true treasure to a genuine Hindu is his mighty
deed:
"Indra, the most
splendid and powerful, is rich in mighty deeds, which are Indra's
treasures. O, Conqueror, give them to us." (R.V.I: LIII - 3)
One
must realize that mighty deeds are the treasures of Indra,
which a Hindu begs for. It means that he seeks to emulate his Lord to be like
Him in practice. This is the source of the famous Hindu doctrine known as
karma: "one reaps what one sows." Thus a Hindu must be a man of act
on; he must seek power and use it bravely.
The
central point of this discussion is a Hindu's duty and desire to be God-like
through attaining power. He knows God is God because He is powerful. Therefore,
His devotee has to be like him, yet a true Hindu is humble, humanitarian and
honey-like, but as a practitioner of faith, he is proud, powerful and
pragmatic.
Power
to a Hindu is not a fleeting affair. To be a Hindu, he has to perpetuate it:
"Indra ... we make
thy might perpetual." (R.GV.III: XXXVII - X)
3.
Having established the rapport between a Hindu and power, I must now state that
he is forbidden by dharma to abuse it. This is what brings me to the discussion
of the third point i.e. "Willingness to fight for self-defense and
international brotherhood."
In
this connection, freedom is considered the greatest virtue: even the gods need
it and attain it through might and battle:
a. "Lord of the brave, Indra
who rules the people, gave freedom to gods by might and battle: (R.V. III:
XXXIV: VII) Here is a stunning verse:
b. "When Indra's helpers fighting for the good of men, the Maruts, faithful to mankind, joyed
in the light." ~R.V.I: Lll - IIX)
Marut, originally means storm but
has been deified as storm- god. This is the epithet of a Vedic warrior for
being thunderously bold in a battle. To be a true Hindu, he has to acquire this
trait of fearlessness. Thus, this verse means that a Hindu is faithful to
mankind, and fights battles for their good.
It
imparts Hinduism an international character and appoints a Hindu the custodian
of world affairs. This is what makes me proud of my Vedic ancestry. The Rgveda, which is at least 5500 years old could think and
preach in terms of humanity and internationalism when the rest of the world was
no more than cave-dwellers. This is a cogent proof of the fact that
civilization started in
Freedom
is justice. As my freedom is fragile unless I am willing to defend your right
to be free as well, the verses "a" and "b", clearly
demonstrate that a Hindu has teen commanded by Dharma to maintain international
liberties through righteous use of power.
The
international character of Hinduism and the role of a Hindu becomes
even clearer when we look at the following:
Being
the devotee of God, a Hindu is a divine warrior who "stirs up with his
might, great battles for mankind." (R.V.I: IV - V)
At
this juncture, I ought to point out that a Hindu has the divine obligation to
be powerful not for jingoistic reasons but because the Vedas appoint him as the
custodian of the world order. This is obvious from the fact that there is no proselytisation in Hinduism as it is in Christianity or
Islam. A person can have any faith he likes and he will not be persecuted or
denied justice by a Hindu because all Indian doctrines even when they collide
with the Vedic authority, originate from free thinking based on reason and
observation. The superstitious element that we find in Hinduism, is an
accretion introduced by the selfish interests over a long period of time.
The
liberality of Hindu thinking is so important a point in this context that a
little digression seems justified: the Indian philosophy has been arranged into
two categories i.e. Astika and Nastika
systems; the former affirms but the latter denies. The Charvakas,
the Buddhists and the Jains are Nastika
(nihilist or heterodox) not because they do not acknowledge the existence of
God but because they deny the authority of the Vedas. Though the revolts
against the Vedas as mounted by the Charvakas and
Buddhists were really serious, no violence was ever demonstrated by the Hindus
or their antagonists because they were all Indians, bred in similar traditions
of tolerance and free thinking. On the contrary, the European movement known as
The Reformation was deeply steeped in murder and destruction, and the Islamic
sectarianism denoted by Sunni-Shia division, exhibits
the apex of mutual hatred and thirst for bloody carnage.
Again,
the six Astika system, of philosophy as believed in
by the Hindus are considerably different from one another. Yet, all believers
are proud Hindus and no one throws mud of blasphemy on another for having difference
of opinion. Reverence for the Vedas is the root of their unity, which cannot be
shaken by the difference of interpretation. The veracity of this statement can
be judged by the liberal thinking of the Sankhya
System, which is not only the most ancient mode of Hindu thinking but also
older system than any other philosophical discipline known to mankind.
The
purpose of digression is to establish that Hinduism is based on reason and not
a pretended divine dictation. Therefore, it is free from intrinsic aggression
associated with a wolf or a hyena. This is what makes it a natural way of life,
free from perversion, prejudice and passivity, raising it to a message of hope,
hilarity and humanity.
Hinduism
is essentially humanism in action. This is what makes a Hindu the protector of
humanity and he feels obliged:
a. to be non-aggressive, and
b. protect mankind against any aggressor in his capacity as the custodian of
humanity.
Having
already discussed 'b,' now I may touch upon 'a' and must add emphatically that
the Hindu dharma is non- aggression and not non-violence, usually described as
ahimsa. As a Hindu is the guardian of humanity, he must be free from malice,
and therefore cannot be aggressive. The same humanitarian obligation makes it
incumbent on him to be able to deter the aggressor with a superior power,
courage and will-to-fight. Therefore, ahimsa means non-aggression and not
non-violence as usually understood by the Hindus. As non-violence, ahimsa, is the contempt of the Rgveda,
which describes Indra as the "Lord of
Power," who "fights battles for mankind. (R.V.
I: IV - 4.5)
The
Hindus have a proud past for being the pioneers of human civilization. It is
the law of nature that what is young today shall become old tomorrow, while
youth represents the prime of life owing to its lofty aspirations requiring
forward thrust, old age marks the decline of these
adventurous virtues, giving rise to make-believe and hesitation. Of course, old
age has its own merits but gripping with major issues of life does not appear
as a priority. This is what has happened to the Hindus, who are the oldest
nation on this earth. Their will to stand up and be counted has suffered
further from the fact that they were the richest people on the planet for the
longest period. Prosperity, though the most enjoyable thing, can also be
debilitating, bringing moral weakness in its wake. The decline of rich nations
is usually due to the fact that they become ahimsa-oriented i.e. they lose the
virtue of fighting and thus fail to check advances of the aggressors determined
to destroy their honor and cultural values. The Arab and Turkish raids of
Not
only historically is ahimsa, the national bane, but it is also despicable
psychologically. All animals, including humans are endowed with antagonistic
behavior. It means that they defend themselves through the natural mechanism of
flight and fight sometimes they run away to avoid self- destruction and same
time they fight for the sake of survival. Therefore, fighting is a natural
virtue of humans but ahimsa means renunciation of fighting to make fight the
way of life. Thus, ahimsa meaning non-violence is totally inhuman. In fact, it
is cowardice dressed up as piety; it is a poison looked upon as an antidote; it
is a whore thought of as an apsera. This is the
biggest evil that the Hindus have come to suffer.
Some
thirty years ago, it was widely reported in the British Press that a wolf
raided a sheep-pen. As he was about to rip her young ones, the mother became violent
to protect them. She subjected the predator to repeated butting until he lay
dead.
May
the memory of that great sheep live for ever. She is
the true exponent of the word: "ahimsa, "
which means protection. It clearly demonstrates that safety depends, not on
running away from the aggressor but smashing his head off. The beauty of the
Vedic message lies in the fact that it requires of the devotee to practise non-aggression towards others, and at the same
time be ready to crush the aggressor. Thus, ahimsa means non-aggression and not
non-violence because one needs violence to defeat the villain.
Of
course, sadhuism is a dedication to the search of God
or Mukti. Meditation is a part of it but the true
path for salvation remains karma: a person's quality of deeds. No divine,
whether he be a Hindu or non-Hindu, can attain his
goal just by a devoted JAP. One can recite the word: "sugar" one
million times yet one's mouth will not become sweet unless one eats sugar.
Recitation of "Ramnam" is great yet Mukti depends on becoming like Ram, and the only way to
achieve this purpose is to act like him. He was a ruler, a husband, a father, a
friend and above all a crusader - the destroyer of the aggressor. He was not an
ascetic who had given up the world. He set a pattern of life to be followed by
his followers.
I
do not wish to indulge in a divisive discussion but the truth has got to be
told: Hinduism is a way of life based on the doctrine of karma. Asceticism or
renunciation is its exact antithesis. Giving up the world is a revolt against
the doctrine of karma because a Sanyasi or Sadhu turns his back on it. A true Yogi is a member of the
society; he lives a full life, performs his duties, fights for his rights, he
meditates and enjoys marital blessings. This is the Godly way. You do not have
to take my word for it. Look at the examples set by Shiva, Rama
and
Once
a friend discussed this issue with me and claimed that the validity for
asceticism is based on the following command from the Bhagavad
Gita (
"Be thou indifferent to those enjoyments and
their means, rising above pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain."
Since
the Bhagavad Gita
represents higher philosophy, it is not always possible to understand its
meaning without proper attention.
This
verse certainly dces not mean renunciation though it
appears so. It becomes easy to understand this fact when we realise
that none of the major goes is an ascetic; they all have female partners. Even
Shiva is not totally given to meditation: he is a passionate lover. Rama is a ruler, and his example requires a true Hindu to
live a life of might and grandeur, but it must be based on fairness and piety.
Again Hinduism is totally different in its approach to salvation: the Semitic
religions such as Islam advocate that the faithful shall be saved by the
intercession of the Prophet Muhammad and Suti saints.
Hindusim does not acknowledge this approach:
salvation depends upon one's karma. Therefore, a sadhu
cannot do much for you. All a true sadhu can do is to
show you the way. You yourself have to walk all the way to reach your
destination. This is what proves thte veracity of
Hinduism. It is only the simpletons who are taken in by verbosity.
Now,
I may explain the complexity of the above quoted verse:
The
Rgveda is the first book ever to realise
that, not only moral conscience depends on pairs of opposites but the physical
make-up of the universe is also based on the principle of duality.
This
verse has furnished us with a wonderful example of this fact, that is, one cannot
imagine pleasure without knowing what pain is. Can you feel sweet without realising what bitter is? Nor can dark have any sense withoul light, and so on. It demonstrates the truth that
moral concepts exist in pairs. This is equally true about physical existence:
Everything
in this world is structured and held together by Shakti
i.e. the overall combination of different forces. Without Shakti
the particles that form any structure would move off in straight lines at
random, instead of staying together. The point to remember is that forces in
the universe come in equal and opposite pairs e.g., negative and positive
electric charges. So great is the exactitude of these forces that when they are
added, the positive cancels the negative, and the sum comes to zero.
It
should be borne in mind that existence is not possible without the reaction of
the opposites. This is the reason that pain requires pleasure as its remedy and
the sensation of pleasure is bound to be benumbed without a touch of pain.
Therefore, the meaning of this verse is not giving up the opposites, which is an impossibility, but to, create a balance between them.
This balanced state of karma equals zero like the actions and reactions of
natural forces which create activity through this mechanism. It is not
difficult to understand that zero is equated with nothingness which amounts to
renunciation. Therefore, "rising above pairs of opposites like pain and
pleasure, " means avoiding pain and pleasure for
its own sake and pursuing a life of balanced action.
Credibility
of what I have said above can be judged by the facts that nobody can renounce
this world while he lives; he needs food, water and shelter to keep his body
and mind in a fairly healthy state to exercise meditation. It must be remembered
that contemplation of a sickly mind is nothing but pursuit of madness.
Again,
this kind of asceticism is against the Hindu doctrine which prescribes a code
of action and glory for its devotees. Just look at the following:
Lord Krishna says:
"Arjuna, it is only
the lucky among the Ksatriya, who get such an
unsolicited opportunity for war, which is an open door to heaven.
Now if you will not wage such a righteous war, then
abandoning your duty and losing your reputation, you will incur sin.
Either slain in battle you will attain heaven, or
gaining victory you will enjoy scvereignty of the
earth; therefore, arise Arjuna,
determined to fight." (Ch. 11 - 32, 33-37)
These
verses clearly state the Hindu way of life, that is, fighting for honour and glory, which also happens to be "an open
door to heaven." And a Ksatriya is the man or
woman who strives for national glory with sword and fire without turning his
back on decency.
Heaven
lies not under the shade of asceticism or ahimsa but on the sharp edge of a
sword. The nations, who follow this truth, have led a life of honour and glory but the people who concealed their
cowardice under the impious doctrine of ahimsa, qualified for dishonour, disrespect and degradation. If you consult a
dictionary, you will find "Hindu" means "an infidel, a negro, a
slave, a coward, an inhabitant of
Do
I need add any more to this list of insults? These conditions have been created
by those who advocate that the Gita is all about
ahimsa. This is a deliberate misinterpretation of those who want to enjoy the
priestly privileges and do not want to lead the nation through a personal
example of boldness, hardship and sacrifice. The Bhagavad
Gita is Lord Krishna's sermon to Arjuna
in the battlefield and seeks to prepare him for a fight, but these hypocrites
dedicated to a life of softness, insist that the message is all about
controlling one's greed and anger. In an attempt to fool the devotees they also
insult the Lord, who clearly emphasizes the merit of battling with the evil.
How could he lecture on greed and anger when the armies were poised in the
battlefield to annihilate each other?
Finally,
I salute Sri Rangarajan, the hero of this article and
stress that a patriotic sadhu dedicated to serve Bharat Mata is not an ascetic but a saint, who seeks Mukti through national glory. He represents Lord Shiva, who
is both a warrior and lover. It is high time that the Hindus were taught the
Vedic virtues of fightng evil to uphold the cause of
righteousness. To a virtuous Hindu, nothing is more righteous than serving Bharat Mata. She is the fountain of life for all those who
live on her soil. Therefore, her dignity and honour
must be the priority of all her sons and daughters. It is essential that
consciousness of the dignity of Bharat Mata is
preached with utmost zeal and sincerity. This goal is best achieved if every sadhu learns to girdle himself with a sword to lead the way
for Dharm Yudh. Let every
Hindu temple be adorned with a statue of Bharat Mata
and have facilities for training the devotees in martial arts and patriotism.
This is a job for the great Sadhu Rangarajan,
the creator of Vande Matram.
Singing patriotic hymns is great but making people true patriots, eager to
serve the cause of Bharat Mata, is immensely greater.
In
Let
the Hindus understand clearly that ahimsa means cowardice and not protection
unless it is accompanied by the will to fight. If someone attacks your
children, how will you protect them? The only way of protecting them is to kill
the killer. This is true ahimsa.
When
Tamburlaine invaded
"The cowards are the food for the brave."
(Ch. 5: 29)
The
people who flout their fundamental laws, yet call themselves Hindus, deserve
this fate and will continue to do so until they lose their taste for cowardice
under the guise of ahimsa, and start defending Bharat
Mata with their blood, sweat and breath of life.
A
true sadhu is not an ascetic but a man of God. He
cannot renounce this world which is full of God's children. He has a duty to
guide them and participate in crushing evil. This is the crux of Dharma as expiained by the behavioural
model of the Lord Rama, who was a virtuous son, a
loving husband, a good father and a great ruler. Thus, a true devotee of Rama seeks perfection through serving his fellow-beings,
and not by turning his back on them.
May
God bless Shriman Rangarajan
with wisdom and courage to serve Bharat Mata, the
only Deity that can exalt her children.
