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THE VEDIC
PRINCIPLE OF POWER by Anwar
Shaikh PREFACE A humanist is interested in
any doctrine or event, which has a bearing on humanity. It is a tragedy of
history that occasionally a most significant doctrine or event may get blurred
through quirks of time to lose its bouquet, beauty and beneficence. The
Rgveda is both a doctrine and event owing to its
didactic element and the fcrce it engendered to civilise mankind. But how many people know this truth? Not
many. Even more saddening is the fact that the Hindus themselves are the cause
of this calamity. To monopolise it for class benefit,
the Brahmans deterred other classes from reading it. To make sure that nobody
knew anything about the Veda, they deliberately generated aversion to the art
of writing for keeping it a secret lore. They would rather suffer the torture
of 20- 30 years' memorising than committing it to
paper. The result was highly disastrous to the Hindus who failed to write their
own history. Whatever we know about them is known through the writings of
foreign historians, chroniclers and travellers. Since
the Hindus form one-fifth of mankind, their story must not remain shrouded in
darkness any longer. My unpublished book: "The Wonders of the Rgveda" reveals that they have made greater contribution
to the cause of civilisation than any other nation.
Since this honour is common to all people or the
Indian race, I prefer to describe it as "The Indian Culture" and not
The Hindu Civilisation. THE VEDIC
PRINCIPLE OF POWER Since
Veda means knowledge and knowledge is power, the Veda is the symbol of power,
and not powerlessness. Thus ahimsa, the creed of the gutless, is utterly alien
to the Vedic spirit which advocates righteous war for attaining heaven. It
was the Vedic seer who first discovered that there is a force or power behind
every phenomenon such as the sun and thunder. He named the power behind the sun
as Surya, and the power behind thunder as Rudra. As knowledge about the universe grew, Indra rose to become the universal God. He had to be
All-powerful. Therefore, he was given such appellations as the Lord of Hundred
Powers, The Mighty, The Conqueror, The Victor, and so on. Thus the Vedic wisdom
realised that power prevails but powerlessness is the
ambassador of submission, slavery and suffering. To be truly Vedic, a Hindu has
to be powerful. If he is weak, his dharma is dubious, delirious and
distasteful. The
Sanskrit word for power is SHAKTI. The Hindus observe SHAKTI-puja but without knowing its significance. A true
worshipper of SHAKTI or Power cannot be a believer of ahimsa, which is the
fountain of cowardice. He has got to be a warrior who looks for an opportunity
to wage a righteous battle: "Arjuna, it is only
the lucky among the Ksatriyas, These
verses clearly show that ahimsa or non-violence is totally foreign to the Hindu
dharma; it is something which has been dreamt up by those who look for excuses
to enjoy cowardice unashamedly by putting absolutely false interpretations on
these verses. Look at them carefully, and you will find that the Hindu dharma
clearly lays down that: 1. The Hindu warrior does not engineer a battle but
when it comes his way, he fights it valiantly because it is an open door to
heaven. 2. It is the basic duty of a Hindu to wage a
righteous war. If he does not, he commits a sin. 3. Escape from a battle is a disgrace, which is
worse than death. 4. A Hindu enters the war for two reasons: to attain
heaven, if slain; to rule the earth if victorious. The
Scriptural message is quite clear: a Hindu cannot lose either way. This is the
true Vedic principle and can be acted upon, through power only: a coward has
neither the will to seek power nor the ability to use it righteously. The
Islamic Jehad is a variant of the Vedic principle
which brought glory to the Muslim world. In
fact, the Jews were also aware of the Vedic Principle of Power. As Moses
brought his people out of Centuries
later, as the Prophet Muhammad decided to make the Arabs an imperial nation, he followed the Vedic Principle of Power and named
it Jehad. It has a good deal of resemblance with the
Vedic Principle of Power but there is a difference between the Jehad and the Vedic Principle of Power. The former seeks
power at all costs and makes murder, pillage, slavery, abduction, concubinage and seduction lawful and holy, with a view to
motivating the warriors who must forget the command of conscience, and obey the
Prophet, who declares: "Allah has bought from the faithful theirselves and The
concept of paradise is essentially Vedic. The Avesta,
the Bible and the Koran borrowed it from the Veda. In Indra's
paradise are found the most beautifuI young women
known as apsares, who are skilled in the art of
gratification. They are superb dancers whose bodily movements are matched by
the merry rhythms of Gandharvas to magnify the mirth
of those who happen to be there. A Hindu's final goal is Moksha
i.e. release from the cycle of rebirths but until that happens, the righteous
Hindus, especially the heroes and rishis are given a
chance to enjoy the blessings of Indra's Paradise,
and the length of their stay is in proportion to the magnitude of their piety. In
R.V.X: XGV known as Urvasi-Pururavas, the former is
an apsare and the latter is a king. The said hymn is
a dialogue between the two, and contains seeds of a legend which is narrated in
the Satapatha-Brahmana; it reappears in Mahabharta and Puranas, and
finally forms the plot of the famous drama: Vikramorvase.
The
hymn under discussion is undoubtedly the source of the Koranic
houri (Apsare or celestial
nymph) because in it one finds the derivatives of the root hr meaning to take, haryata (delight-ul), haryan (loving), hari (bay or
tawny), harit (green, yellow or gold-coloured). The Islamic houri is
an ever-young, beautiful woman, having large flexing eyes and swelling
horizontal bosoms. She is "red wine in a white glass." Allah will
give seventy houris to every Muslim who is lucky
enough to enter the paradise. To make sure he gains the maximum pleasure out of
them, his virility shall be increased a hundred fold. Though
the Islamic Jehad is a guarantee of paradise for a
holy warrior whether he kills or gets killed, the Vedic Principle of Power is
not governed by the attraction of paradise. Like a Muslim, a Hindu does not
fight for the glory of Allah; his God, who is described by several names is universal in character and therefore He is above
sectarianism and the need for search of glory: 1. He is Lord of the sevenfold race of men i.e.
entire mankind. (R.V. VIII: XXXIV - VIII) 2. There is no jealousy among the Hindu gods; they
all are welcome by any devotee (R.V.I: LXXV - V) 3. He (Indra) is Lord of all the world that moves and breathes. (R.V.I: G1 - 5,6) It should be rememhered
that the Vedic universal God, Indra, is described by
various names according to His different capacities and levels. As Brahmanas Pati, He is the Hero-
Lover of mankind, and therefore, does not allow murder and rape in His name.
(R.V.I: XL-3) 4. Though the universal God Indra
is, He is governed by a sense of morality. After slaying the Dragon, He is
possessed by fear, in case He has done something wrong. (R.V.I: XXXII - XIV) 5. Therefore, it is laid down in the Veda that a
Hindu must fight a righteous war: "Never does Soma aid and guide the wicked or
anyone who falsely claims the Warrior's title." (R.V.VII: GIV - XIII) Warrior's
title refers to a Ksatriya, a member of the Hindu
martial caste. He should fight not only a righteous war but also wage it honourably. He is not allowed to poison the tip of his
arrow (R.V. VI: LXXV - XV); he must not attack a sick or old person, or someone
who is asleep or does not want to fight. Attacking a child, a woman or from
behind, are sinful acts, and lead to hell even if a Hindu is the winner. The
Laws of Manu describe these taboos in much greater detail. 6. The Veda has laid it down: 7. Being the devotee of God, a Hindu is a warrior
who "stirs up with his might, great battles for mankind." (R.V.I: It is quite clear from the above that to stir up
great bdttles for mankind, a warrior needs might; nence the Vedic Principle of Power: 8. Praise of power is a part of the Hindu dharma:
"We present fair praise to Indra, the Mighty
one." (R.V.I: LIII - I) a. 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) b. Indra goes on from one
fight to another intrepidly, destroying castles of the enemies. (T.V.I: LIII -
7) c. Praise be to Indra, the Lord of Power, the holy synod's might. (R.V.I:
LVI - 2) d. 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) These verses (c and d) show the nature of Vedic
fighting: it is manly, stainless and does not blemish the warrior's character.
To a true Hindu, it is an exercise in honour. It is
because the purpose of power is not buffeting, bullying and battering but
justice, preservation and service to mankind. This is the reason that even Indra, the mighty Conqueror is referred to as the
"Friendly Bull" who "fights battles for mankind." (R.V.I: This fact is stated even in relation to Agni, the celestial priest: "O, Agni, Son of
strength, with forts of iron preserve you from
distress the man who praises you." (R.V.I: LVIII - 8) e. The central point of this discussion is really
majestic and full of a mystique which describes the make-up of a Hindu. It is
not the Hindu, full of verbosity, that the Rgveda
describes, but the Hindu, who believes in fighting as the greatest vedic virtue which makes him
god-like through acquisition of power. God is God because He is powerful.
Therefore, His true devotee has to be like Him. A Hindu in himself is humble,
humanitarian and honey-like but as a practitioner of faith, he is ploud, powerful and prestigious in relation to his enemies.
To be such a person, he has to be mighty. Therefore, it is a part of his
religion to pray for power: "Splendid art thou, O Indra,
wise, unbending, strengthen us with might, O, Lord of Power." (R.V.I: LXI
- XII) f. Here is yet another stunning verse which lays it
on a Hindu as a duty to become the Lord's custodian of power by making a
commitment to perpetuate it: "Indra .... we make thy might perpetual." (R.V.III: XXXVII - X) g. A Hindu is required by the Divine Law to be free,
which is the greatest virtue, because even the gods need it, and they are
guaranteed this blessing through might and battle only: " Lord of the brave, Indra who rules the people, gave freedom to gods by might
and battle." (R.V.III: XXXIV: VII) I
can make this discussion considerably longer but I think that I have explained
the Vedic Principle of Power. A second look at what I have said,
will reveal that: a. It is part of a Hindu's faith to be powerful. b. He wants power to be free and also to uphold the
liberty of others. Thus a Hindu, who is not free, is not a Hindu. c. He fights righteous battles, and d. He fights them honourably
and not deceitfully. However,
there is one important point, which to my mind is quite clear, but has been
made controversial by those who have lost guts to live as a Hindu, and are
determined to present the Vedic ideology as totally removed from human
psychology. This is an evident truth that man is motivated by purpose. There is
always a reason for an action. Man goes to work to earn money which has a
purpose; he gets married because it has a purpose; he prays to God because it
has a purpose. Any action which has no purpose, has
got to be nonsensical or low in magnitude. A worthy action has got to have a
worthy motive. For example, worship is considered a worthy action because it
has a worthy goal i.e. search lor salvation or
release from the cycle of rebirths. The
truth is that man does not do anything without a motive. In fact, he cannot do
anything worthwhile without a purpose which motivates him to action. Yet, there
are Hindu scholars who insist that Hinduism requires man to act without a purpose,
or regard to reward. Their case is based on the following verses of the Bhagavadgita: "Your right is to work only, but never The
"Hindu" principle of aimlessness served as a tool of socialism
because it came to mean that the only right that an individual possesses is the
right to do duty but no right to reward. Of
course, this principle appears again and again in the Bhagavadgita,
such as "renounce the fruit of actions" ( We
should realise that the rules of existence which are
relevant to humanity, do not apply to divinity. God can afford to administer
the three worlds without any thought of reward because He has no needs, which
require satisfaction, but the entire human conduct is geared to fulfilling
needs without which he cannot survive. It
may sound blasphemous but the Lord in His human form did have desires. He had
wives and mistresses, yet we read in No
desire is greater than worship because it seeks to destroy the ego and
self-respect of the worshipper, turning him into a satellite ( Desires
and passions are to man what sweetness is to syrup, vision to an eye and beauty
to a flower. A man without desire lives at an animalic
level for having no purpose. The Vedic religion originated from philosophical
reasoning linked with man's needs and practicalities of life. It is a matter of high misfortune that the modern Hindu has come to
believe that he must nol ask Bhagavan anything for himself. This is a totally anti-Vedic
attitude, and whatever is against the Vedic teaching cannot form a true part of
Hinduism. Power-worship
and power acquisition are the fundamental elements of the Vedic life. A person
who does not want to he mighty is bound to become meek and slowly degenerate
into a slave. This denial of power and renunciation of desire has been the true
tragedy of the Hindus for the last 1000 years. A
Hindu fights the tyrant, the twister and the traitor. His war is always
righteous for being dedicated to the good of mankind. It is this struggle which
entitles him to the spoils of war. He actually prays to God for them, and is pleased
when he gets them. See for yourself: 1. "May we get booty from our enemy in battle,
presenting to the Gods their share for glory." (R.V.I: LXXIII) The same Hymn further states: "Helped by you, O, Agni,
may we vanquish steeds with steeds, men with men, heroes with heroes . . . " a. ".... May we through Indra, get ourselves the booty." (R.V.I: GI - II) b. "... May we divide
the spoil, showing strength, the spoil of war."
(R.V.I: CXXXII - I) c. "Easy to turn and drive away, Indra, is spoil bestowed by thee ... and give us wealth O,
Thunder-armed (Indra)." (R.V.I: X: VII) This
ought to settle the issue. Since a Hindu is required by God's law to be the
protector of mankind and dispenser of justice, he has got to be more powerful
than his antagonists. This is possible only if he has desires and passions. One
should bear in mind that to be righteous, healthy, patriotic etc., are desires
and passions. A true Hindu cannot be without them. It
should also be noted that Islam took the principle of booty from the Veda.
However, there is a difference. A Muslim fights for booty, whereas to a Hindu,
it is the reward of waging righteous battle to defend mankind. The
Hindu dharma, being the oldest in the world, has suffered so many changes that
its true spirit has not only been diluted but also abused and subdued. Calling
Hinduism a pacific religion dedicated to non-violence,
is a mockery of the Veda. Non-violence
had been preached in the West long before the advent of Mahatama
Gandhi. The Biblical Sermon on the Mount has a similar message. The British
Spiritualists and the Quakers come within this category. The authors like John
Ruskin and Tolstoy are also notable in this field. However, Gandhi took his
notion of non-violence from Jainism and Buddhism, both great Indian religions,
but utterly antivedic in approach, principle and
practices. To
a Buddhist, life is an embodiment of Dukkha (pain),
and desire happens to be its main spring. Yet the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans
and other nations which have adopted Buddhism, are as brave and willing
fighters as any other on the earth. They adopted the Buddhist principle, to
suit their ethos, but the Hindus, who became comfort-loving owing to their very
long traditions of prosperity, opted for non- violence literally. Non-violence
meaning cowardice, is no part of Hinduism. This is
stated by the fact that Hinduism is the only way of life which created the Ksatriya class dedicated to warfare by religious command.
The Islamic Jehad is a reflection of this principle
and not its forerunner. In
the true Hindu tradition, violence means persecuting others for one's
happiness; it contains an element of malevolence, and thus represents a form of
sadism. I can do no better than quote from the Manu Smriti,
the code of the Hindu Law; "Whoever does violence to harmless creatures
out of a desire for his own happiness, cannot increase his own happiness.." (Ch. 5: 45) Also remember: "Someone who eats meat, after honouring the gods, and ancestors, when he has bought it or
killed it himself, or has been given it by someone else, does nothing bad. " (Ch . 5: 3 2) Note also the stunning wisdom of the Hindu Law: "The Lord of Creatures made all
this (world) to feed the breath of life, and everything that moves or
stays at rest is the food of the breath of life ... and cowards are the food
for the brave." (Ch. 5: 29) The
word: "cowardice" does not exist in the true Hindu dictionary and
those who inserted it therein, are a disgrace to the faith. This truth is fully
vouched for by the conduct of the Lord Rama. The Lord
Krishna has stated this truth categorically. I may reinforce it by quoting
again from the Bhagavadgita: "Arjuna it is only
the lucky among the Ksatriyas, 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 sovereignty of the earth; therefore, arise Arjuna, determined to fight.
(Ch. II - 32, 33 - 37) No
religious command has ever been clearer than this. Yet these so-called swamis
and gurus preach Ahimsa. Non- violence as the way of life is an insult to the
Hindu Scriptures. Mahatama Gandhi reaped benefit of
the then prevailing circumstances. He was a superb politician, and may be, he
used non-violence as a tool of convenience, but this device has not as yet
ceased to radiate its evil effects. Had the Hindus observed their Vedic Principle
of Power, Finally,
I may put a question to the preachers of non- violence: Why does Obviously,
she has found out that it is not possible for a lamb lo live in a colony of
wolves, which this world has become for a long time. |