What is BHARAT MATA by Anwar Shaikh
askon...@my-deja.com
Jehad and Civilization - Part 1 (The Battle of Badr)
Allah is so intoxicated by the love of absolutism that He does not care
for justice or decency! Who else could have the audacity to declare
that murdering, looting and raping people for the sheer folly of not
believing in Muhammad, ranks as the highest act of piety. By: Anwar
Shaikh
Also See:Birds Of A Feather Flock Together By: Anwar Shaikh
http://www.swordoftruth.com/swordoftruth/archives/oldarchives/bafft.html
ISLAM: The Arab National Movement
http://www.swordoftruth.com/swordoftruth/bookstore/bookrev/itanm.html
FAITH AND DECEPTION
http://www.swordoftruth.com/swordoftruth/bookstore/Products/fad.html
Perspective On Pakistan By: Mohammed Shoab
http://www.swordoftruth.com/swordoftruth/archives/oldarchives/pop.html
Incredible though it may seem, what the writer Mr. Shoab has written is
undoubtedly quite true. The tone of the writer reminds one of what
eminent author Anwar Shaikh has been telling us for a long time. It is
not for nothing that many uninformed people compare today's Pakistan
with an animal kingdom. They may be wrong but how can one stop them?
When human conduct degrades itself to its lowest level like in
Pakistan, then there is hardly any difference between man and animal!
BHARAT MATA (by Anwar Shaikh)
This article is from the GHEN Archives.
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 India brought tremendous prosperity to the Hindus for many
centuries, making them oblivious of the secular problems, and they
became dedicated to the next world. Thus nationalism ceased to have any
appeal for them.
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 India).
2. Attainment of power for the glory of India, and
3. Willingness to fight for self-defence and international brotherhood.
First hymn, Book Xll of the ATHARVA VEDA, comprising sixty-three
verses, referred to as Bhumi-Sukta, describes the celestial reverence
that the Vedas attach to India. As it is not possible to discuss all
these verses, the reader ought to read the hymn for himself.
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 land of Bharat as the "Queen of all ..." It is
because Bharat is the land of the Vedas, meaning knowledge and true
enlightenment. She is the fountain of human civilisation and superior
cultural values, which adorned mankind with the sense of morality.
Since I have discussed all these facts in my book, "The Wonders of the
Rgveda," which is being serialised in "Liberty," I need not go into
details here.
That this hymn is about Bharat Mata (the undivided India), is borne out
by the facts especially connected with this country. Verse no. 3
states:
"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 areds of the Indus river (Sindhu). One should also note love
and respect of the Vedic man for Bharat Mata because he
believed that the mere fact of belonging to this country brought
him "the foremost rank and station" in the world.
Again verse no. 50 mentions Gandharvas and Apsarases, Kimidins,
Pisachas and Rakshdsas, which are ingredients of the Indian mythology.
Verse 4 addresses India as "Lady of the earth's four regions," and
verse 7 states:
"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 land of Bharat becduse
it is the Mother of all those who dwell in her bosom. However, the
following two points ought to be noted in this respect:
a. One can live in India and believe in any god he likes because so
vast is the Vedic concept of Divinity that there is no jealousy
among gods. This liberality is based on the advanced Vedic
thinking, which realises that as the wheel of time moves forward,
changes of all sorts must take place, thus religious doctrines may not
form the cause of social discord.
b. This Vedic Iiberality is, however, restricted by the Concept of
Bharat Mata, that is, a dweller of this land must confess: "I am the
son of Bharat Mata, and Bharat is my Mother."
It goes without saying that just confession of love is not a convincing
proof of one's affection; it must be reinforced by sustained action.
Therefore, a dweller of India does not acknowledge her as his
Motherland if he hates Kaashi and loves Kaaba. All his civic rights
depend on this point.
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, bedevilled 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:
1. 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 (India) Bharat Mata.
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 Rgveda 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: Llll - 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:
Llll - 3)
One must realise 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
action; 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:XXXVlI - 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-defence 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. Ill: XXXIV: Vll)
Here is a stunning verse:
b. "When Indra's helpers fighting for the good of
men, the Maruts, faithful to mankind, joyed in the Iight." (R.V.I:
Lll - llX)
Marut, originally means storm but has been deified as stormgod. 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 civilisation started in India.
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 been 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 divine
obligation to be powerful not for jingoistic reasons 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 Charvahas, the Buddhists
and the Jains are Nastika (nihilist or heterodox) not because they do
not acknowledge the existence ot 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 systems of philosophy as believed in by the
Hindus are considerably diiferent 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
philosphicai 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
civilisation. 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 ot 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 honour and cultural values. The
Arab and Turkish raids of India are glaring examples of this fact.
Not only historically is ahimsa, the national bane, but it is also
despicable psychologically. All animals, including humans are endowed
with antagonistic behaviour. It means that they defend themselves
through the natural mechanism of flight and fight: sometimes they run
away to avoid selfdestruction and sometime they fight for the sake of
survival. Therefore, fighting is a natural virtue of humans but ahimsa
means renunciation of fighting to make flight 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 uporl 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 toid: 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
Krishna.
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 (2: 45):
"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 does not mean renunciation though it appears so. It becomes
easy to understand this fact when we realise that none of the major
gods 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 Sufi 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 the 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 without 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 storm 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 Kshatriya, 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. 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 Kshatriya 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 India," and so on.
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 emphasises 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 fighting 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 Dharma 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 England, they say: "An
ounce of practice is better than a tonne of theory."
Let the Hindus understand clearly that ahimsa means cowardice and not
protection unless it is accompdnied 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 India, he murdered 100,000 Hindus and carried
away 20,000 screaming Hindu virgins. The Muslim historian, Farishta,
made fun of the Hindus for not fighting Tamburlaine. I do not blame him
for this attitude. Why? Because Manu Smriti, the code of the Hindu Law
clearly states
"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
explained 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 chiIdren.
Subject: "BHARAT MATA" by Anwar Shaikh
From: Mahadeva...@lambada.oit.unc.edu (Mahadevan Shezian)
Date: 30 Oct 1995 20:34:16 GMT
Approved: srh <srh@rbhatnagar>
Article: 479 of soc.religion.hindu
Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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