I sometimes wonder who influences whom: the
Indian mainstream journalists influence the foreign correspondents or the other
way round, as they always hold the same view. Or is there even a directive from
the top of the media houses about who must be protected and who can be abused?
Obviously, Hindus can be abused. I was
shocked when I recently checked articles in major newspapers like the New York
Times on the appointment of Yogi Adityanath as chief minister in Uttar Pradesh.
Like in the run-up to the general elections in 2014, when a Modi victory loomed
large, the media went berserk. The gist was: By appointing Yogi Adityanath,
Prime Minister Modi has finally shown his true face of a Hindu fundamentalist
who wants to make India a ‘Hindu nation’ where minorities have no place. The
articles peddled untruths and drew unacceptable conclusions. The Swiss NZZ for
example wrote that it is hardly possible for Prime Minister Modi’s government
to call itself the representative of all Indians after appointing a figure like
Yogi Adityanath.
A Hindu nation is projected as the worst
possible scenario by the wrongly called ‘liberal’ media. Yet, the same media
don’t react when America or most other western countries are referred to as
Christian nations. Nor do they get agitated about the numerous Muslim nations;
not even about those which still have harsh blasphemy laws. Why are these ok,
and a Hindu nation is not ok? They don’t explain; they just insinuate that
minorities (read Muslims and Christians) will suffer in a Hindu nation.
Maybe they came to this conclusion because
minorities like Jews or Hindus suffer in certain Christian or Muslim nations
though the media hardly pulls those countries up for it. However, even
otherwise, this conclusion is wrong, as Hindus have a different mind-set. They
are open towards other views, unlike ‘good’ Christians and Muslims who feel
obligated to make everyone believe what they believe, if necessary by deceit or
force.
Hindus cannot be put into one single box.
There are too many different ways to reach the goal of life. As it were, there
are many minorities within Hinduism. But they all are based on the Vedic
insight that everything, including our persons, is permeated by the same divine
essence which is called by many names but is ultimately ONE. Our human
consciousness (Atman) is one with the cosmic consciousness (Brahman) and to
realize this, is the goal and fulfillment of life. “Satyam vada, Dharmam chara”
the Veda exhorts – speak the truth and do what is right under the given
circumstances. And find out who you really are: you are not a separate entity
but in the depths of your being one with all.
From this follows that ‘good’ Hindus are
those rare human beings whose dharma makes them regard all others as brothers
and sisters. Their dharma makes them further respect nature and not harm
unnecessarily any living being.
Hindus do not, unlike Christians and
Muslims, divide humanity into those who are chosen by God and those who are
eternally damned. Hindu children are not taught to look down on those who are
not Hindus, unlike children of the dogmatic religions who are taught that their
God does not love those others unless they join their ‘true’ religions.
Hindus are also comparatively kinder to
animals. The great bulk of vegetarians worldwide are Hindus.
Hindus never fought crusades or jihads to
establish their dharma in foreign lands. In fact, they didn’t need to, because
they convinced most of Asia merely by solid arguments. Yet, for the past
thousand years Hindus were at the receiving end of jihads and conversion campaigns
and millions of Hindus were killed in cold blood because they were Hindus.
It has to be held in favour of Hindus that
they held on to their tradition and did not succumb to the pressure and even
violence brought on them to adopt blind belief that only one particular person
has revealed the full truth. Instead, they continued trusting their sages who
never asked for blind belief, but asked to verify their insights through
experience.
So why do media worldwide get so worked up
about ‘Hindu fundamentalists’ and a possible ‘Hindu nation’. What is wrong with
the fundamentals? There is nothing wrong with the fundamentals. But there is
one major difference: For Hindus, the Divinity is in all and all is in the
Divinity, whereas for Christians and Muslims the Divinity is separate from his
creation watching us from somewhere.
The concept of Divinity is also different.
For Hindus the best description for the absolute truth is sat-chit-ananda (it
is true, aware and blissful). The many personal gods help the devotee to realize
the Absolute. Christians and Muslims perceive Divinity in its highest form as a
personal, superhuman entity who is jealous of other gods. The first commandment
in Christianity and a very important issue in Islam is the claim that nobody
must worship other gods except the ‘one true god’, which both religions claim
is only with them.
In all likelihood the Hindu view comes
closer to truth. When the first translations of Vedic texts appeared in the
west, the greatest minds in Europe were greatly impressed by Indian thought. It
did spread among scientists, too, who used it to push the frontiers of science
further. It is no coincidence that modern science discovered that all is one
energy after Vedanta became known in the west. It is also no coincidence that
the Church lost much of its power in Europe when some of India’s wisdom
filtered down to the masses
Why then are the media worldwide so worried
about a nation where the Hindu roots are fostered? Where Sanskrit is taught,
which is the most perfect, dignified, powerful language on earth? Where yoga is
practised in schools, which is an ideal means for all-round development and
which, on a deeper level, helps to find fulfilment in life? Where Vedic
philosophy is studied, which inspired the new scientific discoveries for
example in nuclear physics? Where the amazing wisdom of Mahabharata and
Ramayana becomes common knowledge, which is already taught in business seminars
abroad? Where children chant “Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu” (let all be
happy) instead of Humpey dumpey, which happens already in certain schools in
the west?
Yet as soon as Hindus make suggestions for
India to keep its Hindu character or rather, to gain back its Hindu character,
as even after Independence, the youth was encouraged to abandon it, there is an
outcry by the media that “Hindu fundamentalists” want to make India a Hindu
nation and exclude religious minorities. Ironically, ‘Hindu’ is a geographical
term, with the same root as Indian – people who lived beyond the Sindu or
between the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean.
So why would Indians who rather recently
converted to Islam or Christianity not be proud of the achievements of their
ancestors? India was the cradle of civilization, a knowledge hub and the
richest country on earth. It was known for its wisdom. Greeks, including
Pythagoras, are said to have come to India for knowledge and today everybody
knows his name, but not the name of the Indian mathematician (Baudhayana) who
originally discovered the Pythagoras theorem. Surely Christians and Muslims
cannot have any objection that students are taught this fact or the fact that
the Rishis of the Rig Veda (10.22.14) knew many thousand years before
Copernicus that the earth goes around the sun. Surely they also cannot have any
objection that students chant “May all be happy” in Sanskrit, the language of
their forefathers. If someone calls such teaching communal, it is malicious. If
someone objects to this teaching, should not he be shouted at by the media
instead of those who want to revive their ancient culture? Is not he the one
who tries to divide society and not those who say “vasudhaiva kutumbakam” (all
is one family) due to their philosophical outlook?
Hindus are the exemplary role model for
‘how not to exclude others’? Where else have religious
minorities flourished and grown like in India? Is not the relative harmony in
this amazing diversity in India generally admired abroad? Media persons need
only to look around in the world to realize this fact.
Why then are Hindus of all people accused
of excluding others?
The reason may be this: neither the west
nor Muslim countries want a strong India. India was the cradle of
civilisation and over most of the known history economically very powerful.
They may fear that based on her ancient culture, India may rise again to the
top. Is it the media’s job to put Hindus perpetually on the defensive by
spreading this bogey of Hindu fundamentalism and prevent a better education
policy which would give India an edge?
“Imagine, India would become a Hindu
nation!” the media shout infuriated. The problem, however, is that they don’t
imagine it and don’t ask basic questions. If they only imagined what a Hindu
nation looks like, they might start propagating Hindu nations all over the
globe.
One day, when people have become tired of
blindly believing strange things, and when nobody is threatened any longer with
dire consequences if he stops believing in those strange things, the world may
be grateful to Bharat Mata that she has conceived and preserved over millennia
those eternal, precious insights for the benefit of humanity.
Disclaimer: The facts and opinions
expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author.
IndiaFacts does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy,
completeness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article.
My elder Sister Ms Maria Wirth
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