Originally posted on sciy.org by Ron Anastasia on Tue 24 Jul 2007 12:35 PM PDT
Imo, this review of the book Understanding India: Relevance of Hinduism provides some relevant background on the SCIY discussion re "What is Hindutva?," begun by Mr. Yeshwant Sane. ~ ron
Home > 2007 Issues > July 08, 2007
A modern guide to India and Hindutva
Book Review by Manju Gupta
Understanding India:
Relevance of Hinduism
Subhash C. Kashyap & Abhaya Kashyap (eds.)
Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd, 536 pp, price not given
The word Hindu is a derivation from Sindhu (the
Indus river). The Arabs called the people living on the eastern side of
River Sindhu as Hindus as they were unable to pronounce the letter ‘s’.
The concept of Indian unity in diversity of the territory of India
constituting one country and the people inhabiting it as one people
easily goes back to some 5,000 years and more.
The book under review is a compilation of papers by leading
and eminent experts on Hinduism, political science and law. In the
first paper of Part I of the book, Subhash C. Kashyap, former
secretary-general of Lok Sabha and advocate of Supreme Court, says, “A
unique civilisational bond, naturally bound territory, common social
institutions, shared vision, values and historical and spiritual
experiences have been responsible for an all-pervading and abiding
consciousness of India as a geographical and cultural unit.†The
pluralistic Indian society was essentially due to the tradition of
tolerance and openness. The author points out that occasional tensions
and strifes notwithstanding, Jews, Parsis and Muslims lived here
together. This was because of the “culture†of Hinduism that permeated
all the people for thousands of years without any distinction of race,
caste or religion.
On its onward march since ancient times, Hinduism was enriched
by many influences from outside without losing its basics identity. In
1948, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said at the convocation of the
Aligarh Muslim University, “You are a Muslim and I am a Hindu. We may
adhere to different religious faiths or even to none, but that does not
take away from the cultural inheritance that is yours as much as it is
mine.†He pointedly asked the students, “Do you believe in a national
State which includes people of all religions, and is essentially
secular…or do you believe in a religious, theocratic conception of a
State which regards people of other faiths as somebody beyond the
pale?â€
Kashyap draws attention to the fundamental right of Hinduism
and that is ekam sat vipra bahudha vedanti. All the parties lead to the
same Godhead and are valid and legitimate. Kashyap concludes, “India is
secular because of the Hindu ethos and majority and it will remain
secular so long as it remains 80 per cent Hindu majority.â€
In the second part, Dr Karan Singh, Chairman, Auroville
Foundation, speaks of the fundamentals of Hinduism which “is a vast
ocean into which numerous streams have come down through the ages from
the time of the Vedas, right down to our present age, where in our own
lifetime, people like Sri Aurobindo and Ramana Maharshi made valuable
contributions to Hindu thought!†He expounds on the fundamentals of
Hinduism under which he lists the all-pervasive divine, the Brahman;
the second is that Brahman resides in all beings; the third is the
concept that fanning the spark of the Divine into the blazing fire of
spiritualism realisation is the highest goal of human activity. Then he
talks of the four main paths of yoga—the gyan yoga or yoga of
meditation, bhakti yoga, the karma yoga and raja yoga.
In the third part of the book, G.R.S. Rao, Chairman, Centre
for Public Policy and Social Development, says, “Hinduism is not a
‘religion’, denominational in its character, but represents a highly
spiritual journey of life as a faith, aimed at the merit of life on
earth as a means to secure salvation hereafter.â€
In the fourth part of the book, B.B. Dutta, Chairman of
Rashtriya Jagriti Sansthan, says that the Indian civilisation has
survived the onslaughts of time as it has been nourished by the
“eternal religionâ€, the Sanatan Dharma. “The Sanatan Dharma creates the
right ambience for all religions by accepting all religions as true.
Sanatan Dharma thus elevates itself to a status that holds all
religions to its bosom which Swami Vivekanand referred to as the
‘mother of all religions’.â€
In the fifth part, P.V. Indiresan, former Director, IIT,
Chennai, says that the Indian culture is “a synthesis as opposed to
analysis; an integration as distinct from differentiation; of continued
enquiry as opposed to finality of received wisdom; and should interest
all who are interested in peaceful coexistence.â€
In the sixth part, Namita Aggarwal, Dean, Faculty of Law, says
that Hinduism “is a mixture of the highest philosophical doctrines on
the one hand, and common form of worship, on the other. One may follow
it blindly, but a close and careful study of the Hindu scriptures, the
Vedas, Upanishads and the Puranas, makes it very clear that Hinduism is
a perfect blend of philosophical and religious truths. The symbols of
God were created to enable the ordinary man to get some advantage from
the ideas, which are very fundamental to Hinduism.â€
In Part VII, on Hinduism and national unity, Shyamlha Pappu,
senior advocate, Supreme Court of India, says, “A Christian is not a
Christian if he does not believe in Christ or Christianity in any of
its various forms. A Muslim is not a Muslim if he does not believe in
Allah or the Shariat. Similarly a Parsi is wedded to Zoroastrian faith
and so on. But a Hindu may believe in God or not, he is still a Hindu.â€
In Part VIII, Ranbir Singh, Director, NALSAR, calls for
revival of the precious legal culture of Hindus and its revitalisation
“if there is a determined effort, coupled with ethical, spiritual and
intellectual rectitude.â€
In the ninth part, Abhaya Kashyap, Consultant, IBM and
Infotech, feels that any meaningful debate on any aspect of Hindu
identity or Hinduism runs the risk of either being perceived as a
“rightist Hindutva propaganda or a liberal secular attempt to dilute
the core values of Hinduism and its understanding.†He objects to the
use of Hinduism for political purposes, “whether they claim to
represent Hindutva or claim to be secular. It is our attempt to
depoliticise the issue and develop a non-partisan paradigm whereby
Hinduism can be understood as a potent force impacting India’s
cultural, political and economic image.â€
To sum up, one is tempted to quote Mahatma Gandhi’s words,
“Ancient India has survived because Hinduism was not developed along
material but spiritual linesâ€, while Dr S. Radhakrishnan, the first
Vice President of independent India, had elaborated it further to say,
“Hinduism is a way of life rather than a dogmatic creed.â€
(Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd, 2/15 First Floor, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110002.)
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