Everything on this earth is the shadow or reflection of its prototype in superior, like matter is the shadow of sprit. To quote Abraham Lincoln “Truth is like a tree and character like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing”. Similar to these are the words that are found in Upanishads, the end part of Vedas, which stand an authoritative place in Hinduism. Etymologically Chhaya has the close meaning as “Maya” which is well dealt in the Advaita School of preaching. Man born is a combination of muscle-bone structure which is called the body and an instrument to think “the mind” with the inputs given by intellect and senses. This mind and intellect are usually masked or clouded with ignorance that makes him feel the untrue as life. This is common across the globe.
But if truth has to see its way and remain shining, people should unmask the cloud which has covered on them. Let us not see this more philosophically; else we would land up considering all as untrue.
Religion in India has a great impact on the personal life and preaches values. This is the only country in the world that has given birth to multiple religions, which have flourished today and grown in strength. The pride of bringing a religion which preaches harmony, tolerance, faith etc., which ideally is the mother of all religions but still simply describes itself as the way of life; goes to India. This has traditionally been the land of spirituality. People here were driven with ideology, principles and true values. It would not surprise any of us if we call India a country of miracles. Because it is the only country who’s social and religious identity has remained intact despite so many invasions. Hindus constitute a majority in this country and it is the creed that is renowned for its wide range of tastes or interests.
Hinduism took strong steps to imbibe all the positive qualities to an individual by means of education. It believes that an individual gets enlightened with education. This is the primary aim of education. One cannot proclaim himself glowing unless he has gone through the means of education process under an able Guru. A teacher stalls a very important section of the society. It is he who takes individual to highest position of truth realization. Even Upanishads that were written had this as its foundation. A student wanting to gain knowledge is guided methodically by his guru who is a pure soul. So much was the relation what they shared. They all start with a small peace chant
“Om, Sahanavavatu; sahnaubhunaktu;
saha viryam karavavahai;
Tejaswina vadhitamastu;ma vidvisavahai;
Om shantih, shantih, shantih”
May god protect us both (the teacher & the student) may God nourish us both; may we both acquire energy (by this education); may we not hate each other. This peace invocation contains many beautiful sentiments which have inspired Indian education-secular and religious-for a few thousand years. The invocation expresses the idea of education as the achievement of knowledge and excellence of character. The giving and receiving of knowledge, leading to the making of man, depends on the motivation of such teacher-student relationship. The teacher gives and the student receives; not only ideas and information, but inspiration as well. In the process of education, teacher and student are not mere individuals, but personalities. Education, according to the Indian sages, is the lighting of one lamp from another lamp.
'May we acquire energy' says the verse. Every step in education helps man to reach out to newer and newer energy resources within him. All energy is within man. But they lie in deeper and deeper layers. By the knowledge of the self, man gets infinite energy. Education helps man to secure access to the greater and greater energy resources within him. I would like to quote another verse of Upanishad
“ Bhadram karne bhih shrinu yaama devaa
Bhadram pash ye maak shabhir yajatraah
Stirai rangais tushtu waam sas tanoobhir
Vyashe mahi devahitam yad aayuh ”
“May we, while becoming wise hear with our ears that which is noble. Becoming holy, may we see with our eyes that which is auspicious. Singing God’s praises with strong limbs and healthy bodies, let us enjoy the life-span determined by good deeds” These lines clearly indicate the methodology that was found in Indian education system. Sorry if this is mistaken to the today’s system. The mental immaturity of a large number of people world-wide is a big problem. It is here that the failure of many education systems lies in large. It does not impart that psychological maturity to many. They are physically very mature, but mentally they are like babies- dependent, weak, demanding and least responsible. They have not developed the resource that can identify human problems and rise above them, themselves and take their society also with them. Hence every time I mentioned about the education, the tense used is past. If at all we have very little ideals for reference, highest values, righteousness, faith and morality still existing in this country it was because that this nation has produced ethical people with strong cultural background.
As a part of knowledge all epics have spoken about Dharma. Dharma is far from religion. Dharma has special place in education. Dharma shastra was an eminent element in ones education those days. It was incomplete if the education wrapped up with no instances depicting Dharma. People with poor knowledge relate this to religion. The righteous conduct of humans in every place which is evolved from time immemorial in this country can be said as Dharma. Time and again in all great books and epics, stressed on Dharma. Whether it is samanya dharma or raja dharma. This rule of dharma applies to all irrespective of caste creed and religion. Even the knowledge of dharma was possessed by all irrespective of their caste or community. Concepts like Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Asteya (not destroying others property), control of senses and many more which play the key role in Dharma were common to all. Hinduism has ample instances where the king is always guided with these concepts and found guilty if he had breached this. Kousalya the mother of lord Rama gives one thing when Rama was heading to exile for fourteen years and asks him to protect it come what may. It was nothing other than Dharma.
“Dharmaya raja bhavati na kaamakaranaya tu” this is the quotation of Mahabharata that says the function of a king is to rule according to the law and not to enjoy the luxuries of life. Manu says “Just as the mother earth gives equal support to all living beings; a king should give support to all with no discrimination”.
When Yudhistira asks old Bhishma who is on the arrow bed about caste system, the beautiful answer goes like this; he says “Caste system is imbibed for social growth, in the name of caste no human should be discriminated by a king. If at all there is a progress in the society it is because we share and work”.
If so much stress on equality was brought before, why is it almost absent today? This law is not limited to a religion. It is universal. Why is that we people are not trying to use this wealthy resource. Bypassing this would make us more inward than progressing ahead. The biggest problem I see is none of these values are practiced and propagated these days. Reduction in research and a movement to abandon this religion, classing it as conventional by the so called intellectual sect of society have made our thoughts masked. I wonder what Islam should be called if Hinduism is conservative. This is not to bring in fluctuations across but deep in ideas Hinduism is far ahead of all religions. In spite of conversion made colorful by Christians, our religion has its own style and an elite class.
I speculate why these recent timers have no interest in knowing more about what was spent teaching earlier. In the name of globalization and freedom Indians are losing their identity as a country and a place of inventions. The strong air of US which is compliment to our culture has made its presence enough evident these days. Students mock this foolish culture and proclaim themselves to be on par with the trend. I was astonished to hear that we younger generations feel Sanskrit as a dummy language which conveys nothing. Little we know that the language that is becoming extinct in India is booming in other countries. There is a movement in today’s India to class Sanskrit as a Vedic language and anything written in Sanskrit to be a part of Hindu religion. It is not just stopped there the recent people have gone advance in classing it as a language of upper castes within Hinduism. It would not be a surprise if at all the government goes ahead in banning this language. In the name of secularism people have started propagating atrocious things these days. It is only to gain pity from minorities and as usual great recognition from the government as a secular body. Publicity is the ultimate cause. I wonder why Arabic or English are still pardoned. What has language to do with a religion? Any religion needs a language for propagation. It is not the mistake of the language or the people who have used it. But the people who relate this with the religion would ultimately lose.
It is the time where we all have to weep recollecting what we were and what we are. Why this country which had shaped people like Shankara, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Gandhi and many more is today unable to produce their siblings. Why this country that had always praised about the virtues of Rama and higher values of Krishna unvoiced today. Why this country that urged brotherliness is facing communal criticism. Is this all the output of Hinduism that has stepped to saturation these days or is this because we have opponents of this religion within or is this the strong optimistic glowing face of a pseudo-secular feeling that has blacked out our thoughts. Or is it the cool temper of Hindus unlike Islamic who would chop the heads off who spoke against their religion.
The system that this religion preached is not unethical. It has always seen equality in human life, harmony in plethora and an ideology which has never seen religion obstructing the public life. But of course it’s not the secularism itself.
All the governments that have come till date have always tried to uphold secularism without really knowing it. These people who have least knowledge on raja Dharma or samanya Dharma which is classed as a part of religious studies are now speaking about Secularism. All political parties today speak on secularism and condemn purists in Hindus as non-secular. But in reality do they follow. If at all Secularism, the so called key feature for the progress of this country, as put by congress been upheld, then why is the uniform civil code not brought across? Secularism as defined is an ideology which governs the place where no religion has its intervention in public life. Is this what that we follow in this country. The true meaning of this word secular is masked. Supporting minorities in the name of protection and discarding majority is not Secularism. Probably India is the only country in the world that has minorities rule over majorities. The worst part is that these minorities are pardoned with all mistakes and given a chance to change. While the majorities are kept untouched and are getting drowned with no help to save them. Upholding the religious feeling of minorities is not the work of the government. In a place where no religion mediates why is there a difference as minorities and majorities.
India has seen the constant flow of cheap politicians who can go to any extremes for the sake of votes. India is now a country which has become a game tool of minorities who can make governments exist or cease. They have an upper hand in the ongoing activities. It is they who have the remote of all functional bodies. Abusing Islam is wrong, stopping of conversion which is the birth right of a Christian is wrong. But depicting Hindu god and goddesses in nude form or a form which hurts the sentiments of the people are still right.
I still remember India’s reactions and largely condemning the Danish newspaper for publishing the humorous cartoons of Prophet Muhammad. The Union Government had put off the visit of the Danish Prime Minister. The PM Office expressed deep concern over the cartoons and the hurt caused to the Muslims. Also an elected member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Haji Yaqoob was enough secular in this country by announcing a reward of Rs.51 crores for anyone killing the Danish cartoonist. None to oppose him and Muslims were on streets protesting. Highly unfortunate is that even media the so called protector of truth had been a prey to this incident. Fabulous news framed by Rajdeep Sardesai, the pain and sentiments that he expresses for what had happened for Muslims and the media condemning this, thus making the good win over the evil. The media sees this as a matter of extreme concern and any channel you switch on had news showing their anger on the cartoonist and petty support to Muslims. All the so called privileged artists of India who have a linage of Leonardo de Vinice, Michel Angelo did not raise any revolt in protecting the liberty, an artist enjoys in expressing his feelings. Biased and blind are these artists who kept on supporting M F Hussian for all the nude Hindu gods he painted and never asked him to paint one prophet nude. So much happened in a country which values Secularism as epitome of virtues.
In contrary what happened to Chandra Mohan’s case, the student of fine arts at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda. English newspapers and self-proclaimed suppliers of pseudo-secular wisdom and the great devotees of Sonia had completely blacked out the basic facts about what happened in the facility of Fine Arts. All of the newspapers were only talking about how great artists in Baroda who were enjoying the special national status under the protection of UPA government have joined together to raise the banner of revolt against the University authorities for having allowed the VHP, and other Hindutva Organizations to enter the academic campus of Faculty and destroy some of the most precious paintings in the history of India, if not mankind.
If at all the painting were viewed once, we could see a nude women with a baby which is trying to come out of her vagina and the caption below was “Durga mata” on the other side was a Christ whose pennies is let out and semen falling on the commode below. These were the glorious works of art what Chandra Mohan had done. What fantastic imagination of the artist was depicted here god alone knows. The protests against Chandra Mohan’s paintings began when some groups asked him to remove his work from a public exhibition. Among the earliest to protest was the pastor of the Methodist Church in Baroda, but, this fact has been easily brushed under the carpet by the "secular" media owing their loyalty to the virtual lady Prime Minister from Italy with head quarters in New Delhi. Instead it was made to look as though even the fine arts were forced to saffornize, losing its true significance.
We could never see the newspapers having a history of 50 years or 80 years like Times of India or The Hindu or any International newspaper for that matter saying the paintings were wrong. Which had actually done so much when it happened with the Danish cartoonist? Rather the NDTV had headlines which read “The attack by BJP activists on the Fine Arts Faculty of Baroda's MS University is part of growing evidence that the institute is being sucked into the communally charged climate of Narendra Modi's Gujarat”. After Iran incident the Danish cartoonist incident became an international issue and faced a large criticism and marked highest protests by Indian Muslims. All parties including the congress had condemned this. But how unfortunate was this nude Durga who in contrary did not merit these condemnations. None of the Muslim organizations had a word over this incident and neither condemned the painting that would hurt the Hindus feelings. With all this we are still secular and always in the process to protect minorities and curb the ego of majorities. With so much of pain and if at all Hinduism is still glowing today it is because of its strong roots. Also time and again one or the other persons have come to protect it. But why is the media’s opinion biased over this. It is the only platform which people can trust and allow it to grow. This is the only country in the world that can truly enrich the glorious values of this religion. Any sector could see its epitome by enriching these values. If we don’t protect this, nobody else can do it. Let not an American or a German start teaching these principles under a pupil tree. The rate at which these TV news channels increase the more corrupted and dirty the media is becoming. It is high time that truth is realized. It should make the people come out of shadow and see the truth. It should take the position of a teacher that is depicted in Upanishads. Political parties should dare not speaking a word in front of media. This is the true unmasking. I don’t know when this can happen. But I at least hope these people realize truth and take the world towards truth. Only then Gandhi’s dream of having a Rama rajya would turn true and true secularism prevails.
