RIDDLE No. 1

Response on Dr. Ambedkar’s  DIFFICULTY OF KNOWING WHY ONE IS A HINDU

By Rishwa Arya

People of India are called Arya. After arrival of Muslims “Arya” word was replaced by the “Hindu” word and the mass people who were follower of Vedas and was living in Bharatvarsh were called as “Hindus”. In the later time period people came to this land from different parts of the world and settled down. These people were follower of different sects. People of India provided safe haven to these groups to settle down in India and not only allowed to trade but also allowed to freely discuss their views about the their sect. As a result they were successful to get follower of their sect on this land. It was the open heartiness of people of India which allowed to mushroom these sects in India. Contrary to other parts of world freedom of expression about the views of religion played instrumental roles in providing place for spreading different sects on this land. Resulted India is called conjeries of communites  by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

He says that “India is a conjeries of communities. There are in it Parsis, Christians,  Mohammedans and Hindus. The basis of these communities is not racial. It is of course religious. This is a superficial view. What is interesting to know is why is a Parsi a Parsi and why is a Christian a Christian, why is a Muslim a Muslim and why is a Hindu a Hindu? With regard to the Parsi, the Christian and the Muslim it is smooth sailing. Ask a Parsi why he calls himself a Parsi he will have no difficulty in answering the question. He will say he is a Parsi because he is a follower of Zoraster. Ask the same question to a Christian. He too will have no difficulty in answering the question. He is a Christian because he believes in Jesus Christ. Put the same question to a Muslim. He too will have no hesitation in answering it. He will say he is a believer in Islam and that is why he is a Muslim.

Now ask the same question to a Hindu and there is no doubt that he will be completely bewildered and would not know what to say.”

He further adds to this that “If he says that “I am a Hindu because I hold to the beliefs of the Hindus” his answer cannot be right for here one is confronted with the fact that Hinduism has no definite creed. The beliefs of persons who are by all admitted to be Hindus often differ more widely from each other than do those of Christians and Muhammadans.

Before going into further discussion it’s necessary to discuss meaning of “Religion” and its origin.

Swami Dayanand writes in “A statement of my belief” that “The practice of equitable justice together with that of truthfulness in word, deed and thought and the like (virtues) – in a word, that which is in conformity with the Will of God, as embodied in the Vedas – even that I call Dharma (right). “.

He further explain the Dharma elaborated in the Vedas in his “An Introduction to the Commentary on the Vedas” that:

सं  गच्छध्वं सं  वदध्वं सं  वो मनांसि जानताम।

देवा  भागं यथा पूर्वे संजानाना उपासते।।

ऋ ८.८. ४९.२

God Ordains: Acquire duly the Dharma preached by me which is justly devoid of bias and partiality and refulgent with truthful characteristics. Combine together giving up all dissensions so that your best happiness may increase and all suffering may be destroyed. Having combined together hold discussions, loving putting questions and answering them and avoiding perverse reasoning such as sophistry, captious and fallacious arguments, so that boble qualities and true knowledge may ever increase amongst you. Acquire wisdom and so exert yourselves that your minds may be shocked with knowledge and be always filled with joy. Always follow dharma and never practice Adharma. You should follow the same Dharma as was followed by the learned, wise and impartial men, whether of past times or of the present age, i.e. whether dead or living, having a love for the preaching of the Divine Dharma. They worshipped me as the Almighty and adorable God and followed the Dharma laid down by me. You also must do the same so that you may know the Dharma inculcated by the Vedas and have no doubts about it. Rigveda 8.8.49.2

Further Vedas explains:

यस्तु सर्वाणि भूतानि आत्मनि एव अनुपश्यति।

सर्व भूतेषु चात्मानं ततो न विजुगुप्सते। 

यजु. ४० /६

Whoever sees all thing in the self (God) and the self (God) in all the things, hates none.

This is the root of religion and was explains by the originators of the various sects. Being Kindness helpful and generous are the basic element of religion and is elaborated in different literature worldwide by different sects.

In the Mahabarat Vedvyas explains meaning of Dharma to Yudishthir as

“आत्मनः प्रतिकूलानि परेषां  न समाचरेत।  महाभारत अनु ११३/ ६”

Don’t behave with others in manner you don’t want to be get treated with others.

The same principle of equivalent which is explained in Vedas and other Aryan literature was borrowed by Mahatma Buddha. Preaching his followers he explains:

यथा अहम् तथा एते  यथा  एते तथा  अहम्

अत्तानं उपमं कत्वा न हन्येन न घातये।  सुत्तनिपात नालकसुत्त २७

 As I am same are the others hence thinking about the impact of your act on yourself don’t kill or allow to kill others.

Second line of this Shloka is repeated two times in Dhammpada in shlok 126 and 130

In the same manner as Mahatma Buddha borrowed the principle of equivalent behavior from the Aryan texts other sects with Persians and Christion’s has also followed the same way.

Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. Matthew 22-39

Treat others as you want them to treat you. Luke  6-31

Teaching of Christ mentioned in Matthew and Luke are the retranslation of the Vedic principle of:

यस्तु सर्वाणि भूतानि आत्मनि एव अनुपश्यति।

सर्व भूतेषु चात्मानं ततो न विजुगुप्सते। 

यजु. ४० /६

 Whoever sees all thing in the self (God) and the self (God) in all the things, hates none.

Swami Vidyanand Saraswati writes in “Adhyatm Meemansa that this principle of Dharma spread from the Vedic Text in the different sects whether it is Christ or the Arastu or the Confushiyas .

Study of all sects started by different philosophers find its root casus in the Vedic Texts. These principle of the religions were not established by a particular person but are as old as the human race is. In the lite of above facts claim that the principle of equivalent behavior and humanity, i.e. considered as the backbone of religion, was not in existence at the beginning of the human race looks awkward. These principles are found in the Vedas which are anonymously considered as the oldest book of the human civilization.

 In the fact of above claim of Dr. Ambedkar that “Hinduism has no definite creed” doesn’t stand anywhere. Whether principles of devoid of biasness and partiality and refulgent with truthful characteristics are not the creed of religion? Whether these principles are not well established from the beginning of the civilization? Whether any one can say the principle of humanity was started by a particular person or sect and others have followed this principle? These principles of Vedic religion are as old as the life. These principles are not fundamental are not deprived of any sect to grow and elaborate.