Why do Invaders thrive in Indian Minds?
Adi Guru Shankacharya travelled the length and breadth of India to spread the message of Vedas at a time when Sanatana Dharma was at a decline. He adopted the strategy of Shastrartha to convey his point of view. His deep understanding of the opponents view and his own conviction and grasp on the Vedanta Philosophy helped him re-establish the glory of Satya Sanatana Vaidika Dharma.
India today in general and hinduism in particular is again passing through a phase of vilification from multiple agencies at perhaps a much larger scale than in 800 CE. both internally and externally. We do not have many like Adi Guru Shankaracharya to counter this denigration and set the narrative right in favour of Sanatana Dharma. I shall be using the terms Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma interchangeably for the sake of understanding and communication with the readers.
It is very important for the young generation to examine the reasons behind this blatant vilification of Dharma before devising any strategy to counter it. Rajiv Malhotra in his vast body of works has done in-depth analysis of the reasons behind constant propaganda against anything that is native to Indian ethos and philosophy. He has identified and confronted with Institutions and People in the Western Academia , Government systems, International councils for religious freedom and their composition and exposed their modus- operandi to denigrate and stigmatise indigenous Indian thought.
I will be presenting a framework as per my understanding from the various readings of Rajiv Malhotra’s works and their relevance here. As I understand, Hindu Dharma (for want of a better word to communicate) has been fighting constant existential battle with the “Expansionism”, intrinsic to the monotheistic Abrahamic belief systems.
There has been a sustained effort to disrupt the continuity of its age old practices by way of maligning them by applying western doctrines to them in order to make its adherents feel ashamed of them. To illustrate with an example, Tantra Sadhana” has been placed at the centre of controversies by the western academicians. The westerners unipolar mindset sensationalises tantra as erotic practices.
Scholarship of many western scholars including Wendy Doniger, Sarah Caldwell, Jeffery Kripal, Sheldon Pollock has been primarily on disparaging hindu scriptures. They have even cultivated their Indian proteges to carry on their legacy to legitimise their propaganda.
Hindu symbols, Devis and Devatas are mocked and denigrated as a part of scholarship which also gets peer reviewed by “the lobby” of so called scholars in the cosy club.
Our deities are objectified and compared to demons and blood thirsty creatures. Same analogies are fed to our younger generation which is already starved of any information about Darshan. Our youth falls prey to such propaganda in the name of academics. The absence of any credible rebuttals from the Hindu side only emboldens these fake scholars and affords credibility to them.
Prolonged subjugation of Indian mind has led to inertia in the people who have been trained in Indian tradition and by virtue of which have the Adhikar to put forth the Dharmic point of view. Commentaries on our ancient scriptures from within the Dharmic traditions by the scholars who Rajiv calls as “insiders” are very few and far between. Most popular scholarly work on our scriptures that is available for academic purposes is written by westerners who incorporate their biases and prejudices emanating out of their limited world view and monotheistic upbringing.
To counter this culpability, many “intellectuals” declare themselves to be Atheists, to appear impartial when actually it is only a guise to fool people. We have the example of Javed Akhtar in front of us. Such people often find company in left wing brigade of scholars who have over a period of time acquired eminence in the Indian Academia.
Another dangerous fallout of this conundrum is that it has become fashionable for Hindu youth to call themselves “Atheists”. It is not only the simplest way to fit into a “pseudo-secular club” which is pretty intolerant of any kind of divergence but it has also considered “Low Society” LS to be seen as a dharmic person. Our youth must clearly be explained the difference between Modernisation and Westernisation.
Our philosophers and rishis have been powerhouses of knowledge and spirituality. Masses in India have been anchored in Dharma and its traditions because of the teachings of our spiritual masters from times immemorial that has proved as the road block to the vicious expansionist agenda of these forces. Our spiritual gurus have been on the hitlist of these Anti Hindu academicians. Rajiv Malhotra, in his book Academic Hinduphobia has enumerated many such cases of deliberate misrepresentation of our spiritual masters. One such case is of Jeffery Kripal. In his book, Kali’s Child, where he has described Ramakrishna Paramahansa as a Homosexual having some kind of sexual relationship with Swamy Vivekananda, a claim that was vehemently opposed by the Ramakrishna Ashram Sansthan.
Jeffrey Kripal in an interview to Jeffrey Mishlove, in his own words “I spent the first 25 years of my search in my career in thinking about relationship between mysticism and eroticism, that was really all I did for quarter of a century”. His adolescent years were spent in a seminary where he says he encountered homosexuality and was confused about the sexual behaviour of inmates at the seminary. Kalis’ Child is his dissertation for his academic submission, it is clear that he began with a prejudiced hypothesis based on his personal sexual experiences with so called Mystics at the seminary and he was hell bent on proving it by hook or crook by deliberately misinterpreting text written in bangla, applying his western yardsticks of morality.
Invading the Sacred gives details about how Jeffry Kripal requested permission from the Ramakrishna Math to access their library and archives in the guise to study Shakta Tantra, life of Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swamy Vivekananda and how he misconstrues the Bengali language to suit his agenda. His academic treachery can be assessed from the fact that after enjoying hospitality of the Math and gaining free access to the library and archives Jeffry Kripal never got the information ratified by the Math adhikaris before publishing the book. The math swamis were taken by surprize when the book was released. He back stabbed the very people who trusted him with knowledge.
Audrey Truschke, daughter in Law of a Christian evangelist who heads the Mission in India had mentioned in a series of tweets about her journey to India and the hospitality she received from Indians. She also proves to be a Hindu Phobic who is leaving no stone unturned in proving the “ benevolence of Aurangzeb” just so Muslims can be appeased and Hindus vilified and become easy targets for soul harvesting.
There are umpteen examples of Western Academics who peddle their agenda through their scholarship and an eco-system that supports them. What remains an enigma though is the fact that they are able to succeed in their intention because white skin still gains credence in the Brown Indian mind that looks for a white validation even on matters pertaining to our civilizational History.
India needs many more scholars like Rajiv Malhotra who can take the Bull by its horns. Infinity Foundation has created a scholarly platform for insiders of the Dharma Tradition where they can engage in serious scholarship and produce commentaries on Indian scriptures as seen from the Dharmic Lens. Volumes of such scholarly work has been generated in the Swadeshi Indology conferences conducted by Infinity Foundation. Many young and brilliant Intellectual Kshatriyas have been groomed who have specifically countered the western propagandists on a point to point basis. Events of such calibre need to a routine in academics so as to groom warriors of Dharma.
In the same league, it is important that India had its own “National Narrative” based on our ten thousand year old civilizational existence and its core values that Indians can take pride in. This is how we can decolonise our minds and claim legitimate Adhikar over our age old legacy.
Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak in the late 1800s realized the need for re organising Indians and making them feel proud of our Sanskriti to motivate and steer them out of subjugation, he concluded his book ‘Geeta Rahasya’ by the Sangathan Sutra which is also the need of the hour. It ordains us to be organised and think alike as a collective effort with same intensity in the interest of the “sangathan”. The last sutra of Rig Veda is called Sangathan Sutra
समानी व: आकूति: समाना दयानि व: |
समानम् अस्तु वो मन: यथा व: सुसहा असति ||
यथा व: सुसहा असति ||
~ ऋग्वेद
It states – Let your conclusions be ONE , Let your hearts be alike, So that “everyone” feels for the same particular ill in the society with the same intensity. It may be the common experience that not all feel for the same problem in the ‘intensity’ that we as individuals may feel for that. Due to this, there may be lack of ‘collective’ efforts to solve that problem]. Let your minds think alike/similar. May all these factors make your organizational-power an impressive one. This ‘shloka’ is ‘Sanghathan-Sutra’ i.e. guidelines for building an impressive organization/nation.
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