Space for a rational and responsible debate on ideas and religion is shrinking

“I can understand that my advocacies and interventions are provocative to the Parivar.  But the hallmark of the democratic mindset is the freedom to differ in a rational and responsible manner. In our tradition, differences in ideas and beliefs are to be addressed through dialogues — shaastrarths — and not by violence and intimidation. We have always believed that the preference for violence is a sign of weakness, not of strength”, says the author.

that spirituality is the light of life. But my idea of spirituality has been, from the beginning, different from its pietistic version. The goal of spirituality is to build a dharmic society, wherein all human beings can attain growth, freedom and dignity. If so, a world-denying, escapist religiosity is clearly unacceptable. So, I developed for myself the vision of Vedic socialism and applied spirituality.

In this, I have been inspired by the teachings of Maharshi Dayanand. The nine principles of Arya Samaj, as formulated by him, have been my guiding light. I became deeply convinced that his endeavor to re-instate reason in the sphere of religion, and his relentless battle against religious obscurantism and superstitions of all kinds, is the way forward for India. I left academics and plunged into spiritual activism under the world-transforming vision of Dayanand, convinced that it was the cause for which I was to live, for the rest of my life.

So, my sanyas is a relentless pursuit to seek the light of truth and to make it prevail in the life of our country. The shaping discipline of my life is ‘to doubt, to debate and, if need be, to dissent’. It is not an option for me, hence, to be coopted into anybody’s myths, make-believe or partisan agenda. My spiritual discipline obliges me to satisfy my conscience that what I embrace is in full harmony with the light of truth. I have taken a stand against the indoctrination and communal conditioning by religions, using the arsenal of blind faith, of humans from infancy onwards. I have no doubt that this is an atrocity on freedom and is clearly violative of rights. Every form of conditioning, especially the conditioning that begins from birth, militates against the right to choose, which is basic to religious freedom. To me, freedom to choose where I should stand and which cause I need to support, based on a free and informed application of reason, is the essence of the religion I wish to practice and is, hence, the essence also of religious freedom.

Dayanand’s campaigns against blind faith and religious obscurantism is an aspect of his commitment to make justice and human dignity prevail in our society. Merely attacking superstition is an academic exercise. I resist and question this evil as part of my commitment to make truth prevail. My reading of history convinces me that blind faith — and the suppression of free and rational thinking it brings about — is the main weapon that agents of injustice, exploitation and oppression use. My spiritual calling and conviction make it incumbent on me to resist this aberration.

I state the above, to alert my countrymen that the attacks launched on me, which can no longer be glossed over as stray instances, are assaults on the freedom of religion that I am entitled to under Article 25 of our Constitution. The right to practice, preach and propagate my religious vision does not mean, as I understand it, the right to convert anyone. It envisages the freedom to express my spiritual convictions in the public sphere. It protects me from the need to toe the line drawn by some muscular outfits and ideologies.

I see the present trend not only as a personal threat, but also as a dangerous social and national malady. As a sanyasi in the Arya Samaj tradition, I feel that the Samaj itself is under attack. In this respect two strategies are used. First, that of penetration and colonization. RSS elements have penetrated the Arya Samaj in several areas and, with the help of weak and willing collaborators, hollowed out its innards. The crucial distinction between the RSS and the Arya Samaj stands blurred in such pockets.

The orchestrated physical attacks on me signal the inauguration of the second strategy: that of intimidation and coercion. The message is clear: the Arya Samaj will be allowed only a shadowy existence in the backyard of Hindu triumphalism as spearheaded by the Sangh Parivar. Any attempt to articulate the authentic spiritual vision of the Samaj will be crushed.

The RSS and the Arya Samaj are opposites. The one stands for authoritarian, top-down regimentation. It is a threat to social justice and the fundamental values of our Constitution. It scorns the universal vision of the Vedas and espouses a jingoistic and casteist idea of India, which is intolerant and narrow-minded. It replaces truth with violence, especially the violence of blind faith. It swears by hierarchical stratifications that discriminate against women, Dalits and adivasis. The Arya Samaj, in contrast, insists on the freedom of religion based on the primacy of reason. It has a creedal commitment to gender equality and social justice. It dreams of establishing a society of the noble (arya).

I can understand that my advocacies and interventions are provocative to the Parivar.  But the hallmark of the democratic mindset is the freedom to differ in a rational and responsible manner. In our tradition, differences in ideas and beliefs are to be addressed through dialogues — shaastrarths — and not by violence and intimidation. We have always believed that the preference for violence is a sign of weakness, not of strength.

What are the options available to me at the fag end of my life? To be silenced by the agents of aggression or to be coopted by them into an agenda that I am totally convinced is a peril to the country? Or, to soldier on, for as long as I retain my breath, and uphold the relevance of the spiritual vision of Maharshi Dayanand to our times? As for me, this does not present a personal dilemma. It poses a challenge; a challenge significant for the country as a whole.

(The author is an Arya Samaj scholar and social activist)