RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat does all the acrobatics to defend the idea of a Hindu Rashtra. Many a time, he has said that all people living in India are Hindus, we share common ancestry, etc. Earlier RSS ideologues have always maintained that Islam and Christianity are foreign religions. The progenitor of Hindu nationalism, V D Savarkar, defined a Hindu as the one who regards the land from Sindhu to the Sea as a holy and a fatherland. The second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, M S Golwalkar, stated that for making India a Hindu Rashtra, one has to follow the German model, where so many Jews were put to torture and then gas chambers to build a German nation. Lately, a more polished version of this theory is being dished out by Bhagwat.
RSS has also been proclaiming that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life, defying the sociological understanding of religion, where the deity, rituals, holy books, and clergy are the major components. Recently, Bhagwat has come up with a unique classification of Hindus, trying to assuage the deep feeling of marginalisation of Muslims and Christians. Giving a very lofty meaning of Hinduism, he stated that “If you are Indian, this nature (Hindu, added) is inherent in you”. He underlined that Muslims and Christians are an inseparable part of the Hindu nation. He went on to outline four broad categories of Hindus in the country. The first group, he said, consists of those who openly declare their Hindu identity with pride. The second includes people who acknowledge being Hindu but see nothing exceptional about it. The third category, according to Bhagwat, comprises those who prefer to speak about their identity only in private. The fourth, he said, includes people who have either forgotten their Hindu identity or have been made to forget it.”
So, who are the proud Hindus according to him, those who demolished Babri Masjid?; those who dance and raise abusive slogans in front of mosques?; those who like Kanwarias, create a ruckus on the street? Bhagwat did not clarify, but one will have to make a guess about it. Babasaheb Ambedkar was born in a Hindu family and he went on to burn the Manu Smriti and also declared that although he was born in a Hindu family, he would not die a Hindu. Where will the RSS supremo put him? Where will he put the Indian Constitution, coming from a ‘Good Hindu’ or what? His organisation had opposed the constitution, saying that it was based on Western values and that there was nothing Indian about it.
The current dilemma of RSS is to win over Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Adivasis to its fold and that explains the new acrobatics of talking in decent terms. Defining Hinduism as such is a difficult task for sure. The reasons for this are multiple. One, Hinduism is not a prophet-based religion; it has no single founder and two, religious streams developing in this part of the world have been lumped together as Hinduism, and thirdly, there are so many diversities in the practices of Hinduism that all streams cannot be painted with a single brush. To this one may add the practices and beliefs originating at different times that continue to exist side by side. Lord Satyanarayana and Santoshi Maa do exist along with the concept of Ishwar (God) and a Nirankar Nirguna Ishwar (God beyond the attributes of qualities and form) at the same time.
The major point of departure for Hinduism is the imprint of the caste system on the major aspects of Hinduism, the religious sanctity for social inequality, the caste system being the soul of its scriptures and practices.
Aryans who came in a series of migrations were pastoral and polytheists. During the early period, we see the coming into being of Vedas, which give a glimpse of the value system of that period and also the number of gods/goddesses with diverse portfolios, and the prevalence of polytheism. ‘Laws of Manu’ were the guiding principles of society. This Vedic phase merged into the Brahminic phase. During this phase, the elite of the society remained insulated from the all and sundry. At this point, the caste system provided a perfect mechanism for the insulation of the elite.
Buddhism’s challenge to the caste system forced Brahmanism to come up with a phase, which can be called Hinduism. During this the cultic practices were broadened and public ceremonies and rituals were devised to influence the broad masses to wean them away from Buddhism. It is interesting to note that till the 8th century, the so-called Hindu texts did not have the word Hindu itself. It came into being with the West Asian Muslims coming to this side. They called the people living on this side of Sindhu as Hindus. The word Hindu began as a geographical category. It was later that the religions developing in this part started being called the Hindu religions. The victims of the caste system made all the efforts to convert to other religions, Buddhism, Islam and partly Christianity and later to Sikhism.
Within the Hindu religion, two streams ran parallel, Brahmanism and Shramanism. Shramans defied the Brahminical control and rejected the caste system. While Brahminism remained dominant, other streams of Hinduism also prevailed, Tantra, Bhakti, Shaiva, Siddhanta etc. Shramans did not conform to the Vedic norms and values. Brahminism categorised religious practices by caste, while Shramanism rejected caste distinctions. Brahminical Hinduism was the most dominant tendency as it was associated with rulers. Sidetracking the Hindu traditions of lower castes, Brahminism came to be recognised as Hinduism in due course of time. This phenomenon began with the Magadh-Mauryan Empire after subjugating Buddhism and Jainism in particular. Later, with the coming of the British, who were trying to understand Indian society, Hindu identity, based on Brahminical norms, was constructed for all non-Muslims and non-Christians. Vedas and other Brahminical texts were projected as the Hindu texts. Thus, the diversity of Hinduism was put under the carpet and Brahminism came to be recognised as Hinduism.
Bhagwat needs to spell out the validity of his classification with the caste system in mind. So, within this elaborate Hinduism, how these four categories will be articulated is the question.
_____________
Ram Puniyani is an eminent author, activist and former professor of IIT Mumbai. The views expressed here are the author’s personal and Clarion India does not necessarily share or subscribe to them.
