Move
Over Intelligent Design,
Here Comes Bhartiya Creationism
By Ra Ravishankar
13 March, 2006
Countercurrents.org
Even as the intelligent design controversy rages on, California recently
witnessed a concerted push by a coalition of three Hindutva (Hindu supremacist)
groups -- Hindu Education Foundation, Vedic Foundation and the Hindu
American Foundation -- to doctor sixth grade social science textbooks.
Their strong ideological and organizational links with the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India makes them all the more dangerous,
for any success here would provide a much-needed fillip to the RSS family
of organizations in India [1]. Fortunately, interventions by a group
of Indologists led by Professor Michael Witzel and strong mobilizations
by the South Asian community resulted in a resounding defeat for the
Hindutva groups.
As repeatedly pointed out
by groups at the forefront of the California struggle, the edits proposed
by the Hindutva groups sought to negate the "great pluralism within
Hindu practice, as well as the religious diversity within Indian society"
[2]. For this purpose, the Hindutva forces hired the PR firm Ruder Finn
which has a reputation of targeting liberals, feminists and Jews and
mobilizing public opinion for American intervention in the Balkans [3].
However, "His Divinity, Dharm Chakrvarti" Swami Prakashanand
Saraswati, the spiritual leader of the Texas-based Vedic Foundation
has dug them such a deep hole that even Ruder Finn –- with all
its ruthlessness -– would have a hard time salvaging any respectability
for its clients. Saraswati's magnum opus, "The true history and
the religion of India", reeks of megalomania from start to finish
and is bound to be an embarrassment for any practicing Hindu [4].
If Saraswati were one of
those dime-a-dozen Swamis, his book could have been dismissed as a failed
attempt at humor. However, as the Vedic Foundation’s aggressive
posturing in California demonstrated, they are out to mythologize history
and science. In the last few decades, the rationalist currents in Indian
philosophy have gradually been supplanted by the ideology of Hindutva
and the megalomania of the Vedic Foundation nicely dovetails into the
Hindutva agenda [5]. What follows is a fictional account of a tete-a-tete
between Prakashanand Saraswati and a Hindutva activist; except for questions
#6 and #7, Saraswati’s responses are taken almost verbatim from
his book.
Q1: The Western mind seems incapable of comprehending the significance
of our sacred places and rivers. Why would anyone want to take a dip
in the dirty waters of say, the river Ganges, they ask [6].
A: The holy rivers or places
that come in the Puranas eternally exist as the Divine personalities,
or the Divine existences in the Divine abode of the supreme God. Their
representation in the from of rivers or places on the land of India
is a kind of holy manifestation of the Divinity on the material plane
for the devotional benefit of the
devotees of God, just like the Vedas and the Puranas are in a book form
in the material world and they are in their Divine form in the Divine
world.
---
Q2: How different are the
western religions from our Bhartiya religion [7]?
A: In no way could there
be any comparison of the western religions (which are based on mythologies)
with the Hindu Vedic religion which is eternal, universal and is directly
revealed by the supreme God.
---
Q3: The California textbooks
refer to some of our sacred texts as myths ...
A: Divine writings cannot
be analyzed in a material way. How could a worldly being, possessed
with the vehemence of his own passions and desires, try to argue with
the writings of Sages and Saints whose entire life was a divine benevolence
for the souls of the world? You should know that all of our religious
writings are Divine facts, and facts always remain facts, they cannot
become myths. Using the word myth for our religious history is a serious
spiritual transgression.
---
Q4: In the California struggle,
the anti-Hindu side has gotten a lot of support from scholars and academics
specializing in South Asia. Is this of any consequence?
A: It is a fact that in the
world almost all the academic literature in English about Hinduism,
even by Hindu writers, bears the western influence, and that, none of
these books represent the correct view of total authentic Hinduism.
Historians forget that one cannot determine the history of Bharatvarsh
on meager archaeological findings of coins, toys and pots. Whereas the
general history of Bharatvarsh is already written in its scriptures
and the Puranas whose texts and the philosophical descriptions are the
outcome of the Gracious and benevolent minds of eternal Saints.
Also, arguing about the proven
facts of the Bhartiya history (which are re-authenticated by our great
Masters) by a worldly person (even if he is a higher degree holder)
who is attached to his intellectual, emotional and sensual enjoyments
of a pure worldly nature, is like a school going science student, who
has read some science fiction stories, happens to visit NASA Research
Institute and sneaks into the research chamber and starts telling the
scientists how they are. But, this is the age of the freedom of speech,
anyone could say anything; still the fact remains the fact and the fiction
remains the fiction.
---
Q5. But, Swamiji, some people
dismiss such attitudes as anti-intellectualistic ...
A: Some people have a critical
nature and a leaning towards non-Godliness which is the sign of the
impiousness of their heart and the biased structure of their mind. It
is the nature of such people that they cannot tolerate to read or hear
about the authentic and eternal Divineness of Bhartiya religion and
Bhartiya history which is described in the Puranas especially in the
Bhagwatam. It is thus wise to leave them to live with their own beliefs
and don't try to unnecessarily argue with them to accept the right thing.
---
Q6: Swamiji, you write in
your book: "We find that the ancient society of Greece had adopted
certain social customs that were prevailing in India. Such as: the husband
headed the family and the wife ran the household affairs; parents arranged
and decided their children’s marriage; a girl was controlled and
protected by her parents before marriage and by her husband after marriage;
and many more such customs." The California textbooks say the same
-- that "men had many more rights than women" – but
the Hindu Education Foundation has called this a distortion of truth
and the Hindu American Foundation has threatened to sue the California
State Board over this (and other things).
A: I don’t take much
interest in such worldly matters, puthra (son).
---
Q7: In two years, Texas school
textbooks (dealing with Indian history) will be up for review. "Anything
is possible in Bush-land" your devotees say, and a friend has claimed
that the "Hindu American community of Texas has already started
gearing up for quite some time now, and has been historically very well
organized for over a decade." What are your thoughts on this fight
closer home?
A: Puthra, the whole brahmand
(universe) is the creation of our Lord. Such geographical differences
don't matter to us Swamis; California or Texas or New Delhi, it's all
the same for us. And if we don’t succeed the first time, we won't
quit. As Swami Vivekanand said: "Arise, awake and stop not till
the goal is reached."
---
Q8: Swamiji, could you comment
on the Divinity of our scriptures?
A: Bhartiya scriptures are
the Divine powers eternally residing in the Divine abode of God. With
the will of God they are introduced in the world through Brahma who
transfers this knowledge to the Rishis (Sages). Later on those Rishis
reproduce them in the form of scriptures; their very first manifestation
was trillions of years ago when our Brahmand (universe) along with the
planetary system was originally created by Brahma. Our scriptures also
reveal the various sciences (Sanskrit grammar and language, astrology,
sociology, defense and medicine etc.) for the good of the people of
the world in general. It is an axiom that everything that is produced
by God is eternal, because God is eternal. Thus, the knowledge of God
and the knowledge of the path to God are both eternal, and the scriptures
containing those knowledges along with the Sanskrit language are also
eternal. And the Vedas and the Upnishads themselves reveal their own
eternity along with the other scriptures as well as the Sanskrit grammar
also.
---
Q9: Papal infallibility adds
an aura to the Catholic Church. Are Bhartiya scriptures infallible too?
A: Bhartiya must know that
our scriptures were produced by God Himself Who is the creator of the
entire universe, and they were introduced in the world by Brahma who
is the creator of this very
brahmand. Thus, they are the absolute truth and there could never be
a mistake in their philosophy. Whatever theoretical discrepancies are
found between Bhartiya scriptures and the modern science, they are only
in the theories of the worldly scientists because they are the products
of material minds.
---
Q10: What can (potential)
participants in the 4-week study course (based on your book) offered
by the Vedic Foundation learn about Bhartiya scriptures?
A: In the Bhartiya scriptures,
sincere intellectuals find all the answers of their intellectual quest;
pious scientists find the consolence of their heart and a guideline
for their future research; truthful scholars find the philosophy of
their liking that opens the path to God; and the selfless devotees of
God find such a sure and simple path of devotion and adoration to their
beloved God that fills their heart and mind with the sweetness of the
devotional love. An impious mind does not accept the Divine truth.
---
Q11: Thanks, Swamiji, for
your concise definitions of sincerity, piety, truthfulness and selflessness.
But why have the scientists ignored the wealth of knowledge in our scriptures,
and instead propounded such fantastic theories as the Big Bang? Are
they all impious?
A: Hindu scriptures reveal
the scientific axioms that are extremely helpful in the research and
the development of science. But, the intelligentsia of the world as
well as the researchers of the physical sciences, being skeptical of
Hindu religion, never thought of using the scientific knowledge of the
Upnishads and the Puranas to promote their study and researches in the
right direction. Had they trusted the Divine greatness of our scriptures,
the scientific achievements of the world would have been much more positive,
productive and directed towards the right direction.
---
Q12: Do our scriptures discuss
the science of creation?
A: Of course, they do! Our
scriptures describe the origin, evolution and the creation of this universe
which is apparently the manifestation of an endless, eternal and lifeless
energy that works with the help of God and involves unlimited number
of infinitesimal souls which remain under its bondage. They are the
manifestations of the same Divine power which has created this universe
and so they bear the true principles of the creation and the evolution
science. According to the Bhagwatam, which represents the total knowledge
of all the Bhartiya scriptures, our planetary system (along with all
the celestial abodes) was originally created by Brahma 155.5219719616
trillion years ago.
---
Q13: Thanks, Swamiji. Such
accurate estimates of the age of the universe are indeed a tribute to
Vedic astronomy and mathematics. However, when Christian theories of
creation have failed in the west, how can we hope for acceptance of
the Bhartiya theory of creation?
A: One thing we must know
is that most of the scientists, archaeologists and geologists, who directly
deal with the natural phenomena all the time in their life, do not believe
in God; because the dogmatic God of the Bible does not appeal to their
intellect and they are mostly unaware of the universal Graciousness
of the Hindu religion. So, they don’t want to bring God into their
theory. However, I share Dr. Deendayal Khandelwal’s hope that
"the facts brought to light in this book about creation and languages
will lead to new research in the fields of anthropology and astronomy
and will lead (both Indians and non-Indians) to search for new directions
for research in the fields of physical sciences based on the Hindu scriptural
statements." I also hope that more people will echo the thoughts
of Dr. Mahesh Mehta, founder of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America:
"The time has come that the scientific knowledges of the Upnishads
in relation to the Creation should be considered as a guideline for
further researches in cosmology."
---
Q14: Your thoughts on Sanskrit
...
A: Sanskrit is the language
of the Divine abodes, which are inhabited with unlimited Saints who
are always drowned in the felicity of the Bliss of their beloved God.
Being the Divine language it is perfect by its own nature. The perfection
of the pronunciation and the uniqueness of the grammar that stays the
same in all the ages (from the very beginning of human civilization
and up till today) are such features which themselves prove that Sanskrit
is not man-made; it is a divine gift to the people of this world. Sanskrit
language has never had any dialect, and in every age and in every corner
of this brahmand (and the earth planet) it always remains the same.
To understand the Divine greatness of the Sanskrit language, you have
to know the origination and
the shortcomings of the western languages.
---
Q15: For the uninitiated,
could you describe the salient features of our
religion?
A: The religion of Bharatvarsh
is the direct descension of the Grace of God which is manifested in
the form of our Divine scriptures. They reveal the total philosophy
of each and every aspect of God and the creation of this universe, and,
at the same time, they also reveal the process of God realization with
all the necessary informations, whatever a devotee may need during his
devotional period ... The history and the religion of Bharatvarsh are
not like the history and the religion of the western world which contains
the accounts and the ideologies of the material beings; this is the
description of the Divine personalities, Divine acts of our Sages and
Saints, Divine descensions, and the knowledge of the Divine approach
to God that enables a soul to receive God realization.
---
Q16: Thanks, Swamiji, that
was very enlightening! But why doesn't the West appreciate the Divine
Divinity of our Divine culture?
A: This is the age of materialism
called kaliyug that started 5,101 years ago (3102 BC). The effects of
kaliyug are to despise the Divine truth and to elevate the anti-God
elements in the name of God. In the last 200 years such despisations
were much greater when the English regime tried to destroy the culture
and the religion of India by all means, and, during that time, they
deliberately produced such derogatory literatures in huge quantities
that confused and misguided the whole world. Trying to impose the worldliness
of their own culture upon the Hindu faith, they introduced such fictitious
theories and disparaging dogmas that produced a derogatory and demeaning
view of Hinduism. These publications affected the minds of Hindu writers
to such an extent that they also began to think and write on the same
lines.
---
Q17: Swamiji, you say: "Through
its unbroken [1,900 million-years-old Ganges valley] civilization, India
provides an unbroken Divine facility to obtain the Divine knowledge
and to proceed on the path to God realization to the souls of the whole
world." How do we account for our current subordinate status?
A: Our Divine teachings were
restricted from reaching the souls of the world by extensively promulgating
the adverse propagations about Bhartiya (Hindu) religion and culture
by the Britishers of that time, and in this way the whole world remained
bereft of the true knowledge of God realization. Thus, they deceived
and misguided the whole world by such acts that damaged the spiritual
growth of millions of people of the world. Its effects have gone so
deep in the Hindu society that many of the followers of Hinduism are
not bereft of its damaging effects and it shows up in their writings.
All this has ruined the image of the Divine greatness of Bhartiya religion
and history.
---
Q18: In your 800-page masterpiece,
you describe in copious detail the damage caused to Hindu society by
British rule (and also due to the Muslim invasions). I am glad that
there's hardly any mention of caste in your book, all this noise about
caste and caste-based discrimination is very unnerving and so anti-Hindu.
The swami flashes a knowing
smile and takes off on his Pushpak Vimana, "which could fly at
the speed of thought" [8]
Notes:
1) The California struggle's significance for the Sangh Parivar is best
illustrated by the Organiser's (the RSS's English mouthpiece) keen interest
in this issue, the active participation of numerous Hindutva ideologues
from India, and this premature proclamation of victory by an activist
during a global RSS meeting held in Ahmedabad in December 2005: "Through
the Hindu Education Foundation run by the RSS in California, we have
succeeded in correcting the misleading information in text books for
primary and secondary classes." [The Times of India, Ahmedabad
Edition, Dec 31, 2005] The political significance of this struggle was
not lost on the other side as well, as numerous activist (including
Dalit) groups and academics who had fought against the RSS's
saffronization project in India also wrote to the Board
[http://tinyurl.com/ojhhr]
2) See http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/textbook/FOSA_CAC_Letter.html
http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/textbook is an excellent resource
page for the California struggle. For a concise overview of this issue,
see "History Hungama: California Textbook Debate"
[http://tinyurl.com/7ul23] The South Asia Citizens Web is an excellent
resource page for Hindutva attempts at writing history in India. [http://www.sacw.net/India_History/index.html]
3) Ruder Finn’s President
James Harff once said, "We are not paid to be moral." That
he really meant what he said is evident from Ruder Finn's activities
in the past few years and their current support of Hindutva. For more
on Ruder Finn, see PRWatch.org [http://tinyurl.com/p4hqw]
4) Not surprisingly, the
book has won laurels from senior Hindutva
ideologues like Tarun Vijay [Editor of the RSS's Hindi weekly,
Panchjanya], Vishnu Hari Dalmia (President of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad)
and Mahesh Mehta (founder of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America).
5) The invention of a distant
Golden Age is one of the cornerstones of the Hindutva ideology. As Christopher
Jaffrelot explains, upper caste Hindus sought to maintain the basic
elements of the (hierarchical) traditional social order by simultaneously
stigmatizing and emulating those who allegedly threatened Hindu society.
"The tension between cultural preservation and modernization was
solved through the invention of a distant Golden Age which was both
indigenous and in accord with modern values." Prakashanand Saraswati's
fulfils both objectives -- it invents a Golden past whose accomplishments
not only measure up well against the present, but were better in all
respects!
6) White America is often
uncritical of its own practices while sneering at others' irrationality,
but that doesn't make the latter any more respectable. Institutional
racism cannot be fought by glorifying
irrational practices and beliefs as minority rights, as the Hindutva
forces unsuccessfully attempted in California. Hindutva's cynical
invocation of minority rights in California, even as their Indian
buddies are celebrating one of their Nazi-loving leaders, is just one
more example of their doublespeak. [Golwalkar, the second dictator of
the RSS, endorsed the Nazi Holocaust and called it "a good lesson
for us in Hindusthan to learn and profit by." For more on Golwalkar,
see
http://www.imc-usa.org/digest/special/2006/golwalkar.fascism.htm]
7) As Saraswati claims (and
the RSS would gladly agree): "'Bhartiya' and 'Hindu' terms are
synonymous. But when an emphasis is needed to represent the spirituality
of India we normally use the terms Bhartiya and Bharatvarsh. Bharatvarsh
(and its short term Bharat) is the original Sanskrit term for India;
and, that which is related to Bharatvarsh is called Bhartiya."
8) The Hindu Education Foundation's
"resources on Hinduism" page points to this website that seeks
to historify the mythical Pushpak Vimana "which could fly at the
speed of thought"!
[http://www.atributetohinduism.com/Vimanas.htm]