In an email to me, a keen Western scholar of eastern religions raises some important questions. Saying, “It seems to me that diversity, plurality and even relativism are hard-wired into the Hindu way of seeing the world,” he proceeds to ask:
“Does the way out of the narrow chauvinistic, supremacy-thinking that we see on the rise today in India, perhaps lie within Hinduism itself?
“Isn’t that the greatest internal contradiction to the Hindutva project? Or is this naive? Do you think that religions are always susceptible to authoritarian manipulation, no matter how tolerant their core teachings and values may be?
“Is there any qualitative difference between Hinduism as an ideological bedrock which sets it apart from the more absolutist tendencies of Abrahamic faiths and makes it less susceptible to being fused with nationalist ideology?
“It is very noticeable that the rise of authoritarian nationalist ideologies across the world today is so often, perhaps always, allied to religion -- Erdogan, Orban, even Putin and Trump somehow (!) seem to use and co-opt religion into their mass appeal.
“But is Hinduism any different? Will philosophy resist? Are there any signs of a religious leadership in India pushing back against growing intolerance and nationalism within the context of Hindu devotion?”
Let me start my response by pointing out that not Hinduism but eagerness to dominate seems to drive India’s Hindu Right and the Hindu supremacists.
This also seems to be true of similar drives elsewhere. We can ask, has the Arab-Israel conflict much or anything to do with the supposed absolutist tendencies of Abrahamic faiths? Is it not, above all, a blazing demonstration of the inability of two groups or communities (historically, in fact, two related communities) to coexist as equal and non-aggressive neighbours?
I agree that Hindu philosophy can resist the supremacy push, provided current-day Hindu thinkers invoke, underline and present that philosophy as a counter to the push to dominate. Certainly there are potent thoughts “within the context of Hindu devotion” that can aid the struggle against the supremacy push.
However, as of now there are sadly no signs of a Hindu religious leadership in India pushing back against growing intolerance and hard nationalism. Many religious Hindus are indeed troubled by the growing intolerance, but they are silent, afraid to speak out. This has to be seen as a betrayal of the Hindu heritage.
Meanwhile Hindutva champions have succeeded in persuading Hindus to see themselves as members/descendants of a race, rather than as followers of, or believers in, a set of philosophical, spiritual, or moral ideas. Their success has been helped by Hindu society’s history of valuing “birth” more than “belief”.
Broadly speaking, a Hindu is seen to be a Hindu because she was born to Hindus, not because she believes in a set of precise ideas.
Perhaps all religious groups are influenced by descent or birth or blood, but the question, “Where (or, rather, to whom) were you born?” appears to be more central to Hinduism (and perhaps to Judaism and to Zoroastrianism) than to Christianity or Islam or Buddhism, although the Buddhism of some ethnic groups in Myanmar or Sri Lanka also appears to be quite “racial” or connected to birth.
Thoughts within the context of Hindu devotion that can aid the struggle against the supremacy push are numerous. Below is one translated into English from Tulsidas’s deeply and widely loved 16th-century rendition in Awadhi (a Hindi sibling) of the old epic, Ramayana. The lines are from the epic’s Lanka Canto, and the context is this.
Rama’s ally Vibhishana (brother of Ravana, the demonic king challenged by Rama) is troubled at the contrast between Ravana’s strong chariot and the barefoot, chariot-less Rama. How can Rama vanquish so well-equipped an adversary, asks Vibhishana? Replies Rama:
“Listen, friend. The chariot that leads to victory is of another kind. Valour and fortitude are its wheels; truthfulness and virtuous conduct are its banner; strength, discretion, self-restraint and benevolence are its four horses, harnessed with the cords of forgiveness, compassion and equanimity… Whoever has this righteous chariot has no enemy to conquer anywhere.”
Containing a calm yet devastating riposte to supremacy, this verse, starting with the words Ravan rathee birath Raghubeera, is loved and recited by millions of Hindus.
Another formidable weapon that can be used by modern Hindus who cherish kindness and oppose tyranny is the story from the Bhagavat-Purana of the successful nonviolent resistance that Prahlad, a God-loving boy, offered to his cruel, powerful, and God-hating father, Hiranyakashipu.
Equally loved, known, and told in many a Hindu home is the story of the boy Dhruv who was denied his princely father’s love because of the father’s fondness for Dhruv’s stepmother. Heeding his real mother’s advice against harboring thoughts of envy or anger, Dhruv prayed to God, practised austerities, obtained a kingdom, and ended up in the heavens as the pole star. If today’s air allows them to see the night sky, Hindu parents indicate the pole star to their children and say, “There’s Dhruv!”
Bhajans or prayer songs that tell these and similar stories have been sung across India for centuries in dozens of languages, creating a climate in India for a society that rejects coercion and respects human dignity.
Whether some of Hinduism’s religious and spiritual leaders will step forward to help build such a society is the great question. In addition to recalling Hinduism’s treasures, they will also need to call out and openly reject the push for coercion, intimidation, and supremacy.