Is Bharat Really Independent?

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Is Bharat Really Independent?

By: S. Bakre

August 15th, 2005 will signify 58 years of freedom for India. Jawaharlal Nehru,

India's first prime minister gave a speech to Constituent Assembly at midnight

on August 14, 1947. "At the dawn of history India started on her unending

quest.she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave

her strength. We end today, a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself

again." His speech inspired us with ideals about a new beginning for India.

Has Bharat lived up to these ideals?

 

Although the British no longer occupy India, is Bharat really independent of

their influence?

While they were in India, we began to follow their traditions, their

philosophies, and their lifestyle. We silently allowed them desecrate our

heritage, culture and religion. Yet now, it is we, the Indians that continue to

propagate their regime. We continue to honor those that tried to destroy our

culture.

 

Perhaps the biggest tragedy has been in the area of religion. We have continued

to carry the torch for the British missionaries in their attempts to dissuade

our belief system. We continue to allow the desecration of the essence of

Bharatiya culture and tradition - the scriptures. Not only do we believe in

wrong information, we allow for the propagation of it through textbooks in

prestigious Indian schools and universities. Fictitious theories about the Aryan

invasion, the history of Indian civilization, the origin of our scared Sanskrit

language are being taught to our youth even today. Let's take one example of a

great Indian philosopher, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, President of India from 1962

- 1967. Widely renowned for his philosophical writings and lectures, he was

highly influenced by the books of the European writers who wrote about Hinduism

and the history of India. His own writings perpetuated the British belief system

rather than the knowledge of Bharatiya scriptures._*_

(http://www.thevedicfoundation.org/authentic_hinduism/is_india_really_independen\

t.htm#1)

 

 

 

For example he wrote in his book Indian Philosophy Vol.1, "Rama is only a good

and great man, a high-souled hero, who utilized the services of the aboriginal

tribes in civilizing the south, and not an avatar of Vishnu. The religion it

reflects is frankly polytheistic and external." Further, Radhakrishnan remarked

that "brahamanization of Krsna religion and elevating Vishnu as the great God

took place around 300BC." In his writings he has called the early Hindus 'the

beast,' the Divine wisdom of the Rishis 'the God-making factory,' and defined

the Vedic religion as 'the religion of

the primitive man in the world of ghosts and goblins who were only satisfied

with bloody sacrifices.' He described the teachings of the Upnishads and the

Puranas as 'speculation, myth, parables and heretical doctrines,' called

Mahabharat 'a non-Aryan epic poem' and tells that 'the higher mysticism of Yog

Darshan was mixed with drug intoxication.'

 

In fact, Hinduism, originally called Sanatan Dharm, is a universal religion

intended for the whole world, not for any specific race. The Vedic culture is

the heritage of world civilizations and we should be proud that it originated in

India, not shy away from it. The spiritual wisdom of ancient India is a gift to

mankind and we as Indians need to cherish, nurture and be proud of it.

 

Many of us want to be "like the West". We wear Western clothes, watch cable TV,

send our children to convent schools and allow them to be taught by the very

books that were authored by the British. The impressions of our freedom struggle

are from a history book in English rather than our national language Hindi or in

Sanskrit. Trousers and shirts replace traditional dress. Urban youth are shying

away from Indian culture and gravitating towards Western assimilation.

Modernization has been equated with Westernization. Somewhere along the way 150

years of the 'Raj' has definitely left its mark.

 

We have somehow lost our way towards the pursuit of independence, and have

continued to be ruled by an invisible 'Raj'. We have lost sight of our quest. We

have forgotten the ideals which gave us strength. There is still time to

change the future, to return to our roots. We can re-discover Bharat's timeless

teachings, we can change the generations to come. Perhaps the question is not

whether we have the ability to do it, but rather will we take on the challenge?

© 2004 The Vedic Foundation http://www.thevedicfoundation.org/