[world-vedic] A spiritual dose for Bin Laden

[Guest guest]

A spiritual dose for Bin Laden

By Nikhat Kazmi

 

NEW DELHI: Who's afraid of Osama Bin Laden and his brand of terrorism?

Not our religious leaders at least. For, even as politicians are still

devising ways and means to handle this new threat, the Dharmacharyas

have come up with a novel plan.

 

``Keval parmanu bomb banane se kya raksha ho sakti hai? Agar aatank ko

mitana hai to prem bomb banana chahiye (there can hardly be any

protection with a nuclear bomb. If we want to eradicate terrorism, we

have to make a love bomb),'' states Sankaracharya Swami Madhavnand

Saraswati, secretary, Vishwa Kalyan Parishad.

 

Addressing a joint press conference with religious leaders from the

Jamaat Islami, the Sikh and the Christian community on Thursday, the

Sankaracharya presented a blueprint for action. ``If Bin Laden's threat

is real, the government should make arrangements to send me as a

Shantidoot (messenger of peace). I shall present before him our

proposal for world peace. Unlike a Sarkaridoot (official messenger), I

am not scared of death. Simply because a sanyasi is willing to lay his

life for desh and dharma,'' he stated. But first, they should ask Bin

Laden if he is actually targeting our country. ``Agar mahanubhav koi

ghoshna nahin karte (if the gentleman doesn't make a statement), we

should believe he is a threat,'' he averred.

 

Needless to say, the religious leaders feel it is time for the

politicians to take a back seat. ``Kya desh netaon se bachta hai?

Nahin. Desh Dharmatmaon se bachta hai, shaheedon se bachta hai (can

politicians save a country? No. A country can be saved by religious

leaders, by martyrs),'' the Sankaracharya declared. Swami Agnivesh too

feels it is time for religious leaders to stop limiting themselves to

rituals alone and begin to work for the ``well-being of the country.''

 

But can terrorism be combated through spirituality? ``What's the point

of combating terrorism? We've got to change the heart of the

aatankwaadi (terorist). And that can only be done by religious leaders,

not politicians,'' elucidated the Shankaracharya.

 

The religious leaders strongly protested the labelling of Laden's

threat as a form of ``Islamic terrorism''. According to them, aatank

(terrorism) is just aatank. It has no religion. ``Aatank can never be

Hindu, Sikh, Islamic or Christian. Neither can Hindu dharma nor

Hindustan be against Islam,'' the Shankaracharya proferred.

 

For Shafi Munis, vice-president Jamaat-Islami, Laden is merely a

``pareshan karne wala aadmi'' (irksome character) who doesn't head a

government, nor does he maintain an army. ``The only way to counter his

terrorism is talks about shanti (peace) and aman,'' said Munis.

 

So, what's the action plan? These religious leaders propose to go on a

peace walk on Saturday to propagate their message of peace.