Understand the difference between Hindu-Rashtra (Hindu nation) and Hindu-Rajya (Hindu rule):

English translation of an article by Dr. Kaushik Chaudhary from his weekly collumn in leading Gujarati newspaper Gujarat Samachar.

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In 1893’s Chicago religious parliament, Vivekananda delivered the fundamental philosophy of Hinduism against world’s great scholars. When the entire audience was completely mesmerised by the philosophy, Vivekananda told them something this: “Don’t be scared. I am not here to convert you by saying this all. I am not here to convert a Christian into a Hindu. I’m not here to convert a Muslim into a Hindu. My Hindu philosophy doesn’t allow me to do so. I am coming from a philosophy which says that a Christian must become a better Christian, so that he can attain the truth. A muslim must be a better muslim, so that he can achieve the truth. A scientist has to become a better scientist so that he can achieve the truth. We all are projected from a singular energy and to attain that singularity and oneness is the only goal of human life. You reach there by your Christian or Muslim way, I will reach by my hindu way. On that peak of truth, we all will be together. We will be one.”

This is what Hindutva is. This is what Indian culture and Indian philosophy are. Whatever way a person has choosen, he should reach the truth on that way.  Everyone must walk on his own way towards truth and one must not impose his way to others. Truth is the goal, sects are the paths. Goal is primary, paths are secondary. This is the definition the Supreme Court of India has accepted for Hindutva, by stating “Hindutva is the core of Indian constitution”.

Thus, if any hindu says to any muslim that his prayer is more holy than the muslim’s ‘Namaz’ or the safron cloths and tilak on forehead is more pure than the white cap of muslims, then the very hindu man is breaking the ideology of Hindutva. He is not allegable to be called a Hindu. The ideology of Hindu-Rashtra (Hindu-nation), coined by many great scholars, Kings, worriers and freedom fighters in India doesn’t mean a kingdom rule by the Hindus. Hindu-Rashtra means a nation being governed by the universal thought of Hindutva. The kingdom where only Hindus rule is called ‘Hindu-Rajya’ (Hindu rule). The flag of Hindu rule is safron. The flag of Islamic rule is green. But the flag of Hindu-Rashtra (Hindu-nation) is the tricolor flag of India. The tricolor includes white color of truth and peace inbetween the safron and green color of Hindu and Islam sects. The white color belt in the middle of the flag also contains Ashok chakra which is a symbol of truth’s establishement in all directions. Thus the tricolor flag with Ashok Chakra is the real representation of Hindu-Rashtra (Hindu Nation).

Thus, there is no greater secularism possible than the universal thought of Hindutva. The ideology of secularism was born in the world as a neutral religious policy. When people from every religion and sect started to live togerher in every country, the concept of secularism was born to neutralise the tention between different believes of different religions. In secularism, religion is every individual’s personal subject. It has no relation with the state’s administration. The laws of state are common to every citizen regardless his or her religion. In some countries, religion has been consideeed so personal thing that one can not express the ideology and symbols of his or her religion in public. In one sentence, secularism was a birth of such ideology where religion was considered as evil and one had to hide it behind the doors of his house.

But the concept of Hindu-Nation is much beyond and greater than secularism. In Hindu-Nation too, the laws of the state must be common to all but here, the state herself influence every religion to go forward on his way and to evolve on the height of final truth. The thought of Hindu-Nation influences every religion to grow in such way that all the religions merge in one another at the truth of singularity. Thus in Hindu-Nation ideology, religion is the central element of human’s life, which tells him that why he is here on this earth. And without this answer, all our growth and lives are in vain. So in Hindu-Rashtra, the goal of realizing the truth is considered as the key subject and all the paths (relogions) helping us to realizing that truth are considered righteous by the administration. But any of these religions must not impose or enforce its path on other’s religion. Even If any religion believes itself better than others, that is also antagonist to the ideology of Hindu-Nation.

Hinduism is not a religion. It is a way of life. “Whole universe is projected from a singular energy. So whichever way we feel better, we have to attain that final singularity.” This is Hindu way of life. With this way of life, if muslims are shouting for allah on loudspeakers or attaining Namaz or wearing the white cap, there is no objection in Hindutva. Till the muslim is trying to reach the truth of allah by his way, he is following Hindutva only. But when he acquires the Soudi Arabian thought that – “Muslim is the only holy man and until whole world doesn’t acquire Muslim customs and muslim dressing, world will not be pured.” –  he insults Hindutva and Indian culture of universal acceptance.

The greatest Hindu worrior in 18th century India names Peshwa Bajirao, who had initiated the end of Muslim rule in India, was once asked due to his marriage to a muslim woman, “You fight against muslims and do love a muslim girl?” Bajirao had replied “Our fight is not to Muslim religion. Our fight is to the Muslim rule and their foreign thought of imposing their religion on others by attrocities”. The concept of Hindu-Nation given by King Shivaji was this only. Savarkar’s dream of Hindu-Rashtra was the same too.

But in current India, for the sake of political lust, some political parties have misinterpreted the concept of Hindu-Rashtra and presented it as a communal concept of Hindu-rule. They stretch the green color from tricolor flag to do muslim appeasement and to counter them some foolish Hindu organizations unaware from any fundamentals of Hindutva strech the safron color. As a result, the white color of peace and truth in middle is destroyed.

In Hindu-Nation, there is no objection to any religion. But, it strongly objects when any of the religions tries to say that “Only my path is the greatest for attaining the truth and rest of all are inferior”.  This thought is allean for Indian land. It is objectionable and insulting for Hindutva. This is the reason why Hindutva strongly objects religious conversion. If the philosophy and knoledge is the real weapon for the goal then what is the meaning of changing names and dressings? By changing the religion, we can just change name and dressing, not the truth of life. If any Hindu wants to go in mosqe or attain Namaz as his way of approaching supreme energy, he can do so. He can go to church, study Qoran, Bible or Geeta. Whatever he does to achieve the truth, he is following hindutva in all manner. But when he is forced to change his name from Kashiram to Karim Khan or from Jayesh Makavana to James Mackwan or from James Mackwan to Jaish Mohammad, hindutva smells the dirt of religious politics. These clever tactics of changing name and dressings can’t be a religion. It is just a politics of religion based popullation. It is just a tactic to use religions for political power and rule. This dirty politics of religious conversion has spoiled the picture of humanity all over the world. The day we will understand that all the religions and prophets of our world are our true treasure, we will understand that they all guide us in one common direction of love, selflessness and oneness. That day, we all will have equal right on every religion. There will be no conversion. And that will be the right picture of humanity on earth.

But India is not just traped in this conversion politics. In India where 80 % popullation is Hindu, muslims have special marriage laws according to Sharia. And they use it in increasing their poppulation to control Indian politics gradually. Till the uniform civil code is not introduced in India, Hindu-Nation is far away, India is not even the inferior thought of secular nation. Moreover, Hindu-Nation believes philosophy a main weapon for attaing truth. So, for the real establishment of Hindu-Rashtra, we have to bring all religion’s philosophy together and bind it in one uniform philosophy to teach the children in schools. That common uniform philosophy describing the meaning of human life will get all the people to realise that they are sharing a common truth and common goal on earth.

So, the time has come that we Indians first understand the real meaning of Hindutva and Hindu-Rashtra, so that no polititian can come to us to misinteprete it towards any extrimist side. When he come, we ourselves reply him something like this: “Yes, I am a Hindu. And that is my secularism. Hindu-Nation is not a nation of any religion. It is a nation of humanity. When entire world will understand the real meaning of that universal Hindu-Nation thought, humanity will on its way to attain the goal. Without true understanding of Hindu-Nation’s this universal approach, human race is weaponless in her path towards final truth.

-By Dr. Kaushik Chaudhary.

In his ‘Projector’ collumn, 17th January, 2016. Ravipurti, Gujarat Samachar Newspaper.

For Dr. Kaushik Chaudhary’s epic book on relaunching of Upanishads in modern language, visit his official website www.projectiontruthbykc.com