WHO IS A HINDU?
The title of this is somewhat akin to the question that was asked and tried to be answered by the great journalist CHO S Ramaswamy,editor of Thuglak. He asked the question "Where is the Brahmin?" and wrote a full blown novel based on this question to try to answer the question. The similarity ends there. There is not much any one has not tried to explain in the past that I am trying to answer. It is another feeble attempt that enables me to spend the time to generate a topic for discussion in the social media. With this proviso, let me take you into the following write up.
In the past, one can very comfortably conclude that India had not been a single nation. There was Gandhara in the north west which is presently in Afghanistan known as Kandahar to Chera kingdom adjoining the western sea and Pandya kingdom adjoining the eastern sea in the southern peninsula. Thus the present day India was divided into many small kingdoms and these were in existence with different names even at the time of the advent of Europeans into the country for trade and later established their rule over the country. The kingdoms were very rich with many learned persons and wealthy merchants criss-crossing the country for spreading the knowledge, showcasing their skills for getting rewards from the kings or for trade. The traders went as far away as Arabia in the middle-east to present day Indonesia in the far east. The traders brought horses from the middle-east, strong teak wood and other trade-able commodity from the far east. The kingdoms set up ambassadorial relations with some of the kingdoms in the far east. Thus the country was having lots of small kingdoms who were constantly in war with each other to subjugate the other to make them vassal states of the victorious kingdom. A parallel can be drawn to the European kingdoms and also the smaller kingdoms in the present day Britain. When the Greeks started the trade with the country, they had to rely on the land route crossing over the mountain ranges in the north west of the country. They had to cross the the rivers across the plains to reach the trading posts in the country. One of the mighty rivers used for inland navigation was the Sindhu. Therefore, the traders who came from middle east and Greece called the land beyond this river as Sindhu and the people in this area were referred to as Hindus.
In the vedic times, the time was divided into four separate yugas or time-periods. The first of it was called Satya Yuga, the second Krita Yuga, the third the Dwapara Yuga and the last Kali Yuga. The people were divided into four varnas based on the work they were doing. The person who learnt and taught Vedas was known as Brahmin, the person who was guarding the cities and taking arms to fight was known as Kshatriya, the person who was trading in goods was known as Vyshya and the person who was working in the farmlands was known as Shudra. There was no strict distinction among these four varnas. Any one can become another by adopting to the stipulations and learning the required skills and lessons. Thus a Kshatriya could easily become a Brahmin or a Brahmin could become a Kshatriya or a Vyshya. A Shudra also could be a Brahmin or Kshatriya learning the required lessons and skills for becoming one. There are enough examples for such transfers based on further learning and adaptations. Vishwamitra who was born in a Royal family learnt the Vedas and became a Brahmin and Drona who was born to brahmin parents learnt archery and warfare and became a warrior. All the first three varnas viz. Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas were supposed to wear the sacred thread as they had to learn from Vedas the required lessons for continuing with the chosen area. The person belonging to the Shudra varna was not required to wear the sacred thread as it would hamper his work in the farmland and it was not mandatory for him to learn from the Vedas. However, if one wanted to learn from the Vedas, it was mandatory to wear the sacred thread. Wearing the sacred thread did not mean anything except that he is a student learning from Vedas. But over a period of time with the change in the time-periods from one to another there had been lots of watering down of all these and instead of it being a symbol of a student of learning from Vedas, it has become an identity to a particular class of people. The classification of people also based on the work they were doing had become identified with their birth. There had been rebellion against the strict religious rituals within the fold and new religions came up. With the migration of people of different faith since the beginning of new era, the religious fabric of the country had undergone a great metamorphosis. Many people had opted for the new religion by force, out of fear for their life, or simply by the lure of lucre. Presently the country is a cesspool of people professing various religions cohabiting peacefully without much religious conflicts except some sporadic incidents in some corner of the country.
Be that as it may, in the recent times, in the last fifty years before, it may even be a practice now, the gold-smiths, the iron-smiths, the carpenter, the oil merchants etc. apart from Brahmins were wearing the sacred thread. Of late, wearing the sacred thread is identified mostly with only Brahmins. But does wearing a sacred thread make one a Hindu? Does not wearing a sacred thread make one a non Hindu? Does one become a Hindu by birth in that community or by adoption of the stipulations imposed on a Hindu? All these questions come to mind if one goes by the latest developments in the country. It may not pass the test if you strictly apply the rules and requirements for wearing the sacred thread to make one a Hindu if he starts wearing one. For one to be a HIndu, a person need not wear a sacred thread or a mark on his forehead. For one to be a HIndu, person need not be a theist or worshiping in the temples. For one to be a Hindu, he should be born to the parents who profess by the ideals of Hindu, understand the stipulations, and live by the ideals stipulated for being a Hindu.
The political game that is going on in the country with the VP of GOP born to parents of mixed religious beliefs (the religious beliefs of his father is uncertain), claim to be a HIndu and his followers go a step further that he is a Janeudhari Hindu (Hindu wearing a sacred thread) in the process ridiculing the very concept of the sacred thread. Does not visiting a temple every day make one a non Hindu? The faith that is followed by majority of the people in the country do not insist that one has to visit the temple everyday or even on festival days. In that background, it is hilarious for a leader of the GOP to ask whether the prime minister visits a temple daily to confirm that he is a Hindu.
The leaders who were the founding fathers of the nation and its constitution had carefully kept the religion out of the context and left it to the individual to choose and practice. But of late the religion and its practitioners are making a beeline to bring it to the center stage of the polity. It demands the highest level of condemnation from one and all be it in politics or outside to denounce the mixing of religion and state. The attempts of the fringe elements and even main political parties to use the religion to suit their political gains, has to be condemned in the strongest terms possible. The main political party ruling the country for over five decades had favoured people of one religion over the other since independence and bestowed some special favours on them. These attempts of the political parties started creating a friction in the society and the socio-relgious fabric of the country was getting torn in the process. It is a fond hope of almost all Indians that the present administration corrects this imbalance and bring a sense of belonging and a peaceful living with all the people of all religion to all Indians.
In the vedic times, the time was divided into four separate yugas or time-periods. The first of it was called Satya Yuga, the second Krita Yuga, the third the Dwapara Yuga and the last Kali Yuga. The people were divided into four varnas based on the work they were doing. The person who learnt and taught Vedas was known as Brahmin, the person who was guarding the cities and taking arms to fight was known as Kshatriya, the person who was trading in goods was known as Vyshya and the person who was working in the farmlands was known as Shudra. There was no strict distinction among these four varnas. Any one can become another by adopting to the stipulations and learning the required skills and lessons. Thus a Kshatriya could easily become a Brahmin or a Brahmin could become a Kshatriya or a Vyshya. A Shudra also could be a Brahmin or Kshatriya learning the required lessons and skills for becoming one. There are enough examples for such transfers based on further learning and adaptations. Vishwamitra who was born in a Royal family learnt the Vedas and became a Brahmin and Drona who was born to brahmin parents learnt archery and warfare and became a warrior. All the first three varnas viz. Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas were supposed to wear the sacred thread as they had to learn from Vedas the required lessons for continuing with the chosen area. The person belonging to the Shudra varna was not required to wear the sacred thread as it would hamper his work in the farmland and it was not mandatory for him to learn from the Vedas. However, if one wanted to learn from the Vedas, it was mandatory to wear the sacred thread. Wearing the sacred thread did not mean anything except that he is a student learning from Vedas. But over a period of time with the change in the time-periods from one to another there had been lots of watering down of all these and instead of it being a symbol of a student of learning from Vedas, it has become an identity to a particular class of people. The classification of people also based on the work they were doing had become identified with their birth. There had been rebellion against the strict religious rituals within the fold and new religions came up. With the migration of people of different faith since the beginning of new era, the religious fabric of the country had undergone a great metamorphosis. Many people had opted for the new religion by force, out of fear for their life, or simply by the lure of lucre. Presently the country is a cesspool of people professing various religions cohabiting peacefully without much religious conflicts except some sporadic incidents in some corner of the country.
Be that as it may, in the recent times, in the last fifty years before, it may even be a practice now, the gold-smiths, the iron-smiths, the carpenter, the oil merchants etc. apart from Brahmins were wearing the sacred thread. Of late, wearing the sacred thread is identified mostly with only Brahmins. But does wearing a sacred thread make one a Hindu? Does not wearing a sacred thread make one a non Hindu? Does one become a Hindu by birth in that community or by adoption of the stipulations imposed on a Hindu? All these questions come to mind if one goes by the latest developments in the country. It may not pass the test if you strictly apply the rules and requirements for wearing the sacred thread to make one a Hindu if he starts wearing one. For one to be a HIndu, a person need not wear a sacred thread or a mark on his forehead. For one to be a HIndu, person need not be a theist or worshiping in the temples. For one to be a Hindu, he should be born to the parents who profess by the ideals of Hindu, understand the stipulations, and live by the ideals stipulated for being a Hindu.
The political game that is going on in the country with the VP of GOP born to parents of mixed religious beliefs (the religious beliefs of his father is uncertain), claim to be a HIndu and his followers go a step further that he is a Janeudhari Hindu (Hindu wearing a sacred thread) in the process ridiculing the very concept of the sacred thread. Does not visiting a temple every day make one a non Hindu? The faith that is followed by majority of the people in the country do not insist that one has to visit the temple everyday or even on festival days. In that background, it is hilarious for a leader of the GOP to ask whether the prime minister visits a temple daily to confirm that he is a Hindu.
The leaders who were the founding fathers of the nation and its constitution had carefully kept the religion out of the context and left it to the individual to choose and practice. But of late the religion and its practitioners are making a beeline to bring it to the center stage of the polity. It demands the highest level of condemnation from one and all be it in politics or outside to denounce the mixing of religion and state. The attempts of the fringe elements and even main political parties to use the religion to suit their political gains, has to be condemned in the strongest terms possible. The main political party ruling the country for over five decades had favoured people of one religion over the other since independence and bestowed some special favours on them. These attempts of the political parties started creating a friction in the society and the socio-relgious fabric of the country was getting torn in the process. It is a fond hope of almost all Indians that the present administration corrects this imbalance and bring a sense of belonging and a peaceful living with all the people of all religion to all Indians.
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