H I N D U I S M 

            J A I N 

          B U D D H I SM 

         S I K H I S M

            I S L A M

C H R I S T A N I T Y

The word secular is nowadays very much in vogue for all the wrong reasons. As an anti dote the term pseudo-secularism is also used with the same frequency. The interpretations of both the words depends on which side one is in the Indian political arena. Time was when secularism had only one meaning, broadly understood by all. However today it can have many meanings used suitably by all and sundry.

Secularism basically means the separation between religion and politics. Thus the government and its officials are separating themselves from religious institutions and religious preachers. In short politics and religion are not mixed and the State operates independent of religion. The State does not influence religion and in turn religion does not influence politics.

However in practice, barring a handful of countries, religion and politics do influence each other to a lesser or greater extent. By and large the results are not good for a particular community or the target community.

Background :

The term secularism was first used by the British writer George Holyoake in 1851. While the use of the word secularism was new, to distinguish the separation of religion and politics, the concept by itself can be traced back to many centuries in history. In the propagation of the idea of secularism there is no attempt to denigrate the importance of religion in a person's life or on society. It only state that the government actions should not be guided by religious beliefs of either a dominant religion or by those of a minority religion. The State must act in a religion neutral manner and thus ensure fair treatment to its citizens whether belonging to one religion or multiple religions.

Evolution :

The practice of secularism by governments is largely credited to Western governments, where eventually the Church was separated from the government. There was a time when the Church was all powerful and also used to set the political agenda. Gradually intellectuals saw the danger of this unison and started advocating the separation of the Church from government or politics. The oppression by the Church was also a driving reason for many liberals to migrate from England and other European countries to the newly discovered land of America. It was in the 17th and 18th centuries that intellectuals in Europe started questioning tradition especially in view of rapid scientific discoveries. These discoveries were overturning the centuries old held beliefs propagated on behalf of religion. One such beliefs was that the world is flat and not round or the condemnation and subsequent punishment  of Galileo by the Church for his scientific experiments. Prominent personalities like Voltaire and Isaac Newton championed the cause of Reason in the dawning Age of Enlightenment. The ideas spread in whole of Europe and its colonies. Soon it reached America where Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson got influenced by it. The result were the American Declaration of Independence, US Bill of Rights  and  the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, in particular.

The process of dissemination of the evolving ideas of secularism within and beyond Europe was greatly aided by the increasing printing of books and their distribution far and wide. The importance of scientific literature started increasing and the upper strata of society took upon these new findings liberally. Soon debating societies were set up in England and saloons in France where the evolving new ideas were debated and discussed with great fervour. The coffee houses were another favourite destination for animated discussions.

From the above emerged the concept of and need for separation of government from religion. The eighteenth century is when these concepts involved very strongly. Soon the idea of democracy being the most amenable form of government to practice secularism also gained momentum. It meant that while one was free to believe and practice one's religious beliefs these could not be used in governance. Pluralism instead of homogeneity came to be recognised as a pillar of secularism. Tolerance was another virtue enshrined in the practice of secularism.

It was a only a matter of time before these ideas reached India and attracted its intellectuals. Many Indians went to England for higher studies and saw both democracy and secularism functioning in tandem. The positive and tolerant environment and the rights enjoyed by the individuals made deep impressions on them, especially, because India was a colony of the British.

Introduction in India:

Pre-Independence

Early on in India's freedom struggle it was realized by the movement leaders, that they were seeking independence for a pluralistic, multicultural, multilingual and multi-religion population. There existed schools of thought which wanted the independent India to be declared as the country of the majority community's religion. However leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Netaji, Maulana Azad, Gaffar Khan and others were firm in their conviction that in a free India, religion and politics should be kept separate. The seeds of secularism were being planted in Indian psyche. After all, almost all the leaders of the freedom movement were educated in English language schools and many of them like Gandhi and Nehru had also studied in England and absorbed its secular ideas in their thinking.

It was therefore natural that a movement led by such secular minded leaders would strongly propagate the idea of secularism among the masses. One must also mention here that the dominant religion of Indians is Hinduism, which recognizes the plurality of its followers and is therefore democratic in its conduct. There is no founder of Hinduism but the followers keep evolving practices suitable with the times. Thus the idea of secularism appeals to a majority of Indians. It was therefore easy for the freedom movement leaders to sell the idea of secularism to the Indian masses. 

However the idea of secularism was not agreeable to a significant section of the second largest religious group, the Muslims. The chief reason was that they believed, that in a democratic India with one person one vote basis the Muslims will not be able to come to political power except in a couple of areas. This, they concluded would mean that they would be treated as second class citizens. They instead wanted proportionate block of seats as per their share in the population, reserved for them. This was not agreeable to the secular minded Congress leaders as it went against their secular beliefs. Thus Pakistan got  created on the basis of religion.

India,upon attaining freedom, adopted the democratic form of government and the right of vote was given to all its citizens. Religion and politics were to be kept separate. Nehru was seen as a champion of the principle of secularism and he became India's first Prime Minister and remained so till 1963, helping to consolidate the practice of keeping religion separate from politics.

However in course of time secularism got an Indian identity totally divorced from its original identity as the world understood it.

Post-Independence:

The towering personality of Nehru and the wide acceptance of his leadership kept the progress of non-secular forces in severe check.  Also the fact that Gandhiji was shot by a person belonging to the right wing school of thought also added to the non secularists remaining low key for a number of years. These parties were also not able to progress politically and also could not capture any significant seats in legislatures to be able to offer any meaningful opposition to the ruling Congress party all over the country.

Secularism was accepted as a guiding principle in governance by vast majority of the Indian masses. However the non-secularists, though much smaller in number, were also gradually but effectively propagating the idea that secularism in India meant appeasement of the minorities, chiefly to garner their vote during elections.

Following the death of Nehru and later on the killing of Indira Gandhi, two powerful personalities who strongly supported secularism, were no longer on the political scene. The dynastic nature of our political system meant that an inexperienced person like Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister. This was the opening the non secularists were waiting for. He did not disappoint them.

He buckled under pressure and neutralised the Supreme Court's decision in the infamous Shah Bano episode. The pressure was from Muslim fundamentalists who felt the Court decision granting alimony to a very poor divorced Shah Bano was against their religious practice. He also mishandled the temple issue at Ayodhaya to the satisfaction of non-secularists. Thus he ended up by favouring both the communities to the dissatisfaction of both, chiefly because he tried to make peace with fundamentalists on both sides. The secularists were aghast and felt betrayed. 

By the late 1980's the non-secular forces had to a large extent successfully been able to convey to increasing number of Indians that the ruling party was' under the guise of secularism, following appeasement policies towards the minorities at the expense of the feelings of the majority community. This school of thought also got support from educated youth and old alike. Polarisation of the society on religious grounds  had begun.

1990 - till date:

The Rath Yatra led by a very senior leader of the opposition party in early 1990's led to whipping up of passions and the focal point was the building of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhaya. The subsequent events leading to demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhaya and the rioting and bomb blasts thereafter are a painful chapter in our recent history. Besides leading to death and destruction, it also saw the rise of non secular forces in the country and today they are competing for political space with renewed vigour.

It is ironical that today secular forces are perceived as non secular and the latter are championing themselves as secularists. Indeed secularists are now derided as pseudo-secularists. In the process we are seeing frequent clashes between the two major communities in India. The polarisation of the society is sought to be encouraged so that votes go the desired way. Capturing power is now the mission and to hell with secular vision for the country. 

In today's understanding secularists are those who are seen as appeasing the minorities. Therefore the other side of the political coin is those who are advocating the cause of the majority community. Sandwiched in between is the Indian public which basically wants, the issue to be development, leading to jobs as one of its major concerns. In surveys also this repeatedly comes out as a major concern of the people. Yet politicians are interested in dividing the people on religion basis.

Conclusion:

Will secularism be a casualty in the Indian political system? Will the religion and politics remain separate and not interfere in each other's domain? Will the voter be able to see through the game of polarisation being played by various political parties? Secularism is one of the guiding principles of our Constitution, will it remain on paper only?

Answers to these questions will be known only when people have cast their votes and results are declared in 2014 elections. Whichever way the vote goes, there is a strong current of secularism in the country which wants religion and governance to be kept separate. The common man understands better than the politician that secularism is a long term view as against the politician who see it as a means to power either by supporting it or by weakening it.

The protagonists of secularism in Europe in the centuries gone by must have never imagined that their noble idea would be turned on its head in a country named India. But secularism is here to stay because a vast majority of the majority community supports it. It is also well understood by the minorities that it is secularism that gives then a fair and equal chance to live peacefully and participate equitably in India's growth story. Therefore they also heartily support it. The political parties also know that secularism is what will give them a peaceful opportunity to rule when they come to power. So they also support it though in a latent manner.

That secularism is a strong idea is why it becomes an issue in election after election. Politicians want use the ladder of secularism to climb to power, the right way or the wrong way.

Secularism along with democracy is what will keep India united and make it a powerful nation. So both should be strongly supported by every Indian.

Introduction

The prevalent Brahmanical system was based on hierarchical relations. Much importance was given to sacrifices and rituals. A desire for a simple religion which could be practiced without much difficulties in their daily life aroused in the minds of the common people.

Between the fourth and sixth centuries B.C. trade expanded and towns developed. There was economic prosperity. Along with traders and merchants, artisanal classes also grew up in the society. These developments contributed to the growth of unorthodox religious sects. Jainism and Buddhism were two such. These religions were patronized by the mercantile classes in opposition to Brahmanism. The oppressed classes also found in these religions a way out of their social situation. 

Jainism

Jainism was a revolt against existing Hinduism. Jainism started with lord Mahavira. But according to the jain traditions Jainism is as old as the Rig Vedic Civilization. Rihaba was their first Thirthankara and Lord Mahavira was last of the twenty fourth Thirthankaras. Lord Mahavira or Vardhamana was born in about 599 BC at Kurda grama near Vaishali in Bihar to a wealthy family. He married Yasodaand had a daughter by her. He become a monk at the age of 30 after death of his parents.

Main Teaching of Jainism 

Parasnath, the 23rd Thirthankara developed some ideas of Jainism. He opposed the worship of many gods and goddesses. He was against Yajnas and animal sacrifices. He wanted to see women occupy a place of honor in society. He laid emphasis on ahimsa, truthfulness and non-attachment.

Lord Mahavir collaborated the teaching and philosophy of Jainism and that is way he is called the real founder of Jainism.

Parasnath put forward the basic doctrines of truth, non-violence, non-possession and not to receive anything which was not voluntarily given. Lord Mahavir added bramachariya or celibacy to it. He believed that soul and matter are the two basic elements. Through continuous efforts the soul can get final liberation or moksha. He suggested the triratna- the right belief,right knowledge and right action. In his belief all objects had a soul. He rejected the authority of the Vedas and the supremacy of Brahmins.

Effects of Jainism

Jainism had its effects and influence on social, political and religious life of people. It give a serious set back to caste system. The Jains rendered many public utility services and with this the society was greatly benefited by their activities. Jains avoided eating at night and undistilled water and eating potato, onions ets. In the religious field it freed religion from becoming costly and ritualistic. The teaching of Jainism were simple and readily acceptable to the people. At the same time Jainism killed the militant spirit of the Kshatriyas.

Disappearance of Jainism

In the beginning it got much support from the common people. But gradually it begin to disappear. Many causes led to the decline of Jainism. It was not a missionary religion. Mahavira did not propagate it like Buddha. It was a type of extremist religion involving extreme type of sacrifices. In the actual life, the principles like ahimsa could not be followed and the new religion lost royal patronage. Bimbisara, Ajatasatru, King Kharavada and so on patronized Jainism but their patronage was limited to a small period of history and hence was not so effective.

Buddhism 

Origin and teaching of Buddhism

Buddhism was also founded by an illustrious kshatriya, Gautama. He was born as the son of Maya in Lumbini garden near Kapilavastu in Nepal. His father, Suddhodana was the ruler of Sakya class. Gautami, Gautam's step mother, brought up the child. He married a beautiful princess Yashodara. But seeing many disheartening scenes of sufferings, he decided to leave the world in order to find out the truth. At the age 29 he left his wife and his sol Rahul and the luxurious life in the royal palace.

After leaving his place he wandered through many places. At last, once night when he sat under a pipal tree, the light dawned on him and he become the Buddha, the enlightened one, at the age of thirty five; He decided to propagate his message to the masses. He preached to the people in the regional language. He won their heart and mind. He passed away at the age of 80 at Kusinagar in Gorakhpur District.

Introduction:

Determination and desire do not constitute the religion of soul, but the mind. Wisdom, happiness, sadness, desire, envy, care, theism and atheism are not the nature of soul. Salvation breeds no desire, but stops and relinquishes determination and desire. A man on his way to salvation is found happy and contented, completely drenched in satisfaction all over. The soul completely purified and faced off all desires and determinations slowly, but steadily moves towards salvation where no conflict of interest exists except the soul mingling with the Almighty.

Static wisdom:

Saints and seers are born with static wisdom which ordinary people don’t possess ordinarily. They also feel the pleasure and pain as we do, but the silver lining between them and us is that we get easily affected or perturbed by pleasure or pain due to our dynamic response, but they remain unmoved and unfazed by incidents of any nature because they possess static wisdom. They don’t cry at any major mishap, nor do they laugh or receive highest contentment when happiness dawns on them. Birth and death are coincidence. Whether a saint or not, anybody born in this mundane world is bound to die.

It is our response and approach to death which make it tragic. Similarly, overwhelming with joyous impatience is over-reaction and unnecessary because both the happiness and sorrow are going to overlap in life and the presence of one is inconceivable without the other. Sadness is a delusion born out of our ignorance only. Saints with static wisdom have no ignorance, no breeding and no over-response. A man with static wisdom is neither afraid of anybody, nor frowns at anybody because he is endowed with the rare qualities of containing and controlling anger, fear and ire.

Anger wrecks desire:

A chain of actions and reactions characterize human lives when confronted with a fervent desire to own something and the failures to get its possession of. Suddenly, anger wrecks desire. The more the desire, the more the tension and the more are the loss of memory. On loss of memory and the wisdom, a man is as good as a log of wood. Suppressing sense may be difficult, but, certainly, not impossible. Getting rid of the effect of the senses means getting into the arena of salvation. Sure and static intelligence is available to someone who is not volatile or a victim of the senses.

Conscientious people use their eyes and ears to see and listen to the holy and the pure even in the darkest of nights and amid loudness and disturbance. They close their eyes and ears to even sense and sound in the brilliant rays of the broad day light. On the other hand, the unconscientious people see what their eyes show them or the ears listen to without ever turning to the elevated wisdom of distinction between the good and the evil. The unconscientious people are always busy in the material aspect of life enjoying all matters to the greatest possible extent which their senses do offer.

The hidden Doer:

Saints and introspective prefer mind to matter and go for the spiritual, rather than the material. As all rivers falling into the sea do not change the size and the character of the sea, similarly, with all sense known and experienced by saint or a seer, no change in his life-style is seen or found. Desire does not breed peace, but lack of does it certainly. The man, who is not driven by the senses or overwhelmed by abundant availability of his longings, does not get overjoyed or over-awed, but gets lasting peace and ultimate salvation.

Work is worship and duty is divine. These are the ever-green, electrifying words told by Lord Krishna to Arjuna. Duty purifies the inner sole. Body has to be kept fit by food and water. The task assigned to man has to be completed with full devotion and determination and without aspiring for the outcome. Egoistic people misconceive themselves as doers. In fact, all works and deeds are pre-destined and pre-planned. The hidden Doer does all things and we just watch it done. “Ill got, ill spent”. Wife and son don’t enjoy ill-got property posthumously. The ill-earned money falls into the hands of the evil and the wicked.

However, money earned by dint of hard labor, perseverance and dutifulness stays as a keep-sake for the sons and wife to enjoy. Rebirth is due to regeneration of desire. Continuously, permanence and perpetuity are the characteristics of desire. A question may arise as to why God takes rebirth despite being away from the senses and desire. It is not in His own interest that He takes birth again and again. Nonetheless, that is not characterized as rebirth because it is for the betterment of the world that He is born. He is untouched by the mundane birth, death, tears and old age. Neither we should envy God, nor can we become one. He, who knows, “atman”, finds a way out of rebirth having direct communion and dilution with God, consequent upon which “Brahmato” (the ultimate salvation) are attained.

Conclusion:

God’s grace is manifest in the human and animal kingdom alike. Selfishness and partiality are two words which do not decorate the dictionary of God. Whosoever calls Him in distress is helped by Him depending on the manner they call Him. Offering of all types is accepted by Him and from all persons irrespective of caste, creed, sex and religion.

Ganesha Chaturthi is the day Lord Ganesha was born. On this day in countless Hindu homes across the country and in Maharashtra in particular idols of Ganesha are brought and worshipped. These are kept upto a period of ten days or less and are then immersed in the waters of ponds, lakes, rivers sea The grand immersion is on the Visarjana day. During this period cultural festivities are held everyday along with puja and arthi. The celebrations  are at its most vigorous form in the state of Maharashtra.

Ganesha is the remover of obstacles. Before any activity Hindus never fail to pray to Lord Ganesha for removal of  any obstacles. This ensures an auspicious beginning. It will be a rare Hindu home which will not have an idol or image of Ganesha in the house. Indeed Ganesha is artistically the most represented of all the Hindu Gods.

Ganesha is known by his three very popular titles of Ganpati, Vighneshwara (removal of obstacles) and Vighnakarta (creator of obstacles). As per the Ganesha Sahasranama he has a thousand titles and each represents or conveys a different meaning. Ganesha is supposed to be the Sanskrit compound of Gana meaning many and isha meaning lord or master. Thus Ganesha is the lord or master of many aspects.

Ganesha has the head of an elephant on a human body. According to one legend Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. The most enduring legend states that once when Parvati was taking a bath she asked Ganesha to stand on guard. Shiva came at that moment and wanted to meet Parvati. When Ganesha objected an angry Shiva beheaded him. when Parvati informed Shiva that it was their son Ganesha a repentant Shiva then attached the first head he saw which happened to be that of an elephant and Ganesha came back to life. Thus Ganesha is also known as Gajapati as gaja in Sanskrit means elephant. Yet another legend says that Ganesha was created by Parvati out of sandalwood paste that she used for her bath and breathed life into the created figure.

Ganesha is also known as Ekdanta as one of his tusks is broken. He is also known as Lambodara because of his pot belly or hanging belly. Ganesha is also known as Pille in Tamil language. In Burmese language Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne and in Thailand is known as Phri Phikanesuan. In Sri Lanka he  is known as Aiyanayaka deviyon and Gana deviyon.

Ganesha is also known as the creator and destroyer of obstacles and he is also respected and  worshiped  as the Lord of learning. Thus one of his names is Budhipriya or the lover of intelligence. The concepts of Buddhi (intellectual power), Siddhi (spritual power)and Riddhi (prosperity) are also associated with Ganesha.

it is interesting to note that the transport or the vahana of Ganesha is the tiny mouse or musaka in sanskrit. It is said that Ganesha can reach everywhere just as the mouse can do. nothing will escape Ganesha's attention. The tiny mouse is always shown placed at the feet of Ganesha.

It was the freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak who popularised the celebration of Ganesha Chaturthi as a public event from 1893 onwards. He saw in it an opportunity to bring all caste of Hindus on one platform and also propagate  the message of fight for freedom from the British. It was he who started the practice of installation of large size idols at public places and their subsequent immersion in rivers, ponds etc. on the tenth day after Ganesha Chaturthi. Since then it has turned into an annual ritual  celebrated with lots of colour, gaiety, music and vigour by Hindus all over the country and abroad. Thus a private puja became a public event bringing all classes of people together.

Ganesha is the most popular of the Hindu gods and is liked by young and old alike, The cry of Ganpati bapa Mourya, Pudhchya Varshi Loukar Ya reverberates throughout on the Visarjana day.

The day of Visarjana especially in the city of Mumbai. People walk milres along with the huge idols to the place of immersion. There is dance and music all the way with liberal sprinkling of colour by the bystanders. It is a spectacle worth watching and taking part in.

The non sectarian god Lord Ganesha is truly the most lovable and the least controversial of all the gods in Hinduism. Painters and sculptors like him a lot and have made hundreds of artistic images and idols of Ganesha. There hardly will be an automobile in the country which will not have Ganesha in it to remove all the obstacles in the journey. In life's journey also Ganesha clears the way for us. Jai Ganesha.

Image from Wikimedia