Ancient Wisdom

India is a paradox for foreigners who care to study it. Some of them often wonder why India does not show pride in its rich heritage. They feel that Indians berate themselves despite their achievements and lack true nationalism. To them, India is a young nation still coming to terms with its realities perhaps even bogged down by a turbulent past. They also wonder why Hindus often champion Muslim or Christian causes with such enthusiasm sometimes even to the detriment of their own. What they do not realise is that India is not a young child establishing its new identity who must first reject all that is alien and reclaim its rightful place.

India has in spite of all its sufferings not lost its continuity from the ancient times and is ever the wise mother who cuddles in her lap the eldest child Hindu, the youngest child Muslim and all the other sons and daughters. If she appears to be kinder to the youngest, it is only because she knows in her infinite wisdom that it is the most fragile. She has much hope and trust in her eldest, the wise one, whom she expects to be a shining example capable of carrying even the youngest on its wings. It is this karuna (compassion) and dharma of the eldest that is often mistakenly perceived as weakness by westerners but its tolerance flows not from frailty but a higher source of strength, justice, and steady vision rooted in true knowledge of the Vedas (sacred texts of Hinduism). Only the strongest can look inward and laugh at their own defects while extolling the virtues of others. The younger children must in turn imbibe from the eldest that knowledge, the most ancient of all that is the aim of life and only then will their own wisdom be complete.

Now we come to the youngest, the Muslim. The Quran contains within it the exhortation to study and learn past scriptures. Thus every Muslim is obligated to learn the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, etc. I write this only because Islam is now a much misunderstood and maligned religion even amidst some of the most learned. The teachings in Islam if properly understood is a continuation of the ancient knowledge, a reaffirmation of all that came before. In truth, it claims not to be a new religion but only an extension. Allah is only the Arabic word for Almighty God, eternal and absolute and not any new name and as the Quran says all beautiful names belong to him. Is not Brahman the most beautiful of names? Thus at its core, there is no essential Hindu-Muslim conflict in ideology.

Selfish people in search of power have always corrupted religion, dividing men and causing inordinate suffering. This truth is grasped by our Hindu brethren unlike most of the Western world which does not understand the basic unity and spirituality underlying all religions and so India is the country that treats Muslims the best. I must also add one more thing because I am truly afraid. If the misconceptions about Islam continue to be propagated around the world by both terrorists and clueless western intellectuals, there might soon be great violence against innocent Muslims who are caught in between them. I have read Islamic and Hindu scriptures quite extensively and I earnestly state that there is nothing in both that encourages violence. It is merely a spiritual and moral guide.

Unfortunately in the hands of mischievous men, the most sacred of symbols and teachings get denigrated through misrepresentation and deliberate association with violence. Did not Aurobindo (Indian sage) grieve at the usage of the Swastika by the Nazis? Muslims grieve about the loss of the sanctity of noble words like Jihad, Islam, Mujahid, Muslim, etc. to such an extent that now being a Muslim has become synonymous with being a terrorist in certain parts of the world. If in India such paranoia has ceased to exist, it is because we know the truth and the Brahmins, the most learned men of India have taken the time and effort to study the Quran and found it to be true and in accordance with Sanatana (eternal) Dharma (right way of living). It is because of this magnanimity and clarity of thought that we have assimilated ancient wisdom with the new. It is because of this that India is the magnificent smorgasbord of plurality that defies logic.