Review: HINDUISM: TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS

HINDUISM: TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS

Splendour
October 2008

REVIEW BY M. Hanumantha Rao, Senior Consultant,
C.P. Brown Academy, Hyderabad

Hinduism: Triumphs and Tribulations by S.K. Kulkarni Published by: Indus Source Books, PB No.6194,
Malabar Hill Port, Mumbai 400 006.
pp 319, Rs 299.00

Hinduism, India's sanatana dharma, is a much- misunderstood religion. It is disappointing that the misunderstanding is the greater among Hindus themselves. That it is not a religion in the conventional sense but more a way of life does make it more complex than other world religions. Sanathana dharma happens also to be multi dimensional and accommodates many divergent beliefs, points of view, and systems of philosophical thought some of which are apparently contradictory. This multi dimensionality and diversity makes Hinduism some times confusing.

Its tenets are not set down in any one holy book, compiled by any one prophet. They are to be found in an array of ancient Sanskrit texts, handed down over centuries through the oral tradition. Many texts have been lost. Quite a few are incomplete. They have been compiled by different seers, belonging to vastly different periods in history. That the texts are in Sanskrit, which has long since ceased to be a spoken or popularly understood language has not helped matters. Religious teachers and opinion leaders speak in different voices.

Over the 500 period that the Vedic religion has been in existence, it went through many vicissitudes and upheavals. It has been through cycles of glorious periods alternating with long periods of decline. The centuries of rule by the Muslim sultans and, after them, the Moguls enervated it. It tended to decline into an obscurantist ritualism, marked by many irrational and exploitative practices. Perverse misinterpretations and popular inability to distinguish between the core tenets and the peripheral elements of its religious thought have dogged Hinduism. Repeated attacks and vandalizing of Hindu places of worship also left the religion deeply scarred.

The years of the British rule were less overtly oppressive by comparison but Western education and Westernization of society caused Hinduism even greater damage. The more the members of the Hindu society embraced Western mores and lifestyles, the more they alienated themselves from the Hindu way of life.

Surprisingly, the Westernization of h society did not only not stop with the country becoming independent but, for various reasons, continued at a much more accelerated pace after 1947. Indian children, exposed to secular Western style education in their formative years could find neither the time nor the opportunity to learn about their own religion. The result is that today most Hindus have only a very hazy idea of religion and are generally very poorly informed about what Hinduism is all about. Indeed, they tend to be diffident and apologetic about the many supposed evils and inadequacies of Hinduism (polytheism, superstition, caste system, primitive rituals, retrograde and irrational customs and practices etc.)

Books like the one under review would be immensely useful to modern day Hindus, young and old, to improve their understanding of Hinduism. The author combines his deep love for Hinduism with a balanced and analytical approach to its strengths and weaknesses. His analysis of issues is refreshingly free from dogmatism and presented in a crisp, clear and forthright manner. The book is thoughtfully planned.

The first part of the book provides an overview of the origin and evolution of Hinduism. Spanning about a third of the book's length, this chapter traces the evolution of Hinduism from pre-historic times to the modern day. It is a cogent account, studded with many apt and appropriate quotes from the Hindu scriptures. The chapter is also embellished with many insightful observations drawn from the works of great Sons of India., such as, Lokamanya Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Radhakrishnan. Against this backdrop, the author proceeds to discuss, in detail, issues such as casteism and untouchability, idol worship and religious conversions.

The author's analysis of the caste system and untouchability over the years is fair and balanced. The author does not mince words in referring to the evils of casteism and untouchability as 'a blot on humanity and Hinduism'. He shows that it is wrong to assume that the caste system as it is practiced today existed from the commencement of the Hindu religion. It is an aberration picked up along the way by a misinterpretation of the spirit of the scriptures by power-hungry and petty-minded busybodies. The aberration was highlighted and exploited by some Muslim rulers and the British for their own divide-and-rule purposes.

In the long essay on religious conversions, the author provides a frank and forthright analysis of the issue and makes an impassioned plea that ‘a ban on conversions is absolutely necessary in the interest of peace and religious harmony.'

Another interesting issue covered by the author in detail in the book is secularism. Says the author: 'If India is to progress as a truly democratic nation, both in letter and spirit, the people irrespective of religious affiliation have to break the shackles of dogmas and prejudices which have brought only miseries. A great responsibility rests on the Hindus who constitute 85% of the population and who by tradition and culture are secular. They must first eradicate their own evil practices like casteism and social inequalities and expose selfish Hindu leaders who do not hesitate to discredit Hinduism by calling it communal. India cannot be truly democratic and secular unless the minority communities join the main stream.'

Every single page in the book reflects the author's deep love for Hinduism and his yearning for a strong, prosperous and progressive India. The book is beautifully produced and very reasonably priced.