Future of RSS, Hindutva and BJP

BJP is in turmoil these days.  It is going through an internal struggle within itself, which is heartening, rejuvenating, if done well, and damning to many things that have come up in their stable.

With BJPs existence is the issue of RSS and also of Hindutva.

RSS & Hindutva and its relevance

I believe, that beginnings of RSS were on the right lines and the need of the hour at that time.. but the way it was out-foxed by Nehru and party, and then it remained in denial about the change in situation on the ground.. took it to where it is today.  Every organization has to sync up with its own environment.  RSS was primarily a group/network that prophesed “Hindu Ethos” and fought for Hindu rights in the aftermath of “Direct Action Day” that Jinnah & Party pertpetrated in 1946-47.  That gave it legitimacy.  Its contemporary rise with Arya Samaj movement and cross germination, gave it the spiritual/religious underpinning and popularity as well as a reformist zeal.

Over the years, Shakha – or the morning exercise assembly, became an important element of RSS and something that inculcated movement for physical well being.  Just as Arya Samaj prophesed, RSS pracharaks also understood that only harping of “Spiritual Enlightenment” in a physical world will not cut it.  A person needed all-round development – Physical well-being, education excellence and Political awareness.

But as time went on.. and the banning of Jan Sangh and RSS was used by Nehru to ensure a virtual monopoly on Indian politics, while dividing the largest voting community – especially by encouraging anti-national traitors in the Communist parties (who were arrested for betrayal of India in Indo-China War).  Over the years, RSS became a reaction to that negative campaign and actions.  It did not rejuvenate itself.

Parallels with Arya Samaj

Also, it is important to note that Arya Samaj itself, which was a reformist movement (which is what gave it a romantic image), somehow lost steam.  In trying to contemprorize Vedas and Vedic philosophy, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, in my view, completely ignored the rich and VERY powerful spiritual philosophical heritage of Vedanta.  While he was right in challenging the pundits of the day on the useless rituals, but instead of understanding the genesis of those practices and trying to segregate the wheat from the chaff.. he through both in to the ocean.

For example, the power in Vedic chants and Mantras comes from the fact that they are in a language that was discovered in an attempt to link the sound vibrations with the energy vibrations of a form.  This is why Sanskrit is said to be a “discovered” language.. and NOT a created language.  Mantras, chants, and shlokas have a power due to the energy that these utterings create.  The temples were built by consecrating those places with appropriate Yantras and meditations.  That Power/Energy of Intention can be stored (and transported) and used to change physicality has now been reliably and scientifically proven.  It is also believed that a cylindrical structure best stores such energy levels for a longer time.

Also, important and repeated ad nauseum in Hindu tradition is the fact that Guru’s seed/ blessing is important for spiritual progress.  Now, that is because Yogic tradition has been of Shruti… which means spreading by spoken word.  Since words were important… their correct pronunciation was critical!  That is why Vedas and other scriptures were NOT written for a long time, as that may have distorted the pronunciation part.  And more importantly, Guru’s “seed” that was needed to use the energy of these chants would not be there if one just took the books and started practicing.  That is why, I am convinced, that scriptures and Vedas specifically remained in the hands of few.  However, the traditions became diluted and the main spiritual element got disturbed in a way that this assumed a form of passing the “word” in your own family itself.. and making it a straitjacket.. such that caste became linked to it.  But if you see the earlier Rishis Valmiki etc.. they were not Brahmans.

Now, if one looked at the Brahmanism critically and the practice of not sharing Vedas a little closely, one would be VERY careful before opening it to all without adequate instruction and attending spiritual guidance.  But Swami Dayanand Saraswati went the other side in a rapid manner without much critical thought.  His zeal was of a reformist.  Not a Vedic Rishi’s.  And in his reformist zeal which was cloaked in religious re-engineering he was steadfast and unflinching.  He entertained no opposition and no criticism.  So, irrespective of their merit, scriptures other than Vedas were thrown out of the window.  Scriptures that alluded to Advaita concept, even those which pre-dated Vedas, were invalidated and not followed in Arya Samaj.. and looked down upon (Yoga Vasistha being one).  Concept of Shakti or Goddess was also thrown out of the window along with other devotional forms, making the religious concept that remained a very male dominated landscape.

Why is it important to understand this?

It is because, that is how RSS has progressed as well.  It completely ignored the VERY powerful spiritual backdrop of Hinduism, which was stripped off its ideology over the years.  What remained in popular Hinduism was a hotch-potch of Arya Samaj led evangelist zeal and what came to be called as Sanatan Dharma led ritualistic zeal… and RSS came to somehow represent both.

The power of Vedanta, the wisdom of Adi Shankara, the brilliance of Krishna, the spiritual traditions of luminaries like Ramana Maharishi, Vivekananda, Krishnamurti, etc. were all forgotten or never discussed.  RSS became a mockery of Hindu greatness in that it harped on popular Hindu/Vedic caricatures and did not care about the profound backdrop of Vedanta/Krishna/Spiritualists etc.

The power of Hinduism is the latitude it provides to various thinkers and traditions.  If RSS really wanted to look after the Hindu interests, then it should have played the role of a facilitator between the different traditions so as to become a water-hole where every tradition could meet and enrich itself from the other using civil dialog.  But instead, RSS became a house of ideologues and failed Gurus and fake saints.  Those who had not understood even the basics of Vedanta or what Krishna offered, began a career in religion by wearing saffron and making money.  Political clout through RSS helped.

RSS needs to come out of this mess.

The most CRITICAL element of RSS has to be to become a facilitator of different traditions and create a churning that Vedic Rishis did to move from one profound thought/idea to another with careful and deep debate.  Without taking sides, RSS has to encourage cross germination and mutual dialog within the various traditions, which although don’t fight and are for most part respectful of each other anyways.. nevertheless have blinkers around their eyes of their view of the world.

The other important element is to be a champion for the Hindus across the world.  Now, to do that, one has to understand the philosophy of Obama.  Way of George Bush was of thrusting his mind on others.  Obama’s doctrine is to listen and see what issues people have and then facilitate to solve them.  THAT’s what RSS needs to do!   LISTEN!  It needs to organize sessions, townhalls, and meetings to understand what common HINDU – practising and otherwise – thinks of what needs to be done to improve Hinduism as it is today.  It definitely has to be led by someone who understands all the viewpoints and is well-learned in all scriptures and traditions for it needs credibility.

So, RSS needs deep re-engineering.  If the baggage that RSS has acquired over the years would not help it, then let there be a new organization.  But the old ways of just reactionary and ideological politics and religious mess will not work.

Hindutva is also in the same boat.  In popular semantic, its a “me-too” definition to other religious ideologies.  It needs a complete over-haul.  Some people, while articulating it, have done so well.  But the perceptions have been totally different.  In practice by those groups, the reformist element of doing charity and good for the poor and needy has been completely missing.

There are ostensibly one billiion Hindus in India and the world over…. but how many organizations even do good, open hospitals, schools, old age homes, orphanages for the poor and needy amongst those One Billion??

If Hindutva cannot help those who swear by Hinduism in one way or another, then how can it resonate with them and others?

BJP’s Re-engineering

BJP is a political organization.  It has oscillated between ideological radical and Congress “me-too” organization over the years in an attempt to become a national power.  But this is hurting it now.  The need of the hour in Indian politics is for a completely fresh wave of thought.  A freshness of thinking and action.  The debate has be changed… completely!

That is what BJP should be all about.  Over the years, its youth has not contributed much.  As much as it needs to acknowledge and promote the profound and spiritual philosophical background of Vedas/Vedanta etc… it has to interpret all that in the new politicial scenario and world dynamic.

If BJP wants to be relevant in the future – say next 100 years – then it needs a complete overhaul.  It has to attract wise, youthful, brilliant, intellectual and respected statemen and women who are thinkers and doers so the future debate can be framed properly and BJP can lead it.

This will require hard work and a very deep introspection.