A Vision of United India

Chapter 11

Hindu-Muslim unity

At the same time attempts will have to be made to bring the two communities together and solve the Hindu-Muslim problem on a permanent basis. The question is: On what basis do we solve the problem? We could be guided by this quotation from Sri Aurobindo:

"Of one thing we may be certain, that Hindu-Muslim unity cannot be effected by political adjustments or Congress flatteries. It must be sought deeper down in the heart and in the mind, for where the causes of disunion are there the

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remedies must be sought. We shall do well in trying to solve the problem to remember that misunderstanding is the most fruitful cause of our differences, that love compels love and that strength conciliates the strong. We must strive to remove the causes of misunderstanding by a better mutual knowledge and sympathy; we must extend the unfaltering love of the patriot to our Mussulman brother, remembering always that in him too Narayana dwells and to him too our Mother has given a permanent place in her bosom; but we must cease to approach him falsely or flatter out of a selfish weakness and cowardice. We believe this to be the only practical way of dealing with the difficulty. As a political question the Hindu-Muslim problem does not interest us at all, as a national problem it is of supreme importance. We shall make it a main part of our work to place Mohammed and Islam in a new light before our readers to spread juster views of Mohammedan history and civilization, to appreciate the Musulman's place in our national development and the means of harmonizing his communal life with our own, not ignoring the difficulties that stand in the way of the possibilities of brotherhood and mutual understanding. Intellectual sympathy can only draw together; the sympathy of the heart can alone unite. But the one is a good preparation for the other".

What are the steps to be taken to fulfil this goal? Here we shall see that it has to be a multi-pronged approach. Some steps have to be taken both in the political field and some others in the deeper cultural and religious and spiritual fields.

In this attempt, the central appeal has to come from the cultural leaders of both the communities. They will have to bring forward the deeper Indian ethos, the characteristic Indian and Hindu spirit, which is intrinsically tolerant of all religions and not theocratic like some of the present day Muslim states. This ethos will give all minorities their civic dues but will not keep pampering them out of fear of losing their votes. And it will insist on a common civil code as indispensable to a genuine secularism, a code for all communities which will override whenever necessary in the interests of the whole country, the code peculiar to each community. That ethos will also do away with the current custom of special reservation of seats in parliament on a communal or else caste basis. No communities or castes should be recognized. All citizens will be Indians and they will be members of parliament by popular election according to their merit. Equal opportunities will be given to all elements of the nation to progress and share in the guidance of the country.

On the deeper cultural and religious plane, we have to reinterpret Islam and all other religions in their true historical perspective. In that context, a university should be

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set up with the aim of studying all religions and synthesising them. The Institute of National Integration run by the Army in Pune, can be a good example. In fact, this institution may be converted into the proposed University.

However, one thing must be made clear and has to be emphasised strongly that the uniqueness of India lies in its spirituality. Spirituality is the very essence and purpose of India's existence. On this issue there can be no compromise. In this context, here is a portion of a letter from Sri Aurobindo: "As for the Hindu-Muslim affair, I saw no reason why the greatness of India's past or her spirituality should be thrown into the waste paper basket in order to conciliate the Muslims who would not at all be conciliated by such a stupidity. What has created the Hindu-Muslim split was not Swadeshi, but the acceptance of the communal principle by the Congress, (here Tilak made his great blunder), and the further attempt by the Khilafat movement to conciliate them and bring them in on wrong lines. The recognition of that communal principle at Lucknow made them permanently a separate political entity in India which ought never to have happened; the Khilafat affair made that separate political entity an organised separate political power. It was not Swadeshi, Boycott, National Education, Swaraj (our platform) which made this tremendous division, how could it? Tilak was responsible for it not by that, but by his support of the Lucknow affair - for the rest, Gandhi did it with the help of his Ali brothers".

If these steps are taken with sincerity and steadfastness, one can prepare the ground for graduating from Religion to Spirituality. For that is the only way to overcome the religious divide and bring about the full development of India's destiny. For although religion has been a very powerful factor in human life, there have been historically some serious shortcomings in its practice. It is these shortcomings that have given the occasion and opportunity for the revolt against religion. However, in India it is impossible to eliminate religion for it is a very powerful and dynamic force. Let us now look at the deficiencies of religion in this light.

The shortcomings of religion

The study of history shows that us that religion as a guide of human society has had some serious shortcomings.

First, we see that in the past it has often stood in the way of the development and growth of philosophy and science. The records of History show how the Christian Church burned a Giordano Bruno, imprisoned a Galileo, and so generally misconducted itself in this matter that philosophy and science had in self-defence to turn upon Religion and rend her to pieces in order to get a free field for their legitimate development. And this happened because men in the passion

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and darkness of their vital nature had chosen to think that religion was bound up with certain fixed intellectual conceptions about God and the world which could not stand scrutiny, and therefore scrutiny had to be put down by fire and sword; scientific and philosophical truth had to be denied in order that religious error might survive.

Second, we see too that a narrow religious spirit often oppresses and impoverishes the joy and beauty of life, either from an intolerant asceticism or from an excessive austerity. This happens because often the religious spirit is unable to see that religious austerity is not the whole of religion, though it may be an important side of it. It has failed to see that the ethical and religious way is not the sole approach to God, since love, charity, gentleness, tolerance, kindliness are also and even more divine, and it forgot or never knew that God is love and beauty as well as purity.

Third, in politics religion has often thrown itself on the side of power and resisted the coming of larger political ideals, because it was itself, in the form of a Church, supported by power and because it confused religion with the Church, or because it stood for a false theocracy, forgetting that true theocracy is the kingdom of God in man and not the kingdom of a Pope, a priesthood or a sacerdotal class.

Fourth, it has often supported a rigid and outworn social system, because it thought its own life bound up with social forms with which it happened to have been associated during a long portion of its own history and erroneously concluded that even a necessary change there would be a violation of religion and a danger to its existence. As if so mighty and inward a power as the religious spirit in man could be destroyed by anything so small as the change of a social form or so outward as a social readjustment!

All these errors in their different shapes have been the great weakness of religion as practised in the past and the opportunity and justification for the revolt of the intelligence, the aesthetic sense, the social and political idealism, even the ethical spirit of the human being against what should have been its own highest tendency and law.

It follows that we should move from Religion to Spirituality. This does not mean, as some secularists tend to believe that we should discard Religion; rather religion has to be enlightened and raised up to a higher level and wider domain. In that domain there will be place for all religions, all view points and every human activity. For all human activity can become a legitimate means to arrive at the highest spirituality.

In this context, let us see what each religion has contributed to mankind. Here is a quotation from Sri Aurobindo:

Each religion has helped mankind. Paganism increased in man the light of beauty, the largeness and height of his life, his aim at a many-sided perfection. Christianity gave him

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some vision of Divine love and charity, Buddhism has shown him a noble way to be wiser, gentler and purer; Judaism and Islam, how to be religiously faithful in action and zealously devoted to God; Hinduism has opened to him the largest and profoundest spiritual possibilities. A great thing would be done if all these God-visions could embrace and cast themselves into each other; but intellectual dogma and cult-egoism stand in the way.

All religions have saved a number of souls, but none yet has been able to spiritualise mankind. For that there is needed not cult and creed, but a sustained and all comprehending effort at spiritual self-evolution.

This effort at spiritual evolution is provided by the systems of Yoga. Here is what Sri Aurobindo has to say:

WHAT IS YOGA

The contact of the human and individual consciousness with the Divine is the very essence of Yoga. Yoga is the union of that which has become separated in the play of the universe with its own true self, origin and universality. The contact may take place at any point of the complex and intricately organised consciousness, which we call our personality. It may be effective in the physical through the body; in the vital through the action of those functioning's which determine the state and experiences of our nervous being, through the mentality whether by the means of our emotional heart, the active will or more largely by general conversion of the mental consciousness in all its activities. It may be equally accomplished through a great awakening to the universal or transcendent Truth and Bliss by the conversion of the central ego in the mind. And according to the point of the contact that we choose, will be the type of Yoga that we practise.

THE SYSTEMS OF YOGA

Hatha Yoga dealing with the life and body aims at the supernormal perfection of the physical life and its capacities and goes beyond into the domain of the mental life.

Rajayoga operating with the mind aims at a supernormal perfection and enlargement of the capacities of the mental life and goes beyond it into the domain of spiritual existence.

The path of knowledge (Jnana Yoga) aims at the realisation of the unique and supreme self.

The path of devotion aims at the enjoyment of the supreme love and Bliss and utilises normally the conception of the Supreme Lord in his personality as the divine Lover and enjoyer of the universe.

The path of works (Karma Yoga) aims at dedication of every human activity to the Supreme will. To that, our works as well as the results of our works are finally abandoned.

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The synthesis must be effected by neglecting the forms and outsides of the Yogic disciplines and seizing rather on some central principle common to all which will include and utilise in the right place and proportion their particular principles, and on some central dynamic force in which is the common secret of their divergent methods and capable therefore of organizing a natural selection and combination of their varied energies and different utilities. The divinising of the normal material life of man and of his great secular attempt of mental and moral self-culture in the individual and the race by this integralisation of a widely perfect spiritual existence would thus be the crown alike of our individual and of our common effort. Such a consummation being no other than the kingdom of heaven within reproduced in the kingdom of heaven without, would be also the true fulfilment of the great dream cherished in different terms by the world's religions.

ALL LIFE IS SPIRITUAL

The division between "ordinary life and "spiritual" life is an outdated antiquity. All human beings have it in their minds, the division between leading a spiritual life and leading an ordinary life, having a spiritual consciousness and an ordinary consciousness - it is not true, there is only one consciousness. If an opposition is still needed, we can have the opposition between truth and falsehood. For in all things, falsehood and truth are mixed everywhere .It would be better not to make any divisions.

Finally we conclude with a quotation from the writings of the Mother:

Religion and Spirituality

"The conflict of religions arises because each one claims the exclusive truth and demands a complete adherence to it by the method of dogma, ritual, ceremony and prescribed acts. The solution would be, first to recognize that the real truth of religion is in the spiritual experiences of which it is an outer formulation. To transcend therefore the outer form, and insist on the spiritual experience and in addition to recognize that there can be infinite and valid varieties of spiritual experiences is the important step in the solution. It is not by insisting on religion that India and the world can be reconstructed. The new world will transcend religions and will insist on the purity of spiritual experience.

Instead of taking religions in their outward forms, which are precisely dogmas and intellectual conceptions, if we take them in their spirit, in the principle they represent there is no difficulty in unifying them. They are simply different aspects of human progress, which complete each other perfectly well and should be united with many others yet to form a more total and more complete progress, a more integral approach to the Divine.

India's attempt in her religion was to some extent directed to this inner perception; it is at present lost but we must now place forward this perception clearly and radically, not revive religion or religious spirit, but present the ideal of spiritual perfection which consists of an integral realization of the spirit and its full manifestation in physical life."

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