A SOLUTION FOR ‘THE WORLD OF CONFLICTS’-By Udayabhanu Panickar
Posted 27 December 05 under .
Most of the conflicts the world face now are the creation of forceful and coercive propagation of ideological and religious beliefs discrimination based on a verity of social evils. If they are removed the conflicts will end and the world will be a lot better. Even though people admit the fact that Shree Narayana Gurudevan worked to remove the social evils of discrimination and persecution, often some people say that He had sanctioned religious conversions. However this is far from the truth. This seems to be an organized way of justifying their actions by the converters, the converts and the political opportunists. They wrongfully take the shelter of the philosophy of Gurudevan for their narrow-minded actions and political manipulations. An honest and truthful enquiry into the actions and study of the teachings of Gurudevan will show the facts in a very different light.
On the subject of religious conversion, opportunists have intentionally misquoted Gurudevan. Some devotees of Gurudevan also make statements on this subject without a comprehensive study of all the words and deeds of Gurudevan. As in any other aspect of His messages and teachings, we must always explore and understand the circumstances of those remarks and actions. Only then we can explicitly understand the essence of His articulate and well-calculated statements of limited words and actions on this subject.
Shree Narayana Gurudevan, unlike any other spiritual guide, never imposed his vision upon any one. However, His commanding appearance and honorable & conclusive words were good enough for any one to accept His authority and guidance with out skepticism. His eyes, words, actions and postures were highly effectual and impressive. No one could ever act against His wishes and words. No one could ever oppose to His actions because they were so perfect and timely. The genuineness, truth and sincerity of His words and deeds always overcame any doubt any one may have had about Him and His divinity and intentions.
On different occasions Gurudevan had made clear remarks on religious conversions. At certain occasions He or His disciples converted and reconverted people to Hinduism. Let us look at some of those actions taken by Gurudevan based on His own convictions and spiritual conclusions.
He never believed that the religious conversions are in any way a threat to the society, but at the same time He never encouraged any one to leave Hinduism. He very strongly believed that any such conversion must be executed purely on the basis of a person’s belief and only after understanding both the religions. No conversion should be made for any kind of materialistic or temporary benefits, convenience or as an escape route from discrimination and religious persecution. Gurudevan only advocated conversions based on these principles and theory.
During HIS time, a family of Kannoor converted to Christianity for certain benefits, but not out of beliefs. After some time this family desired to convert back to Hinduism. But their old community opposed this re-conversion. Gurudevan when heard about this intervened and asked the family members and community leaders, to take them back. Gurudevan’s arguments were so convincing that this was done happily.
In Neyyatinkara, there were some families who converted to Christianity due to the discrimination and religious persecution existed at that time. But after witnessing the progress made due to the work of Gurudevan and his disciples, those families wanted to convert back to Hinduism. But the community was not ready to accept them back. When approached, He very happily converted them back.
In the village of Vazhappalli, near Changanasherry a limited number of families of a community known as ‘Pichanaattu Kuruppanmar’ lived. They were small in number. This community was in a very difficult situation during Gurudevan’s time. In some respect they were considered lower in the social spectrum. But at the same time they were allowed entry in to the temples and roads, where a lot of other communities like Ezavar were not allowed. However the communities at the higher spectrum of Hindu religion did not socially accept them. This coupled with the limited number of members in their own community, they had difficulty in functioning socially and they faced isolation. This isolation forced the leader of this group, Mr Krishnan Vidyar to make a decision for the whole community to convert to Christianity. This was a conversion of convenience. Mr Mooloor Padmanabha Panicker, a disciple of Gurudevan informed Him of this and requested that the ‘Pichanaattu Kuruppanmar’ be accepted into the community so this religious conversion of convenience could be rectified. Gurudevan happily accepted the proposal of Mooloor and personally accepted them in to the community. This was done at a public meeting in the presence of a large crowed which included leaders of other religious groups also.
Once a European Christian priest visited Gurudevan and asked Him to convert into Christianity. Gurudevan felt this as a joke. The conversation between Him and the priest went on fairly like this.
Gurudevan: What is your age?
The priest: 30 years.
Gurudevan: Then I am a Christian even before your berth and how can you convert me? However what is it that we should believe specially to be a christian?
The priest: You should believe that Jesus was born to be the Savior of Humanity.
Gurudevan: That means with his birth all of the humanity was saved? Is it not?
The priest: Yes that is true.
Gurudevan: If that is true, if I convert or not I am already saved, is it not?
The priest: No. To be saved you must be baptized. With out baptism you will not be saved.
Gurudevan: So you are telling me that some people got saved because of the birth of Christ and some did not?
The priest: No. Because of the birth of Christ all are saved.
Gurudevan: If that is true every body has been saved. There is no need for conversion into Christian religion to be saved.
The priest: No you have to convert to be saved.
Gurudevan: If that is the case, all are not saved.
The priest: No that is not true. Because of Christ’s birth every one has been saved.
At this stage, Gurudevan realized that there was no need of talking to the priest as he was making conflicting statements. And understanding that he can not win the argument with Gurudevan, the priest left.
After few days another group of four priests approached Gurudevan. They also wanted to convert Him. They gave Him a bible and said, You should read and learn this bible.
Gurudevan: I have great desire to read it. But I do not have any one to teach me. You should come and teach me.
The priest: Definitely we will come. Even if you throw us out we will come and preach.
Gurudevan: We will never throw you out. Even if you don’t join us we will keep you with us. So don’t hastiest to come.
Gandhiji during his visit to Shivagiri, (to meet Gurudevan) asked Him a specific question on religious conversion. The question was ‘Is religious conversion necessary for spiritual salvation? Gurudevan’s reply was specific and to the point. He replied that religious conversion is not needed for spiritual salvation. He also asked Gurudevan if Hindu religion is adequate for this purpose. To this, His reply was also perfectly clear. He stated that Hindu religion is perfectly adequate for salvation.
Shree Narayana Gurudevan once in a message to SNDP Yogam said: “Religious renaissance should not be an effort of converting from one religion to another. Our organization should be one that will unite all humans. Religion should permit freedom of belief. Religion should be acceptable to the intellectual mind and it should lead common people to do pure, good and noble deeds (sanaathana dhaRmam) in life. ‘One in Kind, One in Faith, One in God is Human’ is such an opinion. (Please remember, this dictum is completely and purely based on the wisdom thoughts contained in the Upanishads, not in bible or quran.) We feel that all the people who believe in this Eternal Truth should join together under this organization. The idea of such an organization shall be a noble one. People who think that religious conversion is the only way of eradicating discrimination and religious or caste based persecution can consider this as a religious conversion and at the same time a declaration of independence from the discrimination.”
According to Gurudevan all religions have the same goal, (At least the people who are considered as the cause of the formation of those religions had that aim) which is to guide people to the Eternal Truth or prepare them to understand “The Absolute Truth”. Once that is done people will find the God themselves. Religions are only to help them in their quest for God not for conversion. In His opinion, the aims of all religions are the realization of the Ultimate Truth. None of them has any monopoly on it. Common people must learn and follow the path of her or his own religion first. If it found to be inadequate, then look in to another religion. But the choice should come after understanding them, not blindly.
A Hindu, once understands the spiritual knowledge envisioned by our ancestors, and conveyed to us through the “The Science of The Absolute” will never convert to another religion as it is more than enough for realization of God. So there will not be any need for any one to convert to another religion. Gurudevan very clearly had declared this. (I am yet to see a person who converted to another religion after learning what is in our spirituality.)
The guidelines given by the spiritual personalities were according to the need of the place and circumstances existed at that particular period. As the changes occurs in time and place some of those principles may need modifications. The interpretations of those teachings may need to be reevaluated and restated. That responsibility is of the spiritual personalities. They should eliminate the anti-social and discriminatory elements got into the scriptures, and incorporated intentionally into them by vested interests and power mongers for their personal gains and benefits.
In Shree Narayana Gurudevan’s opinion religion has two aspects, internal and external. If the conversion is for the external aspect, that is not a conversion of religion. That is only a social change and has no spiritual value. As regards to the internal or the spiritual values concerned, it is always changing as the individual’s ability to think and contemplate advances. That change can not be made with any external force. It has to come from within the people themselves, and that can only happen as the depth of spiritual knowledge increases. So there shall be no conversion without proper knowledge. The conversions we see are social changes for convenience.
The eternal values such as righteousness, compassion, love, brotherhood, charity, dedication, truth, equality, freedom, penance and hard work are all equally important. None is inferior or superior to the other. According to the time and place, certain values may get more importance. It does not mean that others are to be neglected. Hinduism values all these qualities. However the one damaging point is the inequality unjustifiably and unscientifically practiced by manipulating and then misinterpreting the vaRnaashrama dhaRmam referred in the scriptures of bhaarath. Gurudevan worked all His life against it and changed the social structure of the state of Keralam by correctly interpreting the scriptures of our ancestry. Hindus are not the only society with caste based discrimination. It is in every religion and every society. It is in every country. The name may be different. It may be based on the profession from which the caste system in bhaarat was developed. Or it may be based on the race, the religion, the nation of origin, the language they speak or the way they dress.
Discrimination and persecution is cruel and unacceptable. It has no justification in a human society. The name under which it is practiced in not important, the practice it self must to identified and eradicated. The illegal and unethical persecution and discriminative treatment based on caste (vaRnaashrama dhaRmam) must completely be eradicated from society. If not, Hinduism cannot survive.
The world is at a very dangerous stage now. As a society we needs Shree Narayana Gurudevan’s vision of a social equality, not ill treatment or conversion. That should be the message of spiritual leaders. Labeling and insulting others beliefs as “satanic” will not help. Trying to convert all people into their own belief will only aggravate the situation more. Instead they should try to understand others beliefs, ideologies, culture and learn to respect them, not to enforce their own. Only then the problems can be solved. Religion or ideology should not be forced on to others either by inducements, deception, and coercive methods or with the sanction of unjust laws and agreements created in a deceptive way at the national or international levels.
The problem is worldwide. Understanding the entire picture only can give a vision of remedy. And for sure the remedy will materialize if all can understand and respect each other’s beliefs, customs, needs, programs and problems.
The requirement of the time is not religious or ideological conversion. The need of the time is the proper understanding and restrain from aggressive and coercive methods. Education, understanding and application of Shree Narayana Gurudevan’s Philosophy could achieve that. His Philosophy is entirely based on the spirituality of bhaarath.
Once Gurudevan said that the conflicts are not due to religion, but due to the intoxication of the mind with the blind belief in the religion. This is what should be removed. He prescribed the remedy for it also. That prescription is His spiritual guidance immensely radiated throughout his life. His every action, every word He said and wrote, and even his silence contained an enormous amount of influencing radiant Spiritual knowledge taken from the ancient scriptures of bhaarath. It all conveys the message of the “Science of The Absolute” and Equality. So let us learn it. Let the world learn it. Then the problems will be solved.————————————-
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