The RSS, an inside view...

RSS an inside view….

This  article is based on a book by Walter Anderson based on interviews and interactions with the top leadership of the RSS. I have also taken inputs from the recent speeches of Shri. Mohan Bhagwat and other RSS functionaries.

This book throws up many surprises, and successfully thrashes many views and perceptions that people have about the RSS, its intent, policy and its relations with the BJP.

Contrary to the public perception and belief,

RSS is neither the parent organisation of BJP, nor it dictates its policies, though some of the important functionaries hold important positions in the RSS. RSS top leadership takes pains to explain that RSS has its own identity, and it is not dependent BJP for survival. In this context, 

Top functionaries of the Sangh say that it had always had warm relations with Indira and Rajiv Gandhi and that the frost set in with Sonia Gandhi and now Rahul, who attacks them and conflates them with the BJP. RSS especially, doesn’t want it to be bracketed with the BJP and criticized by the congress party for its political expediency.

NOW THE RSS WANTS TO REBUILD ITS BRIDGES WITH THE CONGRESS PARTY.

RSS is politically neutral, In the last seventy years, RSS has officially participated in just two general elections. Once in 1977 after the emergency and in 2014 to defeat the corrupt UPA government.

RSS is angry with Narendra Modi for not enforcing discipline in BJP.

RSS did not like the appointment of  Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of UP.  Yogi was never a RSS member and in fact, he started an organization in competition with the RSS. Hence RSS is upset that a non RSS member was selected, when so many able RSS candidates were available for selection in such a big and important state for the RSS.

RSS is also angry with Modi for not dealing with Gau Rakshaks firmly, and taking steps to control lynching, and it is is unhappy with Modi for not taking firm action against the party workers, MLAs, MPs, and ministers making statements in support of the lynching and the accused including them..

And finally, the RSS does not believe in the war cry of “Congress Mukt Bharat “ by Modi and Shah. This has been clear by Mohan Bhagwat himself. RSS believes in a pluralistic society, where all political thought processes can coexist. And  this is reflected by the invitation extended to Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechuri and others.

There seems to be a shift to the position during the Guruji Golwalker days, when the RSS did not support any political party including the Jan Sangh. In accordance with this shift, it is inviting people having a difficult view point.

While inviting Mr. Pranab Mukherjee was a beginning in this direction, the evolution in this shift policy comes by way of an invite to the lecture in Delhi by Mohan Bhagwat titled "The Future of Bharat: an RSS perspective" to Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechuri and some other prominent citizens.

 "You call us exclusivist. Well, now we are going at the highest level, from city to city, explaining our ideology. Bhagwat-ji held a similar lecture in Mumbai recently. The RSS has had a personality evolution. We have changed our dress and said that those who accept India as their motherland are all our people. We are categorically against violence. People must be made aware of this which is why the outreach at the level of the Sarsanghchalak (RSS chief)."

The other significant message is reportedly for the BJP. Earlier, Bhagwat had publicly contradicted BJP President Amit Shah by saying the Sangh does not endorse his war cry of a "Congress-mukt Bharat". Coming as this does in election season, the BJP is not happy about the meet, greet and chat with the Sangh. BJP leaders are hoping Gandhi and other opposition leaders like the Left's Sitaram Yechury refuse the invite. This will ensure that they can call out the hypocrisy of the Congress's proclaimed "inclusive" politics. The BJP in this reaction is fretting like an only child faced with a rival, says an amused senior Sangh.

BJP leaders are hoping Gandhi and other opposition leaders like the Left's Sitaram Yechury refuse the invite. This will ensure that they can call out the hypocrisy of the Congress's proclaimed "inclusive" politics. The BJP in this reaction is fretting like an only child faced with a rival, says an amused senior Sangh functionary. "The BJP wants to ensure that we keeping providing the lubricant that ensures that they continue in power," he says.  Top functionaries of the Sangh say that it had always had warm relations with Indira and Rajiv Gandhi and that the frost set in with Sonia Gandhi and now Rahul, who attacks them and conflates them with the BJP. 

However, I feel that Rahul Gandhi should accept the invitation in order to increase his understanding of RSS and stop the meaningless criticism of the organization. 

Thanks for reading my article, please come out with your views and insights.

Best Wishes, 

Shyam

Please also read my other article on RSS 

The RSS, I knew in the sixties

The RSS, I knew in the sixties 01-16

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Low Representation Of Women In RSS, Says Senior BJP Leader LK Advani ..  

I agree with Advani ji. More women should come forward and join the RSS. We have Swayam Sevikas, but the number is less. There are wonderful people welfare and education projects in RSS, where women can contribute in equal measure.

The main reason why the women do not join the RSS is that, the RSS image and its culture is not being properly projected by the people and political parties. RSS has a tradition of working silently and sincerely.

This ignites in me the nostalgic childhood memories. Although I was never actively involved with RSS nor was a regular at the Shakha, I was always a keen student and supporter of its ideology. I also had the good fortune to have darshan of Guruji Golwalkar. Based on that, I am presenting a few facts. Hope people will like this.

Dr. Hedgewar and Guruji Golwalkar promoted a culture that encouraged all Hindus, irrespective of their political affinity to join the organisation and promote the good things in Hindu culture. Guruji was very specific that no political thought process was promoted and supported officially by Swayam Sevaks. Individually they were free to support any political party. Congress also did mind its workers joining the RSS.

 The then Jan Sangh which wanted RSS to support it exclusively did not succeed, in spite of the fact that Jan Sangh contributed maximum Swayam Sevaks to the organisation. Congress leaders right from Indira Gandhi to the local leaders called on the Guruji and paid their respects.

The Congress from the time of Pandit Nehru sought the help of RSS during the China war and other National disasters like Koyna Dam and others. Indira Gandhi specially had good respect for the Guruji and always made it a point to call on him and pay respects.

This essentially kept the RSS politically neutral and prevented the Jan Sangh from winning the parliament seat from Nagpur even once till 1977. Most of the assembly elections were also won by the congress during this time. In spite of the religiously extreme position of Guruji and the absurd version of secularism of the congress, both used each other for mutual survival. Most important achievement of Guruji was his ability to distance the organisation from the powerful Hindu Mahasabha and give an independent identity to the RSS inclined more towards serving the people through welfare schemes.

Guruji and the Muslims: Though Guruji believed in Akhand Bharat, and wanted the Muslims in India to either convert to Hinduism or leave India, officially he maintained the RSS was not against any religion, However, he maintained that people of other religion would find it inconvenient to adopt the Hindu culture of RSS.

Guruji was highly educated with a post-graduation in Life Sciences. He left his Ph. D. in the middle to concentrate on RSS work. He also thought Zoology at BHU.

In 1973, after Guruji’s death, Bala Saheb Deoras took over the leadership of RSS, and slowly the RSS lost its apolitical stature and slowly started moving towards the Jan Sangh and helped it openly in 1977 elections.

While the RSS may today  justifiably feel proud, that one of its important Swayam Sewak has become the prime minister of the country, its total alignment with the BJP philosophy is totally alienating a large section of Hindus, who do not subscribe to BJP ideology. It should get back to its apolitical disposition of Guru ji era. It will enable a large number of Hindus to join RSS and help strengthen Hindu community and culture.

I was motivated to write whatever I knew about RSS and Guruji because, I grew up in Nagpur and keenly followed the activities of the organisation and Guruji. At an age, when I was too young to understand politics, I was old enough to understand the RSS culture and its objective, and ever since, I have been an admirer of the organisation. 

People can correct me, if I am wrong. They can also add and modify the facts written here. Insights welcome..

Best Wishes,

Shyam

Added by Shyam on 12th February 2018

Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat made a statement on Sunday .

He said his organisation had the capability to raise a force, when the country needed it, in “three days”, compared to the Army which would take “six to seven months” to do the same.

There is nothing alarming in this. He said, he would do this to help the government in case of emergency and do it as per the constitution.

Naturally it sent me down the memory lane, and reminded me about the article, i had written titled

"The RSS I knew in sixties...."

I wrote this article almost a year.

I have been, right from my childhood, a staunch supporter of RSS. The probable reason could be, that I grew up in a place, which is the headquarters of RSS. RSS had extraordinary visibility in Nagpur those days (probably even now).

Those days, being a RSS member did not necessitate you being a Jan Sangh supporter. Many members of Indian National Congress were also part of the RSS. Indira Gandhi herself had great respect and close relationship with Guruji (Golwalker).

During natural disasters, Indira ji always sought Guruji’s help and he always obliged. Discussing politics was not banned in Shakas, but generally avoided because there were people supporting all the different political thought processes. Only Hindu religion was discussed, upliftment of Hindus overall was always paramount.

There was no embarrassment for people supporting any thought process.

Guruji had great vision and foresight. He knew very well that, the moment politics entered RSS, the Hindu community would be divided into pro RSS and anti RSS, and RSS will not be able to get the support of all Hindus.

This has come true today. RSS workers are being killed by fellow Hindus belonging to other thought process in Kerala. A Hindu dominant BJP govt at centre is not able to protect the Hindus in Kerala. They are not able to put pressure on the Kerala Government to stop the killings. We now have pro and anti RSS Hindus. This is totally against the original philosophy of RSS. We need a society where every Hindu is only pro RSS joins it, and takes its philosophy forward.

For this to happen, it is essential for the RSS to grow out of the fixed political ideology mindset of supporting BJP. it has to evolve and get back to its politically neutral ideology. This will facilitate Hindus supporting other political thought processes to also join the organization, and help in promoting the principles of Hinduism, which propagates the peaceful coexistence of people of all faiths and religions.

A Deep Peep into the caste curse in the Hindu religion and its origin..08-01

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Image credit : Shyam's Imagination Library

 A spate of unfortunate incidents have happened where the dalits have been victims of physical, psychological, and  mental torment and torture by various sections of  the  society including the politicians. With all important elections in U.P. being a few months away, the political parties and the politicians suddenly proclaim themselves as crusaders of social justice and saviors of the the Dalits and the downtrodden. They provide enough fodder for the prime time debates on the electronic media.  The real crusaders and bare foot workers who know the ground realities never get a chance to appear on the electronic media. The simple reason being they are too honest to sound interesting for the media. They simply lack the emotion and dramatics of  the politicians, and do not posses the knack of twisting the facts and figures to sound interesting.

Amidst all this, the question that has been troubling me is that,

CAN AN ALL INCLUSIVE RELIGION LIKE HINDUSM  PROFESS EXCLUSION AND DIVISION OF HUMAN RACE, BASED ON THEIR BIRTH???

CAN THE RELICS OF THIS RELIGION LIKE VEDAS AND UPANISHADS  PREACH UNEQUALITY AMONG HUMAN BEINGS AND DISCRIMINATION BASED ON BIRTH????

The 'curious me' did a small research on to this subject. I studied some of the writings and commentaries on this subject. The research was neither extensive nor comprehensive. Similarly my arguments can be at the most indicative, they are not conclusive either. The purpose of this article is to involve people in this all important debate and get as many diverse views as possible. There is no political or religious angle to this article. It is just an effort to understand the intriguing and intricate aspects of this great religion. 


What I have  found broadly is the fact the Vedas and the Upanishads neither talk nor profess untouchability. There is also no mention of caste system in the ancient literature. There is also a likelihood of, there being a misconception about Manusmriti. 

For example, contrary to the general belief, Manu gives exalted position to woman and womanhood. Manusmriti preaches respect  and honour for women and goes on to add that wherever the women are respected god is pleased and stays inthat household. The sloka below says the same thing.

yatr naryasto pojyantay, ramantay tatr devta [3/56]

This is contrary to  the general understanding among people of Manusmriti treating women as dasi or charan dasi of the men they marry. People over the ages seem to have interpreted the treatise as per their convenience. 


I am sharing my views with you, please feel free to correct me wherever I have gone wrong....



People like to exhibit their religious fervour and it happens with people of all religions and faiths. People belonging to Hindu religion are no exception.

It feels good when people follow the customs and sincerely follow the rituals prescribed in a religion, whatever religion or faith it may be. Hindus worship the cow as Gomata (mother). When a hindu introduces himself (pravara), it begins with  

चतुस्सागरः पर्यन्त गो ब्राह्मणेभ्य शुभं भवतु (ChatussAgara paryantam gobrAhmaNebhyaH shubhaM bhavatu)

Meaning : Prelogue: May all the cows and Brahmanas across the four seas be blessed.
Here the word Brahman here means  people with higher level of thinking and  good deeds.It does not specify a sect, a community or people of a particular religion.

According to Buddha a 6th century monk and founder of Buddhism,

Not by matted hair, by lineage, nor by birth (caste) does one become a Brahman. But the one in whom there abide truth and righteousness, he is pure; he is a Brahman.

When Vedas were written sometime around 1500 BCE, the word religion or faith did not exist. Human Beings were just a specie of the animal kingdom. A highly evolved one, a socially conscious one. But  not evolved enough to discriminate against their fellow human beings on the basis of what they do, what they eat, or what they think.

 Cow was equated with mother for her attribute of forbearance. Hindu dharma did not have a caste system. All human beings were considered equal. Addressing cow as mother denotes the symbiosis between the different species of Animal Kingdom.  While the existence of human beings can be traced to a period 150,000 years BCE somewhere in Africa, the beginning of hindu religion can be traced to around 5,000 BCE.

Division of human beings on the basis of Varna was done around third century BCE by Manu and Bhrigu Rishi.That is how manusmriti came into existence, and so also probably the caste system. The exact objective and purpose of Manusmriti is not known. There are contrasting opinions in the commentaries written by various experts from the 3rd century BCE onwards on Manusmriti. It is not clear whether he classified the varna by Karma (deeds) or by Janma (birth).  In the absence of clear understanding, it is not correct to either praise or deride Manu. 

How and when the process of creating a caste by virtue of birth started, is not very clear.  Because even in the eight century Adi Sankara debunked the myths about untouchability  caste distinction and discrimination  by accepting a boy of lower lineage named Giri and invoking in him the essentials of higher learning, he exhibited his sense of equality for all human beings, Giri wrote Totaka Ashtakam and was known as Totakacharya. He was later on made the head of  the Jyothir Math at Badri as the first Shankaracharya by Adi Sankara. Totakacharya in his work  Srutisarasamuddharanam has beautifully  explained the identity between the Jiva and Brahmin in propounding the Adviata Vedanta. Here he clearly describes  how a jiva can transform itself into a Brahman  by acquiring certain virtues and attributes. According to him, Brahmanism is not something that comes by inheritance or birth, it has to be acquired by a process of intellectual and spiritual evolution.  He is also believed have written this sloka in Bhaja Govindam, which was added after the siddi of Adi Sankara.

The sloka reads likethis...

जटिलो मुण्डी लुञ्छितकेशः, काषायाम्बरबहुकृतवेषः।
पश्यन्नपि च न पश्यति मूढः,
उदरनिमित्तं बहुकृतवेषः 

What this Shloka means :

Hindi

बड़ी जटाएं, केश रहित सिर, बिखरे बाल , काषाय (भगवा) वस्त्र और भांति भांति के वेश ये सब अपना पेट भरने के लिए ही धारण किये जाते हैं, अरे मोहित मनुष्य तुम इसको देख कर भी क्यों नहीं देख पाते हो ॥१४॥

English

Matted and untidy hair, shaven heads, orange or variously colored cloths are all a way to earn livelihood . O deluded man why don't you understand it even after seeing.॥14॥  

Another theory that has found some acceptance is that the Varnas or castes were formed out of various parts of Lord Brahma with Brahmins coming from the head Kshatriyas from the Hands, Vaishya's from the thighs and the Shudras  from the feet. With the feet of the lord being holy for everyone, there is no way a shudra can be treated as an outcaste.

However, it is evident that the Brahmins used their intellect to instill fear of god in the minds of people belonging to other Varnas and offered ways to get relief  from these, by way of offering Daan and Dakshina to Brahmins, by way of gold and food grains. They also made them to perform elaborate religious rituals to invoke the blessings of the gods, for victories in war, and for better harvests. Apart from this, they also collected huge wealth from these people, promising to perform religious rituals for their upliftment to higher castes in their next birth, just as the Christian clergy sold tickets to heaven to the gullible people before the renaissance.  



The caste system seems to have drawn its inspiritation from  the pre renaissance Christianity, where three estates were formed which included the Clergy, the Royals and the Nobles consisting of rich and the business community.  The rest were treated as slaves and exploited. Similarly the Hindus also created imaginary three estates consisting of Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas and connived to treat others as untouchables. While renaissance changed the way people were treated in Christianity. it has still not happened in the Hindu religion. There is  very little hope of this happening with the current political system. The dalits are the cash cows for all the political parties without exception. Abolition of caste system will not be in any way facilitated by the political parties and politicians, because it does not help them or  their cause.

We need a selfless reformer A Baba Saheb Ambedkar or a Jyothirba Phuley to be reborn to create a society of equality and respect for all human beings without discrimination.

Let us hope and pray that this happens soon.  

Best wishes,

Shyam

The path lies within........

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If eternal Bliss is destination, the path lies within. You need to surrender to your inner self to  conquer the world

You cannot seek an acquaintance with the world when your inner self is a stranger to you.

"There is a saying in Tibetan that says “At the door of the miserable rich man sleeps a contented beggar.” The point of this saying is not that poverty is a virtue, but that happiness does not come from wealth, but from setting limits to one’s desires, and living within those limits with satisfaction."   His Holiness Dalai Lama


Peace of mind is something everyone aspires for, and yet nobody seems to know when, where, and how to get it. Over a period of time, term “peace of mind” has undergone a transformation from a qualitative entity to a quantitative entity. People now a days speak in terms of “some peace of mind” to describe their aspiration or achievement. It can no longer be equated with the total tranquility of mind and the body. Peace of mind or lack of it can be the result of conquest over or conflict with self.


“In the final analysis, the hope of every person is simply peace of mind.”

Dalai Lama

Now this seemingly complicated entity can be related to simple activities like retention and release, self-protection or surrender. Or may be getting a bit out of touch with yourself? You are the problem and the solution. The destination is yourself, and the path lies within you.

Then how to go about it? What is retention and what is release? What is an Armour and what is a surrender?

Frankly speaking, I am also an explorer, not a conqueror, still traversing, still finding my way out of the maze, knowing fully well that destination is not the culmination of the journey, but the beginning of the next. It is an oasis all right, but chasing it is so fulfilling experience, that you never give up.

There is continuous stream of healing, love & good will flowing through us continuously. All we have to do is join it willingly & whole-heartedly, and make it a part of us.

How to go about it?

Release and heal what hurts mentally, physically, emotionally, & spiritually. Said easily than done, I know it. But then there is a way to it. We can always try.
It is important to build a relationship with your inner self. You have to discover yourself, and align with the spiritual source. Every one has inner guidance factor. We just need to get in touch with it.

Vulnerability is strength not a weakness as it gives us access to true strength. But it hardly happens. Right from our childhood, we build Armour of self righteousness, which comes in the way of retention and acquisition of good values and release of the ones not so relevant for us.

Awareness of this is a big step forward towards freedom and ignorance of it is the cause of all our adulthood sufferings.

It is absolutely necessary to break free of the shackles of childhood learning, which portrays vulnerability as a weakness. It is just the opposite. It is surrender to love, which gives all the strength in the universe, "The true strength". We need to be open to feel love. Vulnerability is openness. The greatest challenge in this life has always been to let down the walls of self-protection and release the energy that created them.

And may be when we implement this difficult but certainly not impossible practice. We can feel peace of mind once again as a qualitative experience rather than quantitative entity.

I would like to conclude with a Marathi shlok from great saint poet from Chatrapati Shivaji era Samarth Ramdas’s “Manache Shlok”.” The prescription for eternal peace.”


मना सज्जना भक्ती पंथेची जावे
 तरी श्री हरी पाविजे तो स्वभावे
जनी निन्धीयते सर्व सोडूनी द्यावे
जनी वन्द्यते सर्व भावे करावे
(समर्थ रामदास )

(Oh Holy mind, you should proceed in the direction of devotion. Then you can visualize the god in your nature & seek his divine blessings. The Act, which attracts criticism from people, should not be pursued. The act which gets reverence from people and is liked by all should be pursued.)

I would like to conclude with the following sloka from Vishnu Sahasranaman


na krodho na  mAtsaryam na lobho nAsubhA matih |
bhavanti kRta puNyANAm bhaktAnAm purushottame || (13)

" Neither anger nor jealousy, neither greed nor evil thoughts haunt
the minds of those people who are devotees of purushottama (The
Supreme Being) and who have acquired merit by virtuous deeds " .

Best wishes,