Why I believe in the Hinduism of Swami Agnivesh
by Atmanirbharananda Bharati*
Being an economist, who rationally analyzes events and data, I do not consider myself an emotional person. But last month, I burst into tears after I read that Swami Agnivesh had passed away.
Over the next three days, I sought to overcome my grief by participating in an online course on happiness conducted by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, which is based on the wisdom of ancient Hindu texts.
I believe in Hinduism and Agnivesh was one of my spiritual gurus. The role of Hinduism and other religions, he said, is to empower people in their “adventure of living with dignity and fulfillment.”
Agnivesh was the grandson of the chief minister of the princely state of Shakti, now in Chattisgarh. A brahman, at age 31, he gave up a successful professional and political career to devote his life to helping the poor in India.
He was the leader of the Arya Samaj, whose principles are based on the Vedas, ancient texts of the Hindu faith: treat all people with respect, even those who do not share your beliefs; the caste system and untouchability, practiced against the low castes, are social evils; and the status of women should be one of honor, privilege and freedom.
My Brahman parents raised me with similar values, including to accept low caste Hindus and Muslims as my equals.
These basic principles of Hinduism are rejected by the Hindu extremists who run Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the secretive, militant organization which controls the BJP.
Two months ago, I emailed Agnivesh asking if I could interview him for this publication. He said he would be happy to answer my questions, after he recovers from a liver transplant.
In 2018, Agnivesh suffered serious injuries, including a damaged liver, when he was beaten by goons, reportedly from the BJP. "I am against any sort of violence…I don't know why I was attacked," Agnivesh told NDTV. He was a vocal critic of the Hindu extremism of the BJP and the RSS; their demonizing Muslims, Christians and other minorities; and their physical and verbal attacks on Hindus who reject their ideology.
He was in Jharkhand, to participate in a meeting of tribal leaders seeking economic and social relief measures. "Swami Agnivesh's 'track record' is such that the (violent) reaction doesn't come as a surprise," said a spokesman of the BJP. He “…should have organised for his security." Agnivesh was 79-years-old when he was assaulted.
I was going to ask Agnivesh why has Modi’s BJP been able to use Hindutva, a distortion of Hinduism, to capture political power. The central beliefs of Hindutva, propagated by the RSS and the BJP, is that India is a land of the Hindus; the ideology should prevail in all aspects of life, from school textbooks to scientific research; and that Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and other minorities are second class citizens in the country, who have to obey their Hindu rulers.
I was also going to ask him whether or not the Hindus, who support the BJP and RSS, will accept enlightenment, plural society and democratic values.
I first met Swami Agnivesh in 2017 at Sri Sri’s The Art of Living ashram in Bangalore. Agnivesh was there to undergo an Ayurveda treatment. The ashram was founded by Sri Sri and others who share the Hindu belief of Sanatana Dharma, the world is one family.
“When there is tension between communities and conflict between religions, man becomes disturbed and is lost,” says Sri Sri. There is a universal cry, though at times hidden, for Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu—let everyone be happy. Our goal, Sri Sri says, should be to bring love and harmony in the world.
The Hindu extremism of the RSS and the BJP has the same weak relationship to the concepts of Hinduism as Christian fundamentalism has to Christianity or Islamic radicalism has to Islam. However, Hinduism has a long-established plural tradition, with several Gods and deities and no single sacred text that must be followed by believers. As a result, unlike Christian or Islamic fundamentalism, the extremism of the RSS and the BJP is remarkably thin in terms of Hindu religious content, writes Arvind Sharma, a Hindu and professor of comparative religion at McGill University, Canada.
Hindutva is, in effect, a threat to Hindus and Hinduism. Hindus are “fragile—people whose temples were destroyed by Muslims and who need Hindutva politicians to help them recover,” writes Devdutt Pattanaik a Hindu columnist for the Mumbai Mirror. “It gives power to Hindutva politicians but strips Hindus of power—makes (Hindus) weak, gullible victims. It ignores Hindu resilience—how Hinduism thrived, despite different kinds of attacks over centuries.”
I support Hindus for Human Rights. which seeks to protect my faith from the extremists. The group advocates the Hindu principles of “shanti (peace), nyaya (justice) and the manavtha (human rights) of all communities.” Its vision is lokasangraha (universal common good) - a world in which, as Swami Agnivesh said, “there is peace among all people.”
