RELIGION IS FOREIGN TO INDIA , says Sathguru.
It makes me wonder …
Sathguru is undoubtedly a vigorous thinker and modern jet-age spiritualist. I truly admire him for his excellent articulation and communication skills . But if there is only thing I would fault him for as an ambassador-at-large for our ancient Indian spiritual traditions and culture, it would be this :
It is very possible that his powerful influence on people can be to confuse and confound them about their principal goals in life as individuals — life-goals known as “purushartha” in Vedanta.
Most people in the world seek relief from distress (the Bhagavath Gita calls them “aartha”) or else they seek comfort and material advancement ( “arthaarthi”). For such masses of humanity, a belief-systems or religion is so very much essential to help them navigate through the myriad challenges of life and to realise its purpose. Religion or “belief” to them promises freedom from fear, insecurity, anxiety and indeed great hope, as well, for fulfilling what in their practical view is the “good life”.
So , how can Sathguru in one sweeping statement of generalisation dismiss religion entirely and say that India is a nation of “seekers” and not “believers” and that “Religion is foreign thing to India”?
The Sathguru’s sweeping statement does sound very profound indeed but I ask myself if it reflects the reality of India which is the birthplace and nursery of so many major religions of the world ?
The tradition of “seeking”, or that cultural trait amongst Indians that engages them in deep philosophical inquiry — or the tradition of “relentlessly asking questions” that Sathguru is alluding to in this video — is not for everyone . It is for the very few souls only who the Bhagavath Gita recognises to be “jignyasu” and “gnyaani”. These souls are the exclusive ones who care little for “good living” or for the comforts and luxuries of the world . They are the ones who constantly strive to know and understand the meaning and purpose of human existence and it’s true and ultimate aims (parama purushaartham). It is these souls in India who were all known as “seekers”— I.e. the rishis, yogis, munis and Acharyas . They were not founders of religions or belief-systems but were known to be thought-leaders and innovators and idealists. They were few — and they were the only chosen few amongst many who might have been called ….
Sathguru, to my mind, therefore is confusing ordinary people into thinking that belief-systems or religions are somehow inferior to the tradition of “Seeking”. And that belief must be given up and people must instead start “asking 1000 questions” just as Uma Parvathy asked Shiva Sankara in the Purana!
We must appreciate Reality to be reality. It should not be denied through manufactured or false binaries such as “Belief Vs Seeking” . People are not all the same and with the same motivations or drives or aspirations in life . Both “belief-systems” and “seeker-traditions” are needed in the world . Both serve some valid purpose for the mass of common humanity .
The Bhagavath Gita clearly warns against denying that fundamental and undeniable reality and against otherwise wise men of the world trying to offer or suggest false theories that could confuse or perplex or bamboozle people :
Please read and reflect the shlokas of the Bhagavath-Gita below to understand the point I’m making :
चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जना: सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन |
आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ || 16||
Four kinds of pious people engage in My devotion—the distressed, the seekers of knowledge, the seekers of worldly possessions, and those who are situated in knowledge.
न बुद्धिभेदं जनयेदज्ञानां कर्मसङ्गिनाम् |
जोषयेत्सर्वकर्माणि विद्वान्युक्त: समाचरन् || 26||
The wise man should not disturb and confuse the minds of the ignorant attached to action. By performing all actions with yogic equanimity, they should make the ignorant do accordingly.
Sathguru Vasudev is a wise man. I beseech him to exercise the cautionary wisdom of the Bhagavath-Gita in all his public utterances to ordinary people of the world .
Sudarshan Madabushi