BUNCH OF THOUGHTS
M.S. Golwalkar
Part Two - The Nation And Its Problems
XIII.  Call for Courage of Conviction

We are witnessing a strange phenomenon in our country today. The real and positive concept of Hindu Nationalism is being dubbed as communal, reactionary, narrow-minded and so on and the unscientific, reactionary and harmful theory of territorial nationalism, upheld by our present-day leaders, is paraded as 'secular', 'progressive' and 'broad-minded'. But, apart form this cloud of political dust that has been raised, is it true that in their heart of hearts the so-called 'secularists' differ fundamentally from us?

Today very eminent personalities of our country extol the greatness of what they call 'Indian' philosophy, 'Indian' art etc. They say, 'The highest flights of Indian philosophy are to be found in the Upanishads', 'Kalidasa is the finest gem of Indian literature', and so on. They declare that the unique contribution of 'Indian' thought to mankind is its genius to see unity in diversity and its spirit of respect towards all faiths and religions on the face of the earth. But, what do all these statements really convey? Is there anything 'Indian' other than what is "Hindu" in all this?

Once a prominent leader suggested to us, "Of course, we have no objection to what you propound regarding the Hindu Nation and all that. But why not put the same diplomatically as 'Bhartiya' instead of ‘Hindu’, as the later appears offensive these days?" And he also quoted the famous Sanskrit axiom, no brooyat stayam apriyam (one should not utter unpleasant truth.) What a fine way of circumventing truth! In fact, the correct meaning of that phrase is otherwise. It is not that the unpleasant truth should be suppressed; it would only amount to supporting falsehood. Truth must be told but in a sweet manner. The truth is, that thought for which we stand is correctly and unambiguously described by the word 'Hindu'. Though 'Bharatiya' also should connote the same meaning, the way in which it is used by our leaders today lands one in confusion and leads one away form the truth. So, we decide not to dilute the truth to please or appease anybody. We do not also stoop to offensive language while propagating this truth. We take our stand on the pure and positive content of our national life and view all our national problems in that clear light.

This truth of Hindu Nationalism has been imprinted on all minds, though some may not say it in so many words. Take the instance of Somnath. When the temple of Somnath was renovated and there was the consecration ceremony, many great leaders and scholars of our country had gone there, including our former President Dr. Rajendra Prasad of hallowed memory. What was the burden of his speech on that occasion? He said that by rebuilding Somnath, we were wiping out the stains of twelve hundred years of slavery', who were those enslavers that he had in mind? Who had broken the temple of Somnath? Clearly, the Muslims. To whom was it a point of honour and devotion? The answer is very clear - to the Hindus. It is one of their Jyotirlingas. The devastation of that temple was an insult to the majesty of the Hindu People and by rebuilding it, we have re-established that majesty and wiped out the stains of foreign aggression, i.e., the aggression of the Muslims. In that one sentence, he has unequivocally stated that the Hindu has been the resident of this country form times immemorial, that his is the national existence here and that it is only by the restoration of the objects of his worship that the stains of all foreign aggression in the country will wiped out.

So, we see that even those who talk of 'broad-minded' outlook have the same beliefs we have - though they do not express it straightway. They take a roundabout way, but in the end, come to the same conclusion about the solid fact of Hindu Rashtra and about the real nature of the non-Hindu communities living in our country, especially the Muslims, who are uppermost in their minds.

Once a leading Congress worker said to me, "You see, we can not go on saying that this is Hindu Rashtra and all that very plainly, because there are four crores of Muslims living in this land and, in the event of Pakistan doing something against us, all these four crores of Muslims may join hands with the Pakistanis." In reply, I just asked him," Then, what has become of your slogan 'Hindu-Muslim bhai-bhai'? Is it not very clear from your present statement that all those phrases were born not out of any genuine feeling but out of fear of the Muslims?" Of course, he could not reply because that was a fact. It is this fear complex in the minds of those who call themselves 'secular', 'broad-minded' etc. that makes them say, "Let us not say 'Hindu' which will offend the Muslims into becoming hostile to us." But the hostility is there. They only want to appease them into not behaving in a hostile manner.

There is an interesting story in the Mahabharata. Once, while the Pandavas with their mother Kunti were moving about incognito, they happened to come to a place called Ekachakrapuri. There they came to know that the town was under the control of a terrific demon called Baka. Once, when he was about to destroy the whole of the town, the people had entreated him saying, "Do not kill us all now. In return for this favour, we will send you every day a cart-load of rice and other edibles, two buffaloes yoked to the cart and the driver for your food." These were the terms of the agreement.

Now, the next part of the story is very interesting and illuminating. Kunti asked the people not to worry by saying that she would be sending one of her five sons who was capable of destroying that Rakshasa. Accordingly Bhima was sent. He went with a cart-load of food to the place of Baka and shouted aloud, "Hello! Where are you? Baka, come on, I have brought your food." He let loose the buffaloes and began to eat the food himself with great relish. Bakasura was amazed to see that sight. Till then, nobody had dared to call him by name. They would tremble, bewail their fate and would only wait for death. Bakasura's surprise grew into annoyance when he saw his 'prey' feasting upon his own food! Furious with rage, he dashed towards Bhima and began showering blows on him. But this gentleman continued to eat saying, "Wait a bit, let me eat"! After he had finished everything, he said, "Now, come on. You have been troubling these poor people for so many days. The time has now come for us to settle the accounts." And we know how Bhima settled the account! On the next morning the people saw to their utter relief the corpse of the dreaded Bakasura sprawling at the entrance gate of the town.

These are the two ways of dealing with the aggressor. In both these ways, the awareness that he is an aggressor and is hostile is there. So, whether our people go about saying that we will give five per cent seats, fifteen per cent seats, we will give parity, we will partition the land and so on, or they stand up and say, "Come on, and let us settle accounts", in both these attitudes, there is the same awareness regarding his real nature of hostility.

Thus we find that even though some people may call us communal and all that, still their beliefs and our beliefs are the same. Only, we have the courage to say the truth, whereas they try to appease and propitiate out of fear, of course, under the garb of 'broad-mindedness', 'secularism' and so on. That is all. No other difference. The conclusion that we arrive at is that all those communities which are staying in this land and yet are not true to their salt, have not imbibed its culture, do not lead the life which this land has been unfolding for so many centuries, do not believe in its philosophy, in its national heroes and in all that this land has been standing for, are, to put it briefly, foreign to our national life. And the only real, abiding and glorious national life in this holy land of Bharat has been of the Hindu People.

In fact, the conviction of our true nationhood has been ingrained in our blood since hoary times. Even to this day that conviction is there in the heart of every son of this soil, though sometimes lying dormant.

In about the year 1920, Dr. Moonje, who was in those days a great Congress leader, accompanied by Dr. Hedgewar, came to Madras on his way to meet Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry. Dr. Moonje travelled in first-class and Doctorji travelled in third-class almost as his attendant. When the train stopped at the previous station, Doctorji entered Dr. Moonje's compartment to pack up his luggage. But before be could complete that, the train started. When the train reached Madras station, a Ticket Inspector said that he would charge Dr. Hedgewar for illegally travelling in first-class with only a third-class ticket. Dr. Moonje tried to explain, but finding the Ticket Inspector obstinate, he snapped angrily, "Well, do you not believe me? I am the master of the Railway because I pay the fare. You are after all a servant. You get out." The ticket Inspector also got infuriated and said, "Who are you to tell me? This is no Muslim country, you get out." Hearing that, both the Doctors had a hearty laugh! Why did he say so? Because, Dr Moonje had a long beard and the Ticket Inspector mistook him to be a Muslim. Even an ordinary average man spontaneously feels that this is not a Muslim country.

Many years ago, Govindrao Kale, the ambassador of the Peshwa at the court of the Nizam, came to know that the Peshwa had crossed the Sindhu and had carried his victorious sword right up to Kabul. In his letter of congratulations, he wrote, " I am so very happy that the Bhagawa Dhwaj has crossed the Sindhu once again, that all Muslim power has been shattered and that from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari, this is 'Hindustan', and not a 'Turkistan'." Equally with that astute diplomat of a great Hindu Kingdom about 150 years ago, an ordinary Ticket Inspector now also expressed the same conviction that this was no Muslim country. This is the truth.

Unfortunately, some eminent personalities have tried to lay upon this truth a mass of illusion and falsehood and are trying to make the Hindus forget that they are the nation. Even falsehood if repeated incessantly will have its effect on weak minds. As the story goes, poor Brahmin was once carrying a lamb in his arms. Three thieves, with a plan to knock it off, successively met the Brahmin and accosted him with the derisive exclamation how a pious Brahmin like him was carrying a dog in his arms. The credulous Brahmin brushed off the suggestion of the first, began to doubt at its repetition by the second and finally believed in it when the third repeated it again. He then threw away the lamb, which, of course, was taken charge of by the thieves.

Let us not shut our eyes to the historical fact that it was the scheming Britisher who, in order to perpetuate his stranglehold on our country, planted in our minds perverted notions of nationhood in a bid to break the proud and defiant spirit of the Hindus, which alone could have posed a real threat to his domination. Even to this day, do we not see that there are forces inside and outside our country, which would stand to profit by the subversion of this pure and intense spirit of nationalism as that alone could effectively frustrate all their evil designs? And knowingly, or unknowingly, our people are also being swept off their feet by their insidious propaganda designed to land us on a suicidal track. It is our scared duty, therefore, to re-establish the truth of our Hindu Nationhood, to remove all the debris of falsehood and make every Hindu realise his proud heritage of being a living limb of this great Hindu Nation.

But, how can it be done? We know as a matter of hard experience that even truth requires to be proved, it needs sanction. Our Shastras have described that sanction as Nigrahanugaha-kshama-shakti - a strength that upholds the good and destroys the evil. We know that in the Bhagavad-Gita, in the very first chapter, Arjuna comes forward with his doubts. The next chapter is a complete answer. After that, Sri Krishna goes on explaining what he has propounded in the second chapter. But Aujuna is not satisfied. Ultimately, when Sri Krishna manifests his colossal Vishwaroopa, he readily says, "Yes, I now understand." After that, he has no more queries about the fundamental theories of life. After the eleventh chapter we find Arjuna extremely receptive. Why? Because of the manifestation of that unbounded power of Vishwaroopa standing as the sanction behind all the divine precepts he had heard from Sri Krishna till then.

Once, we invited a prominent Congress leader* -- who later became an important Central Cabinet Minister -- to preside over one of our functions at Delhi. He accepted the invitation. His friends in Congress tried to dissuade him saying that being a Congressman he should not associate himself with a 'communal' organisation like the RSS. But he assured them that he would not compromise his principles. He came. He saw several thousands of the Sangh swayamsevaks in excellent trim and uniform. A huge audience of about three lakhs was also present, maintaining perfect order and silence. After the introductory talk he stood up to give his presidential speech. He said, "To whom else, if not the Hindus, does this land of Hindustan belong? And whose life, if not of Hindus, is the national life of this soil?" Next day, his speech appeared in the newspapers. He was naturally pestered with objections from his Congress colleagues. It is reported that he replied to them, "None of you would have spoken anything different had you also seen that sight!" And he was right too. The living manifestation * Shri Kailash Nath Katzu

of the power of Hindu Nation in the form of thousands of well-disciplined, devoted swayamsevaks standing before him reawakened the dormant conviction in his heart about our true nationhood.

Therefore, the foremost duty laid upon every Hindu is to huild up such a holy, benevolent and unconquerable might of our Hindu People in support of the age-old truth of our Hindu Nationhood. Our scriptures tell us that self-forgetfulness is adharma and awakening to the knowledge of one's true self is dharma. Thus the path of re-establishment of dharma shown by all our great masters of the past is clearly the awakening of the Hindu People to the truth of their National Self-the glorious, effulgent Hindu Nationhood.