Indian Civilisation : Logical Basis Of Religion
यूनां-ओ-मिश्र-रोमां सब मिट जहां से, अब तक मगर है बाकी नाम-ओ-निशां हमारा ।
कुछ बात है कि हस्ती मिटती नहीं हमारी, सदियों रहा है दुश्मन दौरे-ए-जमां हमारा ।।
So aptly described by Iqbal, of all the old and mighty civilizations of the world only Indian civilisation survives. The magnificence of Egyptian civilisation can be learnt only from the reports of the archaeologists and the ruins of the great monuments; the Babylonian Empire, and its marvels of scientific irrigation and engineering skill is today nothing but a heap of ruins; the great Roman culture, with its political institution and ideals of law and equality, is to a large extent a thing of the past. The Indian Civilisation which even at the lowest estimates is 5000 years old, is still survives in its essential feature.
Indian civilisation is unique in many aspects. It is no surprise that west misunderstood it. The most unfortunate part is that its own children educated in a foreign language, looking at poverty and misery all round them, doubt the greatness of the civilisation itself. Not knowing that the civilisation survives because it is standing on the foundation of millennium of liberal debate. That the Indian philosophy in its rainbow like structure encompasses in itself abstract ideas of creation of universe of Kapila’s Sankhya, self realisation of Patnjali’s Yoga, atomic pluralism of Kanada’s Vaisheshik, logical realism of Gautam’s Nyaya, Jaimini’s Mimansa and Badranaryan Vedant. Not knowing that in the other end of spectrum stood Charvaks materialistic school, which does not believe in God but seeks salvation in pleasure, rejecting the most revered book of India the Vedas. It is testimony to the highly liberal attitude of the civilisation that not only it accepted the thinking of the philosopher but gave him respect by treating him as a Sage, a Rishi i.e. a learned man.
For thinking minds to blossom, for language, literature, art and science to flourish, the first condition necessary is settled society providing security and leisure. India is fortunate as it is a place where nature is free with her gifts. The Himalayas with immense range and elevation on one side and sea on the other, helped to keep India free from invasions for a long time, Bounteous nature yielded abundant food and man were relived of toil and struggle for survival. Another unique aspect of thought process was that the Indians never thought that world is a field of battle where man struggle for power wealth and dominations. A man was respected in the society not for his possessions but for his wisdom.
In other countries of the world, reflections on the nature of existence was a luxury of life. Philosophy was always subordinate to to other disciplines. In India the pursuits of philosophy was not auxiliary to any other science or art but always held a prominent position of independence. “Philosophy” says Koutilya; “ is the lamp of all science the means of performing all works, and support of all duties.
Philosophy in India is essentially spiritual. It is intense spirituality of India, added with conservative liberalism and a reverence for the past: that helped the civilisation to survive. The spirituality in India and not any great political structure and social organization that has enabled it to resist the ravages of time, and accidents of history. The external invasions and internal dissension came very near crushing its civilisation many times in its history. The Greek and the Scythians, the Persians and the Mughals, the French, the Portuguese and the English have by turn attempted to suppress it and yet it held its head high. Throughout Indian civilisation is living with one purpose the quest for truth and against error.
The spiritual motives dominates life in India. The Vedas, the Geeta, and Upanishads are not remote from popular belief. The Ramayana, the Mahabharata, Puranas contain the truth dressed up in myths and stories to suit the week understanding of the majority. The complex ideas of Upanishads are reflected in the popular poetry of Guru Nanak, Tulsidas, Kabir and other saints. The words of Guru Granth Sahib “ Ek Onkar Satnam …” are nothing but direct translation of Vedic idea in local dialect. The description of attributed of God in Ram Charit Manas “ Bin Pag Chale Sune Binu Kana…..” that he moves without legs and hears without ears.. is reflection of Upnashadic thought. The hard task of interesting the majority in metaphysics is achieved in India.
Unlike all other places, religion in India is not dogmatic. It is rational synthesis which goes gathering into itself new conceptions as the philosophy progresses. It is experimental and provisional as nature, attempting to keep pace with the progress of thought. No religious movement in India has come into existence without developing its own philosophical contents.
Indians believe that the Vedas are revelation by the God to the Rishis, it is without a beginning and without an end. This is to a gullible mind seems a similarity with other Abrahamic religious books, but in fact, this is an entirely different matter. The word “Veda”; derived from the root “Vid’ meaning to know; means knowledge. The Indian civilisation believes that all knowledge exists unless revealed. We say that Newton discovered gravitation; the law of gravitation was always there and will always remain even if entire humanity forgot it, the falling of an apple was an outside suggestion which prompted Newton to see the truth. Word Veda is used in the same sense we use science. There are writers of each hymn the Rishis known as Drishta, the seer.
Broadly speaking there are nine system of thoughts in India; six Sankhya, Yoga, Vaishaishik, Nyaya, Purva Mimansa, and Uttara Mimansa are known as Astika schools. Remaining three; Charvaka, Jaininsm and Buddhism are classified as Nastika school. The Astika or Nastika character of a system does not depend on theist or atheist belief of the system but on acceptance or not acceptance of authority of Vedas. Even the Buddhism has its origin in Upanishads, the concluding part of the Vedas; but it does not accepts authority of the Vedas in the sense that it does not accepts it as proof of reality.
Although the Vedic thought is considered sacrosanct, but it was never accepted without questioning. Time and again we see that when a accepted belief become inadequate on account of changed times a new teacher, a Buddha, a Mahavira, a Vyas or a Shankara intervenes stirring the depth of spiritual life. The civilisation was so liberal that all such revolutionary thoughts were critically examined and accepted or rejected. Critical thinking was so celebrated that all dissenters Mahavira, Buddha or Shankara were treated as God incarnate even if their ideas are rejected.
The conservative liberalism, a deep attachment to the tradition, intense spirituality of the masses whose beliefs are deep rooted in the complex philosophy made available to them through stories and simple language by the extraordinary Saints is the reason for survival of the civilisation and there is no reason why it could not go from strength to strength.
