Prabhu Sri Rama is a part of the collective consciousness of the people of many countries, not just Bharat. He is the very embodiment of what every human should aspire for in his life and that is why even non-Hindus worship his memory, even in now Islamic or Buddhist nations. His life was full of virtues which will never fade or cease to be the hallmark of a Purushottama (best among humans).
- ‘Pran jaaye par vachan na jaaye’ – Honouring the promise made, even if one has to die for it.
- ‘Maryada Purshottama’ – Staying within the limits set for a human being. Never used any divine powers to get his desires fulfilled.
- ‘Ek Patni Vrat’ – Stayed faithful to his wife Sita and never married another lady.
- ‘Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava’ – Treated his parents as divinity on earth, obeyed his gurus and rishis and learnt studiously from them.
- Respected every person he met irrespective of sex, caste, learning or position.
While these are very few points of his greatness, they show, in short, why he became an icon, a human being who was greater than most Gods – so much that even Lord Shiva meditates on him. It is said that taking his name on death guarantees one moksha and entry to Vaikuntha Dhaam. It is for precisely these reasons and more that it is essential for us Bharatiyas to revere his memory and instil his values in our people, especially the children so that we become a better society.
When Babur forcibly usurped Ram Janmabhoomi and built a masjid (mosque) in its place, as a symbol of victory over non-believers of Islam, he buried our national pride, our consciousness and our heritage. It is time now for Bharatiyas to restore our self-belief, our pride and our culture to a hallowed place by raising Sri Rama from under the earth to his proper place in Ayodhya. And this has to be done by making every Bharatiya feel pride in Sri Rama, irrespective of religion and caste. The narrative that has been handed down by Britishers and Leftists in all these years has to be shattered and Sri Rama has to evolve in our hearts again.
Hindus are not beggars to beg for Ram Janmabhoomi from the present day generation of Muslims who reportedly ‘own’ the title deed for that land. That land was usurped unfairly by an invader … lakhs of people over hundreds of years have shed blood to recapture that land. It is not as if Hindus have given up their right to Ram Janmabhoomi. Imagine if a person squats on Government land without any rights or permission … after a few years if the Government decides to develop that land, does the Government not have the permission to do so? If Government can evacuate illegal settlers from railway land, why can’t this be done in case of Ram Janmabhoomi? It should be declared as a heritage property and a Sita Ram Mandir has to be justly built … yes, people from all castes, creeds and religion should be allowed to visit and worship in this temple. Values of Sri Rama and the holy Ramayan should be taught here. For far too many years politicians and rulers of various hues have kept the issue on the boil. This has to end.
But unfortunately yesterday, a very surprising statement was put forth by Sri Sri Ravishankar in his interviews to TV channels, in which he said, “A Syria-like situation will develop, the country will go to civil war if the court verdict is given on Ram Mandir issue.” It is surprising that a guru should claim this. In his letter, he has mentioned 4 scenarios that could happen in the near future and said that each of these scenarios would lead to internal strife between people of both religions (Hindus and Muslims). I am appalled by this statement!
The reason why I’m appalled is that unfortunately we are all taken in by the narratives being shown to us about both Hindus and Muslims in Bharat. Agreed that Islamic terrorism is on the rise all over the world and that it has made inroads here too … but to say that a situation like Syria would arise – ie. they would destroy their own country that they were born in and live in, is something unpalatable. Also, to say that Hindus would do something similar is unbelievable. If anything they will fight to protect the country, not destroy it.
We want our gurus to teach our people to fight such activities like Shivaji or Guru Gobind Singh or Lachit Borphukan (to name a few) did. They fought the evil people and their evil actions of torturing and harassing people, not the religion. They fought to protect the Hindus, not to kill the Muslims. There is a big difference in the two. They fought to protect Bharat, not to destroy Bharat and its culture. They destroyed evil but believed in the inherent good.
We want to criticize AIMPLB or the mullahs who want to teach extreme Islamism and Jihad … then why should we not criticize a guru who wants to reportedly make underhand dealings with a member (Nadvi – as reported on CNN-IBN)? We want to take such a sensitive issue to the court but want to say that the decision of the court will bring the destruction of our beloved country? When there is archaeological evidence that a structure exists, why go through the pretence of a court case and then search for out-of-court settlements? The fact is that we Bharatiyas do not want to think as one entity – we still want to divide ourselves in various ways – this is the mentality that all our dharma gurus, irrespective of religion, should attack. Let’s face it, today it is Ram Janmabhoomi, yesterday it was the Meghalaya Church instructing its people to vote for a particular party and tomorrow it will be some other issue. All these are excuses for lack of patriotism. Otherwise, there is no reason why a Muslim or a Christian whose ancestors were all Hindus, to fight together for a ‘national identity’ and be proud of a ruler like Sri Rama. We have reduced ourselves to people who can cry for Lady Diana or be happy about Queen Victoria, but start debates when it comes to Sri Rama.
Be Bharatiya, be proud of your own cultural heritage and history. Knowledge is not dependent on religion and our ancient scriptures are every Bharatiya’s collective wealth.
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Note: Below is Sri Sri Ravishankar’s letter –
Through this letter, I want to put forth the current situation and future possibility of our nation regarding theRam Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid issue. As we all know, the issue has been an old and contentious one between the Hindu and the Muslim communities. As of now, the case is in the Supreme Court.Let us examine the possible outcomes of the Supreme Court judgement favouring one community over the other.
The first possibility is that of the court declaring the site be given to the Hindus based on the archaeological evidence that the temple existed long before the masjid. In this scenario, Muslims would have serious apprehensions about our legal system and their faith in the Indian judiciary may be shaken. This could also lead to Muslim youth resorting to violence as one of the many repercussions.
Even though the Muslim Personal Law Board and the other community leaders say that they will accept it, in the long run, the feeling that the court has done injustice to the community will prevail for centuries.
The second option is that the Hindus lose the case and the entire land is gifted to the Muslims for reconstruction of the Babri Masjid.This will cause tremendous heartburn in the Hindu community because it is a matter of faith and one, for which for they have been fighting for 500 years.This could result in huge communal disturbances all over the country.In their victory, the Muslims will lose out on the goodwill and trust of millions of Hindus right from the villages up.Winning this one acre of land, they would, however, permanently lose the goodwill of the majority community.
Thirdly, if the court upholds the Allahabad High Court’s version, which says that there should be a mosque built on one acre, whilst the remaining 60 acres be utilised for building temple, it would require the deployment of 50000 police personnel to keep the peace, given the proximity of the two places of worship and the huge security risk. This too will not in anyway be beneficial to the Muslim community.
According to local Muslims, they do not need this particular mosque to go and pray as they have twenty-two other mosques and only five thousand people use them. This is another point of contention and we are giving a chance for a repeat of the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition situation and will be a continuous point of conflict. This is no solution at all.
The fourth option is that the Government brings about a legislation and builds a temple. In this case, again, the Muslim community will feel they have lost. So in all the four options, whether through the court or through the government, the result will be devastating for the nation at large and the Muslim community, in particular.
If the Muslims win, they will celebrate in every village and it will only invite communal tension and violence. Similarly, if the Hindus win, it could invite the wrath of the Muslim community and lead to riots throughout the country, as we have seen in the past. People from both communities who are adamant on following the court’s verdict are also driving the issue to a situation of defeat.
The best solution, according to me, is an out-of-court settlement in which the Muslim bodies come forward and gift an acre of land to the Hindus who in turn will gift five acres of land nearby to the Muslims, to build a better mosque. It is a win-win situation in which the Muslims will not only gain the goodwill of 100 crore Hindus but it will also put to rest this issue for the benefit of future generations in the coming centuries. A palak nama will recognise that this temple has been built with the cooperation of both the Hindus and Muslims.
Going through the court is a loss for both communities.So I reiterate that an out-of-court settlement will be a win-win situation for both.
I urge the leaders of both faiths to take this action seriously, otherwise, we are pushing our country to the brink of a civil war. The world has seen too much of this already in Syria, Iraq and Iran. Let us instead, showcase to the world that India is different and that we can resolve our internal issues amicably.
Now, the big question is whether it is permissible by the Quran to shift the mosque to another location. The answer is yes. I have personally heard this from the respected cleric Maulana Nadvi and many other Muslim scholars.They are not surrendering this land to the people who demolished the Babri Masjid or to a particular organisation. On the contrary, they are gifting it to the people of India.They must keep this in their minds and spirit. There is no surrendering. It is only reconciliation and an expression of their broadmindedness, benevolence, magnanimity and goodwill.
Let us be reminded that the Supreme Court itself suggested resolving the conflict outside the court. I request all the stakeholders to think over these options with the hope that they put the nation first, above petty politics and sentiment and allow for the fostering and building of trust, love and brotherhood between the two communities.
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