Invariably when we think of conversions from Hinduism to Islam or Christianity, we conjure up a scenario of Love Jihad, Marriage, force or fraudulent healing. But what is surprising is that these are not the only ways that conversion out of Sanatan Dharma is done. There is something even more sinister and silent which is happening all over the country and even more so in communist ruled Kerala. Again, when we say “Communist” we think that it means Atheist or disbelief of God, but facts show us that this atheism or disbelief among communists seems only restricted to followers of the Hindu faith and not to Abrahamics.
Last month, I attended a talk by Shri Manoj Acharya ji of Aarsha Vidya Samajam, at the Ayyappa Temple, Powai, Mumbai. He had come here to make us aware of the happenings in Kerala and also to collect funds for a very noble cause – rescuing youth who were trapped by the Conversion Mafia. He started his talk by telling the audience about the importance of this great, ancient culture and Sanatana Dharma. But then he said something which literally made me think once more about the misconceptions that we have about Hinduism. He said that there are 2 parts to Hinduism/Sanatana – Dharma & Marg. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Sanatana Dharma is perpetual and indestructible, but Sanatana Marg can remain perpetual ONLY if we work towards keeping it indestructible and work against those who are trying to destroy it. Rta and Dharma are Omnipresent and Omnipotent, but the path (Marg) towards Dharma as per Hindu traditions ie. Sanatana Marg will survive only if we learn about the components of this Marg and strive to protect it.
Unfortunately most Hindus live blissfully ignorant of this fact believing that since Sanatan Dharma is eternal, nothing will happen to Hinduism and the Hindu way of Life. This has made us so complacent that we forget to teach our children about our rituals, traditions, scriptures and even sidestep telling them about the everyday prayers that have to be told or even taking them to our Temples for Darshan. The fact is that when our children feel confused about the anti-Hindu narratives and pose questions to parents, the parents themselves are at a loss to explain and hence are unable to satisfy their queries and doubts. In such a scenario Hindu children get overwhelmed when their peers of other religions discuss their religion in front of them with pride and demean the Hindu Devi-Devatas.
According to Shri Acharya, Love Jihad is just one way of converting our children. He says that in case of Love Jihad, at least the child has a chance of returning to Hinduism when they fall out of love or realize that they have been cheated. Two other methods of converting our children are more dangerous and require extremely strenuous efforts to reverse the process – these are:
· Brainwashing of the youngsters/adults
· Narcotics dependency
Brainwashing includes feeding the child with narratives about how Hinduism is bad and our Gods are immoral or misogynistic and how their Gods and traditions are loving, peaceful and very respectful of women. To further this, they also help the youngsters get jobs, education in their educational institutes, cut them off from friendship with other people of their own religion and use other such techniques (this includes followers of both Islam and Christianity). Once the child is isolated, he/she believes in whatever is fed to him/her and then goes on to become the most vehement critic of Hinduism and hates anything related to Hinduism and even starts disliking his/her own parents and family members. To reverse this process is a very long drawn effort and once gone, the child rarely comes back because he/she is now totally dependent on the leaders of the religion he/she adopts.
What is way to avoid this?
According to Shri Mohan Acharya, the five elements of preserving our Sanatan Marg and Dharma are:
· Adhyayana – learning about our scriptures, shlokas, rituals, traditions
· Anushthana – practicing it everyday (daily rituals, nitya Puja, etc)
· Pracharana – telling others about it
· Adhyapana – teaching others (including children via shlokas, stories, rituals, etc)
· Samrakshana – conserving and protecting
Factually, it is time that all Hindu families adopt the above steps sincerely and teach their children to fight against false narratives, take pride in Sanatana Dharma and work towards keeping themselves on that path. Only then will Bharat still remain the home and shelter of the most ancient religion of this world – Hindu Dharma.
Note: Those wishing to help Aarsha Vidya Samajam in their fight to bringing back misguided youngsters into Sanatana Dharma can contact them on:
Facebook at facebook.com/aarshavidyasamajam
Twitter at @AVSKerala
Email at [email protected] / [email protected]
Website : www.arshaworld.org
Tel : 9020078899 / 8943006350
Do contribute to this noble cause even with your donations.
Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah!
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