Pavan K Varma has always come across as a
learned, logical, and unbiased person, so I was surprised to listen to his
views on a TV program Ram Beyond Rajniti. Events around the Rama Mandir Prana
Pratishtha run round the clock now. This show was on The Newshour Special
Edition on the Times Now Channel hosted by Navika Kumar. The others on the
panel were equally erudite, but the focus of this blog is Pavan Varma.
Pavanji wears many hats, but I know him as
the author of books like Krishna The Playful Divine, The Great Hindu
Civilisation, and The Greatest Ode to Lord Ram: Tulsidas’s
Ramcharitmanas. His reverence for Hinduism and his admiration for Bharat’s
civilisational heritage clearly shows. Therefore, it was surprising to listen
him making inane arguments bashing the BJP. Well, may not be so surprising
because everyone outside the BJP seems to be doing it today.
To be fair to Pavan Varma, he began by
appreciating the contribution made by BJP in the fructification of the grand
temple at Rama Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. But he went on to say that the BJP has
weaponised Shree Rama against other religions and the opposition parties, which
according to Pavanji was not warranted. He cites Shree Rama’s character and his
message in defence of his opinion.
Pavan Varma refers to two bhajans by
Tulsidasji to support that Rama was an epitome of compassion. Bhaya prakat
krupala (then the compassionate one appeared) and Shree Ramachandra
krupalu bhaja mana (Mind, contemplate on Shree Ramachandra, the
compassionate one). The advice is that compassionate persons are tolerant and
understanding of the needs of others and therefore Hindus should behave in this
manner in their interactions with others. Since the alleged behaviour of BJP is
not in consonance with this compassion, they are not “true” Hindus.
There is a time for compassion and a time
for aggression and Shree Rama had both aspects to his character. Here are two
incidents that Tulsidasji incorporates in The Ramcharitmanas.
·
When Rama sees the armies of
the demons Khara and Dushana approaching Panchvati: dekhi Rama ripudal chali
aawaa, bihasi kathin kodund chadhava (when Rama saw the enemy horde
approaching, he smiled and strung his fearsome bow).
· When prayers to Varundeva failed: Lacchiman bana sarasana aanu,
soshoun baridhi bisikha krusanu (Laxman fetch my bow and arrows and I will
dry up the ocean with a fiery missile). Rama continues educating Laxman: Supplication before an idiot,
friendship with a rogue, inculcating liberality on a born miser, talking wisdom
to one steeped in worldliness, glorifying dispassion before a man of excessive
greed, and a lecture on mind control to an irascible man are as futile as
sowing seeds in a barren land.
Every Indian will be aware that when
Ravana abducted Sita and refused to return her, Shree Rama did not show
compassion and he did not accept defeat. Before the year was complete, Ravana
and his entire family was killed and Lanka destroyed. The Hindus have waited
500 years to justifiably reclaim what is theirs. They have shown more
compassion than needed.
Pavan Varma argued that the message of
Shree Rama enjoins people to live in peace, harmony, and brotherhood, keeping
the interest of others before the self, He again cited lines from the
Ramcharitmanas. Parhit saris dharma nahin bhai, par pida sam nahin adharmai (there
is no greater righteousness than working for the benefit of others and no
greater unrighteousness than causing pain to others). This works only when all
involved espouse the philosophy as another line describing Rama Rajya cited by
Pavanji elucidates: Sab nar karahi paraspar preeti. The key word here is
paraspar, which indicates mutuality and reciprocity. This responsibility
lies equally on the other, but in practice it has never been so.
In an interview with Arnab Goswami on
Republic TV, S Gurumurthy explained that for the last 75 years Hindus have been
taught that tolerance is their virtue even when it leads to subjugation and
giving up what is rightfully theirs. This is obviously a fake narrative
successfully peddled through Macaulayan education. The Bhagvad Gita, the
holiest of Hindu scriptures, clearly denounces this position in which Shree
Krishna exhorts Arjuna to take up arms when the Pandava kingdom has been usurped
and they have been denied even a request for five villages in lieu of their
kingdom.
Many panellists on TV shows indulge in
cherry picking, usually out of context, to try prop up untenable positions.
Pavanji, a person of your learning and stature should not indulge in this.
Also, it is no longer tenable to ride two horses. One cannot support the Hindu
move to reclaim its civilisation and at the same time support minority
appeasement, which is rising to dangerous levels and now directly challenges
the Hindu way of life.
