21. Sermons Of 'Forgiveness And Non-Violence' In Both Vedas and Bible
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SERMONS OF ‘FORGIVENESS AND NON-VIOLENCE’ IN BOTH VEDAS AND BIBLE
1. FORGIVENESS AND NON-VIOLENCE IN VEDAS
Holy Vedas teach noble lesson of ‘forgiveness and non-violence’. Vedic devotee prays to Almighty to grant life even to his enemy who hates him. He prays to Providence not only for his well-being, but also for the prosperity of his adversary.
yaao3smaana\ WoiYT yaM vayaM iWYmastasya tvaM pa
aNaonaa#pyaayasva | Aa vayaM pyaaiSaiYamaih gaaoiBarSvaO: pajayaa paSauiBagaR-hOQa-naona ||
a Aqava-vaod 9o81o5Oh gracious God
Grant life to him
Who harbours ill-will and malice
Against us
And against whom
We harbour hatred;
Let him prosper
And let us also prosper;
May we be blessed with
Cattle, horses, sons, grand-sons
Home, health and wealth May all prosper !
May we also prosper
- Atharva Veda 7/81/5
Vedic civilization is the most superb and sublime, adopting in its sphere all the persons of the globe. It is not meant for one community or one country. It is for the whole race of mankind. It is unique and universal civilization. That is why it is concerned with the good of humanity at large.
savao- Bavantau sauiKana: sava- santau inaramayaa: |
savao- Bad`aiNa paSyantau, maa kxiEcata\ du:Ka BaagBavaota\ ||May all be happy,
May all be healthy,
May all be blessed,
May none suffer from
Miseries and misfortunes.
According to Holy Vedas, there is a pre-natal harmony, natural link and celestial communion among all the souls. Hence Vedas instruct men not to despise one another. He who hates another, hates himself because he finds divine manifestation in both the souls connecting a common link between the two. That is why Vedas teach men to give up malice and hatred.
iva WoYaaMsaInauih |
a Pgvaod 6o10o7Give up hatred.
- Rig Veda 6/10/7
Here is Vedic prayer in Atharva Veda, illustrating the same point
maa naao iWXata kxEcana |
a Aqava-vaod 12o1o24May we not hate any one.
- Atharva Veda, 12/1/24
Violence is abhorrent and abominable in Vedic religion. Vedas teach us not to kill any being that breathes on the earth. It is a heinous sin to kill the innocent.
Anaagaaohtyaa vaO iBamaa |
a Aqava-vaod 10o1o29It is the most heinous sin
To slay the innocent.
- Atharva Veda 10/1/29
Blessed are the eyes that cast loving and affectionate glances at others. Cursed and condemned be the eyes which frown and fret at others. Vedas teach that all are friendly, none is enemy. Love begets love, hatred breeds poison. If you look at others with friendly eye, they will return loving glances to you. Hence it is our utmost duty to create atmosphere of fellow-feeling and friendliness, love and affection, companionship and co-operation, equality and fraternity. Here is Vedic prayer in Yajur Veda illustrating the same point :
_tao _q#aMh maa ima~asya caXauYaa savaa-iNa BaUtaaina samaIXantaama\ |
ima~asyaa#hM caXauYaa savaa-iNa BaUtaaina samaIXao |
ima~asya caXauYaa samaIXaamaho ||
a yajauvao-d 36o18O Lord, firm and resolute,
Make me firm,
May all look at me
With friendly eye,
May I look at all
With friendly eye,
May all look at one another
With friendly eye.
- Yajur Veda 36/18
2. FORGIVENESS AND NON-VIOLENCE IN BIBLE
(i) If one slaps on your right cheek, give him left one also
Jesus Christ says :
200. ‘39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.’
- Mathew, 5/39
This is the finest piece of text for Christians in Holy Bible. I earnestly desire that all the Christians of the world must act and behave in accordance with this sermon of Christ. If they do so, the world will be transformed into heaven. But History bears testimony that Christian rulers of Goa acted and behaved quite contrary to above sermon. The ‘Holy Inquisition of Goa’, which was, in the words of Dr. Justice M.B. Niyogi, ‘unholy and wicked institution’, perpetrated innumerable atrocities on both Christians and non-Christians. It proved the worst of its kind, established anywhere.113
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita admonishes the Hindus to kill the evil (not innocent), while Bible instructs the Christians in the above verse not to resist evil and give left cheek to the man who strikes on your right cheek. Had the Hindus and the Christians acted in accordance with the afore-mentioned respective sermon of their respective Holy Books (Gita and Bible), the map of the world would have been different. That is, Bharat would not have been conquered, captured and held under tyrannical yoke of slavery by the British, and Hindu Rajya (Ram Rajya) would have been established in most of the countries of the world. But alas ! Hindus ignored the sermon of Gita and acted in accordance with the above sermon of Bible, while Christians ignored the said sermon of Bible and acted according to the above sloka of Gita negatively i.e. they took sword not only against the evil (as admonished by Gita) but also against the virtuous (i.e. followers of Gita). It is a matter of agony, anguish and anxiety that the followers of Gita (Hindus) became the followers of Bible, while the followers of Bible (Christians) became the followers of Gita. In other words I may say that when Hindus gave up heroic valour, they were trampled under the feet of foreign aggressors. What Guruji M.S. Golwalkar said in this connection is worth quoting here :
_’Without dynamic conquering spirit, even devotion to a divine cause will be of little avail In this hard world which is an arena for trial of strength with brute forces, mere goodness or noble virtues will not hold the field for a single moment. That is why we find that in spite of all the piety, goodness and devotion to God all through the past thousand years, we were trampled under the feet by foreign aggressors who, though total strangers to goodness and virtue, had a passion for heroic action and organised effort.’_114
- M.S. Golwalkar
The following two quotations of Swatantrya Veer Savarkar are eye-opener :
‘So long as the whole world is unjust, we must be unjust; so long as the whole world is aggressive, we must be aggressive.’
- Veer Savarkar
‘Aggression and brute strength can only be defeated by severe aggression and superlative brute strength.’
- Veer Savarkar
So far as the afore-mentioned quotation of Jesus Christ is concerned, 1 cannot restrain myself from admiring it. But the same Jesus Christ advised his followers in the New Testament to sell their garment and buy a sword.
201. ‘36 and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.’
- Luke, 22/36
Christ also declared in the New Testament (Matthew, 10/34) that he has come not for peace but to wield a sword. He also says in another chapter of the New Testament (John, 15/6) that one who does not seek shelter in him, will be thrown like a withered branch of tree fit to be burnt in fire. Hence I come to the conclusion that the afore-mentioned quotation of ‘offering left cheek to one who slaps on the right one’ is meant only for Christians while treating their co-religionists (i.e. Christians). It is not meant for non-Christians. It is not put into action, when Christians deal with non-Christians. The other two quotations quoted above are mostly practised while dealing with non-Christians. My conclusion is confirmed by Jesus Christ’s doctrine of damnation for those who do not believe in tenets of Christianity. Christ categorically says in the New Testament (Mark, 16/16) that he who believes and is baptized, shall be saved, while he who does not believe (in Christ and Christianity) shall be damned. The Old Testament is full of instances of damnation, death and destruction for the so called non-believers.
The Holy Bible consists of two parts : the first part is called the ‘Old Testament’, which is full of instances of slaughter and massacre of innocent persons because of their only fault that their mode of worship was different. The second part is known as the ‘New Testament’. Most of the Christians base their religion (Christianity) only on the teachings of the ‘New Testament’ and disown the Hebrew part (the Old Testament) of Holy Bible. If they really disown the first part of the Bible, why do they riot exclude it from she text ? Authorised (King James) version of the Holy Bible printed in U.S.A. in 1979 contains both Old and New Testaments. All versions of Holy Bible contain both the parts. There is a deep connection between the Old Testament and the New which, taken together, form the complete Bible. St. Augustine corroborates it by saying :
‘The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old is made manifest in the New.’
- St Augustine
Hence the Christian missionaries cannot disown the Old Testament. Moreover Jesus Christ himself owns up and confirms the contents of the Old Testament by saying that he came to the earth, not to destroy the laws of his predecessors but to fulfil them :
202. ‘17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law (Mosaic Law), or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.’
- Matthew, 5/17
(ii) Pray for those who persecute you
As an impartial author, I must admit that there are good quotations also in Holy Bible. Here I am presenting a nice quotation of Jesus Christ who precepts us to bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who persecute you. He says :
203. ‘44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;’
- Matthew, 5/44
What a fine sermon it is ! I wish all Christian missionaries, all Christian countries and all Christian ruling politicians must act in accordance with above sermon of Christ. An idea is fine only when it is put into action. because life is made of actions, not wishful thinking. If the actions of followers of a particular cult are quite contrary to what they preach, what is the use of their preaching ?
It seems that Christian missionaries have ignored the aforementioned positive sermon of Christ and have adopted and executed his negative precepts. Here is one more negative and destructive utterance of Jesus Christ, which nullifies the above sermon. He says :
204. ‘27. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.’
-Luke, 19/27
It is astonishing that at one place (Matthew, 5/44) Jesus Christ admonishes to love and bless your enemies and pray for them, while at another place he orders his followers to bring those enemies, who did not wish him (Christ) to rule over them, before him and slay them in his presence. What a contradictory statement !
If all Christians of the world-nay, all human beings of the globe, adopt and practise Christ’s positive sermons of love, kindness and forgiveness, the earth will be transformed into heaven. When all men and women are the sons and daughters of One Father, why to hate and destroy one another ? Why not to love each being that breathes on the earth ? Love is god. God is love.
205. ‘8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.’
- 1 John, 4/8
God loves all His children equally whether they are good or bad, virtuous or sinner. His mercy showers on all persons irrespective of caste, colour, creed and community. He makes the sun shine on both good persons as well as bad, and showers rain on all whether they are just or unjust.
206. ‘45......... he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.’
- Matthew, 5/45
(iii) If you expect forgiveness from God, forgive your fellow-beings
Jesus Christ says :
207. ‘14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:’
- Matthew, 6/14
208. ‘15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’
- Matthew, 6/15
The above two verses are excellent, but the same are nullified by Christ himself when he says in the New Testament (Matthew, 10/35) that he came to the earth to create rift between father and son, mother and daughter, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The Old Testament which is owned up and confirmed by Jesus Christ goes one step further when it admonishes ‘to kill your own brother, your own son, your own daughter and your wife if they entice you to serve other gods.’ (Deuteronomy, 13/6-10)
(iv) A nation shall not draw sword against a nation
Here is a very fine passage in Holy Bible which exhorts nations not to draw swords against one another, but to beat their swords into plough shares and their spears into pruning hooks
209. ‘4 and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.’
- Isaiah, 2/4
The above-mentioned nice sermon of non-violence is nullified by Jesus Christ’s advice to his followers in the New Testament to buy a sword by selling their garments even, if they have no money (Luke, 22/36). Thus Holy Bible is replete with contradictions, which are bound to create confusions into the hearts of its followers, who will be at a loss what to believe, what not to believe
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‘Aggression and brute strength can only be defeated by severe aggression and superlative brute strength.’
- Veer Savarkar
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Footnotes: 113 Justice Dr. M. Bhawani Shankar Niyogi : ‘Report of the Christian Missionary Activities Enquiry Committee, Madhya Pradesh’, 1956, Vol. I, p. 66
114 M.S. Golwalkar : ‘Bunch of Thoughts’, third edition, 1996, p. 92