Yoga is Hindu
Suddenly there is an attempt to
secularize Yoga, euphemism for delinking it from the great Indian and
essentially Hindu traditions. False narratives are being floated, all competing
with each other to establish that Yoga is beyond religion, hence is not a Hindu
tradition thus truly secular, ergo. This is being mostly done towards a noble
purpose of making it acceptable to people who practice religions that did not
originate in India and those whose allegiance is to ideologies not rooted in
Indian ethos anymore.
Those people who are at the vanguard
of this ‘Secularize Yoga’ movement do jugglery with semantics to distract attention
from the indisputable fact that Yoga is the fruit of being Hindu a branch of
Sanatana Dharma. Yoga arose out of Hindu philosophy and is metaphysical in
essence. Yoga cannot be seen only as a physical exercise alone, but surely Asana
can be practiced as exercise. The Asana have been used for ages as means to
achieving spiritual enlightenment that is inextricably linked to Hindu concepts
like consciousness, mind, inquiry and pursuit of truth to quell dogma. There is
no guarantee that Asana will not spur the mind to inquire but to the contrary, a
real threat to false and regimentalized religions.
As an analogy, not all who enrol in
schools end up as experts at the end of their academic lives. The knowledge
swells up, throwing up individuals who will transcend barriers but within the
boundaries of the system of knowledge. (The curriculum being a part of
knowledge system, it can never be proven that education is vehicle to boundless
knowledge)
Out of those who begin practicing
Yoga at young age, few will become experts not only in Asana but will also
delve into questions relating to consciousness, the higher learnings of Yoga
that encourages pursuit of truth by questioning the biases and values picked up
in one’s lifetime. And this is again a threat to religions that present Gods
who demand the followers submit, as mandatory condition for the religious
belief system to live, thrive and survive.
Current neurological studies more
than strongly suspect, and in some instances, with ample supporting evidence
that a person is a product of his or her unique past and experiences. Yoga as a
higher level encourages these clutches to be revisited and if need be thrown
away and pursue truth beyond tenets, with a goal to be truly free.
And in that Yoga is Hindu in
essence. Hinduism escapes the Abrahamic narrative and is not measurable in
Abrahamic scale. It is another matter that due to this contradiction, Abrahamic
religion portrays Hinduism, Sanatana Dharma from a crude and vulgarized culture
imprisoned perspective. Yogic philosophy, beginning with Asana, is about
releasing the practitioners from their prejudices and allowing them to look at
themselves as doers and watchers at the same time. It recognizes the
limitlessness of truth and acknowledges that one is never completely free. This
is in total contrast to a religious belief that says their God is the averred truth, requiring no other validation and
acceptance of this as axiom will make a person free. So Yoga is a problem for
few.
Yoga is secular from a narrative
perspective that lies outside Abrahamic definition; it encourages one to
question the limits set by own upbringing, culture and inherent biases. If you
are a Hindu, this is strength. Yoga sits well with an inquisitive philosophy
that firmly believes in एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति
And it is no wonder that the
objection to Yoga comes from religions that run counter to Hindu view of one
truth and multiple paths. The Abrahamic religions aver that there is one truth
and is projected to a singular idea
of a particular God who demands that
his followers submit to him without questioning. Not surprisingly, in this
power game, there is no she God, unlike
Hinduism. Hindus say that there is one truth and cedes that many paths may take
to them, providing for enrichment from future times and things not understood
yet. Therein lies the difference. Hinduism is essentially egalitarian while the
monotheistic religions are monopolistic.
Coming to the question if Yoga is to
be made compulsory, I think it should not be. However, just because it runs
counter to the views of Abrahamic religionists, it should not be stifled
either. I am not attempting to prove to anyone that Hindu religion to be
superior to Islam or Christianity though that is my personal belief.
Let schools teach Yoga to people who
want to free their minds, to pursue truth without prejudice. And those who do
not believe in it do not have any right to stop it in schools. Though Freedom
and freeing the minds are all nice things to talk of, it can never be thrust
upon anyone.
Yoga is not secular as secular is
defined today. It is beyond secular. Rather secular ideas are part of Hindu
ethos that encompasses Yoga. If Muslim community feels that secular ideas are
threats to Islam, they have the right to stay away. But that should not stop
others from finding the essence of freedom as they see it. There are millions,
including some Muslims, who have found great benefits of practicing Yoga. While
core Christian group and influential Islamic groups are still against the
practice of Yoga as they think that with Yoga, the Hindu values such as inquiry
and questioning also may creep into their flock, which is a threat to their existence,
not all of their followers seem to agree with the Institutions. Already Yoga
has broken a shackle. J
When the schools teach evolution
that essentially goes against the teachings of Islam or Christianity, there is
not much outcry. Perhaps this may be due to the desire of Abrahamic religions
to dominate the world, (a desire that seems to be absent in Hinduism) or the
consternation arising out of people shunning the Institutions and voluntarily
choosing a vehicle of inquiry that these Institutions consider inferior.
With 21st June coming up
as World Yoga day, the pitch is only getting shriller. While the ‘Seculars’
want to keep ‘Hindu’ out of it there are people from other religious group who
refuse to take part in it. I can understand the religious objection but the
real enemies are the ill-informed seculars who know nothing about Yoga and
Hinduism.
As a Hindu I am not shy of stating
that Yoga is Hindu and practicing serious Yoga can make a person to think beyond
dogmatic religious tenets. As one watches oneself, the objective views may
change prejudiced dogmas. That can shake the foundation of those fragile belief
systems that are held together by a promise that the after-life bliss is guaranteed
only in exchange of unconditional submission.
For me Yoga is Hindu. It does not
prevent non-Hindus from practicing it. Nor it forces anyone to. But it comes
with a warning. Yoga is a vehicle of freeing oneself from misconceptions caused
by distortions of the mind. Those who fear of being free have much to fear from
Yoga. It is not a crime. Let them be.
Note: Much of the thoughts expressed
here are result of dialogue I had with self after reading Dr Subhash Kak. Many
of the ideas in this piece are his, I have only expressed my understanding of
his truly exalted thoughts.
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