Cruelty is born in the
heart. One who can harbour cruel
thoughts in the heart is no less cruel than the one who commits the actual acts
of cruelty. Baba Ramdev’s wish to kill lakhs of people if they refuse to chant ‘Bharat
Mata ki Jai’ makes him a potential mass murderer. His wish raises a lot of questions that we should ponder upon.
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| Courtesy One India |
First of all, Ramdev
claims to be a yogi. A yogi is one who
has mastered self-control. It’s control
over body and mind. It’s control over
one’s passions of all sorts. A yogi
towers above the rank and file by virtue of that self-control. There is no place for hatred of any sort, let
alone murderous thoughts, in the heart of a yogi. Is Ramdev a yogi? Does he deserve the veneration that is being
lavished on him?
The man forfeited his
claim to that venerable status long ago when he commercialised spirituality and
Ayurveda. His Ayurvedic products have
been called into question for their quality time and again. There are umpteen court cases against his
claims regarding his products. He may be
the richest trader in the country. But a
yogi? Hmmm.
He continues to enjoy
veneration from millions of people merely because of the spurt of nationalism
of a queer sort that has found popularity recently in the country. This nationalism is actually hatred
masquerading as love of nation. This
nationalism is a reactionary force born out of the frustration of a section of
people who think that another section of people are the cause of their failures
and frustrations.
People of the stature of
Ramdev have the duty to bring remedies for the frustration which has become a menacing
social evil. It is the duty of every
leader to find solutions to social problems.
Instead Ramdev is adding fuel to the fire. He is fishing in the troubled waters. Far from being a yogi, he is not even a
leader. Rabble rousers are not leaders. They
are potential murderers.
Yet another question that
rises is whether devotion to national symbols such as Bharat Mata can be prised
out of people like a boulder being ejected from its moorings in the soil. Even a person with ordinary common sense
knows that no love can be forced on anyone or forced out of anyone. Love has to be nurtured. Make Bharat Mata a meaningful symbol for the
people, a symbol to which they can relate at some level, if it is to be
venerated. But is it veneration of any
symbol that people like Ramdev really want?
How way is highway,sir! A highway to hell!
ReplyDeleteIrony is that there was a time when I used to practice pranayama early in the morning through his channel. That was a time when he was anti medicine and anti advertisement and anti western clothes. Now he is pro medicine, look at his advertisements and also there was a news on swadeshi jeans. His way is highway, sir!
The irony has gone beyond the poles. The real tragedy is the refusal of people to see light, to open their eyes. Villains become heroes only because the followers refuse to see the truth.
DeleteHe also spoils the name of Patanjali.And Pranayama was twisted with his own interpretations.
ReplyDeleteHis own interpretation would have been acceptable if his heart was pure. When it comes to anything related to spirituality, the purity of the heart is the ultimate touchstone.
Delete