Agnostic Khushwant

by Khushwant Singh

There are some professions, much practised in our country, which contribute nothing to society but instead do a great deal of harm to it. The most popular of them is forecasting the future through astrology, casting horoscopes, palmistry, crystal ball gazing and deciphering ancient texts like the Bhrigu Samhita and the Sau Saakhee. Of these, astrology is the most widespread and believed in as much by the highest placed as by the masses. Prime ministers, chief ministers, other ministers, governors, bureaucrats and businessmen regularly perform tantric rites and practise black magic ostensibly to overcome the influence of evil stars. New ventures are undertaken only after making sure that the stars are in their proper positions.

  In India, astrology has religious sanction. It must therefore be exorcised from the Indian religion of the future. That it is totally unscientific is beyond dispute. Astronomy is a science; astrology is not. What superstition is to religion, astrology is to astronomy – the illegitimate offspring of sick minds.

  There are innumerable instances in our history highlighting how battles were lost because our commanders, instead of using their common sense, consulted astrologers about the most auspicious time to commence the attack. There is no evidence whatsoever to prove that marriages made after matching horoscopes do better than those consummated without consulting them. I know of the case of a leading astrologer who wrote a weekly column, ‘What the Stars Foretell’, for the Hindustan Times who arranged his daughter’s marriage after reading her and her future bridegroom’s horoscopes. The marriage lasted only a few months. Belief in astrology has assumed menacing proportions and, unless banned by legal enactment, will continue to govern the lives of people to their detriment.

  The ultimate purpose of religion should be to abstain from causing hurt to all living things – human beings, flaura and fauna – as far as possible. Ahimsa Paramo Dharma, i.e., non-violence is the paramount religion. When it comes to humans, we have to learn to avoid hurting them. Writes Hafiz (the fourteenth-century Sufi poet):

  Mai khor, mimbar ba-soz, O aatish andar Kaaba zan

  Sakin-e-butkhana baash, O mardam azaari mekun

  (Drink wine, tear up the holy book, set fire to the house of God

  Go make your house in a temple full of idols;

  You may do all these but do not hurt a man.)

  Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, a thirteenth-century Sufi poet, echoed the same sentiment:

  Dile badast aavar keh haj-e-akbar ast

  az hazaaraan Kaaba, yak-e-dil behtarast

  (Go into your hearts, it is the greatest pilgrimage

  One heart is better than a thousand Kaabas.)

  I am not sure whether we are yet in a position to outlaw the killing of animals for food because, in large parts of the world, human beings survive only by eating meat, fish and eggs. But this does not justify cruelty to animals or killing them for sport. Fortunately, in India, hunting of animals has been banned.

  Our new religion should have a vision of the future and should aim to provide measures that do not put the lives of the generations to come in jeopardy. Our population is rising at a rate suicidal to our future. If we continue to breed in the reckless way we are doing, we will continue to be short of food, clothing, housing, educational institutions and hospitals and our cities, towns and villages will fester with slums. Family planning must be made an integral part of our religion. We must disenfranchise parents who have more than two children and forbid them from holding elective offices. We must also make sterilization of both parents on the birth of their second child compulsory. An undertaking to do so could be made a part of the vows taken at marriage. We have no right to overload an already overpopulated country.

  The preservation of our environment must also become an essential part of our religion. We have the example of the Bishnoi community, which rigorously forbids the cutting of trees and killing of animals or birds. We have to go further. Felling of trees must be forbidden. The Hindu-Sikh custom of cremating the dead on funeral pyres must be stopped forthwith. There is nothing in the Hindu and Sikh religions requiring burning of the dead with wood. Many Hindu communities in South India bury their dead. For instance: C. N. Annadurai and M. G. Ramachandran (both former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, who died on 3 February 1969 and 24 December 1987, respectively) were buried. Jain munis (monks) too are buried. The amount of wood that is consumed in cremations is horrendous. It has been calculated that on an average more than one crore Indians die every year, of whom 80 per cent are Hindus or Sikhs. Roughly two quintals of wood is consumed in cremating one dead body, making a staggering total of millions of quintals of wood consumed every year. We are destroying our forests to dispose of our dead. The answer is not electric or gas crematoria but Hindu-Sikh cemeteries with the proviso that no tombstones are erected on graves and the land is returned to agriculture every five years. The earth is in need of rejuvenation. Humans, when they die, should be returned to the earth from which, according to most religions, they emanate.

  The use of wood for construction and furniture also needs to be severely curtailed. We have now enough synthetic substitutes to make all the buildings and furniture we need. Reafforestation and greening of our land must be given top priority. They can be easily included as a part of our religious obligations as well as become a compulsory component of our educational system. At every religious ceremony, be it the thread ceremony, baptism, marriage or death, provision should be made for planting a certain number of trees. Charities given in memory of departed souls should be devoted to planting of forests. Students passing their school-leaving or degree exams should not be given their certificates unless they provide evidence of having planted a required number of trees and seen them grow in good health for a specified number of years.

  Polluting catchment areas, rivers and lakes should be condemned as irreligious acts. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which make the land sterile and destroy bird and insect life, must also be severely curtailed. The earth must be considered sacred as must the lives of birds, beasts and insects. All ancient religions have something to say about the preservation of the environment as a religious duty. All we have to do is highlight these aspects and emphasize them with greater vigour.

  Let me sum up my faith in a time-worn cliché: a good life is the only religion. The nineteenth-century American political leader and orator during the Golden Age of Free Thought, Robert G. Ingersoll, who was noted for his broad range of culture put it in more felicitous language: ‘Happiness is the only good; the place to be happy is here; the time to be happy is now; the way to be happy is to help others.’ One of America’s greatest writers Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919), whose prolific prose and poetry are a tour de force of optimism, put the same in plainer words:

  So many gods, so many creeds, so many paths that wind and wind.

  When just the art of being kind is all that the sad world needs.

  In fine, let me clarify my ideas of God, religion and moral values.

  It is evident that all religious systems have failed us. They have generated more misunderstanding and hatred than love and friendship. However, since some people need some sort of system of beliefs, we have to evolve a new religion that avoids the pitfalls of outworn creeds, of which we have had a bitter experience.

  The process has to be dual: first wipe the slate clean and then start afresh to write a new message. What we need to demolish are five established pillars of most religious systems: God, prophets, scriptures, prayer and places of worship.

  To my way of thinking, it is not very important whether or not people believe in God, or how they visualize Him – as one, a trinity or in multiplicity; as an old, long-bearded Jehovah, in the shape of an idol, nirguna (without attributes) or sarguna (with attributes), or as an abstraction. God simply does not matter.

  Founder-prophets of religions matter a great deal to people, but instead of worshipping them, they should be regarded as ‘historical characters’ who brought about revolutionary changes in society.

  Likewis
e, I would treat religious scriptures as historical writings and judge them on their literary qualities. They should not become subject matters of prayers. Places of worship should be converted to schools, colleges or hospitals or simply preserved as historical monuments.

  We must not erase the past unless we have something positive to replace it with: mental vacuum can have disastrous consequences. In my outline of a future religion man replaces God. Fellow humans should be our top priority. You don’t have to worship them; only refrain from hurting them either physically or mentally.

  I would place the care of all living creatures next to humans. We have no right to deprive them of life for our own sustenance. I subscribe to the Jain concept of Ahimsa Paramo Dharma and would make a strong plea for vegetarianism.

  I would not include other items of food or drink amongst the don’ts. What an adult consumes of his or her own free will – be it alcohol, narcotics or tobacco – is entirely his or her own business even if it does him or her harm or kills him or her.

  I would also replace reciting prayers by doing good work. Instead of chanting mantras or reading scriptures, every person should set aside at least one hour of the day for social service from which he or she derives no personal benefit but is beneficial for his or her fellow beings or animals. It should be nishkama seva (selfless service): teaching children, tending the sick or the handicapped, cleaning drains. Or whatever.

  And finally before retiring for the night, everyone should spend at least 15 minutes entirely with himself or herself to review what he or she has done that day. I would suggest instead of meditating you should look at your own image in a mirror, look squarely into the reflection of your own eyes and ask yourself: ‘Did I hurt anyone today? If so, I must make amends tomorrow. Did I do anything to lighten another’s burden, sorrow or pain today? If not I must double my efforts tomorrow.’ It is not very easy to face one’s own conscience, but it is the ultimate test which one must pass. For me this test was beautifully worded by William Shakespeare in Hamlet:

  This above all: To thine own self be true

  And it must follow as the night the day

  Thou canst not then be false to any man

  I suggest that on religious festivals after performing expected rituals like going to temples, mosques, churches or gurudwaras, people should spend a little time – no more than half an hour – alone in silence and ask themselves: ‘What does my religion really means to me?’ Hindus could do this on Ramnavami or Diwali, Muslims on Eid-ul-Fitr, Christians on Christmas, Sikhs on the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism – Guru Nanak.

  On Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary (21 November 2010) I tried to answer the question: How much of a Sikh am I? And drew up a list of answers. Although I do not practise my religious rituals, I have a sense of belonging to the Sikh community. Whatever happens to it, is of concern to me and I speak up or write about it.

  I think that speculating about where we come from and where we go after we die is a waste of time. No one has the foggiest idea. What we should be concerned about is what we do in our lives on earth. I have imbibed what I think are the basics of Sikhism as I see it now. I regard truth to be the essence of religion and a must for life. As Guru Nanak said:

  Suchchon orey sab ko

  Ooper Suchh Aachaar

  (Truth above all

  above truth truthful conduct.)

  I do my best not to lie because lying requires cunning to cover up the lies you have told before. Truth does not require brains.

  As mentioned earlier, earn your own living and share some of it with others, said Guru Nanak.

  I try not to hurt others’ feelings. If I have done so, I try to cleanse my conscience by tendering an apology before the year is out.

  I have also inmbibed the motto: ‘Chardi Kala’ – ‘ever remain in buoyant spirits, never say die’. Ponder over it. Try it out.

  *A sect of Sikhism that holds views different from the traditional Sikhs vis-à-vis the ten Gurus.

  CHAPTER TWO

  RELIGION, TOLERANCE, REVENGE AND MIRACLES

  Logic has never been the strong point of any established religion. Nor has there been room for accommodation of a different point of view in the minds of religious bigots.

  All religions have a few words believed to have powerful protective and curative potential. It is difficult to unravel the mystery behind them. In Hinduism we have the mystic syllable Om or Aum. It is chanted in its elongated form and believed to have the entire range of sounds in it. Intoned by itself or in combination with one of the names of God, Hari, as Hari Om, it does produce a soothing effect on jangled nerves and brings peace of mind. The Sikh equivalent Ek Onkar (there is one God) is derived from it, but does not enjoy the same popularity among Sikhs as does Om among Hindus.

  The Muslims do not have any single word to match Om, but they do have some terms, which, like Allah-o-Akbar, are repeated while telling the beads of a rosary. They also recite select passages of the Quran, which are believed to be more powerful than others. The most frequently quoted is of course the opening lines of the holy book, Al-Fatiha:

  All Praise Be to Allah

  Lord of all the worlds,

  Most beneficent, ever merciful,

  King of the Day of judgement,

  You alone we worship, and to You alone we turn for help.

  Guide us (O Lord) to the path that is straight,

  The path of those you have blessed,

  Not of those who have earned Your anger,

  Nor [of] those who have gone astray.

  (Ahmad Ali)

  Next to the Fatiha, the second most popular verse is the Ayat-ul Qursi, the throne verse:

  God: There is no God but He,

  The living, sustaining, ever self-subsisting.

  Neither does somnolence affect Him nor sleep.

  To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth, and who can intercede with Him except by His leave?

  Known to Him is all that is present before men and what is hidden in time past and time future, and not even a little of His knowledge can they grasp except what He will.

  His seat extends over heavens and the earth,

  And He tires not protecting them

  He alone is all high and supreme.

  There is no compulsion in matter of faith.

  Distinct is the way of guidance now from error.

  He who turns away from the forces of evil and believes in God will surely hold fast to a handle that is strong and unbreakable,

  For God hears all and knows everything.

  (Ahmad Ali)

  The Ayat-ul Qursi is embossed on medallions and worn by Muslim ladies attached to their necklaces. It is also the most popularly quoted verse on Muslim graves. The third in popularity are lines from Sura Yaseen. This sura is also a favourite citation on mausoleums. On the entrance gate of the Taj Mahal, it is reproduced in full.

  Amongst Hindus, the mantra regarded as the most powerful is the Gayatri from the Yajur Veda. To me it appears as an invocation to the sun and I cannot decipher any hidden meaning in it. Years back, I had turned to my one-time Hindi teacher (I studied Hindi only for two years before I turned to Urdu) for an explanation. Dr Dashrath Ojha, who retired as a professor of Hindi and Sanskrit in Delhi University, was kind enough to illumine my mind. I share his explanation. First the mantra:

  OM

  Bhur bhuva swah

  tat savitur varenyam

  bhargo devasya dhimahi

  dhiyo yo nah prachodayat.

  Literally, the mantra means:

  Let us meditate on God, His glorious attributes, who is the basis of everything in this universe as its Creator, who is fit to be worshipped as omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient and self-existent conscious being, who removes all ignorance and impurities from the mind and purifies and sharpens our intellect .... May God enlighten our intellect.

  Dr Ojha advised that, in order to comprehend the full meaning of the mantra, the reciter must pause at the
end of each line and let the meaning sink in.

  After the incantation Om is Bhur bhuva swah, meaning on earth (bhur), in the sky (bhuva) and in the heavens above the sun (swah). Tat stands for God, savitur God as the creator and the power that sustains creation; varenyam indicates that God is transcendent; bhargo that He is the light that dispels darkness and purifies impurities; devasya that He is the light behind all lights and the bestower of happiness; dhimahi is the exhortation to meditate on Him; dhiyo yo stands for intellect; nah for ours; and prachodayat is the prayer that God may direct our energies towards good deeds, thoughts and conduct.

  According to Dr Ojha, the purpose of reciting the Gayatri mantra is as follows:

  As this mantra invokes an integrated form of endless and ‘beginningless’ God, all limitations which are normally found in the worship of a personal God or Goddess are totally absent in its goal. As such it helps to clean our mind of its impurities in totality as and when it expands in tune with the meaning of its repetition. Thus gradually, this mantra helps us to possess an enlightened intellect. This enables us to know more and more about God in meditation and the mysteries of nature through intellect when it is directed towards objects. This also makes us maintain constant awareness of the very basis of our existence. As this mantra directs the imagination of the mind to a limitless state, it strikes at the very root of our basic desires and instincts, not necessarily of this present life, but also many past lives.

  There is something inherent in all religious systems that makes them intolerant towards others. This phenomenon is particularly noticeable when a section of believers break away from the main body to recognize subprophets of their own with their separate scriptures, places of worship and social organizations. No religious system is known to have escaped the cancer of intolerance.

  Hinduism, which makes lofty claims of being the most tolerant of religions (the caste system notwithstanding), was unable to contain itself either against Jainism or Buddhism, which broke away from it. When Hindusim came back into its own, it wreaked terrible vengeance against Jains and Buddhists and virtually wiped them out as separate communities.