Irony found in jailing of Indian holy leader

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Irony found in jailing of Indian holy leader

By Bal Ram Singh

Published: 12/15/2004

 

Bal Ram Singh

 

http://www.indianewengland.com/news/823848.html?mkey=1060861

The most encouraging thing in this "tamasha" created by the arrest

of the Shankaracharya in Tamil Nadu was the 70-year-old spiritual

leader's clear instructions to his followers not to pursue his bail

application to the Indian Supreme Court. I wish he had refused to

move any bail application, even in the lower courts.

 

If ancient Indian philosophy as outlined in the Vedas, the

Upanishads and the Gita has any validity - and if the

Shankaracharya, who heads a monastic order in Kanchipuram, is an

acharya in its true sense - then there is nothing to be anxious

about with him being in jail.

 

The Shankaracharya must know how to deal with such an injustice that

is meted to the general public on a routine basis in a country which

got independence from foreign rule with a promise from Mahatma

Gandhi to bring "Ram Rajya."

 

Gandhi, who spent quite a bit of his time in jail, said, "When I

despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and

love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and

for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always

fall. Think of it - always."

 

Truth has remained the overriding guiding force throughout humanity,

most particularly in India's ancient tradition. "Satyamev Jayate"

(truth alone prevails) adorns the modern Indian emblem as a reminder

of that heritage, and if Shankaracharya is true to his tradition, he

would know the meaning of this phrase more than anyone else.

 

For the rest of us, this event should only serve as a reminder that

the so-called democratic system of governance touted as the panacea

to human sufferings and misery is a façade, a front created to

confuse people so that they can be manipulated by people like George

Bush and Jayalalitha.

 

The treatment of Shankaracharya in a land which has provided

dignified shelter to spiritual figures persecuted elsewhere

throughout its history (the latest being the Dalai Lama) is a matter

of utter shame. It is ominous to Indian nation beyond ordinary

imagination.

 

The issue is not the charges labeled against the spiritual leader.

India's traditions have always accepted the sovereignty of the law

of the land, and everyone, including spiritual gurus, has always had

to abide by them. There is ample evidence of such a tradition in the

ancient texts of India.

 

However, India also has a tradition of challenging injustice

perpetrated by anyone, including the king. Parasuram, an ascetic and

spiritually enlightened figure thousands of years ago, is a well-

known example of someone who fought against atrocities committed by

kings and defeated them in battles.

 

If the government has a case against Shankaracharya, it should

pursue it to the fullest. But it did not have to humiliate him by

orchestrating an arrest on Diwali day, throwing him in a jail cell

that does not meet his ritual and dietary obligations, and drum up

charges by the day and convenience to deny him bail at any cost.

 

Al Qaeda prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are treated with more dignity

and care than the Shankaracharya of Kanchi in a supposedly

democratic India.

 

There is no other country in the whole world that provides more

religious rights to its minorities than India. India's hallmark

tradition of accepting all based on merits rather than prejudice is

there for everyone to see - a Muslim as the president, a Sikh as the

prime minister, and a Christian as the leader of the ruling Congress

Party.

 

But, look what they have offered in return. One of the pillars of

the majority Hindu faith has been dragged into prison falsely

pronounced as a criminal. We have yet to hear from President Abdul

Kalaam. It took a full two weeks before Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh murmured that he has written to Jayalalitha, the Chief

Minister of Tamil Nadu, who arrested the Shankaracharya, to treat

him with care.

 

We have heard nothing from Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the

ruling party, even though rumors are rampant about her connection to

this case through some deals with Jayalalitha.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that the charges against

Shankaracharya, which are related to the murder of a temple

official, were fabricated to meet some political and personal ends,

as evidence presented so far seems to have no figment of truth.

 

Two of the star police witnesses still under custody have admitted

in court to coercion. The state government attorney named as

absconding a woman conspirator who turned up the next day with her

attorneys to denounce police methods and charges and is actually a

cancer patient who got help from the Kanchi mutt.

 

The meek public response is either the result of public trust and

support in government's honesty and sincerity, as many communists

and activist groups would like everyone to believe, or a total

numbing shock.

 

Knowing public paranoia about police and politicians in India, it is

not possible to accept communist interpretation of the public

response.

 

I believe the reaction of shock will turn into a deep distrust in

the system of governance in India as we know it today. This system

has collapsed and needs an alternative.

 

How long will it take to see this reaction? Much earlier than the

next election, and as soon as a genuine leader, an acharya - who

practices his/her preaching with utmost sincerity - appears on the

scene. The Shankaracharya, therefore, must remain in jail to show

the practice of his preaching.

 

 

 

Bal Ram Singh, director of the Center for Indic Studies at the

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, may be reached at

bsingh.