Upananda Brahmachari is editor of Hindu Existence, a prominent news portal instrumental in reporting and publishing Hindu relevant news since decades with qualitative editorial and article contents. A coordinator for Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, he is also councilor for Hindu Human Rights Activity Forum. He is a patron for Akhil Bharat Go Raksha Mission, Bhavani Sena (A Hindu Warrior Group). A chief patron of Hindu Existence Forum. He is an author of ‘Analyst and Interlocutor in Dharma, Socio-Economic and Semitic matters’. A columnists in Hindu Voice (English Monthly), Om Gandiv (Bengal Tri Monthly) and Swastika (Beng Weekly) and Dainik Statesman (Beng Daily). Upananda Brahmachari is an prominent analyst, author and an intellectual working towards Hindu empowerment.
OPINION>>>>
The reconversion issue in India made a hue and cry not only in this land, but it ranted the major portions of the world as engineered by the media. The dangerous secular force and the communal Christian missionaries are lauded over the issue for their gain.
On the contrary, the rightist Hindu organisations go forward to their aim to crush down the culpable Semitic conspiracy to convert Hindu populace with the help of huge foreign money.
Dr Pravin Togadia, the International President of VHP clearly opines that if conversion is not stopped by making sufficient strong law, the reconversion process will also continue with greater endeavour.
But, when RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat or Dr Togadia say something favorably or reconversion, instantly those are branded as communal by the secular. Even sometimes BJP is also expresses its view unfavorably against reconversion under the halt of situation. But, ‘suddhi’ (purification) or ‘gharwapsi’ (home coming), in a word- reconversion, was not introduced by any of RSS, VHP or BJP.
First Gharwapi (home coming) was done by Jagadguru Ramanandacharya before 700 years and 25,000 Muslims were reconverted to Hindu at Ayodhya when there was no RSS and VHP. Another mass home coming of 3 lakh Hindus was done by Swami Shraddhanand in 1920 under Arya Samaj’s Suddhi movement for that he was killed by a Muslim goon came from Lahore. History said that Vidyaranya Swami reconverted Harihar and Bukku who made a mighty Vijaynagar Empire. Sri Chaitanyadev also reconverted many Muslims in his Bhakti movement including Rupa, Sanatana and Haridas Goswami.
After Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1824 – 1883), the founder of Arya Samaj, Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902) also unequivocally granted the vision of reconversion as an important measure to protect the numerical strength of Hindus including the emancipation for Human kind in the right path of Sanatana Vedic Hindu Dharma.
Sister Nivedita was the most eminent disciple converted by Swami Vivekananda himself and Swamiji had a great concern about the loosing numbers of Hindus under Islamic brutality and Christian conversion conspiracy.
In the very ‘Rules and Regulations of the Ramakrishna Math Belur, 1898’, Swami Vivekanada wrote, “When the Muslims first came to India, there were according their historical records, sixty crores of Hindus in India. This calculation suffers rather form underestimation than exaggeration; or lots o perished solely through the persecution of Muslims. Therefore, it is obvious that the number o Hindus was even more than sixty crores – on no account less than that. But today the same Hindus have dwindled into 20 crores. Over and above that, with the ascendancy o the Christian powers, about two crores of people have become Christians and more that one lakh of people are becoming Christians every year. It is specially or the preservation o Hindu race and religion that Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna, the embodiment of mercy, has incarnated himself.” (Para 1 of the Part – PLAN OF WORK FOR INDIA in the Belur Math or RK Mission Constitution written by Swami Vivekananda himself.)
Not only that much, Swamiji directly instructed to convert the followers of other religions into Hindu Dharma by saying ”Great efforts should be made to bring even Muslims and Christians into the Hindu fold.” (Para 20 ibid).
As a matter of fact Swami Vivekananda challenged the menaces of crooked Christian missionaries in their land in the very World Religion Conference in Chicago in 1893.
In his lecture delivered on 20 September 1893 on the topic ‘Religion Not the Crying Need of India’, Swamiji cleared his vision towards Christian Missionaries without any ambiguity.
“Christianity must always be ready for good criticism, and I think that you will hardly mind if I make a little criticism. Christian brethren of America, you are so fond of sending out missionaries to save the souls of heathens. I ask you: what have you done and are doing to save their bodies from starvation? In India, there are 300 million men and women living on an average of a little more than 50 cents a month. I have seen them living for years upon wild flowers. During the terrible famines, thousands died from hunger but the missionaries did nothing. They come and offer life but only on condition that the Hindus become Christians, abandoning the faith of their fathers and forefathers. Is it right? There are hundreds of asylums, but if the Muslims or the Hindus go there, they are kicked out. There are thousands of asylums erected by Hindus where anybody is received. There are hundreds of churches that have been erected with the assistance of the Hindus, but no Hindu temples for which a Christian has given a penny.
Brethren of America, you erect churches all through India, but the crying evil in the East is not religion. They have religion enough, but it is bread that the suffering millions of burning India cry out for with parched throats. What they want is bread, but they are given a stone. It is an insult to a starving people to offer them religion; it is an insult to a starving man to teach him metaphysics. Therefore, if you wish to illustrate the meaning of “brotherhood,” treat the Hindus more kindly, even though they are Hindus and are faithful to their religion. Send missionaries to them to teach them how better to earn a piece of bread and not to teach them metaphysical nonsense.
[At this point, Swami Vivekananda said that he was not feeling too well that day and so wished to be excused. But, we read in the newspaper report, “there were thunders of applause and cries of ‘Go on,’” so Vivekananda continued:]
The earlier speaker said something about the miserable and ignorant priests in China. The same may be said of the priests in India. I am one of those monks who have been described as beggarly. That is the pride of my life. I am proud in that sense to be Christ-like. I eat what I have today and think not of tomorrow. “Behold the lilies of the field; they toil not, neither do they spin.” The Hindu carries that out literally. Many gentlemen present in Chicago sitting on this platform can testify that for the last twelve years I never knew whence my next meal would come. I am proud to be a beggar for the sake of the Lord. The idea in the East is that to preach or teach anything for the sake of money is low and vulgar, but to teach the name of the Lord for pay is such degradation as would cause the priest to lose caste and be spat upon.
There is one suggestion in the earlier speaker’s paper that is true: If the priests of China and India were organized, there is an enormous amount of potential energy that could be used for regeneration of society and humanity. I endeavored to organize it in India but failed for lack of money. It may be I shall get the help I want in America.
I came here to seek help for my impoverished people and I fully realized how difficult it was to get help for heathens from Christians in a Christian land. I have heard so much of this land of freedom, of liberty and freedom of thought, that I am not discouraged. I thank you, ladies and gentlemen.” (Swamiji’s Addresses at the Parliament of Religion, Chicago as produced in the site of Belur Math).
But, the politicos and media in India much rely upon the dictum of Vatican and the Al Rabita than the ideology and instructions of Swami Vivekananda.
It is fortunate that the Hindu organisations, the Hindu Saints and most of the common people are believing in the message off Swami Vivekananda who told us categorically, “For whoever goes out of the Hindu Religion, is not only lost to us, but also we have in him one more enemy.”
Hence, every devout Hindu find ‘Reconversion’ as an essential duty to do. But, “Conversion” as a legitimate right to live. Yes, Swamiji told us, Expansion is life and contraction is death. We do want to live with our might and right.
Courtesy: Links used above.
Source: hinduexistence.org
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