Politics can’t be mixed with Religion
Q. But should this prohibit a person from doing any planning or forecasting?
A. Beautiful question indeed. In life when challenges come, there are always two steps – first stage is planning. In the light of the past experiences, one studies the situation and then comes to a decision. That is the time to apply the intellectual capacity to do the thinking. Live only in the present. This is the only secret of achievement.
Q. There is a growing unrest over moral degradation, corruption and erosion of guiding values of life. What do you feel about it?
A. We have witnessed this kind of decadence four times in the past in our country. Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Macedonian cultures also had a zenith but when they decayed, they died. None of these revived. That is called the destruction of a culture. An intrinsically healthy philosophy like ours shall never, die. Indeed, it shall have a decay. Decadence-because nothing is permanent. But it has this unique quality of rebounding back to revive itself. It is sad to say but it is a fact of life that man decays after long periods of peace-the texture of human beings goes down.
Q. Swamiji, how would you define religion?
A. A Very intellectual way of living in the society.
Q. Then is it necessary to portray or publicise these inner feelings?
A. For those who do not know, publicity is necessary. It should be more by actions than by words but even the importance of words can not be relegated When a person comes from the mothers’ womb how does he learn to eat, dress, bathe? Everything is taught to him is a gradual process. Similarly, religion in the form of essential values of life has also got to be taught.
Q. Who according to you, is a nobler person-one who spends his time in his work or one who spends his entire time in meditation et al?
A. An individual who is merely sitting down and his mind is wandering in sense objects is a hypocrite. On the other hand, a person who rolls up his sleeves and puts his heart and soul to work is any day nobler than the former.
Q. Do you consider birth or actions as the yardsticks of one’s status?
A. Does a doctor’s son become a doctor only because he is doctor’s son. There is no doubt about the supremacy of `actions’ over `birth rights’. It is in the day of decadence that these ideas are spaced about – you are a brahmin so you can do no wrong, you can rule the nation only if you are from Nehru’s family. This is wrong. Son of an artisan has better chances of becoming an artisan because he sees that work right from his childhood but he need not necessarily be an artisan.
Q. How do you view the emotional blackmail of a person’s religious beliefs in the politics?
A. Religion and politics can not be mixed together. It destroys both. They are basically allergic to each other and look at the results. Iran, Lebanon – innumerable example. They must be set apart Religion has no politics. So politicians should refer to religion and then frame laws and rules.
Q. But the modern trend of politicians arousing religious sentiments for their purposes is unmistakable?
A. It is necessary because politicians interfered in the religion. We have a constitution which says 32 times that India is secular. Yet they come out and say that these are minority classes – how can a secular government take into consideration the religion of a community.
Q. Do you consider India to be a secular state or a `Hindurashtra’?
A. Hindurashtra means secular state. As I said, politics and religion are to be kept apart. It is truly secular only when it is a Hindurashtra. Presently it is secular only in the speeches of politicians. These politicians have a way of distorting things. Look at how they define socialism. Grabbing and giving away to the society is not socialism, giving what you have to the society is socialism.
Q. You mean to say that people of all faiths can coexist amicably in this country?
A. Did not we do it all these centuries? We received Christians and Muslims in this country with extended arms and have lived peacefully since. But it was the policy of the Britishers to divide and rule which had lead to the troubles and rifts. Sadly, some of our politicians still intend to continue the same for their motives.