While the Vedas since time immemorial have taught the world the glorious lessons of ‘Non-Dualism’, the Hindus have imbibed embracing every living creature affectionately. However, the same has not been the case with Abrahamic Religions that recognize ‘Dualism’ prominently. In fact, if we turn the pages we will realize that the spirit of Akhaṅda Bhārata was smashed down by ‘Divide and Rule’. The concept of ‘Divide and Rule’ is deep-rooted in Abrahamic Religions and so they consider everything as distinct and foster love or hate accordingly. They believe that it is quite natural for humans to rule every creature for they alone are God’s most precious creation. Even within humans they swear by a stringent hierarchy. This conditioning and thought has made them rule over ‘Mother Nature’, ‘Women’ and ‘The Weak’.
As we grow in a Hindu family, we are taught the lessons of Niśhāmakarma or the virtue of selfless and desireless service/action. Contrary to this thought, Abrahamic religions like Christianity and Islam indulge in service with the sole desire of ‘Converting’. What is all the more frightening is that this conversion has nothing to do with spiritual upliftment. The hidden agenda behind this self-centred act in fact is ‘Conversion for the Sake of Gaining Numbers’. Is it not obvious that numbers lead to power? And as a corollary, dividing the numbers of the ‘other‘ leads to greater power, control and dominance.
The game of power through the division of numbers is meticulously being applied to the innocent Vanvāsī Hindus. Derived from Saṁskrit roots Van (forest) + Vāsī (dweller), the word Vanvāsī means forest dweller. Edward Balfour (a celebrated surgeon and environmentalist) in ‘The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia’ refers to Vanvāsīs as the descendants of Mahaṛṣī Vālmīki, who has given us the glorious Rāmāyaṅa. Worshipers of ‘Nature, Trees and Animals’, these Vanvāsīs have their beliefs and philosophies deep-seated in the Vedas and the Upaniṣads (i.e. belief in transmigration of soul, rebirth, and more). Thus, one can aptly call them Hindus.
It is desirable to understand here that the worship of Nature, trees and animals finds no reference in the Bible, Quran or any other Abrahamic ‘Holy Book’ of any religion of the world. This has been an exclusive feature of the Hindu Dharma (which includes Jainism and Buddhism). On the contrary, animals, Nature and trees have merely been seen as entities that are created by God/Allah for the gratification of human race. It is therefore extremely clear that there exists no affinity between the Vanvāsīs and the Abrahamic Religions.
Further, when we observe the lives of Vanvāsī saints i.e. Saṅt Dhira who was dedicated to the worship of Parabrahman Śiva, Saṅt Gaṅgā Nārāyaṅa who revolted against Christian missionaries, Saṅt Tirumaṅgai Alvara who composed the six Vedāṅganas in Tāmil and Saṅt Buddhū Bhagat who stood against the tax imposed upon the Muṅdās by the Mughals we can’t stop ourselves from logically deducing that the Vanvasis who are also referred to as ‘Tribals’ are in fact Hindus, for these saints have unmistakably followed the path of Hindu Dharma.
Yet another argument to prove that these Vanvāsīs (also addressed as Ādivāsīs, or ‘eternal / original inhabitants’ by those who wish to separate them from other Hindus) or Tribals are nothing but Hindus arises from Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s much appreciated work ‘Hindu Rastra Darshan’ in which he aptly quotes:
“Every person is a Hindu who regards and owns this Bharat Bhumi, this land from the Indus to the seas, as his Fatherland as well as Holyland, Consequently the so-called aboriginal or hill tribes also are Hindus: because India is their Fatherland as well as their Holyland of whatever form of worship they follow.”
When the glory of the world’s most ancient, advanced, scientific and logical religion could not be conquered by mere conversion, a few wicked and calculative minds brought in the concept of ‘Division of Hindu Dharma’ into separate religions like that of the Tribals and the Liṅgāyata. Well prepared and trained in the art of manipulation, the wicked forces injected a few gullible Hindus by weaving toxic stories around the great epics Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa. A handful of professors and scholars from the controversial institution of Jawaharlal Nehru University smeared in ignorance, hate and greed stooped low enough to call Mahiṣāsura as an Ādivāsī.
Blinded by personal agendas they failed to recall that the dearest of Bhagvāna Rāma: Hanumān, Śabrī, Jatāyu and more were the eternal dwellers of the forest. The JNU leftists manipulated the texts and poisoned young minds with the slogan ‘Bhārata Tere Tukde Honge, Insha Allah, Insha Allah’. They never narrated to the youngsters, uneducated and the Hindu Vanvasis the compassionate story of Jatāyu, who was an eternal dweller of the forest and was cremated by Śrī Rāma as His own father. Considering the relationship between mighty bird Jatāyu and Bhagvāna Śrī Rāma, one must ponder whether Śrī Rāma is reduced to being a Tribal or whether Jatāyu is raised to being the Divine. What one elects to see depends on his/her internal states of perversion or wisdom. The Mahābhārata further sees the so called Tribals with utmost reverence and celebrates the Vanvasi Eklavya (from the respected Bhil tribe) as one of the central characters that showcases honour, dedication and utmost surrender.
Using the words Vanvāsī / Ādivāsī with the connotation of those who are looked down upon is a well thought of evil strategy to dupe the innocent, divide the Hindus and finally establish power upon Bhāratvarśha. This well calculated journey of exploiting the bounties of Bhāratmātā started with the coming of Verrier Elwin, a well-known tribal activist and anthropologist. Elwin entered Bhāratvarṣa with the sole aim of spreading Christianity. He was not only the privileged one of Gandhi and Nehru but was also given Bhārtiya citizenship. It was he who started disapproving of the fact that the Vanvāsīs were Hindus. His aim was simple. He wanted to snatch their identity and enact the role of a Samaritan, who accepted them with open arms and then converted them to Christianity. In order to mislead innocent people he wore the mask of ‘Christian Service, Love and Charity’ and slyly wrote books such as ‘Christian Dhyāna’ to magnify his ‘Samaritan Guise’. His contribution in converting Hindu Vanvāsīs to Christianity and further promoting communism can certainly not be overlooked.
Today, a large part of the media is in the hands of anti-Hindu forces, including a few Indians who have gone astray. Through well thought news pieces, articles, manipulated videos and paid interviews the negative forces of this anti-Hindu media are all out to not just convert innocent Hindus in the name of ‘Service, Love, Peace’ but they have also rolled up their sleeves to snatch away the identity of the Vanvāsī Hindus by manipulating them and infusing their hearts with animosity against Hindu Dharma. Slowly but surely they are playing their cards and are cleverly trying to separate the Vanvāsīs from other Hindus. What adds fuel to fire is that now there is a demand to recognize ‘Tribal Religion’ as being separate from Hindu Dharma.
When the enemy is well geared and is all out to get you, the only thing that can protect you is your own ability to fight back. All Hindus irrespective of being Śaivas, Vaiṣnavas, Vanvāsīs, Āryasamājis and others are an integral part of the same body, are branches of the same tree, and are rivers that flow into the ocean called Hindu Dharma. Just as the parts cannot exist without the body and yet they all contribute to make the body, just as the branches become lifeless without the tree and the tree loses its charm without its branches, and just as the rivers will flow aimlessly if the ocean ceases to exist, likewise breaking away from Hindu Dharma will lead to downfall at an individual, communal, social, national, cultural and traditional level. The beauty of Hindu Dharma lies in its variedness. Despite apparent variations there exists an underlining unity that is a unique characteristic of Hindu Dharma.
The only way we can save our identity and nation is by turning towards Jñāna, wisdom and education. It is desirable that Vanvāsīs gain access to nation building education. It is time to inculcate in the youngsters the lessons that add to their character rather than information that may fetch them a mere hefty pay package. Further, Hindus in general should break free from being enamoured by the West and going all out for western education and convent schools. Silently, this Western culture has entered our education, kitchen and bathrooms. Western bathrooms have led to ruining our knees and in the long run we fail to even sit on the ground comfortably. Likewise, Westernized education has led to ruining our roots which in the long run has made it easy for outer negative forces to harm us easily.
For each Hindu it is important to comprehend that ‘Forest’ or Mahāvana in the Vedic texts refers to the entire cosmos where varied entities coexist in harmony with each other and all these entities whether it is a saint, human, animal, bird, tree or mountain is referred to as Vanvāsīs (forest dwellers)’ or Ādivāsīs (eternal dwellers)’. All these cosmic entities are eventually Hindus for there is one cosmic soul that indwells, pervades, and exists the varied forms. How then can Vanvāsīs or the so called Tribals be anything other than Hindus?
In fact, the Muslims and the Christians have been misled and consider themselves as distinct due to ignorance. It is time that the Hindus bring them on to the path of Hindu Dharma rather than going astray themselves. It is important for Christians and Muslims to know that before being Baptized or reading the ‘Shahada Kalma’, the child born is a Hindu for every entity of the cosmos cannot be anything but a Hindu because Hindu Dharma is not merely a religion rather it is a ‘Cosmic Principle’ which gives every entity its Svabhāva. However, due to the ignorance of greed, will to dominate, and ego, the people of the book or those who consider themselves as the sons and daughters of Abraham or Ibrahim have gone astray.
The Christian and Muslim missionaries may try hard enough to make the Vanvāsīs believe that they exist separate from the Hindus but history gives us sufficient evidence that every time negative forces have stood up there has been an incarnation to slay them for the preservation of Dharma. The game of power through the division of numbers may give these forces temporary joy but in the long run the ‘Cosmic Principle‘, Sanātan Dharma or Hindu Dharma will eventually win. As says the Bhagvad Gītā (4.8):
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥
(For the sake of bestowing justice upon those who are pious, in order to demolish those who are evil and for the re-establishment of Dharma, I will appear age after age)
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