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This
paper presents the thoughts of Mahamana Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya whose
contributions to Indian religion and society are notable and
remarkable. He felt that the future greatness of India could be built
only on the foundations of its past greatness. He regarded that a
certain type of life is imperative for the spiritual equality and
moral freedom.
 Mahamana
Malaviya was a devout Sanātanī. The literal meaning of Sanātana is "Sadā
nūtana", ever new. Yūsk defines " Sanātano iva nitya nūtanāh.” To
Malaviyaji Sanātana Dharma is the base of all happiness and wealth and
of all greatness and goodness.l According to him “the dearest thing on
the earth was religion and that religion was the Sanātana Dharma.”2
Hence Malaviyaji believed in the superiority of Sanātana Dharma.
Mahatma Gandhi Says, "Malaviyaji's, knowledge of religious scriptures
was very great. He was by heredity a great religious preacher."3 For
Malaviyaji, religion is an essential factor in an individual's life.
Religion means love and service, tolerance and mutual regard. He was
convinced that the true religion will contribute in rich measures to
promote harmony and happiness among all the mankind. Selfless service
is an important element of true religion. Hence, the service of the
motherland is also the essence of religion.4 He asserts that there can
be no greater Dharma (religion) than the service of all living
beings.5
Malaviyaji had firm faith in almighty God and realized its importance
in human life. It is one God who dwells in all living organisms,
though we may call Him by different names.6 Brahmā, Vishnu and Mahesha
are not three different deities but three different names of one God
who is distinguished according to His different functions.7 "One
should always remember the all pervading omniscient and omnipotent God
with gratitude. The followers of Sanātan Dharma, Arya Samaja, Brahma
Samaja, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism should show proper and
respectful regard for other religions while following their own
faiths. One should be resolute in one's beliefs and should never
resort to speaking ill of others, be tolerant to one's antagonists
(whether in matters of religion or social relations) and bear love
towards all the creatures of the world"8 Malaviyaji did not aspire for
himself even liberation but always thought of other's welfare. His
creed was:
(which in translation reads:)
"I do not for a royal realm aspire,
For release or for paradise.
To serve those bent with grief I desire
And calm their sorrows and help them rise."
For
Malaviyaji, Hindu Dharma was quite capable to enunciate all the
principles which influenced and shaped his life. He realised no need
for getting guidance from other Dharmas. This does not mean any
disrespect to other Dharmas. He simply showed his committed faith in
Hindu Dharma. Prof. S.K. Maitra says, "In fact, Dharma and Hindu
Dharma were identical for him, and if the concept of Dharma was that
of something universal that of Hindu Dharma must necessarily be so.
His conception of the universal was that of universal love.9 "He had
absorbed in himself the precepts of universality and the Brotherhood
of man. He had respect for all religions. His faith all along was
'live and let live'10
 Malaviyaji
was an orthodox Sanātanist, but he was never sectarian or
fundamentalist. According to him," India is not a country of the
Hindus only. It is a country of the Muslims, Christians and the
Parsees too. The country can gain strength and develop itself only
when the people of different communities of India live in mutual
goodwill and harmony. Those who disrupt this unity are enemies of
their country and their community alike." He believed that "the days
of Hindu or Muslim state had long passed"l1 and the aim should be of a
united Indian state. According to Malaviyaji there cannot be
contradiction between truly religious men belonging to different
faiths and communities. Because all living beings are the creation of
the omnipotent God and the 'ray divine shines equally in every man".
No
doubt, Malaviyaji was an orthodox Hindu. Mistakenly some of the Muslim
leaders blamed him for being anti-Muslim. This accusation is
misleading. Prominent leader J.B. Kripalani says: "I know that he (Malaviyaji)
was a passionate advocate of Hindu- Muslim unity."12 His dream of
future India was not of a Hindu India but of a strong secular India.
Pt.
Madan Mohan Malaviya like Dayananda Saraswati was a great Hindu social
reformer. According to Dr. Bhagavan Das, " Next after Swami Dayananda
Saraswati and the Arya Samaja, the creation of what may be called a
common Hindu sentiment is due to him (Malaviyaji)"13 Malaviyaji's
views about social relations are based on Varna system. He accepted
fourfold Hindu classification of society but he tried to reform the
later conception of castes which he regarded as an undesirable
distortion of the original ideals.
In
Gītā it is described that the four Varnas are created by God on the
basis of Guna and Karma.14 Malaviyaji incorporates Guna to birth also.
"In support of this he quoted a Shloka which said that a full fledged
Brāhmin is one who possessed of vidyā (learning) and Tapa (penance)
and born Brāhmin. Every Varna normally had its appointed function in
general, though there were exceptions to this code in special
circumstances.”15 Varna in its real meaning, Malaviyaji thinks, does
not exist today. In its ideal sense, by performing good deeds Shudra
also becomes a Brāhmin and by bad deeds a Brāhmin falls below the
Shudra. He strongly advocated that a man born in a lower caste can
achieve Dwijattva by virtue of his character.16 According to
Malaviyaji, such references are available in the Shāstras also. For
Malaviyaji, sweeper is superior than the Brāhmana because the former
cleanses while the latter generates foul matter.17 In its real sense
Varna Dharma is equally valuable for society. No caste should consider
itself higher, and look down upon any other caste.
Malaviyaji was opposed to untouchability. He proclaimed that
untouchability must go. It may be remembered here that Gandhiji was of
the opinion that the removal of untouchability is a bigger problem
than that of gaining Indian independence.18 Malaviyaji said that all
Indians were children of the same God. There could be no spiritual and
moral defence of untouchability. Untouchability was not supported by
Shāstras also.
According to Malaviyaji, Shudras were entitled to study all the
Shāstras including Mahābhārata, Gītā and the Purānas.19 He asserted
"if you admit internal purity of human soul, you or your religion can
never get impure or defiled in any way by touch or association with
any man.20 For solution of the problem of untouchability Malaviyaji
adopted the religious method. He gave Mantradīkshā to untouchables in
Calcutta, Banaras and Nasika. He said that "Mantras would be a certain
means of their upliftment socially, politically and spiritually."21
Swadeshi was an important means and a dynamic concept in Malaviyaji's
philosophy. According to him, Swadeshi was the greatest Dharma. To
Gandhiji also it was a religious discipline.22 Malaviyaji.supported
the Swadeshi movement. He explains:
"I
took upon it as a part of a religious duty which we owe to our
fellowmen. I consider it the Religion of Humanity and our own
particular religion; the religion of Humanity demands that you should
promote the Swadeshi movement to the utmost extent of your power. In
purchasing a piece of cloth, manufactured by a countryman of mine, I
have often felt and am feeling now, that I am helping him to obtain at
least a morsel of food to enable him to live. The yarn may have come
from a foreign country, but the labour he had bestowed upon it, will
surely enable him to get a portion, half the price or one third or
some portion of the gain in order to feed himself and those that
depend upon him. When you find such terrible suffering around you,
when you find the drain so great and the income of the people so
small, their resources so poor, I say, it is a religious duty cast
upon every man of healthy feeling to promote to the utmost extent, the
production of Indian manufactures by giving them preference, wherever
he can find them, over foreign commodities) even at some sacrifice”23
Swadeshi was the only panacea for diminishing the poverty of the
country and for finding bread and employment for the inhabitants. Like
Gandhiji,.Malaviyaji also believed that there was no political
intention behind Swadeshi. To Malaviyaji, Swadeshi would confirm
Indian's love for India or indigenous things. He appealed to his
compatriots to take the vow of Swadeshi and to use Indian made
commodities even though they were shaggy and to some extent
uneconomical.24
Malaviyaji was a great educationist. Education, to him, is an
essential function of the cosmic order. According to him "there was no
subject of greater importance for the welfare of the people than
education." Education would solve the problems of untouchability,
communal bitterness, ignorance (avidyā) etc. It would help in raising
the social status of Harijans and women.25 To him, education had no
meaning if it would not succeed to produce a good man.
 Malaviyaji
had a comprehensive scheme of education. He correlated education not
only with the culture and traditions of the country but also with
patriotism, spirit of social service and loyalty to the motherland.26
Banaras Hindu University is a glorious epitome of Malaviyaji's
idealism and realism. It was not just an imitation of other
universities. "Malaviyaji, rather, had certain distinct motives and
fundamental ideals in his mind while establishing this institution.
The burning desire to restore India to its past glory, the urge to
combine religion with education for the purpose of developing the
'national spirit' which was the foremost and the pressing need of the
time) the necessity of reorganising the utterly disintegrated Hindu
Society.”27 All these stirred innermost of Malaviyaji. Malaviyaji
wished the university education to stand on the solid basis of primary
and secondary education. He wanted that the courses should be made
more practical. A university should be composed of practical faculties
as those of applied sciences, technology, agriculture and commerce.
Malaviyaji wanted to prepare the way for a rich economic advancement
through which the country could be able to face the international
industrial competition. Here it is notable that in his industrial
approach, Malaviyaji was more ahead than Gandhiji. Resultantly for the
first time in India, a technological Institute came into existence in
Banaras Hindu University in 1918.28 Malaviyaji's philosophy of
education surpasses the boundaries of geographical limitation and
integrates the other philosophies. Therefore he believed in the
philosophy of “vashudhaiva kutumbakam”.
In
Conclusion, it can be said that Malaviyaji was a great religious and
social thinker of India like Swami Vivekananda. He was a great
educationalist also. According to C. Y. Chintamani "Pandit Madan Mohan
Malaviya is a model of a Hindu.29 Sitaram Chaturvedi depicts his
greatness in the following words:
"He
was neither a theorist nor a propagandist but was a practical
philosopher who put all his thoughts to action. Whatever he believed,
he sincerely followed it and what he did not believe, he never did it
whatever the pressure of public opinion might be. In this respect, he
was really a benevolent and a true Hindu who understood the tides of
time and lead the nation and Hindu society from good to better and
better to best.”30
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Deo Brat Chaube is a Reader
in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the Banaras Hindu
University, Varanasi. He is teaching for 23 years. His field of
specialization is yoga, Vallabha and Swami Vivekānanda Philosophy. He
has published many articles in Indian and international journals.
Contact address:
Dr. Deo Brat
Chaube
Department of
Philosophy and Religion
Banaras Hindu
University
Varanasi
221005, U.P., India.
References
1.
Sanātana Dharma, varsha 2, vol. I, 17 July 1934.
2.
Prajnā (BHU) Golden Jubilee, Vol. XI (2) p. 1.
3.
Souvenir, Banaras Hindu University, old student's, Association,
Calcutta, 1961, p. 16.
4.
Prajnā, Golden Jubilee, p.l.
5.
Tiwari, V.N., Mahamana Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya Ki Jivani, 1962, p.
65.
6.
Lekh Aur Bhasham, p. 184.
7.
Lekh Aur Bhashan, p. 191.
8.
Malaviya's Hindu Dharmopadesh.
9.
Mahamana Malaviyaji Birth Centenary Commemoration vol. 25th December,
1961, p.95
10.
Ibid. pp. 78-79.
11.
Aaj, Oct. 10, 1941, Malaviya's speech before the formation of the
Allahabad University
Students'
Union.
12.
Mahamana Malaviyaji Birth Centenary commemoration volume, 25th Dec.
1961, p.44.
13.
Malaviya Commemoration volume, BHU, 1932, p. 1007.
14.
Gītā 4: 13.
15.
Gupta, S.L. ,Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya : A Socio- Political Study,
1978, p.330.
16.
Lekh Aur Bhashan, p. 186.
17.
Organiser, Dec. 26, 1970.
18.
Harijan, Jan.29,1950, p.412.
19.
Lekh Aur Bhashan, p. 276.
20.
The Hindustan Times, Oct. 2, 1932.
21.
The Hindustan Times, Feb. 15, 1936.
22.
Speeches p.280.
23.
Varma, V.P., Modern Indian Political Thought, Laxshmi Narain Agrawal,
Agra, 2002, p.376.
24.
Report of the Indian National Congress, 1906, pp. 109-110.
25.
Proceeding of the Indian Legislative Council, Vol. LV, Feb. 28, 1917,
p. 465.
26.
Gupta, S.L., Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya: A Socio-Political Study, p.
364.
27.
Prajnā, Diamond Jubilee vol. Banaras Hindu university, 1976-77, part
III, p. 49.
28.
Ibid. p. 51.
29.
Malaviya Commemoration vol. 1932, p. 1011.
30.
Chaturvedi, Sitaram, Builders of Modem India, p. 44. |
