Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat launched the first Urdu translation of Samaveda, one of the four Vedas of Hinduism, by Bollywood scriptwriter and filmmaker Iqbal Durrani at New Delhi on Friday. Mr Bhagwat, while praising the efforts of Mr. Durrani, stated that “different ways of worship cannot be a reason for conflict between communities”.
“We must understand that there are several paths that are being taken by different people. Some worship land, some water and some fire. But the destination of every human being is one and the same,” Mr. Bhagwat said while quoting a story from Vedic texts.
Mr. Bhagwat, who in the past had maintained that untouchability and discrimination are grave threats to society and must be shunned, cited another story in which a student is being told how a person becomes “respected” because of his integrity and not by his birth. “Vyakti ka gotra uskey janam se nahi pehechana jata, uski satyanishtha se pehechana jata hai [the lineage of a person doesn’t come from where he is born but from his integrity],” he said.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Durrani compared the time of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb and the present regime of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and maintained that the former had lost and the later has won when it comes to saving the humanity.
“You all know that Dara Shikoh was the first Mughal ruler who had decided to translate Hindu Vedic literature to Urdu, 400 years ago. At that time, someone asked him that why he is getting only the Upnishads translated and not the Vedas. Before he could start the translation of Vedas, he was killed by Aurangzeb, his younger brother ,” said Mr. Durrani. “I have finished the task that Dara Shikoh had started.”
He added that it is a historic moment for India on Friday, as he is launching a translation of Samaveda from the Red Fort, built by Aurangzeb and Shikoh’s father, Shah Jahan.
Mr. Durrani also said that he will reach out to all Muslims with the Urdu translation of the Samaveda. “When I read Samaveda, I realised that it is a book of melodies, it is all about humanity. Who would not want to read such a pious thing?” he added.
The event was attended by senior RSS leaders including Ram Lal and Indresh Kumar, Muslim cleric Umer Illayasi, and Jain Saint Lokesh, to name a few. The event also saw attendance from Bollywood with actors Sunil Shetty, Jaya Prada, and Mukesh Khanna being present.
The RSS chief, on several occasions, had maintained that it is important to take all the sections of society together, to make India ‘vishwa guru’ (knowledge giver). Mr. Bhagwat, in August last year, had met former Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi, and a group of prominent Muslims as part of the RSS’s dialogue programme. The meeting was concluded with the idea that RSS and Muslim leaders will remain in touch in future and have discussions pertaining to development of the nation.
The Sangh as well as BJP, on several occasions, have hinted towards strengthening their Muslim outreach. However, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, while speaking to the media during the conclusion of RSS’s all-India executive meeting on March 14 had said that RSS “never went to anyone but it never rejects the invitation from anyone”.
