The Chief Justice of India has rightly pointed out, in his personal capacity, that more lives have been lost in the name of religion than political ideology. Obviously he was referring to modern times and not ancient India because religion in ancient India stood unequivocally for diversity, saying that godly truth is one called by different names by learned men: Ekam sat vipraah bahudaa vedanti . From the known annals of history till medieaval times, that is, A.D. 12th century, there was no war on the basis religion. In the earliest known historical period, the Harappan Age, 3000 B.C., there were invasions but not for religion but to grab land and power.
In the Vedic age there was multiplicity of gods but the Vedic people prayed for the peace and prosperity of not only all human beings but also of animals, birds and other living beings. In Vedic sacrifices the prayer concluded with the saanti for two- footed and four-footed beings ( saanti dvipaad catuspaad ), humans, animals and birds. Alexander invaded India not for religious supremacy but for its wealth.
Asoka in the 3rd century B.C. invaded Kalinga. Thousands of people were killed not over religion but for political supremacy. Religion (in this case Buddhism) opened his eyes. He vowed not to go to war again and instructed his descendants to follow him. Religion played a more sublime role than we imagine. It went to the whole of South East Asia not for religious supremacy nor for conquests but as a religion of vision.
The colonial looters of the 19th century saw religious intolerance in the 8th century and attributed it to Sankara; he is projected as one who drove away Buddhists from India. This is contrary to facts. Even if one assumes Sankara lived in the 8th century, it is from the 8th to the 12th century that both Buddhism and Jainism saw great revivals, as seen from sculptures and inscriptions. The Pallava rulers saw themselves as supporters of all religions. There were no religious wars during their rule.
The Cholas were the greatest supporters of Buddhism and Jainism. Rajaraja I built great temples of Jainism and Buddhism and Saivism. Many wars were fought under them but not one of them was for religious reasons.
Even Muhammad of Gazni, who invaded India 18 times, mainly came to loot and not to impose Islam. It is only with the advent of the Sultans that religion and political ambition entered India. When the Chief Justice said religion claimed more lives than anything else, he probably had this in mind.
With the advent of the Mughals things settled down, after some initial ruthless religious disorder. Finally during colonial rule, though the rulers tried to keep a semblance of non-interference, they were injecting the supremacy of Christian theology supported by suppression and killing of native expression.
Indeed, the ancient Indian liberality and tolerance of multiplicity of religious ideology are unparalleled in world history.
urnagaswamy@gmail.com
