The demands on devotees are considerably less rigorous than for such a
movement as the Brahma ̄kumarı ̄s. These activities range from moderate
vegetarianism to daily meditation and participation in social activities and
devotional singing. Clearly the center of the movement is Satya Sai Baba
himself – he is the object of worship and the raison d’etreof the movement.
Worship of Satya Sai Baba, in other words, is primarily a form of pietism
- of bhakti– whereby, it is thought, one is directing one’s thanksgiving and
one’s personal requests to God himself. It is clear that many of these bhaktas,
sometimes referred to as “urban alienates,” are economically well-placed.
Though many have never seen Satya Sai Baba in person, they have come
to believe in his persona, and in his claims for himself and even attest to
miracles wrought in their own lives. No profound theological claims need
be affirmed; no rigorous discipline needed. One need only worship at the
“altar.” Little wonder millions find this attractive, while others dismiss it as
“pop religion.”
The resurgent right
Among the movements that mark the contemporary landscape of India are
those which represent the Hindu right wing; at least six such movements
should be mentioned. The oldest is the A ̄rya Sama ̄j, founded by Dayananda
Saraswatiin 1875. From its founding its intention has been to return
Hinduism to its “Vedic” roots (as these “Vedic” roots were interpreted by
Dayananda). It has sought to homogenize Hindu practice, rid it of its “folk”
elements, including the elimination of the slaughter of animals and other
“non-Vedic” practices. It espoused the doctrine of sana ̄ tana dharma, the
“eternal truth,” that was thought to characterize the Hindu experience.^23 By
the 1890s it was also involved in political agitation which was implicitly or
explicitly directed against Muslims: there was the Cow Protection Movement
of 1893; the crusade, started in 1895, to reconvert those believed to have
been forcibly converted to Islam or Christianity; protests launched in 1907
against the perceived pro-Muslim bias of British authorities; and others.^24
Today the presence of the A ̄rya Sama ̄j continues on many fronts; one
illustration is the attempt to change the character of the Bonalu festival,
mentioned earlier, so that animals are no longer sacrificed, in favor of
vegetarian rituals. That is, the movement is involved in trying to include the
previously disenfranchised subaltern groups within mainstream Hinduism
and standardize Hindu practice by all groups.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was founded in September 1925
by a Maharashtrian brahman and physician named Hegewar(1889–1940).^25
It was launched at a time when Hindu–Muslim skirmishes were breaking out
all over India during the Dasara festival in October to November, which
Religion in Contemporary India 217