13 Introductioncaused by ignorance (avidyä) concerning the true nature of reality.
Hindu philosophies are immensely sophisticated, often anticipating
questions that only now are being raised in Western philosophy. The
hundreds of works that have been written by Hindu philosophers over
the past thousand and more years deserve the attention of the best minds.
Political Hinduism and Hindu jagaran
The ancient and medieval realms of Hindu kings were Hindu kingdoms,
i.e. Hinduism was also their political system. When India became a
Muslim country and then a British colony, Hinduism largely turned
inwards and retreated into piety and spirituality. However, there
always remained some individuals like Ÿivajï and some groups of mili-
tant Nägas who attempted and partially succeeded in reaffirming polit-
ical power for Hinduism.
The first modern Hindu political party was founded in 1909 by
Pandit Mohan Malaviya, a prominent member of the Ärya Samäj: the
Hindü Mahäsabhä, as it was called, in reminiscence of classical Hindu
assemblies, demanded for Hindus the right to govern themselves by
Hindu laws.
The call for a Hindu rä•flra, a Hindu state, was also reiterated by the
later Hindu parties, the Jana Sangh (established in 1950), the Janata
Party (established in 1977) and the Bhäratïya Janatä Party (established
in 1980), which eventually became the ruling party at the centre in New
Delhi and in several Indian states.
Hindu jagaran, a great awakening of Hindu consciousness, was pro-
claimed by non-political, ‘cultural’ organizations such as the Rä•tøïya
Svayamsevak Sangh (RSS; founded in 1926) and the Viÿva Hindü
Pari•ad (VHP; founded in 1964). There are many indications that the
Hindu awakening has been successful and it remains to be seen how far
the notion of India as a Hindu nation will be carried.
The exercise of political power by Hindus in a contemporary demo-
cratic setting may not only transform India but also Hinduism. For the
first time in several hundred years Hindus might be able to convene a
dharmapari•ad, a council empowered to bring about changes in reli-
gious law and practice. It will be a chance to modernize Hinduism and
to find out how valid the claims voiced by Hindus over the past hun-
dred years are that Hindu solutions to India’s problems are better than
Western ones.
Encyclo - Hindu PRELIMS 10/2/03 9:33 am Page 13