Protector of all Religions

Courtesy: Swarajya Annual, 1971

His Holiness Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathy is one of the most magnetic and venerated personalities and a great saint of modern India. His life and His work is a source of illumination and inspiration to seekers of truth both in India and abroad.

He is not only a protector of Hinduism but also of all Religions in India. This book elaborates and establishes how strong and firm his views were that all the Religions in India should be protected.

Much has been written about the Mahaswami of Kanchi - His intellectual prowess, spiritual attainment and essential humanism but it is perhaps not so well-known that the Mahaswami took a lively interest not only in the freedom struggle but after independence, in constitution making. Two of his outstanding contributions to the Indian Constitution are brought to

light by Agnihotram Ramanuia Thathachariar in the following piece.

This was written long back. but the passage of time has not taken away the importance of the subject. As pointed out by the author, we owe the words fundamental rights' to the Mahaswami.

Hinduism claims to be eternal and rightly so but its main weakness is the absence of proper singular leadership and organisation. Hinduism has survived through the ages only on account of the enormous faith of our people and not because of the authority of any church as such. Very often this lack of sense of institutional authority has shaken the individual's faith and made him an easy convert to other proselytizing faiths.

The distinctive feature of Vedic religion is its impersonal character. According to the Mimamsakas and Vedantins, the defects in one's personality are reflected in one's thought. So they decline to accept a religion which is founded by one or many prophets, since there may be some flaws even in the prophets. The logic of the individual's defects compelled our people of yore to think of pure religion without a person for its founder. But after Buddha and Christ, religion has come to be enormously supported because of the attachment of the masses to the powerful personality of the founder, apart from the principles governing that religion. Naturally, in the efflux of time, the Hindus also began to feel a thirst for a religious leader with individual merits, whom they can follow The merits by which one is entitled to become a religious leader are the power of his Achara and Anushtana (maintenance of strict religious purity and faithful adherence to tradition and traditional rites). But the modern man is not captivated by person of Achara and Anushtana alone. The modem mind is trained only in a pragmatic field and hence it wants to find signs of divinity in the one whom it can call a religious leader.

The background being such, Hinduism stood a very poor chance of survival in the early years of this century. Added to this, the alien proselytizing religions exploited to the full, the Hindu theory of a multitude of gods. Religious conversion aggravated the disintegration of the Hindu fold. It was an uphill task to consolidate your religion, torn as it was, with a number of sub-faiths worshipping different gods and mutually abusing one another. If the true prophet had not emerged out in the earlier years of this century and driven home to the people the fundamental unity among the many subsects of Hinduism, our religion would have been completely undermined.

By God's grace we had that prophet in the personality of Sri Chandrasekarandra Saraswathi. He Comprised in himself all that modern world demands of religious leadership. First, he was the head of what came very near to a seat of authority - the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.

Second, his powerful personality compelled people's devotion and thereby automatically brought them together. Thirdly, though a powerful personality he was most impersonal and he was the finest representative of all that is the best in the Hindu tradition. He may rightly be called personal cum impersonal God. He had actually been referred to as such by no less a person than one of pontiffs of the Parakala Mutt, Mysore, and an equally important Matadhipathi of the Vaishnava Sampradaya before an assembly of eminent scholars. Fourthly, with his entire strict adherence to tradition, His Holiness was the most catholic and scientific minded. Above all, he pre-eminently fulfilled the modern man's desire to see the divinity in flesh and blood.

His Holiness was a rare historical phenomenon. In his very person, especially in his eyes and in his smile, one found the unmistakable imprint of divine lustre. A darshan of His Holiness was self-sufficient to make one experience a touch of divinity, while a conversation with him almost dragged one into the world of the divine. The resplendence of his body, born of tapas blinded the unorthodox eye too, purified the mind from its material entanglements and ultimately conferred peace beyond words. He was a repository of both spiritual and temporal knowledge including knowledge of the modern sciences, while there is no doubt he ultimately represented that knowledge which itself is realization.

But it was not is tapas or knowledge that made him the living God of the masses. He was the living god to them because he loved all people equally, his love transcending all barriers of religion, caste and creed. His aim had always been the welfare of the entire humanity. “Sreyo Booyat Sakala Jananam” - Let the whole humanity attain excellence.

The concluding phrase of his benediction to the United Nations as sung by Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi was not just words; It had always been his one and only thought. For all his exalted divinity, His Holiness was not at all inaccessible. He inspired only love and not awe. He endeared himself to one and all by his intensely human attributes. Sometimes it would even appear that he was almost as playful as a child. But if one penetrated through the surface, one would find His Holiness to be the eternally divine play child.

Presiding deity of Dharma

A playful child, and yet the staunchest disciplinarian. We saw in him the very image of Sanatana Dharma with all its rules and regulations followed with utmost rigour. With the kamandalu in one hand, the danda in the other, his saffron-robed body radiating spiritual power, he walked on this mundane earth as the presiding deity of dharma itself.

He was at once the greatest man of action and contemplation. He performed pooja for hours on one end with overflowing bhakti, and the very atmosphere was then surcharged with the purity of the single mindedness. We saw the happiest union of bhakti and jnana in him.

Hinduism has, of course, produced many great thinkers. But, unfortunately most of them have, in a way, only helped to divide Hinduism, each of them stressing the importance of his own school of thought. It is this separatism that has damaged our religion. At the critical juncture when Hinduism stood in the most pitiable state the advent of Mahaswami alone saved the situation. Right from the beginning of his spiritual reign, even from the time when he was in his teens, he had been stressing the unity amidst the diversity found in Hinduism but of all religions of the world. His unifying vision even saw some underlying points of harmony among the various religions and the various sub sects of Hinduism.

It was only because of him that the great Shaiva and Vaishnava sampradayas in South India had come together and had begun to appreciate each other's doctrines, The Thiruppavai-Thruvempavai movement caused a revolution by inviting the Vaishnavites and Shaivites, although the revolutionary character had been to verify in the sweetness of harmony. It required the deepest conviction and the greatest per severance to bring together two sects which had been fighting mutually for centuries. The earnestness, sincerity, conviction and perseverance of this physically frail individual had undone the skirmishes of centuries, almost silently. Unity in diversity is the basic point of Vedic thinking and it was given fresh breath only by Periyaval.

Open hearted as he was, His Holiness appreciated the spiritual truths embedded in any religion. He saw all religions as but facets of the one and only eternal religion-Sanatana Dharma.

A Teacher with a practical approach

Another great aspect of our Periyaval was that he was not just a Visionary. Though he had attained the ideal state, he was a teacher with, a practical approach. The schemes he drew up for, regenerating our religion were very simple and the most easily to follow, His thinking always materialized into successful action because of its utter simplicity. His one mission for the past 63 years had been the maintenance of our religion in its pristine purity. But for him, the words "Dharma" and "Sanatana Dharma" would have become extinct. All the divergences in Hinduism were resolved into a homogeneous system by his harmonizing touch

The Kanchi Kamakoti Peedham, over which he presided, was of course, a great institution. But even apart from it, His Holiness himself was an institution. His power was not based on the material affluence of the Peetam. His tapas and loving concern for humanity alone, had made, for his great influence.

I feel myself blessed in that I had been carrying out commands in my little way. His penetrating vision and the earnest consideration for the future of the country brought me to him. I saw in him the succour of the forlorn- Deenabandhu. Wherever he went, I saw the lowliest and the lost assemble around him, and seek his blessings. On many an occasion I had seen him as the very picture of compassion amidst Harijans, making very kind enquiries of their condition with motherly affection. He had arranged for the feeding and clothing of many Harijans. His love, flowers naturally towards the Vedic Pandits.

It is said that the principal purpose of an Avatar is to uphold the Vedas, In that sense His Holiness was certainly an Avatar. But for him, Vedic studies would have utterly collapsed. It was he who had created a new interest in Vedic studies by his muni-ficent grants to pupils and teachers who take to the Vedas.

The Mudradhikari system meant for the improvement of social life in the background of our religion had united all the different classes of our people. If we wish to have a proper assessment of His Holiness important role in the revival of religion, we have to look back to the days of the Freedom Movement.

Constitutional authority for religious freedom

Being a sanyasin, he could not enter active politics, But in his heart of hearts supported national freedom in the truest sense, for he wanted not only the foreigners to go, but also the foreign outlook of our people to go. He had been wearing khadar right from the days of Gandhi's boycott of mill cloth. Unfortunately, the freedom fighters relegated religion to the background and made politics their sole concern. His Holiness rightly feared that by the time the freedom fighters succeeded in getting political independence for our country India would have heavily lost her spiritual and religious instincts. He actually warned many political leaders to this effect. But, alas, they did not realise the importance of what he said. So His Holiness Himself had to work out schemes incessantly for the upkeep of religion at those critical times when politics alone was all in all. But for statesman like vision of periyava at the time of framing our Constitution, the very important article touching religious freedom and the maintenance of religious institutions, would not have come about in the constitution of India.

The Conference gave new strength

His thinking was at a time when not much was thought about fundamental rights in general, and still less about religious belief as a fundamental right. I may not be wrong, if I say, this was the birth of Fundamental Rights, in the Indian Constitution itself.

I met Mr. Sorenson at Delhi and submitted our memorandum. He was deeply impressed with, nay, moved by, His Holiness's concern for our people, and for his very practical wisdom.

Of course, the Parliamentary Delegation was not a success. But the idea of enshrining religious belief as a Fundamental Right had unmistakably and unassailably struck root, thanks to the foresight of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Maha Periyaval.

Then came the Cabinet Mission. When we one again drew the attention of the Head of the the mission, Sir Stafford Cripps, to the suggestion, he said that, ultimately, it was only the leaders of India who are going to form the Constitution, and so advised us to meet them.

Even as I recall those days, I am thrilled to think of the divine power of the Yogi then living in a remote village in the far away southern pan of the country. We were just instruments and it was his power that was revealing itself through us.

It was the peak hour of India's freedom movement when nothing but politics seemed to merit any attention. Anyhow we made bold attempt to meet Sardar Patel and spoke to him about religious freedom. He just flared up to say that Hinduism spoke with different tongues and was not fit for survival. I told him about the efforts of His Holiness to bring to the forefront the underlying unity among what seemed to be different tongues. Sardar Patel was highly impressed and said that he simply could not believe that there could be a Matadhipathi in India who did not just think in terms of his own Siddhanta but thought of the generality. He said that something could be done towards what we wished, if only we really made efforts to unify the different sects of Hinduism.

Then-started our holy pilgrimage throughout India to bring together all the siddhantins and to make a concerted effort. With the miraculous taposakti of His Holiness we were able to meet all the religious heads of India, and for the first time in our history were able to bring them together under one label, 'The All-India Mutts Conference.' This coming together of religious sects gave a new strength to the plea regarding religious belief as a Fundamental right and getting constitutional safeguard for religious institutions.

India became independent. The Constituent Assembly was set up to frame our Great Charter. In the great excitement of those days none seemed to pay any attention to religion and religious institution as subjects to be covered by the fundamental rights of the Constitution. The Tapasvi of Kanchi was then camping at Ambi village. He called forth with, eminent lawyers of Madras to suggest suitable clauses concerning These great lawyer prepared lengthy clauses at great pais, but only to be rejected by the adviser of the Constituent Assembly. The advise suggested a simple clause, but His Holiness’s legal knowledge was superior to that of the adviser and so he found very subtle defects, even in that simple clause. His Holiness himself made a very important change in it. The suggestion of His Holiness was welcomed by the constitutional Pandits whole heartedly and with a sense of wonder, at His Holiness’ astonishing legal acumen.

In accordance with law'

Political leaders were not prepared to give unchecked freedom to religion and religious institutions. So this freedom was diluted by the addition of the phrase "in accordance with law”. This would mean that the States could thoroughly interfere in religion and religious institutions, because this condition would bind religious institutions with whatever the new law that a none-too-religious Government may bring forth. At the behest of His Holiness, a representation was made to members to suitably amend the clause at the stage of the second reading.

When we met Dr. Ambedkar in this connection, we did not have any hopes, because we knew of his staunch and stern views. But behold the power of Maha Periyava's penance! Dr. Ambedkar told us in all earnestness that he was for religion and religious institutions. He declared that religion and religious institutions must certainly be free from the interference of the State. Things went smoothly, and ultimately Clause 26 which deals with religious institutions was split into four parts by those who framed the Constitution, so that the restrictive phrase “in accordance with law” applies only to the fourth part. Now in its final form Article 26 of the Constitution reads as follows:

“...Every religious denomination or any section thereof shall have the right(A) to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes (B) to manage its own affairs in matters of religion, (C) to own and acquire movable and immovable property, and (D) to administer such property in accordance with law...”

If such a constitutional guarantee has been got for the independent running of religious institutions it is in no small measure due to the initiative of His Holiness Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Periyava. Originally the wording was only, 'Every religious denomination shall have the right. 'Nobody found any discrepancy in this wording, including the August Constitution makers. His Holiness alone saw that this was not enough. No Hindu thinks that he is first and foremost a Hindu. He thinks only in terms of his subsect, e.g., That he is Vaishnavite, a Saivite, a Smartha or a Saiva Siddhanthin and so on and so forth. Similarly, no religious institution in India is running under the label of Hinduism. We only have Vaishnava, Saiva Smartha, Saiva Siddhanta: all Mutts and monasteries. So the word, 'religious denominations' could not have Constitutional application to many of these institutions. Therefore, His Holiness felt that the wording should be changed as every religious denomination or any section there of shall have attributes.

Maha periyaval's thinking not differ on the basis of States. Similarly, the religious institutions also belong to the whole of India. Therefore, this item should be transferred from the State List. Though His Holiness did not put it in words, it is possible that he also saw prophetically that someday even parties professing irreligiousness may come to power in some of the states, in which case religious institutions would have to suffer very badly.

We conveyed the view of His Holiness to the members of the Constituent Assembly, but they were afraid to take up the issue because even the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru felt that the Central List was overburdened. Anyhow as the Tapasvin of His Holiness would have it, somebody made a bold attempt in the party meeting to refer to the amendment we wanted. And the wonder of it! No less a person than Jawaharlal Nehru himself changed his opinion on the spur of the moment and proposed that religious institutions should be included in the Concurrent List. The proposal was moved all at once. This was a very great gain certainly not for His Holiness, who was beyond loss and gain, but a great gain for Hinduism, and for that matter, any religion which has a following in India.

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The above is an excerpt from “மதங்களை காத்த மஹாப்பெரியவா"