The influence of traditional religious and social values on modern politics

1. Modern South Asian political systems are the result of at least three overlapping set of values:- pre-colonial religious and social values- colonial ideas and concepts- the values and ideology of the Indian independence movement

2. The influence of traditional religious and social values on modern politics • These are often discarded in official discourse • India is officially a “secular” state, still its religious and social values have a great relevance in shaping the forms and dynamics of its politics • Pakistan officially recognises “Islamic ideology”, still just as India, it denies the relevance of kinship structures and institutions like “caste” (Biradari)

3. Therefore our discourse must begin from the analysis of these values. Three examples: • the role of the individual vis-à-vis the community • the idea of equality of all citizens • the idea of one Law valid for all members of the society

4. All three concepts are generally considered basic ideas in the making of the modern state in the western world • All three are non-existent in Indian civilization; in fact the opposite is true: • in Indian society it is the group, not the individual which is the source of all values • Inequality is the basis of the society • There is no single Law, but the Laws change according to the person (group) considered

5. The individual and the concept of history: Indian civilization is not a “historical civilization” rather a “mythical civilization” • We find no historical texts in ancient India • The religious literature: the Vedas (Shruti: “what has been heard”) and the epic narrative (Smrti: “what has been remembered”) • These texts contain no history • Dates and history are quite recent in India and are due to external influences • When we find histories in ancient India, these are usually due to particular reasons as invasions or foreign cultural influences, for example in border regions (Kashmir, Assam)

6. If we look at the ancient religious texts, the Vedas, usually we find no dates nor numbers, and when we find them, they are useless for any attempt at making history • In the religious texts we find enormous numbers and periods of time (the basic Hindu unit of time is the Kalpa or a day of Brahma, more than one million years) • The individual human being’s dimension is meaningless

7. Moreover time in ancient Hindu religious tradition, unlike the Western idea, is not a linear evolution (a progress) but a cyclic process • Time is made of enormous units of time (made of various Kalpas) that repeat themselves forever • Every cycle starts with the creation and expansion of the universe, followed by its destruction and recreation, in a never-ending process

8. Therefore we do not find “History” in traditional India • history begins in fact when there are ruptures of the traditional values: sectarian movements, military invasions of external powers (Muslims, European colonial powers) • In this cultural framework it is not surprising that the individual’s life is not important, it is not something to be remembered

9. Other aspects: • The ideal structure of society according to the Vedas • The four Varnas: Brahmana, Kshatrya, Vaishiya, Shudra • Their meaning and significance: inequality, hierarchy and interdependence

10. Brahman and Atman: the search for one’ soul reunion with the Absolute (moksa) • Samsara: the eternal cycle of life • Karma: the action and its results • Life on earth is therefore seen as mainly negative • The “man in the world” is not an individual because his/her individuality does not emerge

11. He is part of a system, of a network of relations to the other human beings, gods, etc. • If the man wants to become an individual, he has to leave the world, to become a “man out of the world”, which in fact means that he has to become a renouncer (sannyasin)