06-28-2006, 05:00 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Brothers and the Demon.
In the midst of a dark forest, stood a small village, composed of a dozen or so inhabitants. Within this small community, there existed two benevolent brothers, of distinctly different dispositions, whose characters had grown strongly and sharply in the course of their childhood, until one stood out as emphatically extroverted, and the other, intensely introverted.
The extroverted brother was well known across the village. He had made friends and conversed with all the others in the village. His cheerful and carefree nature made him popular - or at least well-liked. Even when he fought with man or beast, he did so with honour and goodwill; he had also rebounded vigorously from whatever defeats he had suffered in his life - thus enhancing his prestige in the village. His optimistic and open attitude to life made him an indispensable support of the community; indeed, it was difficult to imagine the village without him.
The introverted brother, was also known in the village, and equally respected. He had opted for the lonely path of studies and soul-searching; his mind being heavily preoccupied by his own thoughts. He left the rest of the village alone, and as a general rule, the rest of the village left him alone. His occasional interactions with the others had been peaceful and unproblematic; occasionally he provided the village with a speech summing up his realizations and discoveries. But for the most part, the quiet man lived in his own world, and the village, in deference to his wisdom, virtue and inclinations, did not disturb him.
One night, a quake shook the relatively quiet village, and out of the depths emerged a horrendous, one-armed demon, the likes of which had never been seen before. Roaring with a maniacal sound that seemed to indicate a bizarre mix of mirth and misery, the diabolical being tore into the nearby villagers, desecrating the fair hamlet with innocent blood. Awakened by the ensuing outcry, the extroverted brother soon found himself face to face with the demon in front of his own home.
The villagers had seen this brother fight and defeat many others before, and had generally considered him to be one of, if not the, strongest and bravest men in the village. Thus, it was with some hope that they expected him to put paid to this malevolent intruder who had already begun to heap misery on the poor community. The extrovert's own confidence was unmatched; he had proven his might in earlier struggles with villagers and beasts like, and saw no reason why he should not overcome this insidious interloper.
It was with acute horror therefore, that the villagers witnessed the demon slay the extrovert with two blows - one rending his torso, and the other separating his head from his body. What followed was even more horrendous: the savage creature turned his mouth towards the corpse of the defeated, and cannibalised the remains. Having eaten the extroverted brother's entrails, the demon then grew a second arm - thus emerging even stronger from his combat, before the terror-stricken villagers.
As pandemonium rang across the village, the beast turned to the home of the other brother. Initially he found it impossible to break through the door, but once he did, he found the other brother waiting for him. An extraordinary struggle ensued - as the demon tried to destroy this brother as thoroughly as he had exterminated the other. At times, it seemed that the demon would triumph - only for the other brother to suddenly spring forth again. At length, the demon threw all his strength in one final assault at the brother - only to be sent reeling back by the introvert's response.
Both combatants stared at each other in exhaustion after this prolonged struggle. Neither had defeated the other, and each had been shaken by the encounter, with the introvert bleeding, but unbowed. He was still oblivious of what had befallen his extroverted sibling; they had not communicated for some time, and so he was not entirely aware of his brother's fate. Hoping that the demon had come to his senses, and understand the futility of further fighting, the introvert stretched out his hand in friendship, and offered to pull the demon up from the bloodstained ground where he lay.
The demon leapt forth and tore off the outstretched hand of the introvert with his teeth. Before the shocked brother's eyes, he consumed the limb and then grew a new arm of his own. Facing a three-armed demon, the introvert stood his ground and, recovering from his astonishment, he noticed the decapitated cadaver of his brother in a nearby field. Suddenly aware of what was at stake, he pondered his next move: should he attempt, yet again, to talk sense to the demon, even though it had shown no sign of responding positively? Or should he, with all the strength, wisdom and courage he could muster, use his remaining sword arm to sever each and every one of the demon's limbs - not resting until he had plunged his kukri into the diabolical being's heart?
OK, so what has this got to do with Hindutva? Everything.
The village in this story is our world - or rather, its Eastern hemisphere. The villagers are the various civilizations and cultures that have grown, organically, in it. The two brothers are the two renowned 'Aryan' civilizations - the Zoroastrian and the Hindu. The Persians were, of course, the great extroverts of ancient times, building an empire that connected India, Egypt, Scythia, Egypt, Greece and Phoenicia, and thus, being on speaking terms with virtually the entire known world. They had their setbacks, (i.e. the Macedonian invasion and Roman attacks) from which they bounced back, (under the Arsacids and Sassanids). By 500 AD, they stood as an established, indeed, central member of the known world.
The introverted brother - engrossed in studies and spirituality, thoughtful and philosophical - is of course, Bharat. Indian relations with the rest of the known world were more limited, (except with China, but I've left her out of this story) but were generally friendly, (trade relations with Rome and Egypt, some intellectual and architectural intercourse with the Greeks, etc..) Thus, like the brother in this story, he is known and respected in the ancient world, but does not stand in close relation to the rest of it.
The demon - as you can easily guess - is Islam. The two blows it deals to the extroverted brother are the battles of Qadissiya and Nehavend - which put an end to the Sassanid Empire, and with it, the entire Zoroastrian and Persian culture which had hitherto, been such an indispensable part of the civilized world.
Islam starts with one arm - Arabia - and then through cannibalism, it grows another - Muslim Iran. Then it turns to the introverted brother - India - and fights a long, but indecisive battle with him. The final assault in which the demon throws all his strength is Aurangazeb's rule; the introvert's response that sends the demon reeling is Shivaji. By the 18th century, the demon is lying on the ground, exhausted.
The outstretched arm offered by the brother is Gandhi's offer of peace and reconciliation with Islam, which of course, leads to Partition and the creation of Pakistan - the demon's third limb. The question now facing the brother, is the same one facing us. Should we attempt to appease and reason with the Muslims, as the psecs suggest? Or should we summon our remaining strength to strike and finish off Islam, both in Bharatvarsha and beyond?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
In the midst of a dark forest, stood a small village, composed of a dozen or so inhabitants. Within this small community, there existed two benevolent brothers, of distinctly different dispositions, whose characters had grown strongly and sharply in the course of their childhood, until one stood out as emphatically extroverted, and the other, intensely introverted.
The extroverted brother was well known across the village. He had made friends and conversed with all the others in the village. His cheerful and carefree nature made him popular - or at least well-liked. Even when he fought with man or beast, he did so with honour and goodwill; he had also rebounded vigorously from whatever defeats he had suffered in his life - thus enhancing his prestige in the village. His optimistic and open attitude to life made him an indispensable support of the community; indeed, it was difficult to imagine the village without him.
The introverted brother, was also known in the village, and equally respected. He had opted for the lonely path of studies and soul-searching; his mind being heavily preoccupied by his own thoughts. He left the rest of the village alone, and as a general rule, the rest of the village left him alone. His occasional interactions with the others had been peaceful and unproblematic; occasionally he provided the village with a speech summing up his realizations and discoveries. But for the most part, the quiet man lived in his own world, and the village, in deference to his wisdom, virtue and inclinations, did not disturb him.
One night, a quake shook the relatively quiet village, and out of the depths emerged a horrendous, one-armed demon, the likes of which had never been seen before. Roaring with a maniacal sound that seemed to indicate a bizarre mix of mirth and misery, the diabolical being tore into the nearby villagers, desecrating the fair hamlet with innocent blood. Awakened by the ensuing outcry, the extroverted brother soon found himself face to face with the demon in front of his own home.
The villagers had seen this brother fight and defeat many others before, and had generally considered him to be one of, if not the, strongest and bravest men in the village. Thus, it was with some hope that they expected him to put paid to this malevolent intruder who had already begun to heap misery on the poor community. The extrovert's own confidence was unmatched; he had proven his might in earlier struggles with villagers and beasts like, and saw no reason why he should not overcome this insidious interloper.
It was with acute horror therefore, that the villagers witnessed the demon slay the extrovert with two blows - one rending his torso, and the other separating his head from his body. What followed was even more horrendous: the savage creature turned his mouth towards the corpse of the defeated, and cannibalised the remains. Having eaten the extroverted brother's entrails, the demon then grew a second arm - thus emerging even stronger from his combat, before the terror-stricken villagers.
As pandemonium rang across the village, the beast turned to the home of the other brother. Initially he found it impossible to break through the door, but once he did, he found the other brother waiting for him. An extraordinary struggle ensued - as the demon tried to destroy this brother as thoroughly as he had exterminated the other. At times, it seemed that the demon would triumph - only for the other brother to suddenly spring forth again. At length, the demon threw all his strength in one final assault at the brother - only to be sent reeling back by the introvert's response.
Both combatants stared at each other in exhaustion after this prolonged struggle. Neither had defeated the other, and each had been shaken by the encounter, with the introvert bleeding, but unbowed. He was still oblivious of what had befallen his extroverted sibling; they had not communicated for some time, and so he was not entirely aware of his brother's fate. Hoping that the demon had come to his senses, and understand the futility of further fighting, the introvert stretched out his hand in friendship, and offered to pull the demon up from the bloodstained ground where he lay.
The demon leapt forth and tore off the outstretched hand of the introvert with his teeth. Before the shocked brother's eyes, he consumed the limb and then grew a new arm of his own. Facing a three-armed demon, the introvert stood his ground and, recovering from his astonishment, he noticed the decapitated cadaver of his brother in a nearby field. Suddenly aware of what was at stake, he pondered his next move: should he attempt, yet again, to talk sense to the demon, even though it had shown no sign of responding positively? Or should he, with all the strength, wisdom and courage he could muster, use his remaining sword arm to sever each and every one of the demon's limbs - not resting until he had plunged his kukri into the diabolical being's heart?
OK, so what has this got to do with Hindutva? Everything.
The village in this story is our world - or rather, its Eastern hemisphere. The villagers are the various civilizations and cultures that have grown, organically, in it. The two brothers are the two renowned 'Aryan' civilizations - the Zoroastrian and the Hindu. The Persians were, of course, the great extroverts of ancient times, building an empire that connected India, Egypt, Scythia, Egypt, Greece and Phoenicia, and thus, being on speaking terms with virtually the entire known world. They had their setbacks, (i.e. the Macedonian invasion and Roman attacks) from which they bounced back, (under the Arsacids and Sassanids). By 500 AD, they stood as an established, indeed, central member of the known world.
The introverted brother - engrossed in studies and spirituality, thoughtful and philosophical - is of course, Bharat. Indian relations with the rest of the known world were more limited, (except with China, but I've left her out of this story) but were generally friendly, (trade relations with Rome and Egypt, some intellectual and architectural intercourse with the Greeks, etc..) Thus, like the brother in this story, he is known and respected in the ancient world, but does not stand in close relation to the rest of it.
The demon - as you can easily guess - is Islam. The two blows it deals to the extroverted brother are the battles of Qadissiya and Nehavend - which put an end to the Sassanid Empire, and with it, the entire Zoroastrian and Persian culture which had hitherto, been such an indispensable part of the civilized world.
Islam starts with one arm - Arabia - and then through cannibalism, it grows another - Muslim Iran. Then it turns to the introverted brother - India - and fights a long, but indecisive battle with him. The final assault in which the demon throws all his strength is Aurangazeb's rule; the introvert's response that sends the demon reeling is Shivaji. By the 18th century, the demon is lying on the ground, exhausted.
The outstretched arm offered by the brother is Gandhi's offer of peace and reconciliation with Islam, which of course, leads to Partition and the creation of Pakistan - the demon's third limb. The question now facing the brother, is the same one facing us. Should we attempt to appease and reason with the Muslims, as the psecs suggest? Or should we summon our remaining strength to strike and finish off Islam, both in Bharatvarsha and beyond?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->