Acharya Tulsi
The ruling authorities in Europe are looking for a common currency. This is an economic point of view. In the field of ideas and practical life, brotherhood is the 'currency' which can be used in all countries of the world. There was no such currency in primordial times. Human beings too lived in jungles like the animals. They lived in the yougalik system. [ 1] Rishabha, the son of the last kulkar, [ 2] Nabhi, laid the foundation of social life. The history of brotherhood goes back to that age. The concept of the 'world family' can become a reality only on the basis of brotherhood. The idea of regarding "all creatures as friends"[ 3] can be realised only through the feeling of brotherhood.
In the simplest terms brotherhood means treating all as one's brother. It embodies love, amity, affinity, intimacy and brotherly feeling. A Rajasthani proverb which expresses this sentiment:
"One should sit in the company of brothers, even if there is animosity with them; one should eat meals served by the mother, even if it is poison."
Proverbs are directly related to people's lives or eternal facts of life. One cannot imagine an affectionate mother serving poisoned food to her son. However evil she may be, she just cannot do such a thing. Similarly, animosity between brothers also is not natural. Usually, one cannot be hostile to his own brother. If, for some reasons, there is hostility between them, it cannot continue, once they sit together and talk. A brother cannot cheat or harm his own brother. When a brother helps his brother, he does give him the feeling that he is obliging. He takes no pride in it. Similarly, he does not also hesitate to take something from his brother.
Ideal of Indian Culture: Mankind is One. Times change, circumstances change and man's ideas also change. There are a number of factors leading to these changes. The most important factor among them is economic. Money is the unavoidable thing for living. No one can do without it. But, in an age when money comes to be regarded as the only thing that matters, other things become subsidiary. It is hardly possible that when a person regards money as everything in life, he would understand the significance of brotherly feelings. When he disregards his parents, wife and even children for the sake of money, how would he care for his brother? The tendency of one brother cutting the throat of his brother is becoming quite common. The greatest tendency of broken relationships and shattered families is that the more a person mingles with other people, the more he gets alienated from his own brother. But with all that, brotherly feeling cannot disappear, because the term brotherhood has not been applied only to one's own brother, but it has been used in a very wide sense.
Two sons born out of the same mother are brothers unto themselves. Brotherly relations are formed through the sons of uncles and aunts. Common faith, common beliefs, common social conventions, common occupations, as well as the same community, religion etc. also promote the feeling of brotherhood. However, greater than all these is the feeling that "mankind is one." In view of this oneness, all human beings are brothers. "Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians are all brothers to one another," is what the people of India have learnt as an inherited belief.
Need to Promote Brotherhood
One of the important basic tenets of the philosophy of anuvrat is the feeling of brotherhood. Today that feeling of brotherhood is completely shattered. Time was when members of the same family lived together under the same roof. They shared each other's joy and sorrow. If one of the brothers in the family fell victim to a disease or became crippled or died, his family was not reduced to a state of helplessness. But now even two brothers are not willing to live together. Their brotherly feelings have dried up. That is why the need for promoting brotherhood is being felt all the more.
I have seen Hindu and Muslim families living as neighbours in perfect amity. They referred to each other by affectionate terms like "uncle", "aunty" etc. They lived in deep mutual trust. But what has happened to that trust now? Someone goes and brings down a temple and someone else goes and attacks a mosque. The temple and the mosque are being turned into election issues. The devil of.communalism is riding over the mind of man. The walls of casteism are growing higher. The evil 0f touch ability and untouchability is corroding humanity. The policy of apartheid is cracking up human relations. These are the factors that compel us to lay stress on promoting the feeling of brotherhood.
Language too is an obstruction
Like caste, religion, etc., language also tends to act like an axe, cutting the very root of brotherly feelings. Anti-Hindi agitation had turned extremely violent in South India. Is it possible to wipe away the dark blemishes on the pages of our history because of the martyrdom of the students? It is difficult to understand how a language can be a point of such a grave controversy. Language is only a means to express our feelings. Those who kick up an issue by making it a subject of controversy can never do anything that would benefit mankind.
I travelled all over South India. Many people advised me, "Do not go to South India. If you have to go, please do not talk in Hindi. If you must talk in Hindi do not move out of the place, where you may be staying."
Morarajibhai Desai was one of those who gave me that advice. But I went to Chidambaram, which was the hot bed of language controversy. I was scheduled to go to the Annamalai University. Some people feared that the University students may create trouble over the question of Hindi. I started my speech with a couple of sentences in Tamil: “If I knew enough Tamil, I would have spoken to you in Tamil. But as I do not know Tamil, I shall give my talk in Hindi. “After that I delivered my whole speech in Hindi which was translated into Tamil. The students heard me in complete silence and they were happy that proved that at heart, they did not insist about the language as such. They were merely used as political pawns and thereby anti-Hindi atmosphere had been created.
Factors that Help and Hinder Brotherly Feelings
Brotherly feelings keep the stream of sensitivity flowing. Where sensitivities are alive, man cannot make anyone unhappy by his thought or actions. Where brotherly feeling reigns supreme, no work can ever become a burden.
A girl was climbing a mountain, carrying her brother in her arms. From the opposite side, a Sanyasi was walking down the mountain side. He said to the girl, "Dear child, are you not tired of carrying so much weight while climbing the mountain?" The girl replied to the Sanyasi petulantly, "Baba, do you think I am carrying any weight? This is my brother." The sanyasi was stupefied. He learnt a new lesson. He said to himself, "This little girl does not consider her brother any weight, whereas, I am considering even by renunciation burdensome."
Brotherly feelings are very useful, but what is the reason that they did not grow? When we think about this problem, we discover many reasons for it. Selfish mentality, overpowering feelings of anger, honour, attachment and greed, absence of faith in spirituality and want of creative outlook, etc. come in the way of developing brotherly feelings. To get over these hostile feelings, it is necessary to follow in practice tolerance, friendship, harmony, etc. with firm determination. As these feelings get confirmed by practising them over a period of time, man's thoughts, words and deeds would automatically have the impact of brotherly feelings.
Basis of Humaneness
Anuvrat is a movement which rises above all distinctions of community, creed, province, class, caste, sex, colour, language, etc. It is guided by the humanistic point of view. The flowers of anuvrat philosophy, whether they are Hindus or Muslims, Sikhs or Christians, are all brothers among themselves. On that ground, it can be believed that anuvrat is not merely a moral movement. It is also a movement for universal brotherhood. A remarkable example of brotherhood has been provided by the Tintini village of the Gulbarga district, 275 kms from Hyderabad. For the past four centuries, Hindu arid Muslim inhabitants of that village have been worshipping a saint in the same place. That saint was originally a Hindu. Later on, he came under the influence of Sufism. The Hindus call him Moneshwar Baba and the Muslims call him Monappaiya. If such feeling of harmony can develop around every symbol of human faith, the feeling of brotherhood can spread throughout the world.
Anuvrat does not aim at abolishing communities, sects, languages, etc. because from some points of view, they are all necessary. But all the controversies and conflicts, mental reservations, and frenzy and aggressive tendencies they have encouraged are unbecoming.
These situations are creating new problems. But no matter how big and complicated the problem is, its solution can be found spreading the feeling of brotherhood. It is the basis of humanity. The more it is strengthened, the higher would be the edifice that mankind would build.
