Because it is not just about a temple, it is about correcting a historical wrong...(क्योंकि यह सिर्फ एक मंदिर की बात नहीं है, यह एक ऐतिहासिक गलती को सुधारने की बात है...)

We are on the cusp of a cultural and civilizational Renaissance. 22nd of January is a date that this country is waiting with bated breath for (the Ram temple consecration). What should be our thoughts at this moment in terms of reclaiming our cultural and religious ethos seen in the life of any nation? 

Let's start with a similar kind of example of Spain (where the majority follows Christianity).

When the Arab armies took over Spain in the 8th Century every Cathedral they converted into mosques but when Spain regained it in the 13th century they built back everything without exception. i.e.

Cordoba Mosque   

Valencia Cathedral   

Old Cathedral of Lleida   

Visigothic Cathedral

So in India, this should have been done before 1950 (from 1947 to 1950). Because abilities required to be a successful nation are not just in its resources, politics, and military but it's in the spirit of the people. If people feel defeated they're not going to do great things whether you have a demographic dividend or not. So this is our 75 years overdue. It could happen without acrimony because everybody knows it was a temple site. 

After all, the Invaders who destroyed it themselves have written it down with great pride. We must understand because their intention of destroying such magnificent structures was not just for plunder. They could have taken what they wanted - gold, diamonds whatever they could take, and could leave the stones alone but they destroyed them mainly to break the spirit of the people. 

Especially when Muhammad Gajnavi came to Mathura. Their historical records say that "we have never seen a structure like this as beautiful and as magnificent and as huge as this cannot be the work of a man. The man cannot do this work. This is the work of gods". And they proceed to destroy the temple anyway because it is not about loot, it is not about conquest, it is about breaking the backbone of the human spirit. (Nalanda University: 9 million books burnt in 1193 by Bakhtiyar Khilji)

Somnath Temple, Gujarat

These days, many controversies are also making headlines. So we try to analyze their allegations or thinking tendencies individually and try to reach appropriate conclusions.

1. Why are Hindus obsessed with Lord Rama and this frenzy over the Ram Temple?

We are not calling him a God, we call him Maryada Purushottam which means among the Purush (men) he is Uttam (elevated). He deserves everybody's respect, you may like him or you may not like him but his qualities are such that you must respect him. What is that quality? 

The quality is just this if you look at his life, it was a trajectory of disasters from losing his kingdom to losing his wife and then again sending his wife into the forest, not seeing his children for his entire life, only on the battlefield deceased them and he tried to kill them not knowing who they were. Terrible life! But he never allowed any situation to bring angst, anger, or hatred into him. What is needed he will do. 

For the king praja (people) is the most important aspect. When people suspect your wife (Sita) has been somewhere, how do we know the children (Luv-Kush) that she's bearing are yours? But they were asking this question and she's going to be our Queen Mother what kind of Queen Mother is she? 

Rama walked down 3,000 miles, fought a battle, and got Sita back, risking his life and his brother's life. Obviously, Sita means that much to him but he placed the well-being of the people and the rule of law of that Nation at that time rather than his personal love. And sent her wife again to the forest.

So do we want leaders in the world who hold their biological relationships as the highest or do they hold the well-being of the nation as the highest? In that context, Rama should be the leader of the future of the world. We need people who think beyond their biology, we need people who think beyond their personal likes and dislikes, their own sufferings, and their own problems and look at what is best for the people. 

That's what we want and that's what Rama signifies and that is what this culture signifies - a sense of sacrifice essentially dispassion when it comes to myself, absolute passion when it comes to everybody around you. This is the only thing we value, passion for everyone and dispassion for myself. 

Rama had a series of problems during his life even after 7-8 thousands of years he still has real estate issues. His real estate has not been settled after thousands of years. So people who love him, want to settle that real estate issue (the Supreme Court has done that). So they want to build a temple. It is devotion. Why should it be termed as frenzy and obsession?

January 22 will not just see the pran pratishtha at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, one of the holiest centres of astha for Hindus, but more significantly, it will be the consecration of the most enduring symbol of national unity - a rashtra mandir. This makes the moment of civilizational triumph of a nation over 500 years of slavery and injustice, perpetrated by invaders and legitimized by their political and ideological apologists. It marks not just the building of a beautifully crafted physical structure, with stones, inspiration, ideas, labour, and artisans from every nook and corner of the nation, but the collective awakening and adoption of the value systems of Maryada Purushottam Ram by every Bhartiya. That's why the joy, celebration, and anticipation for January 22 transcend borders.

2. Is this acrimony really from the real people of India or is it only at the political level?

It is largely at the political level. When leaders speak such terms to the common people, their minds will get poisoned and they will start thinking something against them is being done.

See the first thing is the Muslim Community should not identify with the Invaders (Uzbeks/Mongoloids) who committed such atrocities (destroying thousands of temples in northern India). If you identify with them then all those atrocities also get associated with you. You shouldn't do that. You must distance yourself. It's all right whatever happened. Nobody can fix the past. We are talking about fixing the future of the nation. In this, everybody should be a part of it. So this may not be the thinking or the feeling of a whole community but when it is incited it could become a significant population. So such things must be handled properly by law, not by political incitements.

3. Isn't it divisive? It cuts across two communities. it's been a bloody tale - a tale of killings, a tale of riots.

What's happened in the last 800 years has been the bloodiest tale that's ever happened in any part of the world. What happened to the Jews by Adolf Hitler, what happened to Native Americans in North America, what happened in Cambodia all these things are nothing compared to what happened in India in these 800 years.

Bhai Mati Das (Sikh) killed by the Mughals

People want a small piece of real estate back for their astha and that is divisive! Why is it divisive? Why can't everybody settle down to whatever nonsense they believe in and do their stuff? But how come I think my belief is right and yours is wrong and you must die just for believing whatever I don't believe?

Atrocities on Hindu women during Islamic Invasion

4. Do two wrongs make a right?

There are no two wrongs, just a request. These three icons Shiva, Rama, and Krishna's thousands of temples have been demolished. Nobody's asking because it's impossible to refix the history and nobody thinks it can be. In these three icons where you know, the basic presence was (Kashi, Ayodhya, and Mathura respectively). Even these three places have no historical connection to the Prophet Muhammad. These are the holiest places for Hindus as Mecca (Saudi Arabia) for Muslims and the Church of Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem) for Christians. 

Church of Holy Sepulchre

The great mosque of Mecca

These three iconic places they're asking for. Why can't it be just offered without a fight? Where is a fight? And nobody's fighting, they're only going to the court. The court is not a fight, it's a legal process. Why we should call the legal process a communal fight? The court itself has taken an enormous time of 3 decades (1992-2019) to decide comprehensively on this issue with substantial shreds of evidence supporting the same.

5. Is consecration a state festival? Isn't it against the Constitution? What happens to the definition itself of a secular country?

The invitation did not come from the government of India it came from the Ram Janmbhoomi Trust.

You must understand this whole movement was not handled by any great leaders. At some point maybe some leaders interjected in some things but the rest of the time it's been handled by ordinary people for 500 years (1528-2019). Look at the resilience, look at the spirit, and look at the patience! 500 years you keep a cause going, how many people have done this in the world? 500 years! It's incredible and this is all done by ordinary people. Do you see what sort of people filed cases? Simple ordinary people. Who is in the trust? Very ordinary people and it's fantastic that they have managed to do this. Now of course the government is participating in the arrangements and everything. When such a historically significant event is happening, if the government doesn't participate, it'll be foolish. 

But at the same time should it become a government function? Definitely, not. The government did not invite anyone. It's not a government of India or government of U.P. function but organization around it has to be done by the government. Who else will do it? Wherever people gather at large it's the government's business to provide everything.

6. Is the secular nature of Bharat being altered?

Let's talk about the so-called secular countries in the West. Look at a dollar bill. It says "In God we trust". They're talking about their God whatever they believe in. So that is not considered non-secular. 

Go to any major event in England. Without Chaplin, you can't start the event. Have a look at their secular national flag!

The same goes for when the American president is being sworn in without the priest it won't happen.

What's the problem with that? Being secular doesn't mean killing all the religions. Secular does not mean atheistic. Secular means every religion has an equal right to participate.

A 'Sarv-dharma' prayer ceremony is being held at the new Parliament building (New Delhi). 

7. Why are 4 Shankaracharyas skipping the Ayodhya event?

This is because the ceremony is being held “against the shastras” — or sacred Hindu scriptures — especially since the temple construction is incomplete. In his video, Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the 46th Shankaracharya of the Jyotir Mutt, said the decision of the four Shankaracharyas should not be construed as being “anti-Modi” but was taken because they didn’t want to be “anti-shastras”. 

Jyotir Math Shankaracharya Video

The temple is built by devotees' hearts & devotion. Neither by the 'shastra-vidhi' nor by complete/incomplete structure.

We should consider the fact that the ruling govt. is going to face the general election in a few months. Politics is a profession in which you can come from the peak to the plain overnight. Just to be in power or to secure your job you must play some cards accordingly within the limits where it doesn't have negative consequences on the nation and its citizens. Otherwise, you'll be jobless. The track record in service is self-explanatory.

### In total, you should not refer to the Hindu way of life (Sanatana) as a religion because the word 'religion' according to everybody else or at least the source comes from a very troublesome spot in the world right now (Abrahamic Source) means a set of beliefs. We don't ascribe to any set of beliefs. You can believe whatever you want, you're still a Hindu because it's a geographical identity on one level on another level it's a civilizational identity. As a civilization, the significance of this is that we are a land of seekers, we don't have Commandments to follow, we have to find our own way. This is the most democratic way of handling the individual needs of human beings.

Sanatana means Eternal. So in this culture, nothing can be eternal unless it's all-inclusive. When they say he is God, they're not saying he lives in heaven or some nonsense, they are saying he's risen above what we think is the human ceiling. This is how we worshipped Rama, Krishna, and Shiva. Everybody rose beyond their limitations, no matter what life throws at them. Even on a battlefield, they're cool. So we bow down to him. 

When everybody's terrified of life and death, somebody is above that means we'll bow down to him. Now suppose in the Indian defence force there is one soldier even though bullets are flying, he's just cool, everybody will worship him because he's risen in some way. 

So in this culture, we do not want to go to God we want to become that. But our idea is not the God, we see everything as God, we will bow down to a tree, we'll bow down to a cow, we'll bow down to a snake, we'll bow down to a rock, man, woman, child, anything because no piece of life is happening without the source of creation throbbing in it. If you recognize it you'll bow down. Jai Shree Ram!!!