chatgpt edited
When one person sent the following article by Shashi Tharoor, with real concern about the growing extreme nationalism and right-wing politics in India, it didn’t surprise me. Because, as present-day Christianity, except with rare exceptions, has nothing to brag about regarding their religion, tradition, culture, and even service, again with some exceptions, they always hide behind such sincere or pseudo-politicians who, in order to attack right-wing politics and extreme nationalism, always revert to history rather than facing the present reality.
Sometimes, the past history and achievements are not enough. The contemporary community should reflect its past glory. What Christians and missions have done as service to demonstrate their charity also remains as the white man’s burden [plus the clear agenda to convert—Christian charity is either ‘to convert’ or ‘to the convert’]. Now, it is heavily commercialized by them. Even this is clearly endorsed by Christians themselves, as the late Paul Sudhakar well said:
“Hospitals, schools, and orphanages as institutions of service in Christ’s name were begun during the colonial era, and these were also centers of Christian propaganda. It was only later that these institutions were seen as Christian expressions of love and compassion for all humans.”1
One should read particularly what the missionaries have actually done through their Education Ministry in India as thoroughly researched, documented, and well-presented by A. Mathew, Christian Missions, Education and Nationalism: from Dominance to Compromise, 1870-1930, Delhi, Anamika Prakashan, 1988. Space does not allow me to quote extensively from this book. As an electronic copy is available on the Internet, anyone can download and read it to know the TRUE HISTORY of the educational ministry.
Leave the secular and pseudo-secularists; even several contemporary Christians, particularly from Tamil Nadu, are releasing several YouTube videos exposing the present condition of Christian Charity. Of course, they might have their own reasons for putting the same side goal as they were deprived of their share in the collection or to take revenge on their competitors.
Several NGOs, thanks to Modi as he curbed unlawful enterprises [irrespective of religious affiliations or secular ones], and Individuals making a good living in the name of doing social and charity service to the people. In this process, they always show a bad picture about India among the naïve sponsors in the west. Several times their sponsors are not as naïve as we think. They have their own local agenda back in their Church and mission in their country. For promotion, they have to convince their church about the need for more funds for their mission work, particularly for charity. The Church, in turn, in order to keep its identity among Christian communities to preserve its identity as a ‘Mission Oriented Church,’ has to allow it. Though Churches know well how one-tenth of their contribution alone reaches their Mission fields. Missions also know well that only one-tenth of their fund alone is reaching their targeted people. The rest of them are drained in so many essential and non-essential administrative needs. But they have no other option but to continue this. Does it mean that I want them to deprive their legitimate and even biblical right to receive their wages for maintenance? No. I never advocate it. All cannot be a Mother Teresa, and they also have a family to which they are equally committed. And in this, they only uphold the universal principle ‘Charity begins at Home’. But this charity, which should begin, is known as ‘dharma’. As a well-known saying goes, ‘Throwing a bone to the dog is not charity, but sharing the same bone when you are as hungry as the dog.’ Of course, not everyone can live up to this ideal. But when it exceeds paving the way for them to indulge at the cost of the people whose name they collect the fund, then it should be questioned and challenged. It is true as one old Tamil song says clearly that, ‘the water that is irrigated to the standing crops will also feed the grass on its way’.2 But when they cross their Lakshman Rekha, then naturally they will be questioned about such charity that creates lots of weeds as the water reaching the crops also feeding the gross that will become fodder to the cattle equally feeding the weeds as well as leakage. Naturally a former then would remove the weeds, keeping the grass for his cattle and crops that are waiting for the water and stopping the leakage first.
I have personally witnessed how several Christian NGOs and Mission leaders live luxurious lives compared to their church and community members where they reside. All know where the money comes from. So not only does their past history have a mixed agenda—service plus selfishness—but it even continues. At least now, Indians, particularly non-Christians [apologies for using this term, which no one should use for others who are not Christians], are not as naïve as Christians think. Here, the awakening came not from the impartial presentation of history by secular/pseudo-secularists, but from the alert propaganda of extreme nationalists and right-wing politicians. Of course, they also have their own [nationalistic] agenda, providing more information about the source of funds and the nature of ministry of Christian Missions than even Christians themselves know. They can present their point with authentic data and information and not mere hyperbolic statements, like those of the Tharoors. At the same time, they might cleverly hide that their own organizations receive funds from the West for charity but use them for their own political and ultra-nationalistic causes. This is reflected in the famous Tamil proverb that says, ‘If broken by the mother-in-law, it is merely a “mud” pot; whereas if broken by the daughter-in-law, then it is a “golden” pot.’3 Well, we never live in a perfect society. But one wrong cannot justify another.
At least in the area of their so-called ‘Charity’ of any kind—through education, hospitals, social services, etc., people should see that it comes from their own honest toil and earnings and not remain as agents for the Western church and missions. Regarding charity [dana], there are important criteria in Hindu texts: Unless one earns, he/she has no right to give in charity. And if one does charity with others’ money, then he will go to hell as Dharma Sastras and Mahabharat clearly articulate:
“There are six angas [constituent elements] of dana, as stated by Devala {in his Dharma Sastra}, viz. the donor, the donee, shraddha [charitable attitude], the subject of gift which must have been acquired by the donor in a proper way, a proper time, and a proper place…”4
The test of legitimate artha is to be found in whether it is fit for being given as dana or for performing yajna. Only such property can be given as a gift which has been acquired justly and is also self-acquired. The Mahabharata 13.113.22-23 speaks of donation of grain gathered by fair means; nyaayenaannapaarjitam…. 5
…the untainted gift must be from self-acquired property (yatnatah, the Mahabharata 14.93.57): svasaktya svaarjitam, the Mahabharata 14.93.76). So the Mahabharata proclaims that a donor who gifts someone else’s property goes to hell (datvaa sa paarkyam narakam samavaaptavaan, the Mahabharata 14.93.74). Thus, the test of untainted property fit for dana are two: having been honestly acquired and self-acquired.….6
The problem with present-day Christianity in India, again with few exceptions, is that it has failed miserably to face the challenges before them, always taking refuge in their past mixed actions and achievements. Unless they give up their hybrid nature and continue to depend on the West for their survival, no one—be it secularist or anti-right-wing politicians—can continue to support them or remain naïve.
My response to Tharoor is not to blame the Christians or those who sincerely and honestly do some kind of charity service, even getting funds from the West. Even if others outright blame them, they are not going to mind about it as they are now used to it. They will continue to do what they think is correct and best, like their predecessors of the past. But instead of hiding behind others and their past history, they should rewrite their present history so that they won’t repeat the same old past mistakes from which they could never emerge. Or honestly confess when their charity is challenged that they are doing this like a professional earning a living. At least at present, this should not be done in the name of ‘God and Gospel’.
Does this mean that all other religious people—like Hindus—also do charity without mixed motives? Yes. This has now become more of a business than real charity. See all the videos coming on Facebook appealing for funds to do seva to various kinds of people in India. We don’t know which one is real and which one is fake or even fraudulent, cheating the public to get money using their sentiment and kind-heartedness. Even when I try to send some money, there comes a notice that a certain percentage of it or extra charge will be collected from us by the promoters of those videos as their ‘service charge’. Suppose if you want to send five thousand, then you have to pay an extra 500 or 300 to them. At least they remain honest, declaring that they are making a living by raising this kind of charitable fund. Whereas when some NGOs, do the same, without acknowledging that they are doing this as professionals, they try to hide behind ‘CHARITY’ be it a Christian or others. This needs to be questioned and challenged. Leave these kinds of commercialized charities; even several Hindu groups get funds from the West from various sources in the name of doing charity but clearly use it for their own propaganda with mixed motives—be it politics, communal, or personal.
The worst scenario is that several Christians who migrated to the west, after settling their children well there, now feel lonely and even feel like becoming orphans in their family, [Christian] community and wider society. Some of them now returned back to India and wanted to do some kind of seva to their own people. But the way they live a luxury life compared to the local standard among whom they want to serve is mind blowing. By this I am not blaming any one individual or such Christian charity. But don’t call this Charity but another kind of profession. Even those who keep their family here and bring up their children, then the way their children are pampered out of the fund coming from the west for this so-called ‘CHRISTIAN’ charity is very disturbing. All the property they acquired and funds or trust they created will remain only under their family control. Their children apart from receiving the best education [both in India and outside] never know what it means to live like ordinary people . For example they never know what is meant by train travel or going in an ordinary bus like other people. They know only two ways of travel—either by flight or car [taxi]. Of course I won’t blame the children for this as they don’t know about this. But this is not Christian charity and there is no point of hiding in their past glory which also had a mixed history.
Of course the same is the case with several Hindu charities. Leave all the Hindu NGOs or other family people involved in such charity, even the way several Sannyasis and Mutts doing this now almost became another kind of business. Let me give a real example that is going in my own area which is shared by our village head. This is what he said recently to me, ‘In the past when we had some problems and disputes that cannot be resolved among us, we used to go to our Mutts and Swamijis seeking their advice and practical guidance. But now they come to us seeking our advice and practical help in solving their problem as they are involved in several charity works that created a lot of financial and social problems not only to them but to their community. They illegally encroach on neighbors’ property in the name of expanding their ashram to do more social service. I am not against them doing such social service. But the way they do this is disturbing us very much. I have seen several old generation swamijis in several mutts. Compared to their life and simplicity now, the present day Sawamijis and Sannyasis demand a more luxurious lifestyle in the name of doing seva to the people. And the worst scenario is that some of them finally ended up jail for their criminal activities. This bring shame to our community and society.’ In response I said, ‘as I always insist, Sannyasis should never involve in any kind of activities in which money involves, particularly administrating funds. They are more vulnerable as they can be easily cheated by others and finally they end up paying the cost for it. Administrating any Fund gives immense authority and responsibility. As their word will be final in several decisions, not the committee, then this undisputed authority alone become their snare. A typical sannyasi should not have both administrative authority and personal wealth’. This he also agreed based on his personal experience.
But the main thing that we need to note in this is that while Christian do this in the name of God and Gospel, for Hindus this is done—both positively and negatively, in the name of ‘Karma and Dharma [duty, responsibility not in the sense of religion]’. God is not at all dragged or used in this, though now temples have their own ‘commercialization’ like every other religious Institutions. That’s why in the past when kings offered any land as ‘devadhana’ [offered to god] or even as ‘brahmadeya [offered to Brahmins], they left the record intact engraved in stones or copper plate with the message that anyone changes in future will be subjected to so and so hell. Interestingly, in most cases, even when other kings come and conquer their kingdom, they won’t touch or change that status quo of those charities, never allowing it to become personal property of some individuals or families.7 Even those that are given to individuals [to Brahmins] is openly acknowledged and its status quo is assured. However later, due to various political and social reasons, several of those Brahmadeya went to others—either to the temple or Landlords. But that is a completely different story.8
Finally, let me close this with a real case study that I personally observed of a charity work done by a Christian couple in one part of North India. They run an orphanage and never appeal for funds from outside countries, even outside their locality. They mostly depend on the generosity of their local community who take care of the needs of that orphanage. On every important family function, the local community sends cooked food to the orphanage as part of their celebration. Almost all the children in that orphanage enjoy a feast several days a week. When there is any shortage of provisions for food, the couple informs the local community leaders. Immediately, it is taken care of by the Gurudwaras and others by supplying cooked food and raw provisions collectively. Of course, they have their own little property, most probably in their own name, and their own grown-up children are staying with them, participating in their work. But as far as the information that I received from the couple and also from the local person who took me to that orphanage, they never raised separate funds, particularly from the West, to run that orphanage. Note that they are also Christians, and though they do it in the name of their God, it’s never as part of their ministry in which the local community is involved irrespective of religious affiliations.
Several Hindus, both individuals and groups, are doing the same, even sacrificing their own personal welfare and family. Several such genuine living models are widely known in India. But Hindus are never blamed as if doing so with some mixed motives—either politics or religion. Of course, equally, they acknowledge all the corruption that is going on in the name of social service and charity among them. But they need not take refuge in any past glory or need to use some Secular/Pseudo Secularists to come and defend their cause. And genuinely address this serious issue and try to bring reform in their way.
Though Shashi Tharoor is a sincere and serious Secularist and defends Christianity without any mixed motives, still I will take it with a pinch of salt as he too is, after all, a politician. And being elected as MP from Kerala where a large percentage of the Christian population decides the victory or defeat of a candidate, if not defending Christianity and its charity, at least he cannot criticize or condemn as other Right-wing politicians are doing openly.
If the present-day Christians want to prove how the Right-wing politicians are wrong, they should demonstrate it through their life, not hiding behind in the past history, which of course never remains perfect even up to their own Biblical Standard. Truth always has Two eyes or every coin has the other side. Better face the whole truth than half truth. Of course, Tharoor remains true to his spirit of secularism is CORRECT in opposing such Hindutva which brand anyone opposing them as ‘anti-nationals.’9 But the way he glorifies Christians, particularly their service through education is only a Half truth, though he presented how he was benefited by Christian education. What Tharoor told is only ‘HALF TRUTH’. Truth hurts, lie cheats but Half truth annihilates.
Gurukulam 22-5-24
Notes
1 Wilhelmina Sudhakar, Chosen to Serve: The Life and Writings of Paul Sudhakar, 2007, p. 169 [emphasis by DB]
2 நெல்லுக்கு இறைத்த நீர் வாய்க்கால் வழி ஓடிப்
புல்லுக்கும் ஆங்கே பொசியுமாம் – தொல் உலகில்
நல்லார் ஒருவர் உளரேல் அவர் பொருட்டு
எல்லார்க்கும் பெய்யும் மழை— ஔவையார் பாடிய மூதுரை – பாடல் 10.
… The farmer irrigates only his crops, but the grass that is nearby is also benefited.
… Similarly, the rain pours down only on account of good men. However all are benefitted by it. –Moodurai by Owvayar, song 10.
Thanks to Mr. Seetharaman.
Source :
http://jagadhguru-needhinoolgal.blogspot.in/2012/12/30.html
3 மாமியார் உடச்சா மண் குடம், மருமக உடச்சா பொன் குடம்
4 P. V. Kane. History of Dharmasastra, Pune, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. II. Part. II. Ch. XXV. Dana, p. 843.
5 The Meaning of the Purusharthas in the Mahabharata. Y. Krishan. Pp. 53-68, in, Bimal Krishna Matilal, ed, Moral Dilemmas in the Mahabharata, Indian Institute of Advanced Study Rashtrapati Niwas, Shimla, in association with Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, (1989) 2nd Reprint, 2014, p. 57
6—ibid. The Meaning of the Purusharthas in the Mahabharata. Y. Krishan. Pp. 53-68, in, p. 58
7 …An important corollary is the notion that the merit of a grant is passed from king to king; that is, the current ruler, whoever he may be, enjoys the benefit of grants made in the past. He thus has no reason to (p.84) disturb earlier grants or confiscate land already given. Copper-plate charters show that these ideas were remarkably widespread by the fifth century. In the Vaakaataka grants of Pravarasena II (circa CE 419?-55) the following lines were used repeatedly.18
And on this point two verses sung by Vyasa should be taken as authoritative:
The giver of land rejoices in heaven for sixty thousand years (but) he who confiscates (granted land) and he who assents (to such action) shall reside in hell for that period! Whosoever confiscates land that has been given, whether by himself or by another, he incurs the guilt of the slayer of a hundred thousand cows!— Michael Willis, The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual: Temples and the establishment of the Gods, Cambridge, 2009. pp. 84-85
18. 18. J. F. Fleet, Inscriptions of the Early Gupta Kings and Their Successors, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, vol. 3 (Calcutta, 1888): 247 Llines 39-41); V. V. Mirashi, Inscriptions of the Vaakaatakas, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, vol. 5. Ootacamund, (1963): 29.—p. 276
8 See: Noboru Karashima, ‘The Emergence of Medieval State and Social Formation in South India’, in International Journal of South Asian Studies, vol. 1, Japanese Association for South Asian Studies, New Delhi, Manohar Publishers, 2008, pp. 11-29
9 See the separate post: The Christian Badge. https://dayanandbharati.in/the-christian-badge/
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