Original
Speech – Dr. Narendra Dabholkar - 2012
English
Translation – Dr. Vivek Monteiro - 2018
In 1970 I
obtained my MBBS degree. Till 1982 I ran a hospital and two clinics. In 1982 I
closed both my clinics and hospital and since then I am working as a full time
activist of the Andhashraddha Nirmoolan movement. At the time I quit my full
time and successful career as a doctor, and became a full time activist of the
Andhashraddha Nirmoolan movement, people asked me a question, which they still
continue to ask - Doctor, for doing the work of fighting blind faith and superstitions,
was it really necessary to shut down and quit your successful profession? The
answer is - Yes, it was, and is, necessary.
Why is it
necessary? Take note- if a candle is lit in a dark hall, it brightens the room,
if, instead, a petromax is lit, the hall brightens further, a tube-light
spreads even more light, and if day dawns, the sun rises, and the rays of
sunlight come in from all directions, that dispels the darkness. In the same measure
that light enters, so also, does darkness retreat. ‘In human society, with the
advance of the enlightenment provided by education and science, the darkness of
blind faith and ignorance is in the same measure eliminated. It is not
necessary to do anything more’– perhaps this kind of belief might be present in
the minds of the questioners.
If it really
happened like this, I would be the happiest person. But what is the reality? I
will give just two examples. The first railway train in India ran from Mumbai
to Thane in 1853. Till that time, it had never occurred to people in our
country that it is possible to transport hundreds of persons from here to
there, in a single vehicle, without the use of horse, bull, elephant or animal
power. At that time, rhymes like (“Sahebacha pora layi akli ra… Bin bailachi
gaadi kashi hakli ra ?”) – “The Saheb’s son is really smart, dear. See how he
drove the bullockless cart, dear”, were recited in schools. At that time travel
from Thane to Mumbai by bullock cart would take 24 hours. By comparison, the
railway was a very important and useful convenience. To start with, there was
no ticket for the journey. Instead, initially, the Sahebs would pay the
passengers one rupee to make the journey. This is because people were just not
willing to sit in the train. They thought of the train as some kind of
witchcraft. “The whites will take us to Mumbai in the train. There, they are
constructing buildings. They will kill us and bury us in the foundations of
these buildings. People, beware, don’t enter the train”- such declarations were
issued at the time.
So that
people would be willing to sit in the train, they were paid one rupee. At that
time one rupee was certainly a large sum of money. And when people slowly
started to board the train, the reward was reduced to 8 annas. Then it became
four annas. Next, travel was made free and after that they started charging for
the ticket to travel in the train. But since the train was still considered a
kind of black magic, before the train embarked from Thane to Mumbai, or from
Mumbai for Thane, wives would come and apply haldi-kumkum to the engine, and
tie lemons and chillies, or an upside down doll. When I narrate this I see a
smile on some of your faces. But tell me truly, even today when we first bring
a two-wheeler, or a four wheeler, to our homes, don’t we also do the same thing
? This means that we are ready to take the benefits of science, but not its
vision. We acquire the products of science, but not the scientific attitude.
Some time
back we took a survey of twenty thousand rickshaws in Pune. Every new moon a
lemon and black doll is hung on 18000 rickshaws. Now everyone knows that lemon
is a very good source of nutritious vitamin C. We face many deficiencies of
nutrition in our country. Yet, every month we waste the nutritive elements of
18000 limes ! Do we ever ask ourselves - what are the 150 year old things that
we have retained ? We do not wear the clothes of 150 years back. We do not eat
the foods of 150 years back. We do not receive the education of 150 years back,
we do not use the vehicles of 150 years back. But then, why do we retain the
lemon -chillies and black dolls of 150 years back ? We keep these because we may
have learned to use science, but we just have not learned the scientific
attitude.
But it is indeed
necessary to take these matters more seriously than we realize. I give you one
example from our movement. Recently Satya Saibaba passed away. Satya Saibaba used
to pronounce- “My miracle is my visiting card”. The almighty has given me the
power of miracles, so that you will be convinced that I was sent by Him for
your upliftment. So if you went to visit Satya Saibaba, he would wave his hand
in the air, produce and place holy ash on your palm ; wave his hand in the air,
produce and place a gold or silver ring- and there are stories of his waving
his hand and gifting gold lockets and diamond necklaces to those visiting him.
What is worth noting is that, if some ordinary person like you and I went to
see him, they got holy ash. If it was an MLA or a member of parliament, he got
a gold or silver ring. A President, or Prime Minister, or rich industrialist
went to meet him, and their children got a gold chain. So even the Baba gave to
each according to his worth. What we were worth is holy ash, but holy ash is,
after all, ash. When it came from the hands of the Baba, so it became
‘Vibhooti’, or ‘Angaara’. So be it !
So, this
Satya Saibaba was to come to Chakur in Latur district, where a huge temple was
being built for him, while he was still alive. At that time, we were conducting
a campaign against superstition and fraud in Latur. I was visiting schools and
colleges to say what I am saying here today, to deliver similar public lectures.
The day when Satya Saibaba came to Chakur was also the first day of the
Maharashtra Assembly. To tell the truth, on that day it was very necessary for
the Chief Minister Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, to be present in the Assembly, but instead,
he came to Chakur to take a darshan of Satya Saibaba. There was a huge
congregation of people. Our team was going to hold a demonstration. So, 48
hours earlier, in Latur, Beed and Nanded, the police detained all our
activists. The programme commenced and Satya Saibaba began his speech. Five
minutes after commencing his speech, he suddenly paused. He waved his left hand
in the air, and produced a golden chain, which he presented to the Chief
Minister’s younger brother Diliprao Deshmukh. (Till today, he wears it around
his neck). Again he resumed his speech for another twenty minutes, and again he
suddenly paused. He waved his right hand in the air, and produced another gold
chain, which he presented to the Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.( Even today,
it adorns his neck). And as he was concluding his speech Baba waved his hand
and produced ashes, which he distributed amongst the women and men gathered
there. What we had been saying, this was witnessed first hand, (‘Yaachi dehi,
yaachi dola ’) by all the people gathered there.
I have
written about this story which I have just narrated to you in my book “The
battle against blind faith and superstition” (Ladhe Andhashraddheche). But the
real joke is ahead. I once received a letter from Shri Patel- the Culture
Secretary of the State of Maharashtra. What did it say ? – “ We are pleased to
inform you that your book “Ladhe Andhashraddheche” has been selected by the Government
of Maharashtra for the award of the ‘Krantisinh Nana Patil” prize for
outstanding literature. You are requested to come to Aurangabad on 25th
November for the receipt of the award at the hands of the Chief Minister Shri
Vilasrao Deshmukh. My reply to the Chief Minister is published in my book “Aise
Kaise Zhale Bhondu”. In that letter, along with many other things, I have
written this important line – “ I do not wish to receive the award from the
hands of a Chief Minister who does not conduct himself according to our Indian
Constitution.” Now I am not so arrogant an activist to tell someone who wants to
praise me - “Get lost, I will not be praised by you”.
Why did I
write this letter ? The reason is that in the Constitution that was given to me
on the 25th of January 1950, there were enunciated only my rights as
a citizen. I have the freedom of movement. I can go anywhere in the country. I
have freedom of expression, I can say what I wish. I have the right to own
property. I can buy property. But just as, in a home, when a child has grown up
and we tell him, you have your rights, but now you will also have to take
responsibilities, in the same way, in 1976 the Constitution was expanded and
citizens’ duties were added. One of these fundamental duties is – “ It is a
duty of every Indian citizen to promote scientific temper.” This means it is
the responsibility of every Indian citizen to adopt, think, propagate and
nurture a scientific outlook. Mind you, it is not asked of citizens, whether or
not they should adopt, promote, nurture a scientific outlook. It is their duty.
Not just that, in 1987, the nation adopted a New Education Policy. In this
education policy, one of the important core objectives is defined as
‘development of a scientific attitude”. Value education is taught in
Maharashtra. ‘Nurturing scientific outlook’ is also included as an objective in
school-level value education.
We live in a
scientific age. From the time we wake till the time we sleep at night there is
not a single thing that we can do without the help of science. We wake up, take
a toothbrush, apply toothpaste, and turn on the tap at the washbasin. Take
note- none of these things were available in Maharashtra a hundred years back.
There were no toothbrushes, no tooth paste and no washbasins. At that time you
would have to use a twig from a tree and water from a well. And many of you may
have a degree in science. And after telling you all this at this university in
Maharashtra, I will ask a simple question and wait for ten seconds. Anyone may
answer the question. The question is - number one : the importance of
scientific temper is stated in our constitution. Number two- ‘developing
scientific mindset’ is mentioned as a core objective in our national education
policy. Number three- ‘scientific outlook’ has been included in value education.
Number four- ‘scientific temper is the foundation of the scientific age in
which you live. And number five, the philosophic foundation of the science
education that you have received is the scientific temper. So, can anyone tell
me, in one word, what is this, so important,‘scientific temper’?
Like, in
school, we are asked to write synonyms of words. If asked ‘aqua’, we write
‘water’. If asked ‘sun’, we write ‘sol’. If the word is ‘luna’, we write the
synonym ‘moon’. So, listening to my speech, think for a moment and write a
synonym for ‘scientific temper’. My experience is that in 99 percent of the
universities in Maharashtra, 99 percent of the time, there is no answer to my
question, and if there is an answer, it is incorrect. In short, ‘scientific
temper’ means, to ‘investigate causes and effects’, it means ‘rational
causality’. Number one - behind every phenomenon, there are causes. Number two
– my intelligence can comprehend these causes. Number three- though we do not today
know the causes of every phenomenon in the world, but whenever and however they
will be understood, I also can understand how they will be understood because
of rational causality, and Number four- this is the most reliable way known to
mankind of gaining authentic knowledge.
Until
humankind acquired scientific temper, humans were only another weak species in
nature. ‘ Behind whatever happens in my life, there is God, there is destiny, there
is fate, there is accumulated indulgence, there is karmic consequence, the sins
of past lives, the time of my birth- as long as humankind was unaware of rational
causation, these were various kinds of beliefs held by humans. Then we humans
discovered rational causality, and went from being dominated to becoming
independent, from being subject, to becoming free. And mind you, this was an extremely
important and extremely exciting event in the history of humankind.
Have we ever
thought specifically about the consequences of the fact that humans are among the
weakest of the animals that came into being on this earth. Humans cannot fly in
the air like even a small sparrow. Humans cannot live 24 hours in water like
fish. In a race between a human and a deer, the deer will run three times as
fast. This is because the muscles in the legs of a deer are three times as
strong as human muscles. Nature has endowed the elephant and the rhino with
unmatched strength. Nobody crosses their path. The lion and tiger have sharp
teeth and sharp claws. That is why they can catch, tear and chew up raw meat.
Humans cannot do this. Humans shiver in the cold, but nature has endowed the
bear with a warm hairy coat. That is why it can live happily in even the arctic
regions. We cannot see in the dark and need the help of a battery torch, while
kittens can navigate in the dark. Even baby monkeys can leap from one branch to
another- this is not possible for us humans.
If, at home
you enthusiastically lift a cute three month old baby, an elderly women in the
house will sternly tell you, you may lift the child, but keep your hand under
his neck as a support. A three month old human child cannot lift his head, but
a bull can butt at the age of three months. Many of us may have seen a newborn
calf. A newborn calf learns to stand upright on its legs in just 12 hours,
while a newborn human cannot do this after 12 hours, not after twelve days, not
after twelve weeks, and when he does this after twelve months we clap our hands
and exclaim- “ Look, baby is standing !”.
So, we have
to think about this- how did this weak animal called a ‘human’ become the lord
of all nature ? People say – “he became lord of all things because he started
to use his intelligence and ability to think.” Then I ask them- “All animals
have intelligence. Elephants have intelligence, that is why they work in
circuses. Dogs have intelligence, that’s why they are useful in the police
department, the dolphin fish has the intelligence of a student in the fourth
standard, they detect underwater explosives and help boats to navigate.. So how
are only humans intelligent ?
Keep this in
mind, humans came on this earth only in the past five lakh years. The
scientific name for humans is ‘ Man the homo sapien’. Actually, the full
nomenclature is ‘Man the homo sapien sapien’. Homo means animal, sapien means
‘wise’. So, how did such a weak animal become wise ? Humans developed in the
last five lakh years. The ancestors of humans, apes like the gorilla,
chimpanzee and orangutan developed in the last 1.5 crore years. The type of
animal which gives birth to live babies, and which feed them milk with mammary
organs, like the elephant, lion, and tiger evolved three crore and eighty lakh
years ago. Approximately 4 crore years back evolved the elephant, which weighs
4000 kilos, and five lakh years ago humans evolved who weigh 60 kilos. So by
comparison, whose brain should be larger ? When I ask this question, people
start to ponder. Because they know that the human brain weighs between 1350
grammes and 1500 grammes., with a body weight is 60 kilos. This means that the
human brain weighs 2 to 2 1/2 percent of the human body weight. But the brain
of the elephant weighs just 4 kilos, i.e. just one tenth of a percent, of its
weight.
Now the
question before us is how did the human brain develop so large in comparison to
the elephant’s ? If I replied thus- ‘Man was God’s favourite animal. He sat
under a tree and prayed, daily : ‘O God, give me wisdom, give me wisdom, and
God was pleased and gave man wisdom and thus the human brain slowly increased
in size.’ – then, all of you would laugh. But you believe in Shree Ganpati. You
believe that Gajanan is the god of intelligence. You know that his head is that
of an elephant. So, this god of intelligence, then bestowed intelligence on
humans and not on elephants- what is the secret behind this?
Why did the
brain of only humans grow and not that of any other animal? Note that like any
other animal, the human is also an animal, and like other animals also has paws.
In the course of evolution, the thumb separated from the other four digits. The
digits separated into fingers. Man began to interpose his thumb against the
other fingers. He converted these ten fingers into a tool, and with this tool started
to act on nature around him. Along with, and through this activity, his brain
began to develop and grow. This activity continued for thousands of years. Then
man picked up a stone from the ground. He gave the stone a cutting edge. He
fastened this sharpened stone onto a branch broken from a tree, and created a
primitive axe. Later this tool slowly improved. The ability to act on nature
enhanced and because of this his brain developed further. Many more thousands
of years elapsed. Man discovered metals. He made metal tools. With these metal
tools he further improved his ability to act. His brain grew further. Take
note, it was through labour that man began to act on nature, and that developed
his brain.
Since all animals
think, we cannot define a ‘human’ as ‘a thinking animal’. Humans are defined by
the statement : ‘Man is a tool making animal’. So, in the first place, man is a
tool making and weapon making animal, and secondly, though, along with other
animals, our ancestors also walked on four legs, later the two legged human
evolved. The remaining two forelegs then, evolved into hands and with these
hands, he began to act on nature. And when he stood erect, at that time his
vocal chords also moved up vertically. The vocal chords of no other animal can
match the versatility that the human vocal chords are capable of, and that is
why humans discovered language. And through dialogue with nature with human
hands, along with dialogue between humans through language, the human brain
increased in size. This increase was not due to any rituals or chants of
worship, it was not due to any poojas or yagnas.
That’s why
when you fall victim to superstition, what happens ? When you fall victim to
superstition, it is no loss to Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, or to the Andhashraddha
Nirmoolan Samiti. Whose loss is it? Take note – If I come to your house and
after looking around I say “Wow, what a fine house ? How were you able to
construct such a large house so soon ? You reply- “Oh, I did not construct the
house. It was built by my father. I am only maintaining it. If your mother’s
friend, eyeing the jewelry she is wearing, exclaims- ‘ Tell me dear, so much
gold jewelry! How could you afford to buy so much at such an young age ?”. Your
mother replies- ‘No, no ! I did not buy them. They were gifted to me by my
mother-in-law.’ Or she says “ They were given to me by my mother as women’s
inheritance ‘streedhan’. I have to maintain it and pass it on to the next
generation. If you conserve and preserve the wealth handed to you from the
previous generation as an ‘inheritance’, then, remember that your human brain
is itself the inheritance of 50,000 generations. The 5 lakh year old human
fossil skulls found in caves show a cranial capacity of 750 grams. Today, your
brain is of size 1500 grams. When you forget this and fall victim to
superstitions and blind faith, it is as if you lose your claim to being a
‘sapient human’- this is the first thing.
But note
this- the scientific nomenclature of the humans is ‘Homo sapiens sapien’. This
means not just ‘ smart ‘ and, indeed, not ‘too smart’, but growing always ‘more
and more smart’. And when did this ‘scientific outlook’, which has made humans
more and more smart, enter our nation? When did it appear on this planet ? To
tell you the truth, in a primary form, the principle of ‘rational causality’
has been in existence since the time of Buddha and Charvak. But in this modern
age and in its modern sense, ‘scientific outlook’ enters Europe about 400 to
500 years back. We know this as the ‘Copernican Revolution’.
Copernicus
was the first to show, with calculations, that even though it appears that the
Sun revolves around the earth, it is really the earth which revolves around the
sun. This is what Aryabhat had said, in India, a 1000 years before Copernicus,
but we could not sustain this insight, we could not take it forward, we could
not give that honour to Aryabhat. Approximately 1000 years after Aryabhat,
Copernicus made this statement. He was ignored in Europe. But then, Galileo was
born and in 1609, Galileo invented the telescope. It was an extremely
revolutionary invention at the time. Distant ships on the sea appeared to have
come nearer. Ambassadors began to report to their Kings, that ‘ this man has
made an amazing invention that makes the ships of the enemy appear near when
they are far away.’ Galileo was praised. But Galileo had the foolish idea of
turning the telescope towards the skies, and started showing the people – “Look
folks, I show you- the moon does not have a beautiful face, there are rivers
and valleys on it. People, look ! The sun is not spotless- there are black
spots on its face. People, come and see. I show you that just as the moon has
phases, so does the planet Venus. People, come, see. I show you, that just as
the earth has a satellite, Jupiter too has three satellites.”
I am sure
that of those of you who are listening to this lecture, very few will have seen
the moons of Jupiter, or seen the phases of Venus, or the spots on the sun, or
the hills and valleys on the moon. This is what Galileo showed people 400 years
back, but this time, Galileo was not praised. The highest church authority in
Christianity was the Pope. His name was Pope Urban the Eighth. He was a friend
of Galileo’s. The Pope was himself a scientist. That Pope ordered Galileo to
appear before an inquisition of the Catholic Church. His summons reached
Galileo. At that time Galileo was ill, and he requested- ‘I will come when I am
better’. But his scientist friend, the Pope, ordered him- “if you do not come,
you will be brought here in chains and strapped on a horse- so serious is the
crime that you have committed.”
So Galileo
reached the Vatican. A Christian religious congregation was convened. All the
bishops and cardinals were seated. The pope took his seat. Galileo was produced
and accused with two charges. The first charge was “You are a liar”. Why ?
Because anyone can see that the sun revolves around the earth yet you assert
that the earth revolves around the sun. So, you are a liar.’ The second, and
more serious charge was that “You are a blasphemer.” Blasphemer, means you deny
true religious faith. Religious truth is what is written in the bible, and it
is written in the bible that the kind Father has created the sun for producing
daylight, and the moon for giving cool light in the night, and for this purpose
these two lamps are suspended in the sky. And this is what was taught in Europe
till the beginning of the 17th century.
Take note of
this, even though there was a considerable spread of science in Europe at the
time, nevertheless the words of Aristotle were accepted as authority. It was
said, at the time that “Aristotle was the master of all who knows.” Aristotle
had given two reasons. One of these was the principle of “efficient cause’,
namely searching for the causes and reasons. But the second, was the principle
of ‘final cause’. And this final cause was the wish of Heavenly God. That is
why Galileo was told- what you are saying is against the Bible, and therefore
you must apologize.
After
narrating this episode in my speeches, I often pause, and ask: What is your
information? Did Galileo apologize or not? And usually, people reply in all
goodwill, Galileo did not apologize. History is testament that Galileo knelt
down and unconditionally apologized. He slapped himself on his own face and
said “ I have erred. I will not say such contrary things in future. What you
say- that is the truth. It is the sun which revolves around the earth.” Today
we teach students from class one that even if it appears that the sun revolves
around the earth, in fact it is the earth which revolves around the sun. Then
why did Galileo, who proved just the opposite, apologize? This is because just
twenty five years earlier, a scientist named Bruno who had made the same
assertion, and refused to retract it, was tied to a stake and burned alive to
death. So, Galileo escaped with a life sentence. In his last seven years he
became blind and he was punished with solitary confinement.
Let us think,
why did this happen? This happened because Galileo spoke against the religious
authorities, that is true. But if we go even deeper and think, we will
understand, Galileo was enunciating a new reason and rationality for
understanding the universe. Till then, there was only a single reason for the
universe- ‘It is the will of the lord of the heavens’. And Galileo was now
saying- ‘Whatever be the will of the lord of the heavens; it may appear that
the sun revolves around the earth, but in fact the earth revolves around the
sun, and the moon also revolves thus. This has nothing to do with the will of
the lord of the heaven.’ Thinking about real causes, his discovery gave a new
direction for discovering the real reasons for what happens in the world around
us. What progress could not take place in the preceding 4,99,600 years of human
existence, has been made possible in the last 400 years by our discovery of the
‘scientific approach’.
Now does all
this have any relevance for our country, or not ? I believe – all this has a
very strong relevance for our country. This is because in our country, in our
religious theology, we have the ‘principle of the karma of past deeds’. This
principle means- ‘Whatever I suffer in this life, is the result of the sins
committed in my previous life, and whatever good I do in this life, I will get
the benefits in my next life.’ Because of this I become completely dependent.
The other banks of the world say- Today cash, tomorrow credit, the principle of
karma says, ‘earn credits today, cash tomorrow.’ And as if controlled by a snake
charmer’s pipe, we accept and admire this principle.
And which is
the most popular stanza of the ‘Geetramayana’ sung by Sudhir Phadke?
“The sadness in your destiny. Is nobody’s fault.
The world is enslaved. Son of man.
Is neither mother Kaikeyi’s fault. Nor Grandfather’s.
Abdication of a kingdom, Wanderings- all because of Karma.
It is the play of my past accumulated doings.
The world is enslaved. Son of man.
This means,
there is nothing that I can do about it. Whatever I have to suffer, it is the
play of my fate and destiny and my destiny is decided by the sins of my
previous life. Therefore, since
I have no way of knowing the deeds of my previous life, there is no way of
knowing what I might do in this life and what I will do in my next life. To
tell the truth, the principle of karmic consequences is in direct contradiction
to the principles of rational causality.
And today
also, this is how it is : If a boy studies, gets good marks, and when he goes
for an interview, he lands a job in his first attempt- people say, ‘ Mark it,
that boy’s stars are good ! Learning, learning, immediate earning !’ and if the
boy studies hard, gets good marks, the parents were ready to pay something for
a job, the boy goes here and there with letters of recommendations from MLAs
and MPs, and even so, he does not land a job for three or four years, then
people say- that boy’s stars are not good, we have tried everything, but if his
destiny itself is bad, what can we do ?
And again,
suppose- a girl studies hard, passes with good marks, gets shown in good
places, and gets chosen in the first attempt, her marriage gets decided with
little expense, the relatives will say, “the girl’s stars were good, mark it,
she didn’t cause her parents any difficulty.” And, if, on the other hand, the
parents despite wearing out the soles of their chappals for three to four
years, still have not been able to fix a match, then they will say – she just
didn’t have it in her stars- we have tried everything, but after all, what to
do if marriage was not written in the lines on her forehead.’
At college
lectures, I often ask jokingly- suppose there are ten of you in a jeep. You go
on a trip. There is a serious accident. Nine are seriously injured. You are the
only one who isn’t. That’s your…”. And the students in one voice say ‘destiny’.
And then I say, -“The jeep suffers a serious accident. Nine escape injury. You
are the only one seriously injured. That’s your…” And again the students
answer- ‘destiny’. Then I tell them, jokingly- “I hope this doesn’t happen, but
supposing, in the coming college exams, you get very low marks, and when you go
home, your father yells at you - “I slog so hard for your education, the
professors take so much pains to teach you, and how is it that you get such low
marks ?”. And you answer to your father- “Its like this, Dad- it was in your
destiny to slog for my education. It was in my professor’s destiny to take
pains to teach me, and it was in my destiny to get low marks. It’s all a matter
of each one’s destiny”.
On the
contrary, it must be kept in mind that- whatever happens in my life- is not the
consequence of a god, it is not because of the divine, it is not the
consequence of foreordained destiny, it is not the consequence of (praarabdh)
fate, it is not because of (sanchit) accumulated merit, it is not because of
praktan, it is not the consequence of karmic consequence, it is not the
consequence of the merits or sins of previous lives, it is not the consequence
of my time of birth. Whatever happens in my life, behind every action, there are
real reasons. I can find those real reasons, and because I can know those real reasons,
I can also change them.
That is why,
when you abandon ‘scientific temper’, at that same time you give the control of
your life into someone else’s hands. When you accept ‘scientific temper’, you
take the control of your life back into your own hands. And this is what
Mahatma Phule has told us one hundred and fifty years ago. One hundred and
fifty years ago Mahatma Phule asked- “The Peshwas, who sought the auspicious
moment to commence every battle, lost their empire against the English, who
never seeking auspicious moments, won battle after battle- how did this happen?
And Mahatma Phule also asked “The marriages of our mothers and daughters are
decided by matching horoscopes with 36 points, and yet they become premature
widows. The white women do not look at any such horoscope and yet they lead
satisfied family lives- how does this happen?” Note this- one hundred and fifty
years back Mahatma Phule was identifying the real reasons for wars and
widowhood.
When two
armies face each other in battle, the outcome is decided by the weapons they
possess, by their respective fighting morale, by their numerical strengths. It
is not decided by the positions in the skies of the planets and the stars, by
the positions of the sun, moon and winds. If it were like that, then priests
would be enrolled in each army to advise after consulting the panchang, when to
commence battle. In Mahatma Phule’s time, six or seven year old girls, and ten
year old boys were married in this manner. Savitribai was married at the age of
ten, by which time she was being called an overage spinster (ghodnavri). Even
today child mortality in Maharashtra is high. At that time, it was extremely
high. At such a time Mahatma Phule says- increase the age of marriage and
reduce child mortality. If this is done, then even if you do not match a 36 point
horoscope, our mothers and sisters will not become premature widows.
This happened
150 years ago,- but believe me- today the situation in Maharashtra is really horrible.
Every week I receive a phone call from somewhere in Maharashtra- sometimes from
a boy, sometimes a girl, sometimes, the parents – and it is always the same
story. My mobile phone rings, and if it is a boy, he asks “ Is this Dabholkar’s
phone ?” I say, “yes”. He asks,” Is it you, yourself speaking?”, I say “yes”.
He asks, “Do you have some time, I want to discuss at length”. I say “yes, speak.
I have the time. This is my business”. Then he says “I am an IT engineer, I
have seen a girl and I like her. She is a doctor. She too has liked me. We both
would like to marry. My family visited her house. They saw her family
background, food habits, family relations. They found all these acceptable.
Thereafter, the girl’s family visited us. They too saw our family background,
food habits, family relations. They too found it acceptable.” After all this
has been said, I tell him, “how is this related to me? Go ahead and marry.” He
says’ “ Doctor, here is the problem. After all these marriage criteria were
decided, one guest unnecessarily took both our horoscopes and showed them to an
astrologer. Now that astrologer has said. ‘This marriage must not take place.
These two horoscopes are incompatible. They are so incompatible, that there is
‘Mrityukhadashtak Yog’ in them. Because of this, within six months of the
marriage, the father of either the boy or the girl will certainly die.”
Now, if I am
giving a lecture in a college, I ask the students- “If this is told you, what
will you do? Will you marry or not?” I also tell them – “Have faith in me, go
ahead and marry. Nothing will happen to your mother or father, I am prepared to
write this on a bond paper. The simple reason is that it has been undisputably
established that there is no ground whatsoever for predicting the course of my
life on the basis of a horoscope. That is why- by not making a decision about
‘whether or not to marry a girl that I like’ on the basis of a horoscope- this
means taking control of our life in our own hands.
That is why
scientific attitude gives you a new understanding. Have you heard this famous
‘shair’?
“Khud hee ko
kar buland itna,
Ki har takdeer se pahle,
Khuda bande ko khud pooche
Bataa teri razaa kya hai?”
“Build yourself so strong, that even that all-knowing God,
before writing every word of your destiny,
Himself will be compelled to ask you,
Tell me, what is your wish?”
In short,
scientific attitude is a way of viewing life, of achieving success, and of becoming
a better person. If we adopt this world view, we can bring about fundamental
change in our life, in our collective lives, in the life of society and even in
the life of our country. That we all resolve to bring about this kind of
change- this is my earnest request to you.
कोई टिप्पणी नहीं:
एक टिप्पणी भेजें