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259 Pages·2013·1.97 MB·English

VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT

Faith on the Anvil of Justice: Dr. Ambedkar’s Response to Religions in India

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ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT

ter verkrijging van de graad Doctor aan
de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,
op gezag van de rector magnificus
prof.dr. F.A. van der Duyn Schouten,
in het openbaar te verdedigen
ten overstaan van de promotiecommissie
van de Faculteit der Godgeleerdheid
op donderdag 13 juni 2013 om 9.45 uur
in de forumzaal van de universiteit,
De Boelelaan 1105

door

Monodeep Daniel

geboren te Ranchi, India

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promotoren: prof.dr. H.M. Vroom
prof.dr. L. Fernando

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Restore Us Our Selfhood

“Imploring, begging and depending on the kindness of others will not restore to us
the selfhood that we have been robbed of. We have to regain it on our own strength. It
is true that the path of protest we have advocated is a difficult one, but our
untouchable brethren should not let themselves be cowed down by the fear that the
touchables will retaliate against their act of protest. We have to show our
determination in our resolve”.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Bahishkrit Bharat, May 20, 1927 cited by M.S. Gore in ‘The Social Context
of an Ideology’.

Reclamation of the Human Personality

“With justice on our side I don’t see how we can lose our battle. The battle for me is a
matter full of joy. The battle is in the fullest sense spiritual. There is nothing material
or sordid in it. For ours is a battle not for wealth or for power. It is a battle for
freedom. It is a battle for the reclamation of the human personality which has been
surpressed and mutilated. My final words of advice to you is educate, agitate and
organize, have faith in yourselves and never lose hope.”
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. (Report of Depressed Classes Conference, Nagpur Session, July 1942 in
Writings and Speeches Vol. 17.3, p. 276)

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Dedicated to
professor Hendrik M. Vroom
my guide and a gentle friend
and
Stanley J. Daniel
my father
who saw the beginnings but tragically not the end of this book.

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Foreword
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar assessed the religions in India on the anvil of justice.
Through this exercise he not only aimed to bring out their worth but also to reform
or reconstruct them if necessary to make them useful for forging a just society. That
he regarded this seriously is evident in his sizeable writings on the subject of religion
and social reform. The standard of English in these writings reveals Dr. Ambedkar to
be a person of caliber of his times. Indeed his excellent academic achievement was
well known. In this capacity he has not only contributed to the intellectual deposit of
the world, but has equally contributed to construct the modern and secular State of
India. Therefore, whatever he wrote and whatever he did has to be taken seriously.
Here the temptation to delve more deeply into his life especially after the British
parliament had passed the Government of India Act in 1935 must be admitted.
Attempt in that direction would have verged on producing a biography. But the
purpose of this study was not to do this; instead it is to cut out his basic ideas from
the thick woods of his writings which he wrote in the course of his very active life as
a statesman. I have highlighted the dilemmas which confronted him as he
intellectually responded to the political leaders of his times especially Mahatma
Gandhi and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. The contours of these were shaped by his
specific ideas of religion and society in the interest of those affected by
untouchability.
In his search for a religion best suited for Dalits, Dr. Ambedkar found that
religions, far from being united, were totally disarrayed in guiding whose interest
were they to protect. Clearly Dr. Ambedkar was in dilemma. Obviously it was very
complicated to resolve multi-faceted conflicts within religion. These were in forms of
collective advantage vis-à-vis individual’s interest and collision between a group’s
interests versus society’s advantage. In the sections below we will discuss Dr.
Ambedkar’s predicament. My aim is not to undertake a survey of Dr. Ambedkar’s
writings, but to get through with his line of thinking and his basic insights into
religions and society. Having done so I think it would be very interesting to reread
his biography. But that is beyond the range of this study. However, the applications
of such findings have a scope to influence various fields of human interest. If this
would help people to re-read their scriptures, literature and epics, to critically
engage with culture and to understand the ever changing political configurations, to
write and comment, to preach and teach, to promote civil liberty and peace, and to
engage in inter-religious dialogue, I believe the purpose of this work would be
achieved.
I am most thankful to prof. Hendrik M. Vroom my guide at the Vrije
Universiteit, Amsterdam. I am also grateful to prof. Leonard Fernando, S.J., my
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guide in India at the Vidya Jyoti College of Theology, Delhi; prof. (habil.) James
Massey, the founding director of Centre for Dalit Studies, New Delhi; dr. Victor van
Bijlert and dr. Henry Jansen who endorsed the title of this book. I must acknowledge
the generosity of my religious fraternity, the Brotherhood of the Ascended Christ, Delhi,
to allow me to devote the necessary time out of my work to undertake this study in
the Brotherhood House library. The invitation of Canon George I. Kovoor, the
principal of the Trinity College, Bristol (U.K.) as a Commonwealth Fellow to the
Centre for World Christianity of this college was a privilege. It helped me to do my
work unhindered and use the college library for which I am grateful. The Revd Ian
C. Weathrall O.B.E., the Head of the Brotherhood in Delhi, for sharing his memories
of Dr. Ambedkar and providing me with several relevant books.

Monodeep Daniel
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Contents
Preface
Chapter I: Introduction: Dr. Ambedkar in Search Of Religion - 13

1. Who was Dr. Ambedkar? - 14

2. Dr. Ambedkar’s Response to Religions - 18

3. The Indian Social Context - 20

4. Relevance of Dr. Ambedkar’s Perspective - 23

5. Religion, Society and Selfhood - 25

6. Aim and Contents of this Study - 28
Chapter II: Dr. Ambedkar’s Dilemmas with Religion - 33

1. Introduction - 33

2. Dilemma with Norms - 34

2.1Between Life and Right - 36

2.2Between Personal and Collective Interest - 38

2.3Between Justice and Utility - 40

3. Dilemma with Alternatives - 44

3.1Resistance to Reorder Society - 44

3.2Disinterest to Reconstruct Society - 46

4. Transcending the Dilemmas: Ambedkar’s Four Basic Principles - 47

4.1By Focusing on the Purpose of Religion - 48

4.2By Developing a Method to Assess Religion - 52

4.3By Determining Moral Norms to Test Religion - 53

4.4By Accepting the Religion of Principles - 55

5. Conclusion - 60
Chapter III: Response to Primal Religion - 62

1. Introduction - 62

2. Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes : avarnas and savarnas - 64

3. Worldview of Primal Religion - 65

3.1Ensuring Riddance of Defilement - 67

3.2Assuring Insulation from Contamination - 67

4. Relevance of Rituals in Primal Religion - 68

4.1The Occasion of Rituals - 69

4.2The Performance of Rituals - 70

5. Assessing Indigenous Primal Religion - 71

5.1Land: A Cause for Social Mobility - 72

5.2Blood-descent: A Basis for Social Stratification - 73
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5.3Animals: Root of Internecine Conflict - 74

6. Conclusion - 76
Chapter IV: Response to Hindus - 78

1. Introduction - 78

2. Hurdle for a Great Religion - 78

2.1In Maharaja’s City - 79

2.2In Maharaja’s Service - 79

2.3In Mahatma’s Presence - 80

3. Exploring the Basis - 80

3.1Scripture - 81

3.2Doctrine - 85

3.3Philosophy - 93

4. Unveiling Reasons - 94

4.1Manu’s Laws - 94

4.2Dharma - 97

5. Reforming Seeds Inherent in Hinduism - 101

5.1Clearing the Stage - 102

5.2Constructing the New Dharma - 103

5.3Philosophy for the New Dharma - 104

6. Conclusion - 104
Chapter V: Response to Muslims - 107

1. Introduction - 107

2. Islam: A Force to Reckon with - 107

2.1Its Stupendous Global Spread - 108

2.2A Solid Oak in India - 110

3. Dream to be a World Community - 112

3.1Pan-Islamism - 113

3.2Khilafat - 113

4. Dream to be a Nation: Pakistan - 115

5. Strange Bedfellows - 119

5.1Treating equals as unequal - 119

5.2Inclusion by Exclusion - 121

5.3War for Peace - 122

6. Dr. Ambedkar’s Enigma - 123

7. Conclusion - 127
Chapter VI: Response to Christians - 128

1. Introduction - 128

2. A Paradoxical Religion in India - 129
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2.1Concerned yet Disregard for the Rejected People - 130

2.2Equal yet Disjointed - 131

2.3Scholarly yet Immoral - 132

3. Ancient yet Modern - 134

3.1The Ancient Tradition - 134

3.2Syrio-Latin Controversy - 135

3.3Protestant Missions - 138

4. Rulers but Weak - 141

4.1Social Status - 142

4.2Political Status - 145

4.3Economic Status - 146

5. Empowering but Powerless - 147

5.1Doctrine of Original Sin - 147

5.2Understanding of Christ - 149

5.3Sublimation of Poverty - 150

6. Dr. Ambedkar’s Dilemma - 150

7. Dr. Ambedkar’s Findings - 153

8. Conclusion - 157
Chapter VII: Response to Sikhs - 158

1. Introduction - 158

2. The Gurus and their Disciples - 159

2.1No Blood Heirs - 160

2.2Disciples and Equal - 161

2.3Vicarious in Death - 161

2.4Defenders of Dignity - 163

2.5The Learned Faithful - 163

3. Dr. Ambedkar’s Declaration for Sikhism - 164

3.1Indian Roots - 164

3.2National Loyalty - 167

3.3Political Vibrancy - 169

4. Dr. Ambedkar’s Reasons - 170

4.1Egalitarianism of Sikhism - 170

4.2No Change in the Poona Pact - 171

4.3Dignity of a Martial Race - 171

5. Incomplete Response - 174

6. Assessing the Sikhs - 176

7. Conclusion - 178
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