The Hindu Religious Thoughts and The British Rule - Essay Example

Introduction Politics and religion are said to be strange bed fellows. However, they each influence the functioning of each other. Politics denotes the art of governing the affairs of a nation or a people. Different governments have risen in differing fashions. Religion on the other hand, underscores a collection of beliefs and cultural systems that determine or dictates a people’s moral and spiritual undertakings. Theology and religion can be used interchangeably. Theology denotes the study of a supreme Deity. Politics intersects with religion in the sense that they both influence the lives of the people that are under their control (Narayanan 23). Most of the European colonial powers used religion to infiltrate and colonize most parts of the world. In this essay, I will discuss Hindu religious thoughts in light of the British rule in 1750-1945. The Hindu religious thoughts The Hindu religious thoughts comprised of a number of principles, ideas and practices that gave rise to different religious schools of thought. Each of these schools believed in a Supreme Deity and had temples with religious leaders. The various schools appear to hold divergent religious views, but they all base their teachings on the doctrine of the Hindu religion (Micheals 13). Hindu religion indoctrinates its followers with doctrines such as dharma, divinity of the atman, karma and reincarnation. They also teach on the sacraments and the scriptural authority of the Vedas. These schools of worship simply represent the various ways of worship. They emerged to serve the different tastes, classes and aptitudes of the people. From time immemorial, Hinduism was the major religion in India. This is the third largest world religion with its followers mostly found in the Asian continent. Hinduism was and still is the dominant religion in India. It is a religion that emanated from diverse thoughts and beliefs. Hinduism is often referred to as the religion of 300 gods. This religion is founded on the tenets of the Indian philosophy. This philosophy purports that eternal bliss and salvation are the rewards of a righteously-led life. The philosophy also suggests that the spirit that resides within an individual plays a pivotal role in every aspect of the individual’s life (Narayanan 29). The Indian philosophy has stood the test of time and remained unchanged. It is multifaceted and comprises of three components namely: the Hindu philosophy, Buddhist philosophy and Jain philosophy. The Indian philosophy influences all the spheres of life. Religious leaders in the pre-colonial India played a key role in offering directions to their followers on all matters; their word was taken as the truth (Micheals 19). These leaders inspired their followers to lead righteous lives and keep away from influences that would “pollute” their lives. The British rule The British rule in India altered the course of history in this Asian sub continent. Their arrival happened at the onset of the seventeenth century. Initially the British entered into the India to pursue trade interests. They entered the country under the guise of the British East India Company. This company was formed purposefully to break the Dutch’s dominance of the spice trade in the country. Several events happened and a temporary occupancy that was meant for trade turned into a permanent colonial stay (Forster 5). The British East India Company The Indian subcontinent came under the British in a systematic way; the British entered India with the sole intention of participating in the spice trade. Various British merchants united to form the British East India Company. This company’s core duty was to safeguard the interests of the merchants. The company worked closely with the reigning monarchs who afforded them security. Upon the collapse of the Mughal Empire, several smaller kingdoms arose to fill the vacuum (Forster 23). The Mughal kingdom’s demise occurred due to the maltreatment it meted on the Indians. The dynasty persecuted the followers of Hinduism and this led to a revolt that saw the downfall of the dynasty. The fall of the Mughal dynasty occurred after the death of the Last emperor of Mughal. This collapse led to a rise of small kingdoms which were administered by corrupt princes. Chaos and confusion reigned in India as these kingdoms fought against each other for control. These fights rendered the country unstable and insecure; a situation that attracted foreigners such as the Dutch, the French and the British to enter and exploit India’s natural resources (Kirkpatrick 34). The company who were now exposed to external attacks by the hostile communities resulted to training some of the locals as sepoys. The failure of the company to quell the rampant uprisings forced the queen to take over the management of the country. The Queen mother sent out the British army who came into India and established a British ran government (Kirkpatrick 34). The British bent on establishing a more permanent rule in India built railroads and introduced the telegraph. This improved communication infrastructure eased communication throughout the colony. The British parliament legislated laws that were meant to keep the Indians under check. The brutal rule of the British saw an emergence of revolts throughout the Indian subcontinent. The Indians formed resistance groups and through these groups they held organized crusades to revolt against the British. In response to these revolts, the British government descended on the Indians and speedily crushed the groups. The leaders of these groups most of which came from the religious sector were arrested, persecuted and some of them sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom fighting (Michaels 9). Some eminent leaders who included Lala Rajpat Rai, Mahatma Gandhi among others were considered to have a considerable influence among the Indians. Most of these leaders prophesied the Hinduism faith. These spiritual leaders were highly esteemed by their followers. The leaders used their influence to publicly criticize the brutal rule of the British. They also inspired the masses to be courageous and stand up against the oppressive rule of the British. Two centuries later and India attained her independence. This did not come cheap; many innocent lives were sacrificed for India’s independence. The independence also witnessed the separation of India from Pakistan (Michaels 9). The influence of the British on the life of the Indians The thriving spice trade saw the entry of different European countries into India. These European powers fought against each other for dominance. For instance, the French fought fiercely against the British, but they eventually lost (Klostermaier 36). The victory by the British was due to their superior weaponry, they also had manpower which they acquired by training and arming the locals. The British established their control over all the spheres of the Indian community. Their dominion was not confined to politics; they also influenced the religious and social fabrics of the nation. The British occupancy brought with itself numerous changes which were not readily accepted by the natives. For instance, cultural and religious changes were met with a mixture of suspicion and contempt. The Indians, who were deep devotees of the teachings of Hinduism, were unwilling to abandon their way of life to tag along the “imperialist’s” culture (Michaels 11). The Indian’s grew more resistant of the British because of the Britons’ imposition of their faith and culture on the natives. The revolts became serious and frequent. The Indians participated in the Sepoy mutiny; this event served as a point of reference for the Indians who drew important lessons from it. Key among the lessons was the fact that a united front was essential for defeating the colonialists. Despite the fact that this mutiny failed, the Indian’s continued to revolt and push for their freedom (Michaels 12). The decline of the Hindu religious thought process The Hindu religious thought process suffered a great deal under the rule of the British. The British tried to no avail to impose Christianity on the Indians. This move was met with resistance chiefly because the natives viewed Christianity to be an imperialist’s religion. The widespread rejection of Christianity was also due to the fact that the Hindu religious leaders cautioned against it (Vroom 44). The religious leaders backed by their followers felt that embracing Christianity would in essence mean that they were accepting the brutal leadership of the British. Acceptance was thus deemed as a way of tightening the grasp of the British on the natives. The Hindu religious thought process did not die completely during the British occupancy. The philosophy was kept alive by the works of eminent persons who included Aurobindo Ghose and Swami Vivekanda. These eminent personalities belabored themselves to ensure that the philosophy survived the turbulent times (Klostermaier 33).They ensured that the philosophy remained influential in the lives of their followers. A number of socio-religious reforms emerged as the Hindu leaders interacted with the western religion. However, these influences were not strong enough to markedly alter the religious landscape of India (Vroom 44). Conclusion From the foregone discussion, we can conclude that religion and theology follow the same principles and that they serve to influence the lives of the followers. The discussion has revealed that religion and politics influence each other and that religion can help conquer and subdue imperialistic governments. The role of the Hindu religious thought in the liberation of the people of India from the shackles of the British colonialists serve as an example of how a dedicated people can rise against oppression. The persistence of the Hindu religious thought also goes to show how a philosophy has withstood the various challenges and remained to command a massive following to this day. This discussion reveals what unity and determination can do. It also goes to show how difficult it is to convince a loyal follower of a philosophy to abandon his ways for a new one. Work cited Forster, Edward Morgan. A Passage to India. London: Readers Digest Association, 1998. Print. Flood, Gavin D. An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge, [England: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print. Kirkpatrick, Frederick Alexander. Lectures on British Colonization and Empire: First Series (1600-1783). London: J. Murray, 1906. Print. Klostermaier, Klaus. A Survey of Hinduism. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2007. Print. Michaels, Axel. Hinduism: Past and Present. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 2004. Print. Narayanan, Vasudha. Hinduism. New York: Rosen Pub, 2010. Print. Top of Form Page, Melvin. Colonialism: An International Social, Cultural, and Political Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Print. Bottom of Form Vroom, Hendrik. Religions and the Truth: Philosophical Reflections and Perspectives. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 1989. Print. Read More