Does Hinduism need a religious leadership?

Hindus have always prided themselves on not having a rigid matrix to their religion; there is no one earthly supreme leader in Hinduism belting out fatwas or diktats and neither do local priests carry any authority to enforce any rigid strictures. The fact that Hinduism even has a place for non-believers says it all. Shashi Tharoor, in his book, “Why I am a Hindu”, accurately captures the ethos of Hinduism: “It (Hinduism) embraces an eclectic range of doctrines and practices, from pantheism to agnosticism and from faith in reincarnation to belief in the caste system.

But none of these constitutes an obligatory credo for a Hindu: there are none. We have no compulsory dogmas. There are simply no binding requirements to being a Hindu. Not even a belief in God. I am more comfortable with the tenets of Hinduism than I would be with those of the other faiths of which I know. I have long thought of myself as liberal, not merely in the political sense of the term, or even in relation to principles of economics, but as an attitude to life. To accept people as one finds them, to allow them to be and become what they choose, and to encourage them to do whatever they like (so long as it does not harm others) is my natural instinct.”

People have argued that this very lack of administrative hierarchy, this very lack of a strict code of conduct and this non-judgemental inclusiveness is the beauty of Hinduism and one which imbues it with a resilience that has sustained it over the ages. True, but only to a degree. The sophisticated spirituality that Hinduism advocates is suited for an idealistic perfect world. But are these principles compatible with an imperfect world wherein materialistic aspirations and mundane greed rule the roost? Can Hinduism with its other world nuance withstand the onslaught of predatory and proselytizing forces that seek to erode its base? Will its enlightened values and non-confrontational attitude, which we boast as its strength, become its downfall and lead to its ultimate extinction? And are we obligated as current day Hindus to act proactively today to protect and preserve this beautiful religion for posterity? These are the million-dollar questions that need to be answered.

The lack of clear guidance and its openness make Hindus more vulnerable in practical matters, especially in the case of inter-faith marriages and the bringing up of children from these unions; Hindus take a back seat, sacrifice their interest and give in to the demands of the other party in the absence of firm instructions. Have you noticed that in the majority of HinduMuslim marriages (barring some isolated cases) when a Hindu girl marries a Muslim boy she converts to Islam. Ironically, even when a Hindu boy marries a Muslim girl, again it is the Hindu boy who gives in and embraces Islam to facilitate the union.

Muslim scriptures are clear: Muslim men are allowed to marry Christian and Jewish women (People of the Book) and not others (including Hindus) unless they convert to Islam. Muslim women do not have any right to marry non-Muslims. Additionally, Islam dictates that the children of an interfaith marriage be Muslim. Judaism too prohibits marriage between a Jew and a non-Jew and dictates that the child born of a Jewish mother be considered Jewish. Christianity too has its strict rules and regulations with regard to interfaith marriages, and I have been privy to this in the United States where we are seeing an increasing number of Hindu-Christian weddings in recent times.

While exact figures are lacking, some reports claim that inter-faith or inter-racial marriages among Indian-Americans account for more than 80 per cent today, up from 40 per cent 10 years ago. On the face of it, these Hindu-Christan unions in the United States present a picture of equality and respect: separate Christian and Hindu ceremonies and with both partners respecting each other’s religion. However, it gets a little more complex at the level of the Christian clergy. While participation in Hindu rituals does not mandate a conversion, it is not so with the Christian ceremony.

There are very few Christian priests who will officiate an inter-faith marriage and those who do so require a commitment from the couple that the children will be brought up as Christian. Hinduism has no dogmas with regard to inter-faith marriages or the children of these unions. Why do these religions insist that the children of interfaith unions belong to their fraternity? Simple, it is to ensure that their numbers grow and we all know that demography is destiny. Demography is an important factor in the rise and fall of civilizations and of religions.

An erosion in its support base can have deleterious consequences for a religion and society leading to a devaluation of its principles and its ultimate demise. Pakistan is a standing example of this change. A predominantly Hindu land was transformed by brutal invasions, forced conversions and coerced marriages (that occur even today) to a Muslim dominant entity with near obliteration of its Hindu origins and Hinduism in a span of a thousand years—all because of the lack of assertiveness among Hindus. Complacent about being a billion strong community, Hindus of the sub-continent live in a la-la land, totally unaware of what they have lost and where they are headed to or their shrinking base. In one thousand years, Hinduism, which was once the predominant religion of the sub-continent, extending from Afghanistan in the west to Bengal in the east, has been reduced to occupy a little over half of this area. Hinduism is under siege, but Hindus don’t realize this—that is the greatest tragedy of present-day Hinduism.

The reason for this ignorance is that the span of a human life is a tiny speck in the timeline of history; a wink of an eye that fails to capture the big picture or comprehend the direction of human destiny. Moreover, the present is a tiny window that can be very deceptive projecting an erroneous picture of where one is headed. A small change today can result in an exponential effect hundreds of years down the line with disastrous results or a positive outcome in the future. Hinduism needs to act now Political and cultural leadership can influence the revival of Hinduism to a limited extent. What is required is at this stage is a strong, united religious leadership with at least a loose framework of rules and regulations that provide Hindus with some sort of a code of conduct to navigate confusing situations and overcome their vulnerability. Hinduism needs reform to address these burning issues.

Reform must not be perceived as a goal to change the basic premise of Hinduism or introduce strict orthodoxy in its practice akin to other religions. But these changes must be seen as attempts to demand a degree of equality in interactions with other faiths, especially with regards to marriages and in the bringing up of children of such inter-faith unions. For reform to be comprehensive and effective, Hinduism needs religious leadership acting in concert with political and cultural leadership. While political and cultural organocations are striving to play their part, there appears to be a serious lacuna in the religious field. I would even go far as to say the religious leaders have failed the Hindus. It is time they stepped up before it is too late.