Socrates vs Hinduism- Let Hindutva be destroyed

Vivekananda: (coming forward excitedly) Socrates! Do you know what atrocities the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb committed in India? You always come up with your own lame arguments. I will give you such information that you will have to agree with me.

Socrates: (smiling) Is that so? Okay, let me hear you.

Vivekananda: (shaking his voice in anger) Aurangzeb destroyed thousands of Hindu temples in this country! The Vishwanath Temple in Kashi, the Keshav Deo Temple in Mathura, he demolished everything and built mosques! He imposed a Jizya tax on Hindus, and he economically crippled those who did not accept Islam. Lakhs of Hindus were forcibly converted; those who did not agree were killed! Guru Tegh Bahadur has been beheaded!

Socrates: It is really sad to hear this. Do you think this was unfair?

Vivekananda: Unfair? This is not just unfair, Socrates, this is brutality, barbarity! They wanted to destroy our civilization, they wanted to wipe out our religion!

Socrates: I understand your anger. So what are you saying that...

Vivekananda: (interrupting) Not only Aurangzeb, Socrates! Before him, Babur, Humayun, and Akbar also destroyed temples. Alauddin Khilji looted the Somnath temple. Muhammad Ghori burned down the Nalanda University. They are all Muslims! This entire nation is barbaric! They only understand the sword and conversion. When they came to India, they only destroyed, looted, and killed. They had no civilization, no!

Socrates: (Listening deeply) Are you saying that the entire Muslim nation can be called barbaric? You mean that those who claim to be Muslims are barbaric?

Vivekananda: (Firmly) Yes! History is witness. Wherever they went, they caused havoc. In Persia, in Central Asia, in India, it is the same story everywhere. Hindus will never be able to live in peace with them. Hindus are in the majority in India; this country belongs to Hindus. If Muslims want to live here, they should understand that this is a Hindu state. Their arrogance cannot be tolerated!

Socrates: (Slowly) Well, Vivekananda, I have listened to your words carefully. Now, can I ask you some questions?

Vivekananda: Of course, you can.

Socrates: You said that Aurangzeb and other Muslim rulers destroyed temples, killed people, and forcibly converted them. And for this reason, you call the entire Muslim nation barbaric. Have I understood your argument correctly?

Vivekananda: Absolutely.

Socrates: So your main argument is that the entire community whose rulers destroy places of worship of other religions, kill people, and forcibly convert them can be called barbaric. Is that so?

Vivekananda: Yes, that is what I am saying.

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Socrates: And you think this argument should apply equally to everyone, right?

Vivekananda: Of course! Justice should be equal for everyone.

Socrates: Excellent. I like your sense of ethics. Now, let me ask you about a historical event. Do you know about Pushyamitra Shunga?

Vivekananda: (pausing slightly) Yes, I do. He was the founder of the Shunga Empire.

Socrates: Okay. Now tell me, how did he come to power in 185 BC?

Vivekananda: (Uncomfortably) He... He killed the Mauryan king Brihadratha and seized the throne.

Socrates: What religion did Brihadratha follow?

Vivekananda: Buddhist.

Socrates: And Pushyamitra Sunga?

Vivekananda: Follower of Brahmanism.

Socrates: Okay. Now tell me, according to the historical Buddhist book Divyabadana and other sources, what did Pushyamitra Sunga do after coming to power?

Vivekananda: Yes, I mean......

Socrates: Don't you know, or don't you want to tell? I will help you. He killed forty thousand Buddhist monks. He destroyed the Sanchi Stupa and the Buddhist monastery of Kausambi. He even announced a reward of one hundred gold coins for the head of each Buddhist monk. Vivekananda, do you know these events?

Vivekananda: (sighing) Socrates, the history of that time is very complicated... very controversial...

Socrates: Complicated? Controversial? But Vivekananda, you did not call Aurangzeb's history complicated or controversial. You directly called him atrocious and the entire Muslim nation barbaric. Isn't killing forty thousand people and announcing a reward for his head atrocious?

Vivekananda: (Low voice) But the political situation at that time was different...

Socrates: Political situation? Aurangzeb's agents can also say the same thing that the Mughal Empire was facing attacks from all sides, and had to suppress rebellions. But I will not listen to the justification of all these agents, because their words are without logic, just like yours are without logic. You said that the entire Muslim nation is barbaric. Then why doesn't the same argument apply to Pushyamitra Shunga?

Vivekananda: (Uncomfortably) Look, Socrates, every religion has some extremists...

Socrates: Extremists! Quite a lot! So Pushyamitra Shunga is an extremist, but Aurangzeb? You didn't call him an extremist; you used Aurangzeb as an example and said that all Muslim nations are barbarians. Why this two-faced policy?

Vivekananda: (trying to turn the conversation around) Actually, Socrates, Buddhist sources about Pushyamitra Shunga can be biased...

Socrates: Biased? Then aren't Hindu sources about Muslim rulers biased too? And if you don't believe Buddhist sources, then let's talk about someone else. Mihirkul, the Hun ruler in the fifth century. He was a Shaiva, a Hindu. He killed one hundred and sixty thousand Buddhists in northwestern India and destroyed sixteen hundred Buddhist monasteries in Gandhara. These are mentioned in the Chinese traveler Xuanzang and other sources. Now, will you say that these are also biased?

Vivekananda: (visibly upset) I... these events...

Socrates: What are these events, Vivekananda? Do you mean that these events didn't happen? Or even if all this happened, are they less heinous than Aurangzeb's actions? Killing one hundred and sixty thousand people, does that seem less to you?

Vivekananda: No, but...

Socrates: But what? Let me tell you more. In the seventh century, the king of Bengal, Shashanka, a Shaivite Hindu, cut down the sacred Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. The sacred tree under which Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment! He broke the Buddha statue and replaced it with a Shiva statue. He destroyed the Buddhist monastery. Now tell me, did Shashanka do anything different from Aurangzeb, who broke the temple and built a mosque?

Vivekananda: (lowering his head) That... that was unjust...

Socrates: Was it unjust? Just unjust? You called Aurangzeb brutal, barbaric. The word 'unjust' alone is enough for Shashanka? Vivekananda, are these two criteria fair?

Vivekananda: (Voice trembling) Socrates, I mean... The main teaching of Hinduism is tolerance...

Socrates: The main teaching? Excellent. Many Muslim Sufis also speak of peace and tolerance as the main teaching of Islam. But you are not looking at the main teaching; you are looking at the actions of some rulers. So why should the same view not be applicable to Hindu rulers?

Vivekananda: (More uncomfortable) But Socrates, these are isolated incidents...

Socrates: Isolated incidents? I haven't finished yet, Vivekananda. In the 8th century, Adi Shankaracharya, whom you must deeply respect, won a classical debate with the Buddhists and used the influence of the kings to seize Buddhist monasteries. Thousands of Buddhists were killed on the banks of the Aluba River in Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, in the 7th-8th centuries, there was a massive Buddhist massacre led by Sambhanthara. Buddhist monasteries were burned.

Vivekananda: (Almost in a whisper) Shankaracharya is just a classical debate...

Socrates: A classical debate? Winning a debate and seizing monasteries and killings, is this just a classical debate? Vivekananda, what do you hear with your own ears? In the 11th-12th centuries, the Sena dynasty defeated the Pala dynasty and destroyed Buddhist monasteries in Bengal, evicting Buddhists. From the 8th to the 12th century, Brahmins systematically occupied hundreds of Buddhist monasteries in eastern India, including Bodh Gaya and Nalanda, and converted them into Hindu temples. They broke Buddhist statues and installed statues of Hindu gods.

Vivekananda: (in despair) Socrates, there must be a reason behind these events...

Socrates: Reason? Then there must be a reason behind the actions of Muslim rulers. Political unrest, suppression of rebellion, protection of empire...

These may be reasons. But you are not willing to listen to any of their reasons. If you say it directly, the entire Muslim nation is uncivilized. Now I want to ask you, Vivekananda, if the entire Hindu community is called uncivilized because of such actions of some Hindu rulers, what would you say?

Vivekananda: (in a low voice) No, that would be unfair...

Socrates: Unfair? Then, is it fair to call the entire Muslim community uncivilized because of the actions of some Muslim rulers?

Vivekananda: I am I... I meant to say that...

Socrates: Why are you silent, Vivekananda? You were speaking very strongly a moment ago. Let me tell you more. In the 10th-11th centuries, the Chola and Pandya kings invaded Sri Lanka and destroyed Buddhist temples, tortured Buddhists. In Kashmir, from the 6th to the 8th centuries, Hindu kings captured Buddhist monasteries and converted them into temples. In South India, from the 7th to the 10th centuries, the Brahmins forcibly converted Buddhists to Hinduism and took over their monasteries.

Vivekananda: (Hands on head) Socrates, I... Actually, the point is...

Socrates: What is the point, Vivekananda? Are you trying to turn the conversation around? I am asking you a simple question. You said that the rulers of a community who destroy places of worship of other religions, kill people, and forcibly convert them can be called barbarians. Now I have shown you that Hindu rulers did the same thing with Buddhists. So, according to your own logic, should the entire Hindu community also be called barbarians?

Vivekananda: (in a trembling voice) No... no, it cannot be said like this...

Actually, equal rights must be ensured for everyone. People of any religion cannot be tortured for their religion. Historical injustices must be acknowledged by all parties. And everyone must work together to ensure that no such injustices occur in the future.

Socrates: Exactly! And we must stop spreading hatred. We must stop demonizing a community. Because when we demonize a community, it becomes easier to oppress them. And history has taught us that when anyone, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, is in power and considers others as monsters, terrible injustices occur. Do you agree with this?

Vivekananda: (deeply) Yes, Socrates, I agree. Today, you have opened my eyes. I was blinded by my anger, and in that blindness, I myself was walking on the path of injustice.

Socrates: (Smiling) Vivekananda, it is always difficult to walk the path of truth. But the fact that you have been able to admit it is your strength. Remember, true patriotism is to love all the people of the country, not just those of your own religion. True piety is to walk on the path of justice and mercy, not on the path of hatred and revenge. If you really want to see India great, then build an India where every person, regardless of their religion, caste, or color, can live with respect and security.

Vivekananda: (Respectfully) Thank you, Socrates. I will never forget this lesson of yours.