Shri Guruji Golwalkar on China (Part V): Fate of Unilateral Goodness

One more serious impediment that we have to clear up is our mental reservation regarding building up of national strength. The very idea of strength was an anathema to our leaders all these days. The mental climate of our leadership was somehow averse to it. They believed entirely in pious platitudes. Even recently some of our responsible leaders indulged in talks of unilateral disarmament which would be nothing but unilateral suicide! At least since 1954 our leaders have been aware, on their own admission, of the fact of the naked aggression of the Chinese. But they continued to live in the dreamland of Panchsheel. During these eight years we could have equipped ourselves very well and made our defences impregnable. But today we are having a small army, fewer arms and still fewer bullets. Production of bombers, fighter planes, tanks, military transport, etc., was totally neglected. There is not one anti-aircraft gun of sufficient range with us. And we are talking of disarmament! How can we disarm when we have no arms at all?

Shri Guruji Golwalkar on China Part I: A historical prediction that actually came true 

We have read in papers that our ordnance factories manufactured coffee crushers and plastic bags. They also produced a truck with a capacity less than that of even an ordinary truck and called it ‘Shaktiman’! And the very first sample of ‘Shaktiman’ collapsed at its first trial! But now it seems our leaders have learnt a lesson at the cost of so many precious lives of our soldiers. Our Prime Minsiter has frankly confessed that China awakened us to a world of reality form a dreamland of our own creation. At one place he gave expression to his new realisation saying, “We cannot survive without strength. If it comes to that we will fight even with lathis.” And our Home Minister Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri said, ” We will no more be caught napping.” Which only means that they were napping till now! It is some solace that, though late, they have realised the truth that strength alone counts in this world of conflict and that the world understands only the language of strength. Let us pray to God that their present realisation will not be shortlived.

As a matter of fact this is an elementary principle of life which our ancients had realised long, long ago. Manusmriti says: n.ML; fg Hk;kr~ loZa txr~ Hkksxk; dYirsA

(It is out of the fear of sceptre -a symbol of authority- that society is sustained.)

And they lived in the light of that truth. Though they preached and practised the highest philosophy of human brotherhood, they never ignored the hard realities of the world in which they had to live and move. Sometimes we hear our leaders say that traditionally we have always been a peace-loving and non-violent people. True, but it was not the peace at the cost of honour, it was not the peace of the grave. In fact, passive submission to belligerence was looked down upon as a sign of unmanliness. We had in the past set up standards of valour and heroism and produced some of the greatest generals and conquerors the world has ever known, who fought and killed and carried on fierce battles relentlessly to establish peace wherein dharma reigned, supreme.

We are really amazed that even at this critical hour, there are eminent personalities who continue to think and preach in the same old strain. Even now they argue, “We are a people of peace and non-violence. If the Chinese come, we will only stand before them as a peace army. What will they do? After all, it requires two to fight. If we do not fight, then with whom will they fight?” A good argument indeed, especially appealing to those who have not sufficient guts to fight!

Shri Guruji Golwalkar on China (Part II): Nature and magnitude of threat 

It is true that two are required for a fight. But it is not necessary that both should be fighters. It is sufficient if one strikes and the other receives the blow! And again, if we remain peaceful and behave well with others, is it a necessary corollary that others also will behave likewise with us? Is it our experience of the world?

Take our own example. When Islam was first born, the King of Gujrat came to know from traders that a new faith had arisen in Arabia. He felt curious to know what it was and asked his traders to bring some of the learned men of that faith in order to know more about it. Some moulvis came to Gujrat. Our pandits held discussions with them. They found that it was a faith that inspired man to pray to God, though it had no philosophy as such. Therefore the pandits and the King said, “it does not matter if you have no philosophy. If you can guide the individual to pray to God; your faith is good. We wish well of it. Let all the people of Arabia go Godward on account of this great new faith that your founder Pygamber has propagated.” That is, we respected the faith, the moulvis and the founder. We did not say that it was some trash, which had to be destroyed. No Hindu will ever say that.

Shri Guruji Golwalkar on China (Part III): Friends, Enemies and the Chinese Puzzle 

There is the other instance. In the South, in the kingdom of Madurai, there was an Arab Muslim merchant. As he was a person of good character and great qualities, the king made him his minister. Even today, some Muslims have been made ministers. But that is done with an eye on the Muslim vote! That was not the consideration before the king, because he did not depend upon the votes of Muslims to bolster him up! The Muslim gentleman was made a minister only out of respect for qualities of the man. We have thus behaved with Muslims with respect, love and fraternal affection.

But, how did they reciprocate? Their history of the past one thousand two hundred years, full of incidents of destruction, depredation and all sorts of barbaric atrocities, is there before our eyes. The present-day large Muslim population in our country is one of the results of the fatal devastation that they wrought all over the land. Not only the broken monuments but these pieces of a broken society also are equally an evidence of their vandalism. What has our good behaviour towards the Muslim faith and the Muslim people brought us? Nothing but desecration of our holy places and enslavement of our people.

Take the case of China. For more than two thousand years, ever since the Buddhist influence entered China, there has been a regular intercourse of learned men and a sort of fraternisation. Our modern leaders also picked up the same thread, as it were, and raised the slogan of “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai’. They pursued this policy even to the extent of renouncing our moral responsibility in the case of Tibet. We renounced it, and in a way offered Tibet on a platter to the all-grabbing China. We have really proved faithless to Tibet. In fact, China did not turn faithless to us, as there was never any question of putting our faith in them. On the other hand, it is we who have betrayed the trust that Tibet had reposed in us. We committed a great sin. God only knows how we can atone for it! We committed this sin only to call China ‘Bhai’. To this extent we made fraternisation with China. How has it responded to our fraternal attitude? By attacking our frontiers! Such a one-sided good behaviour in this matter-of fact world does not seem to yield any fruits.

Shri Guruji Golwalkar on China (Part IV): Real threat— Crisis of character 

Let us now turn to the character of the Chinese and see whether it is true that they will not cut us down as grass if we just keep quiet, as some say. When the present Communist Government came to power in China, they massacred many people in order to eliminate opposition to their rule. As reported in those days, the number of people they liquidated was about ninety-six lakhs. Can any man in his senses believe that if a Government, which is headed by people who in order to slake their thirst for power can indulge in the massacre of their own countrymen to the tune of about one crore, sends its armies into our country, those armies will go back without killing us just because we refuse to fight?

We have to realise that in order to meet all such brutal challenges of this world and come out victorious, strength- solid invincible national strength- alone can help us.

In all such grave crises our armies will have to be there in the forefront to bear the burnt cheerfully and courageously. And especially, the incomparable valour and bravery of our soldier on the battlefield fills our heart with confidence, pride and joy. But when such a soldier looks back, what should he see? Should he see a disintegrated and unpatriotic people, all indulging in their own selfishness and scramble for power? If this is what the soldier sees, will he be inspired to fight and lay down his life? Let him see a consolidated and patriotic people behind him. Let him feel the confidence that whatever the army requires, this steel willed and well-organised people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is ever ready to fulfil it. If men are required, men will be forthcoming. If various other necessary items are to be supplied there, they will come inspite of any hardship that the people may be put to. With the confidence that the whole of the people is backing him, every soldier will feel that his strength, his fortitude and his capability to fight has become hundredfold, and he will come out victorious.

It is only when we acquire the strength to stand firm in the face of adversity that friends also will rush to our aid. Why should they help if we ourselves are unfit and not firm enough to stand? Even if they want to help, how and whom should they help? Even now, when we made a feeble attempt to stand on our own legs we got help from so many quarters. Help came from America about whom our leaders rarely said a kind word. Help came from Britain though we had bitterly criticised them over the Suez affair. Help came from West Germany and many other countries. Let us at least now have a word of gratitude for them.

In view of so many healthy trends set in motion in our national life by the Chinese invasion, we often hear that it has been a blessing in disguise. It is a fact that foreign aggression affords a golden opportunity for nation to purge itself of corroding tendencies like selfishness, internecine feuds, separatist pulls, etc., and to recast itself into single unified and purified entity. The sense of imminent danger spurs the individuals in the nation to rise above all other petty feelings, to merge their interests in the supreme national good and stand as living limbs of a colossal national personality. But all this can be achieved and made enduring only if we have the will, the wisdom to grasp the great chance offered to us and capacity to profit from it. Without that preparation on our part even the blessing may prove to be a mere shock and waste and nothing more.

Once the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, appeared before a beggar, blessed him and asked him to receive a shower of gold. But she told him that the gold would turn into dust if it touched the ground. The beggar eagerly opened his bag holding it with both his hands. The goddess filled the bag with gold sufficient to keep his family in affluence for generations to come. But the beggar was greedy and requested her to put a handful of gold more. The goddess showered one more handful and disappeared. But the bag gave way because of the weight, all the gold fell on the ground and immediately turned to dust! One requires worth and strength even to make use of the blessings of the Almighty.

So also is the case of nations when ‘blessed’ with foreign aggression. It is here that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh comes up to play the role of creating the necessary will and competence in our people to turn this difficulty into an opportunity. The Sangh has been straining every nerve and fibre to rouse and mobilise jan-shakti by imparting life giving ideals, qualities and character required for a powerful, positive and perennial national life. We are confident that every Swayamsevak of our organisation will be found in the forefront when the hour for people’s action and sacrifice comes. At the same time, we do not want to come forward as a group because in times of war there is no necessity of any priesthood of any group or party. It would also be highly improper to parade one’s sacrifices and sufferings. Because to offer one’s all, even his dearest possessions, at the altar of motherland is the first and foremost duty of every son of this soil. And it is that life-spirit that we have been inculcating in the people through the Sangh since its very inception.

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