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The very idea of a secular form of government- with priestly authority separated from
the affairs of the state- is relatively a recent development in Europe. But it is a practice
Brahmins in India have long been classified as Vaidika and Laukika. Vaidika Brahmins are
those that are engaged in priestly duties, while Laukika Brahmins are those that are
active in the secular professions like medicine, engineering, law, teaching and others.
More importantly, the texts used as guides for religious and secular activities have
always been different. This is not the case in Islam in which the Quran is not only the
prayer book, but also the law book. It is claimed to be the basis for Shariat - or Islamic
Law.
We can see this distinction more clearly when we look at Hindu religious texts. Many
devout hindus use the Vishnusahasranama or some other prayer book in the religious
functions. But it has never been Dharmashastra and others authored by sages like
This was even true in vedic times. The vedas and the Brahmanas are religious texts, but
they were never used as law books. The guidelines for legal and adminsitrative duties
were laid down in sutra works likeDharmasutras, Nyayasutras and others. Even among
sutra works, there was separation into Grihya (household) and srauta (sacred).
This was so even in practice as we learn from from ancient literature. The famous vedic
sage Vishwamitra was born into a royal family but wanted to be known as a vedic seer.
He has to give up his kingdom and perform a long penancebefore he could gain
recognition as one. The reverse was also true. In the case of emperor Bharata (son of
Dusyant and Shakuntala) it was the opposite. Finding his owns sons unfit to rule, he
adopted a son of vedi priestly family of Bharadvaja as his heir. It was this Bharadvaja’s
son Vitatha who succeeded Bharat as King. But he was no longer recognized as a sage or
priest.
This remained true even in historical times. The famous Madhava seer Jayatirtha (1440-
88) was born into royal Deshpande family. But he had to give up his claim to royalty
before being accepted as the head of the Madhava sect. The message is simple: one
could not be both ruler and priest. Theocracy was out of the question - both in theory
and in practice. It is well know that Gautama Buddha was born into a hindu royal family,
but gave up his claims when he founded his religion. Same is the case with Vardhman
Mahavir, who was also born into a hindu royal family but gave up his kingdom and later
founded Jainism.
Empire when Hinduism was facing its greatest crisis. Similarly, Ramdas inspired Shivaji.
Contrast this with the record of Ayatollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran.
This record of Hinduism should be compared to the history of Christianity (of medieval
Europe) and Islam, and the ideology that underlies them. Both these religions are also
theocracies. In Islam, Quran is not only the prayer book, it is also the law book. For the
same reason, there is no clear separation between priestly and secular duties as there
has been in Hinduism since time immemorial. The Islamic code of law - the so called
Shariat- is based on the Quran which is also the prayerbook of Islam. Muslim clergy claim
the right to interfere in the affairs of the stae in the name of religious duty.
The same was true of Medieval Christianity. Government as the secular arm of the
church and therefore subject to priestly authority was a claim that was fully broken only
United States, the First Amedment to the Constitution removed all influence of religion
Seven hundred years ago Pope Boniface VIII has assereted his secular authority in the
following words:
”Both swords, the spiritual and the material (or secular), are in the power of the Church.
The Spiritual is wielded by the Church; the material for the Chruch. The one by the hand
of the priest; the other by the hands of kings and knights at the will and sufferance of
the priest.”
This is a clear statement of how the Church regarded the state as the “secular arm” of
the Church. West broke the power of Church through secularization of the state. In
Islamic countries this has still not happened. For this to happen these countries have to
completely remove the influence of clergy - the mullahs- from the affairs of the state.
Even in India, muslims have not let that happen, organizations like Muslim Personal Law
Board are insisting on separate laws - laws that would be administered by the clergy.
The same phenomenon is raising its head in Britain. Even in United States, there has
been one at least one case of forced marriages of under-age Muslim girls against the law
of the land. Blasphemy law has also been exercised by assassinating an Egyptian scholar
living in Texas for expressing his dissenting views. In India, in the name of “Secularism”
and “religious rights”, muslim religious leaders are demanding the right to function as a
The reality is: as with Medieval Christianity, Islam even today regards secular authority
as far more important than the spiritual content. More often than not the Muslim clergy
have no spiritual vision to offer, being simply politicians in religious garb. God is simply
the pretext used to extend and strengthen its power and influence in the temporal
world. This is the characteristic of a theocracy rather than a true spiritual tradition.