MAN OF SPIRITUALITY & REASON

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 MAN OF SPIRITUALITY & REASON

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• Swami Agnivesh in his last days: Swami Agnivesh died an activist. In his last two months in hospital, he only spoke about what needed to be done. He also actively reviewed the contents of a publication encouraging an objective and rational debate on religion.
• An optimistic doer: His enthusiasm and optimism were infectious. Academia, which he quit at the age of 27, according to him spent much too long interpreting the world when what was needed was to change it. 
• Communist label: His love for the poor stood out and he was often called a communist. He often referred to the dichotomy of saint vs. communist by invoking Helder Camara’s “When I give food to the poor, they call me saint; when I ask why they are poor, they call me a Communist.”
• Love for fellow humans: Maoist, Christian, Muslim and Communist were the labels used for him because he loved them all as fellow humans. He didn’t support Maoist ways but regarded them as fellow human beings just as Christians, Muslims and Hindus.
• Instinct for politics: Religion was perceived as his disguise for politics. But to him politics was integral to spiritual effectiveness. Much like Gandhiji, leading with spiritual ideals in the practice of politics didn’t serve him well. 
• Freedom and commitment to truth: He was against renunciation of freedom for any purpose. He also said that his spirituality drew strength from his commitment to truth. He often quoted Jesus to say, “Truth will set you free”. But he also did not fit into any system because of his strong commitment to truth. He was loved by millions but hated by many too.
• Freedom from religion for freedom of religion: He believed that religions misconceive God. He equated godliness to social spirituality. Love for fellow human beings, especially the poor, was love of God for him. 
• Believer of secular democracy: He condemned communalisation of the state and called it a crime against history. A firm believer of the principle that faith causes division and reason integrates, he held that spirituality, which is guided by reason, was essential for successful secularism in India. 
• “Children of Eternal Spirit, Unite!”: He wanted to initiate an objective debate on religion. He made a beginning in the body of work he carefully reviewed during his last days in the hospital. He christened it “Children of Eternal Spirit, Unite!".
• Summary: Swami Agnivesh, who died on September 11, 2020, was an activist till the end. He was a man of spirituality, reason, and action. He believed politics was integral to spiritual effectiveness. Love for fellow human beings was his idea of God and he believed that social spirituality guided by religion was a necessary foundation for successful secularism in India. 

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