The Scientific Unity of Man

 

Sri Jagjivan Ram

Defense Minister of India

 

 

FRIENDS, I would like to say a few words for delegates from other countries.  What I have said is that we have been considering the essential unity of all religions, that the basic principles of all religions are the same or similar.  The basic tenets of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, are more or less the same, and from that point of view we can say that there is essential unity of all mankind.  But what I emphasized was the scientific unity of man.

 

When the universe was created, man was created as an entity  which has remained unchanged.  Though there are many genera and species in the plant and animal worlds, man is just one species.  There are races among man—the Negro, the white man, etc.—yet they are all of the same species—the species of Man (Homo sapients). The Brahmin and the scavenger continue to be of the same species.  Different colors, languages, food habits, dress habits, and religions have not changes this basic fact—that man is one species.

 

I would go a step further and say that man has got all the attributes of God—since God created man in His own image. Potentially, those attributes are there; but as long as man is controlled by Satan the difference between him and the Almighty continue.  The moment he gives up Satan he begins to attain the attributes of God; he can become omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent—this is not an imaginary idea; some men have attained this.  This is what is meant by God created man in His own image.  He will continue unchanged  through the ages.

 

So there is unity of man, logically; because one of the scientific definitions of “species” is that there is attraction between male and female of the same species.  There is no attraction between male and female of different species.  And if there is an unnatural attraction, well, no progeny will be produced.  Progeny can be produced only by male and female of the same species.

 

So here is scientific proof that the Negro and the white man belong to the same caste; the Brahmin and the Harijan to the same caste; the Hindu and the Muslim to the same caste.  And I regard it as an insult to that great Power Who created this universe to regard man as belonging to different castes.

 

So there is essential unity of man from the religious point of view and from the scientific point of view.  According to all religions, all men should be treated as belonging to the same family.  Then where is the necessity of destroying each other? No person will destroy the members of his own family, unless he has been afflicted by madness.  So all those who are indulging in act of extermination of large numbers of people are no doubt afflicted by madness.  And those people who have nothing of their own—or you might say they have the whole world as their own (holy men)—they can bring the madmen to their senses.

 

It is just by ignoring these basic and fundamental principles that there is so much imbalance in the different countries of the world.  The developed countries have so much they cant’s use all they produce; they are living in luxury, in some cases have reached the limit of luxury; and there are multitudes of people who cannot get the bare necessities of life.  We let this imbalance cause bitterness and conflict and ultimately, if permitted to develop, the destruction of mankind.  Again, the words of these wise men could create a sense of uprightness among the developed nations, the affluent societies, to take measures so as to reduce the imbalance between the countries.

 

In the same way within the various countries are differences of development among section of society.  Some sections are rich and affluent; other, though they work hard to produce the wealth of the country, are deprived of the fruits of their labor and do not get the bare minimum of life.  That also has to be eliminated.  If it is not, it will constitute a danger to all that is good in human society.

 

So disparities and imbalances will have to be eliminated, and for that a revolution is necessary; not a political revolution, but a revolution in the mind of man—so that he can evolve as a real man.  That revolution can be successfully created by these people [referring to the various spiritual leaders and holy men on the stage] who have nothing to lose and nothing to gain—nothing to lose, that is, except the misery of mankind; nothing to gain but the bliss of mankind.  It is therefore very heartening that we have gathered together here under the auspices of these wise men who have been trying to arouse the conscience of man so that he can see the good and separate himself from the evil.  Fortunately, the different societies of the world have come to realize that misery anywhere in the world constitutes a potential danger to prosperity everywhere in the world.

 

As I said in the beginning, I came here to say a few words, not as Defense Minister of India, but as a student of truth.  I successfully fought was with Pakistan; but even at that time when I was on the verge of repairing the aggression of Pakistan, there was always a conflict within myself.  War, it is said, is dehumanizing; was is brutalizing; mind loses all its good attributes during wartime, but I asked my soldiers and officers even during was to maintain certain laws of humanity.  I told them, “If you go to the other country, you treat every female of the country as your mother or sister”—and they did; I am proud of my soldiers.  But then I thought that some missile by my soldiers or the soldiers of Pakistan might hit some innocent mother who is unconcerned with the war, who might not know why this was has been launched; or suddenly a child is hit by a missile and is dead—can there be a more inhuman act than this?  Can there be a greater sin than this? But the enlightened people of many nations are indulging in this sin in order to establish the supremacy of one nation over another. Cannot these people be brought to their senses? Can we not stop these actions of madness? And it can be done by these people (the holy men).

 

Let there be a slogan among all the citizens of the various nations; let the slogan be that there is no greater crime than war.  And I am saying this as the Defense Minister of India.  I possess all these weapons of destruction and I have to, because I have to safeguard the borders of India.  But there is always a conflict within myself.  I will always try to ward off wars as long as I can.

 

The effect of war today is not localized; with the development of science and technology, with science having overcome the limitations of time and distance to a great extent, it is all pervasive.  We have seen that the war between Israel and the Arab countries—a war in one corner of the world—has affected all the citizens in all the countries of the world.  The debacle of petroleum and its products has affected citizens of India in every city; it has affected people in Washington and New York, in Moscow and Peking, in all the countries of Europe.  So when we know that the effect of war today affects all the citizens of all the countries of the world—isn’t that enough for all of the sensible persons of the world to put their heads together to devise methods by which war can be eliminated and rules out of sensible human society?

 

And I think, if all the thinkers and leaders of religion of the world make it an article of faith that there is no greater crime than war, then perhaps man will dream of a better world, a happier world, and he will regard another man as his own image and treat him as a member of his own family.  The disparities, inequalities, imbalances, from which human society is suffering today stand in the way of the full development of man—he has not been allowed to attain his full stature because of them.  The oppressors suffer more than the oppressed, the exploiters suffer more than the exploited, and the sooner this revolution comes to us the sooner there will be development of the whole man.  Then we will appreciate that our neighbors have the same feelings that we have, and what oppresses him oppresses us as well.  If this revolution comes—and it can come by the teaching of these people—I have no doubt that the world will become better and happier.

 

Well, friends, I am happy to be in the company of so many emancipated souls.  What you see here is a galaxy of emancipated  persons, and according to Hindu tradition, a few minutes in the company of emancipated persons provides one with bliss.  So I am happy to be here.

 

With these words, I declare this august assembly open.