‘Onus of peace lies with clergy of all religions’

According to the Brihdranayak Upanishad, “wars begin in the minds first”. It was to help resolve this conflict in the battlefield of the mind that Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Coimbatore, flew down from New York to the city on Tuesday.

Clad in a saffron robe, 78-year-old Swamiji said that the onus of spreading the message of peace lies in the hands of clergy from all religions.

In an interview to DNA, Swamiji throws light on pressing issues like recession, terrorism, Orissa killings, religious conversions and the need for preservation of Hindu dharma.

What could be the reason for the current financial meltdown across the globe?
People’s greed to make money is the cause of the global meltdown. When there’s no sense of self-esteem, there’s insecurity and, with it, comes greed to make more money.

Then come the impractical labour unions, which increase the cost of production. Our country is not well-equipped for the economic growth like transport, power and communication which does not give us a fair share in the international market. Greed leads to transgression of dharma, which, in-turn, has led to this fall.

So, how can one overcome this greed?
One has to understand whether to be a consumer or a contributor. One can follow one’s dharma and can contribute time and effort by caring for people and fulfilling social duties.

What is the solution to curb rise in militancy and terrorism?
Terrorists perform heinous crimes in the name of Allah. They have no value for ahimsa and mutual respect. They are inspired by maulvis. Dialogues won’t work unless one talks to the Islamic clergy.

Won’t the same rule apply to Hindu clergy to change the minds of perpetrators of violence in Orissa?
Of course, it does. But the issue in Orissa is about forcible conversion of low caste Hindu tribals. Swami Laxmananda, who gave succour to the Vanvasis, a tribe in Orissa, for decades, was killed. The tribals were devastated and angry. The unfortunate attack against innocent Christian families was a  consequential reprisal of  swamiji’s death.

Isn’t conversion an individual choice? And, if Christians are converting, why are they still a minority?
One has the freedom to choose one’s religion. But we are against this conversion which sows seeds of conflict. If conversion continues, minority will become a majority. There’s an attempt and a mandate to convert whole of humanity into Christians.