In a talk, Sri Sri Abhinava Shankara Bharati, the 72nd Shankaracharya of Kudali Sringeri Mahasamsthan, said that Hindu society must learn to use arms. He said that Western education has made us docile and incapable of self-protection, and more of it only makes it worse.
Talking about varnashrama which indicates the duties of an individual, he emphasized that the primary duty of a Brahmana was to teach the rest of the society. Citing the example of Dronacharya who taught the Kuru princes to fight, he said that it is the Brahmanas who must also teach the others how to wield arms. He said that even the shastras while describing the qualities of an acharya of Dhanur Vidya, the study of wielding arms, say that it is to be taught by Brahmanas who have had Vedic education.
This is not the first time Sri Abhinava Shankara Bharati has spoken about the Hindu society taking up arms. He stated the same in recent times when the ruthless attack on Hindus in Bangladesh exposed their vulnerable status in their native land where they are now a rapidly dwindling minority population due to killings and conversions.
In the Global Summit on Bangladesh held online by the United States Hindu Association (USHA) soon after the news came in, the Shankaracharya stated that if we must prevent such genocide in the future, we must look for solutions from our ancient texts. Citing Bheeshma in Mahabharata who provided clarity to Yudhishtra that it is the policymaker who determines the tide of time, the Swami indicated that the present condition is because the British brought in laws that made it illegal for people of Bharata to carry weapons without a licence. Before that, carrying weapons was as normal as wearing clothes, he pointed out.
The Mahaswami also gave direction to the future course of action towards a long-standing solution. Paraphrased below are some of the points that he shared.
The definition of peace as per Sanatana Dharma is different from the Western idea. The enemy won’t attack only when you have the strength. We were peace-loving people and knew how to fight battles to bring peace.
In every village, the people must come together, have intellectual discussions, and practice using weapons. If they do it periodically, after a year the village will be very different. Only if we practice how to do things collectively, we will get used to it. There is a wrong notion that Sanatana dharma is indestructible but if there are no practitioners of Sanatana dharma, how can it be indestructible?
However modern and developed we are, we need martial training and must not think that it is something primitive. The Western world has portrayed Hindu grassroots-level organizations like Bajrang Dal as militant organizations causing a drop in the recruits into these organizations. This must change.
He alluded to the example of Samartha Ramdas who trained farmers to wield weapons and helped Shivaji Maharaj to fight wars.
The Swamiji cited from the shastras: śastreṇa rakṣite rāṣṭre, śāstra carcā pravartate which means the advancement of knowledge is possible only when the nation is protected by weapons.
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