Savarkar: A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966

by Vikram Sampath

He postulated in depth the details of the various Islamic invasions, atrocities, plunder of lives, properties, modesty of women and of places of worship, and chided Hindus for lack of unity, a ‘perverted conception of virtues’25 and practices like the caste system that furthered the divisions amongst them. On these ‘perverted virtues’, he elaborated: Even while the Muslim demons were demolishing Hindu temples and breaking to pieces their holiest of idols like Somnath, they never wrecked their vengeance upon those wicked Muslims, even when they had golden opportunities to do so, nor did they ever take out a single brick from the walls of Masjids, because their religious teachers and priests preached the virtue of not inflicting pain on the offender: ‘Never pay the tormentor in his own coin but bear the torments meekly and be patient that God will punish him.’ The vilest of vices recorded in the catalogues of the religious texts could never have been more detrimental to the welfare of mankind, more harmful to the national interests, and so more detestable than such virtues as give rise to horrible atrocities and the greatest of sins. Naturally whoever cultivates, and lives up to such virtues thoughtlessly and foolishly and with slavish adherence to the religious texts, and also with fanatic obstinacy, is bound to perish individually and bring about disaster of the nation in which he lives. These qualities are not virtues; they are virtues distorted in the extreme. Whichever ...