Com. Irfan Habib must know, Bharat Mata is not any shadow of Roman Britannia, She is the Mother of all here in Hindu Bharat.

Communist vultures soaring high; so says an Irfan Habib, “Bharat Mata is not even Indian and imported from the Roman Britannia”.

Bharat Mata by Abanindranath Tagore. No connection with Britannia even remotely.

Upananda Brahmachari | HENB | New Delhi | March 31, 2016:: In his rubbish revelation at latest, the renegade historian Irfan Habib came to us with a new thesis that “Bharat Mata is not even Indian; it was a concept imported in India from Europe” and he draws a conclusion that “the idea of ‘Bharat Mata’ came from Britannia. In the 2nd century, Roman Britannia came to be personified as a goddess, armed with a trident and shield and wearing a Corinthian helmet. She sat on a lion too“.

It’s a problem with a bastard to identify his father. But, some Communist guys are failed to identify their Mother too. Really, it is unfortunate that these fellows have the problem to recognize their Motherland whether it is Britain, Russia or China, but not obviously in India i.e. Bharat, as some Communist perpetrators even want to replace the name of India with South Asia!

As per a report published in the Huffington Post, Com. Irfan Habib challenged the stance of BJP which passed a resolution in its executive committee last week that “Refusing to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ is disrespect to Constitution.”

Indian Finance Minister and Veteran BJP leader Arun Jaitley  said: “Bharat Mata ki Jai is not merely a slogan. It was a mantra of inspiration to countless freedom fighters during the independence struggle. It is the heartbeat of a billion people today. It is the reiteration of our constitutional obligations as citizens to uphold its primacy.”

While everyone’s discussing whether people’s duty and obligation to raise slogan “Hail MotherIndia’, the Communist historian Irfan Habib has said that the idea of ‘Bharat Mata’ is not even Indian. According to Habib, ‘Bharat Mata’ was an import from Europe and there was no evidence of any such imagination in either ancient or medieval India.

As per another report published in The Hindu, Com. Irfan Habib conveys, “Bharat is (not?) mentioned in ancient India. It was first used in an inscription of King Kharavela in Prakrit. But representation of the country in human form as a mother or father was unknown in ancient India or medieval India,” he said. “This was an idea that emerged in Europe with the rise of nationalism, and it was found in Britain, Russia, etc.”

Actually, Dr. Habib has lost his balance of mind and finds only those absurd counting that can defame “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and negate the reality in India, only to support the ‘anti-Vande Mataram’ and ‘anti-Bharat Mata ki Jai’ brigade of Assaduddin Owaisi, Waris Pathan, Shafiqur Rahman Barq or Azam Khan. So, he forgets the reality of ‘Bharata’ and ‘Mahabharata’ in India.

The Hathigumpha Inscription (“Elephant Cave” inscription), from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, was inscribed by Kharavela, the then Emperor of Kalinga in India, during 2nd century BCE.

The inscription is dated 165th year of the era of the Maurya kings, and 13th year of Kharavela’s reign, which, considering the coronation of Chandragupta Maurya in 321 BCE as the probable start of the era, makes a date of 157 BCE for the inscription, a date of 170 BCE for Kharavela’s accession, and a date of 162 BCE for the conflict against the Yona king Demetrius I of Bactria.

But, is this inscription of King Kharavela be regarded as the first mention of ‘Bharata’ in Indian historicity? Certainly not as the reality of ‘Bharata’ in ‘Mahabharat’ is older than that. As, the War of  Mahabharata took place in 3137 BC, (also read this paper of Dr. Subhas Kak in the Louisiana State University portal)  the mentioning Kharbela inscription dating 2nd century BCE as the ‘first evidence of Bharat’ is highly ridiculous!

But, what about the Irfan Habib’s claim as “representation of the country in human form as a mother or father was unknown in ancient India or medieval India’?

This claim of Dr. Habib is also untrue and mala fide.

The concept of Motherland in India is as older as the Vedas. Prithivi Sukta of Atharvaveda (Mata Bhumih Putroham Prithivya etc., see verses 12.1.1 to 12.1.63) clearly reveals the understanding of earth as Mother and Motherland in its uniqueness of highest philanthropist view. One can easily understand the tenets of it.

May this Earth, replete with seas, rivers and water sources, excellent foodgrain from agriculture, prolific vegetation and abundant living creaters, bestow upon us munificent nutrition!

May the Earth who is in the nature of a mother, hold us, her sons, close to her life-endowing self, protect us, and may Parjanya (the rain-bearing clouds) in the nature of a father, tend our upbringing.

May this Earth so charged with positive force, neutralise that element which impels ill-will, aggressive intention, subjugation of human beings and their elimination.

May the Earth give us, her progeny, the capacity to speak pleasantly with each other, may our languages enable harmonious interaction between ourselves.

May the Earth which imbues men and women with good fortune and good appearance and gives fleet-footedness to the horse and the deer and strength to the elephants, may this Earth imbue us also with radiance; let none be averse to us!

In daily life, on Earth, whether we are sitting, standing, or in motion, may our activity be such as would never cause injury or grief!

I evoke the Earth which gives shelter to all the searchers of truth, to those who are tolerant and have understanding, to all things strength-giving, nutritious; the source of creative spirit, we depend on you, O Earth!

O Earth, in the villages, forest, assemblies, committees and other places on Earth, may what we express always be in accord with you.

O Prithivī, auspicious be thy woodlands, auspicious be thy hills and snow-clad mountains. Unslain, unwounded, unsubdued, I have set foot upon the Earth, On earth brown, black, ruddy and every-coloured, on the firm earth that Indra guards from danger. O Prithivī, thy centre and thy navel, all forces that have issued from thy body.  Set us amid those forces; breathe upon us.   I am the son of Earth, Earth is my Mother. Parjanya is my Sire; may he promote me. [Excerpts from the “Hymns of the Atharva Veda”, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895], at sacred-texts.com].

Even then a blind Irfan Habib will be searching frantically the concept of Motherland and Nationalism in India for ever.

I don’t think that these  texts of Vedas or Puranas are absent in the knowledge in Habib or his followers. But, they have a ugly mind and filthy agenda to defame the concept of honoring “Janani and Janmabhoomi” as it related with Ramayana.

We frequently quote, ‘Janani Janmabhoomischa Swargadapi Gariyasi’ (जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी), but sometime we just fail to render the context. This Shloka is also the national motto of ‘Secular’ Nepal. Ruling Communists there have failed to erase this motto from the Constitution of Nepal till now.

The verse is taken from the great Hindu Epic Ramayana in Sanskrit composed by Adi Kavi (Primordial Poet) sage Valmiki. Lord Rama emphatically uttered this while addressing his younger brother Lakshmana after their victory over the Rakshasa (demon) king of Lanka, Ravana and when Lakshmana opined to stay in Lanka to rule Bharata from there.

The entire shloka comes in this way, अपि स्वर्णमयी लङ्का न मे लक्ष्मण रोचते जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी.  Lord Rama said, “Lakshmana, even this golden Lanka does not appeal to me, mother and motherland are greater than heaven.”

The brutes like Irfan Habib and Co. may not have any sense of embodiment of Mother with the holy Motherland, but their  effort of importing Bharat Mata from Roman Britannia (of 2nd Century)  is highly condemnable. 

The Concept of ‘Bharat’ and ‘Bharati’ as enshrined in Vishnu Purana is also much older that the concept of Roman Britannia in all angles. So, it would be idiotic to compare Bharat Mata with Britannia as both are mounted on Lion. Irfan Habib is not that class idiot, but he is certainly a renegade and a subversive perpetrators both.

In modern times, the great patriot and revolutionary artist Abanindranath Thakur (Tagore) painted the first picture of Bharat Mata during Swadeshi Period (Indian Freedom Struggle) imbibing the concept of Lakshmi (the deity of wealth) and Saraswati (the deity of knowledge, art and culture) as described in Vande Mataram in Anandamath by Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya. Abanindranath’s Bharat Mata has four arms holding Vedas, Paddy, Mala (bids) and a white cloth, implying that she is not just for religious reasons but she appeals the unity of all from four corners for this country  for the nationalistic purposes. This painting was earlier named as Bangamata (Mother Bengal) but was later renamed as Bharat Mata (Mother India). But, that had no connection with Roman Britannia. The saffron clad Bharat Mata of Abanindranath Tagore was a balance of people’s power of education and resource.

Afterwards, when the whole Nation was engrossed with ‘Vande Matarm’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ during the freedom struggle and Communists were betraying with the Nation repeatedly, it was felt to worship the Bharat Mata as a goddess of Shakti as highlighted by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhya in Vande Mataram, “त्वं हि दुर्गा दशप्रहरणधारिणी कमला कमलदलविहारिणी वाणी विद्यादायिनी, नमामि त्वाम् ….” (Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen, With her hands that strike and her swords of sheen, Thou art Lakshmilotus-throned, And the Muse a hundred-toned… as translated by Sri Arovindo).

Thus came a concept of Bharat Mata on Lion, showing her blessing hand in the backdrop of undivided India (Bharatvarsha). She had no arms in her hands nor she wore any helmet like Roman Britannia. So, the claim of Irfan Habib for ‘importing a Roman Britannia to make a Bharatmata’ has no substantial value.

Again it is declared that the brutes like Irfan Habib and Co. may not have any sense of embodiment of Mother with the holy Motherland, but their  effort of importing Bharat Mata from Roman Britannia highly deplorable. 

Everybody knows the fate of M.F. Hussain for drawing a naked Bharat Mata. As Bhart Mata’s crores of children expelled him for his sin, Hussain compelled to take a refuge in Qatar and died there.

This consequences must be analysed by Mr Irfan Habib as he also tried to violate the dignity of Bharat Mata. Irfan Habib must try to recollect this truth that Bharat Mata is not any shadow of Roman Britannia, She is the Mother of all here in India and She is the Mother of Irfan Habib’s forefathers also.

Unless and until Irfan apologizes for his menace to demean Bharat Mata, nobody is ready to accept him here in the land of Bharat anyway.

Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

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Courtesy: The Links and pics used above.