Vol. 17, Part III · pages 531–535

502 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES The Buddha, although he preached Dana Paramita, was very particular in insisting that Dana must be to a deserving person. While it does elevate the person who gives, it must not degrade the person to whom it is given. Charity is aid and help to those who have fallen in order that they may one day walk the road of life by themselves. If you have collected money in the name at the saint whom you revere, it is necessary that you should devote this money in the establishment of such acts as are indicated by the Paramitas. There is so much misery, so much ignorance and so much sickness that in the modern days it would be an act of cruelty, as I said, to feed well-to-do people who can look after themselves. Such charities should be devoted to hospitals, to education, to establishing small scale industries, for the helpless and the widows who, may be enabled to earn their living by being taught some trade or some industry. There are many examples yet to be found for you to copy if you were only convinced of my thesis and if you would only look around yourselves for practical examples. I hope I have given you some food for thought. If you have collected money, use it in the way I have suggested. It will not only do you good but it will elevate the name of Sai Baba.” 1 zz 1: Reprinted from a printed booklet circulated in Sai Convention held at Bombay in January 1954.

150 MY PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE Every man should have a philosophy of life, for everyone must have a standard by which to measure his conduct. And philosophy is nothing but a standard by which to measure. Negatively, I reject the Hindu Social Philosophy propounded in the Bhagvat Geeta based as it is, on the Triguna of the Sankhya philosophy which is in my judgement a cruel perversion of the philosophy of Kapila, and which had made the Caste System and the System of Graded Inequality the law of Hindu Social Life. Positively, my Social Philosophy, may be said to be enshrined in three words : Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Let no one, however, say that I have borrowed my philosophy from the French-Revolution. I have not. My philosophy has roots in religion and not in political science. I have derived them from the teachings of my Master, the Buddha. In his philosophy, liberty and equality had a place ; but he added that unlimited liberty destroyed equality, and absolute equality left no room for liberty. In His Philosophy, law had a place only as a safeguard against the breaches of liberty and equality ; but He did not believe that law can be a guarantee for breaches of liberty or equality. He gave the highest place to fraternity as the only real safeguard against the denial of liberty or equality or fraternity which was another name for brotherhood or humanity, which was again another name for religion, Law is secular, which anybody may break while fraternity or religion is sacred which everybody must respect. My philosophy has a mission. I have to do the work of conversion ; for, I have to make the followers of Triguna theory to give it up and accept mine. Indians today are governed by two different ideologies. Their political ideal set out in the Preamble to the Constitution affirms a life of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Their social ideal embodied in their religion denies them. Dr. B. R. AMBEDKAR (All-India Radio broadcast of speech on October 3, 1954.) zz

151 I AM A DEVOTEE OF GAUTAM BUDDHA, KABIR, MAHATMA PHULE AND WORSHIPPER OF LEARNING, SELF-RESPECT AND CHARACTER “Under the auspices of Dr. Ambedkar’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration Committe, a public meeting attended by about 25,000 persons was held at Purandare’s Stadium, Naigaum, Bombay at about 6-30 p. m. on October 28th, 1954. Shri R. D. Bhandare presided. Shri Shankar Anant Upasham, while giving an account of the collection towards the purse, said that Dr. B. R. Ambedkar had completed 60 years on 14th April 1952, and the celebration ought to have taken place in 1952, but they could not perform the celebration on the date and they were doing it on the day in question. He said that so far they were able to collect about 93,000 rupees and after deduction of expenses the amount would come to Rs. 88,000. This collection had been made from the people of his community in the Greater Bombay. He further said that the people outside Bombay had collected about 32,000 rupees for the Building Fund and that amount would be added in the amount mentioned above and the total amount to be given to Dr. Ambedkar was one lakh and Eighteen Thousand rupees. The president during the course of his speech said that Dr. Ambedkar was greater than Vyas, Manu, Abraham Lincon and even Karl Marx. He said that there was no leader in India who could be compared with Dr. Ambedkar. It was he who predicted the results of the partition of the country ten years before the actual partition took place. He has sacrificed his whole life for the uplift of the Downtrodden people and while presenting the purse of Rs. one lakh and 18 thousand he on behalf of all the people requested Dr. Ambedkar to use that amount for his own purpose. He assured him that they could collect a separate amount for erecting a building as desired by him. Dr. Ambedkar in reply declared that the amount given to him would be utilised for building a hall. He said that a land had already been purchased for the purpose and those who were

505I AM..................CHARACTER residing on that plot of land were being removed from that plot. He further said that it was wrong to presume that he was a brilliant student from the beginning. He was an ordinary boy like other boys in his community. He said that his father did not care to maintain the record of his birth date and his exact date of birth was not known. He might be above sixty or below sixty. He said that it was true that he was born at about 12 mid night, and his mother had great pains at the time of his birth. He further said that when he was born, the stars were bad and it was told by the astrologer that his mother would die soon. He was therefore hated by his brothers and sisters. He said that after the death of his mother he was brought up by his aunt. He said that he had gone through religious books like Mahabharat, Bhagwat Gita in his young days but when he came across the book about Gautam Buddha, it had great impression on him and since that time he became the follower of Buddha. He said that the Hindus also would have to embrace Buddha Religion for their good. He further said that he was a devotee of Guatam Buddha, Kabir and Mahatma Phule and worshipper of learning, self-respect and character. He had none of the bad habits but he was fond of reading. He said that learning was essential for every individual if he wished to make progress in the life. He further asked the audience to get themselves learned to contribute part of their earnings for their community and work for their Federation wholeheartedly as they had not yet reached the goal. They were on their way to goal and if they showed any slackness, they would fall down. He appealed to them not to quarrel for leadership. He said that he always remained out of Government service as he desired to serve his community, and throughout his life he stuck to the principle. If he had accepted any Government job he would have by this time a pensioner, he said that he was not going to give them guidance for more than 7/8 years. They should come forward in his life time to take up the place. The function terminated at about 8-45 p. m. About 300 organisations and individuals garlanded Dr. Ambedkar and his wife.” 1 zz 1 : Police Report : Source Material. Vol. 1, Pp. 421-422.

152 BUDDHIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA : A BLUE PRINT BUDDHA NEEDS NO PASSPORT NOR VISA The International Buddhist Conference was held on 4th December 1954 at Rangoon (Burma). Dr. B. R. Ambedkar attended the Conference. He delivered the speech in the Conference. He had prepared an enlarged version of his talk in the form of Memorandum in two parts : Part I of the memorandum Contains programme of propagation of Buddhism in India. Out of the points which Dr. Ambedkar has raised in the memorandum I, he himself fulfilled two important points : (1) by publishing the Buddhist Gospel under the title “BUDDHA AND HIS DHAMMA” and (2) introducing a cermony for conversion to Buddhism. Part II consists of the conditions of Indian Buddhist in South-India.—Editors. Following are the Memoranda : Memorandum-I Record of My Talk to the Buddhist Sasana Council of Burma An Enlarged Version 1. To spread Buddhism outside Burma to be one of the aims of the Sasana Council then India is the first country they should make the centre of their effort. No other country will yield so much as India will. 2. The reason is obvious. India is a birthplace of Buddhism. It flourished in India from 543 B.C. to 1400 A.D. i.e. for nearly 2,000 years. Although the Buddhist Religion has vanished, the name of the Buddha is still held in great veneration and the memory of His Religion is still green. In India Buddhism may be a withered plant; but no one can say that it is dead at the roots. He is regarded by the Hindus as Avatar of Vishnu. In India we do not have to restore veneration for a new prophet as Neburchnerar had to do for his Gods among the Jews. All that we have to do is to bring back His religion. Such easy conditions for a fruitful effort cannot be found in any other country. In them there are well and long established