z:\ ambedkar\vol 011\vol11 04.indd MK SJ+YS 5 10 2013/YS 18 11 2013 254
254 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
- His fifth argument was related to God being Omniscient, just and merciful.
III
“If there is a supreme creator who is just and merciful, why then does so much injustice prevail in the world?” asked the Blessed Lord. “He who has eyes can see the sickening sight ; why does not Brahma set his creatures right ? If his power is so wide that no limits can restrain, why is his hand so rarely spread to bless ? Why are his creatures all condemned to suffering ? Why does he not give happiness to all ? “Why do fraud, lies and ignorance prevail? Why does falsehood triumph over truth ? Why does truth and justice fail ? I count your Brahma as one of the most unjust, who made a world only to shelter wrong.
“If there exists some Lord all-powerful to fulfil in every creature, bliss or woe, and action, good or ill, then that Lord is stained with sin. Either man does not work his will or God is not just and good or God is blind.”
His next argument against the doctrine of God was that the discussion of this question about the existence of God was unprofitable.
According to him the centre of religion lay not in the relation of man to God. It lay in the relation between man and man. The purpose of religion is to teach man how he should behave towards other men so that all may be happy.
There was also another reason why the Blessed Lord was against belief in the existence of God.
He was against religious rites, ceremonies, and observances. He was against them because they were the home of superstition and superstition was the enemy of Samma Ditthi, the most important element in his Ashtangmarg.
To the Blessed Lord belief in God was the most dangerous thing. For belief in God gave rise to belief in the efficacy of worship and prayer and the efficacy of worship and prayer gave rise to the office of the priest and the priest was the evil genius who