DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 601
are all varied. Hinduism is a growth which has absorbed all the different currents and streams of social and religious beliefs and practices prevailing
over several centuries. It is an all embracing faith consistent with the ideal of कृण्ववन्तोविश्वमार्यम- Hinduism at present is a growth which has contrived to combine in it all these various streams of life. At present Hinduism may be a cast-iron system, but it has not always been so. Our religion is based
not on the tenets of one particular man or of one particular book, but it is based on what is dharma, and धर्मं : means धारयते अनेन इति धर्मं : or धारणात्
धर्मंम इत्यादुह : Dharma is that which sustains society. That is the ideal on
which our Hindu society is built, namely that which is necessary for the
sustenance and advancement of society. Of course I do admit that the present state of Hindu society is not a very happy one. But it has not been all along
so. Therefore I take you to this point because it will give you an idea as to why there is objection to this Bill. That which sustains society is religion
and sustenance of the society is our ideal. Our society may appear stagnant at present, but it is not, has not been really so. Hinduism has undergone vast changes in the course of its evolution. I am not afraid of changes. It
has undergone several changes in the past. At one time Buddhism was flourishing in this land and engulfed not only Bharat Varsha but it spread
to far off countries beyond Bharat Varsha. But today there are very few Buddhists to be found here. What has happened to them ? They have been
absorbed in Hinduism, they have undergone a metamorphosis, and we of the present generation are their descendants. That shows that we are not
a stagnant race and that we have adapted ourselves to the changing needs of society. I for one be changed. That is not the real nature of Hinduism.
And I am not one of those who say that what we now call Hindu Law should not be changed. Our Law has in fact undergone changes even during the
period of the British domination.
The previous speaker, the Hon. Mr. Santhanam, rightly referred to
the fact that judicial interpretations by courts which were not conversant with the original tenets of various laws regarding inheritance, adoption
and marriage have not only changed the course of our social and economic life but have created many anomalies also. It has certainly become
desirable to remove those anomalies and bring our Law in conformity with the changing needs of society. The world is changing fast and
we cannot but be affected by what is happening elsewhere. We do not wish to say that we will keep ourselves away from the