1110 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
into my mind ! ( Hear, hear). ( Hon. Members : Repeat the shloka. ) I will repeat many shlokas if my hon. friends will get me the time for it. Similarly, about Manu. I was saying that if we can expect a certain thing from members of this House—of course, there can be no possibility of their needing to go through divorce in matter of minutes—we may not hope that the same thing will be done by those 80 per cent of people also. Therefore, we should be cautious in our approach to this matter. If anybody can controvert that aspect of things. I would like to hear him do so.
I, therefore, repeat that this Bill is not only disapproved by the orthodox sections of the people but also by far the largest majority of the inhabitants of this land. ( Some hon. Members : No. No.) Somebody says, “For other reasons than what you have stated”. May be, but the fact remains, that whatever the reasons it is not approved by the large majority of the people.
I shall come to the Bill itself. It has been said that as only Part II of the Bill is now to be proceeded with, it is not necessary now that this Bill should be called the Hindu Code Bill. Indeed, irrespective of the fact whether the other Parts were excluded from it or not, personally, I should have had a little less objection to the Bill if it had not been called the Hindu Code Bill. In our Constitution we have given the name “India, that is Bharat” to our country. Why was this Bill not called the Indian Code” ? I am not going into that question that it should apply to everybody. I am not concerning myself with that. I am not saying this on that basis. But this country being named “India”, if this code, had been called the “Indian Code”, it would have had a different meaning and import. Once we say the “Hindu Code” the entire picture of what that word denotes comes to the mind. We must, therefore, know and keep into view what the word “Hindu” means. It is a difficult word to explain in a sentence. But if there is one feature in Hinduism which one might mention as of outstanding preeminence, it is the practically limitless tolerence and catholicity of that system. Our Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, has himself talked of Hinduism and has said that it is probably best described by saying that it rests on the principle of live and let live. We have among the Hindus the most diametrically opposed viewpoints. We have in the highest caterie of sacred literature and philosophical schools the six Darshanas, one of which sparkles with the brilliance of the razor-sharp incision and acumen of the intellect