B. R.

Ambedkar on religion
Paper presentation by
-Ranjan s nayak

A people and their religion must be judged by social standards based on social ethics.
No other standard would have any meaning if religion is held to be necessary good for
the well-being of the people.
-B. R. Ambedkar

Dr. Ambedkar's role as a prominent constitution maker of India is quite well known. However, his views
on religion, particularly his reasons for renouncing Hinduism, the religion of his birth, are not as widely
known. Ambedkar who was born in an "untouchable" family carried on a relentless battle against
untouchability throughout his adult life. In the last part of his life, he renounced Hinduism and became a
Buddhist. What were his reasons for doing so?What are his views on religion?
The ideas of ambedkar do mean a lot for the upliftment of our society and are a mater of relevance to our
present day society and our economic development,common wealth.We shall look into his ideas with the
above approach,rather than a person who developed hatredness towards a particular religion.

B.R. Ambedkar and religion
Annihilation of Caste, Philosophy of Hinduism, Riddles in Hinduism etc. Nonetheless, some of his articles,
speeches and interviews before and after his conversion to Buddhism throw some light on this issue. .
Ambedkar believed that the untouchables occupied a "weak and lowly status" only because they were a
part of the Hindu society. When attempts to gain equal status and "ordinary rights as human beings" within
the Hindu society started failing, Ambedkar thought it was essential to embrace a religion which will give
"equal status, equal rights and fair treatment" to untouchables. He clearly said to his supporters "select only
that religion in which you will get equal status, equal opportunity and equal treatment"
His views

Ambedkar believed that the eradication of caste could not be possible if only the economic base was
changed, what was needed, he felt, was a repudiation of Hinduism as a religion and the adoption of an
alternative religion, which he found in Buddhism. In 1935 Ambedkar announced, Although I have been
born a Hindu, I will not die a Hindu. And it culminated in October 1956 in the city of Nagpur where he
and 400,000 followers took the three refuges of traditional Buddhism and an additional 22 vows.
Conversion to Buddhism became one of the aspects of dalit negation of the appropriation by the hegemonic
forces of Brahmanism. Through conversion dalits sought to counteract the imposed external definitions and
have strived to assert their humanity as both the autonomous makers of their identity and contributors to
the making of Indian society. Conversion has been a kind of social rebirth.
Conversion was a form of escape from internal colonialism by the Hindu upper castes
He believed that Hinduism did not provide for human liberty, equality, fraternity and universal justice as it
ritually hierarchized people. Through sanctions from its sacred texts Hinduism perpetrated grave injustices
against the lower castes and women. It was, as a religion not self reflexive and humanitarian in the least.
Using the metaphor of Imperialism, the colonized i.e. the dalits were unable to escape in any physical
sense as they had no independent territory of their own; neither could they send the colonizers (Brahmins)
home. They were unable to easily lay claim to an independent history and culture in fact they gained their
identity by their incorporation into the repressive and exploitative dominant culture and society.
Conversion offered an opportunity to the subordinated groups to escape the colonizers cultural and
religious dominance(orthodox hindu society).
.In his article "Buddha and the Future of his Religion" published in 1950 in the Mahabodhi Society
Journal, Ambedkar has summarized on religion and on Buddhism in the following manner:
1. The society must have either the sanction of law or the sanction of morality to hold it together. Without
either, the society is sure to go to pieces.
2. Religion, if it is to survive, it must be in consonance with reason, which is another name for science.
3. It is not enough for religion to consist of moral code, but its moral code must recognize the fundamental
tenets of liberty, equality and fraternity.
4. Religion must not sanctify or make a virtue out of poverty.
According to Ambedkar, Buddhism fulfilled these requirements and so among the existing religions it was
the only suitable religion for the world. He felt that the propagation of Buddhism needed a Bible.
Apparently, Ambedkar wrote The Buddha and his Dhamma to fulfill this need.In the same article,
Ambedkar has enumerated the evils of Hinduism in the following manner:
1. It has deprived moral life of freedom.
2. It has only emphasized conformity to commands.
3. The laws are unjust because they are not the same for one class as of another. Besides, the code is treated
as final.
According to Ambedkar, "what is called religion by Hindus is nothing but a multitude of commands and
prohibitions."In the same year, Ambedkar delivered a speech on Buddha Jayanti day in Delhi, in which he
attacked Hindu gods and goddess and praised Buddhism because it was a religion based on moral
principles. Besides, he pointed out, unlike the founders of other religions who considered themselves
emissaries of god; the Buddha regarded himself only as a guide and gave a revolutionary meaning to the
concept of religion. He said that Hinduism stood for inequality, whereas Buddhism stood for equality.In
May 1956, a talk by Ambedkar titled "Why I like Buddhism and how it is useful to the world in its present
circumstances" was broadcast from the British Broadcasting Corporation, London. In his talk Ambedkar
said:
I prefer Buddhism because it gives three principles in combination, which no other religion does.
Buddhism teaches prajna (understanding as against superstition and supernaturalism), karuna (love), and
samata (equality). This is what man wants for a good and happy life. Neither god nor soul can save
society.
In his last speech delivered in Bombay in May 24 1956, in which he declared his resolve to embrace
Buddhism, Ambedkar observed:
Hinduism believes in God. Buddhism has no God. Hinduism believes in soul. According to Buddhism,
there is no soul. Hinduism believes in Chaturvarnya and the caste system. Buddhism has no place for the
caste system and Chaturvarnya.
It is obvious that Ambedkar regarded Buddhism as a much more rational religion compared to Hinduism,
rather the most rational religion. His main objection to Hinduism was that it sanctified inequality and
untouchability through its doctrine of Chaturvarnya. Buddhism, on the other hand, rejected Chaturvarnya
and supported equality. He commends Buddhism for rejecting god and soul and for emphasizing morality.
According to him, prajna (understanding as against superstition and supernaturalism), karuna (love), and
samata (equality), which Buddhism alone teaches, is all that human beings need for a "good and happy
life".
Ambedkars final religious act was to embrace Buddhism. His work The Buddha and his Dhamma contains
his own understanding and interpretation of Buddhism. We may say that Buddhism as expounded in this
book is what Ambedkar embraced and recommended. In this book Ambedkar has tried to interpret
Buddhism in a rationalistic manner. Ambedkar did not believe in the existence of god and soul. This is
obvious from the reasons he has given for embracing Buddhism as well as from his interpretation of
Buddhism in Buddha and His Dhamma. In Buddhism, as interpreted by Ambedkar, here is no place for god
and soul. Further, according to Ambedkar, Buddha did not believe in rebirth, karma and moksha as
traditionally conceived. Besides, Buddha rejected the varna vyavastha.
It is widely recognized by scholars of Buddhism that Buddha did not believe in god and soul and also that
he rejected varna-vyavastha. However, according to the traditional interpretation of Buddhism, Buddha did
believe in rebirth and the related doctrine of "bondage" and liberation (nirvana).


Overcoming numerous social and financial obstacles, Ambedkar became one of the first outcastes to obtain
a college education in India. Ambedkar had initially tried to encourage the process of Sanskritization, in
the form of rejecting customs which marked caste as low, amongst the dalits. . He felt that Gandhis
position on the varnashrama, that it was a legitimate part of Hinduism, was problematic as it directly
promoted the maintenance of the caste system. To him the purpose of religion was to explain the origin of
the world and reconstruct the world.He thought that renouncing
The Hinduism would be the best way to escape the discrimination that he and the people of lower caste
placed.
Ambedkar's interpretation of Buddhism differs from the traditional interpretation on this point. But
regrettably Ambedkar has not documented his book Buddha and his Dhamma. Therefore it is not possible
to say how he arrived at his alternative interpretation of Buddhism. From a rationalist and humanist point
of view, one may say that Buddhism is a better religion than Hinduism and that it is closer to rationalism-
humanism compared to any other religion.
But we are not here to praise any religion.what we can ultimately say is that Still, it cannot be denied that
Buddhism is a religion and certain elements like faith, worship and other-worldliness or supernaturalism,
which are common to all religions, are also found in Buddhism.
Whatever may be his personal stand towards religion,he meant it ,was for the good development and
equality of the society.whether ,we are Hindu,Muslim,Parsi,Christian or Buddhist our aim must not be
To support the malpractices in our own religion,BUT to accept the good thoughts from all sides of the
world and work for the humanity
Ambedkar tried a lot with this regard.we need to adopt the noble ideas of this visionary leader and
contribute towards the common cause of the nation.
Therefore the best thing is to give up all religions and adopt rational humanism as a philosophy of life.

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