Eternal Questions and Shourie's Answers

Asking the so-called eternal questions such as :why  we are here; whether there is a God; whether He is really omnipotent , omniscient and merciful is meaningless or say, the least helpful seems to be the theme of the latest book written by Arun Shourie---an ex-journalist, and an ex-minister who had also worked at the World Bank.The question precisely is: if there is an omniscient, omnipotent and merciful God, why is there suffering in this world--for individuals, for communities and for nations?Shourie seeks answers in the context of his son -Aditya's congenital illness (he is suffering from cerebral palsy) and seems to be coming to the conclusion that it is perhaps, no use asking these questions, for, there is no satisfactory answer in most of the religions  presupposing the existence of God. More helpful is the Buddhism---an atheistic religion which emphasizes action to alleviate the suffering rather than seeking it's causes. The book starts poignantly.What do you do to a father who thrashes, punishes and humiliates a son at every breath the son takes.You might think of reporting him to the police.But what if the father is The Father---both T and F capitalized!Yes , what if the father is God! What Shourie does not say in so many words but alludes quiet clearly is that his son's condition amounts to thrashing, punishing and humiliation .Can the same then, be attributed to God?If yes, then what happens to the tag of mercifulness He has been made to carry by most of the religions? Shourie  quotes extensively form the Old Testament ,the New Testament and the Quran and tries to quash the widely held belief that God is all-knowing, all-powerful and an unfathomable ocean of mercy. He then proceeds to do the same, albeit with much less success  to   the Karma theory described in Hindu scriptures and interpreted by sages and savants over the ages. A full chapter has been devoted to two great  sages of modern India---Raman Maharshi and Swami Ramkrishna Paramhans.These two sages of modern India are revered almost as gods. The number of their followers ran into lakhs and was spread in   several countries of Europe and America in addition to those in Asia  Africa and Australia. Many of their followers had highest reverence for them and not a small number believed that they had miraculous powers and could cure even incurable diseases.To their credit, the sages never claimed any supernatural powers.The astounding fact is that both these savants suffered from cancer and finally succumbed to that disease suffering not only the excruciating pain but all other consequences  as well. Some of the people believed that these sages had taken upon themselves the sufferings of some of their followers  so that the latter could stay free from pain. ( A similar tale is also carried about Sai Baba of Shirdi). Shourie just about hints at these tales but does not say much about them.Instead, he seems to ask the question: why did these god-like, sinless and pure men suffer?Having found that the Hindu scriptures, the Bible and the Quran do not answer these and other such questions satisfactorily, Shourie turns to the Buddhism and  finally finds some solace in the Buddhists' principle that there is suffering in this world and we should do whatever we can  to mitigate that suffering in a selfless way free from all traces of arrogance or pride.
 Needless to say the book is provocative making you think and think hard.  Erudition of the author is palpable at every page and so is the skill of referring to and quoting from whatever supports and sustains his argument.The author  also seems to be well-versed in the Urdu literature and seems to be fond of Faiz Ahmed Faiz whose couplet :laut aatee hai uther ko bhi nazar kya keeje-- has been quoted by him very appropriately by him.(Faiz  is the only Urdu poet who has been quoted more than once ) Let the book be read and re-read, debated and discussed and commented upon  fiercely Do all this and much more if you like, but please do not ignore  the book
.A few things that caused a mild irritation though, include a misprint of the word "vice-regent"  that too, twice at page 74. Another mistake is at page 363.Ten to the power 68  is 1 followed by 68 zeros and not 10 followed by 68 zeros as given in the book It would have been helpful if the English translation of bhajans and Urdu couplets had been given. But for most North Indian readers  this is perhap no shortcoming. ( Does He know a mother's heart? How Suffering Refutes Religions :Arun Shourie--HarperCollins India 2011,New Delhi) Pages435,Price Rupees 599)