Unchained Gang

By Mukul Sharma

The revolutionary socialist Karl Marx viewed religious belief as a reflection of humanity on itself and maintained that divinity was an idealised version of humans’ inkling of their potential. It was natural, therefore, for him to suggest that the correct way to propagate freedom was to present the truth to individuals and let them choose to accept or deny it. Contrary to popular belief, he never suggested prohibiting religion.

Nevertheless, what he did say was, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” Meaning, the abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is, in fact, the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up these illusions about their condition is to ask them to give up a condition requiring illusions. This is actually the crux of the concept of mayatoo that, more than being a mere illusion that can be dealt with, refers to a delusion that is believed by the deluded to be true, no matter what the consequences. As far as Marx was concerned, the consequences were rampant capitalism, whereas his solution was rampant socialism.

In Advaita philosophy, maya is the limited reality in which our everyday consciousness has become entangled. The consequence is rampant ignorance that keeps us chained to an unreality that veils the true unitary self. The correct way to propagate freedom is to, once again, present the truth to individuals: that by unfettering themselves from an illusion, they have nothing to lose but their chains.