WHY I AM AN ATHEIST (English)
Introduction
Bhagat Singh wrote this essay in 1930 while detained in Lahore Central Jail. He proclaimed himself an atheist. Because of this, his friends accused him of vanity. They said that he was an atheist because he was too proud of himself.But Bhagat Singh strongly disagreed with that. In this essay, he explained that vanity was not the reason for his atheism. You will learn about his liberal and revolutionary principles.
Bhagat Singh saw the injustices of the world and asked that if there is a God, why does he let his people suffer?In this book, Bhagat Singh presented strong challenges to the faith of Muslims, Christians, and Hindus. He questioned the concepts of creation, evolution, and reincarnation. Because he died an atheist, he had no hopes for heaven or a higher rebirth.Bhagat Singh faced death as it is. He was content to have spent his life fighting for the masses and the independence of India. He was sentenced to death by hanging in 1931. He was only 23 years old.Yet, he is a great Indian hero. He was a gifted writer, a free thinker, and a strong leader. Bhagat Singh laid down his life for what he fought for. Atheist or not, he is a man to be admired.
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Why I am an Atheist
Is vanity the reason why I am an atheist? Is vanity the reason why I don’t believe in God? This is the question that some of my friends ask me. It never occurred to me that I give that impression. Some people just concluded that in the brief time that they spent with me.I feel compelled to give my answer. I’m just an ordinary man. I do not claim to be more than that. I admit that there are times that I am vain. But that is definitely not the reason why I’m an atheist.Some friends call me an autocrat. Some of them call me a despot. They complain that I have the tendency to force my opinion upon others and to argue until my views get accepted. I cannot deny that.I also cannot deny that I am egotistical. In our cult, we call that “Ahankar,” or excess pride in your own self. Now, if it is indeed true that I am atheist because of vanity, then it must come from these two arguments.
First, I must be so full of pride that I consider myself the rival of God. Second, I must be so vain that I think of myself as a God. However, in either of the two situations, I will fail.If the first statement is true, that I see myself as the rival of God, then I’m not truly atheist.That is because to be his enemy, and I should believe that God exists. And if the second statement is true, then I must also believe in God because I think that there is a higher being that is watching over the whole universe.To say that I am the rival of God or that I am the reincarnation of God strongly implies that I believe in a God. This is most certainly false. I purely deny the existence of a higher being who gives the reason for everything.Therefore, I am not vain. I do not claim to be a higher being. I do not believe that such an entity exists. Let me state clearly that there is no God.
Where did my friends get this idea? How did they derive that I am an atheist because I am vain? I became popular because of the court trials. My name became known because of the Delhi Bombing and the Lahore Conspiracy case. My friends thought that this popularity got into my head.Well, let me explain to you the truth. I did not become an atheist only recently. I have been an atheist since years ago, when I was in college. I haven’t met these friends of mind yet who accuse me of being vain. I could not have pride then since I wasn’t even a good student.I was not studious. I was also not industrious. I was a very shy boy who was pessimistic about my future. But I can tell you that I was not an atheist from the very beginning.My grandfather is an Arya Samajist. I was born and raised in that belief. My upbringing was Arya Samajist.
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After my private education, I enrolled in the DAV School of Lahore. I lived in the school boarding house in my first year. During that time, I prayed in the morning and in the evening. I also had the habit of reciting the Gayatri Mantra for hours.I was a strict devotee. After that, I began to live with my father. He was a liberalist. It was from him that I learned to fight for freedom. Nevertheless, he also told me to pray daily.In the rise of the Non-cooperation movement, I enrolled in the National College. I became even more liberal there. I became a critical thinker. I learned to question all accepted beliefs and systems. I started to question religious matters.I started to grow my hair long. I became rebellious. I began to criticize the mythologies and doctrines of religions. But I still believed in the existence of a God.
Later on, I became a member of the revolutionary party. The first leader I had was doubtful about God, but he could not absolutely reject the idea that God exists. When I asked him, the leader would tell me, “Just pray if you want to.” I think that this kind of atheism lacks courage.The second militant leader I had was a firm believer. His name was Sachindra Nath Sanyal. He was convicted as part of the Karachi Conspiracy. He wrote a book entitled “Bandi Jivan,” in which he glorified God. He praised God under the guidance of the Vedas.What I am pointing out is that atheism is not prevalent in the revolutionary party. Even the four martyrs of Kakori spent their last moments in prayer. Ram Prasad Bismil was an Arya Samajist. Rajen Lahiri recited the hymns of the Gita and the Upanishads before his death.
There was only one among them who never prayed. He said that religion is the result of ignorance and imperfection in humanity. But this man never dared to proclaim that there is no God.When I first joined the party, I was just a romantic idealist. I only followed the teachings of the leaders. But now that they’re gone, it has come to us, the new generation, to take responsibility.There are critics who jeer at us. There are those who do not believe in our cause and in our strength as a political party. That became a turning point for me. “Study” became my motto. If you study, you empower yourself to fight back against the arguments thrown by the opposition. If you study, you will be able to protect the beliefs of the revolutionary party.
And that is what I did. Our past leaders used physical force only. But I learned that ideas are stronger. Because of study, there is no blind faith. There is no mysticism. I encouraged my comrades to embrace realism.When I finally became leader, I taught the members to use physical force as a final resort. It is important that they must first understand the reason why we fight. They must first know the principles behind our struggle.I read about anarchy and communism. I read about Lenin, Marx, and Trotsky. I read about other men who succeeded in bringing revolution to their country. All of them were atheists. By 1926, I saw clearly the absence of logic in the idea of God.From the standpoint of realism, it is simply impossible that there is a higher being out there who created and watched over the universe. The next events that happened to me, I faced already as an atheist.
I was arrested in Lahore year 1927. It came as a surprise. I did not even know that the police were looking for me. I was just walking by a garden when all of a sudden I was surrounded by policemen.I felt calm. I did not feel any emotion. I was not angry or excited. I just let them take me. I was taken to the police precinct, where I was detained for a month.The police thought that I was connected to the Kakori Party. They said that I was in Lucknow when the court trials were being held. They also said that I was part of a scheme to help the martyrs escape. The police claimed that I, together with some members, procured a number of bombs. They said that in order to test them, we did the Dussehra Bombing of 1926.The police told me that if I were to give more information about the activities of the revolutionary party, I would be set free. They said that my case would all be cleared in court. I laughed at their proposal. I never believed any of it. I knew that it was a trap.