"Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Dmitri Ugai, Dandi Swami

I was surprised and shocked to learn recently, that my friend Dmitri Ugai, Dandi Swami had been arrested for giving a mild talk on Yoga under new anti-terrorist laws on so-called "missionary activities" so vaguely written as to include practically any kind of speech.

Of course, no “terrorists” have been arrested for radicalizing followers. The new law is basically a cudgel for punishing religious minorities. Since July the only people detained or arrested under the new laws have been a handful of Jehovah's witnesses, 7th Day Adventists, a Christian pastor, and a few devotees of Krishna. No conspirators have been found, no foaming-at-the-mouth Islamic madmen, no bomb-throwing communists. People have been arrested for talking about books or for singing the names of God as they walk down the street.

Kafka's world. The Trial.

My friend is a soft-spoken, mild-mannered Russian intellectual. In our conversations, he would listen carefully before making a considered reply. I first met him in Thailand where he was working in website design. We collaborated on some projects together. He was interested in Vedic cosmology and how ancient India interpreted the Ptolemaic universe in its astrological literature.

Last October, he was invited to speak on the benefits of yoga for a VedaLife convention at a hotel in downtown Petersburg. He was wearing a green sweater, sitting cross-legged in the lotus position, and peacefully beginning his lecture, when undercover police appeared and forcibly escorted him to a waiting car. Apparently someone had tipped the KGB that an important meeting was going down.

The local VedaLife program was a place for Russians tired of Vodka drinking and cheap thrills. In the winter months in Petersburg the cold weather makes it difficult to go out. People spend time indoors and when they go out, they like to visit museums or take in a lecture. The people seated at the hotel waiting for the talk were interested in hearing about alternative yoga lifestyles, minimalism, a nonalcoholic vegetarian diet, Vedic food recipes. These folks are admitedly unusual Russians; followers of Gandhi who like peace, yoga and Indian food. Mantra meditation and sitar music. No drugs or alcohol. Apparently this was too much for some local church people who found that a discussion about simple living and high thinking is a threat to the Russian Orthodox Church.

And so it was that Dmitri was denounced for telling people about vegetarian diet and his ideas about the meaning of Yoga. Uniformed officers took him to the station and held him for hours, threatening prison if he didn’t put his signature on a blank confession. Shades of Kafka. He was released, apparently free to go. Two months later, in January, he was informed that he was on trial for expressing views in violation of the “Yarovaya Laws.”

This may seem like madness, or fake news. It’s not. There’s no punchline to the joke.

Russia has a long tradition of imprisoning poets, intellectuals and men of conscience.  Pushkin was exiled for his poetry. Exile matured him and his beautiful lyric developed the bitterweet note of tragedy. Dostoyevsky was imprisoned for writing articles critical of the Tsar. He was condemned to death and only reprieved when fainting before the firing squad provoked the beginning of a lifetime of epileptic attacks. It may be argued that his epilepsy gave him a window into higher consciousness and in that sense the police did him a favor by helping him to write his greatest work. Boris Pasternak, author of Dr. Zhivago, was not allowed to accept his Nobel Prize for having run afoul of the authorities.

While my Russian friend, Dmitri, Dandi Swami, may have some interesting opinions to share, common sense should tell the judge that speaking on Yoga is hardly a “missionary” activity. “Missionary activity” would imply recruiting people to serve an orthodox religion. Yoga, while it might be considered a branch of “Hinduism” is hardly an orthodox religion.

Hinduism itself is rarely orthodox. In fact, with thousands of deities and different social castes expressing themselves in hundreds of languages, the diverse population of India is as heterodox as one may find. The followers of Vishnu, Shiva, Durga and hundreds of gurus all have their differences, as do the various yoga schools.

On the other hand, in spite of all the differences among the peoples of India, there may be certain values, ethical considerations, and time-honored practices that may be considered “Vedic,” or even “Hindu.” These are shared cultural considerations, shared truths about life; you might call it the “Ancient wisdom tradition of India.” And while there is a great disparity among these rich traditions, there are certain things held in common. One of these is the saga of the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

The ancient Mahabharata tells the story of family troubles between the Pandavas led by Yudhisthira and the Kurus led by his cousin, Duryodhan. The sectarian strife between them culminated in the battle of Kurukshetra, fratricidal war that ended the reign of scores of militaristic kings during the Hastinapura era.

It might be worthwhile for those of us who appreciate yoga to take an interest in helping Dmitri defend his right to freedom of expression against the powers that be. Those who are in the minority should be protected against the tryrany of the majority. Even if we may not share his beliefs, we must recognize his right to speak openly. I would appeal here especially to the people of India and those interested in her traditions to take an interest in his defense.

India is a great example of unity in diversity. With its thousands of gods and hundreds of languages it is the largest democracy on earth. There is a famous story about unity in diversity that is told by the Mahabharata. Once upon a time, when the Pandavas were living in exile in the Aranyaka forest, Duryodhana and his brothers decided to humiliate them. He brought a vast company to picnic in the woods near the Pandava’s camp that the exiles might see the splendour of their cousins and burn with envy. Without realizing it, Duryodhana’s group picnicked near a lake owned by a powerful Gandharva. The Gandharva, angered, attacked and captured many of the Kaurava’s including the ladies who had come out to see the fun. And as this was taking place on the battlefield, some of the Kauravas fled to the camp of Yudhisthira to beg for help. Duryodhana had been taken prisoner. The whole family was humiliated. And so it was that before the proud Bhima and Arjuna, Duryodhana’s brothers fell on their knees and prayed for the protection of the Pandavas, to save them from the fierce Gandharva king. Vyasa records that as they recounted the terrors of battle and begged for help, their eyes bulged from their head in terror and sweat dripped from their brows in desperation.

One of the soldiers said, "The mighty armed son of Dhirtarastra has been taken captive by the warlike Gandharvas. And now that King, his brothers headed by Dushasana, as well as their queens and all the ladies of the royal court are being dragged away in chains. Help us oh my brothers! Only you can save us."

And so the followers of Duryodhana, mad with grief, fell at the feet of the Pandavas, wept and begged for help. The mighty Bhima shook his sides with laughter. He said, "What we might have done with great labor the Gandharva has done for us. It seems to me that a ruthless and deceitful King is trapped in the reactions to his own karma."

But the righteous Yudhisthira turned to his brother and said, "Silence. Hold your tongue my dear brother. After all, Duryodhana is our family. The Kauravas are our own flesh and blood. It is true that there is dissension between us, and that we are only five brothers against our one hundred cousins. When there is a fight between us, we are five and they are one hundred. But, when we are attacked by an outside force, we must stand together, as one hundred and give. Let us ride forth in the chariots that were left behind. We shall see how they deal with the powerful right arm of Arjuna."

And so it was that the Pandavas, even as rivals to the Kauravas stood together as one to defend the family of Bharat; the family that would carry the values and traditions of India forward for generations.

The idea of the story is that there may be factions and sectarianism, but when the cultures and traditions of India are at stake they should be protected and upheld. When Hindu scriptures are laughed at and reviled, people should be allowed to speak up and defend them.

Today much of the greatest cultural heritage of India is becoming popular in the West. Yoga is being taught as a system to relieve the stress and tension of the modern way of life. But as soon as one wants to go deeper into the meaning of the Yoga system one may face strong opposition from those who feel this is anti-Christian or pagan or worse.

At the present moment, Yoga is under attack in Russia, where Yoga teachers are being imprisoned for discussing ideas such as self-control or vegetarian diet. Laws against terrorism are being used to arrest Yoga teachers. This is an affront to freedom of expression and an insult to sincere truth-seekers, interested in the ancient wisdom traditions.

The people of India are free to disagree about the true meaning of Yoga practice, but when Indian tradition is attacked as being “terrorism,” it’s time to take a stand. Perhaps the followers of Shiva and the followers of Vishnu have their differences. But like the Pandavas and Kurus of old we must put aside such differences when repressive regimes decide it’s time to attack precious freedoms.

And even Westerners who follow the teachings of Christ may also consider whether the state should have the power to repress religious minorities. America was founded on the principle of freedom of religion after many abuses were committed by the Church. Minorities are attacked precisely because they are weak and can’t afford much resistance. But the attack against minorities is only the tip of the spear. Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who realized too late that he had waited too long to speak out.

While spending the last seven years of Nazi rule in a concentration camp, he famously observed:

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Martin Niemöller