Poona Pact ke baad Dr. Ambedkar ne yeh achhi tarah samajh liya tha ki samajik aur rajneetik sangharsh apne aap mein kaafi nahi hain. Jab tak vyakti ke jeevan ka mool dhacha — uski pehchaan, uski asmita, uski aatma-sammaan — purani aur asamaanata se bhari dharmik vyavastha mein jada hua rahega, tab tak sachchi mukti sambhav nahi hai.
Unhone dekha ki har baar jab bhi Dalit samudaay apne adhikaron ke liye khada hota hai, to dharm ka aasan banaakar us par bhedbhaav ka patra bichha diya jaata hai. Unke liye dharm sirf pooja ya mandir ka mudda nahi tha. Dharm unke liye jeene ki soch thi, ek aisa drishtikon jisme jeevan, nyay aur samta ki samajh ho.
Ambedkar ne is samay tak Hindu dharm ke prachin granthon, vyavaharon aur samajik dhachaon ka gehra adhyayan kiya tha. Unka vishwas tha ki Hindu dharm ke mool mein jaati ka bhed aur asamaanata itni gehri hai ki usmein sudhar sambhav nahi. Unhone spasht roop se kaha tha: “Main Hindu janma se ho sakta hoon, lekin Hindu marunga nahi.”
Yeh vichar sirf virodh ka pradarshan nahi tha, yeh ek naye safar ki shuruaat thi — ek aise dharm ki khoj jahan manushyata, samta aur nyay ho. Is samay unki nazar gayi Gautam Buddha ke vicharon ki or. Bauddh dharm unke liye ek aisi disha ban kar ubhra jismein:
- Jaati ka koi sthan nahi tha
- Jeevan aur dukh ke beech sambandh ko samjha gaya tha
- Aatma-mukti ke liye karm aur samajik utthaan par zor diya gaya tha
Unhone bauddh suttapitakon ka adhyayan kiya, Ashoka aur Ananda jaise Bauddh vyaktitvon ki jeevan yatra se prerna li, aur is vichar ko jan-samudaay tak pahuchane ke liye prachaar aur sabhaayein shuru ki.
Yeh ek antarik badlaav ka samay tha. Jahan log unhe rajneeta, vakil ya samvidhan visheshagya ke roop mein jaante the, ab woh swayam apne jeevan ko ek naye path par la rahe the. Unhone samjha ki agar samajik kranti ko sahi disha deni hai, to uska dharmik punarvichaar bhi utna hi avashyak hai.
1940 ke dashak mein unhone kai bauddh scholars, lekhak aur bhikshuo se samvaad shuru kiya. Unhone dekha ki yeh dharm kewal vyaktigat mukti tak seemit nahi, balki samudaayik badlaav ka ek shaktishaali madhyam ban sakta hai.
Unhone apne vichaaron se logon ko tayar karna shuru kiya: “Agar tumhe samta chahiye, to tumhe soch bhi badalni hogi. Aur agar soch nahi badli, to kanoon bhi tumhe azaad nahi kar sakta.”
Yeh safar ab us mod par tha jahan bas ek kadam baaki tha — apna purana dharmik pehchaan chhodkar ek nayi disha ko apnana. Agla padav tha — Nagpur, jahan ek itihaas badalne wala tha.