I am writing this piece in response to today's article in Time of India - BJP under pressure to reach out to Muslims. There is a very major misunderstanding & disconnect here. In any of our scriptures, there is no mention of "Hindus". The very word "Hindu" appears to be interpreted at the convenience of the whims & fancies of the politicians burdened by the overwhelming & often misguiding history. "Hindu" is a word which appears to have gained prominence due to the East India Company (the former avataar of the British in India), & perhaps the invaders before them. This too attained prominence because the word Hindu perhaps meant (& it appears appropriate) - people living along the river Indus, the famous river along which flourished some of the finest & advanced human civilizations ever. This does not in any way mean people belonging to a certain sect or religion or faith.
A very deep & solid understanding of the origin & basis of our faith is of paramount importance here. The faith of India is - SANAATANA DHARMA. Now, the word Dharma, is a very profound word & has very deep meaning. Although it can take different meanings in different contexts, the one fundamental meaning or affirmation that flows out of all the possible meanings is - RIGHT VALUES. Some of the meanings that the word Dharma can take are: Faith, Duty, & Righteousness. The common thread binding all these different meanings is - "RIGHT". Therefore, Dharma is RIGHT VALUES IN MATTERS OF FAITH, RIGHT VALUES IN MATTERS OF DUTY, RIGHT VALUES IN ACTION, RIGHT VALUES IN SPEECH, etc. Now, what are these right values? THAT WHICH IS IN THE COMMON INTEREST OF MANKIND (in the larger interest of all living beings), be it in terms of faith, action, speech, conduct, or performance of one's duty; that which is secular, non-violent, does not ignite dangerous passions in one's mind & heart; that which is compassionate, which is respectful of others' views (without compromising on values), which is caring, sharing, nurturing; that which unites all people as one family, THESE ARE RIGHT VALUES. Anything that does not fit into these common interests, is not right values. Hence, DHARMA MEANS - RIGHT VALUES; & these RIGHT VALUES ARE UNIVERSAL. These values are not time bound, in the sense that, they do not change with time, place, person, or circumstances. All these - time, place, people, or circumstances, are insignificant in the eyes of Dharma, because Dharma is SANAATANA. What is Sanaatana? It means - ETERNAL. How can these values be eternal? These values are eternal because, they are in the best interest of mankind as a whole. Whereas society may change, Nations may change, people may change...but, THE RIGHT VALUES ARE ETERNAL. Our ideas / thoughts, speech, & conduct, should be based on the RIGHT VALUES, at all times. Who framed these values? These values were not framed by any human being. They have been & will be in the universe & beyond, for eternity. That's the reason it is called SANAATANA DHARMA. By living these values, we are DOING OUR DUTY, which in my opinion is Supreme Dharma, & it is certainly not about doing any favour to anyone by doing so. WE HAVE TO LIVE THE DHAARMIC LIFE NOT WITH THE ATTITUDE OF "WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME"; WE SHOULD LIVE THE DHAARMIC LIFE BECAUSE "IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO" & IS THE "RIGHT WAY OF LIFE". Therefore, SANAATANA DHARMA IS "THE RIGHT WAY OF LIFE".
Our great Saints & Rishis understood that Dharma is indeed Sanaatana & hence did not ascribe any time, place, event, or person to the "beginning" of it all. It is precisely for the same reason that our scriptures merely have these great men appearing as passing characters, time & again affirming and re-affirming the "eternal wisdom" of Sanaatana Dharma. Hence, the faith of Sanaatana Dharma does not have a "definite beginning". The faith of Sanaatana Dharma is so secular that it gives complete freedom to live one's life to the fullest without compromising on the right values. The ancient Rishis recognized that upholding the freedom of human spirit is supreme, but, it cannot be at the cost of righteous way of life. Therefore, they said - FREEDOM IS SUPREME, & THAT FREEDOM SHOULD BE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF DHARMA. That's the reason why we see the 4 Purushaarthas of human endeavor - DHARMA, ARTHA, KAAMA, & MOKSHA. The foundation for the latter 3 Purushaarthas is Dharma. Recognizing the supreme importance Dharma has in building an individual's or society's character, Dharma was emphasized to be the first & most important of all the other Purushaarthas. Only after the right values were inculcated were other Purushaarthas followed. Thus, seeking money & wealth (Artha) has to be Dhaarmic; satiating one's desires (Kaama) has to be Dhaarmic; & finally, when all this is done, the individual aspires for supreme freedom (Moksha) from all bondages. The essence here is - DHARMA IS THE BEDROCK OF ALL OTHER SUCCEEDING ACTIVITIES / PHASES IN LIFE.
Sanaatana Dharma is not a religion or set of dogmas, as is commonly misunderstood. Sanaatana Dharma is DHAARMIC WAY OF LIFE & has nothing to do with religion or dogmas. It is so all encompassing that an atheist commands equal respect as that of a theist, as long as he is Dhaarmic (follows right values in life). In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that an atheist with strong values commands greater respect than a theist with questionnable values, in Sanaatana Dharma. Such is the stature of the Dhaarmic way of life.
Because Dharma is supreme, there is no one Rishi or God who is more powerful than the other. The most important aspect of Sanaatana Dharma is EQUALITY OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL'S RIGHT TO LIVE GOOD LIFE IN THE DHAARMIC WAY. Hence, if we study India's history, we'll realize that we never felt "threatened" by other religions' presence. In fact, Sanaatana Dharma empowers an individual to choose whatever best way of religious life he wants to follow, but, the fundamental values are uncompromisable. Therefore, one can worship Raama, Krishna, Allah, Jesus, an idol, a tree, nature, or whatever, but, the values have to be strong & unquestionnable.
It is only when other religions started enforcing their ideologies upon the masses by exploiting their weaknesses and putting the marginalised to extreme hardship did the idea of Hindutva originate. This idea of Hindutva took a more hardline view in response to some extremely grave events in history, which unfortunately our history books do not teach us. This simply means that our understanding of our own history is lacking or incomplete. Out of such an eventuality were born many organizations / institutions whose ideology is to uphold & protect Sanaatana Dharma.
We are now in a totally different epoch. Our understanding of our own culture, Philosophy, heritage, & history is much more broadbased & deep than it was few years ago. Thanks to education spreading its wings, technology available at the doorsteps, innumerable books available to the people, outstanding institutions such as RK Mission & Chinmaya Mission spreading the message of Sanaatana Dharma, our views are more educated & informed than it was a few years ago. Such a situation necessitates a paradigm shift in our political dynamics as well. We need political parties & leaders who represent the Dhaarmic way of life & not hardline in nature. It is the philosophy of respectful & compassionate coexistence that is of supreme importance & need of the day, & not taking to streets over my Raama or Krishna and your Allah or Jesus. Perhaps, & truly so, I wonder how many times these great men would have committed suicide had they been alive today. We have misunderstood & misinterpreted our own Philosophy & the eternal values our great Rishis stood for. There is no better time than NOW to endeavor to study our Philosophy in the right spirit and attitude, & inculcate the RIGHT VALUES in our individual lives. It is the right values alone that can & will be the beacon of light in our darkest hours.
MAY THE RIGHT VALUES LEAD US FROM UNTRUTH UNTO TRUTH...
MAY THE RIGHT VALUES LEAD US FROM DARKNESS UNTO LIGHT...
MAY THE RIGHT VALUES LEAD US FROM DEATH UNTO IMMORTALITY...
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