One of the greatest misreadings of Secularism, has been that it seeks to de-educate the society of its spiritual moorings, condemning traditions as being sectarian. Secularism, after all was born out of the prolonged sectarian strife for power, between the Church and the State and among the different Sects of medieval Europe. It was more of a compromise than being any high philosophy with a cogent view of life exploring its ultimate purposes. In India traditionally the King was the upholder of Dharma, as very different from Sect or creed, Dharma was more about ethical order in the society, in community, within the family. Mahabharat defines धारणाद्धर्ममित्याहुः धर्मो धारयते प्रजाः what holds together the Unity is Dharma. So, Dharma is a unifying agent. Like any organic entity, no society can flourish without regularly drawing vital nourishments from its spiritual cultural milieu. Devoid of its spiritual vitality, a society will whittle down and gradually wither away.
Bharat has been a deeply religious society. Our philosophical moorings have been esoteric. Traditionally we attach great importance to realization of one ultimate truth which is infinite and indivisible, which lead to ultimate liberation. We seek salvation from a finite worldly existence. While the ultimate truth is only one and indivisible, there could be infinite honorable paths to attain it, "एकं सद् विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति". Since individual was supposed to be the reflection of omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Paramatman, it was supposed of him to strive to dissolve one's existence into the ultimate Paramatman. And there could be many ways of attaining that ultimate goal. What could be more liberal, inclusive and tolerant, than such an extensive view of life? There have been innumerable sects pursuing their own path of realization, all of them are equally true to their faith but there has been sublime catholicity among these Indic religions and sects.
Every new sect was an erudite commentary on the Sanatan, every successive Indic religion further refined the Sanatan with deeper and more extensive insight, reflecting the demands of the time. Over the ages, the Sanatan was enriched by this glorious diversity, as it became nobler and contemporary.
But what is Sanatan? This question has always been a puzzle for a true seeker. And the joy lies as much in the pursuit of its answer. There is an inherent democratic trait in Sanatan that allows it to encompass and assimilate its glorious diversity. A true seeker never treads on the beaten path, he charts his own path to explore the facets of Sanatan, all equally valid and sacred. While tracing the evolution of Sanatan, we often stop at Vedic, later Vedic, Upanishadic, epic and Puranic literature. Sanatan has been a perennial stream of rediscovering the faith. It expressed itself in Jainism, Buddhism, and even in the Charwak faith. If it expressed itself in Nirguna and Saguna Bhakti during Medieval times, it manifested its facets in Sikh monotheism. Later, Arya Samaj, Swami Ramakrishna Paramhans and Swami Vivekanand, Sri Aurobindo and Mahatma Gandhi explored tenets of Sanatan Dharma in the context of modern secularism. And the trend still continues. I am happy that in the recent years there is a greater inquisitiveness among curious minds to explore dharma as envisaged in Sanatan.
Not only experienced scholars, but even professionals like Arun Ganesh and Dr. Ankit Shah, are writing on Sanatan from their own perspective. There is a greater urge to explore the Sanatan that is condemned by some as obscurantist superstitious faith.
T This book acknowledges the profound contributions of our Rishis who laid the foundation of 'Bharat Varsha' and its Sanatana Vedica Dharma. They were amongst the first to delve into the profound mystical depths of human experience, and to them, we owe this body of Samskriti, that has come to be known as Sanatana, or the eternal, Dharma. We bow down to their vision, Niskāmakarma (selfless work), and for handing down abiding values for the future generations. These rich traditions, that have continued down the ages, are the priceless and cherished gifts to Bharat that we need to learn from, enrich, and carry forward.
We, offer our deep gratitude to the Rishis/Maharishis from the distant and recent past, as well as to those Gurus who are amidst us. They have given us the widest possible wisdom traditions and literature in the world. We have endeavored to soak in some of the wisdom and values from some of these Rishis and Gurus, to arrive at a transformational agenda for the present-day Bharat underpinned by dharmic principles.
Adi Shankaracharya, an Avatara, was a Vedic scholar, philosopher, teacher of Advaita Vedanta, and a unifier of the various schools of Sanatani thought. He was preceded by Acharya Nagarjuna who is "regarded as one of the most profound philosophers and rationalists who every possible philosophical view". Sant Kabir was one of the greatest Vedantin (follower of Vedanta), and exponent of Advaite Vedanta. He followed both Bhakti and Jääna marga. Sample a simple, yet a profound couplet: माया माया सब कहे माया लखे ना कोय सेना उतरे, माया कहिये सोय!! (That which keeps occupying 'your' mind:
That 'you' cannot get rid of is 'Maya). Swami Vivekananda, was a samnyasi, philosopher, author, teacher, social reformer, and the most successful missionary of Vedanta all over the world. Sri Aurobindo, revered in both spiritual and nationalist circles, was an outstanding saint whose life journey continues to inspire millions. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who authored Shrimad Bhagavad-gītā Rahasya, was a nationalist and builder of modern Bharat. Jiddu Krishnamurti was a philosopher, speaker, writer, and a modern Rishi who asserted that "truth is a pathless land" and advised against following any doctrine "The observer is the observed; an honest observation dissolves them both; Truth is that which is independent of everything'. Sadhguru is Bharat's conscience keeper: "The more you try to be special, the more you get hurt. Just be, melt and become part of the wind and earth - become part of everything, as creation intends; Yoga means solving your problems internally because all human problems are manufactured internally; The creation and the created cannot be separated as the source of creation is throbbing within you; To live totally means every aspect of life has been explored, which is to know this piece of life in its entirety; Those who think they are fighting for their god are only eager to die and take all with them...religiously motivated terrorism is the most dangerous. There is no reasoning, but a planned agenda. This business of fighting for gods must be put down decisively. We must become more inclusive, which is a sound basis for life itself. We are one Bharat."
Vedas (1226)
Upanishads (513)
Puranas (636)
Ramayana (768)
Mahabharata (381)
Dharmasastras (169)
Goddess (528)
Bhakti (253)
Saints (1634)
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Shiva (407)
Journal (176)
Fiction (64)
Vedanta (383)
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