Prime Minister Narendra Modi rightly pointed out, the ancient concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which is also the theme of G20 this year is unique and makes Hinduism a universal religion in its outlook, non-sectarian, the only one in the world that still accepts that God, He or She, may manifest at different times, using different names and scriptures. – Francois Gautier
Having been a witness to the ethnic cleansing of the Brahmins of the valley of Kashmir, I took a special interest in this much-vilified caste. Our foundation, FACT, did a film on the plight of the Brahmins in India and my wife and I found out that they are a sorry lot: Hindu priests are very poorly paid by the government; the Sulabh toilets in Delhi and elsewhere, are all manned by Brahmins, 50 per cent of rickshaw pullers in the suburbs of Delhi, such as Patel Nagar, are Brahmins and in Andhra Pradesh the cooks and helps mostly belong to the Brahmin caste. Indeed, a recent study showed that 55 per cent of the Brahmins of India live below the poverty line!
So why did Udhayanidhi Stalin say that Santana Dharma, a sacred concept coined by ancient rishis, is worse than Covid-19 and should be eradicated? We understand that Marxism devised in its pure form by Marx and put into practice by Lenin and Mao Tse Tung, hated religions because they considered it divisive. Maybe there is some truth in it, as all religions, at some point or the other, exploited people and even used the might of their armies to convert people.
Indeed, Christianity wiped out entire civilisations in the American continent, such as the Incas. We will not dwell too much here on the Islamic onslaughts of different people, such as Hindus and Buddhists, which were extremely violent and brutal. In contrast, Hindus never tried to convert other nations and Hinduism went peacefully towards the East as the wonders of Angkor Vat testifies—and Westwards, its philosophy and spirituality influenced Greece and later the Celts of France and Ireland.
Udhayanidhi’s statement is ludicrous on many counts: First, at least 85 per cent of Tamil Nadu belongs to the Santana Dharma and this state possesses some of the most beautiful Hindu temples, as well as the most refined Hindu practices, not only religiously but also in many social and cultural traditions, whether it is the kolams in villages, or adornments and clothing of women and girls.
Second, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi rightly pointed out, the ancient concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which is also the theme of G20 this year is unique and makes Hinduism a universal religion in its outlook, non-sectarian, the only one in the world that still accepts that God, He or She, may manifest at different times, using different names and scriptures. Indeed, the spirituality that props up Hinduism from behind as defined in the Bhagavad Gita, may be the future religion of the world, as it accepts all and provides answers to the eternal questions of mankind: Who am I? What happens when I die? What is Karma? What is Dharma? How can I lead a better life?
Undeniably, this spirituality that Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo predicted, has already invaded the world: Two out of three Americans practise Hatha Yoga; medical studies have shown that meditation is extremely beneficial for both the body and mind; Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s pranayama techniques are used in 144 countries; and Ayurveda, the most ancient medical system still in practice, which centuries ago performed plastic surgeries and knew that many illnesses have a psychosomatic origin, is slowly penetrating the West.
So, one may assume that Udhayanidhi Stalin has made the anti-Sanatana statement out of complete ignorance without knowing the facts about his own culture and religion. Or, it may be a childish slander. – Firstpost, 5 September 2023
› The author is a French journalist and author of ‘A History of India as It Happened’ (Garudabooks.com). He is also building a museum of Indian history in Pune.
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BHARATA BHARATI 