How Sanatana Dharma unites India
India as a country did not exist before it came under British colonial rule. There were several kingdoms, some big and some small, ruled over by several kings or queens. There were marriages between these different royal households so they were all related in many ways. When the Moghuls came most of these kingdoms became part of the Moghul empire as they were conquered by the invaders.
When the British slowly spread their rule throughout the subcontinent all these kingdoms became part of British India. The long struggle for independence from the British rule united the people of these various kingdoms as one and gave them a sense of nationalism. At independence the different kingdoms decided to forego their claims to sovereignty and decided to join together and form the Indian nation.
There was dissent only from two ruling households. The Nizam of Hyderabad’s unwillingness to be part of India and Sardar Patel’s determined action of sending the army to make the Nizam toe the line are well known. (Patel was the acting Prime Minister of India at that time).
What is not so well known is the hesitance of Travancore in South India to join the Indian Union. It was not the good king, who was very young, or his people who were demurring. It was the ambitious Dewan (the Prime Minister), Mr. C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar, who wanted Travancore to remain as a separate kingdom but when he realised it was not viable he withdrew his attempt and the people of Travancore were happy that they were part of the Indian nation.
The people who had been living in these different kingdoms for centuries had many similarities. They had similar beliefs and practices and similar eating and dressing habits. They gave emphasis to spirituality above everything else. They believed in ‘ahimsa’ (non violence) and hence vegetarianism.
The religion of these ancient people later came to be known as Hinduism. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh had said that the “Hindu religion is really the eternal religion because it embraces all others”. But it was only a way of life that is emphasised, the righteous way, so it is referred to as the ‘Sanatana Dharma’. It is the way these people lived, emphasising spiritual things but at the same time taking care of their physical health through moderation in everything, vegetarianism and the practice of yoga.
Some outsiders who came in contact with these people and liked their way of life started following it. Then Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission, went to the West at the end of the 19th century and established Vedanta Centres in America and Europe. He was talking mainly of the Vedas rather than of his master, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. This even made some of his fellow disciples angry because they thought he had become too proud and forgotten his Guru! This, however, helped to give a better knowledge to the westerners about the Sanatana Dharma.
Today, with the world becoming a global village, this contact has increased tremendously. In the last few decades some well known people have been going to India and trying to experience the Indian way of life. The Beatles perhaps were among the earliest of these who came and lived in India and started following Indian ways. One of them, at least, was supposed to have continued to follow those to the end. George Harrison was supposed to have been a ‘Hare Krishna’ follower till his death.
Since it is the way of life that is emphasised in Sanatana Dharma there are several aspects which are commonly practised in India. Indians, therefore, consider it their birthright and are often critical of non-Indians who try to follow some of these practices, however sincerely.
Yoga especially became very popular. While it is Indian in origin Indians do not have an exclusive right to it. At the same time some outsiders use it just as an exercise and do not acknowledge its Indian roots at all which is wrong, especially if they try to make money out of it. For some it is only a passing fancy. Meanwhile many Indians today do not follow their old ways of life.
Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of ‘Eat Pray Love’ is one person who in recent years went to India and lived in an Ashram and wrote about her experiences. Her book became a bestseller and later a movie starring Julia Roberts. After the movie was released Julia Roberts went to India with her family and she and her family became followers of Hinduism.
The Indian cricket team that won the world cup demonstrated through their behaviour that Sanatana Dharma, this way of life, is still in practice today.
India as a country did not exist before it came under British colonial rule. There were several kingdoms, some big and some small, ruled over by several kings or queens. There were marriages between these different royal households so they were all related in many ways. When the Moghuls came most...
India as a country did not exist before it came under British colonial rule. There were several kingdoms, some big and some small, ruled over by several kings or queens. There were marriages between these different royal households so they were all related in many ways. When the Moghuls came most of these kingdoms became part of the Moghul empire as they were conquered by the invaders.
When the British slowly spread their rule throughout the subcontinent all these kingdoms became part of British India. The long struggle for independence from the British rule united the people of these various kingdoms as one and gave them a sense of nationalism. At independence the different kingdoms decided to forego their claims to sovereignty and decided to join together and form the Indian nation.
There was dissent only from two ruling households. The Nizam of Hyderabad’s unwillingness to be part of India and Sardar Patel’s determined action of sending the army to make the Nizam toe the line are well known. (Patel was the acting Prime Minister of India at that time).
What is not so well known is the hesitance of Travancore in South India to join the Indian Union. It was not the good king, who was very young, or his people who were demurring. It was the ambitious Dewan (the Prime Minister), Mr. C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar, who wanted Travancore to remain as a separate kingdom but when he realised it was not viable he withdrew his attempt and the people of Travancore were happy that they were part of the Indian nation.
The people who had been living in these different kingdoms for centuries had many similarities. They had similar beliefs and practices and similar eating and dressing habits. They gave emphasis to spirituality above everything else. They believed in ‘ahimsa’ (non violence) and hence vegetarianism.
The religion of these ancient people later came to be known as Hinduism. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh had said that the “Hindu religion is really the eternal religion because it embraces all others”. But it was only a way of life that is emphasised, the righteous way, so it is referred to as the ‘Sanatana Dharma’. It is the way these people lived, emphasising spiritual things but at the same time taking care of their physical health through moderation in everything, vegetarianism and the practice of yoga.
Some outsiders who came in contact with these people and liked their way of life started following it. Then Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission, went to the West at the end of the 19th century and established Vedanta Centres in America and Europe. He was talking mainly of the Vedas rather than of his master, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. This even made some of his fellow disciples angry because they thought he had become too proud and forgotten his Guru! This, however, helped to give a better knowledge to the westerners about the Sanatana Dharma.
Today, with the world becoming a global village, this contact has increased tremendously. In the last few decades some well known people have been going to India and trying to experience the Indian way of life. The Beatles perhaps were among the earliest of these who came and lived in India and started following Indian ways. One of them, at least, was supposed to have continued to follow those to the end. George Harrison was supposed to have been a ‘Hare Krishna’ follower till his death.
Since it is the way of life that is emphasised in Sanatana Dharma there are several aspects which are commonly practised in India. Indians, therefore, consider it their birthright and are often critical of non-Indians who try to follow some of these practices, however sincerely.
Yoga especially became very popular. While it is Indian in origin Indians do not have an exclusive right to it. At the same time some outsiders use it just as an exercise and do not acknowledge its Indian roots at all which is wrong, especially if they try to make money out of it. For some it is only a passing fancy. Meanwhile many Indians today do not follow their old ways of life.
Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of ‘Eat Pray Love’ is one person who in recent years went to India and lived in an Ashram and wrote about her experiences. Her book became a bestseller and later a movie starring Julia Roberts. After the movie was released Julia Roberts went to India with her family and she and her family became followers of Hinduism.
The Indian cricket team that won the world cup demonstrated through their behaviour that Sanatana Dharma, this way of life, is still in practice today.
Leave a Comment