Sanatana Dharma is the true nature of Hinduism. It literally means a natural, ancient eternal way of living that can lead one to attain moksha. It is a code of conduct and value system leading to spiritual freedom.
India is a country with profound culture, deep-rooted values, rich in tradition and festivity. Hinduism is one of the gems that we Indians should be proud to adorn ourselves with. On the contrary, this religion has become infamous for blind beliefs and customs. Ironically, it is we Hindus who have been instrumental in this misinterpretation.
Many of the rituals followed by us carry immense meaning and importance. When they were initially formulated by our good old seers, they were very well aware of the rituals’ significance. A renowned space scientist Jayanth Narlikar rightly said that we Indians have lost the “questioning ability” somewhere down the line . . . Questioning is now considered as being disobedient or rather a taboo; thereby belittling the very essence of Hinduism. It has become easier for us to follow the herd rather than think for ourselves.
Prayers, Gods and temples are being out rightly commercialized. Novel ways of pleasing the almighty mushroom day by day, giving Hinduism an artificial make over. Money rules the roost as always! Followers are blindly participating in the shallow competition of showering money in the name of religion instead of understanding the true meaning of rituals. Vulgar display of money is equated with sacrifice and devotion.
Brahmins who were originally known as “brahmana bahujana priya” or all-people loving, have now become synonymous with “brahmana bojana priya” or food/material-thing loving! Rather than comprehending the meaning and underlying concept of praying and devotion through sacrifice we ignorantly celebrate them as larger than life festivals. For exampleVinayaka Chathurthi or Navarathri, by and large, means only food and bonhomie to us.
Temples and religious establishments are full of lucrative deals. Various poojas are recommended and performed in the name of God, showing us all a live example of materialism in the garb of spirituality. There exists a rate-card for every dosh (problem) or vigna (obstacle), just by spending the prescribed amount one shall find salvation!
Scriptures exhort that God’s realization should be the goal of a human being. They also teach us simple ways of leading a life that is gratifying. I believe service is the best way of pleasing God; mere and blind chanting of the Lord’s name would not suffice to wash away sins. The best way to serve God is to serve its beings.
We should realize ours is a religion with philosophies directed towards attaining spiritual freedom, and not with a rigid common set of beliefs. The onus is on us to carry forth this religion and prevent from any form of degeneration. In other words we should be the ambassadors of Sanatana Dharma and follow Hinduism as it was originally devised to be.
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