Sanatana Dharma is a word that is often misused today. There is a misconception that Dharma means religion. Dharma does not mean religion, but a law. It is for this reason that we are talking about different types of Dharma – Grihasta Dharma, Swa-Dharma, and various other types of Dharmas. In essence, Dharma means certain laws that are relevant for us to function in this existence.
Today, in the twenty-first century, you need to know English for things to work. It’s a relative thing. Maybe in five hundred to a thousand years it may be a different language. A thousand years ago it was a different language. These are the dharmas of the day – they are always changing. But Sanatana Dharma is the eternal law. There are certain elements or fundamental aspects of life that always work. Sanatana Dharma means that we have always had insights into how life works.
A few days ago I was asked how we should protect Sanatana Dharma. Does Sanatana Dharma need protection? No, because if it’s eternal, who am I or you to protect it? But how to have access to this Sanatana Dharma, how to be aware of these laws and how to apply them in our lives, these aspects must be spoken in the current language, style and manner as it appeals to this generation of people. You will not accept it because you say it is valuable. You can’t hit them in the head. You have to show them the value, you have to show them how it works. Only then do they take it up. Sanatana Dharma does not need preservation. It has to be animated, it has to be alive in all of us as we live. If we don’t, protection becomes an isolated job.
Making Sanatana Dharma mainstream was my aim. Without saying the word Dharma, I bring it into people’s lives because it has to become mainstream if it is to live. The larger population should credit it. If only a small group of people ascribes it, and believes they know better and are above everyone else, it won’t last for long. In the end, we will kill the most precious aspect of this culture in the sense that it is the only culture on the planet whose ultimate goal is liberation. We do not plan to go to heaven or sit on God’s lap. Mukti is our goal because if you look deep inside you will understand that it doesn’t matter whether it is joys, knowledge, love, relationships, wealth, power or fame, you will get bored of these things at some point. The only thing that really matters is freedom, and that’s why this culture is important – not just for today, but for future generations.
People in the past were not really ready for Sanatana Dharma because, except for a few people in each generation, there was no large-scale intellectual development. So they could never see what it meant to be free, they were just looking for protection. If you look at all of the prayers on the planet, ninety percent of them are simply, “Give me this, give me this, save me, protect me!” These prayers are not about deliverance, but about survival.
But today the human intellect evolves in such a way that anything illogical will not fly in the world. Heaven is collapsing in people’s minds, so the “I will take you to Heaven” promises will not work. Nobody wants to go to heaven anymore.
This is the right time for Sanatana Dharma. This is the only culture that has looked at human mechanism with such depth that if you properly present it to the world, this will be the future of the world. This is the only thing that will appeal to a developed intellect because this is not a belief system. This is the science and technology of wellbeing, life and self liberation. So Sanatana Dharma is not a thing of the past. It’s not our tradition. It is our future!
(Sadhguru is one of the fifty most influential people in India, is a yogi, mystic, visionary, and a New York Times best-selling author. In 2017, Sadhguru was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Indian government, the highest annual civil award, recognized for extraordinary and excellent Service.)
All views expressed are personal.
एक टिप्पणी भेजें