First, it is essential to understand the underlying thinking, structure, and foundational worldviews of Hindu Dharma. This foundation will readily validate everything you have said about Indian social structures and societal operating systems.
The fundamental hypothesis underlying all the Hindu/Sanathana/Dharmic approaches to life entails the following root assumptions or worldviews:
Man is the highest-evolved species in the universe of animate and inanimate things. He is unique in that he is endowed with a sense (sixth sense) that is absent in all other creatures. This subtle power means that when a man gets a stimulus, he can then apply his mind and respond to the stimulus as per his own wilful thought-through process, unlike other creatures who are wired to respond to any given stimulus without the application of a conscious thought in between stimulus and response.
Thanks to Bhagvan's intelligence or laws, the universe is kept in equilibrium. In the free flow of an evolving universe, this equilibrium is sustained. However, man, with his sixth sense and the power of willful action, can cause destability or disturb the equilibrium.
This power, with its innate potential to disturb equilibrium, is recognized, and the Scriptures prescribe how man should exercise his willful action. That prescription is Dharma.
Dharma comes from the dhatu (root) Dhru. It means to sustain. So man has to act Dharmically so that he causes the least destability to this integrated universe playing out through the laws of God.
What is a Dharmic action in a given situation where man is compelled to act, and how does man choose it as his willful response? For this, man has to enhance the powers of his faculties of body, mind, and intellect to get a universal integrated picture to decide how he responds to a particular situation in the best dharmic manner, causing the least long-term destability.
Man can enhance his faculties through Adhyatma and various prescribed sadhanas. These help men get a perceptive picture of the universe, and with the Dheerga-Dhrishti, he can decide or prescribe the Dharmic actions in any given situation.
This process of deciding what Dharma is and taking dharmic action after evolving through the sadhanas is called the trait of Brahmana. It created the social varna of a Brahmin who is competent to prescribe what is Dharma. Such evolved Brahmanas have compiled the various Dharma Shashtras, which men can use as a guide to remain on a dharmic path.
The beauty of following the sadhanas to achieve self-enhancement is that man soon realizes that he still has a stage to evolve. The man undoubtedly is the most evolved creature. But he remains a unit identity with his ego confined and limited by the faculties of body, mind, and intellect. When he performs the sadhanas, he realizes that the process of evolution is compelling him to transcend his identity as a unique unitary person to realms where his ego is not a limitation.
This process of spiritual growth is akin to how mass, when accelerated to speeds nearing that of light, loses its unique identity of physical mass and transforms into an identity-less energy. Similarly, an increase in his spiritual speed through sadhanas dissolves his ego, and his identity is transcended. This evolution is when one reaches the ultimate state of enlightenment, which is termed the realization when Jeevatma merges and identifies with Paramatma. Even though a person may achieve enlightenment even as he lives as an individual entity, he perceives the universe as the ocean rising beyond individual waves, which are just manifestations of the truth that is the ocean.
The above brings us to two distinct foundational facets of a man in the dharmic system.
Man has a Secular way of life in which he transacts as an individual in society. The secular way is the Vyavaharika domain of his life.
While living in the secular vyavaharika domain, he pursues spiritual growth -the Adhyatmika domain. In the Dharmic worldview applicable to India, Secular is used in contra-distinction to Spiritual - and not the crap the West defines and further crap which coloniality has perverted as secular in India.
Man's ability to pursue his Adhyatmika goal is compelling as it is a part of evolution dictated by nature (God's intelligent laws). Therefore, it is imperative that Dharma is established in society, as uninterrupted spiritual growth requires Dharma as a societal platform.
That brings us to the Kshatriya. While a Brahmin prescribes what Dharma is, a Kshatriya—another important social group endowed with this guna - ensures Dharma is established, even if it entails waging war with forces unleashing Adharma.
As Artha is a valid purushartha and is absolutely dharmic for society's well-being, it brings in the specific group of Vyshyas with this guna.
All the objectives of the above three groups require institutions and infrastructure to help the constant effort of upholding Dharma. This requires a large number of workers to help the successful running of institutions. This is the varna called the Shudras—ground-level workers who support the organization and the efforts of the groups leading the above three gunas.
The Dharmic worldview of man's life must dictate everything about social structure and economic, political, and religious activity—the understanding and adaptation of Dharma Shashtras, Nyaya Shashtras, and Artha Shashtras to present-day India.
Is this so?
We can find out by putting the Constitution and Hindu-Muslim(Abrahamic) religious issues through the litmus test of conformance to Dharma. To our dismay, we will find that these aspects of the Indian nation are extremely adharmic as they exist and further intensify Adharma as we move ahead.
For the present piece, let me stop here. I can write further articles addressing each dimension of increasing Adharma in the Indian context.
You have given a very crisp insight into Hinduism. I would like to use some of the points you have made in my ebook if it is ok with you. Please check out my ebook on Hinduism and if you have suggestions or there are any improvements please let me know. You can download it here https://bit.ly/RDHinduism
I agree with you that Constitution does adhere to or encourage Dharma properly. I have discussed Constitution in this video https://youtu.be/xfbdAxJjAds
It is my contention that our constitution written by Sir Benegal Rao, a servant of the Queen of England and an annexure of the freedom of India Act of UK, started off as an Adharmic document as it was based on Judo-Christian basis and not based on Dharma. What Dr. BR Ambedkar did was the adoption (with agreed changes) in the Constituent Assembly. What was created was the preamble. It incorporated all Dharmic intentions and directions so that the said constitution can be quickly adopted to drive out the British and then slowly we will try to make the said document Dharmic. But alas, thanks to post colonial Nehruvian disease afflicting all institutions particularly Judiciary he Constitution is becoming more Adharmic by the day being enriched with mostly Adharmic verdicts. We are drifting as a nation more and more away from Dharma.
This is a very involved and debatable topic, which I believe people like J Sai Deepak are better equipped to address. We can elaborately discuss how we are becoming more and more Adharmic and whether we can reverse the process and what it takes to do it.
Meanwhile I would like to address below just one aspect of Adharma which is to with the Hindu-Muslim context.
Pseudo liberals like Barkha, who keeps bleeding for Muslims (presumably not for any great love or concern for Muslims but, to my mind, a hatred for Hindus), has to understand the core problems of Hindu-Muslim issues in India at the very root:
The fundamental tenet of Hinduism is Dharma. After establishing a platform of Dharma, man has to pursue Spirituality (Adhyatmika Domain) to graduate from limited to unlimited. The societal domain (Vyavaharika or secular) is dictated by Dharma.
Dharma is an action or approach that causes the least disturbance, causing the least destability. Adharma increases destability.
The fundamental tenets of Islam - in fact, all Abrahamic religions - are Exclusivity (my God is the only true God, and all others are false) and Expansionism (a duty of every believer to act to make the entire world Islamic/Xtian).
India is a Dharmic nation that follows the path that anything that causes destability (Adharma), we will fight to establish Dharma even if it entails waging war. So Abrahamic religions that exhibit exclusivity and carry out expansionism are Adharmic, and they (exclusivity and expansionism - not Islam or Christian religion) need to be fought tooth and nail to restore Dharma.
Islam has three states: 1. Dar-ul-Islam 2. Dar-ul-Harb 3. Dar-ul-Aman. Only 1 & 3 can be stable and hence support Dharmic actions. UAE and progressive Mideast nations are stable as they dare to be so because they're Dar-ul-Islam. State 2 Dar-ul-Harb, its state in India, is viscerally Adharmic. We must force Muslims to adopt only state 3: dar-ul-aman.
Hindus in India must fight to push Muslims to State 3 and make them realize that State 2 dar-ul-harb will just not be tolerated. It is a bitter fight and tough war to contain the Muslims to confine to status 3. This only means shunning "Exclusivity & Expansionism" - not their religion. And to this end, the secular delusion of post-colonial Hindus is a constraint. So-called “liberal” and “secular” Hindus are conspiring to help Muslims to perpetuate Dar-ul-Harb.
So, such Hindus are Adharmic and the first enemies of Hindus even before Abrahamic faiths. I am aghast to see so many woke liberals foolishly supporting the Islamic agenda without realizing that they are causing their own annihilation. Muslims and Christians must be clearly told they are free to follow their faith provided it is done upholding Dharma – sustaining the society and not causing instability. For that, they have to shun “Exclusivity” and “Expansionism” in the Secular (vyvaharika) domain.
First, it is essential to understand the underlying thinking, structure, and foundational worldviews of Hindu Dharma. This foundation will readily validate everything you have said about Indian social structures and societal operating systems.
The fundamental hypothesis underlying all the Hindu/Sanathana/Dharmic approaches to life entails the following root assumptions or worldviews:
Man is the highest-evolved species in the universe of animate and inanimate things. He is unique in that he is endowed with a sense (sixth sense) that is absent in all other creatures. This subtle power means that when a man gets a stimulus, he can then apply his mind and respond to the stimulus as per his own wilful thought-through process, unlike other creatures who are wired to respond to any given stimulus without the application of a conscious thought in between stimulus and response.
Thanks to Bhagvan's intelligence or laws, the universe is kept in equilibrium. In the free flow of an evolving universe, this equilibrium is sustained. However, man, with his sixth sense and the power of willful action, can cause destability or disturb the equilibrium.
This power, with its innate potential to disturb equilibrium, is recognized, and the Scriptures prescribe how man should exercise his willful action. That prescription is Dharma.
Dharma comes from the dhatu (root) Dhru. It means to sustain. So man has to act Dharmically so that he causes the least destability to this integrated universe playing out through the laws of God.
What is a Dharmic action in a given situation where man is compelled to act, and how does man choose it as his willful response? For this, man has to enhance the powers of his faculties of body, mind, and intellect to get a universal integrated picture to decide how he responds to a particular situation in the best dharmic manner, causing the least long-term destability.
Man can enhance his faculties through Adhyatma and various prescribed sadhanas. These help men get a perceptive picture of the universe, and with the Dheerga-Dhrishti, he can decide or prescribe the Dharmic actions in any given situation.
This process of deciding what Dharma is and taking dharmic action after evolving through the sadhanas is called the trait of Brahmana. It created the social varna of a Brahmin who is competent to prescribe what is Dharma. Such evolved Brahmanas have compiled the various Dharma Shashtras, which men can use as a guide to remain on a dharmic path.
The beauty of following the sadhanas to achieve self-enhancement is that man soon realizes that he still has a stage to evolve. The man undoubtedly is the most evolved creature. But he remains a unit identity with his ego confined and limited by the faculties of body, mind, and intellect. When he performs the sadhanas, he realizes that the process of evolution is compelling him to transcend his identity as a unique unitary person to realms where his ego is not a limitation.
This process of spiritual growth is akin to how mass, when accelerated to speeds nearing that of light, loses its unique identity of physical mass and transforms into an identity-less energy. Similarly, an increase in his spiritual speed through sadhanas dissolves his ego, and his identity is transcended. This evolution is when one reaches the ultimate state of enlightenment, which is termed the realization when Jeevatma merges and identifies with Paramatma. Even though a person may achieve enlightenment even as he lives as an individual entity, he perceives the universe as the ocean rising beyond individual waves, which are just manifestations of the truth that is the ocean.
The above brings us to two distinct foundational facets of a man in the dharmic system.
Man has a Secular way of life in which he transacts as an individual in society. The secular way is the Vyavaharika domain of his life.
While living in the secular vyavaharika domain, he pursues spiritual growth -the Adhyatmika domain. In the Dharmic worldview applicable to India, Secular is used in contra-distinction to Spiritual - and not the crap the West defines and further crap which coloniality has perverted as secular in India.
Man's ability to pursue his Adhyatmika goal is compelling as it is a part of evolution dictated by nature (God's intelligent laws). Therefore, it is imperative that Dharma is established in society, as uninterrupted spiritual growth requires Dharma as a societal platform.
That brings us to the Kshatriya. While a Brahmin prescribes what Dharma is, a Kshatriya—another important social group endowed with this guna - ensures Dharma is established, even if it entails waging war with forces unleashing Adharma.
As Artha is a valid purushartha and is absolutely dharmic for society's well-being, it brings in the specific group of Vyshyas with this guna.
All the objectives of the above three groups require institutions and infrastructure to help the constant effort of upholding Dharma. This requires a large number of workers to help the successful running of institutions. This is the varna called the Shudras—ground-level workers who support the organization and the efforts of the groups leading the above three gunas.
The Dharmic worldview of man's life must dictate everything about social structure and economic, political, and religious activity—the understanding and adaptation of Dharma Shashtras, Nyaya Shashtras, and Artha Shashtras to present-day India.
Is this so?
We can find out by putting the Constitution and Hindu-Muslim(Abrahamic) religious issues through the litmus test of conformance to Dharma. To our dismay, we will find that these aspects of the Indian nation are extremely adharmic as they exist and further intensify Adharma as we move ahead.
For the present piece, let me stop here. I can write further articles addressing each dimension of increasing Adharma in the Indian context.
Thank you for your comment.
You have given a very crisp insight into Hinduism. I would like to use some of the points you have made in my ebook if it is ok with you. Please check out my ebook on Hinduism and if you have suggestions or there are any improvements please let me know. You can download it here https://bit.ly/RDHinduism
I agree with you that Constitution does adhere to or encourage Dharma properly. I have discussed Constitution in this video https://youtu.be/xfbdAxJjAds
Thanks once again.
Sure go ahead and use it.
It is my contention that our constitution written by Sir Benegal Rao, a servant of the Queen of England and an annexure of the freedom of India Act of UK, started off as an Adharmic document as it was based on Judo-Christian basis and not based on Dharma. What Dr. BR Ambedkar did was the adoption (with agreed changes) in the Constituent Assembly. What was created was the preamble. It incorporated all Dharmic intentions and directions so that the said constitution can be quickly adopted to drive out the British and then slowly we will try to make the said document Dharmic. But alas, thanks to post colonial Nehruvian disease afflicting all institutions particularly Judiciary he Constitution is becoming more Adharmic by the day being enriched with mostly Adharmic verdicts. We are drifting as a nation more and more away from Dharma.
This is a very involved and debatable topic, which I believe people like J Sai Deepak are better equipped to address. We can elaborately discuss how we are becoming more and more Adharmic and whether we can reverse the process and what it takes to do it.
Meanwhile I would like to address below just one aspect of Adharma which is to with the Hindu-Muslim context.
Pseudo liberals like Barkha, who keeps bleeding for Muslims (presumably not for any great love or concern for Muslims but, to my mind, a hatred for Hindus), has to understand the core problems of Hindu-Muslim issues in India at the very root:
The fundamental tenet of Hinduism is Dharma. After establishing a platform of Dharma, man has to pursue Spirituality (Adhyatmika Domain) to graduate from limited to unlimited. The societal domain (Vyavaharika or secular) is dictated by Dharma.
Dharma is an action or approach that causes the least disturbance, causing the least destability. Adharma increases destability.
The fundamental tenets of Islam - in fact, all Abrahamic religions - are Exclusivity (my God is the only true God, and all others are false) and Expansionism (a duty of every believer to act to make the entire world Islamic/Xtian).
India is a Dharmic nation that follows the path that anything that causes destability (Adharma), we will fight to establish Dharma even if it entails waging war. So Abrahamic religions that exhibit exclusivity and carry out expansionism are Adharmic, and they (exclusivity and expansionism - not Islam or Christian religion) need to be fought tooth and nail to restore Dharma.
Islam has three states: 1. Dar-ul-Islam 2. Dar-ul-Harb 3. Dar-ul-Aman. Only 1 & 3 can be stable and hence support Dharmic actions. UAE and progressive Mideast nations are stable as they dare to be so because they're Dar-ul-Islam. State 2 Dar-ul-Harb, its state in India, is viscerally Adharmic. We must force Muslims to adopt only state 3: dar-ul-aman.
Hindus in India must fight to push Muslims to State 3 and make them realize that State 2 dar-ul-harb will just not be tolerated. It is a bitter fight and tough war to contain the Muslims to confine to status 3. This only means shunning "Exclusivity & Expansionism" - not their religion. And to this end, the secular delusion of post-colonial Hindus is a constraint. So-called “liberal” and “secular” Hindus are conspiring to help Muslims to perpetuate Dar-ul-Harb.
So, such Hindus are Adharmic and the first enemies of Hindus even before Abrahamic faiths. I am aghast to see so many woke liberals foolishly supporting the Islamic agenda without realizing that they are causing their own annihilation. Muslims and Christians must be clearly told they are free to follow their faith provided it is done upholding Dharma – sustaining the society and not causing instability. For that, they have to shun “Exclusivity” and “Expansionism” in the Secular (vyvaharika) domain.