Reference to Sanatan, Hindu evokes baffling reaction in India: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday lamented that reference to Sanatan and Hindu in India evokes baffling reaction from "misguided" people. He also said that people who react to these terms without understanding the depths of the words and their deep meaning are "misguided" souls driven by a "dangerous ecosystem".

Addressing the International Congress of Vedanta organised at JNU here, Dhankhar said it was ironical and painful that in this country "reference to Sanatan, reference to Hindu evokes baffling reaction beyond comprehension."

"Rather than understand the depth of these words, their deep meaning, people tend to be in a reaction mode at the drop of a hat," he said.


Dhankhar dubbed such people as "souls which are misguided themselves". He said such persons are "driven by a dangerous ecosystem that is a threat not only to society but to themselves".

The vice president said at a time when global disciplines are embracing the Vedanta philosophy, there are "some in this land of spirituality", who dismiss Vedanta and Sanatani text as "regressive".

"This dismissal often stems from perverted, colonial mindsets, inefficient understanding of our intellectual heritage. These elements work in a structured manner, in a sinister fashion," the vice president said.