Sanatan and Children

I am a practising Hindu. I study Vedanta and Gita. I hold the word 'Sanatan' in the highest esteem; to follow it, one must follow Satyameva Jayate. The sad part is that the term 'Sanatan' is misunderstood. It means that which is eternal. It occurs in Guru Granth Sahib; in Pali texts, it means eternal Truth. It has nothing to do with a particular cult or faith.

This seeking of divinity is where the human cycle has come to. Aurobindo says the world is now moving away from structures and wants direct experience. India is at that juncture where Sanatan Dharm can rise. In Hinduism, we have nine darshans, from the extreme materialism of Charvak to the Advaita of pure consciousness. In India, along these same lines, scholars from all these darshanas emerged. Different opinions and perspectives were allowed, adding beauty, colour and richness to the search for Truth.

I agree with Kahlil Gibran: your children are not your children. They are our future, and we have to support them and let them grow. Plato said the world is moving exactly as predicted: after democracy, there is dictatorship; then comes rajrishi, the philosopher king; it must be forming somewhere still and will be revealed when we are worthy of good governance. When we live lives of truth, honesty and integrity. When we walk the right path, that right path opens.


Excerpts from a talk at KSLF