Sanatan Dharma and Western Intellectuals

Salil Gewali

A person who does not properly know (a+b)2 and perpendicular should not speak about Integral calculus and Matrix Algebra. Unlearned political leaders with self-centered ambitions can hardly define Sanatan Dharma (or Hinduism). Sadly, such immature public figures like Udhayanidhi Stalin, MK Stalin, D Raja, Prof. Divya Dwivedi… who deliberately denigrated Sanatan Darma (Hinduism), hold sway over huge, unsuspecting masses in society. Such people as in Europe’s medieval times, lead public into the darkness of ignorance. They pose serious threats to the communal harmony among the different communities.

            Unlike in the West, “Dharma” (religion) in the ancient scriptures refers to a far deeper meaning. If you go into it deeply, you will be amazed to find that it carries under its wing the intellectual wisdom of the highest order. 

            A great American thinker, Henry David Thoreau, writes in his masterpiece WALDEN: “In the Indian ancient scriptures, the idea of man is quite ILLIMITABLE and SUBLIME. He is at length lost in the SUPREME ENTITY himself.” Can our so-called intellectuals who look upon the Western intellectuals as their masters refute Henry Thoreau. Therefore, there is a great mantra (mahavakya) in one of the Upanishads: “Tat
Tvam Asi”, meaning “Thou Art That” — unity of an individual soul with “Brahman” –UNIVERSAL CONCIOUSNESS, we also call it God. 

Carl Sagan

          Of course, the scriptures of “dharma” (or religion) not only speak of ethics, duty, the laws of karma, life, the afterlife and reincarnation; they also expound with absolute precision the cosmic setup and infinite timeline. A great American astrophysicist Carl Sagan says: “The Hindu religion is the only one of the world’s great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which the time scales correspond, to those of modern scientific cosmology.” — (source – COSMOS by Carl Sagan).

Erwin Schrodinger

With the finding of pulsating vibration of Quantum physics, David Bohm, David Josephson, Archibald Wheeler, Jack Sarfatti, John Hagelin, and John Bells had made attempts to plunge headlong into the cosmic sea of “UNIVERSAL Consciousness” of Upanishads as an ultimate answer.

Furthermore, after taking a plunge into Indian scriptures, TS Eliot also exclaimed, “Indian philosophers’ subtleties make most of the great European philosophers look like schoolboys.” Incidentally, the British Prime Minister Rishu Sunak, who was in India for the G20 summit, said that he takes pride in his ‘Hindu’ roots. To the media, he said, “I think faith is something that helps everybody who has faith in their lives, particularly when you have these stressful jobs like I do. Having faith to give you resilience to give you strength is important.”


What a paradox! Many pseudo-intellectuals in the home country choose to just dismiss and belittle Hindu culture and its intellectual heritage. They neither have respect for Sanatan Dharma nor have they ever put effort to delve into its extensive spiritual texts.


Nothing is more disheartening in the country than seeing the “Courts of Law” watch in silence while non-Hindu leaders disparage the profound WISDOM of Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism). There are countless instances when leaders and celebrities deliberately belittled Sanatan Dharma and respected courts did not utter a word against them.  However, when Nupur Sharma, an outspoken social activist, came out in defense of a deluge of offensive remarks made against Hindu culture, the same court yelled and
lambasted her. What if Nupur Sharma on that fateful day was not “provoked”? At least chaos would not have ensued. Who provoked Ms. Sharma, and why are such provocations purposefully ignored while her isolated eruptions are not? Who will answer this reasonably?


Many saints were immediately put behind bars for hate speeches, while non-Hindus, with impunity, deliver hate speeches every day against Sanatan Dharma or even the country in various public forums, newsrooms and social media platforms. If Courts of Laws were sincerely strict and unbiased as they are against Hindus, Udhayanidhi Stalin, MK Stalin et al would not have the audacity to ridicule Sanatan Dharma. Therefore, many other leaders are now publicly backing Udhayanidhi Stalin.  This is in fact a serious development in the country which is tantamount to leaving the entire Hindu population in
the lurch. Are the “custodians” of the constitution listening? Pseudo-secularism has done greater harm to the nation and its integrity.


An India-based writer and researcher, Salil Gewali is best known for his research-based work entitled
‘Great Minds on India’ that has earned worldwide appreciation. Translated into thirteen languages, his
book has been edited by a former NASA scientist – Dr. AV Murali of Houston, USA.

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