Hinduism & Sanātana Dharma


It has become fashionable for many Indians of Hindu heritage to disassociate themselves from 'religion' and to identify themselves as'spiritual.'  

While it is true that the basis of Hinduism is the eternal and universal Sanathana Dharma, it is worth pondering what might and is happening  people just dropped the word "Hindu" tomorrow and used only "Sanātana Dharma" without sufficient explanation.

The Westernised "Spiritual But Not Religious"  movement has already colonised Yoga by the way asanas or the physical aspect has been over-played and commercialised, the same going for tantra, Ayurveda etc.  Unfortunately many Indians themselves - either blissfully or wilfully ignorant of the Hindu philosophical and spiritual roots - are themselves allergic to the 'H' for Hindu association and buy back the re-packaged Yoga from the West.

The same process is happening with regards to  Sanātana Dharma's expanded definition to a more limited one,  to fit in their own conceptual lenses or financial aspirations.  As the term is mostly unknown outside of India like Yoga was, it would be easy   to make it mean anything at all. "Sanātana Dharma" studios would appear all over the place  with no connection to the Hindu traditions. 

Already Yoga itself has been contorted into such things as interpretive dance, dog yoga, beer/queer yoga, self expression courses, erotic emancipation, discovering your "true self" groups [devoid of Upanishadic insights of self as Ātma] 

Be this a case of erosion or innovation,  any Hindu would recognize that this has little to do with actual "Sanātana Dharma" as the fundamental basis of the Hindu traditions, and from which Yoga, Ayurveda and so on emerged. 

 The speed at which Hindu traditions are consumed and recontextualized is something to consider, if not for anything else but to ensure heritage and history and living traditions are respected and valued. 

This is not a backward looking approach but looking squarely in the face what the new religion of globalisation and universalisation masks.

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