“Unravelling Sanātana Bharat” – The lifeline of samskritic Bharat 

The book, “Unravelling Sanātana Bharat” by Arun Ganesh and Dr. Ankit Shah acknowledges the urge to transform Bharat in the next 25-year timeframe, fulcrumed on almost 25,000 years of its samskriti, underpinned by dharmic principles, which are sanātana (eternal, and not static, for their ability to renew themselves). This is the reason, according to Sri Aurobindo, “Sanātana Dharma is life itself; it is thing that has not so much to be believed as lived”. 

Samskriti means to live life in an equanimous way - to move with equanimity, ease and exuberance, allowing the human system to attain its peak and let human beings reach their fullest capabilities, with an ability to see things as they are. ‘Samskriti’ represents an essence whose antiquity is older than the legend. The aim of this essence is to allow human mechanism to grow to its fullest potential. Samskriti is not just confined to the material world and includes the pursuit of a higher purpose. Sanātana Dharma samskriti is an inseparable part of the integrally unified Dharma. Aesthetic and sensual pursuits in samskriti are thus under this framework, differing from ‘culture’, which is ill-defined in comparison, devoid of any unified or singular metaphysical foundation.

However, there has been an entire world of opinions, beliefs, interpretations, stereotypes, and narratives around Sanātana Dharma of every sort, variety, and hue, existing for a long time, and getting articulated from time to time. The book endeavours to put out the truth following a Pūrva Paksha (Former view/position) approach. This is a traditional dharmic approach, which is a dialectical process, taking a thesis by an opponent ('Pūrva Pakshin') and then providing answers and rationale ('Khandāna') to establish the protagonist's views ('Siddhanta'). The Pūrva Paksha tradition required any debater first to argue from the perspective of his opponent to test the validity of his understanding of the opposing position. Only after perfecting his understanding of opposing views would, he be qualified to answer them. Such debates encouraged individuals to maintain flexibility of perspective and honesty. In this way, the dialectical process ensured a far-reaching shift in the individual.

All the chapters of the book, “Unravelling Sanātana Bharat”, individually and taken together, endeavor to provide truthful answers and rationale ('Khandāna') to the ‘Pūrva Pakshin’ viewpoints - opinions, and the stereotypes - and to establish protagonists’ viewpoints ('Siddhanta'). Shrimad Bhagavad-gītā provides us the best example to this approach, since it is a text about dharma. Following Arjuna’s dejection and his refusal to fight (the first and the most poetic chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, which sets the background to the war and sets the context), Bhagavad-gītā provides answers, in the remaining seventeen chapters. Each person who delves into Bhagavad-gītā finds his/her own answer, which comes through self-reflection and introspection (which in turn requires stillness), and not through analysis and vivisection. 

As Dharma and ‘Sanskrit’ (known as Deva-Vani – Gods’ language, Sanskrit means ‘elaborated’, ‘refined’, ‘cultured’ and ‘civilized’, implying wholeness of expression; Sanskrit was once the lingua franca of Bharat. Three-fourths of the population speak languages derived from Sanskrit) have been deeply intertwined in Bharat since time immemorial, this book uses teachings in Sanskrit (or referred to), in various texts, and its translations into English. The task is to rebuild Bharat and become the worthy legatee of what Bharat stands for, in terms of its disposition and ‘sanātani values such as Ahimsa, Satyam, and Brahmacharya etc., which is what makes a person dharmic. Anyone who follows these values is a Sanātani.’, reminding ourselves that we are an ideational state and not an ideological state. Bharat’s continuum rests on its universal consciousness and identity, cosmic intelligence and vision, and limitless responsibility. The spirit of Sanātana Bharat is the ideal horizon – a promise of hope and emancipation for all - through an inclusive Rashtra, which embodies a more inclusive and spiritual approach to unity, while ‘Nation’ is often characterized by materialistic and territorial aspects. Enduring civilizations are built on the mindful presence of thoughts and practices of enlightened beings who kept the lamp of wisdom burning throughout.

Bharat was always a samskritic and geographical entity. It was never understood in religious or political context, its subtext was samskritic. Even to outsiders, the land mass between the ocean and the Himalayas was always looked at as Bharat. It was a collection of Janapadas, which had the footprints of all citizens.  The concept of Janapadas is derived from a dharmic view of accommodating diversity of every citizen (Jana) who sets his foot (pada) on this soil, which is natural for a samskriti that is groomed for questioning and seeking. Thus, our concept of a ‘Rashtra’ was already inclusive, and global. 

According to Sri Aurobindo, the ‘Sanātana Dharma’ (the essence of Bhartiya Samskriti) is nationalism. Dharma is for everyone, living and non-living. It is universal. Opposite to this, the contemporary world consists of nations which are officially identified with specific religions based on the concept of othering.  When Bharat explores its Ādhyātmika state (immanent and transcendent Self) – at the root are tendencies, behavioral patterns, and certain key karmic factors that are responsible for our form-based reality or the diverse human roles we essay, and the different lives we live. But depending upon how one encounters life, one also creates life. Therefore, life is never really what happens to us; life is how we respond to what happens. This response is destiny/karma. Sanātana Dharma is a consequence of fearless, guiltless, greedless human beings, not because of any particular way of life but because of its Way of Being. This is also the reason Sanātana Dharma is for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as Bharat’s larger vision has always been ‘World is One Family’ - “One is a relative; the other is a stranger, say the small-minded; The entire world is a family; for the one who lives magnanimously.”     

In some ways, Sanātana Dharma, as a science and a samskriti, is a mass application of Yogic Sciences, to break the limitations of being a person and become a presence. Yoga allows one to break free of physicality or cyclicality of compulsions to experience the oneness with existence. Yoga is thus a union with the whole existence which is just one energy: Not an expression of who ‘you’ are but determining who ‘you’ are and who ‘you’ wish to be. The most important aspect is that Sanātana Dhrama means one is not caught up with the immediate needs of the day. One’s focus is always pitched towards the ultimate goal of life, which is liberation (since the human longing is to become limitless). The Sanātana Dharma best represents the idea of the fundamental truths ever presented, as meaning the eternal Dharma. It is time to unravel Sanātana Bharat for the sake of entire humanity!