Dharmagraha
Dharmagraha literally can be translated as "holding to virtue" or "aggression and adhesion towards righteousness".
Dharmagraha as a "movement within" is a set of principles that we need to adhere, so as to bring in a radical change in the Dharmic Religious following and administration. What could be the radical change? Is it religious supremacy? Is it to fight against/for a certain cause? Is it time limited? Is it universally applicable? Let us examine.
Dharmagraha is a “movement”, a “revolution” within one’s ownself in a journey towards religious discipline and civil harmony. A practitioner of Dharmagraha is a Dharmagrahi who believes and practices the basic postulates of Sanatana Dharma. To a Dharmagrahi, religion is not subject of hateful discussion but a subject of duty, compassion and discipline. All the three, Duty, Compassion and Discipline are directed towards, god, self and society non-sequentially. Though, society is not restricted towards a geographic region or country in this context, a Dharmagrahi practices serious patriotism towards the nation that she/he belongs to.
Dharmagraha is a not a fight to religious supremacy, but an effort to consolidate faiths within and effectively establish the global administration of Sanatana Dharma. Dharmagraha is a penance that every practitioner needs to perform in this Himalayan task of consolidation and establishment. Dharmagraha is certainly an effort towards a cause but not a fight, where fight is mentioned in the sense of struggle or strives.
What does a Dharmagrahi adhere to?
- Dharmagrahi believes in Sanyukta Sanatana Dharma as the umbrella religion of all Dharmic faiths.
- Dharmagrahi’s faith towards her/his sect of Dharmic belief does not restrict her/him from recognizing and appreciating other sects of Sanyukta Sanatana Dharma.
- Dharmagrahi understands the necessity of one single religious administration of all Dharmic faiths.
- Dharmagrahi understands the holiness of all Dharmic Scriptures and their contribution towards human spirituality.
- Dharmagrahi understands that religious scriptures are dynamic and need to be interpreted with relevance to the need to contemporary society.
- Dharmagrahi strictly denounces inequality in treatment of fellow human beings across caste, creed, nationality and also religion.
- Dharmagrahi believes and adheres to those rituals and practices that she/he follows on a day to day basis.
- Dharmagrahi will make every attempt to understand the nature, cause and consequence of religious practices.
- Dharmagrahi will adhere strictly towards moral discipline as prescribed by Dharmic religious practices.
- Dharmagrahi is a devout patriot of her/his country.
- Dharmagrahi will choose patriotism to religion if there be a conflict between the two.
- Dharmagrahi believes that the Dharmic faiths and scriptures would never stand in her/his way to the national faith.
- Dharmagrahi makes every effort to explain/preach to Non-Dharmics the greatness of Sanatana Dharma.
- Dharmagrahi will never resort to undue use of violence.
- Dharmagrahi will at any given circumstance engage herself/himself in a healthy religious/philosophical debate within and outside the Dharmic faith.
- Dharmagrahi has a complete knowledge of the principles behind and consequent to Sanatana Dharma that are closely entwined to daily life.
- Dharmagrahi believes in peace, lives in peace, and worships peace at all circumstances.
- Dharmagrahi believes that a good deed done results and reverts back as good and a bad deed done results and reverts back as bad either in this or a subsequent birth.
- Dharmagrahi believes that knowledge leads to wisdom and peace and thus is knowledgeable and a spreads knowledge, both, material and spiritual.
- Dharmagrahi admires, nurtures and worships knowledge.
- Dharmagrahi will abstain from abusing nature and its resources.
- Dharmagrahi rightfully admires, conserves and worships nature.
- Dharmagrahi is an embodiment of humility. She/he abstains from the intoxication of ego and material pride.
- Dharmagrahi has is duty bound towards god, society, family and self.
- Dharmagrahi believes that god is love and godliness is expressed through love and compassion.
- Dharmagrahi believes that is godliness originates from one’s own self.
- Dharmagrahi believes that unqualified surrender to divine is the only path to salvation.
Sanathana Dharma or the Eternal Law is fragmented due to the forces of external and contradicting faiths. While the world is facing a sharp religious divide that affects socio-political and economic life of every world citizen, it becomes imminent for the flag bearers of Sanathana Dharma to unify the faith into “ONE” beyond the political and geographical frontiers of countries and civilizations.
The Great Religious Divide
The world is divided sharply into three segments of faith, Christian, Islamic and Others. While, Vatican and Anglicans champion the causes of Christian administration, neo political crusades and the fast rising conversion targets, Islamic countries that offer minimal tolerance to other faiths and Jihadis champion the cause of Islamic interests all over the world.
Left over are the “OTHERS”. Surprisingly enough, “others” form about 50% of the world population out of which 20% of Dharmics. In spite of being one-fifth of world’s population, a) There is no common religious administration of Dharmic across the world; b) There is no sovereign to voice, propel and direct Dharmics through the weeds of contradicting faiths; c) There is no common umbrella under which fragmented Dharmics could identify themselves. Isn’t it not the time to unify one-fifth of world’s population that follows a single faith?
Sections Within
Dharmic faiths can be divided in two at large on the basis of schools of belief and worship. One is Vedic and the other is Non-Vedic.
Vedic faith could be further divided into a) Philosophy of Non-Dualism {Adwaitha} (universal and can be complementing any other Vedic worship), b) Followership/Worship of Shiva {Shaiva}, c) Philosophy of Dualism {Dwaitha} (which is also vaishnavism), d) Philosophy of Qualified Non - Dualism {Visishtadwaitha} (which is again vaishnavism), e) Followership/Worship of Mother Goddess {Shaakta} (which is complimentary to Shaivism) and f) Followership/Worship of Kumara {Kaumara} (which is also complementary to Shaivism).
Non-Vedic part of Sanatana Dharma comprise of a) Buddhism, b) Jainism, c) Sikhism and d) More contemporary schools of thought such as Brahma Samaj, Vallalar's Jothi Worship.
a) Such a rich philosophy of worship and life does not have a supreme seat now to pronounce religious decrees; b) Such a diverse faith does not possess a binding force at the preceptor’s level.
Don’t we need a supreme preceptor’s body to pronounce the course of Sanatana Dharma? Isn’t it time for us to come out of this fragmentation?
Unification
The first step towards cooperation, if not unification, has happened after the advent of Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha that meets once in a year. However, this only comprises the Vedic Dharmic gurus and meets only to discuss some important issues when they arise like some legislations, to protest/support any governmental action etc. A larger agenda of Acharya Sabha is not yet clear.
What is imminent currently is a bigger and wider version of the Sabha also comprising of the Non-Vedic Sanatana Dharma. A body that also actively involved in codification of doctrines, postulates and holy scriptures of Sanatana Dharma to act as its Supreme Body. The seat should be universal including every single Dharmic of the world, a true Vasudeva Kudumbakam.
