Krishna and the Sanatana Dharma

The Ishavasya Upanishad – The Great Truth of the eternal Sanatana Dharma in a nutshell

“The Highest Purusha who dwells in You, that I am”

It is hard to understand why most people fail to comprehend the politics behind organised religion. Karl Marx rightly said that religion is the opium of the masses. Rulers take control of the minds of huge numbers of people by dictating to them what they should think and believe in.

Life

Everything exists until life exists and we know we exist only when we are awake and conscious. It is this state of consciousness that tells us that we are even alive. When people are asleep, they neither know they are alive nor do they know which religion or cult they belong to. Life is the most important thing which should never be taken for granted.

Faith and belief

The belief in a tomorrow and the hope that it would be a better one, make life worth living. The adage ‘Faith can move mountains,’ proves that the human mind is the most powerful force and its harnessing and training are absolutely essential.

SANATANA DHARMA and Karma – A quick look

This is not a religion but a ‘Dharma’ (Way of life). It was neither started by nor named after anyone. It is certainly not polytheistic as many think. There aren’t thousands of Gods but there are numerous manifestations or expressions of the all-pervading Supreme Divine. The Sanatana Dharma a.k.a. ‘Hinduism’ is more of a monistic philosophy. ‘Advaita‘ or ‘Nondualism’ is the foundation of this way of life. Nondualism literally means ‘No two’ or rather God and ‘I’ are not separate. The various Deities are anthropomorphisations of different forces and are steps used to train the mind in order to reach the highest.

A well informed Sanatani (Hindu) finds the clichéd question, ‘Does God exist?’ to be an absolutely silly one. This is because, the Sanatana Dharma is the one and only modern, scientific, rational and logical way of life which does not propound childish theories such as that of a God living in heaven and that of a six-day creation of the earth, moon, fish, birds, animals and humans. There is no one sitting in the clouds and watching people all the time. There is no hell (purgatory) nor heaven. There is no beginning and no end but only cycles of time.

By understanding the Bhagavad Gita, one learns the art and technique of achieving superconsciousness by learning to harness the power of the mind through devotion, knowledge and right action. The Bhagavad Gita teaches righteousness which can be followed in life through any one or through all the Three Margas (Paths) instructed directly to Arjuna by Bhagavan Krishna Himself. A person who has learned this stays within the framework of Dharma and yet attains the ability to achieve almost anything. Such a person is blessed with a stable mind and absolute fearlessness.

Religion and politics

Sanatana Dharma as taught by Krishna can never be used as opium for the masses because it is basically unsuitable for politics. Followers of Sanatana Dharma follow the rules of Karma and they can directly connect with God. They do not have to submit to authority as expected in organised religions. From a political point of view, it is a serious ‘flaw’ and therefore the Dharma was hijacked by kings, landlords and other powerful people who twisted it and used it to subjugate people. The caste system is an example of the results caused by such manipulating and distorting of the philosophy.

As per organised religions, it is invariably the King who is the head of the religious community and he is supported by priests who in turn brainwash the masses into believing that the king has been appointed by God. That’s how their system works.

Since time immemorial, great wars have been fought by greedy and power-hungry rulers that killed millions of people. Amazing civilisations were completely destroyed. New ideologies and religions were spread around the world by the sword. People were repeatedly told lies generations after generations. These lies became ‘truths’ that people kill and die for.

Humans are slaves of their own mind which is fuelled by conceit, lust, greed and anger. These qualities which are actually extremely perilous can lead people into committing totally inhuman and barbaric acts and can eventually destroy even the most powerful person.

Mastering the mind and understanding the eternal truth

Krishna teaches Arjuna the way to master his mind through transcendental knowledge and to attain Supreme Consciousness. Krishna says, “A person who is devoted to the path of selfless action, has a pure mind or a purified soul, has his body and senses under control, is compassionate to all living beings and sees his Self in them, although engaged in work, is never in bondage. “(Gita 5:7)
“A person who sees Me (Krishna) everywhere and sees everything in Me, is not separated from Me nor am I separated from him.” (Gita 6:30)

Krishna the formless One or the One with a form?

Humans can develop a deep relationship with a person, animal or even an inanimate object. There are people who love plants and trees and they develop extremely deep relationships with them too. But it is not possible to build a relationship with abstract and formless things such as the wind, the heat, cold, etc. When we think of someone or something, we usually tend to visualise that person or thing in our mind. That is how we are able to relate to them.

“Those whose minds are set on an unmanifest and impersonal Absolute Power face difficulties in reaching the goal. This is because people always identify with the body and when there is no perceptible form, it is difficult to perceive.” (Gita 12:5) Krishna explains to Arjuna that it would be difficult for people to connect with something that is formless. This means that a person will not be able to focus on and relate to God that is formless and hence the human form of Krishna.

Krishna is the formless one and also the One with a form of the devotee’s choice. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. Krishna is the entire system personified. Anyone can connect directly with Him without any need for agents, priests, spirits, mediums and others.

It is important to study, understand and protect the Sanatana Dharma from organised religions which are heavily funded by large international organisations. The Sanatana Dharma is the oldest and the only way of righteous living. It has survived through hundreds of years of invasions, plunder, atrocities, massacre and forceful conversions of its followers into other cults.

Love and devotion for Krishna

Loving Krishna helps in acquiring the POWER through unshakable FAITH in Him. Nothing is impossible for those who have Krishna in their heart.

The one and only scientific way of life in the whole world is the Sanatana Dharma. It is one that does not believe in creation where God is separate from His creation. It believes in eternity – that there has neither been a beginning nor will there be an end. It is indeed strange and also funny to note that the one and only scientific religion is labelled ‘old fashioned’ and its followers are called uninitiated people!

There have been and there are conspiracies by different powers aimed at destroying the very existence of Sanatana Dharma. The Dharma could not be subjugated during the almost 800 years of foreign rule and foreign rulers could not convert all Sanatanis. About 80% of the Indian population are Sanatanis. The stories and concepts explained by foreign missionaries could not convince Sanatanis. Whoever the foreign powers managed to convert were either very poor or they were put under severe duress and threatened to be killed or mutilated.

People of Bharat Varsh believe that there have already been 9 Avataraas of Vishnu and therefore new missionary concepts of God sending his son could have not made any great impression on them. Sanatanis may at the most consider Christ to be a great Guru and His preachings are respected by them. However what they don’t accept is that he is the only way – Jesus taught, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Sanatana Dharmic scriptures teach us that we are all tiny parts of a huge, immense and a perfect system. However, this scientific concept has been corrupted by Abrahamic dualistic ideas of a separate God who created the earth, the skies, the birds and the animals, thereby separating God from man. They put God’s son and some priests in between through whom the common man could reach God. Western education systems in Bharat Varsh have also played a great role in injecting the non-dualistic concept into the tender minds of unsuspecting school children. The decline of the great values of the Sanatana Dharma has been the result of well-planned moves by those who ruled Bharat Varsh. This greatly influenced and also caused the following:

i. The usage of the English Language in India and its influence on the way Indians look at philosophy.

ii. The break in the development of Indian languages during the centuries of being under foreign rule.

iii. The deep-rooted awe Indians have for the West and the strong belief that whatever comes from the West must be superior.

The above is exactly what one British man, Thomas Babington Macaulay, wanted to achieve. He lived between the years 1800 and 1859. He was the man behind promoting English as the medium of instruction in Indian schools. It was his idea to create a new generation of English speaking ‘Babus’ who would serve the British. He wanted to make Indians into a race that was Indian in blood and colour but English in taste, in opinions, morals and in intellect.

Macaulay believed that the world was divided into civilised and barbaric nations. His own country Great Britain, he believed, was at the top of civilisation.

On the 25th of February 1835, the English Education Act was passed by the Council of India. Macaulay in the minutes of his meeting, made this outrageous statement, “It is, I believe, no exaggeration to say that all the historical information which has been collected from all the books written in the Sanskrit language is less valuable than what may be found in the most paltry abridgement used at preparatory schools in England.”

Pseudo Westernisation is a term which is actually demeaning and humiliating but unfortunately, this phenomenon is indeed quite widespread among many Indians. It is saddening to note that many young members of the Indian society find it cool to NOT be able to speak their own language well just because they would like to appear ‘stylish’! As a matter of fact, they are being exactly what Macaulay wanted them to be. The disturbing question is that how could anyone be proud of not being able to do something?!

The Aryan Myth

Max Mueller who is believed to be the first man to speak in English about the ‘Aryan Race’ theory is greatly respected in India! Incidentally, he was one of those Westerners, who clearly and categorically said that Indians were inferior and that they could never have invented or discovered anything.

The Aryan Race story is taught as a true fact in Indian schools even until this day. The new Indian Government has promised to look into the Indian education system and to revise it. The time to teach the whole truth to the Indian youth has arrived. The European conquerors did everything possible to convince and brainwash Indians that whatever was superior, always came from them. History was systematically doctored and generations have been brainwashed to believe ridiculous stories propounded by western powers. The Nazis used the ‘Aryan Race theory’ in their own favour to establish their supremacy in the world. It is a well-known fact that there isn’t a single piece of evidence to prove the ‘Aryan Race’ story true.

A few months ago, a young NRI Sanatana Dharmic man, who happens to be one of my former students, informed me that he was in the process of discovering his own traditional roots and spiritual background. During our conversation, he told me almost apologetically, that he was not prepared to believe that going to a particular temple could solve his problems. I appreciated him for being frank and assured him that nothing is compulsory in the Sanatana Dharma. There are no punishments and hellfires. There are no rules but there is Dharma or righteousness, which is taught in the form of Shlokas through various timeless epics and other scriptures.

The Dos and Don’ts are not given in the form of commandments but they are metaphorically explained. It is ultimately Karma and Faith that matter. Faith in whatever. It could be faith in God, in parents, in a temple, a tree, or in anything because the Supreme reality exists equally everywhere.
SBG 13:27 The person who truly sees is the one who sees the Supreme Bhagavan, existing equally, the unperishing within the perishing.

We don’t need agents to interact with the system. However, developing total faith in someone or in something requires training of the mind. Some religions use force and induce fear and greed in the minds of followers – (Fear = Hell and Greed = Heaven)

Sanatana Dharma teaches that we don’t have souls but we are souls and it is the souls that occupy bodies which grow old and perish at the end of each Janma. The Souls or Atmans are constantly working towards attaining perfection or Paramatma. The entire concept is based on balancing Karma. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Whatever we do comes back to us. With every passing day, year and Janma, souls attain higher levels of perfection by learning through experience.

After the Kurukshetra war, Dritharashtra (धृतराष्ट्र) asked Bhagawan Krishna, why he had one hundred sons in the first place and why all of them, died in the battle. Bhagawan Krishna explained that it was due to a sin Dhritarashtra had committed fifty Janmas or lifetimes ago. Bhagawan said that back then, Dritharashtra used to be a hunter and one day while hunting he tried to shoot a male bird but he escaped. This enraged Drithrashtra and he killed the hundred little nestlings of the male bird who helplessly saw it all happen before his eyes. It was that sin that Dritharashtra paid with the lives of his own one hundred sons. Dritharashtra asked Bhagawan Krishna why he had to spend fifty Janmas to pay for his sin. Bhagawan replied saying that Dritharashtra needed fifty Janmas or lifetimes to collect the necessary positive Karma (Punya) that would give him a hundred sons. This story explains in a simple way how Karma works and why people need to be careful of their actions.

कर्मणो ह्यपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं च विकर्मणः |
अकर्मणश्च बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गतिः || ४ १७ ||

karmano hyaapi boddhavyam
boddhavyam ca vikarmanah
akarmanash ca boddhavyam
gahanaa karmano gatih. (Srimad Bhagavad Gita 4:17)

It is difficult to understand the truth about beneficial work, sinful work and no work. The intricacies of work and their results are truly difficult to understand.

Since imagining or visualising a formless God is impossible, the Dharma teaches us numerous truths and values through metaphorisation and personification. Whether people believe in deities or not is not the question here, but whether people are seekers, is. The methods which we call traditions are well thought of and perfectly planned ones which can lead us to the right path towards higher levels of spirituality.

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Speech by Swami Vivekananda in Chicago – September 1893

The Sanatana Dharma explained in the most wonderful manner.

The day was the 11th of September in 1893, when Swami Vivekananda, a young Indian from Bengal, started delivering his powerful speeches at the Parliament of World’s Religions in Chicago. His profound knowledge of various scriptures including the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, apart from his deep understanding of the Advaita Vedanta or the philosophy of non-dualism and universal oneness, can be easily experienced through his historic speeches. Swami Vivekananda, born Narendranath Dutta, was one of the eight children of Vishwanath Dutta, an influential attorney in Calcutta, and Bhuvaneshwari Devi, who had a great influence on him. As a young talented boy, he was very intelligent and excellent in studies. READ ON