THIS is a collection of discourses that Jagadguru gave on various subjects, including the Sanatana Vaidika Dharma. In one of his lectures, Jagadguru talked of the differences in ideals with regard to India and its religion, Sanatana Vaidika Dharma, where India had a tremendous advantage over the other religions which, while enjoining on their followers the necessity for and merit of Truth-speaking, did not call upon their followers to enquire into, consider the merits of, and decide the Truth or otherwise for themselves. He says that it is the Sanatana Vaidika Dharma alone that possesses the unique peculiarity of not merely enjoining on others the duty of speaking the Truth but even lay its own teachings is open to enquiry and determination on the basis thereof, of its own doctrine in respect of karma (action), bhakti (devotion) and jnana (knowledge).
The scriptures say, Satyatrasti paro dharma, i.e. there is no religion higher than ?Truth? and Jagadguru emphasises that with our dominating interests simply and solely concentrated upon the correct determination of the Truth in various departments of life, ?this too we have to do merely because it is only the finding out of the correct principles and laws of Nature and acting in accordance therewith that can lead us to peace, happiness and joy, here as well as hereafter.?
Talking about the Sanatana Vaidika Dharma, Jagadguru says that it is the one and only religion which is not named after any person and whose very name bears eloquent testimony to the Truth that it began with in the beginning of the world and has continued to the present day. He says that the other existing religions were all born million of years after the creation of the world and we all know ?who the founder of each was, who his parents were, when and where he was born, how long he lived, what he did, when, where and how he died and so on.? He says that even if we were ransacked and searched from cover to cover, yet we cannot find the least clue anywhere of the name of the founder of our religion, where and when he was born, how long he lived and so forth.
Jagadguru complains that the Westerners talk about our varna vyavstha (classification into castes by birth) being a stumbling block in the path of spiritual greatness because ?it offends against the greatest and sublimest of spiritual conceptions?oneness, equality, etc.? But none realises the tolerance and greatness of our society which is based on the Sanatana Dharma.
Jagadguru concludes by saying that sincere devotion to and faithful following of Sanatana Vaidika Dharma has been the secret of India'sgreatness in the past and is responsible for India'sgreatness to the present day. ?It, therefore, stands to reason that the same secret of India'sgreatness can alone keep us great in the future. In fact this is the only path and the only means whereby we can enable India to rise once more to that high pinnacle and that lofty pedestal of glorious and omni-lateral supereminence which it used to occupy in yore in the scale of nations? and which, with all its incomparable resources, she is till so well-fitted to occupy. He wants us to ponder over and make it the daily working principle of our lives from this very moment.
(Jagriti Prakashan F-109, Sector-27, Noida-201 301.)
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