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Why comment on her religion, when you don't know yours? || Acharya Prashant, at LIT-Nagpur (2022)
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3 years ago
Spirituality
Hinduism
Identity
Secularism
Sanatana Dharma
Vedanta
Culture
Shri Krishna
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the questioner's experience of facing prejudice due to her name. He advises her not to make others' problems her own. He explains that those who judge her based on her name do so from a place of ignorance, mistakenly believing that India, like Pakistan, is a theocratic country. They think that since Pakistan was created as an Islamic state, India must be its Hindu counterpart. This, he clarifies, is incorrect. He elaborates that India is not founded on religion in the conventional sense, nor is it merely secular. The country adopted secularism very late; the word was added to the constitution more than two decades after 1950. India's constitution is founded on something far deeper than secularism—it is based on spiritual values. He distinguishes between being a Hindu by birth or culture and being a Sanatani in the truest sense. A person can be called a Hindu just by following rituals and customs without any real understanding, but to be a Sanatani is a great qualification that must be earned through rigorous study of scriptures and living by their principles, making Vedanta one's life. Acharya Prashant points out the ignorance of those who aggressively assert a Hindu identity but know nothing of their own central scriptures like the Vedas or Upanishads. He describes the prevalent aggressive form of Hinduism as a shallow, cultural phenomenon focused on sloganeering, hating other groups, and is not true Hinduism. A true Sanatani, he states, is brave, a protector, and not a destroyer. He quotes Shri Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita, explaining that the fundamental law of existence is to respond to others in the same way they approach you. He also references the spirit of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who said one true warrior can fight a hundred and twenty-five thousand, highlighting that the Sanatani spirit is about courage, not ganging up on the weak. He concludes by telling the questioner that the prejudice she faces is the problem of those who are ignorant of their own religion. Their behavior stems from their own low intellectual and spiritual level, and she should not be hurt by it. He advises her to ignore them and pray for them to rise from their ignorance.