Discrimination, untouchability has no place in Sanatana Dharma: TN Guv

Discrimination or untouchability has no place in Sanatana Dharma and aberrations cannot define the fundamental characteristics of this ancient dharma which is about uniting people as one family, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi said here on Saturday.

In his address at the golden jubilee celebrations of a mutt here, Ravi referred to the lineage of saints of India, like Sri Adi Sankara, Sri Ramanujacharya, Sri Madhvacharya; Sri Raghavendra Swamy and the Nayanmars and Alwars.

He said, 'there is no discrimination at all.' Such saints stood for equality, he said and cited examples including that of Ramanujacharya being a great proponent of equality.

Such a tradition --of Sanatana Dharma and its values-- was passed on to generations of people by the saints. This is unique and no other civilisation could claim to have such a living ancient tradition, he said.

"Some people out of their ignorance, they try to say that Sanatana Dharma is discrimination; untouchability, no, this is not. Discrimination among humans is not Sanatana Dharma and untouchability has no place in Sanatana Dharma."

Ravi took part in the jubilee celebrations of the Nanjangud Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt-Dakshina Mantralaya here.

The Governor said humans have some ailments and it has to be treated and cleansed to make them healthy and such ailments 'cannot define who we are.'

The 'beautiful city of Chennai' is home to great people, intellectuals, artists and spiritual leaders. Also, the city has some open gutters and sewers. "Now Chennai cannot be defined by these gutters and sewers. These are aberrations, these have to be cleansed, they have to be corrected." Similarly, if somebody tried to accuse Sanatana Dharma of social discrimination or untouchability, it was far away from the truth, he said.

Citing the Sarve Bhavanthu Sukinah verses rendered by a spiritual guru in the invocation, Ravi said it meant 'let every being be happy and free of diseases.'

It includes all life forms like animals and plants. When this was the case, where is the scope for discrimination among human beings, he asked. "These are abberations, distortions, these distortions cannot define the original, what it is, this is a land which has sustained Sanatana Dharma."

Swami Vivekananda emphasised on nation building, a primary purpose of the dharma. He quoted Sri Aurobindo as saying that 'Bharat and Sanathana Dharma are inseparable.'

Citing Sanskrit (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam), the Tamil (Yaadum Oorey) verses, and the discourses of Aurbobindo, he said 'the world is a family,' a core principle of the Sanatana Dharma.

This ideal denotes oneness and equality, he indicated and added that fundamentally all the people were reflections of the same divinity.

"We are one and the same...in the next 25 years this country must be capable to spread the light of Sanatana Dharma to the whole world." Ravi praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision and understanding of Bharat and the pulse of the people.

Ravi said there has to be a spiritual resurgence of Bharat and spiritual institutions like Raghavendra Mutt have a great responsibility.

He said Tamil Nadu is a holy land of sages and the Sanatana Dharma 'gave rise to this country called Bharat' and this land has produced a galaxy of saints.

Underscoring the characteristics of ancient Bharat since the times of the revelation of the Vedas, he said the Constitution refers to the nation as 'India that is Bharat.'

It is India that needed introduction and Bharat does not. Bharat is understood by everyone as 'Bharat lives in our day to day lives.' India was a word given by foreigners.

When it came to the incorporation of 'pictorial depiction of the civilisaitonal evolution of Bharat,' the first painting in the 'original Constitution' was that of a gurukula where a rishi taught his disciples.

That was the 'beginning of our civilisaiton,' a culture that was born out of Sanatana Dharma that was both expansive and inclusive.

Out of ignorance and considering aspects like foreign rule for a very long time and invasions, distortions came up and many people believed that 'this country was born in 1947' forgeting its ancient past and Sanatan values.