NATIONALISM AND ITS ENEMIES

Enemies of nationalism are attacking symbols that embody India as a nation founded on inclusiveness and spiritual freedom.

N.S. Rajaram

Background
India is unique as a nation in that its sense of nationalism is founded on an age long spiritual concept of freedom and inclusiveness that has always been known as Sanatana Dharma. In his famous Uttarapara speech, Sri Aurobindo put it this way:

“It is this dharma that I am raising up before the world, it is this that I have perfected and developed through the Rishis, saints and Avatars, and is now going forth to do my work among the nations… When therefore it is said that India shall rise, it is Sanatana Dharma that shall rise. When it is said that India shall be great, it is Sanatana Dharma that shall be great. When it is said that India shall expand and extend itself, it is Sanatana Dharma that shall expand and extend itself all over the world. It is for the Dharma and by the Dharma that India exists… I say no longer that nationalism is a creed, a religion, a faith; I say that it is the Sanatana Dharma which for us is the nationalism.”
Of late, some politicians and intellectuals are holding up something they call ‘secularism’ as the foundation of the Indian nation. But secularism is a negative concept. All it originally meant is the negation of any role for organized religion, particularly intolerant and exclusivist religious beliefs, in the government. Secularism can never define a nation. United States, France and Germany are secular in the true sense of the word: their Governments are independent of religion. But that alone has not made them a single nation. What defines a nation is shared history and tradition. In the case of India, this role is played by the Hindu Civilization founded on Sanatana Dharma. Hindutva is its present-day ideological offshoot.
More seriously, the term secularism in India is being used by enemies of pluralism to attack the spiritual foundation on which the nation rests. Secularism has become the umbrella under which intolerant exclusivist ideologies like Marxism, Christianity and Islam attack Sanatana Dharma and its followers. Thus, Indian secularism has room for terrorism but sees the spiritual aspiration of Indian people as evil. This is being done in the name of fighting Hindutva.
At the same time the ideology known as Hindutva is gaining ground in India and abroad. There will soon be a time when Hindutva will define India as a nation, just as democracy defines the United States. It is therefore of great importance for everyone to have a clear idea of what Hindutva really stands for. Hindutva is not tied to any sect or religious group— though it draws its inspiration from India’s ancient heritage.
First we need to understand Hinduism, or ‘Sanatana Dharma’ stands for. It is not a creed like Christianity or Islam, but a code of conduct and a value system that has spiritual freedom as its core. Any pathway or spiritual vision that accepts the spiritual freedom of others may be considered part of Sanatana Dharma. This is the foundation of Hindutva.
Hinduism, unlike Christianity or Islam, does not on the authority of a human called Prophet or anything else. A teacher is considered great only because of the greatness of the teaching. Vishwamitra is considered a great sage because of the greatness of his Gayatri Mantra. It is the same with Krishna and the Gita. It is the message of the Gita that has led to people revering Krishna as a great teacher. Also, a Hindu is free to question or reject any part or all of a religious work. The teaching must stand or fall on its own merit. This feature— of focusing on the message and its truth rather than the authority of the messenger brings Sanatana Dharma close to science and the scientific method.
Hinduism also recognizes the freedom of the individual. It recognizes no prophet’s claim as the possessor of the ‘only’ truth or the ‘only’ way. This spirit of freedom is the foundation of Hindutva. While Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) provides and nourishes spiritual freedom, there are always hostile forces at work that want to destroy this freedom and turn humans into intellectual and spiritual slaves. So it is always necessary to have the tools — both physical and intellectual — to protect this freedom. This part of Sanatana Dharma is called kshatra dharma. Politics, like warfare calls for the kshatriya spirit— to protect the weak and uphold values like freedom.
Nationalism based on Sanatana Dharma has the duty to defend this freedom of the spirit. Hindutva is the political side of this nationalism. Freedom is the enemy of oppression, and oppressive ideologies, even if they call themselves religions, hate and fear freedom. That is why they are attacking it under the guise of upholding secularism. These are the enemies of nationalism.