It was a spontaneous exchange. I didn’t reflect much on my replies. Unfortunately, he was stuck in his ‘law of non-contradiction’ and couldn’t grasp that name and form are temporary, and the essence is eternal simultaneously.

My original post:

Why this opposition and even hatred for Hinduism? The reason may be that India’s wisdom endangers Christianity, Islam and Judaism, because it is empowering the individual and makes sense.
Three important factors are in favour of Hindu Dharma:
1. If people of other religions come to know about the Hindu concept of One Consciousness as the essence of all, they might realize that the concept of a separate and vengeful God in the monotheistic religions is a distortion and cannot be true.
2. If they hear of karma and rebirth, it probably would make more sense to them, than the claim that we all have only one life, which decides if we go to heaven or hell.
3. If they hear that the one consciousness permeates also animals and nature, they might stop this massive daily bloodbath of slaughtering our younger brothers and sisters, the animals, and respect nature.

Comment by @OsamaKhalid
The idea of multiple gods can never make sense to sane minds. There is but One Almighty Who reigns. The concept of equally powerful gods is nonsense
2. Karma is the one of the most diabolical concepts one could endorse. What you confused with vengeance is justice.

My reply:
You are right. the Source of everything must be one. the Vedas were the first to postulate the one source (Brahman, pure consciousness). Like all other forms and names, devas (and asuras) are within Maya, only longer lived and more powerful but not eternal.
Names and forms are like the temporary waves on the eternal ocean (Brahman). It means the Divine is within us. This knowledge lifts Hindu Dharma above the ‘monotheistic’ religions.
imo, the idea of a vengeful, separate God as being the one source behind this universe can never make sense to sane a mind, isn’t it? Check out my new book “Why Hindu Dharma is under attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left…”

Osama Khalid’s reply
Basically, for the 1st comment, you have fallen prey to the law of non-contradiction which the monotheistic religion doesn’t suffer from.
Again, what you confuse with vengeance is justice. A result for one’s efforts makes sense to sane minds.

My reply:
I don’t get what you mean in your first para – eternal oneness versus temporary plurality is no contradiction. Compare the one movie screen with the plurality of changing pictures on it.
And yes, result for efforts makes sense but, eternal hell for being born in the “wrong” family?? Does this make sense?

His reply:
Exactly, the example of law of non-contradiction, the changing pictures represent the mortal despite being the part of immortal i.e. the eternal. Its illogical either the picture is fully mortal or immortal. Who doesn’t know the reward is also eternal?

My reply:
It’s not illogical. The screen is ever the same, the pictures are ever changing. Yet when you touch any “thing” in the movie, you touch only the screen. The screen is the essence of all, similarly, Brahman is the essence in this Lila or Maya.
Try to understand, not just try to refute. Imo, Vedic wisdom is top. Your ancestors discovered it.

His reply:
It’s illogical since the picture/essence can either be immortal or mortal, can’t be both simultaneously. It’s like saying one likes hot-cold ice-cream. I am simply answering to your responses. &, btw, it’s was your original post which tried to refute monotheism.

My reply:
Can’t you see that the pictures are not the same (‘eternal’ doesn’t apply here as no analogy is fully apt for the truth) and the screen is the same simultaneously? Btw this ‘screen – movie analogy’ was given by Ramana Maharshi.
Monotheism postulates a separate, Creator-God somewhere in heaven. Monism or panentheism (Indian view, but why should we speak Greek?) is closer to truth. Truth does not fit into logic. but it also does not contradict it.
To defend logically the position that there is a separate God without addressing the question where it came from and with what he made the universe, is difficult.
The Rishis claim: something (not a thing of course) eternally is/exists (consciousness and it can be felt in yourself) and out of that the universe ‘appears’.

I really wish, Muslims would understand that their disdain for Hinduism is unjustified. Meditation is helpful to understand.
The division between Hindus and Muslims fits so well into the agenda of the deep state to divide societies everywhere.
Why should we do its bidding?

So far I haven’t heard back to my last comment.
By Maria Wirth

if you like my writing, consider getting my books
Title: “Why Hindu Dharma is under attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left” 2025, Rs 311
link: https://www.amazon.in/dp/8119670655 or

Why Hindu Dharma is Under Attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left: A Collection of Essays

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A friend asked me this question recently.

Sanatana Dharma is so vast; it has so many aspects. How to put it briefly? Let me try:

Sanatana means eternal and Dharm is difficult to translate. It means: to do what is right in a given situation, to do one’s duty.

How to know what is right? Our conscience tells us in most cases what is right. The human being is equipped with a moral barometer which gives the right direction. Only in some cases, there may be a genuine doubt. In those cases, texts like the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana or Dharma Shastras can prove helpful, or the advice of a trusted guru.

But, is the main thing in life to be an honest, upright, compassionate human being?

It is probably the most important part, because only on this basis, the other important aspect of Sanatana Dharm can be understood. Being honest and following one’s conscience makes one susceptible to finer layers of awareness, and such refinement is needed to understand the truth.

And the truth about us and the universe is the other very important aspect of Sanatana Dharma. The Vedas, Upanishads and innumerable other ancient texts contain wisdom which a human being cannot easily discover. This wisdom was “seen” by the Rishis and has never been proven wrong.

The main point of this wisdom is: you are not what you think you are, but you are one with everything. In other words: You are not a small person in a big world but your Essence is the one blissful Awareness which is the basis of the universe and beyond – SatChitAnanda. Or again in other words: your person is like a wave on the infinite ocean. In essence the wave is nothing but the ocean.

From this claim (that we are not a small person in a big world) follows naturally that the goal of life is to realize this Oneness, to “know” it as clearly as true as one now knows that one is a human being and not a dog.

Plenty of tips are given how to discover this Oneness. Probably the best guide is the Bhagavad Gita, which explains in detail Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga. Jnana means to approach unity (Yog) by reflecting deeply on the truth, Bhakti by devotion and surrender to that great Intelligence and its divine forms, and Karma by dedicating one’s actions and leaving their result to that great Intelligence.

There are many more helpful means, like poojas, mantras, meditation, pranayama, yog asanas, temple visits, vegetarianism, etc.

It follows that Sanatana Dharma fosters good humans who are aware that SatChitAnanda is within them and in all others, including in animals and nature. It gives them inner strength, and it makes them kind to other living beings and respectful to nature. It’s the ideal basis for society.

Now in comparison, Christianity and Islam, both of which claim to be the only true religion, do not foster universal goodness in humans, and also do not have the wisdom about the Oneness of all.

Both religions demand that the doctrine of their religion must overrule one’s innate knowledge of good and bad. The most important claim of their doctrine is that the Highest loves only the followers of their respective religion. Therefore, Muslims and Christians are taught from childhood that non-Muslims, respectively non-Christians, are inferior and will be rejected by the one Almighty. Their goal of life is to make the world free of those unbelievers either by pushing conversion or even by killing to please their God/ Allah.

And to hide that they have no proof whatsoever for their strange beliefs, they keep attacking Hindus as superstitious, caste-ridden, etc. to put them on the defensive and prevent them from exposing them.

Fortunately, Hindus are waking up and see through their game. And even several converted Indian Christians and Muslims wake up and realize that the almighty Creator cannot possibly be such a terrible tyrant, who enjoys making billions of people suffer for all eternity in hellfire.

by Maria Wirth

The post What is Sanatana Dharma according to you? first appeared on Maria Wirth.

“RSS and BJP say everyone living in India is a Hindu. Then who are actual Hindus? Is Hinduism really a religion?”

I have expanded my original answer:

Whether Hinduism is a religion depends on how religion is defined. Most people probably would say that religion is:

about believing in an invisible Supreme Being, which is the cause of our existence,

about methods and rituals to worship it,

about living according to its laws or will.

In this case, Hinduism is definitely a religion. In fact, it is the Mother of all religions, because the Indian Vedas had postulated already in very ancient times the existence of such a Supreme Being. They called it Brahman (from big, expanding) and declared it cannot be imagined by the human mind, but the best description is Sat-Chit-Ananda (= it is true, knows itself and is blissful). It is all-pervading and therefore the essence (Latin: esse = to be) of everything, including us.

So why does the question arise whether Hinduism is a religion?

To find out, we need to look at those religions where nobody has a doubt that these are religions. The term ‘religion’ was first used for the Catholic Church and later for Islam, too, and nobody has a doubt that these two are the main religions in today’s world.

These two religions also are about the 3 points mentioned above. Yet there are significant differences.

The Supreme Being (called God or Allah respectively) is not the essence in all, but is a separate entity with certain personal traits. One most important trait is that He is jealous of other gods and wants the whole of humanity to worship only Him. Both religions give out a dire warning: those who do not accept this truth will burn eternally in hell.

How do these religions know that this is the truth? Because they claim that the Supreme Being himself has revealed this truth to one person (in the case of Christianity to Jesus Christ some 2000 years ago and in the case of Islam to Prophet Mohammed some 1400 years ago).

Here is where another definition of religion comes in – a “belief-system”. It needs blind, unverifiable belief in what the ‘founder’ of the religion has said and which is written down in a book.

If we look at history, the Church for which the term religion (Latin: to bind) was first used, did not allow its followers to leave the Church. Christianity had blasphemy laws with terrible punishment enforced by state laws, before Christian countries became secular only a couple of centuries ago. Many Islamic countries even today have blasphemy laws and Muslims are not allowed to leave Islam.

Now if religion means to bind, it can be safely assumed it meant that the followers were bound to the doctrine of the respective belief system. The followers had to ‘religiously’ stick to the doctrine.

Here Hinduism is clearly not a religion, because Hindus are not bound to any doctrine. Hinduism does not have one historical person as founder and does not require blind belief in what this founder said about the Supreme and how to live one’s life.

But Hindus also worship the Supreme in many different ways and forms, maybe even more ardently than the followers of other religions. So does this not make Hindus followers of a religion?

It does not. To realise that there is a supreme power and intelligence at the base of this universe and our person, is simply common sense and philosophy (Greek: love for wisdom). Even atheists have to acknowledge a supreme power. They call it nature. Fact is, we are neither in charge of our bodies and minds nor in charge of the universe.

The next step is logical: can we find out what this great power and intelligence is? The ancient Indian rishis did just this. They conducted an enquiry and inner observation and exploration into the truth, especially into the truth of what they really are. They discovered the existence of blissful oneness as the essence in themselves and in all – Sat-chit-ananda.

However, Satchitananda is hidden below thoughts and emotions, and it is not easy to still the mind. Shri Krishna compared in the Bhagavad Gita stilling the mind as difficult as stilling the wind. The aspirant needs detachment from egotistical desires and a lot of practise. And above all, he must WANT to realise the truth and thereby become free of wrong perception. Yet if someone is sincere in his aspiration, the ancient, divinely inspired Indian texts, give plenty of valuable advice – from murti pooja (the misunderstood, much maligned ‘idol-worship’), via hatha, jnana, bhakti and karma yoga, right to mediation on the formless Brahman. Divine Grace, too, favours the sincere seeker because the all-pervading truth is alive, and not some dead, theoretical construct.

That means to know the truth, religion is not necessary. In fact, it may be a hindrance, because religions do not even attempt to go beyond the mind and therefore miss discovering the absolute truth. There were several Christian and Muslim mystics who accidentally discovered their oneness with the Supreme and were hounded and even killed by the authorities of their respective religion.

So is RSS and BJP correct if they say that all those living in India are Hindus?

Both terms have the same root and a geographical connotation. Hindus/ Indians were those who lived beyond the Sindhu. Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha claims there is a shloka in Barhaspatya Samhita which calls the land between the Himalaya and Indusarovara (which has meanwhile disappeared under the sea) as Hindusthan. Dr. Subramanian Swamy says that the Chinese call Indians ‘Hindi’. So RSS and BJP have a point.

So why do Indian Christians and Muslims have no objection to be called Indians but resent to be called Hindus? Why are they so allergic to a mere “H”? The reason may be that the missionaries called the Indian tradition Hindu-ism, not Indian-ism, and did their best to make it look as the worst of all religions, yet assured their own flock that their respective religion alone has the ‘full truth’. The missionaries were successful in creating a wrong impression about the Indian tradition, but truth can never be hidden for long. In our times, when blind belief is more and more questioned, many Indians again discover the value of their tradition, and westerners, who started doubting their own belief system, also turn to India in their quest for fulfilment in life.

They probably would not say that they have found a better ‘religion’. They simply have found clarity about truth which is such relief compared to the distortion of truth and the hypocrisy about a “God” who loves only certain people and sends the rest to hell.

By Maria Wirth

The post Is Hinduism a religion? first appeared on Maria Wirth.