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September 24, 2015

India: on Far Right Sanatan Sanstha's Vision of the World

The Asian Age

For Sanatan Sanstha, nation is God’s Kingdom
Sep 24, 2015 - Shruti Ganapatye |

mumbai

Emphasising that spirituality is the base for everything, the Sanatan Sanstha has envisioned religious rule in the country, which according to it is the best solution to “all ongoing problems”. The organisation in its literature has stated the current electoral system in the country — according to them — has “no place in Indian culture”. Instead the organisation propagates a system — “God’s Kingdom” — that will provide all the “good energy in the world to the people”.

In the book, ‘Setting Up God’s Kingdom’ Spirituality: Volume 1, it has clearly indicated that the nation will be a Hindu Rashtra and will not have any connection with Buddha, Jain, Shaiva, Vaishnav, Muslims and Christians. “The main aim of the Constitution would be loyalty towards religion and not protection of the nation. It would be based on Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shrimad Bhagwad Gita because only this can save our country and all other countries on the earth,” the book states on page 119.

The organisation rejects the election system, which is the main base for democracy. “Elections have no place in Indian culture. What is the use of bringing thousands of blind to review a gemstone or a beautiful thing? Only a person with vision can review it,” it has said on page 124. It has also mocked democracy and its rule of ‘majority wins’. (page 86-87)

It has even rejected politicians saying that ‘nation building is a scientific process and only truth has place in it (pg 95). The book has endorsed the Varna system and said that God’s Kingdom requires 30 per cent Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya each and 10 per cent of Shudras (pg 101).

It has denied any kind of reservation or concessions in the proposed system. “Reservations and concessions are man-made. It is necessary for particular situations in a particular country, but it has no place in nature. None of the sciences gives importance to concessions,” (pg-141) the Sanatan has said.

The Sanatan has also promoted religious education and embracing spirituality while teaching students. The book has named 0-9 numbers in spiritual language to be taught to students. “Zero means Shunyavastha, 1-Brahma, 2-Mata Pita, 2-Trigun, 4-Chaturvidh Pursharth, 5-Panchamahabhute, 6-Shadvikar, 7-Saptarshi, 8-Ashtadisha, 9-Navachakre,” it has said. (pg 145)

However, opposing the dictum of other Hindutva organisations urging Hindus to have more than one child, the Sanatan has adopted a one-child policy which they attributed to the Vedas. “Vedas endorse having one child only. We should learn self-control (of sexual desires). A man can slowly overcome this desire with the help of study,” it added. (pg 159)

Spokesperson of Sanatan Sanstha Abhay Vartak expressed hope that soon God’s Kingdom would come into existence. “The world has lost its balance, but only God can establish a balanced kingdom. It will happen in the coming days. What we have mentioned in the book is an imagination about God’s Kingdom,” Mr Vartak said.

Senior journalist Dyanesh Maharao said Sanatan Sanstha’s style of functioning was to avoid practical issues.

“They do not want to face practical issues and if one pointed it out, then it would start talking about spirituality to divert attention. Their Hindu Rashtra concept is inspired from Pan Islamicism,” Mr Maharao said.

What to wear and not to wear
The Sanatan Sanstha has separate books on guiding women and men on their attire. It has promoted sari and churidar to some extent. It is opposed to dresses, jeans, skirts, pants, shorts, t-shirts and gowns, calling them western outfits. The organisation has also said that the churidar came to India from foreign culture but had been adopted by many. Wearing short dresses, according to them invites evil. It has even prescribed ways to drape a sari and designs for blouse necks in order to bring in positive energy. It has said kurta preferably with full sleeves, dhoti and sadara are preferable for men. It has even allowed lungi to some extent, but shirt-pants, coat, tie bow, hat are not suitable for men according to the Sanstha. By wearing a tie, a person will not be able to absorb good waves from the atmosphere. In fact, the knot in the tie stores black power and affects chest and stomach as per the length of the tie. The black powers can cause harm to throat, chest and stomach, the book has said. It has also prescribed with illustrations the right manner in which to wear the dhoti.

The Sanstha also has guidelines for the adorning of ornaments for women in a separate book. Mangalsutra is of utmost importance for a married woman, according to its book. Mangalsutra would remind her of her marriage and keep her away from adultery. Girls can wear gold chains which as they are good for health. It has described various other ornaments such as necklace, mohan maal, kamar patta, mekhala, chhalla and their spiritual advantages and disadvantages.