This is in continuation of my article ‘Hindus Shradha: ”An Unbreakable Faith Of Hindutva” Part 1 of 5, was published on September 12, 2021

The Power of the Dharma/Religion in which we have put in our Shradha/Faith may not have a solution to all our issues, but at least we do not feel alone and abandoned in any circumstance.

Some of us may still not be convinced and feel that why do we need faith at all?

According to Bhagavad Geeta, Lord Krishna said that “Those who are not faithful in this devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of enemies. Therefore, they return to the path of birth and death in this material world.”

Sanatana Dharma Sharadha

The three key elements of any society, organization, person, or family, in the Hindi language, are known as ‘Aastha’, ‘Avastha’, ‘Vyavastha’. Aastha is faith. Avastha is condition. Vyavastha is an organizational system or practice.

Hindus over centuries have sacrificed their Avastha and Vyavastha, but never Aastha. That is the reason, Hinduism is today the single most old, continuing civilization of the world. Meet practicing Hindus from any part of the world, they have the same faith. The dress could be different. Language could be different. The economic condition could be different. Their daily routine and practices could be different. But their faith is the same[1].

Attempt to Destroy Sanatanis (Hindus) Shraddhas

Human needs consuming conviction to keep themselves going because no one can live without Shradha/Faith. When a person is not forced into anything yet his mind and body ask him to continue the same without fail. We never trust anyone easily, and once we have got faith in something; we should hold on to it.

The pages of history are full to show how Muslim invaders of India tried to destroy the Hindu faith but had grossly failed. Muslims destroyed Hindu temples (seats of culture and learning), Universities, Libraries, massacred people who refused to convert to Islam. But Hindu faith proved resilient.[1]

British looted our country, destroyed the system of education, made people poor by economic exploitation and exorbitant taxation, and tried to destroy the Hindu faith by converting them by offers of education, jobs, and income. But they also grossly failed.[1]

Do I need to remind you of the evidence of strong Hindu faith prevalent among some members of the British Cabinet and Parliament in 2021?[1]

How Sharada help Sanatanis to Sustain

One’s Shradha/Faith defines one and distinguishes him from others. It speaks a lot about him, himself, his thinking, and his attitude. As part of one’s belief system, it shapes his life. It helps one to overcome his fears and transcend his limitations. In moments of crisis, Shradha/Faith is one of the biggest support. When one has faith, he perseveres and continues with his effort, even if the circumstances are against him.

Shradha/Faith helped people to survive the worst of calamities and adversities. When Muslim invaders attacked and looted Bharat, it was the Sharadha of Sanatanis which help them to fight against their brutality and finally winning over them.

Sanatanis have fought bravely against the “Religious Hindus Persecution” by the Portuguese administration or the Christian clergy from 1510 to 1812 in the Indian State of Goa.

Sanatanis Shradha’s has always helped them to sustain through the worst phases of the fight for independence. It was the Sharda of “2.5 million Sanatanis Army Personnel who fought for the British in World Wars II” and turn the table in British favor. It was only Shradha’s which give all Indians the strength to fight 5 wars against hostile neighbors Pakistan and China.

History speaks that how Sharadha helps Sanatanis Hindus survive Bangladesh Hindu Genocide of 1971, when Pakistan Army “killing 2.5 million Hindus and raped half million of Hindu Women” under “Operation Searchlight“.

Sanatanis feel proud of Kashmiri Hindus shraddhas through which they survived the Pakistan-sponsored "Kashmiri Genocide of January 1990" although more than 250,000 were killed and thousands of Hindu women were raped in Kashmir.

Recently in the month of March 2021, it was Sanatanis shraddhas that give them strength to fight against the post-election “Anti-Hindu attack sponsored by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.”

In fact, a very nice example of Sanatani Hindu Shraddha is cited here. One Sanatanis in a villager, named “Dashrath Manjh” in India, only through his unshakeable shraddha dug a whole mountain with a hammer for 22 years to create a path for his village through the hills to a nearby town.

So, it is right to say that it is not an exaggeration that “Shraddha/Faith Moves Mountains".

Advantages of Sanatanis Shradha/Faith

Shradha/Faith also connects you to Bhagwan/God and helps you establish a deeper communication with him.

Without Shradha it is difficult to navigate through the problems and uncertainties of life.

Shradha/Faith heals the mind and the body.

Although most Hindus are rational people, in many matters concerning our lives, we rely heavily on our Shradha/Faith or some called it beliefs rather than reason. Since we cannot discern everything and cannot always ascertain the truth, we have to rely upon faith to make sense of the world, and that is what our holy scriptures, Vedas also teaches us.

Whether we Sanatanis agree with me or not, many of our conclusions and opinions about people, relationships, events, situations, and the world, in general, are derived from our Shradha/Faith and which history has proved right also.

Shradha has led to many inventions and discoveries and our Vedas has very nicely documented it.

So, it will be right if I would say that “OUR SHRADHA ALSO PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SHAPING OUR CIVILIZATION”.

Do Sanatanis Sharadha a Perversion?

Sanatanis Shradha is neither illogical nor irrational. Our history has proved that we can substantiate our religious beliefs with either proof or logic. Aspects of Shradha can never be proved right or wrong but can be established with the help of reason or fact.

  • Firstly, Unlike Abrahamic Religions of Islam and Christianity, Sanatana Dharma Sharadha/Faith is derived from our religious scriptures, which we follow in daily life. We also learn them from our parents, elders, authority figures, or social influences and accept them without questioning their justification. When they become part of our belief system, they may directly or indirectly affect our thinking and behavior. For example, there is a specific reason that why Sanatanis around the globe fold hands while greeting someone. In recent times, the Covid pandemic has also proved “Namaste” as the best way of greeting and not handshake.
  • Secondly, the Abrahamic religions of Islam and Christianity are based on illusions and superstitions. But Sanatana Dharma has well-defined boundaries and principles to be followed. This has been done so that people may not fall into the trap of self-destructive and perverted beliefs due to the influence of others or circumstances. Scriptures clearly state with reason what Sharadha/ Faith a Sanatanis will have so that it is exactly within acceptable behavior or established norms. The has been done so that no one will get trapped in any delusion, prejudice, superstition, obscurantism, or any such negative things. Any problems of Sharadha/Faith should be resolved by grounding one in reality and subjecting his beliefs to careful scrutiny.
  • Thirdly, the Abrahamic religions of Islam and Christianity want to hold “Only One” belief systems. And, if someone didn’t follow the belief system, he faces severe punishment and even persecution. Many such pieces of evidence can be found in the history of the Roman and Ottoman empires. We are also witnessing the same belief system in form of “Sharia Law” implemented by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Sanatana Dharma didn’t enforce on anyone to follow the One Belief system as it has many. However, sometimes when Sanatanis also get into some irrational beliefs which in no way are related to Sharadha, they can be proven false or have also been disputed beyond doubt with the help of reason or facts. For example, sometimes one believes that he is unappreciated or someone dislikes him, or sometimes someone believes that he didn’t deserve a good life because of his irrational beliefs then it can easily be clarified by referring to what scriptures mention so that person can differentiate between rational and irrational. By disputing such irrational beliefs which someone holds against you, a person can often find great psychological relief.

To conclude I would like to quote here a well-known verse from Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan “Hinduism is wholly free from the strange obsession of some faiths that the acceptance of a particular religious metaphysics is necessary for salvation, and non-acceptance thereof is a heinous sin meriting eternal punishment in hell.”

[1] Hindu Faith (Hindutva) – Kreately

DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text.