‘Hinduism Is No Set Of Cultural Norms’, Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ Musings
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday posted a two page note over the concept of ‘Hinduism’ with the title ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ on microblogging site X.
“To call Hinduism a set of cultural norms is to misunderstand it. To bind it to a particular nation or geography is to limit it,” the post read.
सत्यम् शिवम् सुंदरम्
एक हिंदू अपने अस्तित्व में समस्त चराचर को करुणा और गरिमा के साथ उदारतापूर्वक आत्मसात करता है, क्योंकि वह जानता है कि जीवनरूपी इस महासागर में हम सब डूब-उतर रहे हैं।
निर्बल की रक्षा का कर्तव्य ही उसका धर्म है। pic.twitter.com/al653Y5CVN
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 1, 2023
He begins his article referring life to ocean, where he beautifully portrays the struggles, love, connection, happiness, etc as something that comes along in the journey. He beautifully quoted the unpredictability of life, “It is beautiful, but it is also frightening because nobody has ever survived this vast ocean, we call life. And nobody ever will.”
And he states that ‘Hinduism’ is the path towards realisation of truth. And it cannot be bound to any particular geography or nation. Mr Gandhi in his post said a Hindu knows that whatever knowledge exists, springs from the collective will of the ocean. It is not her property alone.
And he portrays Hindu as someone who can understand the concept of life and also lend hands to the one in need. To defend the weak is known as Dharma, he states.
“This action and duty to defend others, especially the weak, is what a Hindu calls her Dharma. A Hindu is never a victim and will never allow fear to capture her and turn it into anger, hatred or violence,” he wrote.
“A Hindu looks at herself and everyone in this ocean of life with love.”
The article was concluded by reminding the readers that each one of them has the right to choose their own paths. And thus, all Hindus should also love, respect and accept all the paths chosen by others. “She loves all living beings and accepts that each one of them has the right to choose their own path to navigate and understand the ocean. She loves, respects and accepts all paths as if they are her own,” he added
The article was widely carried out on the internet now. Rahul Gandhi posted in his official X handle, “A Hindu generously embraces all the changes in his existence with compassion and dignity, because he knows that we are all floating in this ocean of life. The duty of protecting the weak is his religion.”
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh posted Rahul Gandhi’s article from The Indian Express (same musings carried as an article) on X and wrote, “Today @RahulGandhi has truly elevated the public discourse by this deeply personal and thought-provoking piece. This is in keeping with the personality who showed his real self all through the 4000-km long Bharat Jodo (pad)Yatra.”
Today @RahulGandhi has truly elevated the public discourse by this deeply personal and thought-provoking piece.
This is in keeping with the personality who showed his real self all through the 4000-km long Bharat Jodo (pad)Yatra. pic.twitter.com/YKo5TETNxo
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 1, 2023
