Sanatana - Does it mean Casteism? - My Observations!

 

About the Sanatana controversy – again!

M Jayaraman

Regarding Mr. Udhayanidhi’s statement that Sanātanam must be eradicated, Mr. Karti Chidambaram has defended him (as early as September 4, 2023: Hindustan Times report). He argued that “Sanātana” refers to the caste system, and therefore it should be understood as a call to eradicate caste.

But this is contradicted by the pioneer of the Dravidian movement himself — C.N. Annadurai — in his book Ariya Maayai: “Hindu means one who follows Sanātana Dharma.”
(Ariya Maayai, Annadurai, page 32)

If they merely intended to say that caste must be eradicated, they could have simply said so directly. From this, it becomes clear that the use of the term “Sanātanam” carries a deeper implication.

Therefore, this is being said with the intention of hurting Hindu religious beliefs. While claiming that government and politics must remain common and neutral to all religions, this is in fact an attempt to throttle the voice of one particular Dharma/tradition — and Annadurai himself has exposed this.

Secondly, the word “Sanātanam” is an adjective. Its meaning is “that which exists eternally” or “that which continues through ages.” Anyone with linguistic understanding would not use an adjective by itself; it would always be used together with the corresponding noun. Therefore, those who speak/spoke merely of “Sanātanam” demonstrate(d) their ignorance of language.

If the adjective “Sanātana” is used together with the noun “Dharma,” then the statement would amount to speaking against Dharma itself. Dharma is in Buddhism also. Since the consequences of that would be severe for them, they distort the very structure of language out of this dilemma. Why, even Mr. Karunanidhi, regarded as a towering figure of Dravidianism, was not afraid to explicitly write “Sanātana Dharma.”

Mr. Karunanidhi in Nenjukku Neethi:

“Dr. Ambedkar, who was praised as one born to save a large section of the people of this country from the cruelties of Sanātana Dharma, passed away in December 1956.”
(Part Sixty: Tamil Wikisource link)

Do these Dravidian offshoots not even have the courage to pronounce the term correctly?

At the same time, it must also be clearly stated that this is in no way a justification or endorsement of caste-based discrimination or other outdated social practices. Sanātana Dharma/Hindu Dharma itself has, over time, moved far away from many such rigid social distortions through reform, reinterpretation, spiritual movements, Bhakti traditions, constitutional values, and modern social consciousness. To reduce the entirety of Sanātana Dharma merely to caste practices is therefore both historically and philosophically inaccurate. A civilization-spanning Dharma that encompasses spirituality, ethics, metaphysics, devotion, pluralism, and ways of righteous living cannot be simplistically equated with social excesses that have already been widely challenged and rejected from within the tradition itself.

Next, even the Tamil Lexicon published by the University of Madras — functioning in Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu ruled alternately by Dravidian parties — does not accept that the word “Sanātanam” refers to caste:

“Sanātana Dharma — The ancient moral law; ancient ethical conduct.”
(Link: Tamil Lexicon entry)

Furthermore, even this lexicon does not use the word “Sanātanam” independently. It uses only the expression “Sanātana Dharma.”

Therefore, opposition to Sanātanam is opposition to Hinduism itself!

We are already familiar with the word jugglery  of these separatists —

·       For a few decades, they circulated the term “Tamil race” throughout Tamil Nadu. That narrative did not sustain itself beyond a point. Then they concealed their failures inside the phrase “Dravidian Model.”

·       Unable to match the effective functioning of the Central Government, they cried aloud emphasizing the phrase “Union Government.”

·       Now, wishing to eradicate Hindu Dharma, these ignorant people seek to dance around indirectly using the word “Sanātanam”!

That alone is the entire “Sanātana controversy”! We may disperse now!

References

1. Hindustan Times report on Karti Chidambaram defending Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks
2. C.N. Annadurai, Ariya Maayai, 16th Edition, 1981, Rajendra Printers, Chintamani, Tiruchirappalli, p. 32.
3. M. Karunanidhi, Nenjukku Neethi, Part 60. Tamil Wikisource edition:
   Nenjukku Neethi – Part 60
4. Tamil Lexicon, published by the University of Madras, entry for “Sanātana Dharma”:
   Tamil Lexicon entry – Sanātana Dharma