Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Religious Studies – Anthology
190the spirit of contentment. If only they keep their own property wit hin moderat e
limit s, t he st arving will be easily fed, and will learn t he lesson of c ont ent ment along
with the ric h. Perfect fulfilment of the idea of Non-possession requires, that man
should, like the birds, have no roof over his head, no c lothing and no stock of food
for t he morrow. He will indeed need his daily bread, but it will be God’s business,
and not his, t o provide it. Only t he fewest possible, if any at all, c an reac h t his
ideal. We ordinary seekers may be repelled by the seeming impossibility. But we
must keep t he ideal c onst ant ly in view, and in t he light t hereof, c rit ic ally examine
our possessions, and try to reduc e them. Civilisat ion, in t he real sense of t he t erm,
c onsists not in the multiplic ation, but in the deliberate and voluntary reduction of
wants. This alone promotes real happiness and c ontentment, and inc reases the
capacity for service. Judging by this c riterion, we find that in the Ashram we
possess many things, the nec essity for whic h c annot be proved, and we thus tempt
our neighbours to thieve.
From the standpoint of pure Truth, the body too is a possession. It has been
truly said, that desire for enjoyment creates bodies for the soul. When this desire
vanishes, there remains no further need for the body, and man is free from the
vic ious c yc le of birt hs and deat hs. The soul is omnipotent; why should she c are to
be c onfined wit hin t he c agelike body, or do evil and even kill for t he sake of t hat
cage? We thus arrive at the ideal of total renunc iation, and learn to use the body
for t he purpose of service so long as it exists, so much so that service, and not
bread, becomes with us the staff of life.
2.8.5 Sanatana Dharma
I have asserted my claim to being a Sanatani Hindu, and yet there are things whic h
are c ommonly done in the name of Hinduis m, whic h I disregard. I have no desire to
be c alled a Sanatani Hindu or any other if I am not suc h. It is therefore necessary
for me onc e for all dist inc t ly t o give my meaning of Sanatana Hinduism. T he word
Sanatana I use in its natural sense.
I c all myself a Sanatani Hindu, bec ause,
(1) I believe in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas and all that goes by the
name of Hindu sc riptures, and therefore in avataras and rebirt h:
(2) I believe in the varnashrama dharma in a sense, in my opinion, st ric tly Vedic
but not in its present popular and c rude sense:
(3) I believe in the protec tion of the c ow in its muc h larger sense than the popular;
(4) I do not disbelieve in idol-worship.
The reader will note that I have purposely refrained from using the word divine
origin in reference to the Vedas or any ot her sc ript ures. For I do not believe in the
exc lusive divinit y of t he Vedas. I believe the Bible, the Quran, and the Zend Avesta
t o be as muc h divinely inspired as t he Vedas. My belief in t he Hindu sc ript ures does
not requires me to accept every word and every verse as divinely inspired. Not do I
c laim t o have any first-hand knowledge of these wonderful books. But I do c laim t o
know and feel the truths of the essential teac hing of the sc riptures. I dec line to be
bound by any interpretation, however learned it may be, if it is repugnant to reason
or moral sense. I do most emphat ic ally repudiat e t he c laim (if t hey advanc e any
suc h) of the present Shankaracharyas and shastris to give a corrupt interpretation