A conversation with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
In June 1976 at New Vrindaban, a Hare Krishna farm community in West Virginia, Srila Prabhupada fields questions sent to him from the editors of Bhavan’s Journal, one of Bombay’s leading cultural and religious periodicals.
Devotee: Here is the first question:
“It is said that the greatest strength of Hinduism is its catholicity, or breadth of outlook, but that this is also its greatest weakness in that there are very few religious observances that are obligatory for all, as in other religions. Is it necessary and possible to outline certain basic minimum observances for all Hindus?”
Srila Prabhupada: As far as Vedic religion is concerned, it is not for the Hindus; it is for all living entities. That is the first thing to be understood. Vedic religion is called sanatana-dharma, “the eternal occupation of the living entity.” The living entity is sanatana [eternal]. God is sanatana, and there is sanatana-dharma. sanatana-dharma is meant for all living entities, not just the so- called Hindus. Hinduism, this ‘ism’, that ‘ism’—these are all misconceptions. Historically, sanatana-dharma was followed regularly in India, and Indians were called ‘Hindus’ by the Muslims. The Muslims saw that the Indians lived on the other side of the River Sind, and the Muslims pronounces Sind as Hind. Therefore they called India ‘Hindustan’ and the people who lived there ‘Hindus’. But the word Hindu has no reference in the Vedic literature, nor does so-called Hindu dharma. Now that sanatana-dharma or Vedic dharma, is being distorted, not being obeyed, not being carried our properly, it has come to be known as Hinduism. But that is a freak understanding. We have to study sanatana-dharma; then we’ll understand what Vedic religion is. [To a devotee] Read from the Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, eighteenth verse.
Devotee: [Reads.]
tvam aksharam paramam veditavyam
tvam asya vishvasya param nidhanam
tvam avyayah shashvata-dharma-gopta
sanatanas tvam purusho mato me
“O Lord Krishna, You are the supreme primal objective; You are inexhaustible, and You are the oldest; You are the maintainer of religion, the eternal Personality of Godhead.”
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