BY FRANK MORALES
Sanatana dharma is a religion that has faced over 1,000 years of brutal battering and horrendous persecution at the hands of Muslims and Christians. As a direct result, we have a Sanatana Dharma that finds itself only now beginning to arise from the smoldering ashes of this millennium-long holocaust. Hinduism is finally beginning to rid itself of all non-dharmic influences over its philosophy and culture and to reassert itself positively onto the world stage. The horrific remnants of the anti-Hindu holocaust have survived, however, and have manifested in today’s Hindus as deeply self-destructive psychological tendencies.
Hindus have been relentlessly forced to hear from our deceitful persecutors the false propaganda that Hinduism is an inferior and unworthy religion, one that only leads to superstition and poverty. Too much of the Hindu world has been psychologically impacted, and strategically paralyzed, by what I call Impossibility-Thinking, the idea that we can accomplish no large task in the name of Sanatana Dharma.
The time of such negative thinking is over! The era of the passive Hindu is over! We need to know that, with Bhagavan’s blessings and grace, anything and everything is possible in His service. We need to adopt Possibility-Thinking, and know that there is no barrier, no obstacle, no enemy, and no challenge that we cannot overcome.
Sanatana Dharma is the most personally expansive and psychologically empowering religion on Earth. It is a path that teaches its followers to be fearless, dedicated, focused, strong, assertive, self-controlled, virtuous and self-reliant, and to strive for excellence in all endeavors. However, it is only by embracing the daily practice of dharma that we can begin to access the full potential that we all have lying within. Through steadfast practice of the techniques of yoga, meditation, puja and bhakti, all of which are at the very heart of Hinduism, God has provided us with powerfully effective tools by which we can perfect ourselves and manifest unparalleled excellence in our lives.
Sanatana Dharma is a religion of the possible. It is a tradition that teaches us that anything and everything we can dream is attainable. In Sanatana Dharma, we are radically free to perform any positive task, to reach out boldly toward any constructive goal, to achieve any dream that our imaginations can reveal. Dharma frees us from the bonds of ignorance and fear that bind us, and gives mighty wings to realize our inner yearning for peace, joy and unlimited freedom.
The scriptures and history of Sanatana Dharma are replete with the examples of thousands of brave men and women who embraced the oceanic potential of Possibility-Thinking. Numerous sages, rishis, yogis, kings and queens and Hindu leaders throughout our history have shown us what can be accomplished when we know that all things are possible and that we can achieve anything in Bhagavan’s service. Chanakya had the determination to drive the Greeks out of Hindu India. Shankara used the power of resolute focus to revive Hinduism when it was threatened with extinction. Ramanuja possessed the determined will to revive pure bhakti throughout the length and breadth of Bharat. Shivaji Maharaja had the fearless fortitude necessary to rout the mighty and seemingly invincible Moghul empire and reestablish the Dharma Nation as a viable military-political entity. Vivekananda showed us that Sanatana Dharma is not merely the possession of India, but can be realized as the future pre-eminent world-view of the entire globe.
Dr. Frank Morales, PH.D. is the founder of the Internationall Sanatana Dharma Society and acharya of the Hindu Temple of Omaha, Nebraska.