WHY IS NAVYA SHASTRA FOCUSING ON THE ORTHODOX HINDU LEADERSHIP?
Although Navya Shastra believes in interaction with all Hindu leaders
(dharmacharyas), orthodox and reformist, at present we are focusing mainly
on the orthodox dharmacharyas. There are many reasons why Navya Shastra
hopes to work with the leaders of the orthodox Hindu sects (sampradayas)
first. The orthodox dharmacharyas are often in the national and
international spotlight and well respected by many common Hindus, even among
the Hindu Diaspora. They are the most influential over the traditional
sections of Hindu society and command respect, regardless of sectarian
affiliation, from Hindu society, in general. Despite the fact that orthodox
dharmacharyas follow purana shastric protocols, many Hindus consider these
orthodox dharmacharyas as guardians of dharma and accept them as their
gurus. It is not unusual for people to approach the dharmacharyas for advice
and inspiration on matters of a dharmic nature. Because of their
long-standing relationship with Hindu society and maintenance of Hindu
tradition, the dharmacharyas are in many respects more influential than are
the monks of the neo-Hindu traditions.
A second reason for Navya Shastra's focus on orthodox dharmacharyas is that
many of these dharmacharyas also run traditional Vedic and/or Agamic
schools, known as gurukulas, for training of priests and scholars. Their
organizations are some of the most authoritarian and rigid Hindu
institutions. Currently these gurukulas are following purana shastric
protocols and admitting only young boys who belong to certain birth-based
castes. Non-availability of Vedic instruction (in the traditional sense) to
all Hindus under the traditional system is both a spiritual and social
problem and one that can be addressed directly by dharmacharyas. As part of
the Navya Shastra's mission, we hope to have such schools open to all
members of the Hindu religion, regardless of gender, birth or background, so
long as they are willing and able. Since these gurukulas are headed by the
orthodox dharmacharyas, it becomes essential for Navya Shastra to engage in
a respectful dialog with them. A significant number of orthodox Hindu
leaders do visit foreign countries and are already aware of the growing
sentiment
True reform of Hinduism has to begin with charismatic Hindu leaders, who can
speak and act the will of the people, as Sanatana Dharma is not a
centralized religion. We are hopeful that some members of the orthodoxy now
envision it wise to rid of casteism in their sampradayas. Furthermore, we
are aware that a number of charismatic Hindu gurus and organizations that
have abolished even the idea of caste from their dharmic framework, yet have
remained characteristically Hindu. Our sincere hope is that through our
views and experiences the orthodoxy will also change. We are of the opinion
that unless the orthodoxy is involved, Navya Shastra's efforts will lead
only to a fringe movement. Navya Shastra does not wish to cause any
splintering of Sanatana Dharma, and by engaging the dharmacharyas in our
movement, we decrease this possibility. On the other hand, we do realize
that Navya Shastra cannot expect all the religious leaders to unanimously
agree to reforms. Invariably, there will be religious leaders, now and in
the future, who will eventually bless the new awakening: about this we feel
confident. So long as we get at least some orthodox dharmacharyas to support
our movement initially, we believe our dharmic movement will continue to
grow and spread.
In summary, although until now we have mainly been concentrating on orthodox
dharmacharyas and their sampradayas, Navya Shastra also intends to work with
neo-Hindu sects and leadership from these sects. The neo-Hindu sects, which
were formed mostly as part of the Hindu reform movements of the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries, have already defocused from or given up purana
shastric procedures. The neo-Hindu sects, therefore, tend to be more open
toward a new vision of Sanatana Dharma than the older orthodox sects of
Hinduism. Help and cooperation from these sects and their leadership toward
the eventual goal of reform all of Hinduism is vital. The Navya Shastra
movement is led by people from both from the scholarly and common realms and
we believe that our movement will not be complete without the aid and
blessings of the orthodox leaders who have carried on our traditional values
for generations. Therefore, we deem it very important for our mission to be
accepted and acknowledged by dharmacharyas, both orthodox and reformist.
We are very hopeful that the dharmacharyas will support us in our endeavors
to usher in a new renaissance in Sanatana Dharma. We find inspiration from
the ancient Sanskrit saying that in the end 'truth alone triumphs'
(satyameva jayate).
WHY DOESN'T NAVYA SHASTRA JUST START ITS OWN SECT?
Navya Shastra is NOT a new sect of Hinduism and does not intend to start its
own sect or temples. Navya Shastra is a Hindu organization, which unites
members from various Hindu sects, various walks of life, and various parts
of the world under the banner of Sanatana Dharma to bring about a genuine
reform of the social structure in the Hindu religious tradition. All Hindus
who believe in bringing a true reform in Hindu religious tradition, ending
caste and gender distinctions based on the purana shastras, and opening
Vedic/Agamic instruction to all already subscribe to the Navya Shastric
ideals, whether they are members of Navya Shastra or not. People who
subscribe to the Navya Shastric ideals may belong to any Hindu sectarian or
religious tradition, may be Hindu by birth or conversion, or anyone who is a
friend of Sanatana Dharma and supports the idea of a genuine Hindu
renaissance. Navya Shastra fully appreciates and respects other Hindu
organizations, which are working toward the same goal of ending casteism in
Hinduism, but we do not believe in founding new sects to propagate our
ideals.
The goal of Navya Shastra is not to form a new sect, but to reform Hinduism
without further splintering it. Furthermore, Navya Shastra hopes that
through our efforts all Hindus will be transformed in their hearts and
minds. Formation of a new sect will not bring such change to all Hindus, but
to a select few who subscribe to the sectarian definitions. Navya Shastra,
therefore, opts not to become an independent sect since such an endeavor
would serve only to narrow the definition of Hinduism for some and leave the
rest of Hinduism unaffected. We are sincere in our belief that the impending
reform in Sanatana Dharma should have lasting impressions, much like the
bhakti movement of the last millennium.
Instead of founding a new sect, it is far more important for Navya Shastra
to identify charismatic Hindu religious leaders who are able to lead the
reform movement by setting an example of the new structures and practices
for other leaders to follow. There is nothing within Sanatana Dharma that
discourages new thought and reform. If one is to critically examine Sanatana
Dharma, one will find that it has undergone a continuous series of changes
to contextualize the framework for a given time and place. Despite all the
changes, the perennial truths of Sanatana Dharma (the core beliefs) have
remained unchanged. At this time, the change that is necessary is one that
will reform all of Hinduism and forming independent sects will not be able
to accomplish this goal.
DIDN'T THE ARYA SAMAJ ALREADY ADDRESS THESE ISSUES?
The Arya Samaj was founded by Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati in the
mid-nineteenth century and has since made significant contributions to
reform Hindu society. Among other things, it has uplifted many communities
and given them equal rights to the Vedas. Also, the Arya Samaj has actively
promoted a shuddhi ceremony to allow anyone to enter into the Hindu fold.
Many of the issues that Navya Shastra addresses were also addressed by the
Arya Samaj in the past. However, since the Arya Samaj's influence over Hindu
society, in general, is small in comparison to other orthodox Hindu
organizations, a large majority of Hindu society has remained unchanged. At
present, only a small section of Hindus, particularly in Northwest India,
belong to the Arya Samaj. Moreover, since the Arya Samaj is an organization
that exclusively promotes Vedic Hinduism, it has become more of a sect of
Hinduism than a Hindu reform movement. Another factor that has further
marginalized the Arya Samaj is the fact it does not subscribe to the
traditional Hindu practice of image worship or popular Hinduism based on the
Agamas, Puranas and Itihasas. Therefore, among many Sanatani Hindus the Arya
Samaj is considered to be a "protestant" form of Hinduism. Many
traditionalists and orthodox Hindus, even today, do not accept the Arya
Samaj. Hence, its influence on Hindu society has not been considerable.
Part of Navya Shastra's overall goal is to be able to maintain the sects of
Hinduism as they are, while changing the hierarchical and casteist attitudes
toward initiation and Vedic/Agamic study in orthodox Hindu organizations.
Although we fully support Arya Samaj's efforts, we believe a generalized
Hindu movement is necessary to bring genuine reform to all Hindu sects to
change their social and shastric outlooks, without changing the theistic
elements of any sect. It must be emphasized that Navya Shastra draws
inspiration from all reform and neo-Hindu organizations, including the Arya
Samaj, that have successfully eliminated purana shastric attitudes toward
ritual purity based on birth or gender, and we hope to be able to work with
them in the future.
AREN'T THE VEDAS ALREADY AVAILABLE TO ALL?
Today, we are quite fortunate to be living in the information age. All
scriptures of Hinduism including the Vedas are available to all who wish to
read them. Navya Shastra is well aware that Vedas are readily available in
bookstores, on the internet and are available through a variety of Hindu
organizations such as the Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Chinmaya Mission
and Sivananda Ashram. The question, however, is not the availability of the
Vedas. Rather, the point is that orthodox Hindu organizations are still
holding on to the purana shastric notion that Vedic education should be
available only to certain sections of Hindu society, which we believe is
wrong morally and dharmically. There is a big difference between the
availability of the Vedas for reading to anyone from the general Hindu
public being eligible to receive the Vedas in a sacrament. Navya Shastra
believes that all Hindu scriptures, Vedic or otherwise should be available
to every Hindu, through traditional "old school" Hindu institutions, which
Navya Shastra hopes to change by means of respectful dialog and gentle
persuasion.
WHAT HAS NAVYA SHASTRA ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR