Ans.
The term "Hindutva" is derived from the two
terms 'Hindu Tattva", which literally mean "Hindu
Principles". Now the question is, what are Hindu
Principles and what comprises the "Hindutva"
Outlook?
To
answer this question we would have to begin with the history
of the Hindus. The history of the Hindus is the history
of a civilization which has developed in its natural state,
without interruption, since antiquity. Its age is dated
to be between five and nine thousand years. Hence Hindu
History is a prototype of how human civilization would
have looked, if civilization all across the globe had
been allowed to develop in its natural state. This is
the relevance for us to study Hindu Civilization, Hindu
History and Hindu Culture.
The evolution of Hindu Civilization can be considered
to be natural and continuing as there is no last messiahin
the Hindu world view.
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In fact this is what distinguishes Hindu Civilization
from the rest. And this is why Hinduism is called a Living
Idea, guided by the sum total of human wisdom that is
not considered to be embodied in one person, or one book,
or one period of human history. Hence the term "Living".
Hindutva is the articulation of this idea of continuity
of freedom of thought from which emerge the multifarious
Hindu Principles.
Two
instances of Hindu Principles that symbolize the outcome
of freedom of thought are the pronouncements made not
today, but four thousand years back by unnamed rishis
(Hindu ascetics) that, "This world is one family"
(Vasudaiva Kutumbakam) and that "The Universal Reality
is the same, but different people can call it by different
names" (Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti). In these
two proclamations made in ancient Hindu India, we see
the seeds of globalism and freedom of
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thought,
four thousand years before the world was to become the
global village of today. Thus in its true essence, Hindutva
is a stridently assertive rational-humanist line of reasoning.
And it is this essence of Hindutva that we have kept in
mind, while developing this website. At the level of practice,
the Hindutva outlook boils down to upholding righteousness
(Sat-guna) and fighting ignoble attitudes (Dur-guna).
Taking poetic license, we can describe the practitioners
of this outlook as "Heenam Naashaayati iti Hinduhu"
(Those who uphold righteousness and fight ignobleness
are Hindus).
Thus,
far from being a narrow nationalistic doctrine, Hindutva
is in its true essence, 'a timeless and universal compilation
of human wisdom'. Hence it is also called "Sanatana"
which means, something that is "forever continuing."
- Sudheer Birodkar
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