Opinion Sri Sri Ravi Shankar writes: Reclaiming Sanatan Dharma after Pahalgam attack

Indian Express

03-05-2025

In the wake of the recent Pahalgam attack, it is natural to feel helpless or angry. But peace and non-violence are often misunderstood as passive acceptance. True non-violence is not weakness or inaction. It is strength — the courage to uphold justice and protect what is right.
Terrorism does not arise overnight. It is sown in the minds of people from a young age through wrong teachings — the dangerous notion that killing someone guarantees a place in heaven. Such distorted beliefs, instilled in impressionable minds, have been the real problem. This warped perception must be completely uprooted if humanity is to move towards building a peaceful world.
The mad dog that one keeps to bite one's neighbour will eventually bite its own master too. Today, those who once nurtured extremist mindsets are suffering from the very environment they created and no longer know how to control it.
This is why spirituality is crucial. It goes beyond religion. It guides us to the idea of vasudhaiva kutumbakam, that the whole world is one family. Sanatan Dharma has always celebrated ahimsa or non-violence. But over time, its real meaning has been misconstrued. This misunderstanding has cost India dearly. At one time, our country had embraced Buddhism, which puts great emphasis on non-violence. At such a critical time, Adi Shankaracharya put weapons back into the hands of the monks, telling them, 'Protect the country, protect the dharma!' Thus, emerged the akharas or warrior-monk orders. Their main deity was Kartikeya, the commander-in-chief of the gods and a great warrior. Sanatan Dharma was revived and India was rebuilt.
Sanatan Dharma teaches us that stopping violence is also a form of ahimsa. Mahatma Gandhi's approach worked with the British, but he made a mistake. He told the Jews, 'If Hitler is killing people, let him kill. You should surrender completely.' This concept of non-violence is wrong.
Even our gods and goddesses are depicted with weapons. Would you tell Lord Rama, 'So what if Ravana has kidnapped Sita, you should also go and become his servant?' When Arjuna refused to fight on the battlefield, Lord Krishna said, 'Fight! It is your dharma to protect!' He said, 'Yogastha kuru karmani (Be established in yoga and act)'; 'Yuddhaya vigata jvara (Fight without feverishness or hatred)'.
When you are established in yoga, you will not act out of hatred. An action becomes violent or non-violent not by its form, but by the intention behind it. A doctor using a knife to save a life is non-violence. A dacoit using the same knife to harm is violence. Likewise, a police officer or a soldier acting to protect others is not violence; they are upholding peace.
You might die in war to protect dharma and that may lead to heaven. But to think, 'I will kill someone and get to heaven' is wrong. These concepts need to be corrected.
Thankfully, the world is waking up to this need. Many Middle Eastern countries, like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, promote religious harmony and discourage extremism. In 2021, Saudi Arabia added the Ramayana and Mahabharata to their curriculum. This move is aimed at making education more inclusive and multicultural. They have seen that fundamentalism harms not only others, but their own societies as well.
India has always respected all faiths. In Kashmir, too, change is visible. We saw people from all communities stand united against terrorism. Indian Muslims wore black bands during prayers to protest the Pahalgam attack. I also urge everyone not to blame the Kashmiri youth. They are our own children. They, too, have suffered deeply. They feel the victims' pain. Blaming an entire community for the actions of a few is unjust. We must protect and support them, not alienate them.
In this hour of grief and rage, the whole world must come together to show terrorists where they truly belong. Condemnation is not enough. It is time for action. Those who are indoctrinating young minds into this hatred must be isolated and stopped. This toxic ideology must be nipped in the bud — wherever it arises. Innocent lives are being lost to inhuman mindsets. Let us stand united and root them out. And let us also pray for strength and healing for the families of the victims.