Haridwar, Oct 29 — Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Thursday described Sanatan Dharma as the philosophical foundation of India, called for citizens to rise above caste divisions and social hierarchies, and said a committee of scholars and religious leaders would be constituted to address what he termed alterations and misinterpretations in Hindu scriptures.
Speaking at the All India Ancient Knowledge Conference in Haridwar, Ramdev said Sanatan Dharma was not merely a religious tradition but the country's cultural and spiritual foundation, capable of guiding India towards economic strength, scientific advancement and national development.
“In the Vedas, there is no discrimination among human beings based on caste, nor is there any distinction between men and women or between living beings and the material world. The three fundamental principles of the Vedas, Sanatan philosophy, the Upanishads, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas are as follows,” he said.
"Sanatan Dharma is the soul of this country. Every country has a fundamental ideological and philosophical foundation, and Sanatan Dharma is the soul of India. Those who attack Sanatan are like cultural and religious terrorists; we won't let them terrorise anymore," he said.
Ramdev said the central message of the conference was that Sanatan Dharma was eternal and could also provide the strength to address contemporary challenges. He called for drawing on India's traditional knowledge and heritage while adopting a scientific outlook to build a developed and powerful nation.
On caste, Ramdev argued that Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras should not be viewed as separate or competing social groups. Referring to the Vedas and other Hindu scriptures, he said the four varnas could be understood as different parts of a human being, symbolising their interconnectedness rather than divisions among people.
He said the head represented the Brahmin, the arms the Kshatriya, the thighs the Vaishya and the feet the Shudra, adding that all four varnas existed within every individual. He also asserted that the Vedas did not sanction discrimination among human beings based on caste, gender or distinctions between living beings and the material world.
Explaining his interpretation of Hindu philosophy, Ramdev said the teachings of the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas emphasised the presence of the divine within individuals and across the universe.
"The truth of the entire universe resides within us; the other aspect is that the universe holds the same truth that we hold in ourselves," he said, adding that the Almighty was understood as an intangible and unseen presence within the universe.
Ramdev also said people who criticised Hindu scriptures and India's historical traditions without understanding their underlying teachings would face legal action. He said efforts would be made to educate people about Sanatan Dharma and its philosophical foundations.
In another statement, the yoga guru alleged that several Sanatan scriptures, apart from the Vedas, had been altered during the Mughal and British periods. He said a large committee comprising scholars, leading religious authorities, gurus and saints from different sects and traditions would be formed to examine what he described as interpolations and incorrect interpretations.
The proposed committee, he said, would work towards presenting what he called the purest form of Sanatan Dharma to audiences in India and abroad. He argued that a comprehensive understanding of the tradition was necessary to avoid fragmented interpretations of its teachings.
Ramdev also called for national unity around economic and strategic goals, urging citizens to move beyond caste divisions, social hierarchies and political differences.
"If India is to stand with dignity before the entire world, all citizens must set aside caste divisions, social hierarchies and political differences and focus on how to make the Indian currency the strongest in the world," he said.
He called for strengthening India's economy, gross domestic product, growth rate, scientific capabilities and military power. Such efforts, he said, should be pursued at three levels: individual action, collective social participation and government policy.