Uploaded November 2015 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
In this talk, Dr. David Frawley raises very fundamental questions related to religious traditions across the world. He begins his talk by scrutinizing basic assumption that state - Are all Religions the Same ? or Is there a Sarva Dharma Sambhav?
He finds that the view of Sarva Dharma Samabhava has been turned into a political principle in modern India. It has come to dominate the thinking of the country and has been turned into the main tool of trying to harmonize different, often conflicting religious communities. However other countries in the world, notably nearby Pakistan and Bangladesh, have not taken it up. Religions espousing an exclusive or final revelation like Christianity and Islam have almost uniformly opposed it.
They do not think that their religion is just one among many but is the only, the last or the highest. They do not recognize genuine diversity in religious beliefs but divide the world into the true believers and the unbelievers. The disharmony between religion remains and in many instances has grown worse. Nor has this idea served to create an equality of views even within Hinduism where different sects still compete with one another.
Therefore, one is compelled to examine this issue further. Is the equality of all religions a spiritual principle that is fundamentally true or a wishful statement designed to try to create harmony in spite of actual differences between groups? Can such mere wishful thinking eradicate real differences and contrary beliefs? And is it the real meaning of Sarva Dharma Samabhava?
About Speaker : - Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) D. Litt., is a western born teacher or guru in the Vedic tradition. In India, Vamadeva is recognized as a Vedacharya (Vedic teacher), and includes in his unusual wide scope of studies Ayurveda, Yoga, Vedanta and Vedic astrology, as well as the ancient Vedic teachings going back to the oldest Rigveda.
Vamadeva is a recipient of the prestigious Padma Bhushan award, one of the highest civilian awards granted by the government of India, “for distinguished service of a higher order to the nation,” honoring his work and writings as a Vedic teacher, which he received in March 2015.
To view more Talks - please visit www.indiainspires.org.
In this talk, Dr. David Frawley raises very fundamental questions related to religious traditions across the world. He begins his talk by scrutinizing basic assumption that state - Are all Religions the Same ? or Is there a Sarva Dharma Sambhav?
He finds that the view of Sarva Dharma Samabhava has been turned into a political principle in modern India. It has come to dominate the thinking of the country and has been turned into the main tool of trying to harmonize different, often conflicting religious communities. However other countries in the world, notably nearby Pakistan and Bangladesh, have not taken it up. Religions espousing an exclusive or final revelation like Christianity and Islam have almost uniformly opposed it.
They do not think that their religion is just one among many but is the only, the last or the highest. They do not recognize genuine diversity in religious beliefs but divide the world into the true believers and the unbelievers. The disharmony between religion remains and in many instances has grown worse. Nor has this idea served to create an equality of views even within Hinduism where different sects still compete with one another.
Therefore, one is compelled to examine this issue further. Is the equality of all religions a spiritual principle that is fundamentally true or a wishful statement designed to try to create harmony in spite of actual differences between groups? Can such mere wishful thinking eradicate real differences and contrary beliefs? And is it the real meaning of Sarva Dharma Samabhava?
About Speaker : - Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) D. Litt., is a western born teacher or guru in the Vedic tradition. In India, Vamadeva is recognized as a Vedacharya (Vedic teacher), and includes in his unusual wide scope of studies Ayurveda, Yoga, Vedanta and Vedic astrology, as well as the ancient Vedic teachings going back to the oldest Rigveda.
Vamadeva is a recipient of the prestigious Padma Bhushan award, one of the highest civilian awards granted by the government of India, “for distinguished service of a higher order to the nation,” honoring his work and writings as a Vedic teacher, which he received in March 2015.
To view more Talks - please visit www.indiainspires.org.
