Declaration No. 1
WHC Declaration About Terms “Hindu”, “Hindutva” and “Sanatan Dharma”
World Hindu Congress 2023, Bangkok
24th November 2023
In the term “Hindu Dharma”, the first word, i. e. “Hindu” is an unbounded word. It signifies all that is Sanatan or Eternal. And then there is Dharma, which means “That, which sustains”. Thus, Hindu Dharma signifies all that which eternally upholds everything; an individual, a family, a community, a society, and even nature – both animate and inanimate.
In contrast, Hinduism is totally different because it is suffixed with an “ism”. The term “ism” is defined as an oppressive and discriminatory attitude or belief. In the mid-nineteenth century United States of America, the phrase “the isms” was used to collectively refer to radical social reform movements and various non-mainstream spiritual or…
