India’s Secularism is Sita Ram Goel’s analysis of the conceptual confusion introduced by translating the Indian word dharma as the English word religion, a translation that placed Sanatana Dharma and monotheistic creeds under a single common denomination.

The Semantic Trap

Goel argues that European scholars in the 18th–19th centuries had difficulty translating “dharma” into European languages because no single word could express its essential nature. However, modern Indian scholars resolved this by simply translating “religion” as “dharma” in all Indian languages, putting:

  • Schools of Sanatana Dharma (Smarta, Jaina, Bauddha, Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakta, etc.)
  • Islam (theology of exclusive monotheism)
  • Christianity (exclusive salvation doctrine)

…under one umbrella term. While Sanatana Dharma’s tradition of mutual tolerance was extended to Islam and Christianity, the latter two could not reciprocate since their theologies consider other faiths as false or inferior.

Two Traditions of Worship

Goel distinguishes between two traditions:

  1. The Advaita Tradition — Found in ancient India, Iran, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Japan, pre-Christian Europe, and indigenous cultures worldwide. Its hallmark: no history of spreading faith by force.

  2. The Monotheist Tradition — Originating with Judaism, inherited and expanded by Christianity and Islam. Its hallmark: expansion through armed force, economic power, or a combination of both via imperialism.

Consequences

  • Hindu goodwill towards Islam and Christianity has been met with intensified efforts to convert India
  • The stronger the Hindu assertion of equal regard, the more sharply increases Islam’s drive to make India dar al-Islam and Christianity’s insistence on India’s salvation through Christ
  • Goel argues Hindus must listen to what Christian and Muslim spokesmen actually say about their own religions rather than projecting their own values onto them

See Also