Sri Bharatamata

Ashtottaram 87

 

87) OṀ SAHRUḊBHĀVA BHŪMYAINAMAH:

           OṀ (AUM) -SAH-RUḊ-  BHAA-VA- BHOO- MYAI- NA-- MA- HA

 

     (Sahruḋ: means-Good hearted, kind; Bhāvam: means-Attitude, reflection, perception,

                                                                                                                                -notion)

 

 

 

 

 

Showing love and compassion in the name of religion to proselytize the others into your religion versus having non-violence and religious tolerance as the central core of our religion (sanātanadharma) are like the big differences between day and night; and between the earth and the sky. Having 'yama' and 'niyama' as foundation, every Hindu born on our Bhāratabhūmi, having compassion, kindness, kṣhama (forbearance) and love toward fellow human being is natural, rather than based on religious motives. With the understanding and attitude that every soul is part of Parabrahman, we Hindus show 'sahruḋayabhāvana' toward anyone irrespective of their race, religion or creed. We don't have that exclusive 'brotherhood' feeling like some religions do.

 

In sanātanadharma, greater importance and stress was given to ahimsa (non-violence) and that's why there are so many vegetarians in Hinduism and it is spreading like a wild fire among the western countries and they are advising their people to eat more vegetables than meat. Scientific studies have confirmed what our ancient sages have prescribed thousands of years ago that vegetarianism is quite healthy. 'You are what you eat' applies to all and with soft food you will have soft thoughts and soft behavior which sanātanadharma describes as 'sāttvic' meaning gentle, soft and endowed with virtue. There is nothing great about showing kindness toward your fellow race, creed and religion, but it shows your character and virtue, when you show those qualities across the board toward any human being. That is our religion and our sanātanadharma. There is a political and religious motive behind, when the so called 'powerful nations' send food and money to financially backward countries.

 

People with pets, like dogs and cats pour so much love on them, but at the same time they eat every animal that moves. How can that be sahruḋaya bhāvana'? They laugh at Hindus for worshipping cows and treating them like our mothers, calling them 'māta' (mother). They ridicule us that we are starving when there is so much food roaming on the streets, meaning cows and pigs. But a Vedic-Hindu rather starves, than eating cows and pigs like the demons in the purāṇic epics. Our seers and sages ate roots, leaves, vegetables and fruits in the forests and wore the animal skin as a loin cloth from those animals that died of natural causes.

 

Our land is so blessed with those kinds of sages like the above, who, not only have lived a sāttvic life but showed us that path. Our land is 'Sahruḋaya Bhāvana Bhūmi'.