Claims veteran writer Prof. S.G. Siddaramaiah

Mysore/Mysuru: Veteran writer Prof. S.G. Siddaramaiah sparked controversy by claiming that what is today referred to as Hindu Dharma exists more as a political construct than as a true religion in the country.

Speaking after receiving ‘Kayaka Yogi Siddarameshwara Award’ at Kalamandira in city yesterday, Prof. Siddaramaiah argued that the ‘Chaturvarna’ system, rooted in the Vedic order, has in recent times been equated with Hindu Dharma. He pointed out that the term ‘Hindu’ itself emerged during the medieval period and is now being projected for political purposes.

“Hindu Dharma is being used only for politics. In reality, there is no such religion in this country,” he said. Explaining further, he stated that the inequalities embedded within the ‘Chaturvarna’ system, such as superior and inferior, higher and lower, could never be eradicated through Hindu Dharma.

According to him, this led to the emergence of alternative traditions such as Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism, which offered different ways of life without directly confronting the Vedic order. “The only faith that challenged the Vedic system head-on was Lingayat Dharma or Sharana Dharma,” he asserted.

Prof. Siddaramaiah said the Sharanas rejected the authority of the Vedas, Agamas, Puranas, Shruti and Smriti. “Lingayat vachanakars outrightly dismissed these texts,” he observed.

Expressing concern over recent developments, he said the essence of Sharana movement had gradually been diluted and called for deeper introspection and study to understand where things had gone wrong.

According to him, Sharanas rejected the concept of ‘Sanatana’ because, though the word literally means eternal, it had come to represent something rigid, lifeless and stagnant in practice.

He further said Sri Shivayogi Siddarameshwara regarded vachanas as the lifeblood of Sharana Dharma and essential for guiding everyday conduct.

“If one asks today, ‘Where is Siddarameshwara? Where is Basavanna? The answer lies in those who reject the ‘Chaturvarna’ system and build an inclusive way of life. They are the true followers of Basavanna,” he said.