Dehradun, March 19 -- Use of the word Sanatan instead of 'Hindu' was meant to centre the belief system on the Indian civilisational experience rather than the way 'outsiders' described it. In philosophical terms, Sanatan would mean an acceptance and understanding of all that comprises reality. That cannot, therefore, exclude anything or anybody. All creatures on Earth are 'Jeevatmas', have a soul that is on the eternal journey towards 'Moksha'. This is why Indian rituals require offerings to be made to other creatures - the crow, the cow, the dog, the tree, etc.
It comes as a surprise, therefore, that the guardians of Sanatan temples should adopt discriminatory principles towards 'jeevatamas' regarding entry. Idiosyncratic rules in individ...