The Sanatan Faith — Page 16
16 SANĀTAN DHARM do they believe in the shameless practice of Niyog. They do not raise absurd objections against Islam, for they know very well that most Islamic teachings are shared by all communities. They are generally sociable and very rarely resort to chicanery. It would be remiss of the Āryas to arrogantly claim superior- ity over them by claiming that they [the Āryas] do not worship idols and do not believe in the Avatars, for many yogis of Sanātan Dharm, who occupy the higher realms of religion, refrain from idolatry. 1☆ As far as the Avatars are concerned, in Sanskrit, the word autār [avatar] is used for Prophets and Messengers on whom descends the light of Parmeshwar. So, it is not the true doctrine of Sanatan Dharm to worship the Avatars; instead, they regard them holy and show them due reverence and love; ¹* whereas, in certain Āryah Samāj publications, I have read derogatory references about Avatars penned by insolent authors. This is not what is expected of decent people. Quite clearly, some Āryas have crossed all rea- sonable limits which shows that their faith is like a plant with no roots. These people do not seek spirituality. Faith cannot be attained through impudence or mischief. True faith demands a kind of death, for only then can one become spiritually alive. Regrettably, at the conference in Qadian, certain volatile 1. It is the duty of the faithful to love those who are pious, for this is a prerequisite to joining their company. The Sanatan Dharm not only love the Avatars of the past, but in this age of Kaljug [evil and sin] they also await a final Avatar who will purge the world of sin. It would not be sur- prising that sometime after witnessing the Signs of God, the righteous ones may accept this heavenly dispensation of their God, because they are neither stubborn nor inflexible. -Author