Answer
Context: Bharat Sant Mahaa Sabha conference on Uniform Ritual Code for all Indic religions, 18 May 2026.
It is a noble and constructive idea to bring together all faiths of Indic origin onto one platform. However, developing a Uniform Ritual Code (URC) for all of them alike, including the Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and the diverse streams of Sanatan Dharma, though an inspiring dream, may not presently be a practically realizable one. A more attainable beginning could be to persuade the various sects and denominations within the broad fold of Sanatan Dharma itself, including the Arya Samaj, to evolve a common URC.
For this, a concrete working proposal must first be drafted and made public, or at least circulated among the principal leaders and acharyas of the various Sanatani sects. After preliminary consultations and parleys, there should eventually be a full-scale Sanatan Council session to deliberate upon the proposal collectively.
Yet, even before attempting such an ambitious exercise, certain foundational commonalities must first be agreed upon in order to cultivate a genuine sense of unity and oneness among the numerous splintered streams of Sanatan Dharma. This is not about manufacturing an artificial appearance of unity, but about gradually building real civilizational cohesion among Hindus and Hindu sects.
Begin with shared scriptures
The first step toward such unity could be to persuade all major sects to agree upon one, or a small set of, common guiding scriptures for all Sanatanis. Only when temples, mathas, institutions, and ordinary followers across sectarian boundaries begin to keep, honour, study, and teach such shared scriptures can a deeper unity of thought and emotion begin to emerge.
If the sects agree in principle to adopt one “shared” scripture, or a set of shared scriptures, then they should also agree beforehand to abide by the majority decision regarding their selection. Each denomination would, of course, remain fully free to continue according equal reverence to its own Guru-given or sect-specific scripture.
If such a consultative process and voting were ever undertaken, it is likely that the Bhagavad Gita would emerge as the foremost shared scripture, with the Vedas occupying the next position. To begin with, therefore, the Bhagavad Gita and the Vedas, along with the sect’s own Guru-given scripture, may together constitute a kind of “Granth-Trayi” for each sect, collectively accepted as guiding lights of Sanatan Dharma.
Consider, for example, the spiritual stream of Anukul Chandra Thakur, with a following running into millions. Many among them primarily follow the sayings of Anukul Thakur alone. Similarly, the Vihangam Yoga tradition, with its vast following, centres itself around the “Swaraveda”, containing the teachings of its Guru. If such streams begin accepting the Gita, and perhaps the Vedas as well, as shared civilizational scriptures alongside their own, they would naturally begin integrating more consciously into the broader mainstream of Sanatan Dharma while still preserving their distinct identities.
It must be clearly understood that without a common scripture, or at least a shared set of primary scriptures, Sanatan Dharma cannot fully develop a common worldview and emotional solidarity, both of which are essential for enduring unity and collective strength.
An alternative path: scripture in every home
Moreover, many of these sectarian conglomerates are themselves only loosely knit bodies. Their followers are often not doctrinally trained or ideologically consolidated in the way followers of more centralized faith traditions frequently are. Therefore, even if certain sect leaders hesitate to formally accept the idea of shared scriptures, another path still remains open.
Let the Bhagavad Gita, along with a carefully curated pictorial Ramayana, be distributed free of cost to all 23 crore Hindu households. Children, youth, and ordinary families will gradually begin reading them. Over time, a shared civilizational worldview will begin taking root naturally in millions of minds, thereby preparing the ground for a later formal acceptance of shared scriptures and deeper unity.
A civilizational centre of gravity
The existence of a single shared scripture, or a clearly recognised set of scriptures, gives Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs a strong sense of collective identity, emotional bonding, and unity. Sanatan Dharma too requires some comparable civilizational centre of gravity.
For this purpose, a Universal Hindu Faith Council representing all major streams of Sanatan Dharma, including Arya Samaj, may eventually need to be constituted, perhaps with rotational leadership. The ancient Christian Councils provide an instructive historical example in this regard. At present, instead of one broadly representative civilizational council, Hindu society has numerous disconnected sabhas, councils, and organizations operating independently under different names and traditions. Such a fragmented institutional architecture ultimately weakens the possibility of collective deliberation and coordinated civilizational action.