Sanātana dharma and Christianity – Perspectives of Theological Dialogue

Abstract

The ancient Indian concept of “the eternal nature of things” (sanātana dharma) is a convenient meeting ground for all religions. It is a mistake to describe it as tantamount to Hinduism. Christianity and Hinduism may enter into a meaningful dialogue within its framework. Since for both of them the self‑sacrifice of God is a pivotal idea around which they build their theology. Basic difference between them lays in the fact that the Vedic sacrifice is a creative one, out of which time and space emerged and the Christian sacrifice is a redemptive one that took place within created time and space. Thus the basic question is whether these two concepts of sacrifice are homologous. In the present essay, we try to outline this extremely tantalizing problem.

Keywords

• sanātana dharma
• yajña
• kāma
• tapas
• Vedic sacrifice
• redemptive sacrifice 1