Modernity universalizes Enlightenment ideals of equality, recasting Dharmic order as moral failure. But in Dharma, justice lies not in sameness, but in harmony—each being acting in accordance with its Svabhāva and Svadharma. The caste system, far from being a hierarchy of worth, was a framework of reciprocal duty, now misunderstood and maligned through colonial and liberal lenses. True reform lies not in dismantling tradition, but in reclaiming its wisdom with renewed understanding.
The elusive dream of ‘Equality’, whether in the form of ‘Opportunity’ or ‘Outcomes’, tantalises many, yet evaporates like a mirage in the real drama of human society. Do social justice, equality, and reforms reign supreme as transcendent values? Do religion, culture, tradition, and civilization solely encompass oppression and backwardness, or do they extend beyond the horizons of the contemporary cultural Marxist worldview we’ve embraced?
Harsh Sharma explores the effects of Ambedkarism on the above in the Indian context.
Equality of the genders is a modern creation, unlike how evolution has deemed species to exist across time.
The idea of inherent equality in society is a gross misrepresentation of reality according to Indic traditions.
The slogan of all religions being equal is a gross misrepresentation as their inherent aspirations differ greatly.