Dharma vs Religion: What Modern India Gets Wrong | Nithin Sridhar | Ashish Dhar | Rahul Dewan |

Nithin Sridhar reveals why reducing Sanatana Dharma to a "religion" or "way of life" fundamentally misrepresents the oldest living civilisational wisdom. Discover the philosophical difference between Brahman's immanence and the Abrahamic creator-creation divide, the science of prana pratishtha and temple kshetras, and why Western feminism denies women their own nature. Learn how dharmic principles — rooted in Ṛta, cosmic order — offer a more coherent framework for governance, gender, and spiritual life than imported ideologies like secularism. Nithin Sridhar dismantles colonial narratives while reconstructing a dharmic lens for contemporary India. Key Points • Advaita resolves the Brahman-as-creator paradox that Abrahamic theology cannot • Prana pratishtha explained: how a stone becomes a murti • Philosophical incoherence of "numerical oneness" in Islam vs the infinity of Ekam • Western feminism's masculinisation agenda erases women's unique dharmic identity About the Speakers: Nithin Sridhar is the Director & Chief Curator of INDICA Center for Moksha Studies (previously Advaita Academy) dedicated to the dissemination of Advaita Vedanta. He has authored several books on various aspects of Hindu culture and practice. His first book “Musings on Hinduism” provided an overview of various aspects of Hindu philosophy and society. He teaches courses on Hinduism for Indica Courses and regularly contributes articles and delivers lectures on religion, spirituality, and culture at various platforms. Ashish Dhar is the co-founder of Pragyata and Upword Foundation and the Director of Operations at The Indic Collective Trust. He writes on History, Kashmir, Culture and Religion. Rahul Dewan is a tech entrepreneur, angel investor, blogger, social activist, and Yoga & Meditation practitioner. In 2016, he founded SangamTalks - the largest YouTube channel for documentation of ‘Indian Knowledge Systems’ (IKS) and untold Indian History. Having exited his software services business (600 people) successfully, he now dedicates his full time to Dharmic causes. He is currently on a mission to raise 1000 Crores for Hindu civilizational causes, and to campaign for making Hinduism Missionary again. Topics Covered: 00:00 Introduction: Nithin Sridhar and the Context of the Conversation 01:01 ‘Musings On Hinduism’: Origin, Scope, and Nithin's Spiritual Journey 04:18 Shakta Advaita Vs Shankara's Advaita 07:42 Brahman as Transcendent & Why Abrahamic Theology Falls Short 12:03 One Lord in Abrahmic Faiths Vs. Ekam in Vedanta 14:51 Murti Pooja and Pran Pratishtha Explained 20:30 Temple As Kshetra: Shakti, Garbha Griha, And The Science Of Darshana 25:32 Modern Feminism Critique: Masculinisation Of Women 32:20 Dharma Vs Religion: Unity Of Goal Vs Unity Of Means 41:45 Ṛta — Cosmic Order As The Vedic Root Of Dharma 46:20 Secularism As Colonial Imposition: Nirpeksha and Sapeksha Explained 49:41 Building A Dharmic Narrative Before Reforming Laws Or Constitutions #SanatanaDharma #NithinSridhar #SangamTalks #HinduPhilosophy #DharmaVsReligion