IN a sharp critique of the proponents of Sanatan Dharma, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that there is no distinction between Sanatan Dharma and Varnashram Dharma, also known as the Chaturvarna system. Speaking at the inauguration of the 92nd Sivagiri Pilgrimage on December 31, Pinarayi emphasized that the concept of Sanatan Dharma is not aligned with the teachings of Sri Narayana Guru, the stalwart of the reformist movement in Kerala. He noted that Sanatan Dharma is favoured by erstwhile monarchs and communal forces alike.

Sri Narayana Guru opposed and defied the caste-based Varnashram Dharma and advocated for universal love and humanity, rejecting caste and religious discrimination. Pinarayi criticised the growing narrative that portrays Sanatan Hinduism as a grand solution to social evils, pointing out that the phrase Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu – often cited by proponents of Sanatan Dharma – is rooted in cow- and Brahmin-centric ideologies that align with current political dispensation. He highlighted that dalits and minorities in rural India are subjected to increasing violence under this narrative.

The chief minister also condemned the organised attempts in Kerala to present Sri Narayana Guru as a supporter of Sanatan Dharma. He stressed that Guru was an iconoclast who advanced a universal humanist philosophy and proposed a new-age dharma. To equate his teachings with Sanatan Dharma, Pinarayi argued, would be a grave insult to his legacy. He questioned how an ascetic who championed the slogan "one caste, one religion, and one god for humans" could be associated with Sanatan Dharma, a concept rooted in social hierarchy. Pinarayi further asserted that Sanatan Dharma celebrated monocracy, endorsed the oppressive dominance of the Brahminical hierarchy, and perpetuated a rigid, caste-based social and economic order.