Srila Prabhupada: Unfortunately, the Indian people gave up the real religious system - sanatana-dharma, or varnasrama-dharma - and accepted a hodgepodge thing called "Hinduism.".
The Journey Of Self Discovery pg. 43:.
Srila Prabhupada: Now that sanatana-dharma, or Vedic dharma, is being distorted, not being obeyed, not being carried out properly, it has come to be known as Hinduism..
The Journey Of Self Discovery pg. 44:.
Why are you taking up variegated practices under the name of so-called Hinduism? Why don't you take the advice of the sanatana, Krsna? . . . . . Why remain Hindu? Why remain Muslim? Why remain Christian? Give up all this nonsense..
The Journey Of Self Discovery pg. 45:.
Your trouble is that you do not know what religion is, and you do not know what sanatana-dharma is. In our Krsna consciousness society there are many who were formerly so-called Hindus, so-called Muslims, and so-called Christians, but now they don't care for "Hindu" or "Muslim" or "Christian." They care only for Krsna. That's all. If you follow a false religious system, you suffer; but if you follow a real religious system, you'll be happy. . . . . Vedic religion means varnasrama-dharma, the division of society into four social classes and four spiritual orders of life. . . . . When all these classes and orders work harmoniously to satisfy the Lord, that is real religion or dharma..
The Journey Of Self Discovery pg. 43-45:.
In June 1976 Srila Prabhupada fields questions sent to him from the editors of Bhavan's Journal, one of Bombay's leading cultural and religious periodicals..
Devotee: Here is the first question: "It is said that the greatest strength of Hinduism is its catholicity, or breadth of outlook, but that this is also it's greatest weakness in that there are very few religious observances that are obligatory for all, as in other religions. Is it necessary and possible to outline certain basic minimum observances for all Hindus"?.
Srila Prabhupada: As far as Vedic religion is concerned, it is not for the Hindus; it is for all living entities. That is the first thing to be understood. Vedic religion is called sanatana-dharma, "the eternal occupation of the living entity." The living entity is sanatana [eternal], God is sanatana, and there is sanatana-dharma. Sanatana-dharma is meant for all living entities, not just the so-called Hindus. Hinduism, this "ism," that "ism" - these are all misconception. Historically, sanatana-dharma was followed regularly in India, and Indians were called "Hindus" by the Muslims. The Muslims saw that the Indians lived on the other side of the River Sind, and the Muslims pronounced Sind as Hind. Therefore they called India "Hindustan" and the people who lived there "Hindus." But the word Hindu has no reference in the Vedic literature, nor does so-called Hindu dharma. Now that sanatana-dharma, or Vedic dharma, is being distorted, not being obeyed, not being carried out properly, it has come to be known as Hinduism. But that is a freak understanding; that is not a real understanding. We have to study sanatana-dharma as it is described in the Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic literatures; then we'll understand what Vedic religion is. [To a devotee:] Read from the Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, eighteenth verse..
Devotee [Reads]:.
tvam aksaram paramam veditavyam
tvam asya visvasya param nidhanam
tvam avyayah sasvata-dharma-gopta
sanatanas tvam puruso mato me.
"O Lord Krsna, You are the supreme primal objective. You are the ultimate resting place of all this universe. You are inexhaustible, and You are the oldest. You are the maintainer of the eternal religion, the Personality of Godhead. This is my opinion.".
Srila Prabhupada: This understanding is wanted. Krsna is eternal, we are eternal, and the place where we can live and exchange our feelings with Krsna - that is eternal. And the system that teaches this eternal process of reciprocation - that is sanatana-dharma, which is meant for everyone..
Devotee: So what would be the daily prescribed religious observances followed by one who is aspiring for this sanatana-dharma? What would he do? The complaint is that within Hinduism - or, let's say, sanatana-dharma - there is such a breadth, there is so much variegatedness in different types -.
Srila Prabhupada: Why do you go to variegatedness? Why don't you take the real purpose of religion from Krsna? Krsna says [Bhagavad-gita 18.66], sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "Give up all other so-called dharmas and just surrender to Me." Why don't you take that? Why are you taking up variegated practices under the name of so-called Hinduism? Why don't you take the advice of the sanatana, Krsna? You refuse to accept sanatana-dharma - what the sanatana, God, says - but you say, "How can we avoid so many varieties and come to the right point?" Why accept varieties? Take to this one consciousness: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. Why don't you do that?.
Devotee: How can people do this practically, on a daily basis?.
Srila Prabhupada: How are we doing it? Is what we are doing not practical? People will manufacture their own impractical way of religion, but they won't take our practical system. What is that? Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru: Simply think of Krsna, become His devotee, worship Him, and offer obeisances to Him. Where is the difficulty? Where is the impracticality? Krsna says, "This is your duty. If you do this you will come to me without any doubt." Why don't you do that? Why remain Hindu? Why remain Muslim? Why remain Christian? Give up all this nonsense. Just surrender to Krsna and understand, "I am a devotee of Krsna, a servant of Krsna." Then everything will immediately be resolved..
Devotee: But the Hindus would say, "There are so many other aspects to Hindu dharma.".
Srila Prabhupada: Real dharma is defined in Srimad-Bhagavatam: dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam. "What God says - that is dharma." Now, God says, "Give up all other dharmas and just surrender unto me." So take that dharma. Why do you want to remain a Hindu? And besides, what Hindu does not accept the authority of Krsna? Even today, if any Hindu says, "I don't care for Krsna and Bhagavad-gita," he will immediately be rejected as a madman. Why don't you take Krsna's instruction? Why go elsewhere? Your trouble is that you do not know what religion is, and you do not know what sanatana-dharma is. In our Krsna consciousness society there are many who were formerly so-called Hindus, so-called Muslims, and so-called Christians, but now they don't care for "Hindu" or "Muslim" or "Christian." They care only for Krsna. That's all. If you follow a false religious system, you suffer; but if you follow a real religious system, you'll be happy..
Unfortunately, the Indian people gave up the real religious system - sanatana-dharma, or varnasrama-dharma - and accepted a hodgepodge thing called "Hinduism." Therefore there is trouble. Vedic religion means varnasrama-dharma, the division of society into four social classes and four spiritual orders of life. The four social classes are the brahmanas [priests and intellectuals], the ksatriyas [political leaders and military men], the vaisyas [merchants and farmers], and the sudras [manual laborers]. The four spiritual orders are the brahmacaris [celibate students], grhastas [householders], the vanaprasthas [retired persons], and the sannyasis [renunciants]. When all these classes and orders work harmoniously to satisfy the Lord, that is real religion or dharma..