Indian Nationalism & Sanatan Dharma : Views of the Great Thinkers

“Nationalism is not politics but a religion, a creed, a faith ..... I say that it is the Sanatana Dharma, which for us is nationalism. This Hindu nation was born with the Sanatana Dharma, with it moves and with it grows. When the Sanatana Dharma declines, then the nation declines, and if the Sanatana Dharma were capable of perishing, with the Sanatana Dharma it would perish. The Sanatana Dharma, that is nationalism.”
-- Sri Aurobindo
(‘Uttarpara Speech’, The Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo, vol. viii, p. 12).

"After a study of some forty years and more of the great religions of the world, I find none so perfect, none so scientific, none so philosophic, and none so spiritual as the great religion known by the name of Hinduism. The more you know it, the more you will love it; the more you try to understand it, the more deeply you will value it. Make no mistake; without Hinduism, India has no future. Hinduism is the soil into which India's roots are struck, and torn of that she will inevitably wither, as a tree torn out from its place. Many are the religions and many are the races flourishing in India, but none of them stretches back into the far dawn of her past, nor are they necessary for her endurance as a nation. Everyone might pass away as they came and India would still remain. But let Hinduism vanish and what is she? A geographical expression of the past, a dim memory of a perished glory, her literature, her art, her monuments, all have Hindudom written across them. And if Hindus do not maintain Hinduism, who shall save it? If India's own children do not cling to her faith, who shall guard it? India alone can save India, and India and Hinduism are one."
--Annie Besant

“Unless the country is protected, the Hindu Dharma cannot be protected, and unless the Hindu Dharma is protected, the country cannot be protected. ....also, protect the Dharmi to protect Dharma, and remember: ‘Hindu Vote is Sacred: Never Barter it Away’ -- This should be our refrain/campaign all over India, at this critical juncture. We should demand follow-up action on the Historic ‘Tirupati Declaration’ (July 15, 2006), the three cardinal Articles of which are: 1) 'We Hindus assembled here, in Tirupati, declare that we do not support, directly or indirectly, any group, institution, religion, media, or political force, which preaches, practices or works against Hindu Dharma in this country'; 2) 'We appeal to all the Hindus in this country and elsewhere to subscribe to and support this declaration, the Tirupati Declaration'; 3) 'We want all the Hindu religious endowments to be managed by Hindu bodies, and not by the government. We want the secular government to release all religious endowments from its hold.' "
-- Swami Dayananda Saraswati