Bhārata as a Civilizational State: Historical Continuities Beyond Political Boundaries
Mr. Dhanush D R
Abstract
Bhārata emerges as a civilizational entity defined not by colonial cartographies but by an enduring philosophical and cultural continuum rooted in Sanātana Dharma. Unlike the contractual rationality of the Westphalian nation-state, Bhārata embodies a metaphysical unity shaped by the principles of dharma, karma, and moksha, manifest across sacred texts, ritual practices, and ethical codes. Canonical sources such as the Vishnu Purāṇa and Mahābhārata anchor its identity in sacred geography and moral teleology, while the indigenous conception of Rāṣṭra articulates a polity based on civilizational values rather than mere administrative sovereignty. Engaging the civilizational state framework, the analysis foregrounds the interventions of contemporary nationalist institutions and intellectuals – particularly Rajiv Malhotra and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – who seek to recover Bhārata’s ontological self from the epistemic residue of colonial modernity. Demographic continuity, cultural resurgence, and technological ascendancy are situated as expressions of a deeper civilizational reawakening. Far from being a relic of antiquity, Bhārata persists as a normative paradigm asserting civilizational sovereignty in both domestic governance and global discourse, and offering an indigenous alternative to Eurocentric models of statehood, identity, and order.
Keywords: civilizational, teleology, rāṣṭra, sovereignty, epistemic.