Navya Shastra is a new age society founded by some Hindus in the United States in 2002. The organization advocates aligning Hinduism with Western ideas. Navya Shastra translates to "New Rules" and as the name indicates the group seeks to create its own religious rules.
It describes itself as: "Navya Shastra is a Hindu organization, which unites members from various Hindu sects, various walks of life, and various parts of the world under the banner of Sanatana Dharma to bring about a genuine reform of the social structure in the Hindu religious tradition. All Hindus who believe in bringing a true reform in Hindu religious tradition, ending caste and gender distinctions based on the purana shastras, and opening Vedic/Agamic instruction to all already subscribe to the Navya Shastric ideals, whether they are members of Navya Shastra or not. People who subscribe to the Navya Shastric ideals may belong to any Hindu sectarian or religious tradition, may be Hindu by birth or conversion, or anyone who is a friend of Sanatana Dharma and supports the idea of a genuine Hindu renaissance. Navya Shastra fully appreciates and respects other Hindu organizations, which are working toward the same goal of ending casteism in Hinduism, but we do not believe in founding new sects to propagate our ideals." Navya Shastra was active in relief work among Indian communities affected by the 2004 tsunami.
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