What needs to be done is to study and eliminate the factors that cause such conflicts, and deploy religion as a positive force for curbing destruction by disciplines such as physics and genetic engineering. The religious ethos of the East, though similar in essentials, is somewhat different from that of the West. Most Hindu scriptures are not dictations but dialogues between the master and the disciple, trying to search the truth behind consciousness and the cosmos. It is often said that Hindu dharma is not a religion but a way of life. Hinduism and most religions of the East are henotheistic, that is, they believe in various manifestations of a single super-consciousness.
Western tradition is monotheistic, that is, it believes in one god and inscripted prophets.
Hindu scriptures lay great emphasis on fair and just governance. They define the political power structure and also the dharma or duty of various functionaries such as the state, religious leaders, state bureaucracy, local communities, parents and the youth. Hinduism does not have a single sacred book but a body of scriptures evolved over 4000 years of India s civilisation, often referred to as dharmashastas meaning religious treatises. The monarch could be hereditary or elected. He could demand no more than 10 to 15 per cent of the local revenues for higher level functions and cannot interfere in local decision-making.