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Preface:
I didn't find nowhere in the Shastras which I have read, nor in other books, if a person who was born inside a Western Country and feels devotion for Sanataan Dharma conducts of life, Devas and yog practices, can be truly regarded as Sanataani or Hindu by the Indians.
The proof of the pudding is in eating. Find out about Sister Nivedita who was a disciple of Swami Vivekananda. Her European name is Margaret Noble. So the answer to your question is a resounding yes.
A good discussion is in wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Nivedita
I am posting some excerpts about Sister Nivedita.
'Great things can be done by great sacrifices only!' averred Vivekananda. Nivedita - the Dedicated One - his illustrious disciple, did exactly that. She sacrificed her people, her country and her culture, to devote every breadth of her life for the cause she loved - at the command of her Guru, her mentor - serving India and its people. She showed Indians how to be truly Indian. She made the Hindus feel a few inches taller, by her overflowing love and admiration, for Hinduism which she vigorously propagated, a la Vivekananda!
Margaret Elizabeth Noble - that was her original name - was born at Dungannon (Ireland) on October 28, 1867. Rev. Samuel Richmond Noble and Mary Isabel were her parents. ........
Though she was deeply religious by nature and loved Jesus with all her heart, the Christian doctrines of the Church did not satisfy her spiritual hunger. Though the life and teachings of the Buddha, which she happened to read at that time, brought some solace to her troubled soul, the inner turbulence continued, leaving many a question unanswered.
It was at this critical juncture of her love that she learnt of the arrival of a 'Hindu Yogi' whose discourses and personality had started casting a spell as it were, on the Londonites.
Vivekananda visited England twice, the second visit being a much larger one. By listening to his talks and getting her doubts cleared through searching questions, for which she got scintillating answers, Margaret was now fully convinced of Vivekananda's greatness and accepted him as her spiritual Master.
One day, when he was talking of his plan of work which included the upliftment of Indian women through proper education and training, and hinted that she could be of great help in the same, she felt an inner urge to accept the call.
..............
As per the direction of her teacher, she started in her newly acquired house in the same area, a school for girls. It was inaugurated by no less a person than the Holy Mother herself on the auspicious day (13th November 1898), Vivekananda and other members of the Ramakrishna Order also being present.
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A severe epidemic of plague broke out in Calcutta in March 1899. As per the directions of Swami Vivekananda, Nivedita, with the help of some Swamis and volunteers, organised relief work excellently, thereby earning the gratitude of the people of the city. This was the maiden relief work of the Ramakrishna Mission.
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Continuous travelling and hard work told upon her frail health. She fell seriously ill, once in 1905 and again in 1911. She passed away peacefully on the 13th October 1911, at Darjeeling.
The place where her mortal remains were cremated, has a memorial with this inscription:
Here Repose the Ashes of Sister Nivedita (Margaret E. Noble) of the Ramakrishna Vivekananda, who gave her all to India. 13 October 1911.
Nivedita was a prolific writer. There are fifteen books penned by her which have been brought out as a set of volumes under the general title:
The Complete Works of Sister Nivedita Vol. I to IV during her centenary year (1967). Out of them the two books - The Master as I saw him and Notes on some wanderings with the Swami Vivekananda
- give us a fascinating picture of the great Swami.
If India is free today, the credit for inspiring her national leaders of the freedom movement, goes as much to Nivedita as to her guru, Swami Vivekananda.
A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 2, Swami Harshananda
A picture of the girl's school founded by Sister Nivedita
𝐒𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐦 𝟐.𝟒.𝟏𝟖
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ ye 'nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ
SYNONYMS kirāta—a province of old Bhārata; hūṇa—part of Germany and Russia; āndhra—a province of southern India; pulinda—the Greeks; pulkaśāḥ—another province; ābhīra—part of old Sind; śumbhāḥ—another province; yavanāḥ—the Turks; khasa-ādayaḥ—the Mongolian province; ye—even those; anye—others; ca—also; pāpāḥ—addicted to sinful acts; yat—whose; apāśraya-āśrayāḥ—having taken shelter of the devotees of the Lord; 𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐡𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢—𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝; tasmai—unto Him; prabhaviṣṇave—unto the powerful Viṣṇu; namaḥ—my respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐃 by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.
There is no such thing I believe. Sanatana dharma is a way of life and the whole birth/caste thing has been taken out of context. In the ancient times, a Brahmana was an ascetic who lived a very simple life (very little materialistic attachments or like a nomadic monk) and had a higher plane of thought. In fact if you look at all the hindu mythologies, you will find it riddled with colourful characters that challenge commonly held notions. One of the triumvirates, lord shiva is an interesting character himself. He is believed to cover himself in ashes, has got a snake (which was described by some as a low form of life) around his neck and is believed by some to indulge in smoking cannabis. Could it be any less normal? The first thing you have to remember is that, unlike Abrahamic religions, hinduism does not have a defacto book of sorts that lists out what a hindu should or shouldn't do in terms of strict rules. Infact, krishna himself says in the gita that the all paths ultimately lead to him.
Gita
aham ātmā guḍākeśa sarva bhūtāśaya sthitaḥ |
aham ādiśca madhyaṃ ca bhūtānām anta eva ca || 20 ||
10:20. I am the Self, O Gudakesha (Arjuna —Conqueror-of-sleep), dwelling in the hearts of all beings. I verily am the beginning, the middle and also the end of all beings.
When krishna says that he is the creator,sustainer and destroyer of all beings, why would there be any question as to whether a white or black or asian person can adhere to sanatana dharma.
Human birth is the most brahmanic birth for a any soul on this earth. While animals come next to it . Snake in my opinion is least brahmanic birth and they live in underworld . Exception to few divine snakes like Lord Adisesha , vasuki who are immortals with purpose and devotion to God . Even they are snakes they attained greatness with devotion to God . So basically that is more important .
