Let us keep aside religion for a while. Just take a family. A family, by tradition has a ‘way of life’ too.

For example, in a particular (imaginary) family, traditionally they eat only vegetarian food. They don’t entertain keeping pet dogs in the house. They switch off TV in the evening and engage in chanting slokas or singing bhajans in the evening. They always receive guests with smile and ensure that guests are fed and given best comforts when they stay in the house. All the members in the family dine together. Family members who work in Government offices will never take bribe. None of them ever smoke or drink. Simple living is practiced.

Now, let us assume one of this family members does not like many of these practices. He hates simple living; he wants to enjoy life — eating non-veg, smoking and drinking; he wants to spend lavishly and he feels nothing wrong about taking bribes. He hates when guests come and disturb his privacy; he wants to watch TV serials in the evenings.

This family member one fine day decides to leave the family and chart his own course of life, not fitting to the ‘way of life’ of the family. He may give valid justifications for his action. But his family members are bound to feel hurt, offended and pained for his action, because they know pretty well that whatever ‘way of life’ the family was practicing all along are based on very sound principles and values; following them is good in the long run; nothing in them is basically wrong from the point of view of righteousness.

Will you call these family members hypocritical?

In a similar way, there is no hypocrisy when Hindus criticize people who leave the time tested ‘way of life’ of Sanatana dharma.