Sanatan Dharma | The Eternal Religion~Hinduism

" यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिः भवति भारत, 
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदा आत्मानं सृजामि अहम् |
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुस्-कृताम्, 
धर्म-संस्थापन-अर्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ||

Sanatan Dharma is the ancient and most vibrant and living tradition of the world. Sanatan Dharma is composed of the body of knowledge, which has been developed throughout the centuries and is primarily based on the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, and Bhagavad-Gita. It is also known as Hinduism because its followers primarily live in the country named “Hindustan”. The term Sanatan Dharma is the original and the most suitable name of what we call today Hinduism.

Sanatan Dharma, or the eternal law of nature, is the same ancient path that was revealed by God to mankind during its various evolutionary cycles. This Dharma is a perfectly scientific approach to the study of life and the universe in which we live. The principles of Sanatan Dharma enable man to understand his true nature and his relationship with the world around him. It provides a scientific method to approach the material reality around him and an understanding of his relationship with other humans. It also explains man's true values, purpose, and identity; thereby bringing him a sense of inner peace and equilibrium in a spiritual dimension.

Sanatan Dharma, the eternal religion, is a universal code of living that is the common heritage of mankind, and all human beings irrespective of gender, caste, creed, age, or color can practice it. It recognizes the fact that all religions are different paths leading to the same destination.

It alone can guide humanity in attaining this natural goal. Every aspect of life is considered sacred: be it birth, marriage, or death, all are glorified by being crowned with religious ceremonies. The rituals are performed by the varna system in which everyone is assigned a special place. There is no superiority and inferiority complex among the followers of Sanatan Dharma. All have equal opportunities to achieve liberation.

Sanatan Dharma has some essential and distinguishing features:

Sanatan Dharma does not require any blind faith. Its fundamental principles can be understood on the rational level. Its scriptures can be subjected to logical analysis because it is based on reason and logic rather than blind faith.

Sanatan Dharma is Divine Religion

The highest truth, known as the Brahman is said to be beyond speech. All the efforts of man to express the same by speech or writings will remain a mere approximation to the infinite and inexpressible truth. This highest truth has been variously stated in Indian scriptures as Sat-Chit-Ananda, Parabrahman, Adwaita, Tat-Tvam-Asi, etc., all of which means the absolute, infinite, and eternal truth that is beyond the cognizance of the senses and mental faculties. Later on, it was realized that all such attempts to explain the real truth in words were futile.

Sanatan Dharma is a divine religion that is based on eternal truths and is not man-made. It is not established by any one person, rather it is an ancient religion that has been revived and reestablished by Shri Krishna. It is not the product of human intellect and planning. Sanatan Dharma or the eternal religion does not have a beginning but it does have an end. The modern educated society in India, as well as the whole world, generally gives this very name to Hinduism.

Sanatan Dharma is an eternal spiritual heritage of mankind, which existed long before the Vedas were compiled. Therefore, it is called Apaurusheya. The word Sanatan is derived from the Sanskrit root Saa which means eternality. The root of Dharma is Dhaka which implies upholding order. Therefore, the term Sanatan Dharma conveys that which upholds the eternal order or the Natural Law of the universe. It is true, as we have been told in the Upanishads, that one can approach God directly using spiritual sadhana (discipline). However, it is often difficult to judge for oneself what is right and what is not, what is genuinely spiritual and what is not. This is why Sanatan Dharma was created. The Divine Scriptures of Sanatan are the Vedas. They are eternal because they were revealed by Divine consciousness. Their origin is thus divine and not human.

Universal Religion

The Sanatan Dharma is the universal religion of India. It stands for the essential unity of the entire universe. The concept of Sanatan Dharma has been derived from the word "Dharma" which stands for an eternal principle. This eternally existing principle is called Reality or God.

Sanatan Dharma is a concept in Hinduism that focuses on the oneness of all life. The underlying unity of creation is the basic principle of Sanatan Dharma. It suggests that everything created in the universe has a divine aspect, as well as everything formed out of nature.

In Sanatan Dharma, the cosmos has no boundaries and is considered the manifestation of the supreme reality. All people have a direct connection with this ultimate reality, regardless of one's custom, culture, religion, or any other differences. According to Sanatan Dharma, consciousness is the fundamental guiding principle of all human behavior and all life. Therefore, consciousness and life are the same. This implies that consciousness is a non-physical reality. However, consciousness is different from physical reality because it guides it. Consciousness is also different from thought since it is not limited to one person but rather a force that connects every individual.

Sanatan Dharma views the entire cosmos as the manifestation of the supreme reality. In this way, everything created including the living and non-living is viewed as the segment of the same cosmic equation. Everything we find around us is characterized by a higher consciousness and in this regard, everything is divine and sublime Sanatan Dharma teaches us to honor every living and non-living thing. The supreme consciousness (God) is manifest everywhere. Everything is interconnected through some form of relationship.

Sanatan Dharma encompasses the entire creation from the sub-atomic to the macro-cosmic level. This connects us all and therefore, every creature is divine because everything we experience is connected to God.

Paths for human

Sanatan Dharma and its teaching was always considered ancient, traditional, and obsolete. It was the first and the only alternative to the rigid dogmatic religions of the west. This is true that Sanatan Dharma is truly an ancient religion but it is not traditional or obsolete, rather it has a very important place in society today.

Sanatan Dharma was the path for humans even in ancient times, but with the advent of western influence on Indian society, Sanatan Dharma took a step back. Some people tried to distort its true teaching and thus people started hating it. The main purport of Sanatan Dharma is to shed light on the paths of people and show them the way to achieve perfection. It emphasizes the inseparable bond that man enjoys with the supreme reality and enjoins him to endeavor to realize the sense of supreme oneness with God. This is truly said as the true and ultimate purpose of human life.

Sanatan Dharma is a scientific representation of spirituality, the essence of divine knowledge. It is a complete theory of life. According to Sanatan Dharma, all activities of man during his worldly existence are centered around three fundamental principles i.e. Dharma, Artha, and the Kama. His culture, polity, morals, economy, and spiritual development depend on these three principles. The path of the Supreme Reality that Sanatan Dharma shows to a man is called 'The Path of Sanatan Dharma'.

Sanatan Dharma is considered as the best alternative for the people who are engaged in the activity related to the study of different paths but fail to find their goal on other paths. This failure occurs because the followers of other paths never move beyond the static and inert conception of God as a creator and maintainer who has no direct relationship with mankind. This is against to -the-fact conception maintained by Sanatan Dharma that the Supreme Reality or God exists as a dynamic, creative force in the universe.

Sanatan Dharma is the eternal and all-pervading path for the whole of humanity. Religion, as we know it today, is not a part and parcel of Sanatan Dharma. It is rather a garb that was given to Sanatan Dharma by different people as time progressed and it is a must for us to understand this. Sanatan Dharma encompasses all the noble teachings of ancient masters, which include Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga, etc. The path of all these teachings has one and only one goal. That is to guide us to the realization of the Supreme Reality.

Sanatan Dharma accepts the existence of only one supreme reality, which is responsible for the creation, sustenance, dissolution, and destruction of this universe. It also accepts that the path that leads human beings to reality is yoga which can be classified in two different ways.

One of the basic principles of Sanatan Dharma is to recognize the supreme truth in all religions. Along with Hinduism, other religions such as Buddhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism, and so on are included in it. These religions are called asTatva dharmas (principles of religion). For instance, Buddha earned religious merit in Hindu Dharma as someone who attained complete knowledge of the Brahma Tatva (truth) while Zoroaster is considered equivalent to Vishnu. Therefore, there exist some sects that are non-Hindu but still a part of Sanatan Dharma.

Sanatan Dharma is a religion that is not bound by time or geography. It believes in an infinite number of gods and goddesses; everyone has a personal God they can meditate upon and worship. However, Sanatan Dharma only believes in one Supreme Being who is above all other gods, goddesses, and celestials. Generally, the supreme deity is referred to as Siddh - Ishwar i.

The Essential Unity of Dharma

The essential unity of the Sanatan Dharma is reflected in its name 'Sanatan Dharma' which acknowledges the eternal nature of this divine spiritual knowledge. The word 'Dharma' itself reflects this eternal aspect as it means an eternal law or an eternal order that can never be destroyed or changed. The name Sanatan Dharma has also been explained uniquely by Bhagwat Gita - one of the most revered religious texts in Hinduism.

The word 'Sanatan' literally means the eternal law or knowledge of the self, which is revealed to mankind by the Almighty God through His chosen avatars and prophets for their welfare and spiritual upliftment. This knowledge - Sanatan Dharma - is also known as the eternal gospel or supreme knowledge.

Sanatan Dharma is thus the yarn that is sourced and woven by the followers into fabrics of different colors, textures, and patterns. Therefore, it is but natural to find a plethora of gods and sects in Hinduism. Though different individuals manifest religion differently, they are all enjoined to experience the oneness of God as the ultimate truth.

For a common man, the word "religion" is used only for his particular sect and the rituals practiced in it. That's how they all remain. But on deeper introspection, one can see that every individual has a religious thought process, though it may not be formalized and ritualized. Every individual has the concept of soul, reincarnation, karma, etc. He also believes that God is his creator and he is his instrument. He knows that he is born out of a sexual act between two people and he will die after a similar act.