Dear
brother/sister,
Do
you want to live a life with freedom, not merely physical, political or
economic freedom, but emotional freedom - living without any feeling of guilt
or remorse; mental freedom - living without the fear of the wrath of God, the
pressure to do duties to please God, the fear of hell and the fear of death? If so there is a solution. By following the
philosophy of Sanatana Dharma, you can lead a life with freedom and find
salvation in death. It is God’s grace that has brought you to this website. Go
through this write-up and then share it with your friends.
What
is Sanatana Dharma?
Sanatana Dharma is a way of
living based on rationality, compassion, ethics, simplicity, equality and in
harmony with nature. Sanatana Dharma believes in non-duality and oneness of all
things. Sanatana Dharma is all about freedom, love, brotherhood of mankind and
living a life free from ego, hatred and pride.
How
Sanatana Dharma is different from Hinduism?
The name Hindu was the word
used by the Persians (Iranians) to describe the religion practiced by the
people living on the eastern side of River Sindhu which they pronounced as
Hindu. Hence the name Hindu for Sanatanis, Hinduism for Sanatana Dharma and Hindustan
for Bharath (the real name of India) came into vogue.
According to Swami
Abhedananda, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda, as in our physical body there are
different stages of growth like childhood, youth and maturity, so in the
spiritual life there is spiritual childhood, spiritual youth and spiritual
maturity. While the Vedas are the outcome of the spiritual childhood phase, the
Upanishads are the outcome of the spiritual maturity phase. A majority of those
who identify themselves as Hindus have adapted the tenets and practices as
espoused in the Vedas and the Tantras (spiritual practices meant for the
commoners as against the Vedas which is meant for the elite class). But
Sanatana Dharma as interpreted by Swami Vivekananda follows the tenets
enunciated by the Upanishads and the philosophy of Advaita which is based on
the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita.
Why
Sanatana Dharma?
All over the world we are
witnessing socio-political conflicts and religious strife taking heavy toll of
human lives. Though there are forums to mediate disputes between conflicting
groups, their role has been reduced to insignificance. Hence there is an urgent
need for mankind to change his way of thinking and behavior if a major
catastrophe has to be averted and human race being extinguished. A new ethical
order based on scientific temper, reasoning, humanness, all-embracing is the
need of the hour and the tenets of Sanatana Dharma fulfill this. Sanatana
Dharma believes in the concept of Vasudhaiva
Kutumbam (the whole world is one family) and Sarvam Brahmamayam (everything is Brahman i.e., Supreme Spirit).
Sanatana Dharma does not make discrimination between races, nationality,
religion, gender and class and recognizes divinity in all living forms
including animals. In Sanatana Dharma there is no concept of a God sitting in
the cloud and wielding a rod and punishing his followers for non-compliance of
his orders or for people worshipping other Gods.
Purpose
of human life
The purpose of a human life
is to become aware of one’s divinity; to realize that we are a part of the
Whole. This Truth was discovered by the ancient seers of Bharath (India), who
spent their whole lives contemplating on the purpose and meaning of human life.
The result was the composition of Upanishads, a vast body of spiritual
treatise. It was based on the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita, that the great
spiritual Guru, Adi Shankaracharya propounded his Advaita philosophy, which is
the rock bed of Sanatana Dharma.
Uniqueness
of Sanatana Dharma
Anyone can adopt the
principles as enunciated in the philosophy of Sanatana Dharma, be it a Muslim,
Christian, Jew or a follower of animism. There is no need to change your name,
diet, dress, say prayers in an alien language, undertake pilgrimages, sacrifice
animals or worship new Gods. In Sanatana Dharma there is no central authority
like a Pope/Imam, Church/Mosque or an exclusive holy book like Bible and Koran.
You can continue to pray your former God and show reverence to your prophets.
Practicing the tenets as espoused by Sanatana Dharma does not uproot you from
your culture or country.
Sanatana Dharma has two
level of spiritual progress for its adherents, a lower level called vyavahaarika and a higher level called paaramarthika. At the vyavahaarika stage a worshipper can venerate
any God he wishes and with the grace of God becomes eligible to contemplate the
oneness of the soul with the supreme soul, which he achieves at the paaramarthika stage. This contemplation
he does with the aid of meditation which transcendent his mind to a higher
level of awareness.
Main
principles of Sanatana Dharma
Sanatana Dharma helps its
adherents in their spiritual journey without forcing them with strict do’s and
don’ts. Sanatana Dharma does not believe in the concept of heaven and hell or
create fear about facing the wrath of God if He is not pleased with certain
acts by his followers. Sanatana Dharma is highly scientific and believes in the
concepts of Karma (actions), Rebirth and Salvation. The essence of Sanatana
Dharma is found in the philosophy of Advaita based on the teachings of
Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita.
How
to become a Sanatani (a follower of Sanatana Dharma)
In just three steps, you can
become a Sanatani
- Discontinue the rituals and obligations prescribed in your old religion. (But you can continue to offer prayers to the God of the religion to which you belong
- Study books on the philosophy of Advaita, Bhagavad Gita and meditation
- Start practicing meditation.
Is
a guru/authority/institution ceremony required to accept Sanatana Dharma?
Sanatana Dharma is all about
inner transformation. There is no initiation ceremony, taking a vow or
undergoing purificatory rites to become a Sanatani. If you are convinced and
have a desire to transform your life, all you have to do is abandon following
the codes prescribed in your old religion, read books containing the philosophy
of Sanatana Dharma and start doing meditation.
Why
meditation is important in Sanatana Dharma?
It is through meditation
that the individual consciousness merges with the universal consciousness. When
this happens, an individual attains moksha or salvation, which is the ultimate
goal of Sanatana Dharma.
Sources
for acquiring knowledge about Sanatana Dharma
First read books on the
teaching of Swami Vivekananda (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda), Ramana
Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj and Osho; majority of them can be downloaded
from the internet for free. Written in simple English they are easily
comprehensible even to a layman. After reading these books proceed to read
Bhagavad Gita and books on Advaita philosophy and Upanishads, published by the
Ramakrishna Mission. Finally read books on meditation and start practicing it.
Some of the finest books on meditation can also be downloaded from the internet
for free. See http://www.holybooks.com/