What is Sanatan Dharma ....the absence of malevolence towards all beings in thought, deed or word, and to practice compassion towards all beings and charity towards all” - Devi Savitri : Mahabharata : Vana Parva 297.35. Commentary : Devi Savitri was the wife of a noble ascetic called Satyavan, the son of Ashvapati, the King of Madra . Sanatana means Eternal. Dharma -- a word, unfortunately, with no English equivalent --encapsulates those great principles, laws and disciplines that uphold, sustain, and ultimately lead humanity to the sublime heights of worldly and spiritual glory. Dharma is not religion and the word Hinduism cannot offer a shade of depth and meaning unlike that of its true name Sanatana Dharma. The words religion and dharma denote two entirely different concepts and perspectives. Religion is comprised of rituals, customs, and dogmas surviving on the basis of fear and blind faith. . Established in the name of God, a religion is an institution that requires a growing number of adherents for its expansion and future existence. A religion discriminates against human beings who do not belong to its particular order and condemns their way of living and being, whereas dharma is eternal, looking for no followers for its propagation. With no discrimination whatsoever, it leads a human being beyond the realms of man-made, institutionalized dictums. Instead of creating fear of God, it makes God manifest in the human heart, not in an anthropomorphic form, but as the absolute and universal One in whom all diversities reside in perfect harmony ~ Swami Rama ♥ Sanatana Dharma means: Eternal Path Never Beginning nor Ending Way Perennial Philosophy Universal Tradition All-Pervading Truth Natural Flow Sanatana is: Eternal Perennial Never Beginning nor Ending Abiding Universal Ever-present Unceasing Natural Enduring Dharma is: Harmony The Way Righteousness Compassion Natural Law Essential Nature Morality Truth Teachings Tradition Philosophy Order Flow Spirituality Religion Wisdom Purest Insight Divine Conformity Cosmic Norm Blueprint Inherent Nature Intrinsic Nature Law of Being Duty By its nature, Sanatana Dharma is: Experience based rather than belief based. Without any ideological divisions. Beyond any historical date of founding. The process of growth, which comes from the seed. Inherent in, and inclusive of all. Applicable to all people of all places and times. In the world, while above the world. God-centered rather than prophet-centered. Devoid of sectarianism or denominationalism. Both immanent and transcendent. The whole and the parts. Loving of all and excluding of none. The universal flow of Dharma, regardless of what name you call it, whether Dharma or some other name, has eternally existed. It has been before any of the great teachers were born. It is not better than, or alternative to, but is inclusive of all. Dharma is that out of which our earth and humanity itself emerged. Dharma not only is, but always was, and always will be. To live in alignment with, and to know the true nature of that Sanatana Dharma is one of the ways of describing the higher goal of life
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 15:23:00 +0000