Sanaatan Dharma is the eternal most ancient religion and way
of life based on the fundamental law of ‘Dharma’ which may be described as promoting inherent harmony or balance, duty, virtue, righteousness and universal justice.
Scriptures: Vedas are the scriptures which form the
foundation for Sanaatan Dharma commonly referred to as Hinduism. The Vedas are
a source of all knowledge of life and beyond for all time which was received by
ancient Seers and Rishis during their sublime experience of the supreme reality
of God. In addition to these ‘God revealed’ Srutis, the scriptures also include
‘man realized’ ‘Smritis’ that inform the practice of Sanaatan Dharma too.
Philosophy: The Hindu Philosophy provides many answers to
our as yet unanswered (or not fully answered) primary questions such as ‘who we
are’, ‘what to make of the world around us’ and ‘who created the world and us’.
Exploring the philosophy behind these concepts of ‘jiva’, ‘jagat’ and ‘Ishwara’ can
shed some light. Perhaps everyone wonders about essential questions regarding ‘what
the goal of life is’, ‘why we suffer’, ‘why life does not seem fair’ and ‘what
is the role of destiny vs. free will in life’.
The stages of life based on the principal doctrines of ‘Dharma, Artha, Kaam, Moksha’ as well as
principles of Karma and reincarnation which form a key part of the Sanaatan
Dharma go some way towards illuminating our way.
Practice: The practice of Sanaatan Dharma begins with
explaining the paths to reach God through increasing awareness and knowledge,
devotion and selfless action i.e. ‘jnana, bhakti and karma’. In Hinduism the role of a ‘Guru’ is
highlighted as crucial to understanding and reaching God. Hindus must also navigate
through the fascinating world of rites and rituals and further more try to
understand the reasoning and meaning behind them. The numerous deities that are
worshipped by Hindus are the Devas not to be confused with the one supreme
divine God that is ‘Atman’. Also known as ‘Devtas’, these divine entities are
referred to as Gods in the modern language and it is interesting to understand
each of their natures and relevance for human life on earth. All the stories
about these Devas that form the mythology around Hindu religion help to
understand the key values of Sanaatan Dharma of truth, justice, non violence, kindness,
mercy, faith, peace and tolerance and many more.
