POWER OF SANTAN DHARM
sanatana dharma, in Hinduism, term used to denote the “eternal” or absolute set of duties or religiously ordained practices incumbent upon all Hindus, regardless of class, caste, or sect. Different texts give different lists of the duties, but in general sanatana dharma consists of virtues such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings, purity, goodwill, mercy, patience, forbearance, self-restraint, generosity, and asceticism. Sanatana dharma is contrasted with svadharma, one’s “own duty” or the particular duties enjoined upon an individual according to his or her class or caste and stage of life. The potential for conflict between the two types of dharma (e.g., between the particular duties of a warrior and the general injunction to practice non-injury) is addressed in Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gītā, where it is said that in such casessvadharma must prevail.
The term has also more recently been used by Hindu leaders, reformers, and nationalists to refer to Hinduism as a unified world religion. Sanatana dharma has thus become a synonym for the “eternal” truth and teachings of Hinduism, the latter conceived of as not only transcendent of history and unchanging but also as indivisible and ultimately nonsectarian
Dharma is often translated as “duty,” “religion” or “religious duty” and yet its meaning is more profound, defying concise English translation. The word itself comes from the Sanskrit root “dhri,” which means “to sustain.” Another related meaning is “that which is integral to something.” For example, the dharma of sugar is to be sweet and the dharma of fire to be hot. Therefore, a person’s dharma consists of duties that sustain him, according to his innate characteristics. Such characteristics are both material and spiritual, generating two corresponding types of dharma:
(a) Sanatana-dharma – duties which take into account the person’s spiritual (constitutional) identity as atman and are thus the same for everyone.
(b) Varnashrama-dharma – duties performed according to one’s material (conditional) nature and specific to the individual at that particular time (see Varnashrama Dharma).
According to the notion of sanatana-dharma, the eternal and intrinsic inclination of the living entity (atman) is to perform seva (service). Sanatana-dharma, being transcendental, refers to universal and axiomatic laws that are beyond our temporary belief systems. Most adherents prefer to call their tradition Sanatana-dharma rather than using the more recent term, “Hinduism,” which they consider has sectarian connotations. (Sometimes another category is added, called sadharana–dharma, general moral rules for everyone.)
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HINDU DHARMA AND SANTAN DHARMA
Dharma: Dharma as generally understood, refers to a structured religion or religious duties as mandatory in the scriptures of established monotheistic religions like Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, or Judaism. But in the context of Hinduism or Hindu-dharma, it has a different connotation. The term Dharma can be traced to Sanskrit Dhri-dhatoo which literally means to sustain or hold or which is integral to something, as described by AC Bhaktivadanta Sri Sri Prabhupada. Thus dharma of sugar is to sweeten, dharma of fire is to create heat and burn or dharma of river is to flow or that of air is to blow. As such a human being’s dharma consists of certain duties which make his/her life fruitful. Thus dharma is the unchangeable nature of human beings irrespective of any religious affiliation.
Sanatana-dharma: Thousands of years before the term Hindu or Hinduism came into existence, the term ‘Sanatana-dharma’ finds reference in Veda the oldest literature in the world. The duties as mentioned above can be classified into Sanatana-dharma and Varnashrama-dharma. Varnashrama-dharma identifies the economic and social duties of human beings. Sanatana-dharma consists of duties which are typically spiritual in nature. It refers to atman or spirit and thus cannot vary from person to person. Sanatana-dharma is very difficult to define objectively. However the emphasis is on eternal or intrinsic inclination of human beings which is to do service as desired by God and without expecting anything in return. This, according to Rishis is universal and beyond life and death and has nothing to do with one’s belier system. It prescribes the eternal duties that human beings should follow irrespective of birth root. These duties are honesty, purity, non-violence, self-restraint etc.
Hindu-dharma: The term Hindu does not find mention in ancient literatures like Vedas and Puranas. It has been coined by Persians to mean people living beside the river Sindhu. Basically Hindu means the people living in a particular geographical territory, i.e. Indians living beside Sindhu river. Before Persians gave Indians the name Hindu, the geographical territory was known as Aryavarata. When Greek conqueror Alexander the great invaded this part of the world, Greeks used the term Indu instead of Hindu to denote people living in this territory. This ‘Indu’ later became India and the people came to be known as Indian.
During the period when Muslim rulers ruled India, they levied jazia, a discriminatory tax upon all non-Muslims, thus bracketing all non-Muslims living in India as a distinct religious and cultural denomination called Hindu. Later during 19th century ‘Hindu’ became to be recognised as Hindu religion engulfing the people of India and the Sanatana-dharma. Even today, in many countries Muslims and Christians from India are termed as Hindu-Muslims and Hindu-Christians respectively.
The root of Hindu-dharma is found in Vedas and Puranas. These books are collection of spiritual laws, discovered by Rishis. These laws are absolute and govern the spiritual world. With passage of time it became a complex tradition encompassing a number of inter-related faiths and practices with common characteristics. The underlying theme of Hindu-dharma is that a human being’s life both present and future is guided by the action or Karma one undertakes. Hindu-dharma is a mystical religion that teaches the practitioners to experience the truth within by way of Karma (action), Bhakti(devotion), and Gyana (wisdom), and feel oneness with God in death
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JAI SHREE RAM
JAI HANUMAN
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Jai shree ram
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