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It, essentially, means to follow one’s eternal duty, which is to quest to understand every individual's core identity, his/her relationship and role in the bigger sense of Universe and then to learn to live according to those eternal and adhyatmik characteristics, especially attained by one’s own self realizations. This is also the purpose and mission of the Vedic philosophy and culture, and our ultimate duty in human life.
It, essentially, means to follow one’s eternal duty, which is to quest to understand every individual's core identity, his/her relationship and role in the bigger sense of Universe and then to learn to live according to those eternal and adhyatmik characteristics, especially attained by one’s own self realizations. This is also the purpose and mission of the Vedic philosophy and culture, and our ultimate duty in human life.
== Historical Linkages of Sanatana Dharma ==
This section has been taken from the writing of Pandit Ram Sivan<ref>An concise introduction to the Eternal Path to Liberation Pandit Ram Sivan, (Srirama Ramanuja Achari), Simha Publications, Sydney</ref>.
"There are two world religions which have formed the cultural and ethical basis of the world as we know it. Both have an unbroken history going back thousands of years. Judaism with a 5000 year old tradition is the mother of the western civilization through its offshoot Christianity. Hinduism is the older of the two with a literature going back to the beginning of recorded history. The ancient civilizations such as the Roman, the Greek, the Egyptian, the Sumerian, and the Babylonian have all passed away. Even the Jewish culture has undergone many radical changes since its inception 5000 years ago - yet the Hindu civilization continues as a vibrant and living vector, and has remained virtually unchanged for over 6000 years.
Hinduism is a term that was coined by foreign invaders of India to designate the traditional socio-religious systems of the people of ‘Hind’ or India. This term does not appear in any of the sacred literature of India. Hindus refer to their religion as Sanatana Dharma which loosely translated means “The Eternal Path’. Sanatana means eternal perpetual or sustained. Dharma means any method by which one sees reality for what it is, and that by which one is drawn closer to the Absolute Truth and Ultimate Reality — it is the Philosophia Perenis.
Hinduism is a living religion that has an unique in-built ability to adapt itself to changing circumstances. The flow of Hinduism can be divided roughly into major periods of change and development. The ancient Indian focus was always upon the spiritual development of humankind which is perennial and supra-mundane — dating is therefore an extremely problematic issue in matters relating to Hinduism and its development as seen through its literature.
Hindu teachers recognize the fact of their own historical development and do not lay claim to exclusivity or uniqueness in any way. There is no pretense that the religion descended from heaven and was the personal and unchangeable revelation of any one individual or that there was a “chosen” group of the “elect”. What Hinduism does claim is that it has, along with many other religions, universal and perennial Truths which are timeless and eternally valid.
==Authority of Sanatana Dharma==
==Authority of Sanatana Dharma==
A term of wide import, Sanatana Dharma is inclusive of many siddhantas and tattvas (philosophies) all unified in their goal of achieving the highest state of mankind which is [[Nihshreyasa (निःश्रेयसम्)]]. As knowledge is the rightful source of authority, as knowledge of the great Rshis was the product of their Reason in resonance with the Divine Reason, the Shrutis, given to the world are authoritative. The system of morality inculcated in Sanatana Dharma, is therefore authoritative as it
A term of wide import, Sanatana Dharma is inclusive of many siddhantas and tattvas (philosophies) all unified in their goal of achieving the highest state of mankind which is [[Nihshreyasa (निःश्रेयसम्)]]. As knowledge is the rightful source of authority, as knowledge of the great Rshis was the product of their Reason in resonance with the Divine Reason, the Shrutis, given to the world are authoritative. The system of morality inculcated in Sanatana Dharma, is therefore authoritative as it