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→Defining Sanatana Dharma: Content added
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.
Western scholars with their penchant for neat categorization have attempted to classify Hinduism as “polytheistic” — meaning worshiping a number of different gods; or “henotheistic” — having many different gods but regarding one as superior to the others; “pantheistic” — believing that the universe is Divine and ‘that God and Nature are the same. All of these categories apply is some way or other to one or other particular sect or philosophical school, but none of them adequately describe Sanatana Dharma as it is. Sanatana Dharma has no founder, no dogma, no central teaching authority, no creed, no stock theology or generally accepted philosophy, no uniform customs or traditions, and above all insists that all religions are relatively true<ref name=":4" />.
== Historical Linkages of Sanatana Dharma ==
== 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>.
This section has been taken from the writing of Pandit Ram Sivan<ref name=":4">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.
"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.