Changes

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 ==

== 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.  

Thus the first thing we learn here is the Unity of all Selves and this is the foundation of Dharma (word used in the sense of Ethics).  

Thus the first thing we learn here is the Unity of all Selves and this is the foundation of Dharma (word used in the sense of Ethics).  

===कर्मसिद्धान्तम् || Karma Siddhanta===

===कर्मसिद्धान्तम् || Karma Siddhanta===

Karma literally means action, but every action belongs partly to the past, partly to the present, partly to the future, it has come to mean the sequence of events, the law of causes and effects. So Karma is not simply action, it inseparably includes the consequence of an action also. The Jivatma undergoes it’s own karma, by which each person must experience the results or consequences of his activities and creates his own destiny based on his thought, words and deeds. Hence all things are interlinked together indissolubly, woven, and interwoven inseparably; nothing occurs which is not linked to the past and to the future. As discussed previously, Jivatma is three-fold in nature consisting of Iccha, Jnana and Kriya (Will, Wisdom and Activity) which are expressed as Desire, Knowledge and Action in the lower world of upadhis, of forms and these three fashion a man's Karma, following a definite law. Desire is the key force directing a thought, which in turn determines an action in man. Brhadaranyakopanishad (also given in Shatapatha Brahmana 14.7.2) aptly summarizes it as follows<blockquote>काममय एवायं पुरुष इति स यथाकामो भवति तत्क्रतुर्भवति यत्क्रतुर्भवति तत्कर्म कुरुते यत्कर्म कुरुते तदभिसम्पद्यते ॥ ५ ॥ (Brha. Upan.4.4.5)</blockquote><blockquote>kāmamaya evāyaṁ puruṣa iti sa yathākāmo bhavati tatkraturbhavati yatkraturbhavati tatkarma kurute yatkarma kurute tadabhisampadyate ॥ 5 ॥</blockquote>''Man verily is desire-formed; as is his desire,so is his thought, as his thought is, so he does action, as his action is, so he attains.'' <ref name=":022" /> Shankaracharya comments on this saying "Desire is the root of the world". Thus, Karma siddhanta is based on three aspects '''Desires''' (which impel man towards attachment), '''Mind''' (the creative power makes a man's character),  '''Actions''' (circumstances are made by actions). Sri Ramana Maharshi in his Upadesasaram, very clearly explains that Karma is jada (insentient) thus,<blockquote>कर्तुराज्ञया प्राप्यते फलम् । कर्म किं परं कर्म तज्जडम् ॥ १॥</blockquote><blockquote>karturājñayā prāpyatē phalam । karma kiṁ paraṁ karma tajjaḍam ॥ 1॥ (Upad. Sara. 1)</blockquote>Meaning: ''By the command of karta (performer of Karma) the fruit of action is determined. So how is Karma supreme, for it is inanimate.''

Karma literally means action, but every action belongs partly to the past, partly to the present, partly to the future, it has come to mean the sequence of events, the law of causes and effects. So Karma is not simply action, it inseparably includes the consequence of an action also. The Jivatma undergoes it’s own karma, by which each person must experience the results or consequences of his activities and creates his own destiny based on his thought, words and deeds. Hence all things are interlinked together indissolubly, woven, and interwoven inseparably; nothing occurs which is not linked to the past and to the future. As discussed previously, Jivatma is three-fold in nature consisting of Iccha, Jnana and Kriya (Will, Wisdom and Activity) which are expressed as Desire, Knowledge and Action in the lower world of upadhis, of forms and these three fashion a man's Karma, following a definite law. Desire is the key force directing a thought, which in turn determines an action in man. Brhadaranyakopanishad (also given in Shatapatha Brahmana 14.7.2) aptly summarizes it as follows<blockquote>काममय एवायं पुरुष इति स यथाकामो भवति तत्क्रतुर्भवति यत्क्रतुर्भवति तत्कर्म कुरुते यत्कर्म कुरुते तदभिसम्पद्यते ॥ ५ ॥ (Brha. Upan.4.4.5)</blockquote><blockquote>kāmamaya evāyaṁ puruṣa iti sa yathākāmo bhavati tatkraturbhavati yatkraturbhavati tatkarma kurute yatkarma kurute tadabhisampadyate ॥ 5 ॥</blockquote>''Man verily is desire-formed; as is his desire,so is his thought, as his thought is, so he does action, as his action is, so he attains.'' <ref name=":022" /> Shankaracharya comments on this saying "Desire is the root of the world". Thus, Karma siddhanta is based on three aspects '''Desires''' (which impel man towards attachment), '''Mind''' (the creative power makes a man's character),  '''Actions''' (circumstances are made by actions). Sri Ramana Maharshi in his Upadesasaram, very clearly explains that Karma is jada (insentient) thus,<blockquote>कर्तुराज्ञया प्राप्यते फलम् । कर्म किं परं कर्म तज्जड़म् ॥ १॥</blockquote><blockquote>karturājñayā prāpyatē phalam । karma kiṁ paraṁ karma tajjaḍam ॥ 1॥ (Upad. Sara. 1)</blockquote>Meaning: ''By the command of karta (performer of Karma) the fruit of action is determined. So how is Karma supreme, for it is inanimate.''

Karma differs from destiny in that Karma is not a final thing awaiting us, but is a constant becoming, in which future is not just shaped by the past but is also being modified by the present. Karma is said to be of three kinds - Prarabdha, Sanchita, Agami.

Karma differs from destiny in that Karma is not a final thing awaiting us, but is a constant becoming, in which future is not just shaped by the past but is also being modified by the present. Karma is said to be of three kinds - Prarabdha, Sanchita, Agami.

The previous section is a brief summary of the siddhantas (theories) or mental processes on which Sanatana Dharma is based on. The present section deals with the course of action to be taken, the system of Karma (activities) that leads one on the path of Dharma, establishes him on the Prvritti marga of Jnana taking him to his goal of [[Nihshreyasa (निःश्रेयसम्)|Nihshreyasa]] and Moksha.  

The previous section is a brief summary of the siddhantas (theories) or mental processes on which Sanatana Dharma is based on. The present section deals with the course of action to be taken, the system of Karma (activities) that leads one on the path of Dharma, establishes him on the Prvritti marga of Jnana taking him to his goal of [[Nihshreyasa (निःश्रेयसम्)|Nihshreyasa]] and Moksha.  

===वेदप्रमाणत्वम् ॥ The Authority of Vedas===

===वेदप्रमाणत्वम् ॥ The Authority of Vedas===

Texts like Bhagavadgita which have been given or spoken by Sri Krishna, considered as a Supreme Being, and others composed by seers in their deepest super conscious state in which they were able to give revelations of Universal Truths while in meditation, on the Supreme Being, form the adhyatmik core of Sanatana Dharma. This [[Bharatiya Samskrtika Parampara (भारतीयसांस्कृतिकपरम्परा)|Bharatiya Samskrtika Parampara]] or Vedic literature, along with other texts like Agamas and the practices congruent with them, form the basis of the Sanatana dharma. The Astika darshanas include the [[Shad Darshanas (षड्दर्शनानि)|Shad Darshanas]] which accept the authority of Vedas form the different theological bases of explaining about Atma, Brahman, Avidya, and Moksha which are exclusive features of Sanatana Dharma.

Texts like Bhagavadgita which have been given or spoken by Sri Krishna, considered as a Supreme Being, and others composed by seers in their deepest super conscious state in which they were able to give revelations of Universal Truths while in meditation, on the Supreme Being, form the adhyatmik core of Sanatana Dharma. This [[Bharatiya Samskrtika Parampara (धार्मिकसांस्कृतिकपरम्परा)|Bharatiya Samskrtika Parampara]] or Vedic literature, along with other texts like Agamas and the practices congruent with them, form the basis of the Sanatana dharma. The Astika darshanas include the [[Shad Darshanas (षड्दर्शनानि)|Shad Darshanas]] which accept the authority of Vedas form the different theological bases of explaining about Atma, Brahman, Avidya, and Moksha which are exclusive features of Sanatana Dharma.

===यज्ञाः ॥ Yajnas===

===यज्ञाः ॥ Yajnas===

Shrutis declare it, Smrtis inculcate it and the Shad Vedangas circle around the concept while Dharmashastras show by practice that the worlds are built and maintained by [[Yajna (यज्ञः)|Yajnas]]. Sanatana Dharma has incorporated and maintains that the yajnas pervade the whole life of man. That Srishti (Creation) began with Yajna is given by the following mantras of Brhdarnayakopanishad<blockquote>उषा वा अश्वस्य मेध्यस्य शिरः । uṣā vā aśvasya medhyasya śiraḥ । (Brhd. Upan. 1.1.1)</blockquote>Meaning : The dawn verily is the head of the yajna horse. Here the dawn is explained as the beginning of the day of Brahma, the day of creation.

Shrutis declare it, Smrtis inculcate it and the Shad Vedangas circle around the concept while Dharmashastras show by practice that the worlds are built and maintained by [[Yajna (यज्ञः)|Yajnas]]. Sanatana Dharma has incorporated and maintains that the yajnas pervade the whole life of man. That Srishti (Creation) began with Yajna is given by the following mantras of Brhdarnayakopanishad<blockquote>उषा वा अश्वस्य मेध्यस्य शिरः । uṣā vā aśvasya medhyasya śiraḥ । (Brhd. Upan. 1.1.1)</blockquote>Meaning : The dawn verily is the head of the yajna horse. Here the dawn is explained as the beginning of the day of Brahma, the day of creation.

In the heart of Sanatana Dharma lies the tradition of handing down of knowledge from preceptor to the student. Teaching not only the shastras a [[Guru (गुरुः)|Guru]] lays the seed of all moral and adhyatmik education at a young impressionable age thereby leading him on the path of a dharmik life. All can receive proper instruction on how to follow the teachings of the Vedic philosophy from a Guru who is in line with a genuine parampara, or line of gurus. This was the one tradition which upheld the society till date and the preserved the continuity of Vedas when script was not developed.

In the heart of Sanatana Dharma lies the tradition of handing down of knowledge from preceptor to the student. Teaching not only the shastras a [[Guru (गुरुः)|Guru]] lays the seed of all moral and adhyatmik education at a young impressionable age thereby leading him on the path of a dharmik life. All can receive proper instruction on how to follow the teachings of the Vedic philosophy from a Guru who is in line with a genuine parampara, or line of gurus. This was the one tradition which upheld the society till date and the preserved the continuity of Vedas when script was not developed.

Teachableness and obedience to the teacher are insisted on, and many rules were given intended to impresss on the student the duty he owned to his preceptor. A student was to be ever serviceable and careful not to offend, regarding the guru as his father in the highest sense. The position of the Guru is defined and elevated as given below by Manu<blockquote>उत्पादकब्रह्मदात्रोर्गरीयान्ब्रह्मदः पिता । ब्रह्मजन्म हि विप्रस्य प्रेत्य चेह च शाश्वतम् ॥ २.१४६ ॥ (Manu. Smrt. 2.146)<ref name=":2" /></blockquote><blockquote>utpādakabrahmadātrōrgarīyānbrahmadaḥ pitā । brahmajanma hi viprasya prētya cēha ca śāśvatam ॥ 2.146 ॥</blockquote>Meaning : Of the progenitor and the giver of the knowledge of Brahman, the giver of Knowledge of Brahman is the more venerable garther; for the birth of the Brahman in the Brahmana is verily eternal both here and after death.<ref name=":022" /><ref>Manusmrti English Translation ([https://archive.org/details/ManuSmriti_201601/page/n26 Page 26])</ref>

Teachableness and obedience to the teacher are insisted on, and many rules were given intended to impress on the student the duty he owned to his preceptor. A student was to be ever serviceable and careful not to offend, regarding the guru as his father in the highest sense. The position of the Guru is defined and elevated as given below by Manu<blockquote>उत्पादकब्रह्मदात्रोर्गरीयान्ब्रह्मदः पिता । ब्रह्मजन्म हि विप्रस्य प्रेत्य चेह च शाश्वतम् ॥ २.१४६ ॥ (Manu. Smrt. 2.146)<ref name=":2" /></blockquote><blockquote>utpādakabrahmadātrōrgarīyānbrahmadaḥ pitā । brahmajanma hi viprasya prētya cēha ca śāśvatam ॥ 2.146 ॥</blockquote>Meaning : Of the progenitor and the giver of the knowledge of Brahman, the giver of Knowledge of Brahman is the more venerable garther; for the birth of the Brahman in the Brahmana is verily eternal both here and after death.<ref name=":022" /><ref>Manusmrti English Translation ([https://archive.org/details/ManuSmriti_201601/page/n26 Page 26])</ref>

Only to a dutiful pupil was the knowledge given :<blockquote>यथा खनन्खनित्रेण नरो वार्यधिगच्छति । तथा गुरुगतां विद्यां शुश्रूषुरधिगच्छति ॥ २.२१८॥ (Manu. Smrt. 2.218)<ref name=":2" /></blockquote>Meaning : As a man by digging with a spade obtains water, so also he who does service obtains the wisdom enshrined in his guru.<ref name=":022" />

Only to a dutiful pupil was the knowledge given :<blockquote>यथा खनन्खनित्रेण नरो वार्यधिगच्छति । तथा गुरुगतां विद्यां शुश्रूषुरधिगच्छति ॥ २.२१८॥ (Manu. Smrt. 2.218)<ref name=":2" /></blockquote>Meaning : As a man by digging with a spade obtains water, so also he who does seva (सेवा | selfless service) obtains the wisdom enshrined in his guru.<ref name=":022" />

===देवताराधना ॥ Devataradhana===

===देवताराधना ॥ Devataradhana===

*Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, prominent Vedantist and former President of India mentioned the following about Hindu (Sanatana) Dharma<ref name=":3">Radhakrishnan, S. (1926). ''Hindu view of life''. George Allen And Unwin Ltd, London.</ref>: "The Hindu attitude to religion is interesting. While fixed intellectual beliefs mark off one religion from another, Hinduism sets itself no such limits. Intellect is subordinate to intuition, dogma to experience, outer expression to inward realization. Religion is not the acceptance of academic abstractions or the celebration of ceremonies, but a kind of life or experience".  Dr Radhakrishnan, further said: "Hinduism is wholly free from the strange obsession of some faiths that the acceptance of a particular religious metaphysics is necessary for salvation, and non-acceptance thereof is a heinous sin meriting eternal punishment in hell"<ref name=":3" />.

*Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, prominent Vedantist and former President of India mentioned the following about Hindu (Sanatana) Dharma<ref name=":3">Radhakrishnan, S. (1926). ''Hindu view of life''. George Allen And Unwin Ltd, London.</ref>: "The Hindu attitude to religion is interesting. While fixed intellectual beliefs mark off one religion from another, Hinduism sets itself no such limits. Intellect is subordinate to intuition, dogma to experience, outer expression to inward realization. Religion is not the acceptance of academic abstractions or the celebration of ceremonies, but a kind of life or experience".  Dr Radhakrishnan, further said: "Hinduism is wholly free from the strange obsession of some faiths that the acceptance of a particular religious metaphysics is necessary for salvation, and non-acceptance thereof is a heinous sin meriting eternal punishment in hell"<ref name=":3" />.

*Frawley (''1995'')<ref>Frawley D (1995) Arise Arjuna: Hinduism and the modern world. Voice of India, New Delhi</ref> translate this term as “eternal tradition” and pointed out and summarized its characteristics like it is not limited to any scripture, messiah, church, community, or particular historical end, embraces a timeless self-renewing reality and divinity in all forms of nature and existence.

*Frawley (''1995'')<ref>Frawley D (1995) Arise Arjuna: Hinduism and the modern world. Voice of India, New Delhi</ref> translate this term as “eternal tradition” and pointed out and summarized its characteristics like it is not limited to any scripture, messiah, church, community, or particular historical end, embraces a timeless self-renewing reality and divinity in all forms of nature and existence.

==References==

==References==