Sanatan Dharma: A Timeless Odyssey of the Soul
If one embarks on a journey to unravel the enduring thread that intricately weaves through the tapestry of human spirituality, connecting ancient philosophies, diverse practices, and the limitless realm of human consciousness across the annals of time, they must inevitably be drawn to the majestic fabric of Sanatan Dharma, known by diverse names. In its profound complexity, it reveals itself through the Shrutis and Smritis, and the countless commentaries that offer a perspective so expansive and multifaceted that it often appears as if they speak of entirely disparate phenomena.
Sanatan Dharma is akin to an eternal river, vast and profound, tranquil and unending. It transcends the constraints of time and space, bearing a message and wisdom through the ceaseless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Countless tributaries, both majestic and modest, have flowed into its mighty current over millennia, and they continue to do so. Regrettably, a few have been tainted and malevolent, yet they are overwhelmed by the brilliance of those streams that are pure and sublime beyond measure.
The Essence of Sanatan Dharma
Sanatan Dharma is not a mere religious belief; it is a way of life deeply rooted in the concept of reincarnation. This ancient philosophy encompasses not only Hinduism but also Jainism and Buddhism, all of which flourished in the Gangetic plains around the second millennium BCE. Unlike monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which perceive life as a singular journey, Sanatan Dharma recognizes the perpetual cycle of birth and rebirth.
In monotheistic faiths, divine revelations guide the way, fostering an obsession with justice in this fleeting existence and a dread of a final Judgment Day. Sanatan Dharma, however, treads a distinct path. It esteems the life of a householder, extolling the harmonious equilibrium between worldly obligations and spiritual pursuits. It venerates the unattached fulfilment of worldly duties, regardless of the consequences they may entail.
Principal Beliefs and Tenets
While encapsulating the full spectrum of Sanatan Dharma’s beliefs is an impossible task, the following, in my little understanding, are among its core tenets:
Dharma: Dharma serves as the ethical and moral compass that steers one’s conduct and responsibilities. It varies based on age, gender, caste, and occupation, emphasizing the importance of living righteously.
Karma and Reincarnation: Sanatan Dharma teaches that our actions (karma) yield consequences that may not manifest immediately but in subsequent lives. Reincarnation signifies a belief in the ceaseless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth until one attains spiritual liberation (moksha).
Purusharthas: The Four Pursuits of Life
- Dharma: The pursuit of ethical and moral duties.
- Artha: The pursuit of material well-being and prosperity.
- Kama: The pursuit of desires, including love and pleasure.
- Moksha: The ultimate pursuit of spiritual liberation and union with the divine.
The Trimurti
Sanatan Dharma acknowledges a trinity of deities representing the cosmic forces of creation, preservation, and destruction: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, respectively. These deities symbolize the eternal cycle of existence.
Yoga and Meditation
Practices like yoga and meditation are intrinsic to Sanatan Dharma, serving as gateways to self-realization, inner tranquillity, and communion with the divine.
Ahimsa (Non-Violence)
The principle of non-violence lies at the heart of Sanatan Dharma, echoing the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. It extends beyond physical harm to encompass non-violence in thought, speech, and action.
Nishkaam Karma
Drawing from various spiritual philosophies, this principle find eloquent expression in the Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Geeta. Among the myriad ways of leading a human existence that it succinctly elucidates, it venerates the merit of action without attachment to outcomes, asserting one’s right to act while relinquishing any claim on the results.
The Defining Facets
Gleaned and sifted from sacred texts, the following principles emerge as the major defining facets. Though by no means exhaustive, they are notably representative.
1. All events have a cause. Causes are neutral, we qualify them as good or bad; and all actions have a consequence. Consequences can be positive and negative. The causes and consequences create a network. The absence of linearity makes life difficult to predict. Multiple causes and consequences also explain the prevailing diversity.
2. Diversity gives rise to hierarchy which gives rise to inequality. As the temptation to be unique and feel special is irresistible, hierarchy becomes a willing choice. But when burdened and harmed by hierarchy, it becomes a problem for some. Then we seek to dismantle it in the name of justice and equality
3. Victim, villain, and hero is a construct determined by our ego. If we are beneficiaries of hierarchy, we are heroes, deserving candidates of our fortune. If we are not, we are victims, and the beneficiary is the villain.
4. Our ego is a function of our insecurities. It makes us feel we matter, that nature should treat us differently from other organisms. It makes us feel we can change the world, alone.
5. As we go about changing the world, solving problems, we create new problems, as it is impossible to factor in every influencer.
6. No matter what we do, there are never any guarantees in life.
7. History existed before us and will continue after us.
8. Nothing is permanent. Things come together to fall apart.
9. Individuals change, not communities.
10. Diversity is inefficient. So, we yearn for standardisation, homogeneity, and equality.
11. Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours) are human inventions, as is the idea of debt and fair trade.
15. Justice presupposes the end of history, when account books are balanced. This never happens in rebirth cultures.
16. Rebirth is a code to explain diversity in the world, and uncertainty of life.
17. Karma makes you accept the moment and make a choice, but without certainty of outcome.
18. Good times follow bad times. Sometimes you are on top of the wheel, sometimes you get crushed. It never ends.
Many of these tenets are extraordinarily powerful and efficient coping mechanisms in life. Rebirth and the law of Karma offer a very convincing reason to continue living despite adversities and miseries and yet pursue a path of dharma. This unique aspect is so brilliant in conception and so compelling in confronting life that adherence to this religion ensures an eternal wellspring of hope and a brighter future.
The sustained resonance, acceptance, and universality of Sanatan Dharma owe much to these exceptional philosophic explanation to deal with human birth.
A Code of Conduct
For a person of limited concentration and a sense of devotion wavering in intensity and sincerity, what then are the guiding lights for an appropriate conduct. To me, it is epitomised in the following lines of Geeta:
यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः ।
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः
अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः ।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः
यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।
शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्यः स मे प्रियः
समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः ।
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु समः सङ्गविवर्जितः
तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् ।
अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः
ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते ।
श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेஉतीव मे प्रियाः
( Chapter 12; 15-20)
(Those devotees are very dear to Me who are free from malice toward all living beings, who are friendly, and compassionate. They are free from attachment to possessions and egotism, equipoised in happiness and distress, and ever-forgiving. They are ever-content, steadily united with Me in devotion, self-controlled, of firm resolve, and dedicated to Me in mind and intellect.
Those who are not a source of annoyance to anyone and who in turn are not agitated by anyone, who are equal in pleasure and pain, and free from fear and anxiety, such devotees of Mine are very dear to Me.
Those who are indifferent to worldly gains, externally and internally pure, skilful, without cares, untroubled, and free from selfishness in all undertakings, such devotees of Mine are very dear to Me.
Those who neither rejoice in mundane pleasures nor despair in worldly sorrows, who neither lament for any loss nor hanker for any gain, who renounce both good and evil deeds, such persons who are full of devotion are very dear to Me.
Those, who are alike to friend and foe, equipoised in honour and dishonour, cold and heat, joy and sorrow, and are free from all unfavourable association; those who take praise and reproach alike, who are given to silent contemplation, content with what comes their way, without attachment to the place of residence, whose intellect is firmly fixed in Me, and who are full of devotion to Me, such persons are very dear to Me.
Those who honour this nectar of wisdom declared here, have faith in Me, and are devoted and intent on Me as the supreme goal, they are exceedingly dear to Me.)
These attributes for me, are impossible to attain. Yet, they become a goal, whose pursuit over many births may inch me closer to His realisation.
(To Be Concluded…….)
In Part III, we will delve into the challenges and aberrations that crept into the timeless wisdom of Sanatan Dharma, exploring their harmful significance in the modern context and the dissonance it continues to face.
scribo ad LX 