Is Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma a religion? Religion generally denotes a system of morality based on the concept of God. Sanatana Dharma is not something exclusively like that. It evolved in the Gangetic plains in prehistoric times, when the world had not seen or heard the word religion at all. To speak then of Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma as a religion is, to say the least, preposterous.
The word dharma does not have an English equivalent, although righteousness can be an approximate word to convey what dharma stands for. Dharma denotes the power or process of sustaining human life in all situations, in fortune and misfortune, favor and disfavour, prosperity and adversity.
The word Hindu also calls for a discreet analysis and assessment. Barhaspatya Samhita (a section of the Rig Veda) defines it as the land lying between the Himalayas to the north and Indusarovara (the Indian Ocean) to the south. The relevant verse reads thus:
हिमालयात्समारभ्य यावदिन्दुसरोवरम् ।
तद्देवनिर्मितं देशं हिन्दुस्थानं प्रचक्षते ।
Beginning from the Himalayas extending to Indusarovara, the land created by the Lord is called Hindusthanam, the word being derived from the first letter of "Himalaya" and the last letter of “Indu." Those who belong to Hindusthanam are called “Hindu".
The uniqueness of Sanatana Dharma is that the same basic spiritual and philosophical notes can be found in every form of its practice and exposition. At the same time, it is also empirical in every way. The whole dharma is phased in a very effective manner to facilitate progress and evolution. It has two phases, Achara and Vichara.
Achara denotes various kinds of practices relating to individual, family, society, and the administration that governs them.
Vichara denotes truth ful introspection on these and allied matters. The intention is to begin with achara, which alone will be possible for children and young people.
Then, the maturing adult should turn to meaningful introspection, or vichara, and elevate the practices from the sensory level to the mind and intelligence. In the human, the mind and intelligence are the causal factors in all activities, and they are the highest.
Despite the vast nature of Hindu literature on the subject of dharma, the concept as well as pursuit of the whole Sanatana Dharma can be condensed in three sets of four words each-
1. Four varnas-braahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra 2. Four purushaarthas (human pursuits)-dharma, artha, kama, and moksha
3. Four ashramas-brahmacharya, garhasthya, vanaprastha, and sannyasa
Three Kinds of Knowledge
Pratyaksha - Knowledge gained by sensory organs.
Paroksha - knowledge that is arrived at by the intelligence, through inference.
Aparoksha - It is beyond the realm of senses (pratyaksha) or intelligence (paroksha). Aparoksha knowledge is beyond and different from that perceived through senses, mind and intelligence.
It must now be clear that Sanatan Dharma cannot be expressed in the limited meaning of the word “Religion". Its Ocean you can understand only when you dive into it.
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