Eternal Universal Religion. (Glossary for the Vahinis)
A descriptive term for what has come to be called Hinduism. It has no single founder or text of its own. It is more a commonwealth of religious faiths and a way of life. (Glossary for the Vahinis)
Sanathana means timeless, eternal, ever existing. (SSSm Vol.IV, p. 105)
Where material comforts are over-stressed, ananda escapes: Sadhakas should reckon that voluminous talk, voracious feeding, indulging in backbiting and scandal-mongering, the denigration of others and the exchange of flattery, are inveterate enemies. Only those who avoid these evil tendencies can earn Swami’s Grace. May you deserve that grace in the year ahead. Determine today to get out of old ruts and move along the ever-new paths laid down by Sanathana Dharma’. (SSSm Vol.IV, p. 24)
Sanathana Dharma is the only religion that declares that there is no religion that can be labelled ‘one and only’. It says that all religions are but facets of the One Truth, that all names are names of God; that all forms are but his forms. No religion can claim to represent fully the Universal Eternal Truth. This is the teaching of Sanathana Dharma. Therefore, if anyone finds fault with another’s faith, he is casting a slur on his own faith. If anyone defames another religion, he only reveals his ignorance of the nature of religion, and the glory of God. (SSS Vol.5, p. 338)
Dharma conceived in this way transcends the barriers of space, time and circumstance. Hence it is called Sanathana Dharma--the eternal verities. There are in the world various rules of conduct which are related to conditions governing time and space. Such rules are liable to change from time to time and country to country, according to changing situations. But if Sanathana Dharma is changed, humanity will cease to be human. Just as burning charcoal, if it loses its heat, becomes mere charcoal, and a piece of jaggery, if it loses its sweetness, becomes a lump of clay, likewise man remains truly human only as long as he adheres to the eternal Dharma (which is represented by purity in thought, word and deed -- Trikaranasuddhi). Without this basic quality, man is only human in form and not his true nature. (SSS Vol.23), 21-11-1990
Bharatiya culture is preeminent and unexcelled. It bears testimony to the eternal verifies which are unaffected by time, place or circumstance. Sanathana Dharma is the inner core of this culture. The obverse of Sanathana Dharma is the doctrine of Karma (the Law of Cause and Effect). No one can fully comprehend how Karma operates. Its operations over time, place or people defy definition. The doctrine of Karma rules over the whole world. (SSS Vol.25)
Sanathana Dharma did not spring from any individual. It belongs to all humanity and represents the essence of all religions, though it originated in India. The essence of Sanathana Dharma is that everyone is the same. The main reason for the Sai Organisation teaching equality and equal-mindedness stem from this aspect of the Sanathana religion. (DG, p.13)
I want to build one humanity without any religious, caste or other barriers in a universal empire of love, which could enable my devotees to feel the whole as their own family. My objective is the establishment of Sanathana Dharma, which believes in one God as propitiated by the founders of all religions. So, none has to give up his religion or deity, but through them worship the one God in all. I have come not to disturb or destroy but to confirm and vindicate everyone in his own faith. (S&M, p. 258)
Sanathana Dharma is our religion. Though the principles of Sanathana Dharma are inherent in human consciousness, and have their impact all over the world, the people of Bharat have long practised and experienced them and discovered their value and validity. They have earned invaluable Bliss there from. Just as atomic science developed in one country and later spread to other countries, the Sanathana Faith, developed in India, has spread to other countries.
Sanathana Dharma is bound to overcome today’s rampant materialism, for it can harmonise the secular and the spiritual, into a single way of life. It can bring together into closer kinship both man and God. It is based on the Divine, which is the reality of the self so; it is not limited to one country, one individual, one period of time, or one sect. It has a variety of procedures, points of view, disciplines and guidelines, in accordance with the special features of the region, the age, and the environment. It is coeval with man on earth. This Faith, though first explicit in Bharat, between the Himalayan range and the three seas, has become a world faith, through its innate strength.
The Divine is manifest in every human being. The religions professed may be different, the manifestations may differ; but the Self which Sanathana Dharma posits is the same in all. ‘The thousand-headed, thousand-eyed, thousand-footed Person.’ Posited therein is the Divine self, approachable through many paths, expressing in many forms.
The units of the Sai Organisation have to exemplify and promote this Unity in Diversity taught by Sanathana Dharma. The very purpose with which the Organisation was formed is to stress on this Unity. (SSS Vol.11, pp. 36-37)
The sum and essence of all these dharmas is Sanathana Dharma. It is in this context that we can say that all religions are His and all forms are His. If each one develops faith in his own religion and puts into practice whatever has been said in his own religion, then there will be no room for the difference of opinions which are flourishing now and for the uncultured way in which we often talk. While you profess faith in your religion and act in your daily life in a contrary manner, then one can understand what faith you have in any religion. If you have true faith in the religion which you profess, then there is no chance of your behaving in a manner contrary to the tenets of that religion. When precept is divorced from practice, then it appears like an external cloak. This itself is adharma.
All our devotion and faith today are in appearance only. They are not truly in you. If we go to any place of pilgrimage or a place of worship, we show a great deal of devotion and faith; but when we come away from such places, all our devotion and faith are left behind. It is in this context that the Bhagavad Gita has said, Satatam Yoginah. This means that you must be a Yogi and a devotee always and at all times. Our good qualities are in the forefront only when we are doing puja or japa. The moment we come out of our puja, we shed such qualities. Good qualities are not to be tied down to a particular time and place. They should be observed in one’s entire life continuously.
One individual had to cover a distance of ten miles at night. He had a lantern in his hand and the light of this lantern was shining and lighting the way only for about four or five yards. He entered the forest, then he began to wonder how he can travel for ten miles with that lamp, which was giving light only for a few yards. At this time, a sanyasi was also going that way. The sanyasi asked him where he was going and why he was feeling so sorry. The man said that he had to travel ten miles. The light in his hand was showing only a few yards, and he was worried as to how he could travel such a long distance. The sanyasi said that if the person took the light with him, then it will show the way for all the distance.
In the same manner, our virtuous conduct will help us throughout our lives. You may doubt the omnipresence of God; but if you realise that your own body is the temple of God, your own heart is the seat of God and that the Jiva in you is simply a reflection of God, then your meditation room is your body itself and so He is present wherever you go. Therefore in all the deeds that you perform, in all the individuals that you meet and in all the thoughts that you entertain, you must see the Divine and act accordingly. In order that you may have these qualities, you must develop faith and follow the paths indicated by the sacred texts like the Bhagavatha, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bible, and Quran and so on. (SSB 1973, pp. 261-263)
Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Universal Religion) enables one to attain this fullness. Really speaking, very few have grasped the uniqueness and the importance of this Religion. Nowadays, many elders and political leaders are afraid to utter even the word ‘Religion’ before the gatherings they address. They shape their lives in accordance with a new order, which has no religious slant whatsoever. In fact, they have not understood what religion really means. They do not attempt to discover the significant role of religion.
Many talk from platforms on Hinduism and Sanathana faith but very few of them have understood the genuine core. Sanathana Dharma is the very basis of living. It deals with the total personality. It embraces all faiths and has established worldwide influence. Sanathana means Eternal. Only a Dharma (code of righteousness) which can win Universal acceptance can be named Sanathana. The religions we know are all derived from a person or prophet who is adored as the ideal. Islam has Muhammad, Christianity has Jesus, Buddhism has the Buddha.
But Sanathana Dharma is not derived from or through a person. It is the primal essence of all faiths. It is the essence of all the messages the prophets proclaimed. It is welcomed by all mankind, for it welcomes all mankind. It is therefore to be deplored that some Indians boast selfishly, ‘Sanathana Dharma is our religion.’
Newton, discovered after a series of experiments, that the earth had the force of gravitation. But, we cannot conclude that the earth had no such force until Newton’s discovery. So too, though the principles of Sanathana Dharma are inherent in human consciousness, and have their impact all over the world, the people of Bharat have long practised and experienced them and discovered their value and validity. They have earned invaluable Bliss therefrom. Just as atomic science developed in one country and later spread to other countries, the Sanathana faith, developed in India and spread to other countries. Even a material process like atomic science cannot be held down in one place; in the same manner, this spiritual science too has spread all over the wide world. (SSS Vol.14), 19-11-1980
The various processes and attempts for realising this oneness can be regarded as important aspects of Dharma. This Dharma is called by three names, the inner Dharma, the gross Dharma and the subtle Dharma. Dharma also takes the three attributes sattva, rajas and tamas and moves in the three parts of Bhakti, Jnana and Karma or worship, wisdom and work. This fact of Dharma taking these three aspects is implied in the full and complete meaning of the word Sanathana Dharma.
For us, to be able to recognise the divine principle in all the three gunas, namely sattva, rajas and tamas, and also to recognise the presence of divinity in the past, present and future and to be able to associate divinity with the three aspects of the body—the gross, the subtle and the causal—are the essential features of Dharma.
Because it is difficult for an ordinary individual to comprehend Dharma in its entirety in the three different periods of time—past, present and future, in the three aspects of the body—gross, subtle and causal, and in the three gunas—sattva, rajas and tamas—we generally take an easier path and we talk of specialised types of Dharma, Dharma relating to the body, to the caste, to the individual, to the society, and so on. These specialised forms only help in propagating the original Sanathana Dharma. If we do not follow these specialised forms of Dharma, it will not be possible for us to recognise and practise Sanathana Dharma.
There is again a small example for this. Our body consists of many organs. We can conclude that the body is in a good and prosperous condition only when all these organs are in good shape. If one or more of these organs is not functioning well, we cannot say that the body in its entirety is healthy. In the same manner, these individual and specialised dharmas relating to the caste, body, religion, society, and so on enable the total Sanathana Dharma to shine and be healthy.
For instance, if six blind people go near an elephant, and one of them touches its stomach, the elephant appears to him like a big wall. Another blind person touches the ears of the elephant. To him the elephant looks like a big fan. Another touches the leg of the elephant, and he would describe the elephant as if it was like a pillar. Yet another blind person described the elephant as a big rope after touching the tail of the elephant. The elephant is actually the totality of all these parts, each part felt and described by a different
individual.
In the same manner, many blind people are touching this vast Sanathana Dharma, and describing it as consisting of only that which they are able to comprehend. Those who follow Vaidika Dharma, those who follow Jainism, those who follow Christianity, those who follow Islam, and so on, all of them describe that part of Sanathana Dharma which is appropriate to their respective religions.
Sanathana Dharma in its totality is not being seen and described by any one of them. Each one of them is describing only a fragment. We need not discuss whether what each one of them is saying is true or untrue. There is no doubt that they are describing accurately what they have experienced and what they have chosen to describe. But each one is describing only a part of Dharma. No one is describing the totality of it. Therefore, if you want to understand and establish the total picture of Dharma, what you have to do is to make a synthesis of the essence of all religions. When we are able to bring and put together the ideas of everyone, the moral laws supported by all religions, and the truth that is in all religions, we will have a picture of Sanathana Dharma. (SSB 1973, pp. 253)
Sanathana Dharma is bound to overcome today’s rampant materialism, for it can harmonise the secular and the spiritual, into a single way of life. It can bring together into closer kinship both man and God. It is based on the Divine which is the reality of the Self. So, it is not limited to one country, one individual, one period of time, or one sect. It has a variety of procedures, points of view, disciplines and guidelines, in accordance with the special features of the region, the age, and the environment. It is coeval with man on earth. This faith, though first explicit in Bharat, between the Himalayan range and the three seas, has become a world faith, through its innate strength.
The Divine is manifest in every human being. The religions professed may be different, the manifestations may differ; but the Self which Sanathana Dharma posits is the same in all. ‘The thousand-headed, thousand eyed, thousand-footed person, posited therein is the Divine Self, approachable through many paths, expressed in many forms.
The essence of all religions, the goal of all paths, the destination of all spiritual effort, is this Sanathana Dharma (the Universal Eternal Faith). It is like the ocean: particular creeds are rivers that flow into it. It is the vital air on which humanity has to live. (SSS Vol.14), 19-11-1980
Sanathana Dharma (the Eternal Religion) is the essence of the lessons enunciated in all the Vedic texts. This Dharma (righteousness) is the source and spring of various systems of philosophy, codes of morality and even of the different forms and streams of literature. Through these means the Dharma has taught that man cannot live in peace, until he knows what ought to be known, he casts away what has to be cast away, and reaches the goal he has to reach. Veda means awareness, knowledge and discrimination. The four Vedas (scriptures of eternal value) teach us who and what we really are and how we are related to the world around us. This is the greatest gift that the Vedas offer. This is the end of all enquiry, the aim of all scientific search. (SSS Vol.20)
Sanathana Dharma is the mother of all religions, all ethical codes and all Dharmas of this world; and Bharatadesa (India) is the home where the Mother was born. The world in its entirety is the Body of the Lord of the world, and this Bharatadesa is that Body’s unique organ, the Eye. Without the eye the body is not master of itself, is it not? Again, it can be said that Bharatadesa has been beautified by the two eyes, the Vedas and the Shastras. On account of this it can be declared without doubt that the Samskara attained by the Bharatiyas has not been acquired by the people of any other country. Sanathana Dharma which teaches the truth of all religions and tolerance of all religions is the Dharma of all mankind. Born in various areas, flowing through various paths, the rivers at last reach the ocean. So too, born in different lands, practising different ways of Dharma, people reach the Ocean of the presence of the Lord, through different modes of worship. Sanathana Dharma is the central location in which all these various paths, moving in different directions, converge. Followers of the different religions can practise this Sanathana Dharma, by being truthful in speech, by avoiding jealousy and anger, and by acting always with a loving heart. All those who so practise Sanathana Dharma and, without faltering, achieve it, are entitled to be called ‘Bharatiyas.’
The Hindu religion is the only religion that has achieved and maintained the foremost position among all religions from earliest times and established itself permanently. The only people who have survived without being destroyed, throughout the historic age, are the Hindus. In this religion, more than in any other, people have practised lives of love, equality and gratitude. The Hindus have earned their Dharma through the discovery of philosophic principles and through the Vedas. They have drunk deep the essence of the Vedas which are without beginning and without end. A land so holy is a veritable spiritual mine to the world. Just as the bowels of the earth reveal, in each area, mines of different metals, in Bharatadesa is found the mine of Sanathana Dharma, the essence of all the principles of all the Shastras, all the Vedas, and all the Upanishads.
As if by the good luck of the Bharatiyas, along with the emergence of the mine of Sanathana Dharma which is as a home to them, from that moment and for that very purpose, leaders, thinkers, commentators, apostles and teachers have been originating in this land itself. Also from this very Bharatadesa arose seers, selfless Karma Yogis, wise men, realised souls, and Divine personages connected with this religion. It is through these persons that spiritual wisdom guaranteed by experience flowed all over the country. In this way loaded with essence, Sanathana Dharma progressed throughout the world. But to whatever land it spread, the ‘original home’ is Bharat itself. Look at the world today: machines, cars, engines of some new type or other come to light in one country and are exported to others.
But their original home cannot be forgotten. Such cars and engines are manufactured only on the basis of its experience. Nothing can be done without that basis. So too Sanathana Dharma arose. Bharatadesa and people of other countries benefited from its waters through the great personages and the books they composed. Hence, the basis of the original home cannot be ignored. That is impossible. But it is a matter of some concern to see today, in this Bharatadesa the birthplace of those holy persons who nursed and fostered this sacred Dharma, new modes being accepted as one’s Dharma, and the Sanathana Dharma itself being assigned and kept aside for people of other countries, by the persons who have not even tested the sweetness of the Dharma, who have not grasped its meaning, and who have smothered it in empty disputation. The reason for this is, of course, the absence of proper guides who could show the way. But even when there are such guides, people yield to these modern modes and get attached to them. These are really like bazaar pakodas. They attract by their smell, and are bought by persons who do not discriminate. Though their Svadharma is the pure Sanathana Dharma, the fascination exercised by outward show is absent and so it gets neglected. Truth has no need for such decorations. Taste is the important thing. The basic reason for this is the fact that men today are motivated by mere whim and fancy. It has become the habit to reject the reality and accept the Dharma of another. This is a great mistake. It is against Dharma for Bharatiyas to be attracted by external forms and by outward show. No other Dharma has, or will have, Truth and Highest Love, above and beyond that contained in Sanathana Dharma. Sanathana Dharma is the veritable embodiment of truth. It is the heritage of all. There can be no boundary for Holiness. Holiness is one, without a second; is it not?
Those who have attained Liberation in this life by adherence to this Sanathana Dharma, who have earned the grace of God, who have understood the nature of Truth, who have achieved Realisation are all Bharatiyas. (Prema Vahini)
The Vedas and Upanishads are the very foundation of Sanathana Dharma has no founder as the others have. That invisible, unknown founder is God, the source of all wisdom. He is the prophet of Sanathana Dharma. His grace and His inspiration manifested through the pure sages and they became the spokesmen of this Dharma. When the moral purity of men degenerates, God takes form as grace and inspiration in sages and teachers. He has also given through the Upanishads the Sathya-Jnana, the wisdom concerning the reality. (UV)
Sanathana Dharma (Ancient Wisdom) has enabled India to survive many terrible storms and kept her culturally united, despite varieties of languages, food habits and dress. It is only religion that declares that there is no religion which can be labelled one and only. It says all religions are but facets of the One Truth, that all Names and all Forms are His. No religion can claim to represent fully the universal Eternal Truth. Therefore, if any one finds fault with another faith he is casting a slur on his own faith. If anyone defames another religion, he only reveals his ignorance of the nature of religion and glory of God. (NNSG Vol.4, pp. 209-210)
All parts of the Banana Plant are useful. The leaves are used as plates for eating or packing food and flowers. The floral parts, the unripe bananas, and soft pith are cooked as vegetables. The sheaths are used for making fibre. The whole plant is cut and used for decorating pandals, shamianas, entrance to places of worship etc. But what is the main purpose of growing a banana plant? It is for the sake of the ripe banana fruits, which have attractive colour, sweetness and nutritive value for the consumers. So too, the main purpose of My Advent as an Avatar is to revitalize Sanathana Dharma, the Eternal Universal Religion and to restore the five human-values of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. The other benefits conferred by Me by way of giving physical and mental succour to devotees through My miraculous powers and also sponsoring educational and medical institutions etc, are all secondary and incidental. (NNSG Vol.5, p.13)
Usually there are a few bridges on the highway or railway track. Sometimes they may collapse. They cannot be repaired by the local villagers, elders or even affluent people who are anxious to get the broken bridge restored to good condition. The repairs can be undertaken only by the government machinery concerned, who had constructed the bridge originally. Similarly, when there is a breakdown in the bridge of Sanathana Dharma, God (the originator Himself) has to undertake the restoration work in the form of an Avatar. (NNSG Vol.5, p. 12)
The Dharma, for upholding, which we have been all along willing and ready to sacrifice wealth, honour and even lives, is the Dharma named Sanathana Dharma. Sanathana means ‘eternal’, existing and effective for all time. Wake up, Get Ready, the moment has arrived, when you have to demonstrate your indomitable valour and irrepressible heroism.
You are born in the ever-effulgent land of Bharat. You are the valiant and invincible descendents of heroic Hindu warriors, who were worthy embodiments of courage, fortitude, valour and moral integrity. You are scions of the holy and lofty lineage of Rishis like Bhargava, Kausika, Vashistha, Bharadwaja and Kashyapa who forced even the, ‘three worlds’ to tremble in fear, at their spiritual might and majesty, won through severe penance. You will be Unworthy of such great ancestry if you remain indifferent, slothful and apathetic like cowards, when the Dharma which is as essential as the very breath to our lives is being undermined. Resolve to engage yourself in the task of promoting the welfare of the world; be assured the task Bhagavan will be your unfailing support. (SSS Vol.9, pp.23-25)
The country of Bharat had been the abode for centuries to Sanathana Dharma (The Eternal Religion) and great Sages and Seers who tread the path of Spirituality. It is a sacred land of the Vedas, Spiritual practice and Renunciation. However, a time has come when every citizen of this country has to enquire whether the present situation in this country merits such great honour. It is now clear that the culture of Bharat is in a ridiculous situation. The Gayatri Mantra, the essence of Vedas is no longer heard in this country. It is now confined to a mere ritualistic practice of holding the nose with one’s fingers. The Pranayama (the control and regulation of inhaling, retention and exhaling of the breath associated with the Soham Mantra) and Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses from the external world and turning them inward) have totally disappeared. Yama (giving up of attachment to the body and the senses) and Niyama (Inner sense control) are no longer to be found. The so called Sannyasis (Renunciants) have developed more attachment to name and dame, wealth and possessions than the householders. As a result of such perverted fools, one is tempted to doubt whether one is living in the country of Bharat at all! In fact, rampant unrighteousness had set in, the moment Lord Krishna left His mortal coil and became formless. Subsequently, several Paramahamsa (Ascetics of the highest order) and Daivamasa sambhutas (Bits of Divinity born as human beings) are born and dedicated their lives for propagation the Sanathana Dharma among people and helping them cross the ocean of Samsara. (Beacons of Divine Wisdom Part 2 pp. 163-164)
See also - Sanathana Dharma: For a happy, peaceful life of an individual and for society