Sanatana Dharma

O Arjuna! Whenever there is a decline of dharma (righteousness) and rise of evil, I manifest Myself. ~ Bhagavad Gita 4.7 The imperative necessity of Dharma as the basic principle of man’s existence, peace, and happiness, is declared by the Lord. Dharmo rakshati rakshitah – If one protects Dharma, Dharma protects him, Dharma alone gives peace and prosperity to humanity. So when the laws of righteousness are violated and suppressed, the Lord has to manifest Himself to re-establish, Dharma. Otherwise, the universe falls to pieces. People destroy themselves in a hundred ways. The whole scheme of creation will be disturbed and the very purpose of human existence is defeated. So the righteous way of life has to be kept clear and clean for humanity to tread the path of God – realisation. For that purpose, the Lord manifests Himself. Therefore whoever follows the Dharmic way of life is doing God’s work. Whoever defies the Dharma is the enemy of the Lord, and he shall be destroyed by the Lord.

Although I am unborn, the Lord of all living entities, and have an imperishable nature, yet I appear in this world by virtue of Yogmaya, My divine power. ~ Bhagavat Gita 4.6 The common man takes birth as an effect of his own Karma. But the Lord has no such Karma to work out, and nothing has power over him. He is himself the Supreme Lord and master of the whole universe and rules over it by His mysterious power of Maya. Why then should he take birth? It is for the purpose of doing good to the world. He takes a form by His own will, using the power of Maya as His instrument. Three attributes of the Lord are mentioned here. He has no birth (Ajah). He is eternal (Avyayatma). He is the Supreme Lord of all beings (Bhutanam isvarah). From this, we understand that Lord Krishna is apparently the son of Devaki and Vasudeva, but really the Eternal Being, the Lord of the Universe. Question: What is the nature of the Lord? Answer: He is birthless, eternal, the controller of all beings, and the Lord of Maya. Question: How then does He take birth as a personal being? Answer: By controlling His nature, God incarnates Himself as a personal being by the power of His own Maya.

Worship the Lord Worship the Lord at all times with all your heart and with all your mind. Sing His glory. Repeat His Name always. All miseries will come to an end. Your heart will be purified. The Lord will soon reveal Himself to you. You will feel His Presence and enjoy everlasting peace and bliss. Sorrow, pain and suffering will end. ~ Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati

Regret not. Worry not. Brood not. Repent not. Grieve not. Life is perfect the way it is. Whoever left were meant to. Whoever is right now in your journey are meant to be. Whoever is to arrive, will arrive at the right time. Whoever has left, were meant to leave, after the exhaustion of the destiny with them. The time with each is simply the result of the exhaustion of karma. Why then regret or hold guilt of the past? Whoever is in the present are co-passengers in the journey of life, who will also leave at their destined stations of life. Why then cling? Whoever is meant to arrive are also arriving to clear karmic debts, to be a part of your journey and to eventually fade out. Why then thrill or be anxious about it? Life is perfect the way it is. It makes us more aware of that part in us that gets affected by it all and in that process can make us aware of that part in us that remains unaffected by it all. Thus, it helps one find one's real Self."

There are two means for controlling the mind. One is open and other is a secret one. What is practised externally is open. What is practised internally is secret. Both are required. Doing charity, Sandhya Vandana, Yagnās, Pūjās, helping others etc. are the open means to divert the mind on good things. Meditation is the most superior internal state. There are five other means which are conducive to meditation. They are Ahimsa (non-violence) , Sathyam (speaking the truth), Asthéyam (non-stealing), Saucham (cleanliness, purity) and Indriya-nigraham (subjugating the senses). Ahimsa is not to have bad thoughts about anybody or anything and make the mind full of love. Sathyam is to be true by thought, word and deed. Asthéya is non-stealing - To be firm in mind not to give rise to desire for other people’s things. Saucham means purifying - Bathing, wearing clean clothes, taking clean food etc. Indriya-nigraham is not allowing the senses to have their own way and limit the food given to each sense organ - ‘the eye should not see this, the ear should not hear this, the mouth should not eat this’ - the body should not indulge in this sin’ - thus putting a check is ‘Indriya-nigraham’. Body is required for sadhana (spiritual practices). The senses should be fed with just minimum that is necessary to keep the body alive. These five are Samanya Dharma. That means people of all divisions in our religion should follow these. This is Manu Dharma. ~ Kanchi Mahaperiyava, Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswami

MEDITATION: “Those who have time should practice meditation and chanting of God’s name. Those who cannot do so should bow down to God very lovingly and with respect, both morning and evening.” ~ SRI SRI RAMAKRISHNA KATHAMRITA : 4.10.3.2, February 2-3, 1884.

FUNDAMENTALS OF DHARMA: THE VISHNU SAMHITA enumerates forgiveness, truthfulness, control of the mind, purity, practice of charity, control of the senses, non-violence, service of the Guru, visiting places of pilgrimage, compassion, simplicity, absence of greed, worship of the gods, and absence of malice as the ingredients of Samanya Dharma, the general law for all. THE MAHABHARATA enumerates the performance of Sraaddha or offering oblations to the forefathers, religious austerity, truth, restraint of anger, satisfaction with one’s own spouse, purity, learning, absence of envy, knowledge of the Self and forbearance as the fundamentals of Dharma. It is said in PADMA PURANA that Dharma proceeds from continence, truthfulness, austerity, charity, self-control, forbearance, purity, non-violence, serenity and non-thieving and that one should recognise Dharma by these ten factors. According to this Purana, helping deserving persons, fixing one’s thoughts on Lord Krishna, adoration of one’s parents, offering a portion of the daily meal to all creatures and giving a handful of food to a cow are the characteristics of Dharma. According to MATSYA PURANA, freedom from malice, absence of covetousness, control of the senses, austerity, celibacy, compassion, truthfulness, forbearance and fortitude constitute the fundamentals of Sanatana Dharma.

*What is Dharma.* Dharma is so called, because it holds; Dharma alone holds the people, etc. The word Dharma is derived from the root 'Dhr'—to hold—and its etymological meaning is ‘that which holds’ this world, or the people of the world, or the whole creation from the microcosm to the macrocosm. It is the eternal Divine Law of the Lord. The entire creation is held together and sustained by the All-powerful Law of God. Practice of Dharma, therefore, means recognition of this Law and abidance by it. That which brings well-being to individuals is Dharma. Dharma supports this world. The people are upheld by Dharma. That which secures preservation of people is Dharma. Dharma leads to eternal happiness and immortality. Dharma includes all external deeds, as well as thoughts and other mental practices which tend to elevate the character of a person. Dharma comes from God and leads you to God. *DEFINITION OF DHARMA:* Dharma is generally defined as ‘righteousness’ or ‘duty.’ Dharma is the principle of righteousness. It is the principle of divinity. It is also the principle of unity. In Mahabharata, Pitamaha Bhishma says in his instructions to Yudhishthira that whatever creates conflict is Adharma, and whatever puts an end to conflict and brings about unity and harmony is Dharma. Anything that helps to unite all and develop pure divine love and universal brotherhood, is Dharma. Anything that creates discord, split and disharmony and foments hatred, is Adharma. Dharma is the cementer and sustainer of social life. The rules of Dharma have been laid down for regulating the worldly affairs for everyone. Dharma brings happiness, both in this world and in the next. Dharma is the means of preserving one’s self. If you go away from it, it will kill you. If you protect it, it will protect you. It is your sole friend after death. It is the sole refuge of humanity. That which elevates one is Dharma. This is another definition. Dharma is that which leads you to the path of perfection and glory. Dharma is that which helps you to have direct communion with God. Dharma is that which makes you divine. Dharma is the ascending stairway unto God.

To advance oneself towards freedom — physical, mental, and spiritual — and help others to do so, is the supreme prize of man. ~Swami Vivekananda CWSV/Vol 5/Epistles –First Series/LXXXIX Mother

We must strive to uplift ourselves. Otherwise, we ourselves become the cause of our downfall. We should not live under the illusion that our family members or close associates will always help us or take responsibility for our well-being. Fundamentally, only we can truly elevate and save ourselves; others cannot do it for us. Practicing and following dharma is the means by which we uplift ourselves. What does it mean to follow dharma? It means worshipping God with devotion and helping those who are in distress. This is what Sanatana Dharma teaches us. ~ Jagadguru SriSri VidhuSekhara Bharathi Mahaswamiji.

Let us work for that knowledge which will bring the feeling of sameness towards all mankind. You think that because you talk a little more polished language you are superior to the man in the street. Remember that when you are thinking this, you are not going towards freedom, but are forging a fresh chain for your feet. And, above all, if the pride of spirituality enters into you, woe unto you. It is the most awful bondage that ever existed. Neither can wealth nor any other bondage of the human heart bind the soul so much as this. "I am purer than others", is the most awful idea that can enter into the human heart. In what sense are you pure? The God in you is the God in all. If you have not known this, you have known nothing. How can there be difference? It is all one. Every being is the temple of the Most High; if you can see that, good, if not, spirituality has yet to come to you. — Swami Vivekananda

माताच पार्वति देवी पिता देवो महेश्वरः। बान्धवा शिवभक्ताश्च स्वदेशो भुवनत्रयम्॥ mātāca pārvati devī pitā devo maheśvarah | bāndhavā śivabhaktāśca svadeśo bhuvanatrayam || My Mother is Devi Parvati, My Father is great Lord Shiva, All devotees of Shiva are my brothers, And all three worlds are my own nation. ~ Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada Sri Annapurnashtakam, verse 12

Nothing is as mischievous as the mind. It raises so many doubts and disbeliefs! As one repeats the name of God, the desire for honour and fame departs and the mind becomes pure. From~ Eternal Words: The Spiritual Instructions of Swami Adbhutananda.

Sri Paramahamsa Ramakrishna had a vision of Sita devi. An extraordinary vision and experience came to pass in the life of the Master when he practised the Dasya-bhakti. That vision and experience was so novel, so different from his previous ones, that it was deeply imprinted on his mind and was always fresh in his memory. He said, “One day at that time I was sitting under the Panchavati — not meditating, merely sitting — when an incomparable, effulgent female figure appeared before me illumining the whole place. It was not that figure alone that I saw then, but also the trees and plants of the Panchavati, the Ganga and all other objects. I saw that the figure was that of a woman; for, there were in her no signs of a goddess, such as the possession of three eyes, etc. But the extraordinary, spirited, and solemn expression of that face, manifesting love, sorrow, compassion, and endurance, was not generally seen even in the figures of goddesses. Looking graciously at me, that goddess-woman was advancing from north to south towards me with a slow, grave gait. I wondered who she might be, when a black-faced monkey came suddenly, nobody knew whence, and sat at her feet and someone within my mind exclaimed, ‘Sita, Sita who was all sorrow all her life, Sita the daughter of king Janaka, Sita to whom Rama was her very life!’ Saying ‘Mother’ repeatedly, I was then going to fling myself at her feet, when she came quickly and entered this (showing his own body). Overwhelmed with joy and wonder, I lost all consciousness and fell down. Before that, I had had no vision in that manner without meditating or thinking. That was the first vision of its kind. I have been suffering like her all my life perhaps because I saw first of all Sita, who was miserable from her birth.” (Sri Ramakrishna - The Great Master/Swami Saradananda/2.8 The Last Part of the story of the first four years of Sadhana) Shubh Sita navami to all.

Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācārya Jayantī śruti smṛti purāṇānāṁ ālayaṁ karuṇālayaṁ namāmi bhagavatpādaṁ śaṅkaraṁ loka śaṅkaram॥ If there is one name no Hindu or indeed any student of philosophy can ever forget, it is that of Śrī Śaṅkara, the illustrious Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. The great saint who revived Vedic culture and rescued Āryāvarta from the entanglements of asadvādins during the 7th–8th century CE. Not very long ago, Bhārata had lost much of Her beauty of spiritual clarity amidst a chaotic intellectual climate, where numerous schools of thought, each with its own interpretations of the śāstras, competed for prominence. Into this landscape emerged a young vaṭu from Kālaḍi, born to the blessed couple, Śivaguru sameta Āryāmbā. Śaṅkara attuned as a sāttvika siṃha, who single handedly roared and re-established the life giving vision of the non Dual Brahman as revealed in the Upaniṣads, restoring Bhārata to Her native philosophical splendour. Śrī Śaṅkara was direct in approach, precise in expression, and profound in exposition, harmonising both head (intellect) and heart (devotion). In a brief lifespan of just thirty two years, he fulfilled his divine mission and withdrew from the mortal realm. To firmly establish the vision of the śāstra, Bhagavatpāda composed masterful bhāṣyas on the prasthānatraya, the foundational triad of Vedānta, the Upaniṣads (śruti-prasthāna), the Bhagavad Gītā (smṛti-prasthāna), and the Brahma Sūtras (nyāya-prasthāna). His works remain unparalleled in their clarity and authority. To ensure the continuity of this liberating knowledge, Śrī Śaṅkara established the caturāmnāya pīṭhas in the four corners of Bhārata entrusting them with the preservation and propagation of the Advaita sampradāya across generations. Bhagavatpāda is revered as the Ṣaṇmata sthāpaka, the one who systematised and established six principal modes of worship(Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, Śākta, Gāṇapatya, Kaumāra, and Saura), demonstrating that all these paths, though varied in expression, ultimately converge upon the same non dual Reality. To aid seekers in grasping these profound teachings, Śrī Śaṅkara also composed numerous prakaraṇa-granthas such as Tattva Bodha, Ātma Bodha, Aparokṣānubhūti, Vivekacūḍāmaṇi.These works serve as luminous gateways into the deeper truths of Vedānta. Apart from the advaitic compositions which had marching militant verses of the saint, Bhagavatpāda also showed flowing rivulets of tilting tuneful devotional hymns of love and beauty of the Almighty with his pen which danced to his flow of thoughts. On this sacred day of Śrī Śaṅkara Jayantī, we bow in reverence to that towering luminary who continues to guide seekers across generations. jaya jaya śaṅkara, hara hara śaṅkara॥