Sunday, May 5, 2019

190505 - HINDU’s SANATHANA DHARM


श्री  गणेश  मंदिर   -  शिक्षा वाणी
Serene Sunday Reflections”

HINDU’s SANATHANA DHARMA

HINDU - Religion
The name ‘Hindu’ was used by Persians or such people from outside India who for referring the people living near the river Sindhu (Indus) and its eastwards. Later on, the faith of indigenous people of the region came to be grossly known as Hinduism, and today geographical identity is lost, and the religious identity is kept for the word.
The word Religion is from French (obligation/bond/reverence) and Latin (to bind) and used in Middle English for ‘life under monastic vows’. Today Religion technically refers to a set of hard and fast rules and regulations established written in a holy book which the believers must abide by and have a stern faith in it.  In Urdu/Farsi religion is called ‘Mazhab’ but Sanskrit has no word equal to Religion, as in India we had no religion. Hinduism is not a religion but is a way of life called Sanathana Dharma followed by the people in this part of the world, living beside the river Sindhu, from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean.
Himalayam Samarabhya Yavadindu Sarovaram
Tham Devanirmitham Desam Hindusthanam Prachakshath

SANATHANA DHARMA

Dharma is; righteousness, duty, morality, holiness, values and virtues; again not well defined. For any individual, he could have his own dharma along with family dharma, professional dharma, social (political/friends/community/cast/etc.) dharma, region (village/town/state/nation/world) dharma and can always have a conflict at various levels. A dharmic person balances all these dharma’s while giving priority from individual to global.

Sanathana Dharma has remained for long and is being followed without any stipulated schedules and practices, but it is transferred from generations to generations. The reason being - its life principles were still modern in outlook though were generated millions of years back. Thus, it is called Nithya Noothana (Most Modern) and Chira Purathana (Oldest of the Oldest).

In today’s context of global city life and mixing of different culture across the globe, what we as Indians (the people from this geographical region) can carry and spread to the world across is Sanathana Dharma. It is a code of ethics, a way of living through which one may mingle with people around to be happy - moksha (enlightenment, liberation). It is the world's most ancient culture with ever existing socio, spiritual, and religious tradition of the largest inhabitants. Sanathana Dharma teaches a way of life to love the whole world as our own family (vasudhaiva kutumbakam) with a coherent and rational view of reality.

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