Salient/Unique Features of Sanatan Dharma/Hinduism

 #UniqueSanatanDharm #UniqueHinduism #HaveToSay-LikeItOrNot

Antaryami God - The Hindu God dwells within everyone and everything - including people that hate him and hate Hinduism. No, you cannot get rid of Him. He does not discriminate by religion, nationality, creed, caste, color, or even form ....he dwells even within animals, birds, insects, and plants. He is sitting there watching every thought, every intent, every decision and every action. 

Karma - Karma works! it equally applicable to one and all. Every intent, decision, and action counts. Every unethical intent and action does not go unpunished - in this life or in a future life.

Rebirth - Everyone returns back here for another life. What you will be in the next life depends on your Karmic Merits from your behaviour in this life, and your aspirations. If your intent, decisions, and actions are not ethical in this life, don't count on a good life in the next one. Based on karmic merits and final aspirations at the time of death in this life, one could even be born as an animal, bird, insect or plant. Only a minuscule % that get Moksha escape next life. 

Shastras - Ethical/Unethical - good deeds/bad deeds - are determined by the Hindu shastras - the Shrutis (Vedas), and Smritis primarily. They describe an individual's duties - duties of kings, duties of common people, duties of soldiers, duties of educators, duties of judges, duties of artisans, duties of farmers, duties of traders...everyone. These is something in them for every human being.  Each person is expected to follow them - whether you believe in them or not, whether you know them or not, whether you have taken the effort to study them or not. Ignorance is not an excuse. Nor can you hide behind incorrect or liberal interpretations.

Universality - Sanatan Dharma aka Hinduism cannot be destroyed like some people in this world are aspiring to. It exists Universally. Including earth, there are 14 Lokas in the Universe that sustain various lifeforms. All these Lokas follow Sanatan Dharma. They are also bound by the points stated above - Antaryami God, Karma, Rebirth, Shastras.

Dharm and Karm

Dharm:

Dharm is a complex system of Ethics, Duties, and Recommendations. Dharm is a means to attain a goal, when done as described in the Vedas. Activities not described in the Vedas are not Dharm.

Examples of Ethics : Speak the Truth, Practice Ahimsa.  These are normally, common to all people. Acts that don't align with the Ethics framework, incur "paap" karma, that in-turn lead to sorrow.

Duties:  Duties are more complex as they are segregated by Varna and Ashrama. For example, a Brahmin's duties are different from that of Kshatriya.  They are both different from that of a Vaishya. Duties are also segregated by the "Ashrama" of each person. The Ashram's are Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Vanaprasta, and Sanyasa.  The duties of a Brahmin Brahmachari are different from the duties of a Brahmin Grihasta. etc. Duties are most intense for Brahmins (and conversely the punishment for non-performance). They are a bit more relaxed for Kshatriya, further relaxed for Vaishyas, and highly relaxed for Shudras and others. 

Non-performance of duties incur "paap" karma, that in turn lead to sorrow.

While performance may not have stated benefits, it leads to 

Recommendations: These are completely optional, but when performed, bestow the intended rewards to the doer. However, when performed incorrectly, could lead to "paap" karma. For example, donation aka "Daan", when performed as stated in the Vedas, bestow the intended benefits. Some of the things specified in the Vedas, that can be donated include, Gold, Cow, Footwear, and Umbrella. For Daan to be effective, it must be donated in the prescribed procedure, chanting the required mantras, and with the attitude that the item being donated does not belong to the doer.

Karm:

As stated above, doing or not doing one's Dharm, leads to Karm. In the case of ethics and duties, if not performed, the responsible person incurs "paap karma".  In the case of recommendations, proper performance leads to "punya" karma that eventually (in some birth) translates to the intended benefits requested by the doer. However, incorrect performance could lead to "paap karma".

Note that, since the Atma that is eternal, takes on a perishable body, in an event we call as "birth". Similarly when the Atma decides to leave the body, we call it "death". After death, the Atma takes on another body and keeps moving thus, from one body to another. Karm is accumulated only when the Atma takes on a human body, because that is when the person becomes eligible to learn the vedas, know about Dharm and Karm, and make decisions that are aligned with Dharm. Each Atma in today's world has taken countless/zillions of births in different bodies - including human, animal, bird, plant, insect etc.

Karm is of three types - Sanchita (Total Accumulated), Prarabdha (A minuscule part of the Sanchita that has started yielding results in this birth), and Aagaami (future karma that we would accumulate in this birth via our acts).

Karm accumulated thus can only expensed in two ways :

1. Experiencing pleasure (punya) or pain/sorrow (paap) - here on earth or in other locations in the Universe (aka svara/naraka loka). Note that the Atma is the experiencer of the effect of the pleasure or pain, but it always needs a "body" through which it experiences it. Therefore a "body" is mandatory in each life.

2. Bhagavan's kindness to cancel part of it.  This He does, when the person behaves well in one fine life, and makes himself/herself eligible to receive such pardon/amnesty.

When both Punya and Paap are completely exhausted, the person attains Moksha or Liberation from Samsara. 

What is Sanatan Dharma?

Sanatan, means Eternal and Universal. Dharma, is a collection of practices based on the Vedas. 

Sanatan literally means "no beginning no end". we need to understood this across three dimensions - Time, Space, and Causation. 

On the time dimension implies that it is ETERNAL. In other words, there was never a time when it did not exist. It existed at all times - before creation (Srishti) and after destruction (pralayam). 

On the space dimension it implies that it is UNIVERSAL. Per the vedic scriptures, there are billions of such universes each consisting of 14 planes of existence that sustain intelligent life forms. The 14 planes (Loka) include the 7 Northern loka's - Bhoo:, Bhuva:, Svarga, Maha:, Jana: Tapa: and Satyam; and the 7 Southern loka's - Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Mahatala, Rasatala, Talatala, and Patala. 

The Causation dimension implies that it was not created by an individual being. Even God, the Brahmam, did not create the Vedas, the  body of knowledge that form the basis of Sanatan Dharma.

What is Dharm?

Dharm, is defined as "Veda Bodita Ishata Sadanam". Firstly, Dharm is a practice that has be described in the Vedas. It has to be followed as described. When done so, it is supposed to bestow the desires of the person who performs it. Activities not described in the Vedas are not Dharm, even if they are Just, Legal, and Humanitarian. For Example, donations given to humanitarian causes do not fall under what is described in the Vedas as "daan". On the other hand, the vedic practice of "marriage" in which, the father performs the "kanya daan" of his daughter to the groom, is a Dharmic practice. Similarly, there are specific procedures defined in the vedas for donation of cow (Go Daan). 

The other interesting aspect is that the procedure described in the vedas do not change wherever in the universe it is practiced. 

Knowledge in Hinduism

 In English, there are only two states to Knowledge - Knowledge and Ignorance. Our Shastras identify 4 states -- ज्ञान अनुदय , विपरीत ज्ञान, अन्यथा ज्ञान , यातावस्तित ज्ञान - roughly translatable to : forgetfulness, distorted knowledge, incorrect knowledge, and correct knowledge. These states are respectively driven directly by our "Gun" - These are of three types - Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. High in Tamas leads to Forgetfullness. Moderate to high Tamas leads to विपरीत ज्ञान. High in Rajas leads to अन्यथा ज्ञान. Sattva Gun leads to यातावस्तित ज्ञान. Gun, is in turn fostered by our dietary habits. Sattvic diet and morning time leads to high levels of Sattva Gun. Rajasic Diet + afternoons leads to Rajo gun. Tamasic Diet + evening time leads to Tamo Gun. Diet is therefore very very important in the acquisition of "Correct knowledge". Vegetables like Onion and Garlic and classified as Tamas. High in chilli and salt is classified as Rajas. Bland to balanced food is Sattvic. All forms of Meat (animal derivates) with the exception of Milk and milk products are Tamasic. However, Even milk has become contanimated these days because of excessive use of harmones etc. to boost Cow productivity. Vegan Diet devoid of Onion and Garlic is highly recommended for the "Expansion of knowledge" ज्ञान विकास।

ज्ञान विकास is fundamental to the "intellectual evolution to higher capabilities" The primary differentiator between us human. beings and Devas is their knowledge is more expanded than ours.The primary differentiator between us and animals is that our knowledge is more expanded than theirs. The primary differentiator between animals and plants is that the knowledge of animals is more expanded than that of plants.

Why do shastras use the word "ज्ञान विकास"? because, in its pristine form (कर्म विनिर्मुक्त) form आत्मा is pure intelligence (ज्ञानमय और ज्ञान गुणक)। अनादि कर्म forms a covering layer on it disallowing the ज्ञान to shine. Our learning does not impart new knowledge to us. Learning only serves to "remind" us of what we already know.

When Bhagvan says in the Bhagavad Gita, that he has created the 4 varnas per Gun and Karma, know how the Gun influences knowledge as above. Evidently, there is an interconnection between Gun and Karm...because Gun influences knowledge, that influences our intent, decision and action. Sattva Gun leads to elevated knowledge and thus Punya Karm or Nishkamya Karm, while Rajo Gun and Tamo Gun drive knowledge that leads to higher Pap karm than Punya karm. Thus, based on the karm performed in previous lifes, Bhagvan, through the system of Karma assigns the future varna in which the individual would be born. He thus ensures the individual's desires from the previous janm are also satisfied. How you are in this life, your thoughts, intent, decisions, and actions, and accumulated karm thereof, determines your state of birth in the next life.

Charuvaka Matham

 Charuvakan is called Atheist in common parlance.

Pramanam - only Pratyaksham

Consciousness (Self Awareness) - Chaitanyam is born when the (4 or) 5 stoola bhootas - (Akasham,) Vayu, Agni, Aapa:, and Prithvi interact together.

Example: There is no red color inherent in the Betel Leaf. However, it causes red color on the tongue when chewed. 

Svarga/Naraka: The experiences - favorable and unfavorable, enjoyed/suffered by the "chaitanyam" is the Svarga/Naraka.

Death: When the 5 Stoola Bhootas disintegrate (separate), the chaitanyam is destroyed. This is death/moksha. There is nothing beyond this (i.e no after life etc.)

The theory of Three

Three things exist in eternity. That means, they always exist. That means they do not have a created/manufactured date and no expiry date either.

They are:

1. Chit - the Self-Aware Intelligence Faculty in each living being, that helps it to identify itself as "I".
2. Achit - the non-intelligence material body take up by the Chit. Every living and non-living matter that we can see/experience through sense organs is pervaded by a Chit/Self-Awareness Intelligence Faculty. 
3. Ishwara - the Director of the Chit and Achit.

Please note that the every living being and non-living being is a physical object composed of matter, pervaded by an invisible Chit through a capability/faculty of "external knowledge" referred to as Dharma Bhuta Gnana (DBG)

Therefore, when I say, "My body" - the My refers to the invisible Self-Aware Intelligence Faculty and the Body refers to the physical matter. When this SAIF leaves the body, the body loses its "external knowledge" as well. The faculty of external knowledge (DBG) works as an intermediary function between the external world, sense organs, and the SAIF - carrying the knowledge about external objects back and forth.

The expression "My Body" clearly establishes the My to be different from the Body. Thus, the SAIF is an independent separate entity from the human  body it has occupied.

Ishwara, the Director is a silent spectator, who pervades inside the SAIF, inside the physical body/matter, and outside the physical body/matter - thus, filling everything, everywhere. Hence Ishwara is Omnipresent. It being a Super-Conscious ALL AWARENESS, is also called Omniscient. Being In and Out, at all times, eternally, it knows the Past, Present, and Future. Being the Director, provided the SAIF is tuned to listen to it, Ishwara can direct the Chit in the right direction for its betterment and happy future.

What have you done today, for a better next life?

He works today to lead a better life tomorrow
He earns grains today to eat for tomorrow
He sleeps today to feel fresh tomorrow
He eats today to feel energetic tomorrow
He establishes a home to come back to it tomorrow
Alas, foolish man!
What have you done today for a better next life?