The Sanatan Dharma As It Is ?

[gopal_deo_sharma]

The Sanatan Dharma

What is Sanatan Dharm?

God and His path of attainment are both eternal

The definition of (the devotional) bhakti

The significance and the greatness of bhakti

Saints, acharyas and their religion

The common source

The Divine forms of one single God

Clarification of the philosophy of soul, maya, and God

The gist of their teachings

The religion which eternally exists in God, which is revealed by God, which describes the names, forms, virtues and the abodes of God, and which reveals the true path of God realization for all the souls is called Sanatan Dharm, the universal religion for the whole world.

The word dharm ( is formed from the root word dhryan ; it means such actions and such spiritual or religious practices that finally result in all-good for a soul. A general description of dharm is: [ 1/1/2). It means that such actions, thoughts and practices that promote physical and mental happiness in the world (abhyudaya] and ensure God realization (nishreyas ) in the end, are called dharm

There are two kinds of dharmas: (a) Apar dharm, or varnashram dharm, or seemit dharm, or general dharm, and (b) par dharm or bhagwat dharm.

(a) Apar dharm, or varnashram dharm, or seemit dharm, or general dharm. The word dharm means the religious practices and thoughts that are aimed to fulfill a pious goal in life. Accordingly the apar or varnashram dharm is the religious discipline and injunctions of do’s and don’ts that are explained in the scriptures for uplifting the sattvic qualities of a human being in general. Varnashram word refers to all kinds and classes of people of this world living various orders of life (like a family man, a priest, a monk or a sanyasi), and apar word means ‘secondary’ or ‘general’ or ‘preliminary’ because it is not the absolute or prime dharm, it is the preliminary dharm for everyone in the world.

The discipline and rules of apar dharm vary according to the state of the spiritual consciousness of a person, and its rigidness also varies from age to age, that is, from satyug to kaliyug. In short you can understand that (for the existing age) all kinds of good deeds and philanthropic works that are beneficial to the society, and sincere observance of the religious discipline of the ‘order of life’ (religious student, family man, or a renounced person) you are following, come in this category, provided, that they are done with sattvic motivation. Sattvic motivation means having faith in God and then doing all the good karmas only to please God and not for any kind of personal gain. Even if you think of receiving compliments for your good karmas or the religious practices which you observe, it will not be classified as sattvic, it will become rajas, because you desired for the compliments and you have received them. Thus you have already availed the outcome of your so-called good deeds. According to the Gita [17/28), there is hardly any further good outcome of such good looking karmas in the next lifetime.

So, apar dharm means good karmas with sattvic motivation where a person is devoted to God in a conventional manner, which means a general faith in all the forms of God. Such good karmas pacify the mind of the doer in the existing life, and in the next lifetime they create a good destiny which is called ‘abhyudaya’ that brings physical and mental well-being in a person’s life.

(b) Par dharm or bhagwat dharm. This is the main dharm which brings the absolute good (the nishreyas) of a soul, and the absolute good of a soul is only God realization which happens through the direct devotion to God in His personal form. It is called bhakti. It gives both, peace and happiness in life as well as God realization. Apar dharm is the general dharm for all and is only a preliminary dharm, which is like the preparatory practice for entering into bhakti for those who cannot accept it in their life right away. Bhakti is above all the religious formalities, rituals and intellectual practices of meditation. In one sentence you can say that bhakti is the true ‘love’ for your soul-beloved God. It could be observed by any person of the world. It is universal; it is for every age; it is said and revealed by God Himself; and it is sanatan which means eternal. Thus, the dharm which is based on such bhakti, which is eternally established in bhakti, and which establishes bhakti for God as a universal religion of the world, is called Sanatan Dharm.

God is: dharmadhishthan.” It means that the Sanatan (eternal) Dharm is established in God and resides in God as a Divine power. It is revealed by God through Brahma before the human civilization and is represented through the Upnishads and the Puranas.

God and His path of attainment are both eternal.

Material beings are eternally under the bondage of maya and are ignorant. So the Divine matters are beyond the reach of human mind. It is thus quite obvious that a material mind can never find a way to approach the Divine. It cannot even know the nature of the Divine power on its own. It is thus only God Who Himself reveals His knowledge to the human beings. It is seen in the world that nature produces milk in the bosom of a woman before the birth of a child as the child may need it immediately on birth. So, even before the birth of human beings on this earth planet, God produces the knowledge of His attainment through the Upnishads (11/14/13) and the Puranas.

These scriptures reveal the form of God, personality of God, nature of God, greatness of God, Graciousness of God, path to God and also the procedure of the path. This path is called bhakti or divine-love-consciousness. Everything that relates to God is eternal because God is eternal. Thus, all the knowledges of the Upnishads and the Puranas along with the path of bhakti are eternal. Bhakti and the Grace of God are very closely related to each other.

The definition of (the devotional) bhakti.

Bhakti is the submission of the deep loving feelings of a devotee’s heart for his beloved God where all of his personal requisites are merged into his Divine beloved’s overwhelming Grace which He imparts for His loving devotee. This loving submission has been described in the scriptures and in the writings of the acharyas and Saints in many ways.

The Gita uses the terms surrender and single-mindedness are the famous verses of the Gita that tell about surrendering all the social and religious (apar dharm) commitments at the lotus feet of Krishn and then wholeheartedly and single-mindedly worshipping Him with faith and confidence.

The Bhagwatam stresses on the selflessness of a devotee (bhakt) of Krishn and tells that the leela Bliss of Krishn is so deep, profound and limitlessly charming that even God Shiv’s heart was entangled in its fascination and He always wandered in Braj absorbed in the love of Krishn. So the Bhagwatam advises the souls to drink the nectar of the leela Bliss of Krishn and selflessly desire for His vision and the Divine love.

The Ramayan emphasizes on the sincere humbleness of a devotee. Goswami Tulsidas says, O my supreme beloved Bhagwan Ram, the crown jewel of the dynasty of King Raghu! I am the most fallen and humble soul of this world, and You are the most kind friend of all such souls. Your Graciousness has no compare. So, please lift me up from this unlimited cosmic ocean and make me Your own forever.” Selfless devotion to God with such feelings of devotional humbleness are constantly expressed in the Ramayan and also in the Vinay Patrika.

Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya introduced a method of devotional remembrance and meditation called ashtyam seva , which means that a selfless devotee should remember the leelas of Radha Krishn, whatever They normally do since the early morning when They get up from the bed and till the night when They go to sleep. In this way, meditating upon Their leelas, the devotee should feed and decorate Radha Krishn accordingly. (Ashtyam literally means the 24 hours.) This is just a procedure of meditation where a devotee develops his longing to see the Divine leelas of Radha Krishn and to be in Their Divine service forever in Vrindaban or Golok.

Jagadguru Ramanujacharya used a word prapatti to express the feelings of a devotee who very humbly surrenders his heart, mind and soul at the lotus feet of his loving God and earnestly desires for His Divine vision.Vallabhacharya defined his path of devotion as the pushti marg. Pushti means the loving Graciousness of Krishn which fosters the devotional feelings of a selfless devotee, and marg means the path. So pushti marg means the path of devotion to Krishn where a devotee, depending upon the Graciousness of Krishn, humbly surrenders and dedicates his whole being for the service of Krishn. Chaitanya Mahaprabhuji simplified the procedure of sadhana (devotional) bhakti for the devotees and said that the remembrance of Krishn is easily and most effectively done through the chanting of His name and the leelas, and the desire of His meeting is quickly deepened when you develop the feeling of longing for Him in your heart. He says in the Shikchashtak, It means that a devotee should be humble, forgiving, forbearing, respecting to the devotional feelings of others but not desiring for any personal compliments for himself. With such a humble heart, which is yearning for the love and the vision of his beloved Krishn, the devotee should sing and chant the leelas and the names of Krishn. These are all the descriptions and the definitions of the devotional bhakti (साधना भक्ति) as to how it should be observed in the practical life.

The significance and the greatness of bhakti.

As mentioned above, bhakti is eternal. It means that it is the eternally existing path to attain God. God is one, so the path of His attainment is also one, and thus, the same path of bhakti ensures the attainment of any of the forms of God. The path of bhakti is prevalent in every brahmand of this entire universe and it is for all the souls of this universe. It remains the same in all the four yugas (satyug, treta, dwapar and kaliyug) and, as it is directly related to soul and God, it is above caste, creed, sect and nationality. It can be adopted by any person of any nation of this world, because it is gifted by the supreme God Himself for the benefit of the humankind; and again, there are no physical requirements in doing bhakti. There are no meditation postures to adopt, no concentration techniques to follow and no rituals to observe. So it can be done by anyone, young, old or sick, and at any time in twenty-four hours, because bhakti is the pure love of your heart that longs to meet the Divine beloved of your soul in this very lifetime. The philosophy of bhakti is also described in Narad Bhakti Sutra and Shandilya Bhakti Sutra.

Saints, acharyas and their religion.

The Saints and the acharyas of Bharatvarsh have always established and expounded the devotional and the philosophical themes of the Upnishads, Gita and the Bhagwatam which form the body of Sanatan Dharm. There are no discrepancies in their descriptions. If any discrepancy is seen in their descriptions, it is only the lack of correct interpretation by the reader, because every Saint describes the Divine theory in his own style and so you have to understand the style of his writing.

The common source.

One thing you must know, that it is God Who reveals the scriptures, directly and through Brahma; it is God Who sends the Divine personalities from His abode to come to this earth planet and to establish the Sanatan Dharm; and it is God Who Himself descends on the earth planet to reveal His absolute Blissfulness through His leelas and to show the path of bhakti,which is the soul and the essence of Sanatan Dharm and all of the scriptures. Thus, the eternal Sanatan Dharm is produced by God, represented by God, and established, promoted and promulgated by the eternal associates of God. This is the reason that all the Divine writings of the acharyas and Saints are in perfect coordination with the Upnishads, Gita and the Bhagwatam. All the names and the forms of God and the philosophy of God realization that they have described are already in the scriptures. But they have further simplified the path of devotion to God and expanded the devotional material by revealing the leelas of Radha Krishn a lot more than they are described in the Upnishads, Puranas and the Bhagwatam.

The Divine forms of one single God.

The difference which is seen in their writings is the representation of the form of God, and this difference relates to the actual Divine status of that Divine personality. It also represents this fact, that one supreme God has all these forms. Ramanujacharya came from Vaikunth abode, so he emphasized on the bhakti of God Vishnu but he also described about the worship of Bhagwan Ram and Bhagwan Krishn. He wrote about Ram in his book Ram Patal and Ram Rahasya. Nimbarkacharya came from Golok abode, so he represented the loving devotion of Radha Krishn. Shankaracharya was the descension of God Shiv Who is God of yog and liberation and also an ardent devotee of Krishn, so Shankaracharya explained about gyan and yog but he inserted bhakti in the very end of Aprokchanubhooti and described Krishn devotion in the Prabodh Sudhakar. Goswami Tulsidas is an eternal devotee of Bhagwan Ram so he extensively adores and praises Bhagwan Ram in all of his writings, but at one spot he also writes in the Vinay Patrika that maya cannot do any tricks upon him because he has Nand Kumar (Krishn) in his heart. These references represent the Divine status of that Divine personality and, at the same time, they also represent the internal self-submissiveness of all the Divine forms of one single God.

Clarification of the philosophy of soul, maya, and God.

The differences which are seen in the bhashyas (commentaries on the scriptures) of the Jagadgurus are not substantial differences. They are the descriptions of the same Divine substance in a different manner and with a different approach, and sometimes they are further

clarifications of the same Divine truth.

For example: (a) Shankaracharya said in his bhashya that God is impersonal (nirakar) and maya is only an illusion. Ramanujacharya did not reject the existence of nirakar brahm and the illusive nature of maya, but he further explained that nirakar brahm is an aspect of purushottam brahm (the supreme personality of God) and is established in Him, and maya itself is not an illusion, only its effects are illusionary, whereas maya is an eternal and lifeless power.

(b) The other Jagadgurus said that soul is an infinitesimal part of the chit shakti of God. Jeev Goswami further unfolded this situation and explained that there is a power called jeev shakti which is an affiliate to chit shakti. Soul is actually an infinitesimal part of that jeev shakti.

© Nimbarkacharya and Vallabhacharya established the Divine supremacy of Krishn but they did not fully describe the Divinity of Radha Rani. Jeev Goswami and Roop Goswami, further explained that Radha Rani is the soul of Krishn and the absoluteness of the hladini power which is the main personal power of supreme God Krishn. They wrote the detailed descriptions of the Divine love states and the ecstasies of Gopis, Krishn and Radha as they are seen in Golok and Divine Vrindaban, in the Krishn Sandarbh, Preeti Sandarbh and Ujjwal Neelmani. Thus we see that there is no substantial difference in the writings of the Jagadgurus and the acharyas. They are the descriptions of the same Divine existence in their own style of writings and according to their own Divine experiences.

The gist of their teachings.

Now we can have a glimpse of the prime theme of the writings of our Saints and the acharyas: Nimbarkacharya showed the path of selfless devotion to Radha Krishn; Shankaracharya (509-477 BC) talked about yog and brahm gyan but his sachchidanand brahm was Krishn Whom he himself adored (प्र.सु. 195, 200, 250); Ramanujacharya stressed on humbleness and total self-submission (प्रपत्ति) to God Narain (Vishnu); Madhvacharya said that the only goal of a soul is to selflessly and wholeheartedly love and surrender to God; Vallabhacharya propounded the path of pushti which is total submission to Krishn with a real humble desire of receiving His Grace; and Chaitanya Mahaprabhuji said that a devotee should desire for the Divine love of Krishn Who is seen playing in Divine Vrindaban.

There were some gyani Saints like Kabir (b. 1398) and Guru Nanak (b. 1469) whose teachings relate to the realization of God in His impersonal form, but there are expressions of self-surrender to God to receive His Grace in their writings which is bhakti. Kabir writes that God Hari is his Divine beloved and he is His sweetheart Srichand who was the son of Guru Nanak taught the general worship of all the forms of God in his religion.

The bhakt Saints like Tukaram, Guru Ramdas, Daduji, Narsi Mehta, Goswami Tulsidas, Ramkrishn Paramhans, Swami Sahajanand and many more, sang the glory of their beloved God in their writings and showed the path of bhakti to their followers.

During the same period, around the fifteenth and the sixteenth centuries, there were a number of rasik Saints and acharyas like Swami Haridas, Hit Harivansh, Surdas, Nanddas, Dhruvdas, Roop Goswami and Sanatan Goswami etc., who lived in Braj and enlivened the heart of every devotee with Radha Krishn love, whoever came to them. So we see that all the acharyas and Saints represented bhakti which is the central theme of Sanatan Dharm.

These Saints and the acharyas had their own followings which later on took the shape of a religion in which a particular form of devotion was introduced as taught by the originator of that religion. In this way, in different periods of time, several religions were formed all over India. But the beauty of these religions was that, when they started, all of them represented pure bhakti which is the central theme of the scriptures (the Upnishads, Gita and the Bhagwatam) and which was expounded by all of the Saints and the acharyas. Just like the fingers of a hand appear to be separate, but they are not; they are together. Similarly, all the religions of India are initially tied up with the string of bhakti as if they are all one single religion of bhakti which is appearing in several forms.

The absolute, omniscient, omnipresent, omnigracious, all-Blissful, all-beautiful and all-kind God has interrelated and intersubmissive five main forms (Vishnu, Shiv, Durga, Bhagwan Ram and Bhagwan Krishn), Who have Their own Divine abodes that represent sweeter and sweeter manifestations of the Divine Bliss. (This philosophy is described in detail in “The Divine Vision of Radha Krishn.”) They are all various forms and abodes of one single God. Souls who reach these Divine abodes enjoy the absolute Bliss of a non-ending and ever-increasing nature every moment. Your Beloved God, in the Divine abode, gives His personal loving care of such an unlimited limit that drowns a soul in the sweetness of His loving association forever. All of these abodes are attainable through selfless bhakti.

This is Sanatan Dharm, the eternal Divine religion, which represents all the aspects and forms of God, from the absolutely dormant nirakar form to the absolutely amazing most intimate Divine love form of God which is only seen in Divine Vrindaban. Another amazing thing is that the path of attainment of any of these forms of God is only one, and that is bhakti, which is the loving remembrance of your most beloved God with a yearning heart and a desirous mind, aspiring for His vision and love.

Sanatan Dharm represents God in totality through its scriptures (the Upnishads, Gita and the Bhagwatam) and tells about His Divine virtues like: His Graciousness that eliminates maya and reveals the Divinity; His kindness that brings forth His supreme Blissfulness and unveils His absolute beauty; and His lovingness that reveals His unlimited personal love which is described as rasah in the very first chapter of the Bhagwatam.

Thus we have described the authentic form of Sanatan Dharm which also includes the sanatan (eternal) history of Bharatvarsh. It is the universal religion, eternally existing in all the brahmandas of this universe in the same form, because the general configuration of every brahmand is the same. In this book whatever Divine facts we have discussed, revealed and expounded, they are the manifestation of only a ray of the Gracious gift of the supreme beloved of my heart and soul, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

We must know that the history of Bharatvarsh is the description of the timeless glory of the eternal Divine dignitaries who, not only Graced the soils of India with their presence and Divine intelligence, but also showed and revealed the true path of peace, happiness and God realization for the souls of the whole world which remains as a sole guideline for the true lovers of God who desire to taste the sweetness of God’s love in an intimate style.

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

For example: (a) Shankaracharya said in his bhashya that God is impersonal (nirakar) and maya is only an illusion. Ramanujacharya did not reject the existence of nirakar brahm and the illusive nature of maya, but he further explained that nirakar brahm is an aspect of purushottam brahm (the supreme personality of God) and is established in Him, and maya itself is not an illusion, only its effects are illusionary, whereas maya is an eternal and lifeless power.

 

 

 

Nice orange font!.

 

Very true. Shankracaharay says that. (Mayavada). That a Person (living entity) can become God (Vishnu-tattva) by Sadhana (practise).

[Guest guest]

If Pankaja_Dasa knew that what you posted was very typical of Sri Swamiji's simple but divine writings (as well as Sri Maharajji's) I bet you would have not received that type of response.

 

Thanks for posting gopal_deo_sharma!

 

But actually for me the orange font was a little bit tough to read

 

Hari Bol

[Pankaja_Dasa]

When Guru claims to be God, (vishnu-tattva) it usually means his a mayavadi.

[Guest guest]

 

Shankaracharya (509-477 BC) talked about yog and brahm gyan

 

Your dates for Shankaracharya are incorrect, Shankaracharya is believed to have lived from 788-820AD.

[gopal_deo_sharma]

 

When Guru claims to be God, (vishnu-tattva) it usually means his a mayavadi.

Pankajji....I posted this from the book " The true religion & the true history of India" ..by Shri Praakash Anandaji Maharaaj...he was offered the jyotirmath shankaracharya's position but he declined it and now is associated with JKP....I know ur views on Maharaajji....u convinced me on some fronts as well...but I don't think u will mind sharing historical references given by such a learned scholar of the Ved "Prakaash Anaandji Maharaaj":pray:

[gopal_deo_sharma]

 

Your dates for Shankaracharya are incorrect, Shankaracharya is believed to have lived from 788-820AD.

I did entered it wrong....didn't I? sorry!

[gopal_deo_sharma]

 

If Pankaja_Dasa knew that what you posted was very typical of Sri Swamiji's simple but divine writings (as well as Sri Maharajji's) I bet you would have not received that type of response.

Thanks for posting gopal_deo_sharma!

But actually for me the orange font was a little bit tough to read

Hari Bol

Well.....I just take the best out of things.....the book really emphassise (spelled wrong) on Indian Culture unlike western theories of Aryan migration etc....thus the post....nothing to do with bhakti MARG....

About Pankaja Dasa....well...try talking to him....great scholar as per tattwa gyaan is concerned....

Yes.....hard to read....man! That was the only shade available in ORANGE...SORRY! changing it to green after this post.....

[Pankaja_Dasa]

The person you posted this by also belongs to the Mayavada Sampradaya. I rarely read things by Mayavadis. They believe they are God, which sort of kills the fun out of being the servant of God.

[gopal_deo_sharma]

 

The person you posted this by also belongs to the Mayavada Sampradaya. I rarely read things by Mayavadis. They believe they are God, which sort of kills the fun out of being the servant of God.

But as an authentic hindu history....how was it?

[Pankaja_Dasa]

Theres no 'but' in Mayavada.

[gopal_deo_sharma]

 

Theres no 'but' in Mayavada.

 

True and there is no if either;)

[gopal_deo_sharma]

 

Nice orange font!.

 

Very true. Shankracaharay says that. (Mayavada). That a Person (living entity) can become God (Vishnu-tattva) by Sadhana (practise).

 

But u said something else that day.... ?

[Pankaja_Dasa]

Sri Hanuman says that this is not purebhakti.

[gopal_deo_sharma]

 

Sri Hanuman says that this is not purebhakti.

What is not pure bhakti pankajji?

Why did u change ur avatar....Gaurang Mahaprabhu was looking nice.....but a product in the name of god....wellllll...I guess that is pure bhakti...