Deccan Chronicle published an article on February 4, 2024, titled “Tirumala Spiritual Summit Wants Hindu Dharm Spread Globally.” Are we ready to answer a very fundamental and practical question: Why would a Christian adopt Hindu Dharma? Why would a Muslim think of quitting Islam? There have been wars in the past, in the name of religion, that took millions of lives. People are very sensitive about their faith and are ready to sacrifice life for it; then how can one think of Hindu Dharma spreading globally? During my 25 years long research and practice of Yoga, I attained Samadhi. I had the opportunity to study the Brahma Sutra Bhasya by Adi Shankaracharya and Swami Vivekananda’s books in detail, and I found a lot of confusion among people about Hindu Dharm and Hindu Religion. Most people do not even differentiate between Spirituality and Religion and use them interchangeably. I present a deep-dive exploration of Hindu Dharm that explains how Hindu Dharm differs from Hindu Religion.
This confusion stems from the English translation of the word Dharm as “religion,” which does not convey its full meaning. The word Dharm has existed in Hindu scriptures for thousands of years, while the word Religion is relatively new and was introduced to the English dictionary only about 300 years ago. The word Religion refers to an institution of worship, and all existing religions are institutions of worship with their own ways of worship and rituals. The word Dharm has nothing to do with worship. To understand the real import of the word Dharm, let us look at its usage in different sentences: Ram carried out his Dharm by obeying Dusharatha’s order. Harishchandra performed his Dharm by caring for his old parents. Mahabharata was a Dharam Yudh, a war for justice. Dharmatma means a great soul who always does what is right and stands for the truth. The incarnation of Ram and Krishn took place to destroy Adharma and establish Dharm. Accordingly, Dharm essentially means carrying out duties truthfully and justly, and it has nothing to do with Religion. Hindu Dharm essentially is a path of Dharm, a way of life that has the potential to eradicate the miseries of life in terms of stress, anxiety, kleshas, and incurable diseases and leads to attaining peace of mind.
Indian Rishis, whom I consider ancient scientists, realized that the miseries of life would become major problems for mankind, and they began searching for a solution to eradicate them. They found a solution in Vedic Philosophy, which forms the basis of Vedic Dharm, now known as Hindu Dharm. According to the teachings of Hindu scripture, the Vedas, there are five pillars, or the five components of Hindu Dharm: (1) A belief in the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, according to which Atman and Brahman are not two. Atman, in the form of Brahman, is present in all human beings; therefore, mankind cannot be divided by religion, race, caste, creed, or social status. This leads to a concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, that is, the entire earth is a family, where the downtrodden and underprivileged need to be treated with love and justice. (2) Acquisition of Atmagyan: Acquiring true knowledge about ourselves makes us realize the five Vikrati of Mann (Mental Distortions) of a person. These are: Kaam (unethical and unreasonable desires), Krodh (anger), Lobh (greediness), Moh (unreasonable attachment), and Ahankar (egoism, a mindset that I am only right). The Vedas describe these as a person’s enemies because they obstruct physical and spiritual upliftment and must be conquered. (3) Performing Nishkam Karm: Performing duties without expecting fruition, which makes it possible to live a worldly life without stress and to concentrate fully on our work. (4) Doing Purusharth: Making full efforts to attain the goals of life. According to the teachings of the Vedas, a human birth is very precious and we should not waste it. We should acquire monetary wealth and the wealth of knowledge, and do something for those who are not blessed with all the means of life. (5) Practicing Yog. Yog makes it possible to practice all four components of Hindu Dharm in our lives and makes the hard-looking teachings of the Vedas easy.
Hinduism has two interwoven components: an apparently hard-to-follow spiritual component, known as Hindu Dharm, and an easy-to-follow religious component that most Hindus follow, also referred to as Hindu Religion, a polytheistic religion in which people worship different gods according to their system of worship. In this respect, Hindu Religion is not much different from other religions because Astha, belief in something without knowing it, is a common component in all religions and is responsible for the dogma present in religions. Hindu Dharm differs because the Atmagyan component teaches us to believe only after knowing. Hindu Dharm teaches not to believe in God blindly. One should first know God by the practice of Yog and then believe in Him. From this perspective, Hindu Dharm is a secular system, but religions are not. Today, religions have become the tags that have divided mankind into groups and created hatred in society, resulting in large-scale unrest and violence. Monks have been found involved in crime and unethical, immoral acts. Religious places have become centers for organized crime. A Christian does not follow Jesus’ teachings and attends church only to fulfill a social obligation. The same is true for Hindus and Muslims. In fact, the religions were established for peace and for the betterment of mankind, but they failed in their endeavors, and Hindu Dharm is the only way out.
Hindu Dharm teaches us to do Karma and Purusharth, while the Hindu Religion teaches us to worship, which is basically a self-centered act. Hindu Dharm teaches us to pray Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, which means let there be welfare for all mankind. According to Bhagwan Shri Krishn, everyone must face the consequences of karma, good or bad. But religions suggest loopholes and tell people how to evade the consequences of bad Karma by performing special rituals. Most religions foster superstitions. Hindu Dharm teaches to acquire Gyan and strive to know the truth by the practice of Yog. A Hindu cannot attain Samadhi and Moksh by worshiping gods. Only a spiritual path of Hindu Dharm can lead to Samadhi and later to Moksh. Since the teachings of Hindu Dharma are secular and lead to a path of truth and justice, it can make a Christian a true Christian, a Muslim a true Muslim, and a Hindu a true Hindu, and also prepare them to follow the teachings of their respective holy books: the Bible, the Quran, and the Bhagavad Gita. The teachings of Hindu Dharma are universal and apply to every person on earth, helping them transform into a good human being. Its teachings are based on absolute Truth, and Truth is Eternal. Therefore, Hindu Dharm is also referred to as Sanatan, meaning Universal and Eternal, a continuum in space and time that can only establish everlasting peace, prosperity, and harmony across the globe. At present, the world is suffering from agony caused by stress, anxiety, and incurable diseases that can be addressed only by the practice of Yog and by following the path shown by Hindu Dharm and not by Hindu Religion. Hindu Religion is not Sanatan because it is not a Dharm.