Sanatana Dharma — The Eternal Religion and Foundation of Yoga

The religion based on the Vedas, the Sanatana Dharma, or Vedic Dharma, is the oldest of living religions, and stands unrivalled in the depth and splendor of its philosophy, while it yields to none in the purity of its ethical teachings and in the flexibility and varied adaptation of its rites and ceremonies.

“It is like a river, which has shallows that a child may play in, and depths which the strongest diver cannot fathom.”

It is thus adapted to every human need, and there is nothing which any religion can supply to add to its rounded perfection. The more it is studied, the more does it illuminate the intellect and satisfy the heart. Those who learn it are laying up for themselves a sure increaser of happiness, a sure consolation in trouble, for the rest of their life.

“That which supports, that which holds together the peoples (of the universe), that is dharma.” Dharma is not merely a set of beliefs having no necessary connection with the daily life of humanity, but is the very principles of a healthy and beneficent life.

To know and to act

Therefore to know those principles and act upon them is to be a true aryan–follower of Vedic Dharma–and to tread the sure road to happiness, individual as well as general. (See the Glossary for the correct meaning of “aryan.”) The etymological meaning of “religion” is also the same, “that which binds together.” “Vedic” means “pertaining to the Veda or Perfect Knowledge.” Hence Vedic Dharma means “the Religion of Perfect Knowledge.”

One of the most remarkable things in the Sanatana religion is the way in which it has laid down a complete scheme of knowledge, and has then crowned it with a philosophy composed of six faces (the six darshanas or systems of philosophy), though governed by one idea and leading to one goal. No such comprehensive and orderly view of human knowledge is elsewhere to be found.

The basis of Sanatana Dharma

Besides the Four Vedas (Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Atharva Veda and Yajur Veda) which are collections of hymns, the fundamental texts of Sanatana Dharma are the twelve Upanishads: Aitareya, Kaushitaki, Taittiriya, Katha, Shvetashvatara, Brihadaranyaka, Isha, Kena, Chandogya, Mandukya, Mundaka and Prashna.

These contain the basic philosophy of Sanatana Dharma and were commented on by the founders of the leading schools of Vedanta, or by their early disciples. On these texts the whole fabric of Vedic Dharma, the religion of the Vedas, as it is truly named, is built. Both the Vedas and the Upanishads are called the Shruti: That Which Was Heard in the depths of meditation by the ancient sages, the rishis, who received the revelation and transmitted it by writing it down just as it came to them.

Smriti–That Which is Remembered

Next in order to the Shruti in authority comes the Smriti, That Which Is Remembered, the teachings of later sages who explained and developed the entire range of Dharma, laying down the laws which regulate aryan national, social, family and individual obligations. They are the text-books of law, and are very numerous.

Thus we see that, as in the case of the Vedas, the rishis with the necessary authority made alterations and adaptations to suit the needs of the time. It was this flexibility, characteristic of the Sanatana Dharma, that preserved it through so many ages, when other ancient religions perished.

Of the authority of the Shruti and Smriti, Manu–the first law-giver, whose code is the foundation of Hindu religious and social conduct–says: “The Veda is known as Shruti, the dharmashastras as Smriti: these should not be doubted (but carefully consulted and considered) in all matters, for from them dharma arose” (Manu Smriti 2:10).

Manu wrote a dharmashastra of 2,685 slokas. The twelfth chapter deals with transmigration and declares that supreme bliss is to be gained by the knowledge of the Atman, on whom “the universe rests.”

Sanatana Dharma in the Manu Smriti

“If you ask whether among all these virtuous actions, performed here below, there be one which has been declared more efficacious than the rest for securing supreme happiness to man, the answer is that the knowledge of the Self is stated to be the most excellent among all of them; for that is the first of all sciences, because immortality is gained through that” (Manu Smriti 12:84-85).

“Let every man, concentrating his mind, fully recognize in the Self all things, both the real and the unreal, for he who recognizes the universe in the Self, does not give his heart to unrighteousness. The Self alone is the multitude of the gods; the universe rests on the Self” (Manu Smriti 12:118-119)

“He who thus recognizes the Self through the Self in all created beings, becomes equal-minded towards all, and enters the highest state: that of Brahman” (Manu Smriti 12:125).]

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Sanatana Dharma Summary

The Sanatana Dharma, also known as the Vedic Dharma, is the world’s oldest living religion—rooted in the eternal truths revealed in the Vedas and Upanishads. Far more than a set of beliefs, it is the principle that upholds life (dharma means “that which sustains or holds together”). Its teachings span from simple devotional practices to the highest metaphysical inquiry, making it accessible to both the beginner and the philosopher.

At its core, Sanatana Dharma rests on the Shruti (“that which was heard,” the revealed scriptures like the Vedas and Upanishads) and the Smriti (“that which was remembered,” later texts like the Manu Smriti that apply dharmic principles to life). This continuity and flexibility of interpretation have preserved the Dharma through millennia when other ancient traditions faded.

Ultimately, the goal of Sanatana Dharma is the realization of the Self (Atman)—the divine consciousness within all beings. As the Manu Smriti declares, knowledge of the Self is “the first of all sciences,” leading to immortality and supreme bliss.

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