Hindu Dharma has been influential around the globe for centuries due to its Vedic Literature and Vedantic Teachings. The Hindu Mandir and Temples have been sacred places for worshipping for millennia. Here Hindus pray in the house of God while also knowing their true nature and that everything in the universe is also divine. We find closeness to divinity through our deities, devis, and murtis. Hindus connect earth with God, the divine, the cosmos and Reality. Hinduism does not have a single founder or strict religious philosophy. We did not convert others but found value in trading with them. Former Indian President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan has said that Hinduism is more than a religion; it is a way of life.

This means that we may observe Hindu Dharma in
all life’s moments and within all our experiences. Hindu festivals, its vast traditions, unequivocal knowledge systems, logic, myriads of experiences, and openness to all makes Hinduism good for the world.

Dharma relates to duties, rights, laws, and is explained within the four Purusharthas. There are several distinguishing characteristics for living a dharmic lifestyle. Some include caring for and living peacefully with nature, vegetarian eating, ahimsa and tolerance of all mankind, karma, reincarnation, etc. Sanatana Dharma gave us the Vedas, Upanishads, Ithihasas, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Sanskrit, Yoga, and Ayurveda. Hinduism taught the world the importance of living a Satvic lifestyle. Hinduism has been called pluralistic because there is no single salvation story or path to God. Its traditions vary throughout India and the Diaspora. Hindus live among various religious communities but retain Hindu values and beliefs.

The 4 Purusharthas

One significant belief in Sanatana Dharma is the wisdom of The Purusharthas which refer to the four goals of mankind as explained by the Vedas. The 4 Purusharthas are Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. Dharma is justice and Artha is economic prosperity, friendship, and material life. Kama is happiness and physical pleasure while Moksha is liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The Purusharthas are what we want to achieve in life, and it is necessary to have all four as not one can exist without the others. However, there is one exception. We may have Dharma, Artha, and Kama without Moksha, but the ultimate goal is to reach Moksha.

Gerald Larson, a well-known Indologist, compares the complexity of Hinduism to the wide range and interconnectedness of the roots, branches, and trunks of a network of banyan trees. Hindus have been searching for religious freedom for centuries. Hinduism has been called pluralistic, has faced conflict, as well as forced conversion away from dharma. Contrarily, it is dynamic, fluid, and all encompassing.

In my opinion, Hinduism is good for the world because it teaches that each living entity is important, the universe is interconnected, relies on every piece of the whole, and we should care for each part. Hindu Dharma teaches us the purity of Atman. Sanatana Dharma helps everything, everyone, and the universe itself is uplifted due to the wholesomeness of the human relationship with the divine.

 

Patrice Williams is an avid reader and scholar with various interests including: Bhagavad Gita studies, Mahabharata, Ayurveda, Nutrition, Information Security, and Linguistics Analysis.

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