HINDUISM AND SANATANA DHARMA

How Have the Great Teachers of Hinduism Related to Religion?

The many great sages of India - the ancient Vedic seers from Manu to Krishna, the teachers of classical India like Patanjali or Shankara, and modern yogis like Vivekananda, Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo or Anandamayi Ma to mention a few - speak of themselves as part of a great universal tradition of Truth relevant to all beings. They have not promoted themselves as Hindus opposed to some other group, nor have they failed to honor the Hindu tradition in its depth and diversity.

However they have been conscious of themselves as part of a tradition. They have not seen themselves as unique or entirely new in their knowledge, but expressions of an eternal tradition and its stream of sages that we can call Hindu, Sanatana Dharma or whatever we wish, if we understand its timeless nature.

If we want to see what Hinduism is really like we should look to the lives and teachings of the great sages, men and women, who have arisen from its background. In them we see the essence of universal spirituality, fully developed in form and expression through a particular tradition and manifold teachings, which yet has no limiting boundaries. Their only link is to God and eternity and they have not set up any religion as a factor of division within the realm of time and space.

[ Back ] [ David Frawley ] [ Up ] [ Next ]