Introduction to

Hindu / Sanatan Dharma

The searc h for Trut h is cal led t he Sanat ana Dharma , or t he Et ernal Pat h.
Prac ticed by people on the othersi de of Si nd hu riv er, so Hi ndu D harm a.

 Hin du ism has be en en ric hed by the con tri bu tions by many
sages .
 Hin du ism is as old as the wor ld it sel f. Veda s for m the ba si s.
 A Wa y of lif e th at TRA NS CE ND S Rel igi on
 Be lie ve s in ‘ Tru th is on e. Path s are many ’.
 World’ s 3 rd large st with 1 bil li on+ fol lowers .
 Let Nobl e Though ts Come From AL L Dir ect ion s
 Focu ses on per son all y expe ri en cin g th e Tru th wit hin .
Dharm a: Dharma is the natural and rightful order and foundation of everyone
and everything. It is both why things are as they are and the path to the
realization of why things are as they are. It is a way-of-life.

Rel igion: is a way to understand or practice on how to realize God. Religion is

concerned with all of the relations existing between God and human beings,
and between humans themselves because of the central significance of God.
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 1
 Con te nts of th e p res entatio n

 What are the Hindu scriptures?

 What is the concept of God?
 Hindu concept of Individual and Universe
 What are the basic principles of Hindu Dharma?
 Three Debts of Human Life
 Four Stages of Hindu Religious Life
 Four Ends of Human Life
 Who is a Hindu?.
 Code of Conduct
 Additional Topics
 References and links
The Rig Ve da has declared the Ultimate Reality (God) as:
“Ekam sat, vi pra ha b ahu dha vad anti .” (Rig Veda 1.164.46)
"Tru th (God) is on e, th e wis e ca ll i t b y vari ous names "
http://www.dlshq.org/download/hinduismbk.pdf for more info.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 2

 Hindu Scriptures
Sruti
(Revealed)
Ved as are the et erna l trut hs
revea led by God to the grea t
ancient Rish is. These eterna l tru ths
never cha ng e.
♦ Vedas (Four)
− Rig (21 shakas)
− Sama (109 shakas)
− Yajur (1000 shakas)
− Atharva (50 shakas)
♦ Hymns, Brahmanas,
Aranyakas and Upanishads
Pr ajna na m Bra hma :—‘Consciousness is Brahman’
Ah am Bra hma Asm i:—‘I Am Brahman’
Tat Tra m Asi: —‘That Thou Art’
Ay am At ma Bra hma :—‘This Self is Brahman’
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh
Smriti
(Remembered)
Scrip tures tha t cha nge with time and sp ace and sum mery
of Sm ri ti in unders tanda ble fo rm at for co mm on mind
♦ Dharma Shastras (Law Codes)
Ex: Manu Smriti
♦ Epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata)
♦ Puranas (Mythology) – There are many;
each tradition has its own. Ex: Shiva Purana
and Bhagavat Purana
♦ Agamas and Tantras: (sectarian
scriptures)
♦ Darshanas (Manuals of Philosophy) –
Each school has its own literature. Ex:
Yoga Sutras of Sage Patanjali.
http://www.dlshq.org/download/vedbegin.pdf for more info.
3
 Concept of God (Bra hman )

In Hi nd u sc ri ptures, the Cosmi c A bs olut e/Ab sol ut e Real ity is d efi ned as
Transc end ent (impersonal) and Imm anent (personal).

In the transcendent aspect, the Supreme Reality is called Nir guna Brahma n, that is
Brahma n, wi thout att ribut es. " Brahman is He whom speech cannot express, and
from whom the mind is unable to reach Him, comes away baffled" states the Taittiriya
Upanishad.

Ni rg una Bra hman is not an ob ject of p ra yer, bu t of med itat io n and

knowl ed ge. It cannot be described, and It is absolute existence, absolute
knowledge, and absolute bliss (sat -ch it -anand a ). It is unb orn , sel f- exi st ent , al l-
perv ad ing , and the essence of all things and beings in the universe. It is
imme asurab le, unap proachab le, beyond conception, beyond birth, beyond
reasoning, and beyond thought". God cannot be defined in terms of any specific
manifestation, nor indeed in terms of their sum total. He is beyond all possibility of
definition. The Bhagavad Gita, the best-known scripture of India, states this point
clearly:

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 4

 Concept of God, cont’d

Brahman , the Cosmic Absolute

(beyond description)

Immanent Transcendent
(personal aspect, (impersonal aspect,
can be prayed, and can be realized, but
worshipped, but not not worshipped
realized)

We wil l focu s on Imma nent aspect of Bra hm an fo r no w

Male Aspect Female Aspect

Ishvara or God (note capital G) Divine Mother, worshipped
worshipped by many names by many names and forms
and forms known as deities known as deities or goddesses
or gods (note small g) (note small g)

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 5

 Concept of God (Bramhan)
In i ts I mmane nt (p er so nal) as pe ct, the Supr eme
Re ali ty , is call ed Saguna Br am han . He is the
per so nal Go d, the cre ato r, the p re se rver, and the
con trolle r of the univers e. In Hind uis m, the
imm anent (p ers ona l) a sp ect o f Bramhan i s
wo rs hip ped i n both male and femal e fo rms. I n the
male form, He is w orshi pped as Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva. Brahm a i s the cre ativ e as pect, Vi shnu i s th e
pro tecting , sustai ning asp ect; and Siva is the
trans forming , diss olving a sp ect. I n th e female f orm,
as Sara sw ath i, Lakshmi and P ar vathi .
ALL POWERFUL MOTHER GAYATRI

BRAHMA -CREATOR VISHNU - PROTECTOR

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh SHIVA - DISSOLVER 6
 Concept of God (Bramhan)

Ho wever , o n the p er so nal l ev el, its up to i ndiv iduals to

cre ate a f orm/vie w o f the same Sup re me Bharman to
pray . Hind u a cce pts o nly o ne Go d, th e Sup reme. Be cause
of th is flexi bil ity in giving a sh ap e or f orm, it a pp ears as
if ther e are many Hind u Go ds/G oddess es to a no n-Hind u.
Hind us s ee divinity i n al l l iving creatur es . Ani mal d eitie s
ther efor e, o ccup y an i mpor tant p la ce i n Hind u d harma.
Ani mal s, fo r e xa mple, a re very co mm on as fo rm of
tran sp ort fo r vari ous G ods and G oddess es . This is d ues
to the conce pt of Atman a nd Brahman be ing th e s am e.
We wi ll d is cuss that i n late r sli des… ..

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 7

 Hindu Concept of the Individual

Just as a man living in a house is called a householder,

Atman (meaning “God within”) living in a human body is
called an individual. When this “human house” becomes old
and irreparable, Atman leaves the house and we say that the
individual has died. But Atman is immortal and is part of
Brahman, Supreme God. Atman is divine so all the beings are
divine. Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 8
 Hindu Concept of the Individual,
cont’d.
 Atman is uncreated, immortal and divine.
 Although Atman is generally translated as soul or spirit,
Atman and soul do not mean the same.
 Atman and Brahman is same. So individual can reach
the state of divinity. “Aham Brahmasmi” – I am God.
 In the human body, Atman is deluded by cosmic
ignorance, called Maya in Sanskrit.
 In Hindu view, WE ARE CHILDREN OF IMMORTALITY
and may commit sin under the influence of Maya.
Thus, the purpose of Hindu religious life is to transcend
Maya.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 9

 Hindu Concept of the Individual, cont’d
Why are individuals different form each other?

Personality

Atman +
Physical
Human Body = Individuality
Spirituality
Divinity

just as
Electricity + Type of Appliance = Type of Application

Electricity + Refrigerator = Cold Opposing

Electricity + Oven = Heat Functions

Electricity + Television = Audio & Video

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 10

 Hindu Concept of the Universe
Brahman (Infinite, Undivided and Changeless)

Cosmic Cosmic Energy

Cosmic Ignorance
Consciousness Divine Mother
(Maya)
(Heavenly Father) (Shakti)

Time
Space Sattva Rajas Tamas
Duality

Appearance of Brahman as things and beings of the world

The Infinite, Undivided and Changeless
appears as finite, divided, and changing
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 11
 Hindu Concept of the Universe

Hindus believe that the universe is without a beginning (anadi= beginning-less) or

an end (ananta = end-less). Rather the universe is projected in cycles. Each cycle
is divided into four yugas (ages of the world).

Sat ya yug a (g old en ag e) 4,0 00,0 00 years

Tret a yug a (si lver a ge) 3,6 00,0 00 years
Dvap ara yug a (c op per ag e) 2,4 00,0 00 years
Kal i yug a ( iro n ag e) 1,2 00,0 00 years
Pr alaya ( cosmi c d elug e ) 400 0,0 00 years
New Creat ion 400 ,00 0 years
Durat ion of One Cyc le 12, 000 ,0 00 years

Total d urat io n of t he four yug as i s call ed a kal pa. At the end of kal yug a
the uni verse is dissol ved by p ral aya (c osm ic del ug e ) and anot her cy cl e
beg ins. Ea ch cycl e of creat ion last s one kalp a, that is 1 2,0 00,00 0 huma n
years ( or 12,0 00 Br ahma y ears).

Hind us b elie ve that ther e is almo st a uni ver se hid den i n ea ch Atm an and
that can be e xp lored lo oking i nwar d wi th the help of Yoga and Med itation.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 12

 10 AVATARS (INCARNATIONS)
Lord Vishnu's preserving, protecting powers have been manifested to the
world in a variety of forms, called Avatars, in which one or more of his divine
attributes were embodied in the shape of a human being or an animal or a
human-animal combined form, possessing great and sometimes
supernatural powers.that are innumerable.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 13

 Basic principles of Hindu Dharma

 Divinity of the Atman

 Unity of Existence
 Ahimsa
 Harmony of Religions
 Law of Karma
 Doctrine of Incarnation
 Freedom of Thought
 Law of Dharma

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 14

 Divinity of the Atman
 Each human being, regardless of religion, geographic
region, gender, color or creed is in reality Atman
clothed in a physical body. Since Atman is inherently
pure and divine, every human being is potentially
divine. In Hindu view, a man is not born a sinner,
but becomes a victim of ignorance under the
influence of cosmic ignorance, called Maya. Just as
darkness quickly disappears upon the appearance of
light, an individual’s delusion vanishes when he gains
self-knowledge.
 Practical Significance: Eliminates fear of God,
encourages freedom of thought, and removes
psychological barrier to human growth. No fear of
eternal hell. Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 15
 Unity of Existence
 Science has revealed that what we call matter is
essentially energy. Hindu sages tell us that the
cosmic energy is manifestation of the Universal Spirit
(Brahman). Brahman has become all things and
beings in the world. Thus, we are all interconnected
in subtle ways. “All is One and One is in all,” declare
the sages.
 Practical Significance:
Encourages universal brotherhood, reverence for all
forms of life, and respect for our environment. Hindu
scriptures address earth as Mother Earth.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 16

 Ahimsa
 Ahimsa means non-violence, non-injury, or non-
killing. Hinduism teaches that al forms of life are
manifestations of Brahman. We must, therefore, not
be indifferent to the sufferings of others.
 Practical Significance: Creates mutual love between
humans and other forms of life, and protects our
environment. Ahimsa provides basis for Hindu notion
of morality. “That mode of living which is based upon
a total harmlessness towards all creatures or (in the
case of necessity) upon minimum of such harm, is
the highest morality.” (Mahabharata Shantiparva
262.5-6).
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 17
 Harmony of Religions
 Hinduism believes that there is no one religion that
teaches an exclusive way to salvation. All genuine
spiritual paths are valid and all great religions are
equally true. “In whatever way humans love Me (God),
in the same way they find My love. Various are the
ways for humans, but in the end they all come to Me.”
(Bhagavad Gita 4.11)
 Practical Significance: This doctrine lays foundation for
universal harmony. The attitude of religious tolerance is
one of Hinduism’s greatest gifts to mankind.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 18

 The Law of Karma
 Hindus believe that God, who is all-loving and
merciful, does not punish or reward anyone. He
molds our destinies based upon our own thoughts
and deeds. Every action of a person, in though,
word, or deed, brings results, either good or bad,
depending upon the moral quality of the action, in
accordance with the adage, “As you sow, so shall you
reap.” Moral consequences of all actions are
conserved by the Nature.
 Practical Significance: Eliminates fear of God and
hell; enhances self-confidence and strengthens the
concepts of righteousness and fairness.
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 19
 Doctrine of Incarnation
 Hindus believe that God incarnates
Himself on earth to uphold righteousness,
whenever there is a decline in virtue.
Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita,
“Whenever there is a decline in
righteousness and predominance of
unrighteousness, I (God) embody Myself.
For the protection of
the good and for the
destruction of the evil-
doers and for the re-
establishment of
righteousness, I am
born form age to age.”
(BG 4.6-4.7)
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 20
 Freedom of Thought
 Hindus believe that wisdom is not an exclusive
possession of any particular race or religion.
Hinduism, therefore, provides everyone with absolute
freedom of thought in religious matters. One is free
to approach God in his or her own way, without
conforming to any dogma or blind faith. An open
mind is all that is needed to study Hinduism. Hindus
place the greatest value on experiencing truth
personally.
 Practical Significance: Eliminates blind faith and
dogma. Encourages reason and logic for mutual
understanding. Hinduism is a God-loving religion and
not God-fearing one.
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 21
 The Law of Dharma
 The thought of dharma generates deep confidence in
the Hindu mind in cosmic justice. This is reflected in
the often-quoted maxims: “The righteous side will
have the victory.” “Truth only prevails, not
falsehood.” “Dharma kills if it is killed; dharma
protects if it is protected.” “The entire world rests on
dharma.”
 Dharma is the law that maintains the cosmic order as
well as the individual and social order. Dharma
sustains human life in harmony with nature. When
we follow dharma, we are in conformity with the law
that sustains the universe.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 22

 The Law of Dharma
“Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you.”

Morality

Ethics

Individual Resp.

Dharma Social Resp.

Laws of the Land

Profession

Ahimsa (non-violence)

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 23

3 Debts, 4 Stages, and 4 Ends of Human
Life
 Three Debts:
– Debt to God
– Debt to Sages and Saints
– Debt to one’s parents and ancestors
 Four Stages:
– Brahmacharya (Studentship)
– Grhastha (Householder)
– Vanaprastha (Retirement)
– Sannyasa (Renunciation)
 Four Ends:
– Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 24
 Progress of Human thought Towards Dharma

Humanity
Universe

Nation
Dependent

(Independent)
Truth Individual

Community

Family
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 25
 Who Is Hindu? – 9 Point Test
Hin du s be li ev e many di ve rs e thin gs, bu t there are a few bedr ock
con cep ts on wh ich mos t Hin du s concu r. The followin g nine
be lie fs, th ough not ex haustiv e, of fer a simp le summa ry of Hin du
spi rit ualit y.

1) I bel ie ve in the div in it y of the Veda s, the worl d’ s most anci en t

scr ipt ure, and ve ner ate the Ag amas as equ all y rev ea led . Thes e
pr im ordia l hym ns are God’ s word and th e be drock of Sanata na
Dharm a, the ete rn al rel igi on wh ic h has neit her be gin nin g nor
en d.

2) I bel ie ve in a on e, all- per va siv e Supr em e Be in g wh o is bot h

im manen t and tra nsce nde nt, both Cre ator and Un ma nif es t
Re ali ty .

3) I bel ie ve th at the univ er se under goes endl es s cy cl es of

cr ea tion , pres erv ation and dis solu tion .

4) I bel ie ve in karma, th e la w of ca use and effec t by wh ich ea ch

in div id ual cr ea tes his own de sti ny by his thou gh ts, word s and
de eds . Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 26
 Who Is Hindu? – 9 Point Test
5) I bel ie ve th at the sou l rei ncarn ates , ev olv in g th rou gh many
bir ths unti l all karma s have bee n res olv ed, and moks ha, spir it ual
knowled ge and libe ra tion from th e cyc le of rebi rt h, is att ained .
Not a singl e sou l will be ete rn all y depr iv ed of this des tin y.

6) I bel ie ve th at div in e be in gs exi st in unsee n worl ds and th at

tem ple wor ship, rit uals , sa cr amen ts as well as pe rs on al
de vot ion als cr ea te a com munion wit h these de va s and Gods .

7) I bel ie ve th at a spi rit uall y awake ned maste r, or satgu ru , is

es sentia l to know th e Tra nsce nde nt Abs ol ute, as are pe rs on al
dis cip lin e, goo d con duct , pu rif ica tion , pi lgr im age, se lf -inqu iry
and medi ta ti on .

8) I bel ie ve th at all li fe is sacr ed, to be lov ed and rev ere d, and

ther ef or e pr act ic e ahim sa, “non inju ry .”

9) I bel ie ve th at no pa rti cu la r re ligi on tea ch es th e on ly wa y to

salva ti on above all others , bu t that all ge nuin e re ligi ou s pa th s
are face ts of God’ s Pure Love and Ligh t, des er vi ng toler ance and
under sta ndi ng. Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 27
Code of Conduct – DO NOT’s

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 28

Code of Conduct – DO NOT’s

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 29

Code of Conduct – DO NOT’s

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 30

Code of Conduct – DO’s

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 31

Code of Conduct – DO’s

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 32

Code of Conduct – DO’s

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 33

 Hindu Temple Jain Temple

Sikh Gurudwara Buddhist Pagoda

Four major religions of the world have originated from

India: Hinduism,Jainism, Sikhism
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and Buddhism. 34
 Some Facts

 Proba bly th e firs t writ ten la ngu age wit h

com ple te gra mm er is Sanskr it . 5000 yea rs +.
 Olde st ci vili zation to exi st on th e ea rt h
toda y.
 The scie nce of Yoga and Med it ation wa s
dev el oped in the Hi ma la ya s
 Bir th pla ce of 4 major re li gion s Hi ndu ism,
Bu ddh ism , Sikh is m and Ja inis m
 Worl d’ s firs t Un ive rs ity in Takshil a in 700 BC
 Veda s are th e olde st tex ts ava il abl e to Sanskrit: Source of
humans numerous languages
 No Human Fo und er .
 No know n be ginni ng
 No O ne Sc rip tur e o f autho ri ty
 One Sup reme God / Ulti mate R eal ity
 Empha sis o n p ers onal ex perie nce
 All Pa ths d ese rve eq ual re sp ect
 Whol e wo rl d is o ne famil y
 Le t ever y one b e hap py, hea lthy a nd p eace ful
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 35
Sacred Cow – Why?
Every thi ng is s ac red for H ind us. C ows, Li ke
in al l soc iet ies of all t imes, have b een
consi dered to b e “weal th”.

Cows p rov ide milk whi ch he lps sust ain l if e,

life of ad ul ts and chi ldren al ike. T he by-
pro duct s of t he milk, yo ghurt , but termil k,
but ter e tc were an in tegral pa rt of thei r
dai ly d iet . T heir dung was a useful , yea r
around fuel sup ply. By pul ling cart s and
ploug hs, they were p art ner s i n tec hno log y
that hel ped devel op new fr ont iers in t he
Ind ian sub -c ont inent .

Thei r u sefulness m eant they were valued a s

hi ghl y a s any g ol d, gem or some time s e ven
kin . By giving i t a very sp eci al place in our
soc iet y, that of a pseud o m ot her, we m ad e
sure it wa s resp ect ed at a ll ti mes . By
giving it the sam e divine st at us as parent s,
the anc ient s m ad e sure the hum ble cow ha d
the sam e leg al and s oci al pro tect ion as
huma ns ! A ll thi s to prot ect our wea lth !!
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 36
 Caste System
Vedas speak of nobility of entire humanity (krinvanto vishvam aryam), and do not
sanction any caste system or birth-based caste system. Mantra, numbered 10-13-
1 in Rig Veda, addresses the entire humanity as divine children (shrunvantu
vishve amrutsya putraha). Innumerable mantras in Vedas emphasise oneness,
universal brotherhood, harmony, happiness, affection, unity and commonality of
entire humanity.

Veda Mantra numbered 5-60-5 in Rig Veda declares, “All men are brothers; no
one is big, no one is small. All are equal.” Mantra numbered 16.15 in Yajur Veda
reiterates that all men are brothers; no one is superior or inferior.

Hindu scriptures speak only about ‘varna’ which means to ‘select’ (one’s
profession, etc.) and which is not caste or birth-based.

As per shloka numbered IV (13) of the Bhagavad Gita, depending upon a person’s
guna (aptitude) and karma (actions), there are four varnas. As per this shloka, a
person’s varna is determined by his guna and karma, and not by his birth. Chapter
XIV of the Bhagavad Gita specifies three gunas viz. satva (purity), rajas (passion
and attachment) and tamas (ignorance). These three gunas are present in every
human in different proportions, and determine the varna of every person.
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 37
 Additional Resources

Id io ts Guid e To Hin dui sm

By Lin da Joh nse n

On The Internet:
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/basics
http://www.atributetohinduism.com/
http://www.dlshq.org/download/vedbegin.pdf
http://www.dlshq.org/download/download.htm
http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/ans_00.html
http://www.hindubooks.org/bansi_pandit/hindu_dharma/

This is a presentation by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh(HSS). For more

information, email at hindudharma@gmail.com
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh 38