Dharma
Ethical responsibility and a way of living that supports spiritual growth. What right action requires depends on the situation.
THE FOUNDATIONS / A BEGINNER’S GUIDE
Understanding
Sanatan Dharma.
A starting point for exploring its enduring questions, diverse traditions and ways of living.
AN INVITATION TO EXPLORE01 / THE MEANING
A name with depth.
Sanatana Dharma is a name used for Hinduism. It is often rendered as “eternal dharma” or “the eternal way.”
Sanatana conveys enduring or eternal. Dharma has a broad range of meanings, including ethical responsibility, right conduct and the principles that sustain life. Translating it as only “religion” or only “duty” leaves much of its meaning behind.
Hinduism brings together sacred literature, philosophical inquiry, devotion, ritual and community traditions. It has no single historical founder or one book that alone represents the whole tradition.
KEEP IN MIND
This guide introduces shared themes. A particular school, text or community may explain them differently.
02 / FOUNDATIONAL IDEAS
Six ideas to begin with.
These terms recur throughout Hindu teaching. Treat the short explanations as entrances into larger discussions.
Karma
Action and its consequences. The teaching connects action with the unfolding of experience and spiritual development.
Samsara
The cycle of birth, death and rebirth, from which spiritual liberation is sought.
Moksha
Liberation from samsara. Traditions differ in how they describe liberation and the path toward it.
Atman
The self or spiritual essence. Inquiry into its nature is central to many Hindu teachings.
Brahman
Ultimate reality in Hindu philosophical discourse. Its relationship to the self and the world is understood differently across schools.
A useful distinction: Brahman, a philosophical term for ultimate reality, is different from Brahma, the deity associated with creation.
GO DEEPER / FOUNDATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
Qualities, aims
and ways of seeing.
Explore the three gunas, four purusharthas and six classical darshanas in one connected field guide.
Open the philosophy guide →03 / SPIRITUAL PATHS
Different ways to seek.
Devotion, knowledge, selfless action and meditation are commonly presented as spiritual paths. They can complement one another, and their emphasis varies across traditions.
Bhakti · Devotion
Cultivating love for the Divine through worship, prayer and remembrance.
Jnana · Knowledge
Study, reflection and inquiry into the self and reality.
Karma yoga · Selfless action
Acting responsibly without making personal reward the centre of every action.
Dhyana · Meditation
Training attention through contemplative practice. Introductory accounts also use the term raja yoga; terminology varies.
A SCRIPTURAL CONNECTION
Action without attachment
Bhagavad Gita 2.47 teaches engagement in action without attachment to its fruits, while also cautioning against attachment to inaction.
Read verse 2.47 at IIT Kanpur’s Gita SupersiteParaphrase of the verse; not a direct translation.04 / A FAMILY OF TRADITIONS
Shared roots.
Distinct perspectives.
Shaiva traditions centre Shiva; Vaishnava traditions centre Vishnu and his forms; Shakta traditions centre the Divine Mother. Smarta traditions honour multiple deities. These broad groupings contain many lineages and local expressions.
Philosophical schools also offer different perspectives. Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta are conventionally listed as six major darshanas. Vedanta itself includes differing schools such as Advaita, Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita.
READ WITH CONTEXT
A teaching from one lineage should be identified as that lineage’s view. It need not speak for every Hindu tradition.
05 / A LIVING HERITAGE
Beyond the page.
The tradition lives through homes and temples, teachers and communities, prayer, meditation, festivals and pilgrimage. Practice varies by family, region and lineage.
Sacred literature spans many forms: the four Vedas, the philosophical Upanishads, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and the Puranas. The Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue within the Mahabharata. These genres offer different contexts for understanding a teaching or story.
When you read a story, ask:
- Which text or tradition does it come from?
- Is this a translation, a retelling or a regional version?
- What question about life does it invite me to consider?
06 / COMMON QUESTIONS
Start with a question.
Is Sanatan Dharma different from Hinduism?
Sanatana Dharma is commonly used as a name for Hinduism. It emphasises an enduring spiritual way, while “Hinduism” is the widely used name for this diverse family of traditions.
Does everyone worship the same deity?
No. Different traditions centre different deities and understand the Divine through different theological and philosophical perspectives. Explore gods and goddesses.
Is there one sacred book?
No single book represents all Hindu traditions. The Vedas, Upanishads, epics, Puranas and other texts have different roles; particular communities place special emphasis on particular works.
Keep your place in a reading path.
Your reading paths →