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Hinduism, Sanatana Dharma and Yoga 

Note: People often ask about the relationship between Vedas, Hinduism and related disciplines of Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology, particularly to what extent one may need to embrace the spiritual and religious background of these teachings in order to really benefit from them.

In the same vein people often ask about the Vedic institute as to why it deals with religion, history and social issues and not simply confines itself to Ayurveda as a health discipline or Vedic astrology as a predictive tool.The following article deals with these issues.

Hinduism, Sanatana Dharma and Yoga
By David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri)

Sanatana (eternal or universal) Dharma is the great tradition behind such multifarious teachings as Yoga, Ayurveda, Jyotish (Vedic Astrology), Samkhya, and Vedanta and much of Tantra as well. These disciplines are rooted in Vedic lineages and transmissions going back to their very origins. They constitute a comprehensive spiritual, sacred or yogic science dealing with all aspects of life, culture, and religion.

In the modern world Sanatana or Vedic Dharma is known as the religion/culture called Hinduism or Hindu Dharma. Hinduism rests upon the Vedas or mantras of the ancient Rishis, which are a diverse set of teachings about universal consciousness and cosmic creation. Vedic mantras reflect the very processes through which all the universes are created, by which they are sustained, and through which they are dissolved, by which individual souls come into the cycle of rebirth and through which they evolve into Self-realization. The Vedas have no one God, savior or scripture but reveal a unitary reality of Being-Consciousness-Bliss (Sacchidananda Brahman) that pervades everything and rests in all creatures as their true Self (Atman or Purusha), which can be approached by numerous paths and practices.

Yoga in general refers to the spiritual practices of asana, pranayama, puja, mantra and meditation which are the main vehicles for realizing Vedic wisdom. Yoga (and its many Sanskrit synonyms) is a common term in all Hindu teachings of the Vedas, Puranas and Tantras. The diverse yogic paths of Jnana (Knowledge), Bhakti (Devotion), Karma (Service) and Kriya (Technique) reflect the multidimensional approach to the Divine found in the Vedic teachings.

Yoga as a specific term refers to the Yoga Darshana, one of the six systems of Vedic (Astika) philosophy, those that reflect and develop out of the insights of the Vedas. The Yoga Darshana was compiled by the Rishi Patanjali, who based his work on older Vedic and yogic teachings in the Mahabharata, Puranas, Upanishads and Vedas. Other ancient yogic traditions go back to such Vedic sages as Vasishta, Shyavashwa, Yajnavalkya, Shwetasvatara, Jagishavya, Asita and Devala Kashyapa, and the great avatar Krishna whose Bhagavad Gita is itself considered to be a Yoga Shastra or authoritative yogic teaching like theYoga Sutras.

A question often arises: Does one need to be a Hindu to practice such Hindu-based teachings as Yoga and Ayurveda? A complementary question also arises: Is not one already something of a Hindu if one is attracted to them? As the formulation of a universal tradition, everyone must become part of it eventually.

The question behind this is what is a Hindu? As Hindu or Sanatana Dharma is an open, inclusive and pluralistic tradition, following its Dharma is not a simple matter of holding to a particular belief or thinking that one is saved by embracing a particular savior. Hinduism is not a religion in the Western sense of the word as a dogma, but is a vast culture that includes religion, science and art as well. Yet Hinduism does deal with all aspects of religion, with its own monastic orders, temples, and specific disciplines and teachings. Above all, it has its own lineages and transmissions, its teachers, associations and families. These are part of a pursuit of Self-realization for which ordinary religious practices are just the initial step.

Much of this discussion depends upon what is meant by Dharma. Dharma arose as a Vedic term meaning the laws of truth, cosmic law or natural law. Dharma is the nature of things and their appropriate action. It is the Dharma of fire to burn, for example. It is the spiritual Dharma of human beings to seek a higher consciousness. This higher human Dharma requires practices that free us from outer or unconscious limitations, biases and attachments, which is the basis of true Yoga.

Hindu or Sanatana Dharma has several key principles. Perhaps most important on a formal level is acceptance of the Vedasand Upanishads as projecting valid methods of knowing the ultimate truth. Yet Hinduism does not insist upon any one interpretation of the Vedic teachings, which themselves are multifaceted. Individual freedom is allowed in adapting the Vedasas long as the motivation is dharmic.

Perhaps the most important theory of Hinduism is a recognition of the process of karma and rebirth as governing the cosmic movement.

Perhaps the most important practical principle is that the One Reality, what one could call God, can be approached by many paths, which is Hindu pluralism. This takes the form of many different sages, scriptures and names and forms of the Divine (different Gods and Goddesses). Many Hindu paths are also theistic in nature, but not all of them are.

Yet most significant to Hindu or Sanatana Dharma is becoming part of a Hindu-based lineage, transmission or family, entering into its greater community. This is perhaps more significant than the above mentioned principles, which are more guidelines than rigid rules