Sanatan Dharma and Dharma

Premal, Aug 16 2011

Hare Krishna Prabhu

All glories to Swami Prabhupada

Please accept my humble obeisances

Prabhu what is the difference between sanatana dharma and dharma?

Ys servant

Premal prabhuji

Jagannatha dasa, Aug 16 2011

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Gurudeva!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

The dharma of fire is to give heat and light, the dharma of a living being is to serve.

Dharma is variously translated as duty, virtue, morality, righteousness, or religion, but no single English word conveys the whole meaning of dharma. The Vedic sage Jaimini defined dharma as a good command that leads to the attainment of the highest good. In Bg. 18.66, Lord Krishna commands us to give up all other dharmas and surrender to Him. This is the paro-dharma, or supreme command (good, duty, virtue, etc.) of the Vedas.

Sanatana-dharma is the eternal activity of the soul i.e. to render service to the Supreme Lord, which in this age is executed mainly by chanting the maha-mantra.  Bhagavata-dharma.

Your servant,

-Jagannatha dasa

Ashutosh Pandey, Aug 16 2011

Hare Krsna!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Dharma in broader context will have two different meanings:

1) The nature of any object-Vritti

2) The instructions of the Lord and following constitutional position of a Jiva

to quote: “dharmam tu sakshad bhagvad pranitam”- means the instructions of the Lord (Krsna) is the Dharma (Dharma & Religion are not synonyms)….Dharma means the Vrtti of any Jiva or the constitutional position and hence the service (or duties) associated with it….since Jiva being the part and parcel of lord is eternal like lord Himself and hence his constitutional position (and consequently the duties following it) are also eternal..

Mahaprabhu quotes “Jivera swaroop hoy nitya Krsna Das”….so the term ‘nitya’ is important which means ETERNAL or in Sanskrit ‘Sanatan’…..

Hence originally Dharma means Sanatan Dharma only…If we look in KC view…No difference…

Now a days various so called propaganda motivated as well some newer religious groups have arisen in due course of time…depending upon the kind of people who were to be addressed…

Hence to be more precise in today’s context

Sanatan dharma means the eternal vrtti of a Jiva…while dharma means simply the Vritti

For example: To be cold is the Vritti of Ice and to be hot is the Vrtti of fire…

YS

Ashutosh