Basic Principles of Hinduism

Hinduism is Satana Dharma

 Hinduism is a term that was given much later. Many people who follow “Hinduism”
refer it to as “Satana Dharma” meaning the eternal law of truth. Also Hinduism is
considered more as a way of life than religion by people who believe it.
Hinduism as the “meta-religion”
 That is why Swami Vivekananda calls Hinduism as the “meta-religion”- the superset of
the essence of all other religion. He says that understanding the principles of Hinduism
will help a Christian to be better Christian and a Muslim to be a better Muslim.
DHARMA
 Hindu dharma includes the religious duties, moral rights and duties of each individual, as
well as behaviors that enable social order, right conduct, and those that are virtuous

 Dharma sustains everything in God’s creation. It is the foundational force, the hidden
mechanism or the operating system which ensures the order and regularity of the
worlds and beings. The same Dharma operates in your too as your supporting system
and guides your actions. Whether you are breathing, eating or sleeping, you are
manifesting the principles and functions of Dharma only. Everything in the universe has
its own Dharma. Your body has its own dharma. Every organ in it has its own dharma. So
is everything else, whether it is animate or inanimate.

1. Acknowledge the role of God in your life

 Although some schools of Hinduism do not recognize God as the creator, in main stream
Hinduism God is everything. He is both the creator and the created, the all-pervading,
indestructible, eternal reality, who is both with form and without form. He is also the
embodied Self in all. He rules Creation as Isvara, the lord of all, and the mortal world as
Death (Kala), the devourer. Ideally, the whole creation is sacred and every object in it,
 including you, is worthy of veneration. One should, therefore, live upon earth as an
aspect of God and perform his duties for the welfare of the world.

2. Accept your spiritual identity

 You are not only an aspect of God but also an eternal soul, which is indestructible,

infinite, without qualities, name and form. The soul is neither the body nor the senses

nor the mind, but other than them. In truth, he is their lord and the witness (sakshi) to

all their functions, modalities and modifications, just as God is to creation. The body is

alive as long as the soul is present in it.

 At the time of death, it leaves the body along with the deities who are present in it

(breath and senses), and goes to the ancestral world or to the world of Brahman

according to its destiny. Hindu Dharma expects that you should identify yourself with

your soul rather than with your name and form which are temporary. When you do so,

you overcome the fear of death and transcend your physical and mental identities.
ARTHA
 Is objective and virtuous pursuit of wealth for livelihood, obligations, and economic
prosperity.
 Simply put, artha can be loosely translated as wealth and power, and according to the
goals of Hinduism, it's ok to want these two things. In fact, the pursuit of them is
considered noble since a person needs them in order to raise a family and keep a
household.
 This is especially true for those who exist in the upper classes, or castes, of Hindu
society. For them, artha, or wealth, is sought after in order to fulfill one's destiny. In
other words, some were made to be rulers and kings; others were made to be beggars.
Those who were made to be kings have every right to seek wealth and power. It's not
just a noble goal; it's their duty and the best way to keep society in balance. If they are
born into the upper ranks of Hindu society, then by all means, they can seek wealth.
 Unfortunately, the opposite is true for those in the lower castes of Hindu society.
Although it is permissible for them to seek to provide for their families, they should not
 seek wealth as a means to move on up the social ladder. On the contrary, it is
incumbent upon them to accept their low station in life as part of their duty or dharma.
 Although this idea of one's predestined role or duty is very foreign to those of us in the
West, it's a huge part of the Hindu faith. In fact, this idea of duty, or dharma, is the next
goal. Although kama and artha are permissible goals, they are not as significant as the
fulfillment of dharma.
KAMA
 Means desire, wish, passion, longing, pleasure of the senses, the aesthetic enjoyment of
life, affection, or love, with or without sexual connotations. It is healthy and essential for
life unless it affects Dharma, Artha and Moksha.
 The first permissible goal is kama. To put it simply, kama is pleasure, and it refers to the
desires of the mind and the physical body. It is the human desire for passion and
emotion. In other words, it's ok to love; it's ok to experience attraction and desire. In
fact, the Hindus' god of love is named Kama. From this name comes the famous and
very ancient Hindu guide to the physical expression of love known as the Kamasutra.
 Although kama, or pleasure, is a permissible goal, a spiritually maturing Hindu will
realize it is not the end all to life. There is more to strive for. This brings us to our next
goal, Artha.
MOKSHA
 Most important goal, liberation from suffering. Attained through self-realization of
comprehending nature of one’s soul or of one’s union with God which liberates one
form samsara.
KARMA
 Knows as action or “moral law of cause and effect”.
 Though its specifics are different depending on the religion, karma generally denotes the
cycle of cause and effect — each action a person takes will affect him or her at some
time in the future. This rule also applies to a person's thoughts and words, and the
actions other people take under that individual's instructions.
  Today, people use the word karma in ways that are not wholly consistent with its
traditional meaning. For example, karma is often misused to denote luck, destiny or
fate. Karma is also misused as a way to explain sudden hardships
HEAVEN AND HELL
 The doctrine of karma says that one has to face the consequences of merits and
demerits of this birth in future births. One has to face the consequences of bigger
demerits and merits in the same birth. According to his karma, man give rise to so many
merits and demerits that it becomes impossible to face their consequences in the same
birth.
SAMSARA
 Cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. Liberation from samsara through moksha ensures
lasting happiness and peace.
YOGA
 Is a Hindu discipline which trains the body, mind and consciousness for health,
tranquility and spiritual insight.

THE AIM OF LIFE IS TO REALIZE GOD

 Everyone is after security (artha), happiness (kama) and peace (dharma). Real
unconditional and permanent security, peace and happiness cannot come from
anything finite. They can come only from the infinite.
THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO REALIZE GOD
 Every individual has to discover God for himself. The factors in this exploration are the
social circumstances, boy, mind, intellect, emotions, etc. As all of these are different for
different people, every individual has a unique path to realize God.

References:
https://www.slideshare.net/doctortvrao/hinduism-basic-principles
https://www.hinduwebsite.com/what-is-hindu-dharma.asp?
fbclid=IwAR0gBZ_WFXIZneNJE2UAGGoDYq4nY7mEQNScOSvNkxV8U5gprp4LWG7SsMI
https://www.livescience.com/41462-what-is-karma.html