The principles of Sanatana Dharma are the imperishable wealth the selfless rishis (1) compassionately bequeathed the whole world. Just as air and water are necessary for survival, these principles are vital for every seeker of peace. Sanatana Dharma does not ask anyone to believe in a God seated in the sky. "Believe in yourself. Everything is in you" — this is what it teaches. The power of an atom bomb, which can destroy the whole globe, lies in the tiny atom. A sprawling banyan tree sprouts from a small seed. Likewise, divine consciousness inheres in every one of us. We can understand this through logic or experience it through sadhana (spiritual practices). It is enough if we sincerely and faithfully follow the path to awakening this power.
Sanatana Dharma teaches shraddha, bhakti and vishwas — alertness, devotion and faith. It does not ask us to believe anything blindly. Before one operates an appliance, one must first know how to operate it. If not, we might damage the appliance. Jnana is correct knowledge of how to work. Shraddha is being armed with that knowledge and working with awareness. A man pours water into a tank. He continues doing so the whole day until evening, but the tank does not get filled. Failing to realize the fruits of his arduous labour, the man investigates into the cause. He discovers that one of the outlets in the tank has not been closed. Jnana is the understanding that if the outlet is not plugged, the tank will never get filled, no matter how much water one pours. Making efforts with this understanding is shraddha. Only if one works with shraddha will one reap the desired results. Five people were entrusted to do some agricultural work. One dug a hole. Another put fertilizer in it. Another poured water. Another covered the hole with soil. Even after many days, there was no sprout. Investigation revealed that the person who was supposed to sow the seed did not do so. This is how action done without shraddha is. It will not give the desired results.
In a similar way, the real intention behind every action in life is to take us closer to God. We must act without self-interest and without the sense of "I", i.e. doer-ship. We must cultivate the awareness that we are able to work with God's grace and power. This is jnana in karma. Working with jnana and shraddha is karma yoga. If we can do every action with utmost shraddha, we will be able to forget ourselves. The mind will become one-pointed and we will experience bliss. This is where bhakti takes birth. In this way, if one works with shraddha and bhakti, one will be able to reap the full fruit of action. When we get the fruit, faith is born. Such faith is unshakeable. None will be able to disturb it. Shraddha, bhakti, vishwas — work done with shraddha increases one's devotion, which leads to faith. Most of the sacred texts in Sanatana Dharma are in the form of dialogs — the Guru's answers to the disciple's doubts. The disciple has the freedom to keep asking until the doubt is wholly cleared. Thus, the disciple's shraddha (2) increases.
Hindu dharma is not antagonistic to anyone. It does not ask anyone to renounce his or her religion or faith. In fact, it considers undermining another's faith unrighteous. Hindu dharma regards all religions as different paths leading to the same goal. It does not negate any path but embraces them all. In short, for a Hindu, there is no such thing as another religion. Such thinking prevailed in India. Adherents of any religion could remain in their own faith and move ahead. Doing so helped them reach their goal. Karma yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga are all as relevant in this day and age, and can be practised by adherents of any religion.
Life is blissful for one who lives in accordance with spiritual principles For one who doesn't know how to swim, the ocean and its waves are a nightmare, whereas one who knows swimming revels in the sea waves. In the same way, life is blissful for one who lives in accordance with spiritual principles. For him, life is a festival, a celebration. What we need is a path that will give us the experience of joy while living, not after death. Just as one needs to learn about business management in order to do business, one must know how to manage life in order to make it joyful. Sanatana Dharma is nothing other than the science of holistic life management.
The scriptures of Sanatana Dharma are for anyone (for the spiritual uplift and material prosperity of the entire human race) Scriptures such as the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahmasutras, Ramayana and Mahabharata embody eternal truths that man in any age should understand. They are not sectarian, rather texts predicated on reason and logic that is practicable in life for anyone. Therefore, just like medicine, psychology or sociology, anyone can understand the scriptures of Sanatana Dharma. Doing so will pave the way for the spiritual uplift and material prosperity of the entire human race.