Are We Practicing True Sanatana Dharma

Today, when we observe religion around us, we see that Sanatana Dharma has been reduced to a tool for fulfilling material desires. Be it education, wealth, power, fame, comforts, or family welfare — we turn to religion for these gains. Every desire has its own deity, with special rituals, mantras, and offerings. Priests and institutions benefit, while devotees stay trapped in this cycle of wants. But the true aim of Sanatana Dharma is the purification of the soul and realization of God.

or Just Getting Trapped in Commercial Ritualism?

Today, when we observe religious practices around us, we realize that religion has largely become a means to fulfill material desires.
Whether it is education, wealth, strength, fame, worldly possessions, or family welfare, religion is being used as a tool to satisfy these aspirations.

For each category of desire, different gods (devatas) are designated.
We are advised to worship them through specific rituals, offerings, and ceremonies. In this never-ending cycle, priests, religious institutions, and service providers continuously benefit, while the devotees are caught in an endless pursuit of material gain under the guise of spirituality.

The Vicious Cycle of Fear and Greed

Our religious life today largely revolves around the cycle of paap (sin) and punya (virtue).

Fear of sin drives many of our actions, as we are constantly told that sins will lead us to terrible sufferings in hell (Naraka).
Hope for virtue drives others, believing that accumulating punya through charity and rituals will guarantee them a seat in heaven, where they will enjoy endless pleasures.
This fear and greed mechanism keeps most people engaged in karmakanda — endless rituals, ceremonies, yagnas, daan (donations), and pilgrimages — primarily for personal gain, not for genuine self-realization or spiritual upliftment.

The Commercialization of Spirituality

Today’s religious environment encourages:

Recitation of mantras and texts like the Geeta, Ramayana, Chalisas, and Upanishads.
Performance of elaborate poojas, fasts, and rituals for fulfilling material desires.
Spiritual tourism — pilgrimages, teerth yatras, participation in melas, visiting countless temples.

While these activities can have their own merits if done with devotion and the right attitude, they are often reduced to commercial transactions — spend money, perform rituals, expect returns.

Meanwhile, temples grow larger, guest houses and new centers are built, religious economies flourish — but true transformation of character and consciousness remains largely ignored.

Is This True Sanatana Dharma?

Is this endless cycle of ritualism, desire, fear, and commerce the real purpose of Sanatana Dharma?

The answer is a resounding NO.

True Sanatana Dharma is about self-realization, God-realization, and living a life based on eternal spiritual principles.

It is not about:

Bargaining with God.
Performing rituals for selfish benefits.
Competing for material prosperity using religious means.
Expanding religious businesses and forgetting inner transformation.

The Bhagavad Gita: The Essence of True Dharma

Among the countless Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita stands out as the purest, most uncorrupted, and direct message of what Sanatana Dharma truly is.

The Vedas, Puranas, and Upanishads present many paths, much like a grand supermarket:

If you want heaven, perform good deeds.
If you want hell, commit sins.
If you want liberation (moksha), practice ashtanga yoga.
If you want knowledge, follow the path of Jnana Yoga.
If you want devotion, follow Bhakti Yoga.

The freedom of choice is given.
However, in the culmination of the Bhagavad Gita, after teaching all these options in detail for seventeen and a half chapters, Lord Krishna gives the ultimate instruction:

“Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja”
“Abandon all varieties of dharma and simply surrender unto Me alone. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (Bhagavad Gita 18.66) This one verse encapsulates the ultimate goal:
Total surrender to God (Sharanagati) with love, faith, and devotion — leading to freedom from the cycle of birth and death, and entry into the eternal abode of God.

The Reality: A Religious Economy

Unfortunately, today’s religious environment rarely talks about surrender, humility, or self-purification.
Instead, we find:

Endless spending on poojas, havans, and ceremonies.
Religious marketing urging more donations.
Construction of bigger temples and religious centers.

The common devotee remains busy in supporting the religious economy, thinking he or she is practicing true spirituality — but inner transformation remains elusive.

We have forgotten that Sanatana Dharma is about transformation of the heart, not accumulation of rituals.

The True Practice of Sanatana Dharma

If we truly desire peace, fulfillment, and spiritual progress, we must realign ourselves to the core principles of true Sanatana Dharma:

Live a life of humility and simplicity.
Practice truth, honesty, compassion, and selfless service (seva).
Let go of greed, anger, jealousy, pride, and hatred.
Help others selflessly.
Seek God with a pure heart, beyond desires for material gains.
Focus on transforming your inner self rather than only performing outer rituals.

Rituals (karmakanda), donations, pilgrimages — while they have a place — are secondary.
Primary is the purification of our consciousness and surrender to the Supreme.

Returning to the True Path

Today, more than ever, we must awaken to the true Sanatana Dharma.
Not the Sanatana Dharma of endless rituals and commercial activities, but the eternal path of spiritual realization, divine surrender, humility, and universal love.

Only by returning to this true Dharma can we: