The Distortion of Sanatana Dharma and the Path to True Spirituality

⚠️ The Misguided Practice of Hinduism Today

What passes as Hindu religion today has largely strayed from the essence of Sanatana Dharma. The focus has shifted to two main objectives:

Desire Fulfillment:

Most rituals, poojas, fasts, pilgrimages, and deity-specific worships are aimed at fulfilling worldly desires—health, wealth, success, marriage, children, etc.
People want results quickly, with minimal effort, and are willing to do anything to achieve that. Religious preachers and self-styled gurus exploit this craving by assigning specific gods and mantras for each desire—this deity for wealth, that mantra for career, that pilgrimage for progeny—and extract large sums in the name of rituals, donations, and ceremonies.

Tragically, some even turn to mazars and so-called “Muslim peers” in desperation, forgetting their own heritage.

Punya, Paap, and Swarga-Naraka:

The second focus is accumulating merit (punya) through charity and rituals, in the hope of attaining swarga (heaven). There are now endless kinds of daan and prescribed remedies to “wash away sins” through paid rituals.
The emphasis is not on inner purification, but on external activities: do this pooja, recite this chalisa, organize this anushthan, and all sins will be erased.
Behind this spiritual commerce is a growing industry: more temples, more centers, more “followers”—each devotee seen as a revenue source.
Even concepts like namaparadh and apatradha are often manipulated to create fear, confusion, and dependence—ultimately leading to more donations.

The spiritual journey is now diluted into teerth yatras, kathas, astrologers, and saint-hopping—all for desire fulfillment, not liberation.

🌿 True Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Path

In contrast, true Sanatana Dharma is the path of self-realization. It is about asking fundamental questions:

Who am I?
Why am I here?
What is the purpose of human life?

True happiness—the kind we all crave—is not found in material achievements or even in heavenly rewards. It lies within, in union with the Divine.

As per Sanatana Dharma, all pleasures and sufferings arise from our prarabdha karma—the accumulated actions from past lives. Even great saints had to endure their prarabdha. You cannot “buy” your way out of it through rituals or money.

📜 The Guiding Light: Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam

To understand the true essence of Sanatana Dharma, two scriptures are supreme:

Bhagavad Gita (700+ verses) – spoken directly by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, summarizing the core teachings of all Vedas, Upanishads, and Shastras. It is the essence of Sanatana Dharma.
Srimad Bhagavatam (18,000 verses) – composed by Maharishi Ved Vyas and narrated by Shukdev Goswami to King Parikshit. It expands upon the Gita’s teachings and covers deep metaphysics, divine pastimes, and universal laws.

These two texts provide both foundation and depth—Gita gives the path, and Bhagavatam gives the heart.

✨ The One Supreme Controller

There is One Supreme, Invisible Controller of this universe, called by many names:

Ishwar, Bhagwan (Hinduism)
Allah (Islam)
God (Christianity)
Waheguru (Sikhism)

This Supreme Being is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. He resides in every being and sees all actions. If we truly believed this, we would never harm anyone.

Our joy and sorrow arise not from others, but from our own karmas. Running from temple to temple or guru to guru won’t change our destiny—it only distracts us. Accept your prarabdha with calm, and keep moving forward on the path of truth.

🐚 Karma, Maya, and Liberation

Some ask: If everything is destined, why act at all?
The Gita answers: “No one can remain without action even for a moment.” What matters is how we act.

Avoid sinful or ego-driven actions
Act selflessly, without craving results
Offer all actions to God

Even punya (merit) binds the soul—like a golden chain. Only by transcending both sin and merit through gyan, karma, and bhakti, does the soul attain moksha—freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

🧘 The Journey Within

You are not the body
You are not the mind
You are the Atma—a spark of the Divine

Life is a chariot:

Horses are the senses
Reins, the mind
Driver is the intellect

When guided by wisdom and devotion, the soul journeys toward God. But if the reins are in the hands of an uncontrolled mind, the chariot veers into bondage and we suffer with the worldly sorrows and happiness which is not permanent.

We are not helpless. We create our destiny through thoughts, choices, and actions. God simply reflects back the results.

💠 Real Devotion, Real Freedom

Read scriptures
Stay in the company of True saints
Avoid slanderers and pseudo-gurus
Purify your heart of lust, anger, greed, pride, and jealousy

Develop the following qualities:

Humility
Compassion
Gratitude
Contentment
Patience
Detachment

The real sadhana is surrender. As Lord Krishna says:

“Abandon all varieties of religion and surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sins. Do not fear.”
(Gita 18.66)
Surrender your mind, intellect, and actions to Him. Remember Him constantly—even while fulfilling worldly duties. This is the simplest, most powerful path.

The Forgotten Purpose

Today’s spiritual culture often forgets the true goal: not temporary happiness, but eternal bliss—ananda—in union with God.
Let us stop bargaining with God. Let us stop running for miracles. Let us live with wisdom, with faith, and with purpose.
Only then will we rediscover the eternal truth of Sanatana Dharma.

🇮🇳Jai Bharat, Vandematram 🇮🇳

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