Sanatana Dharma: A Complete Guide in 22 Lessons
The eternal way of living: God, the soul, karma, yoga, worship, scripture, and how to live as a Hindu. A free, self-study course.22 lessons
The course in six parts
1.Foundations
Start here. What Sanatana Dharma actually is, the scriptures it rests on, and the vast Vedic timescale everything else sits inside.
- What Is Sanatana Dharma? Meaning, Scriptures & the Eternal Way of LifeWhat is Sanatana Dharma, the eternal way behind the word Hinduism: where the name came from, what its…
- The Scriptures of Sanatana Dharma: Vedas, Upanishads, Itihasas & PuranasA clear map of the Hindu scriptures: the four layers of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Itihasas and the…
- The Vedic Conception of Time: Yugas, Kalpa & the Lifespan of BrahmaThe Vedic conception of time: the breath of Maha Vishnu, the day of Brahma, the four yugas and their spans…
2.Understanding God
Who God is in Sanatana Dharma: the one Supreme, his three aspects, his ten avatars, his cosmic creation, his eternal abodes, and the many devatas who serve him.
- Is There a God? Ishvara, Atheist Arguments & the Six Opulences of BhagavanIs there a God? The common atheist arguments answered from reason and the Gita, the case for a creator, and…
- The Three Aspects of Godhead: Brahman, Paramatma and BhagavanBrahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan explained with the sun analogy: the impersonal light, the Lord within the…
- Dashavatara: The 10 Avatars of Vishnu and the Story of EvolutionThe ten avatars of Vishnu in the Dashavatar, each story told in order, and how that sequence traces the…
- Brahma Samhita 5.23: How Creation Begins in DarknessBrahma Samhita verse 5.23 explained: Maha Vishnu, Brahma born on the lotus into darkness, and how that…
- Goloka and Vaikuntha: The Lord's Highest AbodesGoloka and Vaikuntha mapped from the Brahma Samhita: the graded spiritual realms above the material world…
- The Devatas: Who They Are and How They Relate to GodWho are the devatas in Sanatana Dharma: the one God and the many devatas, the king-and-ministers model, and…
3.The Soul & Karma
What we are, the eternal soul, and the laws that carry us through the world: karma, reincarnation, and the three modes of material nature.
- Who Are We? The Atma, the Soul, and the Bhagavad Gita's First TeachingWhat is the atma? Sanatana Dharma's first teaching, that you are the eternal soul and not the body, with…
- Karma and Reincarnation: The Three Bodies and What Decides Your Next BirthHow karma and reincarnation work in Sanatana Dharma: the gross, subtle and spiritual bodies, the three…
- The Three Modes of Material Nature: Sattva, Rajas, Tamas, and Reading Your Own ModeThe three modes of material nature, sattva, rajas and tamas: how each guna steers your life, where it leads…
4.Yoga & Worship
How the soul connects with God: the ladder of yoga, temple worship and arati, and the festivals and fasts that shape the devotional year.
- Types of Yoga: The Ladder from Soul to GodThe types of yoga as one ladder from animal life to bhakti: Patanjali's eight limbs, the nine processes of…
- Temple Worship and the Meaning of AratiTemple worship explained: the temple as an embassy of the spiritual world, the etiquette of darshan, and…
- Festivals and the Meaning of EkadashiThe Hindu festival year from Janmashtami to Diwali, and the meaning of Ekadashi: its pastime, why we avoid…
5.Living Dharma
How to actually live it: social and spiritual duty, the sacraments of a lifetime, everyday values, and why the cow is honoured as a mother.
- Varnashrama Dharma: The Four Classes and Four Stages of LifeVarnashrama Dharma explained: the four varnas and four ashramas fitted to a person by nature, not birth…
- Hindu Samskaras: The Sacred Rites of LifeThe Hindu samskaras, the sacred rites that purify a life from before birth to after death: the five still…
- The Four Pillars of Dharma: How to Live RightlyThe four pillars of dharma, mercy, truthfulness, cleanliness and austerity: the values that keep us human…
- Gaumata: Why the Cow Is Called Our MotherWhy the cow is sacred in Sanatana Dharma: the seven mothers, Kamadhenu who grants wishes, the devas within…
6.Scripture Studies
Close readings from the Srimad Bhagavatam and a full summary of the Bhagavad Gita, the heart of the tradition.
- Markandeya and the Baby on the Banyan Leaf: A Vision of the Lord's MayaMarkandeya Rishi asks to see the Lord's maya: the deathless sage survives the cosmic flood and finds an…
- The Glories of Srimad Bhagavatam: The Final ChapterThe final chapter of the Srimad Bhagavatam: the eighteen Puranas and their verse counts, how to give the…
- The Bhagavad Gita in Summary: All Eighteen ChaptersA Bhagavad Gita summary of all eighteen chapters, grouped into karma, bhakti and gyana yoga, showing how…