Sanatan Dharma Says Life is Not a Problem to be Solved

The word 'dharma' is a relatively minor word in Vedic times, appearing barely 70 times in Rig Veda, indicating something that is foundational and stable.

- Devdutt Pattanaik

The word for horses appears about 210 times, and the word for cows appears about 180 times.

In one hymn (Rig Veda 3.3.1), there is a suggestion of gods being aware of the eternal (sanata) framework of rituals that creates stability. This indicates a belief that the rituals were seen as eternal, even performed by the gods, and so you have to keep performing them to keep order and rhythm in the world. Later, ritual belief turned into a more intellectual idea.

The word 'dharma' and phrase 'sanatan dharma' became more important in the 2,000-year-old Mahabharata. By this time, even Buddhist and Jain scriptures were referring to their way (BuddhaVachana, Jina-vani) as sanatan dharma which is the eternal path shown by the Buddhas and the Tirthankars.

Buddhists traditionally believed there was not one Buddha or one Jina. There were hundreds of sages who appeared from time to time and they shared the same knowledge, the eternal knowledge i.e., sanatan dharma.

Sanatan dharma cannot come from one person. It is not bound to history or culture. It is the realisation that nothing is permanent. Seasons change.

People die. Plants die. Animals die. Cultures rise and fall. Even death is not permanent. Hence, rebirth is integral to sanatan dharma.