Difference between Sanatan Dharam & Arya Samaji?

[adi_149]

hi, can anyone tell me the difference between Sanatan Dharam and Arya Samaji? in terms of their belief system and what scriptures they follow, etc...? thanks

 

[Riverwolf]

As far as I'm aware, Arya Samaj is a part of the Sanatana Dharma, and I'd argue an important one. They are, in essence, a sort of revivalist movement who focus solely on the Vedas for their primary Scriptures, something most sects only do indirectly through later Scriptures.

 

[adi_149]

You mean its not a sect of Hinduism (please correct me if im wrong)? And if they focus solely on the Vedas then why other Sanatan Dharmic ppl dont agree to them or are against them? coz they are also following what other Hindus 'used to' follow? and when they used to follow the Vedas the world was a much better place, isnt it? It would be great if you could clear these doubts, because i really dont understand the major difference. thanks

 

[Riverwolf]

You mean its not a sect of Hinduism (please correct me if im wrong)?

No, it is, as far as I know.

I don't know a whole lot about them, but there are others here who know more about them who can clarify.

 

[adi_149]

ok thanks for your replies anyway. hope someone could help me with this

 

[Satsangi]

As far as I know, Arya Samajis follow the ritualistic part of the Vedas- the Yajnas and the like.

Regards,

 

[adi_149]

As far as I know, Arya Samajis follow the ritualistic part of the Vedas- the Yajnas and the like.

Regards,

true, but isnt that what hindus are suppose to do? where does it say we need to worship idols? (i am not an arya samaji) but now when i am reading the scriptures, i.e., the Vedas, i dont see anywhere that it asks us to worship the idols or Devtas? And im stressing on Vedas coz thats what all Hindus used to follow earlier and thats where Hinduism started. It would be great if u could help me understand abt it. thanks so much

 

[Gaura Priya]

I've had some interest in Arya Samaj for a while now...

So here is some posts that I have made on my ideas of Arya Samaj: http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/hinduism-dir/111950-arya-samaj.html

God bless!

 

[adi_149]

Thanks, that really helped. Now i know what Arya Samaj is all about and I like it. apart from that, u seem to be a muslim, am i right? coz i have been looking into Islam as well.... and I feel its a very good way of living. do u practice Islam?

 

[Gaura Priya]

Thanks, that really helped. Now i know what Arya Samaj is all about and I like it. apart from that, u seem to be a muslim, am i right? coz i have been looking into Islam as well.... and I feel its a very good way of living. do u practice Islam?

Actually, I follow the religion of Abraham, which is monotheism... so I believe that Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i Faith are the true religions of God revealed to Humanity.

Also Buddhism, Hinduism, and Zoroastrianism are true, because I believe that Buddha, Krishna and Zoroaster (as well as Moses, Christ, Muhammad and Baha'u'llah) are Manifestations (or Messengers) of God.

I borrow some practices from the Baha'i Scriptures, but I am very liberal in my faith, because I believe that anyone who comes to any of the Manifestations of God receive divine knowledge, and not just the "Manifestation for the Age." I also visit the mosque time to time, and I read from the Scriptures: Tanakh, Gospel, Qur'an, and Baha'i Writings (and to a lesser extent, Buddhist Scriptures, Hindu Shastra, and the Gathas).

I'll confuse you, LOL. Don't take me seriously~!

But you might find my brother Odion here... while I am an Abrahamic Syncretist, he is a Dharmic Syncretist, and he mixes Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism together.

 

[Gaura Priya]

And yes prabhu, Islam is a good religion... apparently Muhammad is found mentioned in the Bhavishya Purana, and the Vaishnavas accept Him as a shaktyavesha-avatara, an empowered Messenger of Lord Vishnu.

 

[Vinayaka]

Sanatan Dharm is just the term for the way Hinduism is practised in North India ... in temples where all Gods are same, no agamic structure, Vedas, Ramayana, and Gita are core. Its sort of a cross between Smarta philosophy and Universalism, also termed liberal Hinduism by some traditionalists.

 

[Gaura Priya]

The Arya Samajis actually reject the term "Sanatana Dharma" and refer to the 'idol-worshippers' as Sanatanis...

They call their religion "Vaidika Dharma" or "Vedic Dharma" instead and believe that this is the original name for the Vedic religion, not Sanatana Dharma or Hindu Dharma.

 

[zenzero]

Friend adi 149,

Difference between Sanatan Dharam & Arya Samaji?

Arya Samaj - Swami Dayanand - Vedas - Vedic - Haryana Online - India

Arya Samaj (Aryan Society or Society of Nobles) is a Hindu reform movement in India that was founded by Swami Dayananda in 1875. He was a sannyasin (renouncer) who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda advocated the doctrine of Karma and reincarnation, and emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya (chastity) and sanyasa (renunciation). Swami Dayanand and the Arya Samaj movement attracted a large number of followers in Haryana, including Lala Lajpat Rai, Sir Chhotu Ram and Seth Chhaju Ram.

The doctrines of the Samaj are summed up in Ten Principles:

God is the primary cause of all true science and of all that can be known through it.

God is Existent, Intelligent and Blissful. He is Formless, Almighty, Just, Merciful, Unborn, Infinite, Unchallengeable, Beginningless, Incomparable, the Support and Lord of all, Omniscient, Imperishable, Immortal, Fearless, Eternal, Holy and the Maker of the universe. To Him alone worship is due.

The Vedas are scriptures of true knowledge. It is the duty of all Aryas to read them, hear them being read and recite them to others.

All persons should be ready to accept the truth and give up untruth.

All action should be performed in conformity with Dharma, that is, after due consideration of the right and wrong.

The primary aim of the Arya Samaj is to do good for all, that is, promote physical, spiritual and social well-being.

All people should be treated with love, fairness and due regard for their merit.

One should aim at dispelling ignorance and promoting knowledge.

One should not only be content with one's own welfare, but should look for it in the welfare for others also.

One should regard oneself under restriction to follow altruistic rulings of society, while all should be free in following the rules of individual welfare.

Dayananda claimed to be rejecting all non-Vedic beliefs altogether. Hence the Arya Samaj unequivocally condemned idolatry, animal sacrifices, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priest craft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability and child marriages, on the grounds that all these lacked Vedic sanction. It aimed to be a universal "church" based on the authority of the Vedas. Swami Dayananda stated that he wanted ‘to make the whole world Aryan’. That is, he wanted to develop a missionary Hinduism based on the universality of the Vedas.

To this end the Arya Samaj set up schools and missionary organizations, extending its activities outside India. It now has branches around the world. In comparison with India it has disproportionably many adherents in Surinam and the Netherlands among people of Indian ancestry.

Love & rgds

 

[adi_149]

not at all its not confusing at all, its nice... so u r someone who's thoughts match mine, but i think they differ at one place and i wil let u know where. Firstly, i believe that Hinduism, Buddhism and even Jainism are of a single branch. And Krishna, Buddha and others are all messengers and not avatars of God coz according to me God doesnt need to come into this world for any reason. And as far as my research goes, all these religions are monotheistic, but the believers are influenced by culture and other stuff thats why they practice polytheism, coz no where the Vedas say that there are many Gods... its just describes a Single God's attributes with many names and ppl think they are all different Gods.

Secondly, i believe that Judaism, Christianity and Islam i.e., the monotheistic religions contain a single message and the continuation of Judaism is Christianity and the continuation of Christianity is Islam. And Moses, Jesus and Muhammad are all messengers. Now all this is where I agree to you. let me know if Im wrong anywhere. However, the place where we diverge is that you follow all the good things from all the religions and follow that, which is a very good thing, but I somewhere think that God doesnt want that, he made one religion and he wants us to follow just one religion and we need to use our brain and find which is the truth. I believe that the final and best revelation in the Abrahamic branch is Islam, which does not introduce a new theory about God but is a continuation as i mentioned earlier. Therefore a person needs to find the true religion and follow it. because if u believe that Islam is from God and Muhammad is the messenger then why dont u follow what it says? coz it confirms that this religion is from God and u need to follow it?

Please understand that I dont mean to change ur thought or ask u to follow a specific religion, i just wanna say, this is what I think, please let me know what u think abt what i said. Coz if i knew that I would by now be following that particular religion. Please comment. thanks so much. Hope i didnt confuse u this time hehe

 

[adi_149]

the previous msg is for Royal Falcon of God... i know i should have quoted... sorry...

 

[adi_149]

Friend adi 149,


Dayananda claimed to be rejecting all non-Vedic beliefs altogether. Hence the Arya Samaj unequivocally condemned idolatry, animal sacrifices, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priest craft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability and child marriages, on the grounds that all these lacked Vedic sanction. It aimed to be a universal "church" based on the authority of the Vedas. Swami Dayananda stated that he wanted ‘to make the whole world Aryan’. That is, he wanted to develop a missionary Hinduism based on the universality of the Vedas.


Love & rgds

As it is mentioned in the quote that Arya Samaj rejected all non-Vedic beliefs and then later it is mentioned that the caste system was also rejected. But as far as I know, the caste system is one of the things that is mentioned in the Vedas itself. This is one of the doubts i have abt your post. Apart from that it really helped me to understand a brief history abt Arya Samaj as well as what constitutes it in sense of the beliefs thanks... hope u could clear the caste system doubt. thanks so much

 

[Gaura Priya]

not at all its not confusing at all, its nice... so u r someone who's thoughts match mine, but i think they differ at one place and i wil let u know where. Firstly, i believe that Hinduism, Buddhism and even Jainism are of a single branch. And Krishna, Buddha and others are all messengers and not avatars of God coz according to me God doesnt need to come into this world for any reason. And as far as my research goes, all these religions are monotheistic, but the believers are influenced by culture and other stuff thats why they practice polytheism, coz no where the Vedas say that there are many Gods... its just describes a Single God's attributes with many names and ppl think they are all different Gods.

Secondly, i believe that Judaism, Christianity and Islam i.e., the monotheistic religions contain a single message and the continuation of Judaism is Christianity and the continuation of Christianity is Islam. And Moses, Jesus and Muhammad are all messengers. Now all this is where I agree to you. let me know if Im wrong anywhere. However, the place where we diverge is that you follow all the good things from all the religions and follow that, which is a very good thing, but I somewhere think that God doesnt want that, he made one religion and he wants us to follow just one religion and we need to use our brain and find which is the truth. I believe that the final and best revelation in the Abrahamic branch is Islam, which does not introduce a new theory about God but is a continuation as i mentioned earlier. Therefore a person needs to find the true religion and follow it. because if u believe that Islam is from God and Muhammad is the messenger then why dont u follow what it says? coz it confirms that this religion is from God and u need to follow it?

Because I also believe in Baha'u'llah and in the Baha'i Faith. After Muhammad, may the Glory of God be upon Him, came Baha'u'llah, the Manifestation of God, and the Promised One of all religions...And after a thousand years, there will come another Manifestation after Him.

In the Hindu Scriptures, He is the Kalki Avatara, and in the Qur'an He is the Great Announcement, or the Imam Mahdi.

Baha'u'llah said, "This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek it—verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of His creatures."

For a person who was 'born Hindu' you certainly have a very Islamic take to Hinduism... :sarcastic

Yes, I believe that They are all Messengers of God, or 'Manifestations of God' because They reveal the virtues and attributes of Ishvara in absolute perfection on Earth. One could even say that I interpret the Manifestations of God as metaphorical or spiritual Avataras rather than literal ones, since God does not incarnate, and yet these Manifestations, differing in Revelation, gave the same Spiritual Teachings of God in accordance with the exigencies of the time.

Please understand that I dont mean to change ur thought or ask u to follow a specific religion, i just wanna say, this is what I think, please let me know what u think abt what i said. Coz if i knew that I would by now be following that particular religion. Please comment. thanks so much. Hope i didnt confuse u this time hehe

Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti... There is only one God, but the sages call Him by many names.


"Lo! religion with God is the Surrender to His Will and Guidance. Those who formerly received the Scripture [Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians] differed only after knowledge came unto them, through transgression [fighting] among themselves."

-- Qur'an 3:19


"Lo! He Who is the Ruler is come. Step out from behind the veil in the name of thy Lord, He Who layeth low the necks of all men. Proclaim then unto all mankind the glad-tidings of this mighty, this glorious Revelation. Verily, He Who is the Spirit of Truth [Baha'u'llah] is come to guide you unto all truth. He speaketh not as prompted by His own self, but as bidden by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."

-- Lawh-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Tablet


"O son of Bharata, whenever there is a decline of virtue and an insurrection of vice and injustice in the world; and thus I incarnate from age to age for the preservation of the just, the destruction of the wicked, and the establishment of righteousness."

-- Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter 4


Vaishnavism is not polytheistic, neither is Sikhism or Buddhism, or even Jainism... So I have no idea where you're getting this idea of 'polytheism' from...

Hari Om!

 

[Gaura Priya]

As it is mentioned in the quote that Arya Samaj rejected all non-Vedic beliefs and then later it is mentioned that the caste system was also rejected. But as far as I know, the caste system is one of the things that is mentioned in the Vedas itself. This is one of the doubts i have abt your post. Apart from that it really helped me to understand a brief history abt Arya Samaj as well as what constitutes it in sense of the beliefs thanks... hope u could clear the caste system doubt. thanks so much

Adi prabhu,

The Varnashrama system is divinely ordained by God Himself, and revealed to the Manifestation of God, Lord Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita. It was according to one's tendencies and occupation, and only as this Age of Kali (the Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy) increased, the Varnashrama system became the caste system, based on 'birth'.


"The respective duties of the four castes, of Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras, are also determined by the qualities which predominate in the disposition of each, O harasser of thy foes. The natural duty of a Brahmana compriseth tranquillity, purity, self-mastery, patience, rectitude, learning, spiritual discernment, and belief in the existence of another world. Those of the Kshatriya sprung from his nature are valour, glory, strength, firmness, not to flee from the field of battle, liberality and a lordly character. The natural duties of the Vaishya are to till the land, tend cattle and to buy and sell; and that of the Shudra is to serve, as is his natural disposition. Men being contented and devoted to their own proper duties attain perfection."

-- Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18


Thus, each person may be have priestly, religious or spiritual qualities [brahmana], another may have more administrative or leaderlike qualities [kshatriya], and to another is given qualities of business, selling and accounting [vaishya], and another is given to be a general labourer [shudra]. Each person worked according to one's personalities and tendencies in society. The idea of these becoming rigid according to birth is bid'a, innovation, a complete and utter fabrication, lie and distortion of the shastras (Hindu Scriptures).

Hope that helps!

 

[adi_149]

@ Royal Falcon of God

your know what.... u r very cute, seriously hehe anyways, back to the topic. ok firstly, i am a born hindu still have an Islamic take on Hinduism coz i am studying Christianity, Islam and Hinduism together.... and the most sensible I find out of these is Islam. Christianity is the continuation of Islam. Whereas Hinduism is a lot like Islam but ppl made it something else. When i say people made it something else, i mean that what people follow is not at all what Hinduism (Vedic Dharma) preaches. Coz even though im born in a Sanatan Dharmic family, i think Vedic Dharma is what actual Hinduism is. So people have started worshipping idols, so many Gods... thats why i used the term polytheism coz today's hindus believe and practice polytheism, which is a problem coz as even u said... according to the scriptures Hinduism as a whole is monotheistic.

Apart form that, u mentioned that Baha'u'llah is the spirit of truth that Jesus mentioned. But isnt Muhammad the Spirit of Truth? or rather Angel Gabriel? coz most Muslims believe that Muhammad is the final messenger and a seal of Prophets... then how can Baha'u'llah be a messenger or manifestation of God?

We know that Islam is spread by Muhammad and that the messenger who brought the message of Quran is Muhammad. And Quran says that Muhammad is the final messenger... and after this only Jesus is gonna come again, but not as a messenger. So if u believe Quran to be the word of God... how can u not believe that Mohammad is the final messenger and how can Baha'u'llah be the messenger of the same God? (i know im bing repetitive here... sorry for that)

And yes, Mohammad is mentions by name in the Bhavishya Purana, but the Kalki avatar is said to be Mohammad and not Baha'u'llah.... by many renouned muslim scholars... wat do u have to say abt this?

and i can only wish u were in Melbourne, Australia that i could talk to u everyday and gain so much knowledge regarding various scriptures.... good on ya...