The meaning and concept of God is Sanatana Dharma is entirely different from monolithic religions. Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji, the 36th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sri Sharada Peetam throws light on What is God in Sanatana Dharma?
God is the supremely intelligent ultimate cause from which the entire universe has emerged, in which the universe exists, and into which the universe ultimately dissolves. We proclaim that God is omnipresent. Everything we see or feel is only a form of God, gross or subtle. This is the real concept of God in Sanatana Dharma.
Sanatana Dharma is based on equality - the understanding that one truth pervades all inanimate and animate.
What is the meaning of Sanatana Dharma?
Sanatana means eternal. Dharma is a word that defies exact translation into English or perhaps into any other language. It can be said to mean ‘the values of life that sustain’. Therefore, Sanatana Dharma means the religion based on the eternal values of life. It is popularly known as Hinduism today.
Hindu religion does not depend on historicity of one person. It is based on eternal truth, principles and values of life that hold good for all people at all places – past, present and future.
In terms of general understanding, Dharma stands for all good ideals, purposes, influences, institutions and the way of life and conduct that shape the character and evolution of man, both as an individual and a member of society. It is the law of right living, the observance of which secures the double aspect of happiness in life and liberation from all bondage. It is ethics and religion combined.
The Mahabharata, which is versatile encyclopedia of learning, culture and tradition, emphatically states that “nobody has ever violated the principles of Dharma without ultimately courting disaster.”
The opposite of Dharma is Adharma. Adharma might carry a man to the heights of power and prosperity for a time, but it is all temporary. The heights earned through Adharma will surely be a prelude to a certain irremediable fall.