Eternal characteristic

Expressions researched:
"Sanatana means eternal, and dharma means characteristic" |"characteristic, service, is eternal" |"eternal characteristic" |"eternal characteristics"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Dharma is not a kind of faith. Dharma is characteristic. Sanātana-dharma means sanātana characteristic, eternal characteristic.

Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:

Dharma, if we take these two words... Sanātana means eternal. That is called sanātana. And dharma, dharma means occupation, characteristic. Dharma does not mean some superficial ritualistic ceremonies. Dharma means the characteristic. That is real meaning. Dharma is not a kind of faith. Dharma is characteristic. Sanātana-dharma means sanātana characteristic, eternal characteristic. The changing... Now, I have got now this body, Indian body, and then, next body may be cat's and dog's or demigod's, according to my karma. So the body changes. So sanātana-dharma cannot be applied to this body. Sanātana-dharma means the characteristic of the soul. That is sanātana-dharma, to understand the characteristic of the soul. Kṛṣṇa is describing here the characteristic of the soul: sanātana. And at the conclusion, He gives you information of the sanātana-dharma. What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is sanātana-dharma. Kṛṣṇa is sanātana, I am sanātana, you are sanātana.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Sat means eternal, and dharma means characteristics.

Lecture on SB 7.7.30-31 -- Mombassa, September 12, 1971:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is recommending how to begin bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga, the first beginning is ādau gurvāśrayam, as Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends. Ādau gurvāśrayam, the beginning, first beginning is to accept a bona fide spiritual master. Ādau gurvāśrayam, . Sad-dharma-pṛcchat. So it is not that official accepting a spiritual master, but one should be very much inquisitive to understand about eternal duty or eternal activities. Sad-dharma. Sat means eternal, and dharma means characteristics. Eternal characteristics. What is that eternal characteristics? With this body, we change our characteristics. That is not eternal characteristics. Just like a human body. The standard of living of a human being and the standard of living of an animal, different. As the body changes, the standard of living also changes.

General Lectures

Your eternal characteristic, what is that eternal characteristic? You want to love somebody, and therefore you want to serve. That is your characteristic.

Lecture to College Students -- Seattle, October 20, 1968, Introduction by Tamala Krsna:

So the purpose of religion is to train persons how to love God. That is the purpose of all religion. Either you take Christianism or Hinduism or any "ism," the purport is that you try to love God, because that is our natural inclination. Even in uncivilized society, when there is some thunderbolt, they immediately offer obeisances. That is natural. And in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Now this word dharma is translated or explained in the English dictionary, "religion," as "a kind of faith." But in Sanskrit dictionary, dharma means characteristic. Just like sugar. Sugar's characteristic is sweetness. If you are given some sugar, if you find it, it is not sweet, you at once reject it: "Oh, it is not sugar. It is something else." So that sweetness is the characteristic of sugar. Similarly, sour taste is the characteristic of salt, pungency is the characteristic of chili. Similarly, what is your characteristic, living entity? That you have to study. That is your religion. Not that Christian religion, Hindu religion, or this religion, that religion. Your eternal characteristic, what is that eternal characteristic? You want to love somebody, and therefore you want to serve. That is your characteristic.

The Vedic culture, another name of Vedic culture is sanātana-dharma. Sanātana means eternal, and dharma means characteristic.

Lecture -- Bombay, November 2, 1970:

So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to revive the Vedic culture. And the Vedic culture, another name of Vedic culture is sanātana-dharma. Sanātana means eternal, and dharma means characteristic. Dharma, generally, in English is translated "religion." Religion means a kind of faith: "I believe in such and such faith." "I believe in the Muhammadan faith," "I believe in Christian faith," "I believe in Buddha faith." But actually, dharma does not mean faith. Dharma means characteristic. What is that characteristic? Just like everything, every little item, has got his characteristic. Just like take for example chili: it is very hot. The more the chili is hot, it is good. But if the sugar becomes hot like chili, immediately rejected. But if the chili is hot, you accept: "It is good chili." Similarly, dharma means characteristic of the living entity. That is dharma.

Sanātana means eternal, and dharma also means eternal characteristic.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972:

Sanātana means eternal, and dharma also means eternal characteristic. Just like every ingredient, element, of this world has got a certain type of characteristic. As I have been introduced, I was manager in a chemical factory. So you know... (aside:) That sound may be stopped... that every chemical has got a certain characteristic—its color, its taste, its granules. In pharmacology and pharmaceutical formulas, each and every chemical is tested according to that characteristic. That characteristic is called dharma in Sanskrit word. Dharma is not a type of faith, as it is explained in English dictionary, "kind of faith." Faith you can change. Today you are Hindu: you can become Christian next day. Or today you are Christian; you can become a Muhammadan next day. So political field also, changing faiths. So dharma does not exactly mean a kind of faith. It is characteristic.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Sleeps, has sex, these are eternal characteristics. Similarly, religion means spiritual characteristics.

Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Professor Fenton: Sanātana-dharma.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Sanātana... Yes, religion should be sanātana. Sanātana means there cannot be any change. Just like every living being eats, you cannot change it. You cannot say that this living entity is not eating. Apart from human society, even in animal society, a living being eats. This is his religion. Sleeps, has sex, these are eternal characteristics. Similarly, religion means spiritual characteristics. That spiritual characteristic is also pervertedly reflected in the material world. Just like every one is servant. Anyone, any one of us, we are all servant. You are serving the University.