Sanātanī

Sanātanī (Devanagari: सनातनी) is a term used to describe Hindu duties that incorporate teachings from the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, and other Hindu religious texts and scriptures such as the Ramayana and its many versions, as well as the Mahabharata (incl. the Bhagavad Gita), which itself is often described as a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and a practical, self-contained guide to life. The word Sanātanī is coined from Sanātana Dharma (सनातन धर्म) which refers to the idea that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts. A Sanātanī performs duties according to one's spiritual (constitutional) identity as atman (Self) and thus these duties are the same for everyone. General duties include virtues such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings, purity, charity, goodwill, mercy, patience, forbearance, self-restraint, generosity, and asceticism. In other words, any follower of Sanātana Dharma (Hinduism) irrespective of their social status, Hindu denominations or choice of deity can be considered a Sanātanī. Since many reformist groups had the word Samaj (meaning society) or were led by a sant (meaning saint), Sanātanī are often held to be in contrast with Samajists and Santpanthis (meaning those who walk on the panth/path shown by their sant/saint). Unlike South India, where religious traditions such as Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism form the principal Hindu denominations, "they were effectively subsumed under the Sanatani identity" in many regions of North India, and the Samajs and Santpanths became the other distinct Hindu denominations. Reformist denominations such as the Arya Samaj are often fundamentalist in their approach. The Arya Samaj regards the Vedas as infallible scripture, and rejects what it regards as non-Vedic innovations in Sanātanī Hinduism. These non-Vedic additions included inherited caste, the position of Brahmins as a revered group, idol-worship, and the addition of thousands of deities to the Sanatani Hindu pantheon. These differences are often apparent in social practices.