Hari Chetan has more than two decades of experience in the fields of religion, spirituality, theology, and ancient philosophy and practices as a ‘Consciousness Coach.’
He is an expert in all major religions and philosophies in the world including Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Judaism, Stoicism, Zen, Taoism, and Baha’i. However, Vedic literature is his primary area of interest.
Having discovered the oldest and the most confidential spiritual wisdom, Hari is on a mission to spread this knowledge to all corners of the globe. His goal is to make the entire world conscious of the real identity of the self and God, and one’s true purpose in life, as this is the only lasting solution to all the problems in the world. Hari lives in Kolkata, India with his family.

1. Is the Oldest Philosophy

"And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me come memory, knowledge, as well as their loss; I am verily the one to be known through the study of the Vedas; indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas." [BG 15.15]

The hackneyed saying "old is gold" has not lost any of its meaning. And in spirituality, its relevance is even more, well, relevant. If we assume that God is the oldest being (which would be a reasonable assumption), then His instructions must be fairly old as well.

On this note, let us look at the timeline of the birth of the world's major faiths and spiritual systems. Now, I am neither an archaeologist nor a historian. I gathered the information given below from a variety of studies and research. Also, I suggest not to consider the years mentioned here as absolute dates. They are only rough estimates of when these faiths are believed to have originated.

·         Hinduism - 3000 BCE (several studies place the date as early as 6000 BCE)
·         Judaism-650 BCE
·         Zoroastrianism - 600 BCE
·         Buddhism - 550 BCE
·         Confucianism - 550 BCE
·         Jainism - 525 BCE
·         Taoism-350 BCE
·         Shintoism-300 BCE
·         Stoicism-300 BCE
·         Christianity - 1 CE
·         Zen - 500 CE
·         Islam- 600 CE
·         Sikhism - 1475 CE
·         Baha'i Faith - 1850 CE

Although there are wide disagreements over the exact dates when these religions and philosophies were born, one fact that all experts agree on is that Hinduism is the world's oldest religion.

Now although I am a Hindu by birth, I am not presenting these facts to brag about 'my' religion. If I were among those who believe in mindlessly following a religion because one's parents do so, I would not have devoted the best years of my

life to studying various religions when my friends were busy partying in pubs. While studying any religion, I have always maintained a completely neutral viewpoint and have treated all religions equally.

In reality, I am not a follower of any particular world religion. Because we are all fundamentally the same, I believe we can only have one common religion that is eternal and universal. And that religion, I discovered, is the Sanatana Dharma - the common religion of humankind. I have always been a seeker of truth. And the truth, in my opinion, based on decades of research, is contained in the Vedic scriptures, on which ancient Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma are based. And that is why I do my best to adhere to Vedic principles and propagate them as much as I can.

Now that we know Hinduism is the oldest religion, we should also know that the Vedas, the scriptures of Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma, are (not surprisingly) the oldest religious texts.

The Million-Year-Old Knowledge

So far, I have based the explanation only on historical data and research. Let us now go even farther in determining how old the information contained in the Bhagavad Gita really is, and see what Lord Krishna says about it in the Bhagavad Gita itself:

"I taught this imperishable Yoga (the science of getting one with God) to Vivasvan (the sun-god); Vivasvan taught it to Manu (the father of humankind); and Manu passed it on to Ikshvaku (the founder of the solar dynasty in which the Lord appeared as Rama). This knowledge was thus handed down through orderly succession, and was received by the royal sages in that way. But, by long lapse of time here, the great science of Yoga was lost, O Parantapa. Verily, that same ancient science of Yoga is today told to you by Me, as you are My devotee as well as My friend. This knowledge is a supreme secret." [BG 4.1-4.3]

Krishna lays out the history of spiritual knowledge in these lines, leaving no room for speculation or doubt. It all makes sense, especially when we consider all the other information found in the Bhagavad Gita and the other Vedic texts. When all of this information is considered together, it becomes clear how the eternal divine knowledge has been transmitted down through the ages. Although the Bhagavad Gita was sung by Lord Krishna five thousand years ago, the knowledge contained in it was disseminated by Him as soon as He created the universe. That is why it is the purest and the most original form of knowledge. A simple way by which we can establish the credibility of the Vedic scriptures is to measure the prophecies made in them against the evidence we have. For example, we can find the prediction about the appearance of Lord Shiva as Shankaracharya in Padma Purana. We can also find the precise prediction about the appearance of Lord Krishna as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in several Vedic texts like Srimad Bhagavatam, Garuda Prana, Padma Purana, Narsimha Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Vayu Purana, Narada Purana, Skanda Purana, and Matsya Purana.

It is worth noting that there is one more incarnation of Lord Krishna, who is yet to appear on earth. His name is Kalki. According to Srimad Bhagavatam, "At the end of the Kaliyuga, when there would be no Godly subjects, except in the homes of so-called sages and decent men of the higher castes, and when the power of government would be transferred to ministers elected from the lower castes, and when no one would know how to make sacrifices, the Lord will appear as the ultimate chastiser." [SB 2.7.38]

The Vedic scriptures not only predict the appearance of many manifestations of God, but they also foretell how societies and cultures would change with time. For example, it was clearly predicted that in the present age, Kaliyuga (or the dark age), people would lose touch with their spiritual truths and engage in sense-pleasing pursuits, seeing material pleasure as the ultimate purpose of life. And this is exactly what we see happening today.

A thorough examination of the Vedic philosophy, science, and literature, summarized by the Lord in His divine song, the Bhagavad Gita, will prove to the open-minded seeker that all truth can be found therein.

That is what Sanatana Dharma is — it has always existed, will always exist, encompasses all knowledge, and applies to everyone. This is the faith that I practice and preach. Read on to learn more.

Copyright: Hari Chetan