Sanatana Dharma, Meaning “Eternal Or Universal Righteousness” Is The Original Name Of What Is Now Popularly Called Hinduism.  Sanatana Dharma Comprises Of Spiritual Laws Which Govern The Human Existence. Sanatana Dharma Is To Human Life What Natural Laws Are To The Physical Phenomena.  Just As The Phenomena Of Gravitation Existed Before It Was Discovered, The Spiritual Laws Of Life Are Eternal Laws Which Existed Before They Were Discovered By The Ancient Rishis (Sages) For The Present Age During The Vedic Period.  Sanatana Dharma Declares That Something Cannot Come Out Of Nothing And, Therefore, The Universe Itself Is The Manifestation Of The Divine Being.  This Truth Forms The Invocation Of The Isa Upanishad (A Hindu Scripture):  

 Poornam-Adah, Poornam-Idam, Poor-Nath Poornam-Udachyate.
Poor-Nasya Poornam-Adaya, Poornam-Eva-Va-Sishyate.

 That Is Full; This Is Full.  The Full Comes Out Of The Full.
Taking The Full From The Full, The Full Itself Remains.

 This Verse Expresses The Mystery Of Creation.  This Universe Comes Forth From The Divine, Yet The Universe Takes Nothing From The Divine And Adds Nothing To It.  Divine Remains Ever The Same.  Since The Universe Has Come Forth From The Divine, All Things And Beings Are Sacred And Must Be Treated So In Human Thought And Action.  The Divine Sleeps In Minerals, Awakens In Plants, Walks In Animals And Thinks In Humans. 

 Sanatana Dharma Looks Upon A Person As A Part And Parcel Of The Mighty Whole, But Never Regards Him As “The Measure Of All Things.”  In The West, “Person” Is A Supreme And Final Value, While Sanatana Dharma Regards Person As A Part Of The Whole, Having The Same Vital Essence As All Other Human And Sub-Human Creatures Of The Universe.  This Cosmic View Of Hinduism Transcends The Sectarian Or Group Dogmas And Paves A Way For The Coexistence Of All Creatures Under The Vedic Principle Of Vasudev Kutumbhkam, Meaning “The Universe Is One Family.”  This Principle Guides The Humankind Towards Universal Harmony Through Acceptance And Tolerance. 

Sanatana Dharma Recognizes That The Ultimate Reality, Which Is The Ground Of Infinite Potentiality And Actualization, Cannot Be Limited By Any Name Or Concept.  The Potential For Human Wholeness (Or In Other Frames Of Reference, Enlightenment, Salvation, Liberation, Transformation, Blessedness, Nirvana, Moksha) Is Present In Every Human Being.  No Race Or Religion Is Superior And No Color Or Creed Is Inferior.  All Humans Are Spiritually United Like The Drops Of Water In An Ocean.  

Sanatana Dharma Means:
Eternal Path Never Beginning Nor Ending Way Perennial Philosophy Universal Tradition All-Pervading Truth Natural Flow.

Sanatana Is: 
Eternal Perennial Never Beginning Nor Ending Abiding Universal Ever-Present
Unceasing Natural Enduring 

Dharma Is:
Harmony The Way Righteousness Compassion Natural Law Essential Nature
Morality Truth Teachings Tradition Philosophy Order Flow Spirituality Religion
Wisdom Purest Insight Divine Conformity Cosmic Norm Blueprint Inherent Nature Intrinsic Nature Law Of Being Duty

By Its Nature, Sanatana Dharma Is:
Experience Based Rather Than Belief Based. Without Any Ideological Divisions. Beyond Any Historical Date Of Founding. The Process Of Growth, Which Comes From The Seed. Inherent In, And Inclusive Of All. Applicable To All People Of All Places And Times. In The World, While Above The World. God-Centered Rather Than Prophet-Centered. Devoid Of Sectarianism Or Denominationalism. Both Immanent And Transcendent. The Whole And The Parts. Loving Of All And Excluding Of None.

The Universal Flow Of Dharma, Regardless Of What Name You Call It, Whether Dharma Or Some Other Name, Has Eternally Existed. It Has Been Before Any Of The Great Teachers Were Born. It Is Not Better Than, Or Alternative To, But Is Inclusive Of All.  Dharma Is That Out Of Which Our Earth And Humanity Itself Emerged.  Dharma Not Only Is, But Always Was, And Always Will Be. To Live In Alignment With, And To Know The True Nature Of That Sanatana Dharma Is One Of The Ways Of Describing The Higher Goal Of Life.

The Words "Religion" And "Dharma" Denote Two Entirely Different Concepts And Perspectives. Religion Is Comprised Of Rituals, Customs, And Dogmas Surviving On The Basis Of Fear And Blind Faith. Dharma--A Word, Unfortunately, With No English Equivalent--Encapsulates Those Great Laws And Disciplines That Uphold, Sustain, And Ultimately Lead Humanity To The Sublime Heights Of Worldly And Spiritual Glory. Established In The Name Of God, A Religion Is An Institution That Requires A Growing Number Of Adherents For Its Expansion And Future Existence. A Religion Discriminates Against Human Beings Who Do Not Belong To Its Particular Order And Condemns Their Way Of Living And Being, Whereas Dharma Is Eternal, Looking For No Followers For Its Propagation. With No Discrimination Whatsoever, It Leads A Human Being Beyond The Realms Of Man-Made, Institutionalized Dictums. Instead Of Creating Fear Of God, It Makes God Manifest In The Human Heart, Not In An Anthropomorphic Form, But As The Absolute And Universal One In Whom All Diversities Reside In Perfect Harmony.

Therefore:

• Don't Enforce One Belief, One Way Of Worship Or One Code Of Conduct For All.   Do Not Attempt To Destroy Different Forms Of Worship, Claiming Your Own Way To Be The Only Right One.  Such Enforcement Of Uniformity Would Be Unnatural And Contrary To The Divine Law.  It Hinders The Progress Of A Human Being In His/Her Journey To The State Of Divinity. 
• Give Importance To Sincerity Of Heart And Nobleness Of Conduct In The Field Of Religion.  Do Not Claim To Have Obtained From God, Exclusive And Irrevocable Power Of Attorney To Be A Dictator And To Persecute Others On Behalf Of God, Because They Do Not Agree With You.
•  Don't Claim To Have Bound The Boundless God.  Do Not Create Inter-Religious Wars And Massacres, Forcing Your Claims And Dogmas On Others.

• Give A Person Freedom To Think, Freedom To Believe, Freedom To Disbelieve And Freedom To Adopt A Way Of Worship, Which Suits His/Her Temperament.  After All, What Is Important In Worship Of God Is The Sincerity Of Heart, Not The Outer Form Of Worship.  
• Don't Divide The Human Race Into Conflicting Armies And Camps Of Holy Believers And Unholy Others.