Hey buddy, I’m glad you’re curious about this topic because I made this page for honest seekers of answers like me. I come from the background of being an atheist all my adult life, and only recently have I challenged myself to find my faith again.
God, spirituality, religion – these have different meanings for all of us. For me, divinity is strictly a feeling, not any physical form. It is the satisfaction I get in doing social service, more specifically the peace I feel when I feed stray animals. That is my version of God.Similarly, I hope you find your spiritual growth by accessing the multitude of free resources I’ve compiled here.
Sanatan Dharma is a vast & open ocean of knowledge that can guide us on how to think, live & grow in this age of chaos.So take a deep breath & dive in. Let me know what you think & if you have any suggestions, hit me up!
God, spirituality, religion – these have different meanings for all of us. For me, divinity is strictly a feeling, not any physical form. It is the satisfaction I get in doing social service, more specifically the peace I feel when I feed stray animals. That is my version of God.Similarly, I hope you find your spiritual growth by accessing the multitude of free resources I’ve compiled here.
Sanatan Dharma is a vast & open ocean of knowledge that can guide us on how to think, live & grow in this age of chaos.So take a deep breath & dive in. Let me know what you think & if you have any suggestions, hit me up!
Step 1 – Getting Your Basics Right.
Starting on a light, bingeable note, let’s watch some hand-picked FAQ Reels to explore the basic concepts & terms you need to know in order to continue our journey ahead. Beside, I’ve also attached an awe-inspiring YouTube video that perfectly explains the endless expanse of this complex faith system – credits to India in Pixels for putting it together!
Beautifully crafted leather products.
Step 2 – Doing Your Readings
Below, you’ll find a list of the most highly-recommended books that will introduce you to the nuance of our culture, heritage & religion. You can find many free PDFs on my Drive. I recommend reading “How to Become a Hindu” by Himalayan Academy to truly understand how you can integrate yourself into the community seamlessly. (NOTE: No copyright infringement intended as this is for educational purposes – please email namaste@manikrege.org to remove any books).
- Srimad Bhagavad Gita
- Valmiki’s Ramayana
- Ved Vyas’ Mahabharata
Brahma Sutras by Badarayana
18 Maha Puranas
108 Upanishads
Works of Swami Vivekananda
Tantraloka by Abhinavgupta
Myth=Mithya
Life of a Yogi
How to Become a Hindu
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The new crop of advocates reviving our Dharma
Step 3 – Meeting Our Cultural Creators
Do go through my Notion of the best YouTube channels & Instagram Pages you can follow to learn something new about Bharat’s rich culture, heritage & spirituality every day! Click on the image to visit the database.
Step 4 – Joining the Mandir Movement
Our temples are not just places to worship God. They are cultural centers, acting as the pillars of our practices, traditions & knowledge. It is part of our core responsibilities to protect them. The best part is that anyone of any faith can visit temples – there is no restriction on the basis of faiths in general. So you can enter with a free & open mind.
Donate food to the needy near it/sponsor meals
Help in the temple’s restoration & preservation
Work on constructing a temple in your locality
Conduct music/dance/cultural shows in temple
Step 6 – Experiencing the Joy of “Seva”
One of the most critical aspects of Hinduism is the idea of seva – immersing yourself in social service & offering your time, sweat & blood to God by helping his children (includes animals). Through unselfish seva done from the bottom of one’s heart, one can be liberated from all karma & attain moksha – the final destination.
Teach the underprivelege & help them grow
Give fresh food to the needy on the road
Provide shelter or clothing to poor people
Provide medical help for small gov. hospitals
Step 8 – Finding Your Ishta Devata or Path
An Ishta Devata is your personal deity who resonates with you & shows you the path towards liberation (moksha). Depending on your personality, needs & other factors, different deities may appeal to you, from Shiva & Ganesha to Krishna & Shakti/Kali Ma.
Each deva has their own rituals, traditions, prayers, mantras, yantras, alternate forms of worship i.e. tantra, etc. which you will be able to find online once you have clarity.
You may even choose not to pursue a physical deity & instead just focus inwards with yoga/meditation, blending with the universe, returning to our original state.
Either way, the goal is to meditate & find out who is calling to you – once you’re clear on your Ishta Dev/Guru, they will show you the rest of the way.
Please view this page on your desktop – it’s prettier ;)
Quick FAQs
There is no official conversion ceremony. Each sampradaya or sect or branch of the Dharma may have their special shuddhikarana or ritual ceremonies. So the goal actually becomes to join a tribe of your choice & they will guide you further.
Or you can begin by meeting a guruji at any temple & chanting the mantra that they give i.e. initiate for you.
You may call yourself a Hindu & declare the same to your family & friends – that is enough to begin.
Visiting your temple nearby is a good first step – don’t be nervous. Just sit there & observe.
The simplest entry into Sanatan Dharma is to read its essence given in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita spoken by Lord Krishna.
Go for the Gorakhpur Gita Press version as its most authentic.
At the core, there is only one big but simple expectation – be selfless. Immerse yourself in selfless service of the society (karma & bhakti) as you parallely do your day job to sustain yourself (dharma).
Just being kind to all fellow beings is really the trick.
Sanatan Dharma is probably the only faith system in the world that allows flexibility of thought to a vast degree, uncomparable to any other options.
This is because we all have different personalities, so different pathways like tantra (material practices) or bhakti (devotion) or karma (effort) or dnyana (knowledge) appeal to us very uniquely.
The ultimate goal is moksha, hence meeting or merging with the Ultimate Super Soul called Brahman.
Hari Om Tat Sat! Hare Krishna! Har Har Mahadev! Namaste :)
