SANATANA DHARMA AS A FRAMEWORK FOR COSMIC BALANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY: PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF RTA, ASTRONOMICAL RITUALS, AND ECOLOGICAL ETHICS
Abstract
This study investigates how Sanatana Dharma offers a cohesive framework for comprehending cosmic equilibrium, ecological harmony, and sustainable human conduct. This study employs a mixed-method approach, integrating philosophical interpretations of Vedic and Upanishadic texts, literature-based analyses of astronomical alignments in rituals, and a quantitative comparison of sustainability behaviors among 300 participants. It investigates the functioning of the principles of Ṛta, Dharma, and ecological practice in contemporary contexts. The results indicate that Ṛta serves as a universal order governing both natural phenomena and human behavior, while rituals and festivals in Sanatana Dharma are methodically aligned with celestial occurrences, including lunar phases and solstices, thereby enhancing ecological consciousness and psychological health. Quantitative findings further illustrate that individuals who consistently adhere to Sanatana Dharma practices achieve markedly superior scores on environmental sustainability metrics in comparison to those who do not. The study concludes that Sanatana Dharma presents a comprehensive and scientifically sound framework for environmental ethics, significantly pertinent to current sustainability discussions.
Downloads
References
2. Bokde, N. D. (2021). Natural time-series analysis and vedic hindu calendar system. ArXiv Preprint ArXiv:2111.03441.
3. Goswami, T. K. (2012). A living theology of Krishna bhakti: essential teachings of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Oxford University Press.
4. Hang, H. (n.d.). Buddhist Environmental Ethics: The Role of Cambodian Buddhist Monks in Raising Environmental Awareness.
5. Jain, P. (2024). Sustaining Dharma, Sustainable Ecology: Dharma as Rural Environmental Ethics. In The Routledge Companion to Indian Ethics (pp. 223–232). Routledge India.
6. Jayavelu, D., & Sharma, R. (2021). Sanatan Dharma and Environmental Ethics: An Exploration and Rationalisation of a Rudimentary Values. SGS-Engineering & Sciences, 1(01).
7. Joshi, P. (1997). The Relationship between Religion and Science: The Hindu Perspective. Scriptura: Journal for Biblical, Theological and Contextual Hermeneutics, 61, 109–120.
8. Koul, S. (2025). The Concept of Dharma in Sanatana Dharma-Beyond Religion: Cosmic Order, Duty, and Ethics. Duty, and Ethics (May 04, 2025).
9. Krishnakumar, J., & Balasubramanian, S. (2025). Dharma-based Economic Systems and Sustainable Human Development 1. Available at SSRN 5130247.
10. Manimala, V. (1997). The Four Goals of Life in Hindu Thought as Principles for a Civil Society. Civil Society and Social Reconstruction, 263.
11. Panda, K., & Panda, K. (2025). The Concept of Ṛ ta in the Vedas : Cosmic Order and Its Ethical Dimensions. 1(60), 31–35.
12. Petrocchi, A. (2017). Calendars, Rituals, and Astral Science in India: A Case Study. Asian Literature and Translation, 4(1).
13. Rajitha, N. (2019). Analysis , Predictions And Strategy From Kabaddi An Quantitative Approach. 9(02), 50–60.
14. Rao, N. K., Thakur, P., & Mallinathpur, Y. (2011). The Astronomical Significance of’Nilurallu’, The Megalithic Stone Alignment at Muradoddiin Andhra Pradesh, India. ArXiv Preprint ArXiv:1112.5814.
15. Salagame, K. K. K. (2013). Well-being from the Hindu/Sanātana Dharma perspective.
16. Sharma, S. K., & Biswas, D. (2024). The Environment in Hindu Consciousness: Revisiting the Sacred Texts. In Environmental Humanities in India (pp. 33–47). Springer Nature Singapore Singapore.
17. Singh, P., Tewari, S., Kesberg, R., Karl, J. A., Bulbulia, J., & Fischer, R. (2020). Time investments in rituals are associated with social bonding, affect and subjective health: A longitudinal study of Diwali in two Indian communities. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 375(1805), 20190430.
18. Sondhi, S. (2023). ASPECTS OF DHARMA Ethics Law and Action in Indian Tradition.
19. Thorne, A., & Sharma, M. N. (2025). Ecological Tenets in Sanatana Dharma: A Scriptural and Historical Analysis of Sustainability. Library of Current Research Journal of History, 6(09), 1–8.
20. Vijay, V. (2025). Sanatan Dharma : The Eternal Path of Righteousness and Human Evolution. Dev Sanskriti International Journal of Hindu Studies, 1(1).
21. Yilmaz, I., & Morieson, N. (2023). Religions and the global rise of civilizational populism. In Religions and the Global Rise of Civilizational Populism (pp. 1–24). Springer.
22. Zavos, J. (2001). Defending Hindu tradition: Sanatana dharma as a symbol of orthodoxy in colonial India. Religion, 31(2), 109–123.
Copyright (c) 2026 IJRDO - Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Author(s) and co-author(s) jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere. Author(s) agree to the terms that the IJRDO Journal will have the full right to remove the published article on any misconduct found in the published article.
