Religion, Faith, and Following

Understanding the Difference between Religion, faith, and following. 

 These terms are often used interchangeably, yet they represent three distinct dimensions of human spiritual life.

Confusing them leads to misunderstanding—not only of spirituality, but also of Dharma itself.

What Is Religion?

Religion refers to a system of beliefs, rituals, doctrines, and practices that guide the spiritual and moral life of a community. It offers structured explanations of existence, the divine, ethics, and life beyond death.

Examples include Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism. Religion provides structure, community, and continuity—but structure alone does not define inner realization.

What Is Faith?

Faith is deeply personal. It is an inner conviction, trust, and alignment with something greater than oneself. Faith may exist within a religion—or entirely outside it. It does not require rituals or institutions; it requires inner acceptance and trust.

A person may follow a religion without faith, and another may have profound faith without belonging to any organized religion.

What Is Following?

Following is action. It is the conscious act of practicing teachings, disciplines, and ethical principles as laid down by sages and realized masters over time.

Following involves living the teachings—not merely believing in them. Its depth can range from casual observance to complete dedication under the guidance of a teacher.

In essence: Religion provides the framework Faith provides the inner connection Following provides lived expression

Religion Is NOT Dharma

One of the greatest misunderstandings of modern times is equating religion with Dharma. They are not the same.

Religion is belief-based.

Dharma is duty-based.

In its true and original meaning, Dharma is the set of duties a human being has:

towards oneself
towards one’s family
towards society
towards the nation
towards existence itself

This confusion is not limited to the world at large—even Indians and Hindus have largely misunderstood Dharma by reducing it to religious identity.

Dharma is not about worship.

Dharma is about how one lives and acts.

Dharma as a Set of Preferred Working Principles

Ancient Indian scriptures define Dharma as a set of preferred working principles for human life—principles that apply universally, without reference to:

religion race caste community nation geography

These duties are not optional moral ideas.

They are fundamental requirements for being human.

The Foremost Dharma of Every Human Being

In Sanatan Dharma the primary Dharma for all humans is defined through five universal duties.

These principles form the very foundation of a civilized and conscious human life:

o Truthfulness - Always speaking the truth and align actions with truth.
o Non-violence towards the innocent - not killing or tormenting innocent living beings—this includes humans, animals, birds, insects, flora, and fauna.
(The emphasis is on the word “innocent.”)
o Not-stealing -  not to take even the smallest object or property that belongs to another.
o Sexual discipline - not to engage in sexual relationships before marriage, and after marriage, remaining loyal to one’s partner.
o Non-covetousness - not to seize, manipulate, or unjustly acquire what belongs to others.

These are not religious commandments. They are the core principles of being human.

Each of these duties will be explained in detail further on this page, revealing how Dharma functions not as belief—but as the operating system of human life.

The Second Dharma

The second Dharma that has been defined is following of naturally endowed one of the four major intelligences as mentioned on the page

Varna & Jati.

These are the intelligences of being a Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra.

These intelligences have been defined as basic primary intelligence in a person as also the Dharma of a person, or duty of a person to follow own intelligence.

A person is required to follow his or her own inbuilt calling for a particular path out of the four to make a living. 

A person is otherwise free to follow any of the four, but if it does not match with the inbuilt instinct, the person will face problems.

Following the rightful inbuilt bent of mind is a person’s Dharma.

In scriptures it has been specified explicitly that Varna is NOT based on parentage, but on inbuilt intelligence by birth.

The Third Dharma

The third Dharma has been defined as – ‘Swadharma’ or a person’s own Dharma.

Every human being by birth is endowed with one major skill using which the person can earn a living.

This has been explained in detail in the page on the undermentioned pages.

This is the skill which one can use to earn a living.

This is a person’s ‘Swadharma’ or a person’s individual Dharma.  

Just Following
Own Natural Intelligence
One Can Achieve
Perfection in Karma

According to Shrimad Bhagwad Gita

 बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते।
तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्।।२.५०।।

By working with intelligence, you should discard both good and bad karma. And using such occupational intelligence you can achieve perfection in karma. 2.50.

Over here Bhagwan Krishna is telling something which is very profound and of immense knowledge.

If we are trying to perform ‘good’ Karma or pious Karma and ‘bad’ Karma, we as humans will continue in this cycle of birth and death endlessly.

There is no end to this. But what we need to understand is that if we start to perform Karma according to our ‘inherent’ or ‘inbuilt’ natural intelligence then that will open the doors to Moksha or Salvation.

Karma Performed According to Own Intelligence
Also Leads to Salvation

कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः।
जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम्।।२.५१।।

Because revered sages by performing Karma within this yoga of occupational intelligence do attain moksha and get rid of the cycle of birth and death without any distress. 2.51.

Bhagwan Krishna is giving the examples of revered sages who got rid of the cycle of birth and death by working on this concept and principle.

यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति।
तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च।।२.५२।।

When your intelligence crosses the dense forest of attachment at that time you will become detached to all that has been heard and will be heard in future. 2.52.

So, in this manner when your intelligence is no longer attracted by such attractions of money, wealth, lust etc. and is focused upon the primary inherent intelligence, then your intelligence is working according to the plans of the grand nature or the God Almighty.

Because it is the nature which has given to you that intelligence for a specific purpose.

Note that in all these verses the word ‘buddhi’ has been used repeatedly by Bhagwan Krishna. ‘Buddhi’ literally means the intellect of a person.

स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः।
स्वकर्मनिरतः सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति तच्छृणु।।१८.४५।।

Keeping engaged in own Karmas, mankind can attain the supreme destination of God, how engaged in self Karma one attains the destination, listen to this. 18.45.

HE further elaborates upon the concept and says that if humans, in this manner, continue in life working with such Karma, they are sure to achieve the supreme destination or Salvation.

Dharma of Others Not Better Than Following Own Intelligence

श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्।
स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्।।१८.४७।।

Even properly instituted Dharma of others is not better than own Dharma, meaning Own Dharma is better than Dharma of others because performing Dharma which comes to a person naturally, one does not get into problems. 18.47.

Dharma here points to the intelligence that a person has since birth.

Further over here He thus proclaims that actions performed in such a manner by a human is his true Dharma. More important, from a common perspective, someone else’s ‘Dharma’ (intelligence) may look very lucrative as that ‘Dharma’ is also creating lot of wealth, but then following own ‘Dharma’ or naturally assigned intelligence is better than following intelligence which has been naturally assigned to others.

And the reason is that working according to intelligence which comes naturally to a person, a person will not get into problems in life.

सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत्।
सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः।।१८.४८।।

Just as fire brings smoke with it, all Dharmas (intelligences) have their own faults and therefore one must not relinquish own Dharma even if there is fault in it. 18.48.

Thus, all such intelligences and Karma performed according to those intelligences have their own pros and cons.

At first glance another person’s occupation or profession may look very nice and lucrative, but when one gets into the nitty gritty of that profession then one gets to understand the cons in that line of activity.

For example, on the face of it running a business may look and sound very lucrative as just a lot of money is visible inside any business. But getting into business, arranging funds, developing a line of products, developing manufacturing and marketing systems, developing systems of money management and creating a cycle of generation of money etc. requires a lot of thinking in that direction as a businessman.

So, before getting into any kind of business start-up one must assess as to whether the basic intelligence of running a business is there in your own intellect or not?

असक्तबुद्धिः सर्वत्र जितात्मा विगतस्पृहः।
नैष्कर्म्यसिद्धिं परमां संन्यासेनाधिगच्छति।।१८.४९।।

The one whose intelligence is not attached to anything, who has control over his own self, who is not competing with anyone, he according to Sankhyayog is superior most and achieves the perfection of Karma without attachments. 18.49.

This verse again is with lot of profundity. He says that in this manner if one has control over his own intelligence, if one is not competing with anyone by trying to prove own superiority, such a person is of superior intellect, and he achieves perfection in Karma.

Dharma therefore is Following a Set of Principles Dharma also therefore needs to be followed as a principle in life and thus forms one of the foundations of Sanatan Dharma or Hindu religion.

Dharma has, therefore, been defined as a set of duties related to a person’s naturally endowed intelligence and the work that a person does according to that naturally endowed intelligence.

Dharma as defined in ancient Indian texts, is nowhere related to believing or praying to deities or begging from the Gods in Sanatan Hindu Dharma.

That just working in life according to these principles and capabilities of own intelligence, performing Karma in this manner is so powerful that it opens the doors to Salvation.

Following this foundational principle leads to further correction and enhancement of human intelligence.