This is one of the most common questions asked by people trying to understand Sanatan Dharma.
And the answer often comes as a surprise.
Sanatan Dharma has no single founder.
Unlike belief systems that originate from one prophet, teacher, or historical event, Sanatan Dharma is not the creation of an individual. It is a body of wisdom that evolved over thousands of years through observation, inquiry, experience, and realization.
The word Sanatan means eternal — that which has always existed and will continue to exist. Sanatan Dharma refers to universal principles that govern life, consciousness, nature, and truth. These principles were not invented; they were discovered.
Why Sanatan Dharma Has No Founder
Sanatan Dharma did not begin as an organized religion.
It emerged from humanity’s deepest questions:
Who am I?
What is the nature of reality?
Why do we suffer?
What is right action?
What is liberation?
The answers to these questions were not dictated by a single authority. They were realized through direct experience and inner exploration.
This is why Sanatan Dharma does not trace its origins to one historical figure.
The Role of the Rishis
The earliest contributors to Sanatan Dharma were sages known as Rishis.
The Rishis were not founders in the modern sense. They were seers — individuals who explored consciousness through meditation, discipline, and self-inquiry. What they perceived was shared orally across generations.
These realizations later formed the foundation of the Vedas, the oldest spiritual texts associated with Sanatan Dharma. Among them, the Rigveda is considered one of the oldest surviving texts of human ci
