The 3 cornerstones of Sanatana dharma:
Satyam: Truthfulness. Speak the truth. This is easier said than done. We often say simple, unthinking untruths. Speak only what is truth. Still, there may conflict between satyam and dharma. There are times when we may need to lie, maybe to save someone life. For the most part, dharma dictates. Don’t violate dharma to be so adherent to satyam. See the action within its context. The world is not black and white–there is gray. In Mahabaratha no one but Krishna is perfect but the imperfect people speak to the complexities in life and they are equally illuminating.
Another layer of satyam is lying. Lying is stressful. Lies lead to more lies; it becomes difficult to keep all the lies straight. Nobody is perfect–admit mistakes and set yourself free.
Still another layer is the truth will come out no matter how deep it is buried. We cannot stay away from our true nature.
Another layer is living up to our intellectual convictions. Our inner self and external self should match. Freedom Fighters were true to their satyam and dharma–they had conviction and didn’t rest until they achieved it. Tremendous satyam. If we can live up to our one ideal, that is great and admirable. Highest layer of satyam is truth which is the self. Atman is that which is true and changeless.
Brahmacarya is to walk in Brahma which is to walk in divinity. This means to live in moderation. This is often falsely misinterpreted as as celibacy. Brahmacarya is managing our senses; literally we need to control our sense organs. Don’t be concerned with what others wear, what they are saying. Don’t eat rushed, walking around or mindlessly. Don’t constantly check your phone or be incapable of sitting still. Don’t deny the senses but don’t indulge. Enjoy intelligently.
Ahimsa is nonviolence. The first layer of ahimsa is action, the way we conduct ourselves. Mahabaratha is not ahimsa–it’s dharma. We need to honor dharma. Self-defense is dharma. We need to protect ourselves.Dharma takes priority.
The second layer is words. Speech can be full of hate, anger, jealousy. Avoiding violent speech is ahimsa.
The next layer is thoughts. Don’t think negatively about persons or things. Let God and karma handle a problem person. It’s the hardest thing to maintain ahimsa thoughts.
Regarding meat eating: In life, one thing will always be food for another. Small fish are food for bigger fish. But the least amount of violence we can cause is the right course of action.
Q: Eating meat is in vedas (?)
A: Vedas talks about animal sacrifice. But we should do the least harm, be most humane to animals.
Q: Is there a connection between all three values?
A: Ideals are the thread between all three values.