SanÃÂtanë (Devanagari: ) is an endonym for Hindus. The word SanÃÂtanë is coined from SanÃÂtana Dharma (), an endonym for Hinduism. A SanÃÂtanë performs duties in accordance with their Svadharma, or one's own inherent nature and prescribed duty, which involves fulfilling responsibilities based on individual capacity and one's unique role within society. Ultimately, this is rooted in the realisation of the spiritual, or constitutional, identity of the atman (Self). These eternal duties are universal in essence. They encompass virtues such as honesty, non-violence, purity, charity, goodwill, compassion, patience, forbearance, self-restraint, generosity, and asceticism.
Since many reformist groups had the word Samaj (meaning society) or were led by a Sant (meaning saint), SanÃÂtanë are often held to be in contrast with Samajists and Santpanthis (meaning those who walk on the panth/path shown by their sant/saint). Unlike South India, where religious traditions such as Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism form the principal Hindu denominations, "they were effectively subsumed under the Sanatani identity" in many regions of North India, and the Samajs and Santpanths became the other distinct Hindu denominations.
Reformist denominations such as the Arya Samaj are often fundamentalist in their approach. The Arya Samaj regards the Vedas as infallible scripture, and rejects what it regards as non-Vedic innovations in SanÃÂtanë Hinduism. These non-Vedic additions included inherited caste, the position of Brahmins as a revered group, idol-worship, and the addition of thousands of deities to the Sanatani Hindu pantheon.
These differences are often apparent in social practices. Arya Samaji weddings, for instance, are based on Vedic practice and tend to be simpler and shorter with a qualified individual of any caste-heritage conducting the wedding, whereas Sanatani weddings are longer, with more complex rituals pertaining to regional variations.
Sanatanis and reformists (such as the Arya Samaj, the Radha Soamis and the Ramakrishna Mission) have competed for adherents for more than a century, sometimes creating deep schisms in Hindu society, as in the case of South African Hindus who were split between the Arya Samaj and Sanatanis. While the reformist groups were better organised initially, by the 1860s, a process of internal counter-reform was underway in Sanatani groups as well, and societies to propagate orthodox beliefs along modern lines emerged, such as Sanatan Dharm Rakshini Sabha in 1873. Some religious commentators have compared the Sanatani-Samaji dichotomy within Hinduism as similar to the Catholic-Protestant division in Christianity.