From: sri
Dharma is a very elusive and elastic term. Etymologically derived from the Sanskrit dhr, meaning to hold or to support, it has come to mean many things to many people. Few other words in the literatures of the world are filled with such depth in meaning and fewer still have been the cause of so much misunderstanding and conflict.
What is dharma? Does it have any central idea that correlates the multifarious meanings that are derived from it? Is there any universal Dharma? What is my dharma and how do I know it?—such are the questions that Hindus face when they make conscious attempts to understand the role of dharma in their lives. There are at least three ways in which the great edifice of dharma can be approached
Dharma as Duty
We human beings are naturally social, so society plays a vital role in our growth and evolution. Just as we derive assistance and benefit from the society in which we live, we feel compelled to give something in return as our contribution for the upkeep and maintenance of society. This is our dharma toward society: it assumes the form of duty on the social plane.
Indian thinkers recognized this necessity of give-and-take between the individual and the society ages ago. The result was the formation of four groups (varnas) each with a specific duty (varna-dharma). The brâhmana had the duty to study and teach scriptures and keep religious traditions alive through ritual and worship. The kshatriya had the duty to protect the people from enemies and to maintain peace and order in society through good administration. The vaishya had the duty to produce wealth through agriculture and trade. The shudra had the duty to provide labor for the collective needs of the society. As in most social systems, the division of duties was never perfectly executed and the system was abused through greed for power and privilege. There was no hierarchy implicit in the system but, again in common with societies everywhere, the sense of "higher" and "lower" did emerge eventually and produce social disharmony.
Another four divisions marked the stages through which all human beings pass: the student-stage (brahmacharya), the married-stage (gârhasthya), the retirement-stage (vanaprastha), and the hermit-stage (sannyâsa). Each stage of life (âshrama) had a specific duty (âshrama-dharma) to perform. Firm adherence to one's varna-dharma and âshrama-dharma was considered indispensable for every member of the society. Whenever this sense of dharma as duty began to slacken and crumble, unrighteousness (adharma) became inevitable. The duties of each varna and âshrama have been codified in books that are collectively called Dharma-sutras and Dharma-smritis.
In modern times, the system has undergone changes inevitable under the sway of rapidly changing patterns of society. The broad outlines, though, have remained intact in the midst of the whirling flux. Dharma as duty, as understood today, is the obligation every citizen has toward other members of society in which he or she functions. This is codified to a large extent by the political constitution of every country. In ancient times, the focus was on the idea of "duty." While recent decades have shifted the emphasis from "duties" to "rights," there has not been equal attention given to the duties that attend those rights. No right comes without a duty in its train. The neglect of dharma as duty is the principal cause of all the social ills in the world today. An unhealthy society can nurture only unhealthy individuals with no aspiration to lead a healthy ethical life.
Dharma as Virtue
This brings us to another way the edifice of dharma can be approached, the way of ethics (from Greek ethos, "character"). Dharma now takes the form of virtue. Hindu scriptures recognize two types of dharma: generic (sâdhârana) and specific (visesha, also known as svadharma). Dharma as duty is the svadharma of a person according to his or her stage in life and vocation in society; it is specific for every person. But dharma as virtue is universal in scope and eternal in nature; hence it is generic. The Indian tradition enumerates quite a number of virtues each person should cultivate: non-injury (ahimsâ), forbearance (kshamâ or kshânti), sense-control (indriya-nigraha), compassion (dayâ), charity (dâna), purity (saucha), truthfulness (satya), austerity (tapas), to mention only a few.
In the Christian tradition, virtues are conventionally enumerated as seven. These are divided into two groups: natural and theological. The former (also called the four cardinal virtues) comprise prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice, and are common endowment of humanity. The theological virtues are three: faith, hope, and charity or love. It is said that the theological virtues—faith, hope and love—do not originate in human beings; these are imparted by God through Christ and are then exercised by the believer. St. Paul has distinguished these as specifically "Christian virtues."
Western philosophers too have given much thought to ethics. Essentially, ethics is a study of conduct. The highest philosophy, said Socrates, is the knowledge of good and evil, the knowledge of the wisdom of life. "What is virtue?" was the fundamental question which preoccupied Socrates. According to Spinoza, the foundation of virtue is no other than the effort to "maintain our being" and happiness consists in our ability to do so.
How to maintain one's being? By listening to the voice of conscience that seeks expression in our hearts when our souls become animated with higher ideals in life and we begin to ponder on the deeper questions related to our existence. When that happens, our journey on the path of virtue becomes more meaningful. Does the voice of conscience speak the same language in every heart? Yes, it does, but it often gets colored by the bent of our minds and the limitations in our understanding. And these apparent differences manifest as diverse religious faiths in the world.
Dharma as Religion
One of the most potent forces that have bound people to one another in a close of bond of love and fraternity is that of religion. The identification of the category of "religion" with dharma is of relatively recent origin. Nonetheless, this is the third dimension of dharma, appearing in diverse forms as Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and a host of other faiths. Each of these is a dharma because, etymologically speaking, every one of these supports or upholds the people belonging to it by showing them a path toward higher self-fulfillment.
The Hindu scriptures say that the paths can be many but the goal is one and the same. In fact, they go a step further and claim that there is only one path which appears to be many. The differences among religions, they say, are only the external incrustations; remove them, and the inner core of every religion will be astonishingly similar to that of every other. The externals—rites and rituals, dogmas and mythologies—are the nonessentials; while the spirit within is the only essential element. The nonessentials have a role to play too; but that becomes significant and valid only when the inner spirit is kept intact and given its due recognition. It is this "spirit" that is one, declare the Vedas: ekam sad viprâ bahudhâ vadanti, "Truth is one, though called by diverse names." Recognition and pursuit of this Truth is the real dharma of every individual. This is, in fact, the sanatana dharma, "religion eternal," because it is true for all time and for all people.
All hatred for religions other than one's own springs from the ignorance of this basic truth. We have the nonessentials of our religion arrayed against the nonessentials of every other. The rites and rituals are bound to be different in every society in accordance with the customs and traditions in which they take birth. If everyone in the world realized the eternal element in their religion, we would be spared much conflict, bloodshed, hatred, and vilification that occurs in the name of religion. While this may seem to be an innocuous position to take, it must be admitted that there is no clear agreement as regards what the inner core of religion is or even whether there is a common inner core shared by all religions.
Really speaking, dharma as religion goes beyond the conventional meaning of the word "religion." Dharma is neither a set of beliefs nor a collection of doctrines, dogmas and rituals. These are, in the words of Swami Vivekananda, "secondary details." According to him, religion is realization. It is "the manifestation of divinity already within us…. It is being and becoming, not hearing and acknowledging." What a great blessing dharma becomes when understood and pursued in this spirit!
Dharma as Law
Dharma as duty, dharma as virtue, and dharma as religion are three dimensions of dharma, and all of these are included in a higher dimension: dharma as law. The most ancient concept of law in the Vedas is represented by the word rtam, which is the regulating principle of the universe in the form of a supremely transcendental law. Rtam stands for the cosmic order which governs the universe. In the post-Vedic period, the concept of dharma took the place of rtam.
Dharma as duty is the law operating on the social plane, ensuring stability and harmony in society. Dharma as virtue is the law that operates on the moral plane, showing the way towards inner harmony and peace. Dharma as religion is the law that deals with the spiritual faculties within us, showing us how we can orient them toward the ultimate goal of human life and attain perfection. Dharma as law covers and controls the entire gamut of human existence.
If dharma stands for transcendental law controlling every phenomenon in the universe, can it ever be violated? This is merely stating differently the ancient debate between the concepts of free will and predestination. Are we free to break this law or something beyond our control forces us to follow it? Duryodhana's words in the Pândava Gitâ raise serious questions: "I know what is dharma, yet I feel no inclination to follow it; I know what is adharma, yet I cannot desist from it. I do everything as some Being seated in my heart directs me to do."
The role of karma in the evolution of an individual demands attention as well. According to the theory of karma, we should not overlook the effects of our past actions (karmaphala) on our present experience and the influence of our mental impressions (samskâras) on our present thoughts and actions. We read in the Gita (3.33) of our natural tendencies (prakrti), which are acquired through past actions, controlling us in spite of all our seeming efforts to resist them.
And yet there is something in all of us that keeps whispering in the innermost chamber of the heart: "You are free, you are free." It is in response to this inner calling that we aspire to lead a higher life in tune with the cosmic rhythm, in harmony with dharma, the transcendental law. Dharma is a mighty river flowing toward the ultimate goal of life, towards complete self-fulfillment. Those who swim with the current reach the goal easily. Others have to suffer much until they learn to change their direction and methods.
The secret of life is to understand this great cosmic law and, having understood it, to abide by it. To the extent that we are able to do so, we protect ourselves; to the extent we go against the law, we undermine ourselves and come to grief. This is what Manu proclaims: dharma eva hato hanti, dharmo rakshati rakshitah, tasmâd dharma na hantavyah, "If dharma is violated, everything is destroyed. If dharma is protected, everything is protected. So dharma should not be violated." Hindu mythology is replete with stories that drive home this truth. The history of civilization also testifies to it.
Dharma Today
The pace with which the world today is moving with its growing complexities is alarming. What is even more alarming is our utter ignorance of where this rapid pace is taking us. The contemporary world wears a new look, thanks to science with its technological advancement and mastery over the physical world and its laws. In spite of gaining control over the physical laws, dharma as law has remained undiscovered and uncared for.
Unless and until we make conscious effort to be in tune with the cosmic law, all the glories and achievements will lead us nowhere. Dharma alone can restore to us the peace and happiness that we seek. All talk of world peace is meaningless until we learn to find peace within ourselves. The unrest outside in the world is only a reflection and a natural outcome of the unrest inside the human heart.
What is necessary is the proper understanding of dharma in its three-fold aspect: duty, virtue, and religion. Every one of us ought to be conscious of our duties toward our fellow beings, towards our country, and towards the world in general. Secondly, there should be a positive aspiration to lead an ethical life, cultivating more and more virtues, and discarding, with an effort of will, the vices and evils that have somehow become associated with the human experience. Finally, a correct understanding of religion—free from all narrow, bigoted and fanatical ideas—should be developed, and a cosmic outlook should be cultivated. While a firm adherence to one's own faith tradition and its practices is essential, a sympathetic understanding and broad acceptance of the truth of every other faith is no less desirable.
A comprehensive understanding of these three aspects of dharma as the law regulating the universe and maintaining cosmic order would be helpful today. The Hindu mythological tradition represents symbolically the waning strength and stability of dharma as a majestic bull which stood firm on four legs in the golden age (satya yuga); lost a leg in the succeeding treta yuga; lost another in the dvâpara yuga; and is tottering now on a single leg during the present kali yuga. It is now up to us to strengthen and nourish this bull—and, who knows, he may then decide to stand on all fours once again.
Dimensions of Dharma
First published in the Vedanta Kesari (December 1984), this essay was revised in 2006 for the inaugural edition of Svadharma, a journal of the Hindu students organization, "Dharma," at Harvard
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