What is dharma?
The basic question needs an answer in a simplified language. Let us understand dharma.
Salvatore Babones recently tweeted this question: What is dharma? The Jaggi made clever retorts but did not answer the question. I thought this question deserved a proper answer.
Why that question needs an answer?
Firstly, there are many wrong associations with the word “dharma”. For instance, it is wrongly associated with religion. And there are discussions about it that one may refer to.
Secondly, many answers related to the concept of dharma as it appears in dharmic philosophy. Yes, dharma is one of four main principles of dharmic life (arth, kama and moksha being others). Yes, dharma can be partly considered moral values, but not quite. Yes, dharma means duty, but also not quite. Yes, dharma also means law, but not quite. Consider many such answers as a Venn diagram circle that does not overlap with the dharma circle. If you consider them all at once, too, you will not complete the concept of dharma.
Thirdly, the word itself derives from the Sanskrit root “dhri” meaning hold up, support or preserve. That represents the effect of dharma, not the meaning.
Finally, dharma is an Indian concept. It is eternal. It is like an immutable law. It is an Indian concept used in Buddhism and other Indic religions. The Buddha does not introduce it. The Buddha has commented upon it. Buddhism is also under Sanatan Dharma.
The complicated answer.
First a disclaimer. This is an attempt to answer. So please read the whole thing. A better understanding with come by learning the examples.
Dharma is a system based on duties.
The western world is based on rights, dharma is based on duties. In other words, it describes what your duty to others is. The word duty is used loosely. The exact meaning changes with context.
Duty to whom
There exists a duty to every other thing in the universe. You have a duty towards the universe, planet, country, city, non-living and living things, parents, teachers, children, wife, body, mind, self and everything. These duties are arranged in hierarchies of importance. The importance and relevance of these duties change depending upon circumstances.
Consider these examples:
If there is a risky situation, an adult must fight to protect, say, two children. But if there is no adult, then the older child will have to fight to protect the younger one. So the dharma of the older child has changed because, in one case, there was someone to protect her, while in the other, she had to protect someone else.
It is your dharma not to harm anyone. But if someone attacks you, your dharma changes. Now it is your dharma to inflict upon your attacker a proportionate response.
When a warrior takes advice from a learned person, say a sage, it is his dharma to obey the sage’s advice. But when the warrior is protecting the sage, the sage must obey the warrior’s instructions.
Dharma applies to all things - it is the lion’s dharma to feed himself by hunting other animals. It is the dharma of other animals to escape from the lion.
Most epics and philosophers discuss how the dharma changes under various circumstances, how a person must read the situation and change her actions following her dharma.
Dharma says more your capabilities more your duties
As per dharma, your duties increase as your physical capability, financial capacity and knowledge increase. This makes sense as it leans on the person who can bear the burden.
What about your rights
The general principle, as per Sanatan Dharma, is that when you address all your dharmic duties, then you claim your rights. I am simplifying this too much. It depends upon the circumstances.
Dharma and your actions
Once you understand your dharma in a particular situation, you can choose how to act.
You will have the most favourable outcome if your action is according to dharma. This is the standard of “I did my best” per Sanatan Dharma. Sometimes your best may not be good enough. Say, you could not outrun the lion, and the lion ate you. This is certainly not the best outcome, but that is your destiny.
An action that is not according to dharma but not against dharma will lead to consequences later. Consider how Peter Parker let the crook go, and that fellow shot his Uncle Ben. You cannot escape consequences. There are ways to reduce consequences that involve correcting your actions - this is ONE aspect of prayaschit.
If your action is AGAINST dharma, then it will become someone’s dharma to destroy you.
You can act above and beyond your dharma in certain situations. You are then rewarded with good fortune and blessings. For example, in Mahabharat, Bhishma went above and beyond his duties defined by dharma towards his father and his nation.
If you do not understand your dharma
The goal of personal growth is to understand your dharma.
If you do not understand your dharma, your consequences are reduced to that extent. But the consequences are not eliminated just because you did not understand your dharma. Merely your perception of them is different.
The more you know and understand your dharma, MORE are your responsibilities. Your rights come after you have fulfilled your dharmic duties.
There is a story in the Mahabharat about Yudhisthir. Yudhisthir was called “dharma raj” because his understanding of dharma was beyond compare. Yudhisthir hears a case where four people - a farmer, a trader, a soldier and a teacher together committed a murder. Yudhisthir sentences the farmer to the least punishment, the trader gets a little more, the soldier gets even more, and the teacher gets the maximum. Yudhisthir says the farmer was least aware of his dharma; he acted on instruction, so he got the least sentence. Trader acted based on self-interest so he gets more. It was the dharma of the soldier to protect the lives of people - but instead, he killed the person - so he gets even more. The teacher was well-versed in the knowledge of dharma, and therefore, his crime was most severe.
The Bhagwat Geeta is an analysis of the hierarchy of dharma. Arjun cannot understand how it is his dharma to kill his opponents when he sees his teachers, the Great Bhishma, his brothers and others. Arjun wonders how should he evaluate his dharma towards his family and towards truth. He wonders if he gives up and saves his family and those who stand opposite him, will it lead to peace? He wonders if peace is better than truth. And Sri Krishna answers all these questions in detail.
In Ramayan, Bharat asks Shri Ram if it is right that Shri Ram goes into exile as per the demands of Bharat’s mom (who is Ram’s stepmom). Bharat asks Shri Ram what is Shri Ram’s dharma towards his stepmom v towards his country. Bharat asks himself what is his own dharma towards his country, towards Shri Ram and his own mother.
Context is everything
To understand your dharma, you must know your situation correctly. You must analyse it dispassionately. You alone know your dharma since no other person can know your situation and the context.
In Sum
Dharma is a duty-based system better than a rights-based system. For most of the rights, there exists a duty on someone else so that you satisfy your right. If you want food, someone must have grown it. As society grows, people expect more rights. Duty based system eliminates this problem.
What is dharma is a very deep question. The epics do a fantastic job is expounding how to understand dharma in various scenarios. There are various commentaries about the hierarchy of dharmic duties and how it changes. These are too profound questions for someone like me.
The dharmic concepts are what Rajiv Malhotra calls “Sanskrit non-translatable”. So please note that the English words do not exactly represent the idea of dharma.
In answering this question, I have used simplified language. Many people will say I have simplified it too much. Some people will object to the simplification and comparison with western concepts. To all such people, I apologize. I hope to do better. I am merely a traveller in search of my dharma.
Some Comments:
It is essential to understand specific points:
Western world vs faith/RELIGIONS are two different interpretations.
Comparing Sanatan Dharma with religious faith/RELIGIONS is a bad idea. Most faiths/RELIGIONS can be compared to faith systems within Sanatan Dharma. Christianity and Islam indeed have duties. These duties can be compared and found equivalent to duties included within the faith system of Sanatan Dharma.
Sanatan Dharma is much more than faith systems.
Dharma is not duties imposed within faith systems of Sanatan Dharma. It is much more than that.
Dharma IS the dharohar of Hindus. Since most people understand western concepts, let me explain in western examples.
Jupiter was not CREATED by Galileo, but he is the discoverer and is credited for it. Santan Dharma is not like Jupiter. But if it was, Hindus get credit for its discovery.
Einstein did not CREATE atomic realities - he CREATED the theory to explain what happens, and it works till now. Einstein is credited for it. Santan Dharma is more like Einstein's theory of relativity. It was CREATED by Hindus to understand the realities of human society. To that end, Sanatan Dharma is credited to Hindus.
It is indeed our dharohar.
Ah, this is very good. It is ancient wisdom. It is not modern as it sees the “duty” of the individual central to being. As a Christian, I believe something similar. Faith is not a ticket to heaven’s benefits in this life. It is rather how we understand our relationship to God, to one another, to creation, and to oneself. For in living by faith we discover how God related to us. This revelation is a wisdom that revels our purpose which is our duty to live.
Great article.
Dharma is contextual and fluid. Our Ithihasa Puranas have examples of the same. Thank you again.