Ancient
sages of Bharata Varsha had no doubts that the fundamental basis of life on
earth must be based on what they defined as Dharma. In composing the great epic
Mahabharata, Ved Vyasa was very eloquent in appealing to this concept as the
very core value and fountainhead from which all other values issue. There is no
adequate translation of the word Dharma into English. However an attempt will
be made to explore this concept that has served as the beacon of hope guiding
the lives of Hindus over millennia.
The popular Hindu dictum Dharmo rakshati
rakshitaha (Dharma protects those who protect it) has two implications
in its statement. The first one is easier to understand: Dharmo rakshati,
meaning that Dharma offers protection. If we choose to live a life guided by
the principles of Dharma, then we are assured of that protection. This
understanding is ingrained in our thinking from childhood as one grows up in
India.
How convenient it would have been if the phrase
contained only the first part: Dharmo rakshati. It would be a simple statement
analogous to saying parents love children. It would be a clear one-way street.
My lecture in that case would also be a lot shorter! But it is not so!
The other part of the phrase is: rakshitaha.
This part brings us into the action. Why was this coined? That we human beings
need protection is understandable. But rakshithaha implies that the concept
itself needs protection too. This is interesting as it conveys the need to
protect the very concept whose protection we are seeking. Dharma will protect
you if you protect it. Now it is an equation. Thus long ago it appears there
was this recognition that we cannot simply take it for granted that Dharma will
reign supreme always and that there is no danger to it. Therefore a duty is
imposed on those who seek such protection from Dharma, and that duty is to take
care that this wonderful governing concept of life is not in any jeopardy.
I believe that this assessment is correct
because, it is naïve to think that Dharma can never be in danger. All our
puraanaas, the epics, and a host of related literature in Sanskrit as well as
vernacular languages are full of episodes in which the world fell into danger
because of serious encroaches upon this concept. We have learned that a key
measure of the wellbeing of a society is not the supremacy of Dharma but indeed
the balance between Dharma and its opposite known as Adharma. Thus the question
is not if Dharma is violated but the extent to which it may be. To safeguard
this balance and ensure a tip in favor of Dharma requires constant care and a
certain level of vigilance. By that I, most certainly, do not mean vigilantes
roaming the streets keeping a watchful eye on those who violate Dharma and
taking them to task! Vigilance, not in regard to what others may or may not do
to tip that balance, but what we as individuals do to practice Dharma. So the
watch is over ourselves - to see how we behave in the course of each day as we
perform our duties, interact with others, serve ourselves, our family, our
town, our society, our country and our world. We must therefore look inwards
and examine our lives through the lens of Dharma.
When a large number of people in a society
violate Dharma, then the society as a whole is in danger resulting in major
upheaval. This was the state of affairs that led to the Mahabharata war. The
power of Adharma can be such that even the strong adherents to Dharma may be
tempted to give up and throw in the towel as it were. This was indeed the case
with the warrior Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. As you know Krishna
needed to remind Arjuna of the principles of Kshaatra Dharma that required
Arjuna to perform his duty on the battlefield. It is therefore necessary for us
to be on guard to prevent the unbalance from becoming so predominant that the
future of an entire society may be at stake.
If this concept Dharma is so vital, then we need
to understand what it means. However there is much difficulty in that regard.
There just isn’t a one word equivalent in the English language that adequately
covers the meaning of this concept. Even in Sanskrit some cryptic statements
are made regarding Dharma that are not all that helpful but shed some light as
to how our ancestors viewed this concept.
Consider for example the following:
Dharmena heenaha
pashubbhih samaanaha
The one devoid of
Dharma is an animal
Ahimsaa paramo dharmaha
Nonviolence is the supreme Dharma
Yattho dhrmasthattho jayaha
Where there is Dharma, there is victory
And the
most celebrated lamentation of Vyasa at the very end of the epic:
Oorddhva
baahurviromyesha na kashchit shrnothi me
Dharmaath artthasha kaamascha kim na sevyati?
I throw up my hands and
shout:
From Dharma come wealth and love; Why doesn't anybody listen?
All
these, eloquent as they are, don’t quite define what Dharma is. So what do we
do? We look at it from a variety of viewpoints and see if we can grasp the
enormity of the scope of its meaning. It is like a beautiful diamond. From
different angles it presents different views and perspectives, each beautiful
in its own way and each just short of a total description of its beauty. Dharma
is also like that.
There are hundreds of instances where
opportunity presents itself for subtle and not so subtle hints in regard to
Dharma. So we look again in the Mahabharata and in particular revisit the
fascinating episode known as Yaksha Prashna (See my book Yaksha Prashna: A
Hindu Primer, Periplus Books, released by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,
Bangalore, 2002). When the Yaksha restores the life of the "dead"
brothers he asks Yudhishitira why he chose Nakula when given the choice of only
one brother to be brought back to life. Yudhishtira answers "Dharmo rakshati
rakshitaha." Yudhishtira's logic, based on Dharma, is that at least
one son of Maadri should be alive as he, the son of Kunti, would.
The most central and core concept of Hindu
philosophy is Dharma. All other principles and values flow from this beautiful
fountain of Dharma. The word Dharma is formed from the root dhr and
literally means to hold, sustain and maintain a thing in its being. There is no
accurate translation of the word into English but we may have a glimpse of its
vast scope by translating Dharma as right action, right conduct, virtue, moral
law, etc. Every form of life, every group of people has its Dharma, which is
the law of its being. Dharma or virtue is conformity with the truth of things;
adharma or vice is opposition to it.
Further discussion of this concept must be based
on the perceived need to have Dharma as a basis upon which to live a meaningful
life. Here we must acknowledge two realities. One is the inevitability of evil
and injustice in our world and the other is the need to obtain victory over
evil. Victory in this context is general and includes what we all do our utmost
to gain: victory to our side, of our plans, projects, ideas or interests. The
concept of Dharma need not necessarily be tied to the belief that goodness will
always triumph in the end. However since victory must be on the side of Dharma
in any final analysis, we need to develop a better feel for this concept.
Additional definitions of Dharma include
"any matter enjoined by the Vedas with a view to attain any useful
purpose", "belief in the conservation of moral values", " a
mode of life or a code of conduct which regulate a man's work and activities as
a member of society and as an individual to bring about his gradual development
and enable him to reach what was deemed to be the goal of human
existence", "that which holds a thing together, makes it what it is,
prevents it from breaking up and changing into something else ..., its
fundamental attribute, its essential nature, the law of its being ...", "the
code of life based on Vedas, the due observance of which leads to happiness
here and hereafter", that scheme or code of laws which bind together human
beings in the bonds of mutual rights and duties, of causes-and-consequences of
actions arising out of their temperamental characters, in relation to each
other and society etc. (For a detailed discussion of these definitions and
related discussion see " On the Meaning of the Mahabharata" by
V.S. Sukhtankar, The Asiatic Society of Bombay, 1957, pp 79-83).
That the concept is difficult, subtle and defies
easy grasp becomes clear in the Mahabharata where the patriarch Bhishma is
challenged often to offer an explanation. In reply to a question by
Yudhisthira, Bhishma, after explaining the difficulties in the way of defining
it, gave some rules by which Dharma may partly be known. Dharma, says Bhishma,
was ordained for the advancement and growth of all creatures; therefore that
which leads to advancement and growth is Dharma. Dharma was ordained for
restricting creatures from injuring one another; therefore that which prevents
injury to creatures is Dharma. Dharma is so called because it upholds all
creatures; therefore that is Dharma which is capable of upholding all
creatures.
Another question pertains to the status of
Draupadi following after the dice game: Did Yudhishtira have a right to stake
her in the game after he had staked and lost himself. It was so difficult a
question that even Bhishma, the recognized authority on the subject, when
pointedly challenged by Draupadi, confessed in the open assembly his inability
to decide the issue. It was a real dilemma, an insolvable problem:
na dharmasaukshmyaat
subhage vivektutm shaknomi te prasnam imam yatthaavat;
"I am unable to answer your question because Dharma is subtle"
Sukhtankar
reminds us that our epic poets are in fact never tired of reminding us
thatDharma is subtle (sukshmam) because its essence is concealed in a dark
cavern (dharmasya tattvam nihitath guhaayaam). According to Sukhtankar,
"the most complete and detailed information on these and allied matters is
necessary if one is to act so as not to infringe the provisions of Dharma in
order to lead a blameless life, as indeed he must if he desires victory - lasting
victory, final victory, and that too not only on the field of ordinary battle
but in the battle of life.
We need to keep in view all these aspects about
Dharma, not only to guide our own lives, but in the course of raising our
children. Bringing up a child means inculcating in the child a variety of
guidelines through which he or she will develop a sense to distinguish a
dhaarmic act from its opposite. Beyond that, an individual may be able to
define the boundaries of Dharma through interactions, discussions, reading of
the scriptures, the great epics, legends, mythologies, history, drama and a
wide variety of stories heard throughout the formative years. These experiences
help constitute personal measures and yardsticks that an individual may use in
making decisions throughout a lifetime. In a sense this forms the individual's
conscience and it is perhaps the only available light that guides individual
actions. There are no other readily available manuals that can serve to
distinguish our actions.
Aristotle had a similar idea. He said " A
good citizen is one, who acts in accordance with the laws of the state. A good
man is one who acts in accordance with the principles of virtue. It is likely
that on occasion the laws of state may not be in accordance with the principles
of virtue. In such situations, the good man will not act in accordance with
them but a good citizen will have to act in accordance with them. In the best
state, however, laws will be in accordance with the principles of virtue and so
there would be no distinction between a good man and a good citizen." But
what do we do when there is in fact a clear difference between these laws? i.e.
the laws of state and dhaarmic laws? In such cases there is a conflict in our
minds. Such was the case when M. K. Gandhi was asked to vacate his seat on a
train in South Africa because he was not a white man. Such was the case when
Rosa Parks was asked to vacate a seat on a bus merely because her skin color
was black. Such was the case when Abraham Lincoln agonized over the need to go
to war to preserve the Union. Such was the case when Robert McNamara, in the
presence of clear evidence in regard to the futility of war in Vietnam,
nevertheless endorsed the same. There are hundreds of such situations in which
each of us face conflicts. Our conscience alone is the true guide that helps us
to choose. The consequences of decisions may sometimes be of historical
significance affecting millions of people and changing the course of history.
Gandhi, Parks and Lincoln took risks and chose what most would agree was a
dhaarmic path. Robert McNamara, according to his own admission, did not. In all
these cases the course of history did change and the effects of decisions made
by these individuals are still being felt. That is precisely the reason to
train our conscience in Dharma so that we may, when called on, have the benefit
of guidance at crucial times.
The concept of Dharma encompasses all aspects of
our lives. Even political philosophies can issue out of principles based on
Dharma. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who was widely believed to have been a
non-religious and scientific type, wrote in the introduction to a book (Socialism
in Indian Planning, by Srimannarayan Agarwal): " In India it is important
for us to profit by modern technical processes and increase our production in
agriculture and industry. But, in doing so, we must not forget that the
essential objective to be aimed at is the qualityof the individual
and the concept of Dharma underlying it."
Dharma is the first of four personal aims to be
realized or striven for during the course of one's lifetime known as chaturvidha
phala purushaartha i.e. Dharma, artha, kaama andmoksha. Artha
implies wealth, prosperity, reputation or fame, etc. Kama implies sensory and
aesthetic fulfillment. Moksha is liberation and salvation. So the Hindu says
that it is one's obligation to practice Artha and Kaama with Dharma as the
foundation so that the primary object of reaching salvation and a release from
cycles of birth may be obtained. Clearly happiness, prosperity, and the good
life are considered to be legitimate human experiences as long as they are
within the framework of Dharma. If moksha is our goal, the ancient Hindus said,
then by all means participate fully in the affairs of society, raise a family,
enjoy the good life, serve the community ... all within the framework known as
Dharma.
Thus Dharma is the very core of Hindu code of
behavior and Hindu view of life which according to Dr. Radhakrishnan is
"an attempt to discover the ideal possibilities of human life".
REMEMBER THE SAYING: Dharmo rakshati
rakshitah
MAY DHARMA PROTECT YOU!
AND MAY YOU GUARD DHARM
Source: avsrinivasan
