Dharma | Explained

Dharma is a simple word in Hindu Philosophy and often beyond what meets the eye as the common characterization is of good Vs bad or Right Vs Wrong. Is it?

Dharma is derived from the Sanskrit meaning “that which sustains, supports, upholds”. Dictionaries give several meanings as religion, devotion, morality, righteous, virtue and many more. It is therefore very difficult to pin it to one. Or is it?

Dharma is usually associated with religion but it includes morals & ethics. It embraces all righteous actions that support and sustain harmonious function of the society.

Dharma protects and ensures the well-being of humanity. What becomes apparent is that it has to be beneficial to the larger good and not just to self. History shows that society is sustained by Dharma and society breaks when there is Adharma.

In the Mahabharata, Bhishma explains the scope and meaning of Dharma. He says “It is very difficult to define Dharma. It is that which helps in the advancement of all living beings”

Manu Shastra was a little more specific where it uses 10 words as attributes of Dharma — fortitude, forbearance, self-restraint, non-stealing, purity, sense-control, discrimination, wisdom, truthfulness and absence of anger.

So then what is Adharma? — violence, theft, non-consensual sexual activities, absurdity, ill-talk, caustic, and denial of morality.

Vedanta considers Dharma as the basic foundation of spirituality, a pre-requisite for liberation & Moksh (liberation from re-birth & suffering).

My own personal view, if you want to remember one thing we all could do to follow Dharma is — being compassionate — and if we had a large mass of people doing this, we would be in a Dharmic society