The concept of “Dharma” – my reflections

In my earlier blog-post I talked about the purpose of life and the Dharma being the foundation for everything that we should be doing in the life. Today I will talk about the meaning of the term Dharma as understood by me.

Considerable confusion existed in my mind about the difference between the term Religion and the word Dharma. Some understanding that I developed: There is no synonymous term to the word Religion in the Eastern Languages. Religion as we understand is a western concept. The term Dharma is all about the guidelines and the code of conduct that a person is expected to follow. These guidelines as articulated by our ancient seers are for various stages of life. Really speaking these guidelines are the frame work for the way of life.

I am not an expert on religions, however from what I understand similar guidelines or the philosophical foundations exist in all the religions. These religions do differ from each other on superfluous plains – dress codes, symbol, rituals, food habits etc. However the foundational philosophical tenets are very similar in all the religions. Many of the religions that have survived and blossomed for several centuries, these  would not have been in existence if they were fundamentally against building a sound social fabric and code of ethics and conduct that are close to human values. Human beings are same all over the world and they are glued on to very similar human values.

Dharma to me is a way of life and not some religious dictate:

Dharma to me is all about the righteous behavior that we are expected to exhibit. This is all about the norms, the purity of life. Dharma can be described by many people in many different ways. For me it simply means: Sat-sang, Sat karma, Sat bhavana and Sat vichar. Let me illustrate my understanding of these terms:

1.    Sat-sang: Ensuring we always remain in the company of wise / good people from whom we can learn and get guided. Sat means truth, pure, clean. This term therefore tells us to avoid the company of wrong / evil people who can make negative impact on us. This is all about right associations. Ask yourself – Are you always associated with good human beings who are positive, who have good character and those who are value creators. Refer to my first blog on Pearls of wisdom.

2.    Sat-bhavana: This is all about ensuring we always have pure heart and complete absence of evil within us. Bhavana is all about imaginations, sentiments, feelings, fancies, susceptibilities. These have to be pure.

3.    Sat-vichar: This is all about purity of thoughts that are not evil, not negative. It is believed that thoughts are as powerful or may be more powerful than the actions. If we are full of negative thoughts our actions will also become negative.

4.    Sat-karma: This is all about good deeds, the work that is aimed at larger good, the one that is aimed at helping the society, needy and the one that has no malice or selfish interests. It is all about selfless virtuous actions.

Dharma is all about duties:

The term Dharma is all also about the duties that arise from the four ashrams. Some of the duties also come to us from the roles we perform or the profession to which we belong to, for example if I am a teacher, it is my dharma to ensure right efforts are made in a self-less fashion to create and disseminate knowledge in such a way that my students are benefited. No compromises are expected in this process. It is all about putting in the heart and soul and endeavor to excel. Dharma also deals with ethics, moralities, truthfulness, etc. 

Dharma is all about repaying the five debts:

 

Dharma also deals with the duties and the same are illustrated thru the concept of debts in the Indian Philosophy. The debts that we need to repay while we live are illustrated below. These Runas or debts also indicate the purpose of our life.

Type of Debt or Runa	How to repay the debt?
Rishi Runa: Debt from the learned. They are the Gurus, the scientists, the spiritual leaders, the researchers, the thinkers. They gave us wisdom and knowledge.	Lifelong learning with an open mind. Financially or thru service - help / support institutions of learning. Create new knowledge, challenge and rediscover, invent. Sharing is critical.  Aim at becoming a coach / teacher for those who need the knowledge – share what you know.
Dev Runa: Debt from the Devatas. In Hindu way of life a Devata is not the creator or God as understood by the western thought. God is Param Atma or the Bramhan. The Devatwa is a pravrutti or tendency. Those who are divine, do good work for humanity are considered as Deva-swarup or God like, and are therefore called Devas.	How to repay their debt?  Actions that support  / nurtures the work of good human beings. Help, be compassionate, love & support the needy. Become the source of motivation and joy to the depressed. This also includes service & support to the people who are like God. In short become like a Devata or become like God.
Pitru Runa: Debt from ancestors, elders, and parents. They gave us the culture, education & everything that we have including the physical body.	Ensure respect & care for the elders. Nurture & protect the heritage - culture, traditions & arts. Find the meaning behind everything, reject what is not right and relevant at a point of time and accept what is right and relevant. Pass on the heritage to the next generation – ensure continuity.
Bhut Runa: Debt from nature. Focus is on the environment – both living and non-living. In this term Hindu way of life looks at all the elements of nature and environment as Devatas. We worship Warun-dev, Agni-dev, Sun, moon and planets. We also worship animals who are useful to human beings.	Learn to live in harmony with the nature. Use it to the minimum, conserve and nurture. This Debt is all about environmental protection and conservation of flora, fauna and the related areas.
Samaj Runa: Debt from society. Social systems & governance are necessary for human survival. They provide support system, security, education, & means of livelihood. They ensure social fabric. Some examples: cultural centres, charitable institutions, Government institutions, industries that create an engine for prosperity, employment and growth etc.	Find opportunities to contribute to social causes - financially & thru service. Uphold & champion legal & social framework necessary to maintain & improve society. Ensure material pursuits, create new economic engines, lead / support social reforms, work for weaker sections & be a champion for their rights. This is also about becoming excellent citizens of the society where we live in.

It will therefore be seen that Dharma becomes the foundation for the life. Dharma acts as a regulator. All our actions in the life have to be guided by the fundamental principles of Dharma. Our pursuits of Kama and Artha have to be in the framework of Dharma.

Readers may refer to my first blog on “Pearls of Wisdom”. These pearls or guidelines or the frame work, has no religious connotation, it is all about the “code of conduct” that I articulated and I am urging my children to follow. To me that is like Dharma.

My next blog will deal with the concept of "Kama". This will be published in next 3/4 days.

Disclaimer: The images in this blog post are downloaded from Google images