Some of the meanings of the word dharma include righteousness, ethics, religious teachings, or responsibilities. It can refer to the spiritual path one follows or the duties one must follow in society. It can mean the Truth (note the capital T).
Dharma is one of the four “Aims of Life,” along with work (artha), pleasure (kama), and seeking liberation (moksha). In this context, dharma is “righteousness” or “morality.” In this context, dharma is the set of rules, obligations, and duties that keep society ordered. Those who went against this order, those who disrupted society for selfish desires, were said to exemplify adharma – “unrighteousness.”
Dharma as Law
The earliest occurrences of the term in the Vedas indicate the idea of dharma as conveying a sense of harmony and order. As an ethical concept it held that what was right to do depended on one’s identity. One must act in accord with one’s age, gender, and social class. For example, in youth one studies before becoming a householder in adulthood. In old age, or upon becoming a grandfather, one ought retire to pass the time in study and meditation.
The duties of men were distinct from those of women in traditional India. In particular, patriarchal social mores held that a woman was to be under the protection of a male: her father when young, her husband when married, her sons if widowed.
The different social classes (varna) had different obligations as well. The brahmans were expected to maintain Vedic knowledge: they performed rites and recited Vedic hymns. The kshatriyas were the ruling class, expected to maintain order and defend society from threat. The vaishyas were the merchant class. Collectively, these three classes were considered “twice-born,” as one of the duties they performed was to study the Vedas and to patronize Vedic rites. Each of these classes had different ritual responsibilities.
Below these three classes were the shudras, the serving class. The shudra was forbidden to recite or hear the Vedas recited. Moreover, the Dharmashastra (“Texts on Dharma”) typically prescribed harsher punishments for shudras committing offenses than for the higher classes.
Dharma in Action
The Hindu classic Bhagavad-Gita illustrates best how one ought to understand dharma as an ethic for action. On the eve of battle, the warrior Arjuna dreads going to war for the grief it will cause. He turns to Krishna for advice.
One of the key teachings Krishna offers him is the idea of performing his duty selflessly: "In action alone is your claim / never to its fruits at all.ever should the fruit of action be your motive / never let there be attachment in your inactivity. (2.42)
One should not think about what reward one will get from their actions. One should focus instead on the action itself. Detached action is the ideal that is preached here, without developing an attachment to what one gets out of a situation.
Arjuna’s duty as a warrior is to fight, not to hang back from war. Even the motive of avoiding suffering, noble as it may seem, is an attachment, because it is done as a desire not to grieve. Instead, by focusing on duty, one should act without regret or grasping for a desired outcome. Only then will Arjuna find peace.
Dharma as Truth
Finally, one must note the use of the term sanatana dharma, a term best translated as the “eternal truth.” This is the idea that there is one ultimate truth, one goal all religions aim to express.
The various religions of the world express this Truth differently, however. They give it different names, instruct followers to worship in different ways. All religions are valid, however, as they all represent this Truth as best they can. What distinguishes Hinduism, then, is the acceptance of this fact, and the allowance that there are many approaches to the Truth.
Sources:
- San.Beck.org
- Flood, Gavin. An Introduction to Hinduism. (Foundation Books: 2004).
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