• 1. Certification of Righteousness (Dharma)
  • 1.1 What is certification (praman)?
  • 1.2 Authority of the scriptures (shastrapraman) and rationalism (buddhipraman)
  • 1.3 Types
• 2. Righteousness and the importance of India
• 3. Righteousness (Dharma) and culture
  • 3.1 Main special features of Indian (Bharatiya) culture
  • 3.2 Some other features of Indian culture
• 4. Righteousness (Dharma) and ethics (niti)
• 5. Deterioration of Righteousness (Dharma) and incarnations

‘It is a principle from the Darshans. It is defined as “प्रमीयते अनेन इति” meaning that from which the ultimate and absolute experience originates is called certification [praman (प्रमाण)]. The other definition of certification is “प्रमाकरणं प्रमाणम्.” meaning the most useful tool to acquire knowledge is an authority. All Indian philosophers following the Darshans have accepted the doctrine that absolute experience depends on certification or rather the fulfillment of absolute experience depends on certification.’⁽¹⁾

‘Realising the actual nature of an object is called absolute (samyak) knowledge and it is known as prama. This is not possible with the intellect. Besides what appears appropriate to one’s intellect may not appear to another’s. The third may partly agree or disagree and the fourth may interpret it in an altogether different fashion; hence rationalism is not appropriate.’
तस्.माच्.छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्.यवस्.थितौ ।। - महाभारत ६.४०.२४
Meaning: (Lord Shrikrushna says) O Arjun, to determine which is good action and which is not you will have to use the scriptures as the authority. - Mahabharat 6.40.24

‘The four axioms (praman) of Righteousness (Dharma) that Manu describes are -

• वेद: स्.मृति: सदाचार: स्.वस्.य च प्रियमात्.मन: ।
  एतच्.चतुर्विधं प्राहु: साक्षात्. धर्मस्.य लक्षणम्. ।। - मनुस्.मृति २.१२
  Meaning: The Vedas, the Smrutis, righteous conduct and that which is pleasing to one’s mind (antahkaran) are the four types of features (axioms) of Righteousness. - Manusmruti 2.12
• वेदोखिलं धर्ममूलं स्.मृतिशीले च व्.दितीयम्. ।
  आचारश्चैव साधूनामात्.मन: तुष्.टिरेव च ।। - मनुस्.मृति २.६
  Meaning: The Vedas, the Smrutis, righteous conduct and self-contentment constitute the basis of the axiom of Righteousness. - Manusmruti 2.6

Here the first position is accorded to the Vedas. The Smrutis which are not contradictory to the Vedas are the second axiom of Righteousness. The third axiom of Righteousness is the wise one who displays righteous conduct in accordance with the Vedas or Shrutis and the Smrutis. The wise one who is chaste and righteous in accordance with the Shrutis and Smrutis (refer nos. C, D and E below) and the thoughts with which he is inspired from within (refer no. F) constitutes the fourth axiom of Righteousness.’⁽²⁾
A. The Vedas (Shrutis): The Vedas being divine and not written by man, they constitute the first axiom of Righteousness.
B. The Smrutis: Since the Smrutis are a translation of the Vedas they too serve as a means to determine Righteousness.
‘Of the two epics, the Ramayan and the Mahabharat specially in the latter, elaboration of Righteousness is done in different instances. Such quotations from the Mahabharat are accepted as axioms of the authenticity of the Smrutis by the authors of holy texts in the period following the Mahabharat.’⁽³⁾
C. The selfless followers of logic (tarkashastra)

‘अनाज्ञाते दशावरै: शिष्.टैरूहवद्.भिरलुब्.धै: प्रशस्.तं कार्यम्. ।
चत्.वारश्चतुर्णां पारगा वेदानां प्रागुत्तमास्त्रय आश्रमिण:
पृथक्. धर्मविदस्त्रय: एतान्. दशावरान्. परिषदित्.याचक्षते ।
असम्.भवे त्.वेतेषां श्रोत्रियो वेदविद्. शिष्.टो विप्रतिपत्तौ यदाह,
यतोऽयं प्रभवो भूतानां हिंसानुग्रहयोगेषु ।। - गौतम स्.मृति २९

Meaning: Between the Shrutis and the Smrutis which are incomprehensible so as to know which is righteous or not, one should select what is acceptable to ten (or more than ten), selfless followers of logic and those having righteous conduct. A conference constitutes four people who are well versed in each of the four Vedas, three very evolved people, one each from the three stages of life (ashrams) viz. a celibate, a householder and a retired householder and three learned men well versed in religious scriptures. If even they are not available then in case of doubt one should listen to one well versed in the Vedas, one having a righteous conduct and a follower of the Vedas. - Gautam Smruti 29’⁽⁴⁾


Full article: http://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism...the-world.html