Dharma - Duty or Religion

[Guest guest]

Dear Learned Members,

 

Been planning to ask this query since long time, does Dharma mean

Duty or Religion

 

Also if Dharma is Duty -can it be stretched to what is intrinsically

right or doing things with absolute Truth/Reality in mind.

 

This was asked in reference to AK in diff padas

 

AK in diff padas

1st pada-dharma

2nd pada-artha

3rd pada-kama

4th pada-moksha

 

 

Artha - does it mean materialistic

Kama - does it mean sex or does it mean desires and attachments.

 

 

Best wishes

 

Sunil John

Mumbai

 

 

> >

[Guest guest]

Dear Sunil,

Dharma is more inclusive than religion, though religion is also part of it. You

are right in a way, Dharma does mean duty and the nature of duty depends on

the context. So when related to following what is intrinsically right, and

doing things with absoulte truth it mean Religion as we understand it.The word

"Dharma" is also used to define nature of things in a different context.

About Artha and Kama, it is necessary to understand what is reffered to as

Purushartha. This can. for lack of better expressions in english language,be

defined as duties one should perform to make the birth as a human being

meaningful.

Four pillars of Purushartha are Dharma Artha Kama and Moksha. If you look at

them , you will find that they have a particular order. Dharma(Duty and

religious duties) start at birth, Artha when one grows up and must earn a

livelyhood, Kama when he is adult and must procreate so that the species

survives followed by Moksha which is( or at least should be) the ultimate goal

of every living being. Being part of one's duties there is nothing

materialistic or Desires or sex in a base sense.

Other worthies might hold different views,

Chandrashekhar.

jjnet2000_in

[jjnet2000_in ]Sunday, August 31, 2003 11:48 AMTo:

vedic astrologySubject: [vedic astrology] Dharma - Duty or

ReligionDear Learned Members,Been planning to ask this query since long time,

does Dharma mean Duty or ReligionAlso if Dharma is Duty -can it be stretched to

what is intrinsically right or doing things with absolute Truth/Reality in

mind.This was asked in reference to AK in diff padasAK in diff padas1st

pada-dharma2nd pada-artha3rd pada-kama4th pada-mokshaArtha - does it mean

materialisticKama - does it mean sex or does it mean desires and

attachments.Best wishesSunil JohnMumbai> > Archives:

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