WHAT IS THE TRUE MEANING OF WORD 'DHARMA'?

[Guest guest]

According to the following given true meaning of the word DHARMA we all humans including Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, etc. are having only one DHARMA i.e. Humanitarians. Please try to understand the meaning of Word DHARMA

 

Dr.Y.C.Zala

 

 

WHAT IS THE TRUE MEANING OF WORD 'DHARMA'?

 

1. Origin and meaning

The word Righteousness (Dharma) has been used by various holy texts with various connotations. To be able to comprehend the pervasiveness of this word some of its important derivations and meanings are elucidated below.

1.1 In the context of society

1. '`धृ धारयति' means to bear, to support. The word dharma (धरà¥à¤®) has been derived from the 'धरति लोकानॠधà¥à¤°à¤¿à¤¯à¤¤à¥‡ पà¥à¤£à¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¤à¥à¤®à¤­à¤¿: इति वा' means Righteousness (Dharma) is that which sustains the people or that which is adopted by meritorious souls.

2. धारणातॠधरà¥à¤®à¤‚ इतà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¹à¥à¤°à¥à¤§à¤°à¥à¤®à¥‹ धारयती पà¥à¤°à¤œà¤¾: । - महाभारत १२.१०९.११

Meaning : Righteousness is that which nurtures the subjects and in turn the society. - Mahabharat 12.109.11

3. धारणादà¥à¤§à¤°à¥à¤®à¤®à¤¿à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¹à¥à¤°à¥à¤§à¤°à¥à¤®à¥‡à¤£ विधृता: पà¥à¤°à¤œà¤¾: । यसà¥à¤®à¤¾à¤¦à¥à¤§à¤¾à¤°à¤¯à¤¤à¥‡ सरà¥à¤µà¤‚ तà¥à¤°à¥ˆà¤²à¥‹à¤•à¥à¤¯à¤‚ सचराचरमॠ।। - रामायण ७.५९

Meaning: Since it nurtures (dharana) it acquired the name of Dharma (Righteousness). Subjects are borne through Righteousness. Consequently the entire universe containing the three regions is supported by Righteousness. - Ramayan 7.59

4. 'The Indian (Bharatiya) Aryans established the system of the four classes (chaturvarnya), duties in the four stages of life (ashrams), the institution of marriage, system of inheritance, etc. to stabilise society. All this together constitutes Righteousness.' (1)

5. लोकयातà¥à¤°à¤¾à¤°à¥à¤¥à¤®à¥‡à¤µà¥‡à¤¹ धरà¥à¤®à¤¸à¥à¤¯ नियम: कृत: ।। - महाभारत १२.२५९.५

Meaning : The aim of establishing a code of Righteousness is to facilitate social transactions. - Mahabharat 12.259.5

6. The basic nature of all living beings is to live collectively because this favours both procuring food and protection. Grass, trees, etc. all take birth and grow in groups; hence the earth is called sanghamitra or sanghi, an assembly of animate and inanimate creation. The earth, rainfall, lightning, etc. all exist in a group. The sun accompanies its solar system (suryakula). The body too is the union of several particles. In short different people form a group and a group consists of several individuals. 'Jagadguru Shri Shankaracharya has referred to living in a group as the Great Illusion (Maya). If there is no harmony of the individual with the group then his existence is endangered. The rules framed to enable the group to live collectively are known as the code of Righteousness (Dharma). Although thoughts, respiration, food habits, etc. of each one vary, the framing of rules to sustain an organisation, e.g. not setting the hut on fire to prevent those residing in it from becoming homeless, is known as adhishthan. Adhishthan is a kind of spiritual practice.

'Desire to live in a group is the natural tendency of man. The physical and spiritual needs of man are fulfilled because of this very tendency. Thus a group can influence an individual profoundly and that is precisely why it can be firmly stated that Righteousness is based mainly on social principles.' (2) Righteousness is concerned with the entire society and by observing it society becomes righteous.

1.2 In the context of an individual

1. य: साधà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¤à¥ अभà¥à¤¯à¥à¤¦à¤¯: नि:शà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤¯à¤¸ धरà¥à¤®: ।

Meaning : That by virtue of which one is uplifted both in the worldly and spiritual aspects of life by means of which man acquires the ultimate spiritual evolution, that is the Final Liberation (Moksha) is known as Righteousness.

2. पà¥à¤°à¤­à¤µà¤¾à¤°à¥à¤¥à¤¾à¤¯ भूतानां धरà¥à¤®à¤ªà¥à¤°à¤µà¤šà¤¨à¤‚ कृतमॠ। य: सà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¤à¥à¤ªà¥à¤°à¤­à¤µà¤¸à¤‚यà¥à¤•à¥à¤¤: स धरà¥à¤® इति निशà¥à¤°à¥à¤šà¤¯: ।। - महाभारत १२.१०९.१०

Meaning : The sole aim with which Righteousness is advocated is to bring about the evolution of living beings. A doctrine preaches that that which is able to bring about evolution is Righteousness. - Mahabharat 12.109.10

3. 'The special famous feature of Righteousness quoted by Kanad (in the Vaisheshik Sutras 1.12) is -

यतोभà¥à¤¯à¥à¤¦à¤¯à¤¨à¤¿:शà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤¯à¤¸à¤¸à¤¿à¤¦à¥à¤§à¤¿: स धरà¥à¤®: ।

Meaning : Righteousness is that by means of which one acquires prosperity and the ultimate upliftment.

Benefaction (abhyuday) includes materialistic prosperity, spiritual happiness and the practices to attain them. The state wherein prosperity is more than unhappiness is known as abhyuday. The Final Liberation, the eternal or the supreme goal is termed as the ultimate upliftment (nihishreyas). The state in which one does not aspire to acquire anything or is always content is known as the ultimate evolution. The practices by means of which these two targets are achieved is Righteousness (Dharma).

4. Sage Jaimini (in His holy text the Jaimini Sutra 1.1.2) describes the features of Righteousness as -

चोदनालकà¥à¤·à¤£à¥‹à¤°à¥à¤¥à¥‹ धरà¥à¤®: ।

Meaning : The act of realising the meaning of what is beneficial to oneself by preaching, obedience or performing rituals is known as Righteousness.

The meaning of the word chodana is inspiration. Inspiration is of two types - verbal emotion and meaningful emotion. Verbal emotion implies to the commanding energy behind the words. Human or divine speech (vani) tells one to perform or not to perform a certain act. This speech is superior to that of an average person. It reassures the vanquishing of obstacles and acquisition of beneficial results and also threatens with punishment if disobeyed. According to the authors of the Mimansa such commanding speech bestowing inspiration is nothing but the Veda itself. This inspiration energy, which is a verbal emotion, exists only in Vedic words. Meaningful emotion refers to the tendency generated from the emotion that by doing a certain act one will be benefitted. One can call dedication a meaningful emotion. This

emotion is present in righteous individuals.

5. All religions state that deciding the ideal behaviour is not within the purview of the human intellect but can only be done by a divine supernatural energy. The acquisition of beneficial results and overcoming obstacles in this birth and in the life beyond, itself are blessings. All scriptures proclaim that if one does not acquire benefits in this world through the pursuit of Righteousness then one will certainly acquire them in the subtle world.' (3)

6. 'Righteousness (Dharma) is a crafty means of liberating man from the ignorance (illusion of raja-tama components) in which he is trapped with the help of the same ignorance (sattva component).' - H.H. Kane Maharaj, Narayangaon, Maharashtra

7. 'In the Brahman holy texts the meaning of the word Dharma is the Righteousness according to the stage of life (ashramdharma) as is understood from the quote ''trayo dharmaskandhaha (तà¥à¤°à¤¯à¥‹ धरà¥à¤®à¤¸à¤•à¤¨à¤§à¤¾: ....)" from the Upanishads. It also means the duties allotted to or accepted by an individual according to the system of classes and the stages of life (varnashram).' (4)

8. 'Dharma in Aryan society refers to the rights, duties and responsibilities of an individual belonging to a specific class (varna) and in a specific state.

In famous quotes such as ''Speak the truth and observe Righteousness (Dharma)" from the Taittiriya Upanishad (1.11) which preach to a student, this is the very meaning with which the word is used.

शà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤¯à¤¾à¤¨à¥à¤¸à¥à¤µà¤§à¤°à¥à¤®à¥‹ विगà¥à¤£: परधरà¥à¤®à¤¾à¤¤à¥à¤¸à¥à¤µà¤¨à¥à¤·à¥à¤ à¤¿à¤¤à¤¾à¤¤à¥ । सà¥à¤µà¤§à¤°à¥à¤®à¥‡ निधनं शà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤¯: परधरà¥à¤®à¥‹ भयावह: ।। - शà¥à¤°à¥€ महाभारत ६.२७.३५

Meaning : One's own code of Righteousness is superior even if it be faulty in comparison to another's code of Righteousness which may be easier to adopt. It is better to embrace death while observing one's own code of Righteousness because danger lies in the acceptance of another's code of Righteousness. - Shri Mahabharat 6.27.35

In this well known verse (shloka) too the word Dharma is used with the same meaning.

The word Dharma is used with the same connotation in spiritual literature. The Manusmruti (1.2) states that the sages requested Manu to teach them the code of Righteousness of all the classes (varna). In the Yadnyavalkyasmruti (1.1) Dharma is used with the same meaning.' (5)

1.3 In relation to both the society and the individual

1. जगत: सà¥à¤¥à¤¿à¤¤à¤¿à¤•à¤¾à¤°à¤£à¤‚ पà¥à¤°à¤¾à¤£à¤¿à¤¨à¤¾à¤‚ साकà¥à¤·à¤¾à¤¤à¥ अभà¥à¤¯à¥à¤¦à¤¯à¤¨à¤¿:शà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤¯à¤¸ हेतà¥à¤°à¥à¤¯: स धरà¥à¤®: । - शà¥à¤°à¥€ शंकराचारà¥à¤¯

Meaning : Righteousness is that which accomplishes the three tasks of keeping the social system in an excellent condition, bringing about the worldly progress of every living being and causing progress in the spiritual realm as well. - Shri Shankaracharya

2. 'According to authors of the scriptures the word ''Righteousness" is not simply defined as a sect but it also incorporates the actions that an individual should perform and the restrictions that he has to observe for the sake of his individual progress and that of society of which he is a part and parcel.' (6)

1.4 Some lopsided definitions

'अहिंसा परमो धरà¥à¤®:' meaning non-violence is the supreme form of Righteousness (Mahabharat 13.115.13), 'आनृशंसà¥à¤¯à¤‚ परो धरà¥à¤®:' meaning that compassion itself is ultimate Righteousness (Mahabharat 3.373.76), 'आचार: परमो धरà¥à¤®:' meaning good conduct is the supreme Righteousness (Manusmruti 1.108) are some examples of lopsided definitions.

Reference:

'Righteousness (Dharma)', published by Sanatan Sanstha.

Your Mail works best with the New Optimized IE8. Get it NOW!.