‘Dharma’ has an important place in Indian Culture. In an ordinary way the Hindi word ‘Dharma’ means religion. But religion gives a very narrow meaning of the word Dharma. Dharma as it was used in ancient India and is viewed by Indian Culture does not mean religion, is not concerned with a particular faith, system of worship or religious rituals or attitude towards God and life. It is not concerned with any particular sect. ‘Dharma’ in ancient India was used to point out duties and obligations of men, justice, moral values, right or wrong, laws of nature, righteousness, religious virtues etc. For example, it was Raj Dharma to protect the people, maintain law and order, protect the social order. In the same way it was the Dharma of a Brahmin to learn and teach Vedas and perform all rites and Vedic rituals, and also to be pure in his behaviour or conduct. In grihastha ashram it was the Dharma of a man to work and earn livelihood for the support of his family. It was the Dharma of a Kshatriya or warrior to practise with arms and protect and people.
Meaning of Dharma
The term ‘Dharma’ has been used in a very broad sense in Indian Culture. It does not mean religion which is considered to be equivalent to Dharma and is commonly used. Religion gives a very narrow sense as compared to Dharma. In Indian culture and political system of ancient India the word ‘Dharma’ was used in a very broad sense and it conveyed many meanings like duty, ethics, obligation, justice, religious merits, righteousness etc.
Thus dharma stands mainly for duty or obligation to do something which was just and right or not to do something which was undesirable, harmful or against moral traditions. It was not meant to convey a particular sect, a particular faith or a particular way of worship or particular attitude towards God and life. It was associated with the obligations of all the members of the society particularly the Brahmins and the king.
Sources of Dharma
The term ‘Dharma’ emerged and was used in the vedic period. It was the Dharma of the Brahmins to perform all religious rituals concerning the household, the rituals which were considered to be essentials for every household for the welfare and betterment of the family and the society. It was also the Dharma of the Brahmins to be pure in their action and behaviour, to follow certain rules of ethics while performing the rituals.
Whatever rituals or principles of ‘Dharma’ are pointed out by the Dharma Shastras they are related to legislation and judicial conduct as well. On the basis of Dharma many laws were enacted during British India and even today these rules or principles have their influence on law making and judicial decisions.
Characteristics of Dharma
Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru has said in his book ‘Discovery of India’ that the old inclusive term for religion in India was ‘Arya Dharma.’ Dharma really means something more than religion. It is from a root word which means ‘to hold together’…It is an ethical concept which includes the moral code, the righteousness and the whole range of man’s duties and responsibilities. Arya Dharma would include all the faiths (vedic or non-vedic) that originated in India. It was used by Buddhists and Jains as well as by those who accepted the Vedas.
On the basis of Vedas, Upanishads and other books we find the following main characteristics of Dharma :
- The word ‘Dharma’ of Indian Culture is untranslatable in any other language because in western language we find no word which can express full and exact sense of Dharma.
- Dharma does not mean any sect based on particular faith, belief in God or any particular worship system.
- The term ‘Dharma’ originated in the vedic period in India and its sources are Vedas, religious merits, righteousness and includes all of them. Thus it is a wide concept.
- The term ‘Dharma’ originated in the vedic period in India and its sources are Vedas, Traditions and good customs of virtuous and learned sages and conscience of the man.
- The concept of Dharma is a multi-dimensional concept and has religious, political and social aspects.
- Dharma is linked with the varna system and caste system, characteristics of Indian Society. A man is required to perform his Dharma or obligation is accordance with his varna or class and caste.
- Dharma is linked with the four ashrams or stages or stages of life of a man—brahamcharya ashram, grihastha ashram, vanprastha ashram and sanyas ashram. Dharma of an individual changes with the change in his life stage.
- Dharma lays emphasis upon the duties and responsibilities of the people and not upon their rights. If all perform their Dharma well, all get their rights automatically.
- Dharma is linked with general behaviour of individuals and his personal habits like cleanliness, sanitation, civic consciousness, courteous and polite ways, good behaviour.
- Dharma is not universal in all respects. It could be different for men and women.
- Dharma refers to the highest virtue and spiritual efforts. A very significant characteristic of Dharma is the inclusion of the spiritual purpose of life within its ambit.
- Dharma is a network of diversified but interrelated duties. It is a composite word which expresses righteousness, duty, lawfulness and rightful claims.
- Dharma, in a situation of contradictory principles, has to be defined by the individual himself on the basic principle of welfare of all or that the welfare of the larger groups must take precedence over the welfare of a smaller group.
Various Aspects of Sharma
The term ‘Dharma’ was in the beginning used for the performance of vedic rituals by the Brahmins. Later it was used for the performance of obligations by the king and the people as well. Thus it has various aspects. Spellman says, “Dharma has religious, political and social implications.”
Religious Aspect of Dharma
The term Dharma was originally used for the performance of rituals by the Brahmins. It was Dharma of the Brahmin class which was at the top of hierarchical structure of Indian society to learn and recite Vedas and perform religious or social rituals which were supposed to be performed by the householders for the appeasement of God, prosperity of the family and the attainment of Moksha.
Brahmins performed those rituals as prescribed by Vedas and other religious books and were paid for the by the householders. The Indian society was divided into four classes—Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaish and Shudra. The last class was to serve the first three classes and was not allowed to learn, listen and recite vedas. Later on the task of learning and reciting vedas was left as the exclusive Dharma of the Brahmins. Thus they performed all rituals of the householders. It was also the Dharma of Brahmins to adopt moral behaviour and purity in their conduct. Thus Dharma is an all-encompassing ideology which embraces both rituals and moral behaviour. Concept of purity is also very important in Indian culture and Dharma requires regular purification of body by pure water. Thus originally the term Dharma was used with religious aspect only.
Political Aspect of Dharma
The term ‘Dharma’ is associated with the kingship and thus has its political aspect as well. Vedas, Upanishads, Manusmriti, Arthashastra etc. have highlighted the ‘Raj Dharma’. It was the Raj Dharma which put a check on the arbitrary use of power of the king or his absolute authority. Dharma Sashtras have put emphasis on the performance of various obligations and duties by the king inspite of the fact that kingship was considered a divine institution possessing absolute power. Dharma was the controlling agency on the absolute kingship and he was under obligation to rule with the advice and help of his ministers or some advisory council.
The political aspect of ‘Dharma’ is strengthened by the following facts:
Dharma literature points out about the main functions of the king or rajdharma which are (i) protection of the people, (ii) maintenance of social order through the control of caste boundaries, and (iii) the administration of justice.
Manusmriti throws light on the obligations of the king, administration of justice and other aspects of statecraft in detail.
It says that king has been created by God to protect the people and maintenance of varna structure and the four stages of life.
Though the authority of the king is absolute since he is a divine creation yet he is bound by Rajdharma and will always abide by his Dharma or obligation.
It is the obligation of the king to take strict action against unsocial elements, provide peace and security to the people so that they may have sense of security and to ensure their prosperity.
It is the Dharma of the king to treat his subjects as a father treats his children.
It is the duty of the king to appoint only able persons as ministers who are well versed in the knowledge of Vedas and life style.
It is obligatory on the part of the king to run the administration and exercise authority on the advice of his ministers.
It is the duty of the king to appoint able persons as judges and provide for administration of justice. Manu has stressed upon the concept of danda which creates fear among the people and is responsible for the maintenance of law and order in the society as well as the whole world.
Manusmriti places the king in the position of an ordinary man if he commits a crime. In that he is also liable to appear before the judges and can the punished.
Social Aspect of Dharma
The term dharma has its social aspect as well. It has been an important concept that pervaded all classes of Hindu society. Dharma throws light on the obligations and responsibilities of all the four classes of the society and also on the duties and obligations of the people living in various stages of life like brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprashtha and sanyas. Dharma of a bachelor is different from that of a grihastha or vanaprasthi. A person’s obligations towards society were based upon two main concerns : (i) the class and caste to which he belonged and (ii) his age or the ashram he is leading.
Class System and Dharma
Vedic society was divided into four classes : (i) Brahmins, (ii) Kshatriyas (iii) Vaish and (iv) Shudras. Functions of all these classes were definite and defined. It was the Dharma of a person to perform his obligations belonging to the people of that class. Brahmin class was at top in hierarchical structure of society. Dharma of the Brahmin has been explained under the religious aspect of Dharma. Kshatriyas were the warrior class and their Dharma was to practise arms and protect the people. Vaish were under obligation to manage agriculture, tend cattle, money lending and carry on trade. The fourth class was supposed to serve the first three classes and do all menial works and practise art. It was the foremost Dharma of the king to protect people and maintain social order based upon class or caste boundaries. This concept of Dharma applied to all the classes of the society.
In the beginning the class system was flexible and all the three upper classes were allowed to learn, recite and hear Vedas. But later on this privilege remained confined to the Brahmin class. Later on this class system changed into caste system which became rigid with the passage of time and mixing up of various classes and their interclass or intercaste marriage were forbidden. Thus is Indian society every class or caste was expected of performing its Dharma or obligations and maintain social order.
Life Stages and Dharma
In Indian society the ashram system emerged in the 5th century B.C. Life span of an individual was divided into four stages called ashrams—Brahamcharya Ashram, Grihastha Ashram, Vanprastha Ashram and Sanyas Ashram. Each ashram was considered of about 25 years. In the first ashram it was the Dharma of the child to leave his parents, go to the teacher’s home, learn Vedas, duties and responsibilities of the four ashrams and lead a life of brahmachari. After that he enters the grihastha ashram, he gets married, indulges into some profession to support his family. The dharma of a grihastha is to earn livelihood and support the members of the family and is required to perform all rituals. When he becomes old and sees his grandchildren, he should leave home, settle in some forest, indulge in rituals and recitation of Vedas. He should control his senses, remain mentally composed and friendly to others. Last stage is that of renunciation. In this stage it is the Dharma of a man to retire to some lonely place, avoid fire, live upon fruits and flowers and perform tapa. In sanyas ashram the man should live in state of nature.
Personal Life and Dharma
Dharma has an aspect pertaining to the personal life of the individual. It is linked with his general behaviour. It is the Dharma of every individual to mould his habits for cleanliness and sanitation, adopt courteous and polite ways of life, good behaviour towards other members of the society. He should develop civic consciousness and always be ready to contribute towards the welfare of the society and humanity. He should prefer performance of his duties towards a larger interest in comparison to the smaller interests.
Thus as explained alone, the concept of Dharma of vedic society is a very important concept having spread its wings in all the spheres of life. It is a concept which is unique and is untranslatable in any other language. It covers all the activities of the individuals and the society.
Close Relations between Dharma and Politics
Those who take a wider view of the concept of Dharma as was taken in and ancient Indian they are of the view that both are closely related and dharma purifies politics. This is supported by the following facts.
Vedas, Upanishads and other Dharma Shastras had taken a wider view of dharma, something more than religion and had stressed upon the performance of Rajdharma or the obligations of the king. Rajdharma ensured the proper use of political authority in the welfare of the people.
Manusmriti has explained in detail about the dharma of the king. It was the Dharma of the king to protect the people, ensure their security and maintain social order based upon caste boundaries.
Kautilya’s Arthashastra is a renowned work on statecraft and has explained in detail the Rajdharma. Kautilya has also pointed out the qualities a ruler is supposed to possess.
In modern India Gandhiji advocated for politics based upon Dharma and stood for close relation between the two. He also took a wider view of the word dharma and pointed out that true religion in the combination of good qualities of all religions. Gandhiji said, “Those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means. According to Gandhiji ‘Truth is God and God is Truth’. A religion based upon truth cannot be separated from politics.
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru advocated for close relations between Dharma and politics. In his book ‘Discovery of India’, Nehruji says, “The old inclusive term for religion in India was Arya Dharma. Dharma really means something more than religion. Nehruji understood the word Dharma from a wider perspective and humanist point of view. He was not opposed to relations between Dharma and politics. He writes in his book ‘Discovery of India’—“The aim of Dharma is social welfare not the welfare of a particular group only, but of the whole world, for the entire world of mortals is a self dependent organism.”
Other leaders of modern India who took part in national movement were statesmen as well as social reformers, humanists and educationists, were also of the view that politics should be guided by the principles of Dharma and found no cause of opposition to relations between Dharma and politics.
Thus those who take a narrow view of the word dharma and take it for religion or a particular sect or particular faith and worship system, they advocate for separation of Dharma and politics. Those who take a wider view of Dharma, take it something more than religion take it as a concept which includes a wide range of duties and responsibilities of the individual, advocate for close relations between Dharma and politics.
