What is Dharma?
The reason for me writing this article stems back to an incident which occurred a few months ago. A group of friends were using a room in my house to do some filming, and one of their younger cousins was there with them. Afterwards everybody got into a discussion about religion, and one of the comments which most people agreed on was that Hinduism is not a religion in the usual sense of the word, but a path to discover your dharma. However my friend’s cousin, who was a few years younger, commented “You keep talking about dharma, but what is dharma?” This was his first and only comment in the whole discussion.
December 27th, 2007 at 1:03 am
I LIKE THE DEFINITION OF DHARMA YOU HAVE GIVEN, HOWEVER WE NEED TO ADD THAT IT IS NOT EITHER RELIGION OR BHAKTI BUT INCLUSIVE OF BOTH TOGETHER WITH JNANA.
INTROSPECTION AND MEDITATION WILL ALWAYS ENHANCE THE PRACTICE OF DHARMA. THE END RESULT OF FOLLOWING DHARMA IS SELF CONSCIOUSNESS OR SELF AWARENESS.
THERES ALSO A NEED HERE TO DEFINE SANATAN DHARMA AT THE SAME TIME. SANATAN MEANS FROM NOTHING TO INFINITY: BASIC, BASED ON REASON AND REASONABLENESS AND APPLICABLE UNIFORMLY TO ALL.
THESE ATTRIBUTES AND DEFINITIONS ARE NOT SHARED BY RELIGIONS OF ANY KIND. RELIGIONS ARE MERELY BASED ON DOCTRINES, DOS AND DONTS WITH PENALTIES IMPOSED FOR NON COMPLIANCE.
BRAMH MISHRA
mishrab4r@aol.com
December 27th, 2007 at 11:35 am
The Dharma is defined by Sri Krishna in a way ( Bhagwat Gita Ch 16 Verses 1-3)
” Freedom from fear, purity of heart, constancy in sacred learning and contemplation, generosity, self-harmony, adoration, study of the scriptures, austerity, righteousness,
Non-violence, truth, freedom from anger, renunciation, serenity, aversion to fault finding, sympathy for all beings, peace from greedy cravings, gentleness, modesty, steadiness.
Energy, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, a good will, freedom from pride—
These are the treasures of the man who is born for heaven”
December 27th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Well done, At least you have started to talsk about Dharma,
DHARMA is in a way Rules, similarly we follow rules at school, Law etc etc, Dharma is part of RULE, It guides you in life, Things you should do and not do,
Jai Ramapeer,
Mahendra Dabhi
December 29th, 2007 at 12:12 am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma
December 30th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Tell me do Hindus belive that God created sun and then rest of the world????
In easy way do indian Hindus belive in creation theory???
Like Muslims christians jews and sikhs.
January 8th, 2008 at 7:45 am
For Genghis Khan:
Yes, Hindus have a theory of Creation.
According to that in the beginning there was the Brahman, from his consciousness all universes and all creatures of those various universes emerged. Brahman is the beginning and the end of everything, the one source of all, the Supreme One Creator of all.
It is written in the Rig Veda ( Book X, Hymn CXXIX):
” Then was not non-existence nor existent, no realm of air, no sky beyond it.
That ONE breathless, breathed by its own nature, apart from it nothing whatsoever.
By the great power of Tapasya( meditation) of the ONE, was born that UNIT.
Thereafter rose LOVE, the primal seed and germ of Spirit.”
[ UNIT is consciousness or Purush; LOVE is the matter or Prakiti;combination of Purush and Prakiti or Consciousness and Matter creates everything. ONE is Brahman, the Supreme Creator]
Also in Bhagwat Gita it is written:
( Chapter 10, Verse
” I am the ONE source of all; evolution of all comes from me”
( Chapter 7, Verse 3-4) ” Brahman is the Supreme, the Eternal. …Matter is the kingdom of the universes but the Spirit is the kingdom of light”
January 8th, 2008 at 8:01 am
And again in Bhagwat Gita:
(Chapter 7, Verses 4-5)
” The visible forms of my nature are eight: earth, water, fire, air, either, the mind, reason and the sense of I”
” But beyond my visible nature is my invisible Sprit. This is the fountain of life whereby these universe have their beings”
January 25th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I love the way you commen on words. It shows your are willing. There is no Dharma! Dharma is an attempt to express inner emotional connection to the whole. There is no separation; there is no connection; we simply are. Words are our vessels to contain and send what is in the seed.
I observed a swirl in the flowing water of a river the other day. The swirl lived for a moment. It conected with the flow, and moved through its own dance. But, it was not its own! It was playing its part in the connections. But, it was not playing its part. It had no self direction! There was no internal guide. It simply was.
I saw a seed planted the other year. The soil had no direction; it simply was. The seed spread down and up; it had volition. The sun shone upon the seed now leaf. The sun had no self; it simply was. The rain poured down upon the soil. The rain had no self; it simply was.
The seed connected with the three no-selves that simply were. The seed now plant absorbed the lifeless. The seed was not life. The plant was simply lifelessness in motion; a result of something within expressing what has not been said or thought; it simply was.
The seed can move only within the limits of its stems. It cannot go to another place. Nor could it wish to. It simply is. Though it simply isn’t. There is no nothing for there is a result.
A bee came one summer, and visited the seed now flower. The bee simply was; but expanded was his effect. Move by choice could he. But not to another place. His place was only here. The hive and flower propel him.
A woman came and plucked the flower, and ate the flower, and ate the honey of the bee. All this nothing was something. Only the taste, and scent, and feel was under the wishes of one. Only the one was able to flow in the river. Expression and growth are not within, nor without. They simply are. Only the one can go or not.
Be not a seed. Seed the bee!
This is Dharma.
All my love and nectar,
Neil
March 14th, 2008 at 10:17 am
The best descriptions of Dharma in English is basically “the Sacred.” Dharma in Hinduism just means “Sacredness.”
Dharma can also mean: Holiness, Sanctity, Purity, Of great Importance, Beneficial & Essential. Dharma is what gives life its greatest meaning & without it we wouldn’t find our true worth. Our lives or the world itself would fall apart without Dharma.
*Four places you can find “the Sacred” or Dharma is:
1) Nature
2) Knowledge(technology, arts, culture, traditions, math, ect…)
3) Morality & Social Justice
4) Religiousness
Though many people have given some good details above. Many of us still don’t understand the place of dharma in Hinduism. There will always be so much more that is going to left out, because many times we only reached the surface of something that’s so extremely vast. Because dharma includes all of that we call reality. We can spent a whole lifetime and still not able to Express completely the nature of Dharma.
How can we ever describe, what the true meaning of “Sacredness” is?
March 15th, 2008 at 3:06 am
There is few things I want to bring up.
1) There is an equally important concept of “RTA,” and some people always confuse this Vedic RTA with DHRAMA. The primordial and sublime RTA is not Dharma(Sacredness). The closest parallel to RTA is the Chinese concept of “Dao or Tao.” But RTA is still not DHRAMA.
The term RTA means: Order, Harmony, The Way, and the
Course of all things. RTA is the Universal stability and the author of all Complexity. RTA is the force behind everyone, everything, the Universe & all creation. RTA is the force behind even Dharma itself.
2) If Dharma is: Holiness, Sacredness, Sanctification, Important, Beneficial, Noble & Essential.
Then Adharma is: Defilement, Hindrance, Corruption, Obscuration or poison.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Whenever I try to understand and get to the meaning of Dharma, as a Hindu I am compelled to accept creation as ‘Brahama Tatwa’, Brahama’s principle. Neil came very close to it by accepting ‘certain things are just there’. I think if every human understands and accepts ‘Brahama Tatwa’ human life will be lot bearable, without conflict, meaningful and ecofriendly. Creation is Brahama Tatwa and Brahama Tatwa is creation. In this Sun is an energy and will always shine, planets will go around the Sun, Earth will go around itself, rain will always fall, what goes up will fall back on Earth, continuity of species will be maintained by procreation by males and females in every species, food will always be there for the survival of the species, etc, etc. Many have referred to this Tatwa as nature without realising it as presence of Brahama. This realisation is very essential to develop respect for the mountains, the rivers, trees, and the soil, air we breath, respect for animal kingdom and other humans. I am convinced very understanding of this ‘Brahama Tatwa’ will prevent killings especially other humans, homosexuality, greed, possessiveness, stealing, child abuse, binge drinking, anger, etc, etc.
Hindus are not aware how fortunate they are, they have been given such rich, spiritual and meaningful philosophy of life by their religion. And it is not dictated.
October 27th, 2008 at 5:37 am
dharma mean manu Dharma. ie. Bramana,shktriya,vysia,Sudhras Caste
Canon. According this Dharma Bramin is the Supreme Gods.
“Deva Dheenam Jagath Sarvam
Manthra dheenam dha dhevatha
Dham Manthram Brahmanadheenam
Brahmana naam dhevedha”
Rig Veda -sec.62 -suloka 10
World is in the hands of Gods
Gods are all in the hands of Manthras
Manthras are all in the hands of Brahmins
So Brahmins are all our Gods.
According to only written in the Manu Dharma
October 29th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Muthezhilan -
I think you’re lying. I can’t find that in the Rig Veda.
October 30th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Karungali (traitor) muthezhilan is one of those dmk scumbags who r out kissing Muslim a** for votes.
He is an obvious retard who probably never read any Tamizh literature beyond semi porn incest stories written by dmk types about falling in “love” with ones sister (Thangaiyin Kaadhal).
There is no such shloka in Rig Veda or any of the Vedas.
Hey a**hole how about you look up Sangam literature for aRam (justness/dharmam), poruL (artham), inbam (kaamam), vIdu (moksham).
I am sick of the Chennai lobby (Karunanidhi and assorted scum like Kamal Hasan who pandered to crowds in TN portraying the Eezham Tamizh dialect as some kind of clown Tamizh) and their lackies like you trying to portray yourself as champions of Tamizh while pandering to the same Islamic fanaticism that was responsible for massacres of Tamizhs and destruction of our temples in Eastern Eezham, not to speak of the atrocities in Malaysia.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:58 am
I do not know but life was confusing for me but i am brahmin anavil but i grew up with 2 religion the christianism and the hinduism you will all ask how ?but throught my experiences i started to believe in hinduism and i keep the christianism at the same time since when i was in my young age i looked Shankar bagouane picture surrounding by the cobra i asked my mum why we do pray with snake i told my mum i got scare of snake as in my country of birth there is no cobra and no snake with poison, my mum couldn’t answer to my question,but i said to myself i will never go to India because i will be scare to see a cobra as they can bit, my mum used to fast every navratri for 9 days and every saturday she fast until the day she die to pray for the long life of my father and we used to break a coconut by the sea with a diva as the river is so faraway and she was very protective mother to day i think the fasting she did made me and my 2 sister married as before i met my husband , my mum showed or say she appeared to me me on my dream i touched her feet and she hold me for few minutes i felt so nice but she disappear so quick like she wanted to tell me that i am getting married she came to bless me wherever she is now i believe in God that God will keep my mum in safe as God sent her to bless me.My youngest uncle who always been with us, during the time when he was at the university he used to critic his fellow student that he is Hindou he don’t believe in Jesus and he asked his fellow student why do you pray to jesus and they replied : If you asked something from God in the name of Jesus whatever you asked God will give you.He get very unwell in the throat, he vomitted blood the doctor said they cannot cure him so he remind jesus so he started praying to God in the name of jesus to cure him he was cured and he decided to become Christian and it was on the news paper with his picture “an Hindu became Christian” during the time he was at the university before he became christian he was addicted alcoolic and spent all his money sent by my father every month and the grant he receive from the governement for his study of the country of my birth.So if Jesus didn’t came to his life he wouldn’t change and during his holyday he fly to home so every saturday evening he tells us the story of the Bible starting from Adam and Eve, Abraham….because i was the eldest i retain more than my young brother and my 2 sister at the age 13 th I went a christian college Catholic and study of the religion was compulsory, at the age of 17 th i was in love with Jesus and i wanted to baptise because he said noone goes to the father without him, i needed to be closed to God i knew this will be very difficult decision and i asked permission from my mum[, a meeting between Darbar family and Vashi family had taken place any problem come this 2 family always been together, the Darbar family tried to stop my mum to let me to baptise because as a Brahman changing to christianism is against the hindu religion because the brahman are considered descent of God, i had to cry that day and i told my mum i will not be able to live if she don’t let me to be baptised but finally she was agree as she helped me to buy my white dress.And then i seen small change in our everyday life my dad has stopped fighting with my mum but unfortunately i lost my mum when i was 19 th in cancer. i was very depressed it was the time when i have to take my a level baccalaureat, my uncle had to force me to study as he was math teacher, i pass my a-level and i went 1 year at the university of medecine and i return to my home town ( to be continue)
October 31st, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Dharmistha stop writing gibberish that no one understands and go do your evangelism elsewhere, oh and going by what you said you and your family were no more “brahmin” than any junkie on the street.
Being a Brahmin is not some status symbol you acquire by birth. There are a lot of self proclaimed “Brahmins” among Hindus today solely by their birth, regarding them tirumUlar said:
“241: Ruler’s Duty to Impious Brahmins
If Brahmins, from folly unredeemed, flaunt the tuft and thread,
That land droops and fades, its ruler’s glory runs to waste;
So, scanning deep in Wisdom’s light, the King shall clip
The thread and tuft for empty show kept and possessed.
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/tirumantiram/TantraOne.html “
October 31st, 2008 at 7:20 pm
So you belong to the religion of Hitler, constatine… and donate money to the church that is trying to destroy your parent’s culture?
Krishna will hear you prayers whether you pray in the name of jesus, zeus, allah, or boogie woogie. If you worship the name you will cause harm to those around you. If you worship Brahman, you will be a seeker of the truth.
There are many people who mistake a chance occurrence with cause and effect. To seek the truth you must go deeper - the cause of your uncle’s cancer was a selfishness. The greatness of your parents faith was the cause of their love. Your uncle taught you that a white dress and baptism gets you to heaven. But the real baptism is to deny books and saviors and face god without intermediaries… When you want things you want power and worship power. That is an elementary stage of spiritual development. By the way, you lost your mother to cancer after you converted - cause?
Don’t buy into this xtian nonsense. Scientific reasoning (as you will learn in medicine) has done more to alleviate the condition of the western mind than any spiritual teaching of a mythical jesus.
Keep seeking Truth, don’t limit yourself to a book
hariaum
October 31st, 2008 at 7:33 pm
“If you asked something from God in the name of Jesus whatever you asked God will give you.”
Ok so have you asked the dead rotting corpse on a cross ooops I mean jesus for a brain yet ?
November 1st, 2008 at 4:48 am
Dharmishta,
Kindly understand that - sadly though , you give a feeling to people like me that you have no idea of what Hinduism is. Else, would you ever think of writing something like “brahmin is descent of God”etc
Like you have written in the first line, “confusion” is the appropriate situation that you are in.
there is no disease worse than poverty
there is no poverty worse than Ignorance.
And so, the only thing you can do is to educate *yourself* - if you would like to learn.
Dhrama is interpreted by so many in different ways.
But the word which comes from the root “Dhru’ means Dharana = understanding.
It is your understanding that leads you to * any action * ( and even deciding to not act ).
Every one has some understanding, which they gain either by gaining knowledge ( which is what Hinduism is encouraging people to) or by belief
which is what most of the other theologies are trying hard to.
In belief system, you do not ask any questions, and you totally surrender.
If you surrender to any one, that is fine, as long as after surrender, you do not ask any further questions and accept your life as given by him to whom you have surrendered. But normally, we *say* we surrendered to god, but in spite of my surrender, I am not helped by him and so I decided to change or whatever etc. this is probably a misguided thinking.
In the system of gaining knowledge, one who gains knowledge is controlling his life. One who has knowledge, knows what is what, understand the “order of this nature, universe, galaxy, the solar system, the earth, the continents, the country, the state, the place you are in, the family, the house, the biological order, the physiological order etc.
When one knows this, then will he not decide to act on the basis of his knowledge? And when one acts on the basis of the knowledge ( he has, also, the knowledge that his knowledge has some limitations and so the decisions he makes on the basis of this knowledge may not produce results that he would like to have ) will he be too bothered if the result is not to his liking? This is where the “prasada” buddhi comes to the mind.
Dharma, thus, the understanding, helps - any human being - whatever religion or atheism or anything he considers to belong to - to think and act and thus make his life a better one.
will be interesting to know more differing views on this to help us understand it better.
( that is also the reason why in Gita, it is explained that working towards fructification of Artha and Kama etc is perfectly in order - as long as the means to achieve that is thru Dharma)
enjoy
namaskaram