II Dharma The word dharma has been translated variously as “righteousness” “duty” “inner disposition” and even as “religion.” But it is not until we go to the linguistic origin of the word that we discover the deeper significance of this word. The verbal root dhŸ means to uphold, or to sustain. DhŸ also means to integrate. DhÅrayate iti dharma, dharma is that which sustains and also that which integrates. Thus, the true meaning of dharma is the essential nature of a thing, without which it ceases to be. For instance, the dharma of the sun, moon, water, air, fire, and earth are eternal. Fire is always hot, the sun gives light and heat, and water is always wet. The entire world is sustained because the phenomena are all following their dharma. Similarly, all the animals and birds abide by their essential nature their basic instincts. Nature on her own would be fine; it is man who breaks all of her rules destroying others as well as himself in the process. Therefore, it is important that man follows his true dharma. But what is our true dharma? Man is believed to be a social animal therefore it becomes his duty to uphold and integrate the society, which will automatically result in prosperity for all. We can live to our fullest potential only if we practice dharma at all levels: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. We need to make sure that all our actions contribute toward the sustenance and integration of society, and avoid actions that go against the natural laws, which are called adharma.

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Individual Dharma At the physical level, dharma is that which nourishes and supports the health of the body. Whether we want to serve others, obtain liberation, or even enjoy life in this world we need a healthy body. It is the primary tool for achieving our goals in life. But our body can only be healthy if our life is disciplined. Proper sleep, healthy eating, exercise, and cleanliness all contribute to good health. Therefore, practicing these are all acts of dharma. To exercise when we have a fever, or to eat spicy food when we have an ulcer would be considered adharma because they can be harmful. So this clarifies that no particular action in itself can be called dhÅrmika or adhÅrmika. At the mental level we all want to be peaceful and happy. Therefore to think in a loving way is dharma and to think negatively of someone is adharma because it will disturb our personality and can also cause harm to the other person. The same rule applies intellectually. We all want enlightenment and knowledge and do not want to be ignorant or exploited because of our ignorance. Independence and freedom are our inherent desires. We want freedom from sorrow, freedom from fear and grief, and most importantly freedom from delusion. Knowledge helps us to attain the understanding that frees us from any dependence. But in the process of trying to be free we become slaves to the very things that we thought would make us happy and due to ignorance we do not even realize that. Therefore, knowledge and enlightenment are dharma and ignorance is adharma. Collective Dharma Any action at the individual as well as at the communal level that integrates and brings prosperity to all is considered to be dhÅrmika. Dharma is not opposed to gaining wealth or affluence. In fact, proper application of dharma by all will lead to greater prosperity in the society. Everyone will be happy, and 23

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everyone’s personality will unfold and progress toward attaining liberation. Therefore we must know that dharma is not a particular action, but that which contributes to the integration of all. This is what is known as “absolute good.” But is there such a thing as absolute good? The answer is that good and bad are only relative. For example, sugar is not good for a diabetic but one with low blood sugar may actually benefit from it. Therefore whether sugar is good or bad for one’s health is relative. But whatever promotes health and greater integration is called dharma. The absolute good is the maintenance of health. Everyone wants to be healthy. Even those who indulge in harmful habits still want good health. Therefore that which everyone desires, is known as the absolute good. What is the greatest dharma? It is said, “Non-violence or non-injury is the supreme dharma. ” Violence is something that disturbs the entire society, and it begins at the mental level. Dislike can turn to anger, and if uncontrolled will result in physical and emotional abuse within the home as well as in the society. We usually consider violence only at the physical level, but it can occur at the thought and speech level also. So it is important to practice non-injury (ahiÚsÅ) at all levels, at the levels of thought and speech as well as the physical level. At the physical level, the word ahiÚsÅ is relative. A surgeon cuts the body for the good of the patient. His motive is to heal. This is an act of ahiÚsÅ. On the other hand, a murderer using a knife commits a definite act of violence because his motive is to hurt or to kill. The same action can be dhÅrmika or adhÅrmika depending upon whether one is acting to integrate or destroy. We have said that the word dharma has tremendous implications, so now a very important question arises. Lord Krishna here is teaching about non-injury (ahiÚsÅ). How is it then that He is asking Arjuna to fight? This apparent contradiction needs to be explained. Many people wonder, “How can this war be considered dhÅrmika (righteous) while at the same time observing the law of ahiÚsÅ?” 24

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Earlier we spoke about dharma as it pertains to physical health. When the body is in a healthy condition, we will live comfortably. There is no need for medical treatment of any kind. But suppose the body develops a disease, or a cancerous growth? Then possibly some medications or minor surgery may help. But if the disease is very serious, major surgery or even amputation may be the only solution to save the life of a patient. In the same way, if everyone is living happily and peacefully in society, then there is no need for war. But, as in the case of the Mahabharata, the evil, battle-hungry Duryodhana, became strong and powerful much like a cancer, whose growth was out of control. Small remedies could not fix the problem. If people like him are not removed from society, good people suffer and disintegration of the society is certain. Therefore, in such situations the ideal of ahiÚsÅ and a righteous war go together. So anything that nourishes, sustains, integrates and leads to prosperity and spiritual revival is called dharma. Any virtues, values, attitudes, or behavior that contribute to that sustenance is dharma. Moral Conflict The question then arises, “Why are we not able to follow this principle of non-injury, or ahiÚsÅ? Why do we dislike someone?” We all know that there is never a need to tell a mother to act with ahiÚsÅ toward her baby. Would a mother ever think of harming her own child? Even when she has to punish the child she herself suffers because there is a sense of oneness between them. She sees that child as part of her own self. Where there is love, non-injury is natural. Dislike occurs only when we have a sense of separateness or alienation. And we have created many divisions among ourselves by thinking, I am a man, you are a woman; I am black, you are white; I am a Christian, you are a Hindu. If a husband and wife consider themselves to be united, without any thought of separateness, then there will be harmony. 25

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If, however, the man thinks himself to be superior to the woman, then the woman will feel that she is being taken advantage of. With the thought of separateness alienation arises and the oneness is lost. Once these differences are created, we look down upon others and violence occurs. Thus there is a most unusual challenge in the world of relativity: To know the Truth of Oneness and yet to live here practically. Dharma at the individual level is also different from that practiced at the community level. As individuals we may not carry any weapons, trying always to respond with peace and non-injury. However, if one is the Secretary of Defense of a country then that person cannot allow anyone to jeopardize its peace and he must be prepared to defend the national security. Therefore, dharma has to be understood in its totality. When there is a sense of oneness and love, service comes naturally. The wish to injure would not arise. There would be growth and prosperity for all. That is why we say that the knowledge of Advaita, or the Oneness of the Self, is dhÅrmika, as it leads to the full integration of society. To love and serve all is the very basis of Self-Knowledge and in its light alone can we determine what is dharma. Furthermore, having understood this to be your true duty (svadharma), you should not waver, for there is nothing higher for a k„atriya than a righteous war. ( II:31)

Here, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna not to fear, nor to avoid the impending war. Once more He exhorts Arjuna that it is his responsibility and duty to fight. But the necessary principles must be understood in order for him to be successful. We have discussed at length what constitutes dharma. All those virtues, values, feelings, conduct, behavior, and actions that contribute to the improvement of society, are dharma. In contrast, those actions and conduct contrary to these cause disintegration, and are adhÅrmika. Today we see the disintegration of values and families. 26

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Communities are floundering and it is evident that something is wrong. That is because people are disintegrated from within. Outer integration comes only when inner integration is established. How to establish that inner integration? Make our vision and values spiritual, it is then that dharma will be meaningful. The breakdown of the family is a clear sign that a gap exists between how we think and how we act. It may be that we give too much importance to ambition or whatever else, and the view of the totality is lost. If only an individual perspective is held, then there are many problems. Individualism has its place in the scheme of things, but when carried to the extreme it disturbs the balance of the whole. Integrating Dharma Dharma is that which brings about self-integration. In his introduction to the Holy G≠tÅ, Swami Chinmayananda affirms that when our subjective mind becomes one with the objective mind, then there is personality integration. Lacking that, we may know many things intellectually, but our mind, colored by personal prejudices and judgments, will give way to its own desires. Our evaluation of a situation may be wrong because the mind lacks the necessary purity. Therefore, the problem is due to a lack of vision only, and what happens at the physical level is only a symptom. For every one of us there is a dharma and this is fully elaborated upon in the scriptures. The idea is that every person lives in the society as an individual relating to many others. Whether we are students, administrators, businessmen, laborers or even monks, all are governed by the duties established for their particular stages and professions. When every one accepts the responsibilities of their dharma the entire society prospers. Consider a sports team for example. Each player is assigned a different position, but they have a common goal and that is to win! Sometimes we lose sight of that common goal. If we are concerned with individual glory only, then the collective pros27

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perity suffers. This occurs often in many organizations. A person may work very well alone, but when it comes to working with others, he finds it difficult. We should strive to work well together. If personal prejudices or dislikes come into the picture, the sense of oneness is lost and the common objective becomes defeated. This is the understanding of dharma in its wider context. It is at this time that Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that he is a noble and valiant warrior, one who has been groomed to protect the cause of righteousness. The Lord persuades Arjuna that if he were to leave the battlefield he would be forsaking his duty as a k„atriya, which is to fight. Therefore, it becomes imperative that Arjuna engage himself in the battle while viewing dharma in its totality. Sometimes our philosophy concerning our duty is influenced by our relationships with others, as was the case of Arjuna with his cousins. We make excuses and hesitate to do what is right. But no matter what our relationship, we should act according to our own nature, our svadharma. A person with an aptitude for activity (rajoguœa) cannot easily become a monk. And a person with a contemplative mind will not be comfortable as an active person. Lord Krishna points out to Arjuna that from the standpoint of the totality of dharma he must be true to the nature of a k„atriya. He must fight. And from the relative perspective, the sense of doership that he now possesses should be utilized for a nobler cause, which is to serve and benefit others. Arjuna thinks that he will incur sin if he fights, but the opposite is true. He will incur sin by not performing his duty. Arjuna must fight not only for the good of all, but for the destruction of evil. For a new order can only come when evil has ended. But how can we decide whether or not we are performing our dharma? Earlier we noted that we are always in a state of conflict and indecision over this and much discrimination is needed. Following are some guidelines, but we must all decide for ourselves. We can ask the following questions to help clarify 28

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whether or not we are living according to our dharma. Is my action contributing toward the integration of my personality? Is it contributing towards the growth and prosperity of the community? Is it in line with the teachings of the scripture (±ruti)? The scriptures are the final authority on which actions are righteous. They define dharma. Just as we have the constitution of a country with its guidelines and laws to determine whether something is legal or not, in the same way, we can take the guidance of ±ruti in order to determine whether an action is righteous or not. Righteous actions are clarified and sanctioned by scripture, and over a period of time these have become commandments. Some people may say that they do not know how to read or interpret the scriptures as they have been written in Sanskrit. Therefore, they have recourse to smŸti. These are the interpretations of the original ±ruti by great masters and are to be applied to the changing circumstances and needs of society. This literature is called smŸti ±Åstra. Another guideline for dharma is sadÅcÅra, or good conduct. In every country and society we find those whose behavior is exemplary. Customs may vary from place to place, but it is the spirit of righteousness and the good conduct of the individual that is important. The final concept to guide us in dharma is the wise adage, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Whatever action we perform we need to ask ourselves, “Would I like it if someone did this to me?” Why would we inflict pain on others? It is a very straightforward and simple principle. If everyone thought in this way then dharma would be very clear. Also, whatever actions we perform should benefit not only ourselves but others as well. In order to live a dhÅrmika way of life we need to be honest. If we look into our own hearts we will find that there is an inner voice, or conscience. This is the discriminative intellect. In life we see that there are some things that are legal, but that may be morally wrong. We may be influenced by our inherent tendencies (vÅsanÅ) and our desires may be so strong that we overlook 29

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the voice of conscience. Take smoking, for example, which we know is bad for our health. We may be allowed to smoke in a permitted area, but does that mean it is dhÅrmika for us? The science of dharma and all knowledge comes from the Lord. And that Lord resides in our very own heart. We may not listen to the Lord within because our desires may be too strong, but the Lord does catch up with us, there is no escape. For instance, if we are diabetic and our desire for sweets causes us to overeat, we compromise our health. Since we know that the body must adhere to the laws of nature it becomes adharma for us to overlook such guidelines. Therefore, for the good of the whole, it becomes crucial to structure our life according to the divine principles outlined in the scriptures. According to the Rotary Club International Principles, there are four ways of testing the correctness of what we say or do: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Is it the Truth? Is it Fair to all concerned? Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships? Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?

If we consider these guidelines before we act, then whatever we do will be consistent with dharma. All of these principles come from the same source. Even though dharma is a vast topic, at the same time it is simple. It becomes complicated only when we compromise because of our desires. We need to rise above our personal considerations and learn to look at life in its totality. So far Lord Krishna has indicated to us that our thoughts and choices need to be attuned to the principles set forth in the scriptures. The question of how to manage our daily lives in such a way that we uphold dharma and gain a vision of the totality of life will be discussed in the next chapter.

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