| What is Dharma and its relevance in all religion. | | | | When Moses brought down the 10 commandments |
| Once George Bernard Shaw said that common sence | | | | from Mt. Sinai he taught the Israelites that Dharma |
| is not common in common people. Today I feel that | | | | was the divine law by which they (who loved truth) |
| how true this dictum is. Time and again we as | | | | aspired could free themselves from their Egyptian |
| humans show no sign of possessing the most | | | | slave masters (the base desires) and reach the |
| precious virtue –the common sense. I have to | | | | promised land (spiritual liberation). |
| remind my readers the extent to which we have | | | | Although Mohammed led his followers into a bloody |
| denigrated our own selves as humans. we are | | | | and terrible war to defend the law of Islam (Dharma) |
| ashamed to say that we are the most intelligent | | | | from the child-murdering and mysoginistic idolaters, he |
| animals on the face of the earth. We are just animals | | | | described that physical war as the 'lesser jihad'.The |
| now, or rather worse than an animal. Mindless killing | | | | 'greater Jihad' is the infinitely more difficult war which |
| of innocents in the name of religion, excessive use of | | | | the seekers fight within themselves for moral |
| our natural resource, Cutting of trees and clearing of | | | | purification, death of the ego and victory over desire, |
| the forests only to feed someone else’s greed | | | | attachment and conditioning. |
| ,all these has brought us to a threshold of extinction. | | | | Christ taught us that forgiveness frees us from our |
| But had we looked a little deeper into our selves we | | | | own petty ego (and its qualities such as pride, |
| would have found the answers of living a harmonious, | | | | vengeance, aggression, grudge bearing) so that we |
| happy, and a healthier life. The heaven would have | | | | can stay on the path of Dharma. Christ's message is |
| been here on earth itself. The main essence of all | | | | encapsulated in statements such as 'He who looks at |
| these is DHARMA AND ITS PRESENCE IN ALL | | | | a woman with lust has already committed adultery' |
| MAJOR RELIGION OF THE WORLD. So what is | | | | ‹ in other words an external morality or ethic is |
| dharma??? | | | | insufficient, for true Dharma is purity of heart and |
| Dharma is derived from the Sanskrit root "dhr" | | | | mind. |
| meaning to hold up, to carry, to bear, to sustain. The | | | | Even before the advent of Lord Krishna when there |
| word dharma refers to that which upholds or sustains | | | | was no existence of Bhagavad Gita, even before |
| the universe. Human society, for example, is | | | | Jesus Christ there was no existence of the bible and |
| sustained and upheld by the dharma performed by its | | | | christianity, even before Mohammed there was no |
| members. | | | | existence of Allah and Islam BUT the Humanity |
| (dhar, "uphold"). Rules of order, custom, and ethics, | | | | survived on the basis of the Dharma,The Natural |
| adherence to which is necessary to maintain order in | | | | laws. And this Dharma forms the core of Hinduism. |
| society. In the Upanishads, dharma is primarily | | | | Ever since Human Beings came into existence... |
| knowledge of the way to attain Brahman. | | | | existed Sanatana Dharma... the ever-existing Dharma |
| Vedic scriptures describes dharma as the natural | | | | since Times Immemorial. The word Sanatana means |
| universal laws whose observance enables humans to | | | | something without a beginning... in other words |
| be contented and happy, and to save himself from | | | | existing since Times Immemorial. |
| degradation and suffering. Dharma is the moral law | | | | Hinduism in other words is defined as Sanatana |
| combined with spiritual discipline that guides one's life. | | | | Dharma... it is not a Religion... it is not the preaching... |
| The Atharva Veda describes dharma symbolically: | | | | Hinduism exists for the existence of Life itself. In the |
| Prithivim dharmana dhritam, that is, "this world is | | | | times of Rama who came much before Lord Krishna |
| upheld by dharma anything that helps human being to | | | | existed Dharma and only Dharma. There was no |
| reach god is dharma and anything that hinders human | | | | Religion in existence at that time. The society |
| being from reaching god is adharma. According to the | | | | survived because of the ingrained Dharma in every |
| Bhagavat Purana, righteous living or life on a dharmic | | | | living being. Even before the word Hindu got coined |
| path has four aspects: austerity (tap), purity | | | | by the followers of Islamic Dharma... India existed as |
| (shauch), compassion (daya) and truthfulness (satya); | | | | Bharatvarsha. The word Bharatvarsha was derived |
| and adharmic or unrighteous life has three vices: pride | | | | from the King Bharat who reigned over the region |
| (ahankar), contact (sangh), and intoxication (madya). | | | | where prevailed the Sanatana Dharma. |
| Manusmriti written by the ancient sage Manu, | | | | The region beyond the Indus River which divides the |
| prescribes 10 essential rules for the observance of | | | | territory between the present India and Pakistan, |
| dharma: Patience (dhriti), forgiveness (kshama), piety | | | | everything beyond the sindh territory (now in |
| or self control (dama), honesty (asteya), sanctity | | | | Pakistan) lived the followers of Sanatana Dharma |
| (shauch), control of senses (indraiya-nigrah), reason | | | | who were pronounced as Hindus (which stood for |
| (dhi), knowledge or learning (vidya), truthfulness | | | | the people who lived beyond the sindh and as sindh |
| (satya) and absence of anger (krodha). Manu further | | | | was pronounced as Hind by the followers of Islamic |
| writes, "Non-violence, truth, non-coveting, purity of | | | | Dharma... the immigrants of the Hind region came to |
| body and mind, control of senses are the essence of | | | | be known as Hindus. The territory came to be |
| dharma". Therefore dharmic laws govern not only the | | | | known as Hind territory and finally Hindustan and the |
| individual but all in society. Does any other religion say | | | | following Hinduism.My idea is not to hurt anybody in |
| anything different than these?the purpose of dharma | | | | any way but to wake up the conciousness of one |
| is not only to attain a union of the soul with the | | | | and all. what all of us are doing in the name of religion |
| supreme reality, it also suggests a code of conduct | | | | and all of us doing in the name of getting more |
| that is intended to secure both worldly joys and | | | | profits and prosperity,in fact we are pushing this only |
| supreme happiness. Rishi Kanda has defined dharma in | | | | place that we have to live, in oblivion. |
| Vaisesika as "that confers worldly joys and leads to | | | | No religion in the world teaches us to wage war |
| supreme happiness". | | | | against our own people.No religion teaches us to |
| Dharma is an Eastern term whose Western | | | | disrespect nature in any way, Every religion in the |
| equivalents might include morality, ethics, virtue, | | | | world teaches us to respect and love nature and |
| righteousness and purity. Sadly, most of those terms | | | | love our fellow human beings. So why don't we all do |
| are distinctly unfashionable in our modern culture. Yet | | | | some introspection? and Why can we not take the |
| it is Dharma by which the seeker of truth can | | | | actual preaching of the religion that each one of us |
| achieve happiness that he is looking for. | | | | are following? |