Essay- Dharma in Hinduism PDF

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An essay on understanding dharma in Hinduism....

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Examine the role of dharma in the belief and practice of Hinduism Dharma is send to be the law and order that applies to all human beings; within themselves and between other human beings and nature, as well as to all inanimate objects, and to all the cosmos in the universe. Effectively, everything has its own Dharma. For a Hindu, this may be somebody’s duty to act according to religious and social codes. Dharma includes not only the religious duties, but also the moral rights and duties for an individual. This gives the groundworks for ethical rights and beliefs for individuals. In Hinduism, it is also believed that everything around us has a dharma. For example, it is the dharma of the bee to make honey, of cow to give milk, of sun to radiate sunshine, or of the river to flow. (1) The word dharma is derived from the Sanskrit root work ‘dhr’, which means to uphold or sustain. Within Hinduism, there are many different beliefs about the purpose and use of dharma. It is seen by many as a moral and ethical law, and can teach people the eternal right way of living, and prevents them from leading a sinful life and keeps them on the right path. Dharma is also seen by many as the one truth. ‘Verily, that which is Dharma is truth Therefore, they say of a man who speaks truth, “He speaks the Dharma,” or of a man who speaks the Dharma, “He speaks the Truth” Verily, both these things are the same’ (2) Hindus believed that Dharma can be fulfilled in many ways. One of these ways is through worship, for example home Puja. As a woman, this is a very good way of earning dharma, otherwise known as stridharma. There are also other ways a Hindu can earn dharma, such as having a priest come into their home and perform puja with the deities, or attending worship at a temple along with other devotees. In Hinduism, it is believed that Rta is the principle of natural order, and within it the universe and everything within it is regulated and co-ordinated. As seen in the earliest Vedic texts, Rta as an ethical principle is ‘linked with the notion of cosmic retribution.’(3) A large concept of one of the Vedas, the Rgveda, is that all beings have a path set for them by the ordinances of Rta, and failure to follow these would result in different forms of calamity and suffering. The importance of Rta can be seen in he Vedas, where it says ‘the absolute truth which is Rta, is the only true knowledge’. (4) It is believed that there are many different types of dharma in Hinduism; the first of which being Sanatana dharma. This is seen to Hindus as the means to base their actions and morals, as the right way of living. It is believed to Hindus that everything in the universe comes from sanatana dharma, except from Brahmin, who in himself resides outside of the universe. It is also believed that all other religions, including Buddism and Christianity, stem from Hinduism, and in fact there is the same ‘god’ for all religions, who is just seen in many different forms.

Another form of dharma is that of Sva- dharma, which is more personal to the individual. Sva translates literally as self, therefore it focuses on the duties of the individual within their own caste. For example, it is the duty of those within the Brahman caste to perform religious rituals and serve the deities, and learn the Mantras. If one does not follow the dharma which is personal to them, it is referred to as adharma, which means ‘without dharma’. This is frowned upon within Hinduism. Sva-dharma is also very closely linked with the term varnashrama dharma. Both forms of dharma look at the duty and responsibilities of ones caste or ashrama. One’s sva dharma changes according to your age, as it is dependant of which ashrama you are in, and also depends on which caste you lie within. Gender also plays a large role, for example it is unheard of for a woman to be a Brahmin. Instead, a good way for a woman to but to achieve dharma is to complete the 3 debts, which involves going through te rishi stage of life (studying as a student), puja, and bearing their husbands a son. Brahmanic doctrines agree that social harmony is preserved and upheld by all people carrying out their duties constantly. In contradiction to tradition, individuals in today’s society are able to decide on their own sva-dharma, which may well be dependant on what their final goal in life is. Sadharan dharma is based on the individuals own sva dharma and if they fulfil the 3 debts to deities, which every child is born with; the first being a dept to god in which repayment requires regular prayer and worship, and selfless service to all of God’s creation. The second to the sages and saints, who revealed the truth in the scriptures. This involves service to the needy, handicapped, poor and sick. The third is to one’s ancestors, parents and teachers, which involves raising one’s own family in accordance to the moral and ethical principles of dharma. Dharma is also connected to the idea of karma and moksha. By following dharma, one can achieve good karma. In order to achieve moksha, which is where one becomes free of the cycle of rebirth, one must have varnashrama dharma and have entered the final ashrama, which is to become a renouncer. You must also have good dharma to achieve good karma, you must live right, according to the laws of sanatana dharma. In each stage of their lives, Hindus must therefore perform their duties in each, for example as a student you must be educated and learn, and as a householder you must maintain a household and reproduce. By doing this you can be reborn again as a human, and after many rebirths may be born into the Brahmin caste, and will be in the corrected varna in order to reach the last ashrama and achieve moksha.

A) To what extent does sanatana dharma contradict varnashrama dharma Hindus believe that there is a base to their religion which is the law and order of all the cosmos and the universe itself, otherwise known as Sanatana dharma. It gives everything single living being and inanimate object its own duties and responsibilities, with the sole purpose to create balance and harmony within the universe itself. It is believed that a person’s dharma consists of duties which internally sustain them. These are caused by characteristics, which are either materialor spiritual, which results in two different types of dharma. A) Sanatana-dharma – duties which take into account the person's spiritual (constitutional) identity as atman and are thus the same for everyone. B) Varnashrama-dharma – duties performed according to one's material (conditional) nature and specific to the individual at that particular time (5) However, naturally the two different dharmas can cause some conflict wthin each other. Although both dharmas have the groundworks of morality and focus on the way people should live, Sanatana dharma is a moral dharma which applies to all living and inanimate beings. Contradictory to this, Varnashrama dharma is a moral law which only applies to 3 of the varnas, Brahmins, kashatriaya and vaishayas. It also excludes most women. The key difference between sanatana dharma and varnashrama dhama is that they both apply to different people, and Varnashrama dharma does not apply to inanimate things at all. The scale for sanatana dharma is universal. It is not only about humans and their society, but everything else around them. Sanatana dharma allows anyone to be able to achieve moksha and doesn’t create inequality, which is why it is believed by some to be the greater out of the two dharmas, whereas varnashrama dharma creates a hierarchy and a sense of being outcast from society because varnashram dharma sees them as inpure, and sometimes even labels them as untouchables. Another conflict is how sanatana dharma is believed to have derived for Brahmin and god and so is based around god being the overseer and what he wishes to be the moral right way of living, but varnashrama dharma is based on humans and their moral beliefs, and as they are the source has a large mankind influence. Although there are clearly some large differences between the two dharmas, there are also many similarities. Both terms of dharma are derived from the Vedas which is seen as divine and so both come from a divine source and so are both god-centred and willed. By following the correct path and performing your duty, you can gain good karma which leads to good rebirth of even moksha. Also, both dharmas have th same description or emic and etic discourse of what is outside known as Hinduism. As followers of the faith they as insiders (emic) refer to Hinduism, not as a religion but as the right way of living (sanatana dharma), whereas we outsiders (etic) who are westerners categorise all of the faiths into one, and label it as Hinduism. Also they both help each other because the dharmic order of society does the same thing as the universe performing its dharma because they both help in harmony to keep the overall order and dharma of the cosmos and universe. Both focus on some idea of having good karma and have lived the right way of life in order to achieve the end goal. To conclude, Sanatana dharma and varnashrama dharma both have different ideas which contradict each other but they also hold some of the same beliefs. In some respects, it follows a trend which is contained within most religions. This can be

compared to Christianity, where different churches find different ways to follow god, through the Virgin Mary, the Holy spirit or Jesus, but have the end result in reaching God. This is comparable with the Sanatana dharma and Varnashrama dharma, as two ways of gaining good karma, and eventually achieving Moksha. References

(1)

J. A. B. Van Buitenen, Dharma and Moksa, Philosophy East and West, Vol. 7, No. 1/2 (Apr. Jul., 1957), pp 33-40

(2)

Brh Upanishad, 1.4.14

(3)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%B9%9Ata#Dharma

(4) Rig Veda 1-75-5 (5)

http://hinduism.iskcon.org/concepts/108.htm

Word Count A- 1,017 B- 648 Total 1665...