Thought 163: Part 1 – Dharma (continued)

Isvara (God) created along with the Creation (Srishti), the concept and the laws of Dharma (and Karma), which govern the administration of this amazingly complex and infinite universe. This Dharma is an Order (a command structure intended for guidance of human beings) - the Universal Ecological and Moral Order (created by Isvara), which, if followed by all living beings in Creation, ensures harmony, ecological balance, moral standards (applicable for the human kind only), which, in turn, ensure the well being of all life in creation. This concept of Dharma is for the human kind only. Animals follow their Dharma automatically – they have been programmed and sent down here and they lead a choiceless life. Therefore, there is no question of the animals violating Dharma.

Human beings have a choice and therefore, there could be abuse – occasionally or even frequently. Because of the faculty of choice, human beings may perform wrong actions – actions, which violate Dharma. Behind every wrong action, there is a person, who is either frightened or greedy. He is greedy, because he feels small. He is frightened, because he is overwhelmed by the world. Of course, all this is because of ignorance. With the advent of self-knowledge, when that ignorant person is gone, where is the necessity to violate Dharma? Dharma becomes natural for a person, who is free from ignorance. (Swami Dayananda)

In any given situation, there is something to be done, which is appropriate for that situation; everything else is inappropriate for that situation. Swami Dayananda says that action, which is appropriate for a given situation, which we all commonly sense, is our duty; it is our Dharma.

Frequently, we find ourselves placed in situations by Isvara, which are not to our liking; we do not court them. But all the same, we often find ourselves in those problematic and difficult situations in the same way that Arjuna found himself on the battlefield against his will.

The appropriate action in all such situations is highly visible to every intelligent person, who is endowed with some discrimination. He really has no choice here - it is already chosen for him by the given circumstance. He has choice only when he wants to avoid what he has to do in that situation. Thus, in the modern world, doing exactly what is appropriate in any given situation is one’s duty (Dharma). (Swami Dayananda)

Thus, in any given situation, there is a certain response required on your part in terms of action and this becomes your duty. Duty is not something that has to be told by someone to you – much less by the Saastras. It becomes evident as you look at the situation that you are in - and understand it as it is. In this way, what is to be done becomes obvious to you.

In this set of four Purushaardhas (goals), Dharma is the very first goal. You are required to follow your Dharma - while pursuing the next two goals, which are Artha and Kaama.

The next thought is also about Purushaardhas (Continued), Part 2 – Artha