Dharma
We saw that human goals consist of 1. kama 2. artha 3. dharma and 4. moksa in the previous post.
Both human beings and animals struggle to obtain the pleasant and avoid the unpleasant. Both protect their possessions and objects. In the case of animals kama is instinctive. In the case of humans, the desires are dependent on time, place and personal values.
Because the struggle for security, artha, and pleasures, kama, is not instinctually controlled but guided by changing personal values, it becomes necessary for the human society to have a set of standards which is independent of any individual’s subjective values that determine his likes and dislikes.
I have the faculty of choice to obtain an object or a relationship. Since I have a choice, there needs to be a norms controlling my various actions, karma. My pursuit of kama and artha needs to be ethical. I need to take the society and its welfare into account while accumulating objects of my desire.
Animals do not have a keen sense of ethics. Their actions are controlled by instincts with very little choice and do not create an ethical issue.
Ethics are commonsense ethics and religious ethics. You should not hurt others is a commonsense ethics. What I do not want others to do to me form commonsense ethics. I do not want to be deceived. I want you to speak truthfully to me and not tell me lies.
I want to obtain objects of my desire and security. The means of these goals need to be ethical. The goals also need to be ethical. You do not want to obtain your neighbours possessions unethically. Such values comprise commonsense ethics, which are recognized and confirmed scripturally in a more comprehensive ethical doctrine — religious in nature—called dharma.
It is not necessary to be religious to be ethical. The ethical standards which specify the right and wrong means of achieving security and pleasures are based on commonsense. An non-religious person can be completely ethical by commonsense standards. To be ethical is to be fully human—not controlled by mere instincts.
The religious ethics called dharma, found in the Veda, confirm commonsense standards, specify further religious “do’s and don’ts”, and add the concept of punya and papa—results produced by good or bad actions, now or hereafter. You may escape the hands of the law, but you really cannot get away from the results of your actions.
Without violating dharma, doing what is to be done, you pursue artha and kama, security and pleasure. This is how these three universal human pursuits are to be understood.
Other examples of religious dharma is sandyavandanam, pitru tarpanam, pilgrimage and so on.
Prayer is neither an artha nor a kama; it is dharma. Through prayer, you want to gain some invisible result which will give you artha and kama.
Dharma can be a means as well as a goal:
One follows ethical methods to reach a goal. In this case, dharma is a means - sadhanam. A religious person follows religious dharma - prescribed in scriptures to go to heaven. In the second case, dharma is a a goal.
Dharma = Karma Phalam
All schools of philosophies accept the law of karma phalam. Do good = enjoy. Do bad = suffer. This is the law. The set of standards to measure good and bad karma is dharma. If you perform actions in accordance with dharma you accrue punyam. Else papam.
So a sure way to accumulate punyam is doing karma in accordance with dharma.
A corollary of the law of karma phalam is punar janmam - reincarnation. We find that some are born with the golden spoon. The theory is that it is because of punya from previous births.
Subtlety of dharma:
Dharma can be situational. Speaking the truth is a dharma. However depending on circumstances one may choose to be silent than speak the truth. Ahimsa - not hurting is a dharma which is not applicable to a medical surgeon during surgery.
सत्यं ब्रूयात्प्रियं ब्रूयान्न् ब्रूयात्सत्यमप्रियम्। प्रियं च नानृतं ब्रूयातेष धर्मः सनातनः॥
satyaṁ brūyātpriyaṁ brūyānn brūyātsatyamapriyam | priyaṁ ca nānṛtaṁ brūyāteṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Speak the truth. Utter that which is pleasant. Do not utter an unpleasant truth. Do not also speak that which is false but pleasant. This is the eternal Dharma.(Manu Smṛiti 4.138)
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Based on "Introduction to Advaita Vedanta" and "Bhagavad Gita Home Study Vol 1" by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
We saw that human goals consist of 1. kama 2. artha 3. dharma and 4. moksa in the previous post.
Both human beings and animals struggle to obtain the pleasant and avoid the unpleasant. Both protect their possessions and objects. In the case of animals kama is instinctive. In the case of humans, the desires are dependent on time, place and personal values.
Because the struggle for security, artha, and pleasures, kama, is not instinctually controlled but guided by changing personal values, it becomes necessary for the human society to have a set of standards which is independent of any individual’s subjective values that determine his likes and dislikes.
I have the faculty of choice to obtain an object or a relationship. Since I have a choice, there needs to be a norms controlling my various actions, karma. My pursuit of kama and artha needs to be ethical. I need to take the society and its welfare into account while accumulating objects of my desire.
Animals do not have a keen sense of ethics. Their actions are controlled by instincts with very little choice and do not create an ethical issue.
Ethics are commonsense ethics and religious ethics. You should not hurt others is a commonsense ethics. What I do not want others to do to me form commonsense ethics. I do not want to be deceived. I want you to speak truthfully to me and not tell me lies.
I want to obtain objects of my desire and security. The means of these goals need to be ethical. The goals also need to be ethical. You do not want to obtain your neighbours possessions unethically. Such values comprise commonsense ethics, which are recognized and confirmed scripturally in a more comprehensive ethical doctrine — religious in nature—called dharma.
It is not necessary to be religious to be ethical. The ethical standards which specify the right and wrong means of achieving security and pleasures are based on commonsense. An non-religious person can be completely ethical by commonsense standards. To be ethical is to be fully human—not controlled by mere instincts.
The religious ethics called dharma, found in the Veda, confirm commonsense standards, specify further religious “do’s and don’ts”, and add the concept of punya and papa—results produced by good or bad actions, now or hereafter. You may escape the hands of the law, but you really cannot get away from the results of your actions.
Without violating dharma, doing what is to be done, you pursue artha and kama, security and pleasure. This is how these three universal human pursuits are to be understood.
Other examples of religious dharma is sandyavandanam, pitru tarpanam, pilgrimage and so on.
Prayer is neither an artha nor a kama; it is dharma. Through prayer, you want to gain some invisible result which will give you artha and kama.
Dharma can be a means as well as a goal:
One follows ethical methods to reach a goal. In this case, dharma is a means - sadhanam. A religious person follows religious dharma - prescribed in scriptures to go to heaven. In the second case, dharma is a a goal.
Dharma = Karma Phalam
All schools of philosophies accept the law of karma phalam. Do good = enjoy. Do bad = suffer. This is the law. The set of standards to measure good and bad karma is dharma. If you perform actions in accordance with dharma you accrue punyam. Else papam.
So a sure way to accumulate punyam is doing karma in accordance with dharma.
A corollary of the law of karma phalam is punar janmam - reincarnation. We find that some are born with the golden spoon. The theory is that it is because of punya from previous births.
Subtlety of dharma:
Dharma can be situational. Speaking the truth is a dharma. However depending on circumstances one may choose to be silent than speak the truth. Ahimsa - not hurting is a dharma which is not applicable to a medical surgeon during surgery.
सत्यं ब्रूयात्प्रियं ब्रूयान्न् ब्रूयात्सत्यमप्रियम्। प्रियं च नानृतं ब्रूयातेष धर्मः सनातनः॥
satyaṁ brūyātpriyaṁ brūyānn brūyātsatyamapriyam | priyaṁ ca nānṛtaṁ brūyāteṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Speak the truth. Utter that which is pleasant. Do not utter an unpleasant truth. Do not also speak that which is false but pleasant. This is the eternal Dharma.(Manu Smṛiti 4.138)
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Based on "Introduction to Advaita Vedanta" and "Bhagavad Gita Home Study Vol 1" by Swami Dayananda Saraswati