Dharma
The scriptures provide guidance so as to enable humans to
distinguish between good and bad and thus concentrate on good karma in actions
and thoughts. We must therefore adhere to the eternal guiding principles of
‘Sanaatan Dharma’ so that our way of life is balanced, righteous, virtuous,
duty bound and balanced.
Dharma is about being fair and just in any given context. Dharmic behaviour advocates righteous conduct with a pious helpful outlook,
being fearless, being truthful and doing one’s duty as best possible in the
circumstances of that life.
Dharma ensures cosmic order and social order. Following
one’s Dharma thus ultimately brings peace and happiness even though there are
conflicting tensions in life that often make it appear as a dilemma at the time
since upholding justice and fairness in the face of powerful resistance or dire
consequences can be very testing. If it is necessary to fight for Dharma then
that must however be done out of duty not out of hatred or greed as Dharma in
fact mandates selfless love for all fellow beings.
Dharma is variable depending on the circumstance, the period of time, the place and person. It is not fixed universally but still can be determined using sound judgement in order to adhere to Dharma in any given situation.
Dharma is variable depending on the circumstance, the period of time, the place and person. It is not fixed universally but still can be determined using sound judgement in order to adhere to Dharma in any given situation.
Dharma translates into duty, goodness, justice and above all a balance
Purushartha
The Karmic Law and the idea of Dharma inspire confidence of humans in cosmic justice which can be a great comfort in the face of seemingly unjust unfair circumstances of life. The Hindu philosophy encourages the right way of living on this basis and provides four principle doctrines (‘Purushartha’) as appropriate goals that the common man can aim for in each stage of life thus providing essential guidance on ‘how to live’ and ‘what to live for’ whilst exercising ‘free will’.
These four goals are known as ‘Dharma’ (ethical duty bound righteous living), ‘Artha’ (pursuit of material prosperity and social standing in righteous ways), ‘Kaam’ (fulfilment of sensual and artistic or material desires through Dharmic means), ‘Moksha’ (detachment and liberation from physical and material bonds). The path to Moksha is through dispassionate detachment (‘Vairagya’) and begins with freedom even in action rather than freedom from action.
These doctrines thus provide realistic religious guidance for everyday life. The first doctrine is Dharma. It is not permissible to violate this whilst pursuing the next goals of Artha and Kaam Otherwise the result is accumulation of bad karma which will bring misfortunes in the same life or next life. On the other hand it is said that pursuing all four of these goals truthfully will enable a natural graduation towards liberation after fulfilment of more basic needs and desires throughout life. For instance rightfully gained material comfort and prosperity (Artha) is likely to bring harmony, health and greater well being to a household and similarly consensual gratification of passions within social norms (Kaam) ensures more balanced, stable and calm existence as well as reproduction to ensure continuity of life. It is with this perspective that the instructions from the respective scriptures of ‘Dharma Shastras’ (notably by sage Manu), Arthashastra (by sage Kautilya) and ‘Kamasutra’ may be followed as appropriate to the times.
Spiritual growth is obstructed by the five negative tendencies which must be avoided. These are ignorance (‘avidya’), ego (‘asmita’), negative emotions (‘raga’), unjustified aversions or prejudices (‘dwesha’) and lack of discipline (‘abhinivesha’). There are also six emotional enemies which disturb the mind and prevent rightful pursuit of the Purushartha. These are anger (‘krodh’), greed (‘lobh’), uncontrolled temptations (‘moh’), pride (‘madh’), jealousy/envy (‘matsar’) and lustful desires (‘kaam’) which are beyond control unlike the Purushartha signifying fulfilment of desires with discipline and Dharma. All of these are to be avoided and overcome using free will to build up good karma and free oneself of evil thoughts, intentions and actions. Prayer to Ishwara will help to achieve this.
The Karmic Law and the idea of Dharma inspire confidence of humans in cosmic justice which can be a great comfort in the face of seemingly unjust unfair circumstances of life. The Hindu philosophy encourages the right way of living on this basis and provides four principle doctrines (‘Purushartha’) as appropriate goals that the common man can aim for in each stage of life thus providing essential guidance on ‘how to live’ and ‘what to live for’ whilst exercising ‘free will’.
These four goals are known as ‘Dharma’ (ethical duty bound righteous living), ‘Artha’ (pursuit of material prosperity and social standing in righteous ways), ‘Kaam’ (fulfilment of sensual and artistic or material desires through Dharmic means), ‘Moksha’ (detachment and liberation from physical and material bonds). The path to Moksha is through dispassionate detachment (‘Vairagya’) and begins with freedom even in action rather than freedom from action.
These doctrines thus provide realistic religious guidance for everyday life. The first doctrine is Dharma. It is not permissible to violate this whilst pursuing the next goals of Artha and Kaam Otherwise the result is accumulation of bad karma which will bring misfortunes in the same life or next life. On the other hand it is said that pursuing all four of these goals truthfully will enable a natural graduation towards liberation after fulfilment of more basic needs and desires throughout life. For instance rightfully gained material comfort and prosperity (Artha) is likely to bring harmony, health and greater well being to a household and similarly consensual gratification of passions within social norms (Kaam) ensures more balanced, stable and calm existence as well as reproduction to ensure continuity of life. It is with this perspective that the instructions from the respective scriptures of ‘Dharma Shastras’ (notably by sage Manu), Arthashastra (by sage Kautilya) and ‘Kamasutra’ may be followed as appropriate to the times.
Spiritual growth is obstructed by the five negative tendencies which must be avoided. These are ignorance (‘avidya’), ego (‘asmita’), negative emotions (‘raga’), unjustified aversions or prejudices (‘dwesha’) and lack of discipline (‘abhinivesha’). There are also six emotional enemies which disturb the mind and prevent rightful pursuit of the Purushartha. These are anger (‘krodh’), greed (‘lobh’), uncontrolled temptations (‘moh’), pride (‘madh’), jealousy/envy (‘matsar’) and lustful desires (‘kaam’) which are beyond control unlike the Purushartha signifying fulfilment of desires with discipline and Dharma. All of these are to be avoided and overcome using free will to build up good karma and free oneself of evil thoughts, intentions and actions. Prayer to Ishwara will help to achieve this.
