One of the most important ideas I’ve ever come across is the Vedic notion of dharma. In fact, it’s an essential understanding and one I believe that every human being should be made aware of, particularly in this age of complexity, chaos and confusion.
Dharma is already something we instinctively know. It’s built into us. You might say it’s part of our ‘factory settings’. But to consciously understand what it is and what it means makes life so much easier.
Dharma is a nuanced topic. The word itself, which has no direct English equivalent, is derived from the root dhr., “to hold, maintain, and support” and dharman, meaning “bearer or supporter”.
Dharma, then, is the natural law underlying creation; the invisible thread binding together the tapestry of life.
It ensures that each constituent part works together to enable the universe to function with cohesion and integrity.
Dharma is what drives the entire creation. It is intrinsic to the functioning of society and the fate of the world.
With reference to human endeavour, dharma is taken to mean ‘right action’ (that which should be done), as opposed to adharma which is ‘wrong action’ (that which should not be done). Dharma refers to behaviour, action, and conduct that is in alignment with the natural order of life.
While values vary from culture to culture, along with personal predilections, dharma is universal and absolute. You might say it is built into the very structure of life as the unwritten code of creation.
The Yajur Upanishad states:
“Nothing is higher than dharma. Verily, that which is dharma is Truth.”
There are three main categories of dharma.
Universal Dharma
Samanya dharma relates to universal values. The most fundamental of these is ahimsa, or non-injury. This is not something we need to be taught. We all have an innate understanding of dharma based on shared values and mutual expectation.
When you leave your house in the morning and go about your day, you expect to do so without being attacked, robbed, or abused in any way.
No creature wants to be hurt by others, which is why we know we should avoid injuring others. We all want to be treated with kindness, sympathy, and compassion. Even people who routinely violate dharma, such as thieves, have an instinctive knowledge of dharma, because they, in turn, don’t want or expect to be stolen from.
Truth is another key aspect of samanya dharma. You know it’s not right to lie to others because you don’t like being lied to.
Purity and self-restraint are other universal values. You know it’s best to live as cleanly as possible in terms of body, diet, thought, word, and deed, for your own well-being, health and peace of mind. Similarly, self-restraint prevents you from falling victim to your mind’s whims and impulses, which would invariably lead to disaster.
Failure to follow dharma always causes problems.
If you rub against dharma, you can be sure that dharma will rub against you. There’s always a price to be paid for violating dharma, not only in terms of outer repercussions but also the inner cost of conflict, confusion and suffering.
Societies create laws to ensure that dharma is maintained.
Unlike dharma, however, laws are not universal. Some laws may even be adharmic depending on who is running the society. Laws also may apply at certain times and not others. Murder is considered the worst of crimes. Soldiers, however, are expected to kill when ordered. Failing to do so will incur punishment. So, while one person will end up in jail for killing someone, a soldier may end up in jail for not killing someone.
Situational Dharma
Dharma, then, also has a situational component, known as vishesha dharma.
Specific situations have a corresponding dharma; rules that should be observed and not broken. On an individual level, you have specific types of dharma in relation to your roles as a parent, child, teacher, student, employer, employee, citizen, spiritual seeker, etc. Such dharma will change depending on your circumstances, roles, and stage of life.
Personal Dharma
Furthermore, everything in existence has its own particular dharma (svadharma). This dharma is not selected by choice but is rooted in the essential nature of that particular object or being.
For example, it is the dharma of the sun to shine, of water to flow, of birds to fly, flowers to bloom and bees to make honey.
Human beings have their own in-built dharma, too, which manifests as universally occurring personality archetypes.
Depending on their svadharma, some people will have a natural proclivity to be artists, healers, or mathematicians, while others might be compelled to work in science, law enforcement, business, or politics.
All beings must follow their own nature and behave according to their personal dharma. In this way, we each make an appropriate contribution to life and support the entirety of creation.
Inner Conflict
It feels good to follow dharma. Regardless of the outcome of your actions, you experience a sense of harmony and satisfaction when you do the right thing and remain true to your nature.
If you want to live a happy and reasonably incident-free life, all you need to do is commit to following dharma (and, ideally, practise karma yoga).
On the other hand, by violating dharma you experience guilt and inner conflict. Even a sociopath knows when they’ve crossed the line and will feel bad, even if it’s just because they know there will be repercussions to face.
When you violate dharma there are always consequences.
Sometimes the repercussions are swift. If you hit me, I might hit you back twice as hard. Other times, the consequences take longer to fructify. I may go to the police, file a report, and later on, the police come knocking at your door. Either way, even the slightest transgression of dharma will cause ripples.
Unlike human beings, animals and plants naturally follow their dharma. They have no choice in the matter. A bird will always behave like a bird. It won’t one day decide that it should dive into the water and become a fish. An apple tree will always yield apples and not pears. Sugar will always be sweet and fire will always be hot.
Dharma is innate. Without it, life would be a perpetual state of chaos. No meaningful action could take place, because the variables would constantly be shifting. Instead, we live in a lawful universe, which Vedanta calls the ‘dharma field’.
A human being, however, is often at odds with his or her own nature.
Endowed with the capacity for self-reflection and self-determination, human beings are capable of contravening dharma.
Indeed, the human mind is all too often a battleground, the stage of a bitter conflict between dharma and adharma.
The core of this conflict is a clash between what we desire and what we know is right.
A mature person knows the importance of doing the right thing regardless of their personal desires and preferences. They know that the ends do not justify the means and are aware of the cost of violating dharma. That’s why the wise are able to discriminate between what should and shouldn’t be done.
An immature person lacks this crucial discrimination. Their desires are so strong that they see nothing wrong with taking shortcuts, with cheating on their wife or husband, bending or breaking the law and hurting others in order to get what they want.
The price of an adharmic life is high. It causes inner and outer chaos and invariably results in conflict and retribution. It also keeps one drowning in the whirlpool of suffering that is samsara. That, however, is a topic for another time.
Concluding Thoughts on Dharma
Dharma is a fascinating topic and an absolutely essential understanding. It isn’t about being spiritual. It’s simply about being a good and mature human being. The key understanding is that life has certain unwritten rules or values, whether these are universal, dependent on situations, or relating to one’s own nature and personal life.
If you want to live a happy and largely stress-free life, all you really need to do is learn to appreciate dharma and follow it unerringly.
This means living with your eyes open; responding appropriately to each situation and doing as you would have done to you by others.
It means having the maturity to make doing the right thing your number one priority rather than simply trying to get what you want and to hell with the consequences.
Dharma is essential to life. Without it, suffering is inevitable and, in time, if adharma is exceptionally rife, the entire social order collapses.
I believe we are seeing this happen in the world now. Our modern-day culture is not rooted in dharma at all. It’s a desire-based culture which places power, money and status above all else.
The elites running our governments and corporations are often utterly adharmic in their behaviour. Like immature children, they have no regard for the welfare of the total. All they care about is getting their own needs, desires and objectives met, and they have little remorse for the destructive means they employ to do that.
We cannot single-handedly change society. But we can change our own lives. I’ve made it a habit to always be aware of the dharma of whatever situation I find myself in. I ask myself, “What is the dharma of this situation?”
Bear in mind that the primary dharmic values include non-injury, truth and compassion. If I find myself in a situation where I would have to violate dharma to get what I want, then what I want must take a backseat to dharma. Dharma always comes first.
I hope you’ve found this introduction to the topic useful. This article is a modified excerpt from a book I am writing on The Bhagavad Gita, which explores dharma and other themes in great detail. I intend to share more in the future.
If you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to share them!
