The many – Puruṣārtha – Principles of Dharma-2

During vedic times, our Rshis must have observed the regularity of movements of celestial objects like the Sun and the moon, onset of the seasons and the alterations of day and night, among other phenomena to understand that there lies an order underneath. From there was born the principle of Rta which is the underlying principle for everything that is ordered in this universe. Soon Rta transformed from physical to divine – from the physical order it transformed into path of morality for men and law of righteousness for Gods. The definition of Rta as cosmic order should not limit it to the skies and the space above this loka. Jivas are also a part of this cosmos and just like with everything in our dharma, Rta also affects jivas in a personal way. Once our ancestors recognized the conception of Rta, the world became a much more ordered place. They stopped seeing the world as a chaotic place and started seeing it as a working of a harmonious purpose with Rta as its base. Dr Radhakrishnan states that this change gave us and still gives us a security and solace whenever disbelief tempts us, that whatever might happen we feel that there is a law of righteousness in the moral world answering to this beautiful order of nature due to which the idea that virtue will triumph as sure as the sun rises tomorrow. This concrete reinforced belief is only due to the belief that Rta can be trusted.

Our ancestors have always used the words Rta, Satya and Dharma interchangeably. But there are subtle differences between the three words which clearly show that they serve different purposes, although they seem to denote the same tattva of Dharma. Sri Vidyaranya also known as Mādhava Vidyāranya who was the Guru of the founders of Vijayanagara empire defines rta as a mental perception and realization of god. Rta is totally internal and natural to oneself sprouting without any compulsions from outside.

The Taittiriya Upanishad states thus – “Satyam vadha: Dharmam chara” – “speak the truth and practice dharma”. This clearly associates speaking with Satya and doing with Dharma. Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada summarizes thus – “Satyamiti yathasastrarthata sa eva anusthiyamanah dharmanama bhavati” This is further explained by Sri.K.Balasubramania Aiyar thus – “While ‘rta’ denotes the mental perception and realization of truth and ‘satya’ denotes the exact true expression in words of the truth as perceived by the mind, dharma is the observance, in the conduct of life, of truth. In fact, dharma is the way of life which translates into action the truth perceived by the man of insight as expressed by him truly. In short, ‘rta’ is truth in thought, ‘satya’ is truth in words and ‘dhrama’ is truth in deed.” (as stated by Judge Mishra in his foreword to the book-Voice of the Guru Pujyasri Chandrasekharendra Sarawati Swami-Hindu Dharma, The universal way of life).

In the coming posts we will look at other aspects of Dharma before moving to the next purushartha – Artha.

The many – Puruṣārtha – Dharma-Basic Principles

Any discussion of traditional dharmic thought about a jiva usually revolves around the principles of varna, asrama and puruṣārtha. These three are intimately related to each other and any one cannot be understood without understanding the others. But the notion of puruṣārtha is treated as the most fundamental of the 3 principles from a dharmic point of view. It is also important because as stated by Shri Aurobindo – it breaks down the common misrepresentation – that Indian dharmic culture denies all values of life, detaches from terrestrial interests, and insists on the unimportance of the life of the moment.

The term puruṣārtha comprises of 2 words – Purusa meaning human, soul, and universal being and artha meaning purpose or objective(artha here is different from artha-one of the puruṣārtha). So puruṣārtha means jiva’s purpose/objective/aim of life. The four puruṣārtha are Dharma (righteousness, moral principle), Artha (prosperity, resources, means), Kāma (pleasure, attachment), and Moksha (liberation, bliss).

The pursuit of material prosperity, fulfilment of one’s desire and attainment of liberation are all based on Dharma which is the foundation of all practical life. The word Dharma is derived from the word “dhri” which means to hold together or preserve. It can be translated as “that which upholds”. Krishna in Mahabharatha provides a complete definition of Dharma.

“Dharma protects and preserves the praja. So it is the conclusion of the Pandits that what maintains is Dharma”

While Praja may be fellow jivas for a jiva, its not the same for Krishna. When he says praja, he means the entire cosmos other than himself! From that point of view, Dharma can be seen to have 3 sides to it. Individual, social and cosmic. From an individual perspective, it refers to one’s duty and righteousness in performing that duty. Dr. Radhakrishnan states that any individual can be free from the holds of the past and be fearless of the chances of the future if he abides by his dharma in such a way. Dharma in a society is the code of conduct or morality to be followed to attain social harmony. In a society, it needs to be amply supported by the general conscience of the people. In any culture that has reached its dharmic heights, the underlying dharma would have become a matter of habit and second nature so that the citizens are not even explicitly conscious of it. In a cosmic perspective, dharma refers to the cosmic order and balance. In Vedas, this cosmic order is often referred to as Rta. It consists of laws that govern the functioning of the manifested universe in its creation, sustenance and destruction. But just like any other important principle in our dharma, Rta is much more than what has been said here.

We will look more into the principle of Rta, at the relationship between Dharma, Rta and Sathya in the next post.