Eye on Hinduism - The ethical centrality of Dharma

The essential Hindu concept defining the individual and their responsibilities is dharma. Dharma in Hinduism is both eternal law and the upkeep of it, it is the practical aspect of truth, it is religious position and duty and it is social duties. But for the individual, more importantly, it is the basis for the moral and religious makeup of Hindu customary law that governs individual conduct:

Better to do one’s own duty (dharma) though void of merit than to do another’s duty, however well performed…One should not lay aside the works that are inborn in each of us, even though they involve demerit (sadosha), for all enterprises are associated with demerit as is fire with smoke.[1]

Dharma is one of the four goals of life[2], the path of righteousness to be followed according to one’s class, status, and station in life as defined by the Caste system, and so as to gain good karma. Customary law is the form of Dharma that developed, and became more complicated, over time through the Priestly caste’s (Brahmins) interpretation of Dharma in relation to how society should operate. Dharma as law originally constituted the subject matter of the dharma-sutras; religious manuals that are the earliest source of Hindu law, but in the course of time were extended into the much lengthier compilations of law, the dharmashastra, that are still so influential today.

Each Hindu, by virtue of the tradition of Hindu customary law as set down by the Brahmins, is bound by the caste system. With the composition of the Brahmanas (c. 900 to 600 BCE), it was not only the actions of the gods that involved the laws of the cosmos but also rituals performed by priests, which were prescribed in the texts. These rituals were to obtain a favorable rebirth. Dharma thus came to be closely aligned with the concept of karma, present actions determining the conditions of one’s future life. The traditional castes as set down by the Laws of Mun were:

• The Brahmin Caste (Priests, teachers and advisors)
• The Kshatriya Caste (Rulers, Kings, Warriors)
• The Vaishya Caste (“The People” – Agriculturalists, Merchants, Traders)
• The Shudra Caste (Servants of the Upper classes – Gardeners, Musicians, Artisans, Barbers)

The first three castes are often called the “Twice-Born” (Aryan Castes descended from the invasion in the 2^nd Millennium BCE) while the Shudra caste is often considered non-Aryan. In any case over time these castes became more rigid and fixed and developed their own sub-castes. A caste excluded by Shudras became entrenched, “Outcastes” or “untouchables”, were comprised of groups like street sweepers and leather workers.

The term Sva-dharma (a Brahminic creation meaning “own dharma”) applies especially to the meanings of dharma as caste duty. Dharma in this sense is thus a sense of obligation. Humans must fulfill their role in society and the world. Such responsibilities include reproduction and caste duties, but more importantly for one’s karma, one should have peaceful and humble acceptance of one’s position in society and the world. Dharma in this context is duty firstly to one’s jati (birth group or family) then to one’s caste (varna) or even sub-caste, then to one’s age group within the caste, and then to one’s stage of life (asrama). This system of social responsibilities is known as varnasramadharma; synonymous with the term Sva-dharma.

The reasoning behind this system is that every person has unique duties and responsibilities; a person’s Sva-dharma is unique to that person because everyone has different capacities for righteousness. This capacity it is believed, is determined by one’s birth, which of course is a result of one’s actions in previous lives (karma). Because of differing levels of purity between the castes, everyone cannot be expected to meet the same standard of social behavior. Instead, the duties of the different members of the different varnas interact with and thus support each other. It is necessary to follow one’s Sva-dharma so that the carrying out of one’s duties and responsibilities maintains harmony in society, the world and for one’s self, “Doing the works that inhere in one’s condition (svabhava-niyata) one remains unsullied.”[3] The basic structure of the Bhagavad Gita, as another example, is the notion of a just-war (meaning necessary war) - that taking part in a war is perfectly acceptable as long as it can be interpreted as one’s Sva-dharma. There are common moral obligations for everyone (sadharanadharma) but Brahmanic doctrine enjoins that one must follow one’s Sva-dharma at all times even if it means breaking the rules of sadharanadharma. Therefore if you are a soldier, for example, you must fight. Brahmanic doctrine holds that social and cosmic harmony is dependent on following one’s Sva-dharma at all times; for just as God sustains and reabsorbs the world into himself (God’s own dharma) so humanity, which is a particle of God, must imitate him. In classical Vedic literature dharma was the system of activities that guided the world to uphold universal harmony (much as the concept of ma’at in ancient Egypt) - all things in the world having a correct place and function, including castes. As Hinduism deals with criticism of its caste system it will have to deal with this ancient legacy, as well as the developments since then in the application of dharma and the caste system of which it is a part.

Source Used:

· Klostermaier, Klaus K. A Survey of Hinduism. University of New York Press, Albany, 1994.

· Zaehner, R.C. Hinduism, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1962.

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[1] BG, 18.47-48. In Zaehner, R.C. Hinduism, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1962, p.102.

[2] 1. Artha – the gaining of wealth, 2. kama – pleasure, 3. dharma – the path of righteosness, 4. moksa – the goal of liberation.

[3] BG, 18.47, In Zaehner, R.C. Hinduism, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1962, p.102.