Dharma the guiding spirit

October 13, 2004

Hare Krishna,

One of the misconceptions about Indian philosophy is that it is other-worldly; that its emphasis is on the goal of liberation. On the contrary, Vedic philosophy takes into account the entire spectrum of human life. Its teachings have relevance to day-to-day life in the world. The Bhagavad Gita is a case in point. Lord Krishna taught this to Arjuna who is representative of the entire mankind. The Lord anticipates all our doubts and anxieties and answers them convincingly.

Certain concepts like ``Varna'' and ``Purushartha'' are basic to the teachings of the Gita. The social order is classified into four, for which Lord Krishna has a rationale answer. The Lord says, ``The four orders of society were created by Me classifying them according to the mode of Prakrti predominant in each

and apportioning corresponding duties to them...''

According to the Gita, the Varna system is not based on birth, but on one's natural aptitude. Thus every person who earns his living by a profession is a ``Vaisya'' though he may not be one by birth.

The four Purusharthas (Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha) are the aspirations of man. It is interesting to note that material possession, represented by Artha, is one of the legitimate human pursuits approved by the scriptures. But the catch is that Dharma should be the guiding spirit of this endeavour. In the modern world Artha is associated with all business enterprises. The scriptural guidelines regarding pursuit of Artha is general considering the time in which they were written. Today, business has become very complex and it is up to us to apply this concept to our modern practices.

Ethics in business has become an ideal now as the dividing line between good and evil has become rather hazy. Where does ethics start? It is not as if man is unaware of it. In the Mahabharata, Duryodana is a character who advocated evil and he embraced it knowingly. So it is not lack of awareness about what is right and what is wrong which is the reason for deterioration of morals and ethics in society.

A man of faith who abides by Dharma will not compromise the values he holds dear to fulfil his desires. The atrophy in values is due to lack of faith which results in impatience making people resort to any means to realise their ambitions. Contentment is not getting whatever one desires but it is being happy with one's lot in life. This must not be construed to imply that such an attitude will kill one's ambitions. One must fulfil one's desires in a righteous way.

One of the greatest paradoxes of human life is the disparity seen in the moral stature and the worldly endowments of a person. It can be seen that people who are morally lax and do not have any qualms about achieving what they want, seem to enjoy fortune, whereas those who are wedded to the righteous way of life suffer. Such good people have to surmount a lot of obstacles to remain true to the moral values they believe in implicitly.

This contradiction seen in human lives reinforces the truth that it is not possible to understand the nuances of Dharma with human intellect. The scriptures and the interpretation given by elders who are rooted in Dharma are the last word on Dharma. A moral person should not get dejected and forsake values in life because of the troubles he faces. Moreover, the scriptural guidelines should not be interpreted to suit one's convenience.

Even the most virtuous of men, whose name was synonymous with righteousness, Yudishtra, suffered greatly, which made the elder Bhishma remark when the Pandava met him along with Lord Krishna, ``How painful and how unjust it has been that you, the progeny of righteousness and votary of the pious, Dharma and Lord Achyuta, should have lived a life of suffering, which you surely did not deserve. Where King Yudishtra, the son of Dharma, was the ruler, Bhima held the mace in his hand, Arjuna was the archer and Gandiva the bow, and where Sri Krishna was the friend and well- wisher, to even think of adversity there!''

Bhishma told Yudishtra that all events in the lives of men were dictated by Time and Providence and advised him to submit to God's will and perform his duties as the monarch righteously without giving in to despondency. After the war Dharmaputra had become remorseful and he expressed the same to Lord Krishna claiming responsibility for all the bloodshed.

Lord Krishna convinced him that he had only done his duty as a warrior by fighting in the war and hence sins would not accrue to him. He also told him that it was not possible to grasp the nuances of Dharma easily and advised him to seek Bhishma who lay on a bed of arrows awaiting his end and learn its intricacies from him.

Bhishma's elaborate exposition on Dharma is a veritable treatise on the subject. The famous hymn, the Vishnu Sahasranama, was sung in praise of Lord Krishna by Bhishma at this juncture, when He identified the Lord as the supreme Dharma and he recommended chanting His names as the antidote to all sins.

Om Namo Narayanaya!

Krishnadaya,