Dharma is the bedrock of existence. Today the average Sanatani is either viewing this word as an abusive one or misinterprets it so wildly that the receiver gets confused. To make matters worse, the word Dharma takes a very contextual meaning and implies quite many different ideas depending on the context of use. Worse yet, our ignorance of Dharma or our not following it has consequences for us, in as much as our abidance and upholding brings good outcomes.
Sanatana Dharma informs us that Dharma can vary with our Varna, ashrama and every other situation. So the same which is glorified in one place, gets cautioned in another. There is saamanya dharma (commonly observed dharma), vishesha dharma (ones observed under special conditions), aabhad dharma (ones acceptable under duress). Besides varna dharma and ashrama dharma, we also have gender specific ones as stri dharma (ones allotted for women) and purusha dharma (ones expected of men). Dharma varies over space and time.
The average Hindu mind is deeply deracinated and hence it tries to approach every aspect of sanatana dharma through an Abrahamic lens. This woke mindset warps our understanding even more. To this mind, dharma appears as a list of DOs and DON’Ts. To fix this fundamental blunder, one has to resort to the Shastras. Valmiki Ramayana offers a simple insight through the different interactions of the various characters to help us understand “What is Dharma?”.
Bharata gives a long list of what not to do and what would constitute as adharma in the Ayodhya Kanda. Later, when Bharata meets Rama at Chitrakuta, we get a positive spin as to what needs to be done in the form of Rama’s questions. Thus Dharma is typically understood as shades of gray and the answers are a huge spectrum, is made to realize by the black and white nature of adharma.
Storytime:
Dasaratha perishes due to pain of separation from Rama and more so under the dire circumstances he had created. Bharata arrived days after his death and is devastated upon learning the dark events. Accompanied by Shatrughna, he goes to see Kausalya at her palace to seek her forgiveness for the tragedy of abuse done in his name. She and Sumitra were returning from Bharata’s abode and chanced to meet her on the road. Kausalya was afflicted with grief and fell unconscious. Embraced by Bharata, the seething anger exploded as sarcasm by the weeping Kausalya. She asked that Bharata has now coveted the glorious kingdom, but what did her Rama get, except bark clothes and forest life. With harsh words, Kausalya tried to dump her sorrow without realizing the agony of Bharata.
This prompted Bharata to vent out his agony in the form of imprecations on himself, if he was behind the scheme to oust Rama to the forest to usurp the throne. The sheer numbers and magnitude of these curses are a window into the boundaries of Dharma, but they were so frightening to shakeup and awaken Kausalya, who was buried deep in her own silo of misery. As her mind’s eyes opened she was able to realize that Bharata was in the same boat and it was a blunder she failed to notice on account of her prejudice and suffering.
Analyzing the boundaries of Dharma:
Bharata ends most of the lines with yasya aryaH anumate gataH, implying if he schemed or allowed the noble Rama to be sent to the forest. All his curses were contingent upon the clause, if he were to be behind the scheming of sending Rama to exile to usurp the throne.
Bharata’s words were an outburst of deep hurt, yet as he was an embodiment of Dharma, his words are nothing but the purest essence of Dharma. There is no structured outline in his expression, so we will take the liberty to group them for our easier perception. Some of his words focus on Moksha Dharma and the path leading to it, whilst others refer to his Rajya Dharma. But most of references are to Samanya Dharma, equally applicable to rank and file. Some of these aim at duties towards the society, while some are focused on the individual responsibilities with others being generally applicable.
Moksha Dharma: Though we always speak this as the last Purushartha, the ultimate purpose of a human life is Moksha. Bharata’s very first self imprecation is about even losing this.
कृता शास्त्र अनुगा बुद्धिर् मा भूत् तस्य कदाचन | सत्य संधः सताम् श्रेष्ठो यस्य आर्यो अनुमते गतः || (VR 2-75-21)
kutah shastra anugaa buddhiH ma bhuta tasya kadaachana| satya sangah sataam shroshhTo yasya aaryah anumate gatah||
May the mind of the one who in any way whatsoever allowed for the departure of my noble brother (Rama) the best of men who keeps up his promise, forget the teachings of the Vedas.
उपदिष्टम् सुसूक्ष्म अर्थम् शास्त्रम् यत्नेन धीमता | स नाशयतु दुष्ट आत्मा यस्य आर्यो अनुमते गतः || (VR 2-75-28)
upadishhTam susuukshhmaartham shaastram yatnena dhiimataa| saH naashayatu dushhTaatmaa yasya aaryaH anumate gataH||
May that perverse wretch, with whose counsel my elder brother has gone to exile, forget the subtle meanings of the scriptures taught with care by a wise teacher.
The above two slokas imply the very essence of Vedas, Guru Vakya and the life of a human being. If a person doesn’t grasp the essence of Vedas, one is lost in samsara. Also by not grasping the subtle meanings of scriptures through the compassion of a guru results in futility of life.
मा च तम् प्यूढबाह्वंसम् चन्द्रार्कसम्तेजनम् | द्राक्षीद्राज्यस्थमासीनम् यस्यार्योऽनुमते गतः || (VR 2-75-29)
maacha tam vyuuDha baahvamsam chandraarkasamatejasam| draakshhiit raajyastham aasiinam yasya aaryaH anumate gataH||
May he with whose counsel my elder brother has gone to exile, never behold that Rama having large arms and broad shoulders radiant as the sun and the moon and seated as he will be on a throne.
This sloka is one of the few places Rama’s avatara rahasya cannot remain hidden in the divine drama called Ramayana. Bharata on one hand acknowledges that no one has the right to the throne but at the same time implies. The summum bonum of our existence is to connect and realize the presence of Parabrahman.
प्रैष्यम् पापीयसाम् यातु सूर्यम् च प्रति मेहतु | हन्तु पादेन गाम् सुप्ताम् यस्य आर्यो अनुमते गतः || (VR 2-75-22)
preshhyam paapiyasaam yaatu suuryaamchaprati mehatu| hantu paadena gaam suptaam yasya aaryaH anumate gataH||
May he who counseled the banishment of my noble brother become the slave of the vilest scoundrels, may he answer the calls of nature in the face of the sun and may he kick with his foot, a sleeping cow.
The cow is the very embodiment of all the devatas, while the sun represents the Atman. Kicking the cow, that too sleeping one represents the worst tamasic distortion of mind. In the same way, making nature call facing the sun is like blatantly abusing the representation of Paramatma, which is the worst form of Tamas. Aligning our actions with Dharma results in Punya and actions incongruent to Dharma are Papa. Knowing it as the highest Papa, if one deliberately, filled with malice abuses Dharma is the worst action one can do.
Bharata accords the highest importance to Moksha Dharma in life. It has a central role in all our lives. Due to Yuga changes and our tryst with materialism, we have grown to forget the primacy of Moksha as our focus and Bharata reminds us of the same.
Rajya Dharma: Bharata being a Kshatriya has these special Varna based responsibilities. We discussed them in detail in Kshatriya – do you still exist?
परिपालयमानस्य राज्ञो भूतानि पुत्रवत् | ततः तु द्रुह्यताम् पापम् यस्य आर्यो अनुमते गतः || (VR 2-75-24)
paripaalayamaanasya raajN^aH bhuutaani putravat| tat tu druhyataam paapam yasya aaryaH anumate gatah||
May with whose counsel my elder brother has gone to exile, to him let that sin incur as to those who seek to harm a king who protects his people as if they are his own children.
बलि षड् भागम् उद्धृत्य नृपस्य अरक्षतः प्रजाः | अधर्मः यो अस्य सो अस्य अस्तु यस्य आर्यो अनुमते गतः || (VR 2-75-25)
balishhaDbhaagam uddhR^itya nR^ipasya arakshhataH prajaaH| adharmaH yo asya so asya astu yasya aaryaH anumate gataH||
May the guilt of a king, who taking the sixth part of the revenue of his people fails to protect them, be fallen on them with whose counsel my elder brother went to exile.
For ease of our understanding, we can see these sloka groupings in pairs. A Raja is one who governs the kingdom through the scales of Dharma. Unlike the extremes of corrupt powerful rulers we are aware in history, who derive their power as an expression of their distorted Kama, genuine rulers derive their ability to rule and their power by upholding Dharma. Thus being a righteous ruler, the Raja acts not as a figurative head of the state, but as a real protective one like that of a father and all the citizens are his children. This was evident during Bharata and eventually Rama Rajya.
For the purposes of running the state machinery, the Raja imposed taxes which were determined to be a sixth of the value of the transaction. Any higher will amount to overburdening the people, whose expenses were also governed by dharma. Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 8-19-37) gives this clear insight into the five-fold expenses allowed – for Dharma, for the upkeep of one’s reputation (yashas), for taking care of one’s resources (artha), for catering to one’s desires (kamaya) and taking care of one’s relatives/dependents (sva-janaya).
The Raja is given a boundary within with he can tax and he has to perform his duties of protecting the Rajya, dharma and still enjoy kama sanctioned by dharma. The attitude of this protector is also outlined.
हस्ति अश्व रथ सम्बाधे युद्धे शस्त्र समाकुले | मा स्म कार्षीत् सताम् धर्मम् यस्य आर्यो अनुमते गतः || (VR 2-75-27)
hastvashvarathasambaadhe yuddhe shastrah samaakule| maasmakaarshhit sataam dharmam yasya aaryaH anumate gataH||
May the sin of him, who fails to observe the code of warfare followed by the virtuous in a battle abundantly provided with elephants horses chariots weapons and men, be his with whose counsel my elder brother went to exile.
सम्ग्रामे समुपोढे स शत्रुपक्ष्भयम्करे | पलायामानो वध्येत यस्यार्योऽनुमे गतः || (VR 2-75-39)
samgraame samupoDhe saH satrupakshhabhayamkare| palaayamaanaH vadhyeta yasya aaryaH anumate gataH||
May he with whose counsel my elder brother has gone to exile, obtain the sin of being killed while fleeing, at a time when a battle inspiring fear upon enemy's side has commanded.
The Kshatriya’s primary nature is to uphold and protect dharma. This is due to his primary guna being Rajasic and his secondary driver being Sattva. Always dynamic, yet firmly upholding dharma, the Raja’s very life is a Tapasya and hence many such great rulers in the past were referred as Rajarishis. Thus the Raja is expected to even give his life for the sake of protecting Dharma. The Bhagavad Gita highlights the importance the qualities of Kshatriya in sloka 18-43 and at the center of the kshatriyata is being always in the forefront in defending dharma and never compromising it. The biggest ignominy for a Kshatriya is running away from the battlefield, which is the ultimate domain for upholding dharma. Yuddha is the final outcome and choice for a Kshatriya to settle the Dharma-Adharma imbalance.
The emphasis from an administrator’s perspective and also the highest Purushartha of every being as aspiring for Moksha may appear as applicable to a select few. But these are applicable to everyone. As we observe and follow Dharma, we obviously will encounter situations where Dharma has to be upheld, sometimes at a cost we may misunderstand as pricey. There is no price too high in upholding Dharma. In the same way, it is easy to grasp that Dharma alone contains in its bosom, lasting Artha, Kama, and Sukham, but the path of Dharma leads always to Moksha at its highest level.
Let us continue this dharmic journey of understanding the boundaries of Dharma by further studying the imprecations uttered by Bharata.
To be continued…
ॐ तत् सत