Dharma
Dharma is a word that
encompasses
the concept of righteousness. This particular type of righteousness is
defined
as right thought and right action, thus living by a 'code' of doing
right.
However, Dharma also transcends beyond the individual. Practitioners of
Dharma
not only envision this righteousness as something that they live by,
but also
as something that has an existence in itself. By following the path of
Dharma,
one contributes to its growth in the individual.
For example, if
I were to
start living by the Dharma, this righteousness that I would be
exhibiting in my
actions and thoughts would thus begin to inhabit my inner self. This
concept is
similar to that of forming habits. As one eats four times a day, every
day for
two weeks, one would develop the habit of doing this. The difference
between
the concept of habit and that of Dharma lies in metaphysics. Dharma has
a
spiritual presence in the world; when an individual practices Dharma
and
establishes its ways, one contributes to the growth of Dharma beyond
the
individual and to the world at large.
Dharma is rooted in many of the Indian religious
forms. It
can be found in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. In each of
these
religions it serves as a guide to the practitioner and also as a
representation
of good in the world. In Hinduism, Dharma is largely illustrated by the
Mahabharata and the Ramayana, two epics of Indian literature. These
books
present the reader with depictions of the crises that occur when Dharma
is
mixed with the evil that can be found in the world. For my frame tale,
I will
be using these two epics as sources for discussing four examples of
Dharma in
crisis.
My frame tale
will thus be written with the
incorporation of
important aspects of Hinduism. I will develop my tales of Dharma in
such a way
that they fall into the Hindu concept of the four ashrams. The four
ashrams, or
the four stages, is the notion that the Hindu life is divided into four
parts:
the Brahmacharya (student stage), the Grahasta (householder stage),
Vanaprastha
(retired stage), and the Sanyasa (renounced stage). Each of these
stages represents
a significant part of life for the Hindu, and for my frame tale I will
narrate
through an older Hindu man who has reached the Sanyasa stage of life.
He will
encounter a young man on a journey and tell him about his life and the
importance of Dharma. Through his accounts, he will describe the four
ashrams
and then narrate a crisis of Dharma that has been encountered in each
one. The
first crisis will deal with the Brahmacharya and the story of Rama
being taught
by the sage Viswamitra and their conflict with the Rakshasas will be
told. The
second crisis will be told through the Grihasta, and for it I will
retell the
story of Rama and Sita. The third crisis will tell of Vanaprastha, and
it will reference Yudhistira and the exile of Rama. For the fourth and
final tale, I will summarize the themes that lead up to Sannyasa, also
known as the final renunciation.
To...