Ṛta

This article refers to Rta in Hinduism.

For other uses, see RTA.

In Vedic Sanskrit, Rta literally means the "course of things." At first, the early Hindus were notably confused as to the inscrutable order of nature, how the heavenly bodies, the rushing winds and flowing waters, the consistent cycling of the seasons, were regulated. From that confusion sprang rta, which signified this order, the path that was always followed. Through all the metamorphoses and permutations of nature, of life in general, there was one unchangeable fact: rta.

In the Vedas, which span back to 1500 BCE (and further in oral tradition), rta lays the philosophical foundation for the Hindu conception of dharma. In current usage, the use of the term rta is eschewed for the more developed and now standard dharma.

Soon it transcended its passive role as a mere signifier and took on that of an active imposition of order. Not only the natural principles, but the gods and goddesses themselves were obliged to abide by rta. Rta became the father, the law of justice and righteousness, unyielding but eminently fair. It grew, as Radhakrishnan states, from "physical" to "divine" in its purvey.

The world's seeming chaos of altercating fortune, the caprice of the divinities, was now intelligible. Indeed, there was a single, unchanging harmony working behind the scenes. A right path existed, ready to be taken by the righteous ones. Rta signifies the way life ought to be, shifting from physical to divine, from natural to moral order. Rta was morality, the equitable law of the universe. The conception of this all-transcending supramental force, which is practically the same concept as some later understandings of dharma, is captured in early Vedic prayer, preempting the liturgical strains of classical Hindu mantras involving dharma

Rta is associated with Varuna, a sky-god.

Rta is cognate to the Avestan word and Zoroastrian conception of Asha – Truth, one of the Amesha Spentas.

See also

• Upanishads