Dharma

Hindu Dharma
Hindu dharma is an extremely complex subject that covers many aspects of Hindu life
ranging from what you can and cannot eat to what caste people are a part of and what their
duties/obligations are. There are also many different Hindu texts that cover the concept of
dharma. I will try to define dharma using three separate sources and my conclusion will contain a
definition pieced together using the definitions from all three of the sources
In An Introduction to Hinduism by Gavin D. Flood the first line that we read states
dharma is untranslatable in that it has no direct semantic equivalents in any western languages
which convey that resonance of associations expressed by the term1. Dharma is an all
encompassing ideology which embraces both ritual and moral behaviour, whose neglect would
have bad social and personal consequences. Dharma is used as an all encompassing law, this
law is flexible because dharma is context sensitive2. Dharma separates people into four different
castes Brahmans3, nobles or warriors, commoners, and lastly serfs4. Another concept in the
ideology of dharma is that of life stages or the asramas. There are four different stages of life
the celibate student5, the householder, the hermit/forest dweller, and lastly the renouncer6.
Dharma also describes gender roles. Multiple Hindu texts describe the mutual sexual satisfaction
of men and women. The texts also explain that sex, when performed within the correct castespecific boundaries is not sinful. Women are to be subject to male control throughout their
lives7 and at the same time women are to be revered and kept happy by the householder. A
womans religious duty, above all else, is to be obedient to her husband.
In the chapter Hindu Ethics and Dharma in the book Readings in Eastern Religion by
Harold Coward, Ronald Neufeldt, and Eva K. Neumaier dharma is defined.
Hindus today use the word dharma to refer to religion, ethics, moral
behaviour in general, and to their religion in particulardharma means
religion; the customary observances of a caste, sect, ect.; law usage;
practice; religious or moral merit; virtue; righteousness; duty; justice; piety;
morality; sacrifice; and more (Coward, p. 82).
This book discusses the fact that dharma covers a large array of subjects and that these subjects
are discussed a great number of Hindu texts. Some of these sources include The Laws of Manu,
Dharma Sultras, and Hindu epics. Although not all behaviors and virtues are considered
universal8 there are a few virtues and behaviour patterns that are suggested for everyone such
as sanatana dharma compassion, charity, and lack of hatred towards all beings.. There are eight
virtues discussed in the earliest texts of dharma and they are compassion to all creatures,
patience, lack of envy, purification, tranquility, having an auspicious disposition, generosity, and
lack of greed (p.85). Dharma also discusses food regulation. It describes when to eat, how often
to eat, who to eat with, who can prepare the food, and forbidden foods. The next section of this
chapter discusses the four stages of life that were mentioned earlier celibate student, householder,
hermit, and renouncer. This text adds that many Hindus never move on to stages three and four.
The last section discusses the link between dharma and liberation from the cycle of karma. One
performs their dharma in hopes of reaching moksha, which is liberation.
In the glossary of the textbook Living Religions dharma is defined as moral order,
righteousness, and religion. The textbook discusses the four ages of the world. The first age is
when dharma is natural, the second age is when people must be taught their proper roles in
society, the third age is when revealed values are no longer recognized, people lose their
altruism and willingness for self-denial, and there are no more saints, and the final age9 is when
the world is at its darkest, with egotism, ignorance, recklessness, and war rampant (Fisher p.
90). The textbook also discusses the four stages of life, dharma in terms of liberation, and
womens position in Hindu society.
There are many common pieces of dharma that were discussed across all three of the
texts such as the four life stages, womens role in Hindu life, the four ages of the world, and how
dharma can lead to liberation. Although it seems as though we have discussed every aspect it
seems like dharma is a subject that takes more than 30 or 40 pages to explain, in fact there are
multiple books and multiple volumes dedicated to each piece of dharma. It has become clear that
dharma is an extensive subject that cannot be defined by means of a simple definition; it simply
covers too many subjects and ideas for that. What I have taken away from these readings is that
dharma is the driving force behind every thought, action, ritual, and daily task because it defines
how a person should go about each of these.
Foot Notes
1. It has however been loosely translated to mean many things such as religion, justice, law,
ethics, religious merit, principle, or right.
2. The religious obligations of men differ at different ages and very according to caste , family,
and country (Flood, p.58).
3. Brahmans are essentially pure holy men. They are the only people who were allowed to
teach the Veda.
4. The bottom class, the Untouchables lived on the outside of villages and performs menial and
polluting tasks like leather working and sweeping filth from the village.
5. He begs for food, practices penances, wears an antelope skin, collects fuel, and practices heat
generation austerity (Flood, p. 63). This stage can last anywhere from 9 to 36 years.
6. Only the Twice born have the potential to become hermits and renouncers.
7. a good woman is one who dies on her husbands funeral pyre if he predeceases her (Flood,
p.66).
8. Much of dharma is dependent on cast, life stage, and gender.
9. We are currently living in the final age.
Bibliography
1.
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. 9th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. Print.
2.
Coward, Harold G., Ronald W. Neufeldt, and E. K. Neumaier-Dargyay. Readings in

Eastern Religions. 2nd ed. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier UP, 2007. Print.
3.
Flood, Gavin D. An Introduction to Hinduism. New York: Cambridge UP, 1996.

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Hindu Dharma

Coward, Harold G., Ronald W. Neufeldt, and E. K. Neumaier-Dargyay. Readings in

Flood, Gavin D. An Introduction to Hinduism. New York: Cambridge UP, 1996.

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