Hindu Dharma Flashcards
Give some meanings of the word ‘dharma’
- Order
- Duty
- Purpose
- ‘That which supports’
- Way of life
- Sanatana dharma = Hinduism
What is the purpose of dharma?
- Proper functioning of universe
- Helps you obtain moksha through adhering to your dharma
- to honour a God (God may come to restore dharma, C.f.
How does dharma relate to rta?
- Natural order in the Vedic religion
- Order in the cosmos
- “That which is properly joined: order, rule, truth”
Which texts support Dharma?
VEDAS - Upanishads - Dharma sastras - Laws of Manu/Manusmirtri BHAKTI - Bhagvad Gita - Mahabharata - Puranas (Brahmapurana)
Dharma in the Bhagvad Gita
- Arjuna argues that in fighting leading men, fathers and husbands, he will destabilise families who in turn help to uphold dharma (origins of ahimsa paramo dharma)
- Krishna argues that above dharma is God, and God desires the path each person is obligated to take. Therefore the right thing to do is to do your own dharma
“One’s own dharma, performed imperfectly, is better than another’s dharma well performed” - Lord Krishna
What is varnashrama dharma?
- The dharma determined by your caste and ashram
Dharma of Brahmin
- to lead worship, to conduct ritual, to learn the vedas
Dharma of a Kshatriya
- to govern
- to fight
- to protect
Dharma of a Vaishya
- to offer service
- to make money
Dharma of a Sudra
- to provide labour, often lowly
Dharma of a Brahmacharya
- to learn
- to learn vedas
- to follow a guru
- to respect elders
- remain celibate
Dharma of a Grihastha
- to earn money
- to raise a family, Laws of Manu offer advise on when to conceive a child to ensure male heir
- to work
- to support society
- to worship
- Men: to support family
- Women: to raise the children and take on a domestic role
Dharma of a Vanaprastha
- remain celibate
- renounce responsibilities of a householder
- devote oneself to God
Dharma of a Sannyasini
- Renouncer of all worldly pleasures
- Outside of caste system
- Worship through meditation (jnana yoga) and bhakti yoga
- Dead to the world
What is your Sva-dharma
- Your personal dharma
- Extremely individual, likely to be unique
- Determined by your caste, ashram, jati, sex…
Sadharan dharma
Two types:
- Generalised dharma*
- Moral obligations
- Do not murder, steal, lie ect. ect.
- respect vedas, Brahmins, elders
- Beyond the call of duty*
- Construction of temples
- Alms to priests
- Pursuit of divine knowledge
- Pilgrimage
Pande on relationship between dharma and rta
- Dharma replaced Rta
What does Sanatana dharma mean?
- From an emic perspective, Sanatana dharma is the title given to the religion Westerners know as ‘Hinduism’ (the title ‘Hinduism’ is only appropriate from an etic perspective
- From Sanskrit route ‘dhri’ = to sustain, ‘anandi’ = beginingless, ‘anantha’ = endless. It is therefore a-paurusheya = without a human founder
- Cannot be translated into any other language directly
Sanatana dharma: what is implied by the term ‘Sanatana’?
- literally means eternal
- Since only Brahman is beyond time, it must come from Brahman
- This means that the religion is God centred, not prophet centred
- Vaidika dharm= from the Vedas, which came from Brahman
- It is both immanent and transcendent
What are some qualities of Sanatana dharma?
- Not prophet-based, but god-based
- Eternal
- Experience-lead, not word-led
- Universally inclusive
- Without ideological or sectarian division: unity
Aligning with Sanatana dharma
- Sanatana dharma is the natural law that aligns with Brahmans wishes
- Living in accordance with that will sustain and uplift all life and maximise human potential in all dimensions
Gravity as an analogy for explaining the universal and unified Sanatana dharma
- Gravity works in all times and places in the same way for everyone
- It is not open to debate or interpretation. It clearly exists and cannot be altered or manipulated
Juilius Evola’s comments on dharma
- meta-historic and dynamic
- principles that have the chrism of superior legitimacy
What is the difference between Sanatana Dharma and Sampradya?
- Sampradya is a set of laws taught by a Guru
- Sanatana dharma is present in these ideologies, but existed before/is perennial (“To the truth which is one, the wise give many names”)
Impact of the Vedas on Sanatana Dharma
- Vedic philosophy helps us to understand who we are and live appropriately to that
Sanatana dharma general principles: The three Ds of Hindu ethics
Dana: Giving others their due
Daya: Respect for creatures
Dharma: order, obeying dharmic principles
According to Hindu ethics, to whom should you pay your debts?
Rishis: an inspired poet of Ṛgvedic hymns, who alone or with others invokes the deities with poetry. Post-Vedic tradition regards the Rishis as “sages” or saints.
Pitris: departed ancestors who are remembered annually
Devas: the god of choice (ista deva)
Some general principles of Sanatana Dharma
ahimsa (non-violence) dhriti (firmness or fortitude), kshama (forgiveness), dama (self-control), asteya (refraining from stealing or dishonesty), shauch (purity), indriya nigraha (control over the senses), dhih (intellect), vidya (knowledge), satyam (truth) akrodhah (absence of anger).
Difference in scale between Varnashrama dharma and Sanatana dharma
- SD has a universal scale and is concerned with universal order (Rta), applies to macrocosm
- VAD applies to human society and human condition, applies to microcosm
Difference in inclusiveness between VAD and SD
- SD specifies universal laws applicable to all ie ahimsa. Alll people equal before SD, including those who don’t identify as ‘Hindus’
- VAD is specialised, in most cases unique. Heirachical and strictly Vedic (excludes other faiths, women and sudras)
Difference in aims for SD and VAD
- SD: SD is set out by Brahman, is eternal and universal. Living by SD is living by God, and the ultimate aim is to achieve moksha and realise God
- VAD: gain punya (merit) for good karma and better rebirth
Defining SD
- Emic: the religion we know as ‘Hinduism’ is SD
- Etic: the religion that is SD is known by us as ‘Hinduism’
- Nationalists use term ‘Hindutva’ or ‘Hinduness’ to associate it with India as the homeland of Hinduism (challenges idea of universal SD)
- Dayananda Sarasvati saw true Hinduism as being strictly Vedic
- Ghandi had own understanding of SD: belief in Hindu scripts, avatars ,Vedic VAD but NOT VAD in modern sense. Cow protection, humanitarianism, no idol worship…
Sanatana Dharma - attaining Moksha - Karma Yoga
- Achieving Moksha through good works and becoming detached from the fruits of our labours
- Not just gaining good karma, but achieving a state of neutral Karma
- Devote fruits to Ishvara (Lord) ie Krishna in Mahabharata
Sanatana Dharma - attaining Moksha - Jnana Yoga
- path of intellectual development
- Must identify what is real and what is not, distinguish between material and absolute reality (for Sankara)
- Revealed knowledge of the soul, God and the relationship between them
- Not intellectual knowledge, as this is relevant only to material reality and does not relate to atman. Knowledge gained through meditation
Sanatana Dharma - attaining Moksha - Bhakti Yoga
- Attaining Moksha through devotion to the Lord
- God’s love present in all living beings + his work as creator. Therefore, easiest means of liberation