Dharma Shastra        
By Swami Tejomayananda

The Vedas, also called the Shrutis are not composed by human beings (apauruseya). They were revealed to the great sages in their seat of meditation. However, the smritis, which include the Bhagawad Geeta, were authored by the great sages. They are also called the Dharma Shastras. Manu Smriti one of the most famous Dharma Shastras is composed by King Svayambhu Manu and is the very basis for all other such scriptures. Even today, court cases related to Hindu laws refer to it for settling disputes. Sages Gautama, Paraashara etc. have also authored Smritis.

What is a Dharma Shastra? The word ‘shastra’ means a science or a scripture relating to a particular field or subject e.g. Artha Shastra means the science of money or economics and also refers to the scripture that talks of economics. In the language of management, Dharma Shastra is the science of Desire Management.

The maxim of economics is to facilitate man in fulfilling maximum desires with the minimum or available means.

The Dharma Shastras guide us in managing desire and outgrowing them. Their maxim is to guide man to fulfill legitimate desires by them, divinise them and thereafter learn to outgrow them to attain total fulfillment.

We realize that, in fulfilling desires, we do not become fulfilled as new desires replace the old ones or the old ones get stronger. E.g. the desire for toy cars in childhood is replaced by the desire for cars in youth. With a car in hand arises the desire for a more expensive model. Limited means, limited objects and impossible unending or contradictory desires make it impossible for all our desires to be fulfilled. E.g. we have a desire to look slim and also to gorge on junk food. I desire to run a marathon when I cannot even bring myself to walk a few yards! Suppression of desires does not solve the problem as it leads to frustration and one can go completely berserk when the dam of desires breaks. Indulgence i.e. reckless fulfillment of desires leads to loss of vitality, dependence, disease, more desires and sorrow. Then when is the solution? What we need to do is to manage desires.

To always have desires in not a very praiseworthy state. It makes one beggarly, empty and discontented. If so, it is better not to have desires. That too is not possible. We do not see anyone without desires. Desires arise unconsciously at any time and of any and every kind, prompted by our vasanas. Therefore, we must learn how to manage desires. One who can do so attains true fulfillment.

Kamatmata na prasasta
na caivehastya kamata
Tesu samyak vartamano
gacchatyamaralokatam
 
All actions, be they secular, spiritual, noble or ignoble, originate from desires. Any and every action of man is prompted by desire alone.

Akamasya kriya kacit
drsyate neha karhicit
Yad yad hi kurute jantuh tad
tad kamasya cestitam.
Modern Psychology too asserts the same. Our actions are satvik (noble), rajasik (selfish) or tamasik (ignoble) depending on the nature of the desires that back them. Desires for liberation, to see the form of the Lord, to improve oneself, to help others etc are satvik. The desire for name, fame, wealth, power etc is rajasik. A desire for harming others or inaction is tamasik.

It is impractical to preach that one should not have any desires or that one should work without desires. That is not possible. What we need to do is to channelise our desires, divinise them or sublimate them thereby freeing ourselves from their enslaving and compulsive nature. That is desire management.

Desire Management:
How do the Dharma Shastras guide us in managing desires?
All desires spring from the basic desire for happiness (sukheccha). We all want pleasures, comfort, peace, love, thrills, satisfaction etc. that are all expressions of the desire for happiness. How to be truly happy? Which desires should be fulfilled? When? Why? How? A thumb rule is given.

1. Give up illegitimate desires. Entertaining or fulfilling them leads to adharma and sorrow. E.g. The desire for another’s wealth could get us into trouble.
2. Do not fulfil legitimate desires by illegitimate means i.e. do not indulge in prohibited actions (nisiddha karma). For e.g. If one has a desire to own a TV, he should not fulfill it by stealing one from another’s house.
3. Fulfill legitimate desires by legitimate means. E.g. we work hard, earn and procure the TV we desire (yallabhase nijakarmo-pattam vittam tena vinodaya cittam-Bhaja Govindam).
4. Also perform selfless actions (niskama karma) prompted by satvik desires. Initially they may be few, forced, unnatural and reluctant but later they become a habit-enjoyable, fulfilling and natural. This also puts a break to satisfying selfish desires all the time. E.g. Giving in charity may initially be done reluctantly and against our natural inclination but could become deeply satisfying and put a break to indulgence as one realizes that the joy of giving is deeper than the joy of indulgence.
5. Divinise all actions. All that we do could be done as an offering to the Lord. Then the results we get becomes His gift (prasad) to us. Our attachment to actions and insistence on the results naturally wanes. We begin to feel that we are an instrument in the hands of the Lord and that His divine grace flows through us in all we do and comes back to us as all we get.
6. Seek the Highest. We shall then outgrow all worldly and other worldly desires and attain Godhood or the Truth. That gives total fulfillment, as thereafter there remains nothing to be gained. “When all desires have thus disappeared and the mind and intellect are totally still, that is known as the Supreme state or goal.”

Yada sarve pramucyante
kamani manasa saha
Buddhisca na vicestate tam
ahuh paramam gatim.
The Dharma Shastras are also a guide to life management. Our life is lived in the present-moment to moment, day by day, year after year. We do not really remember the days, months and years of our life. What we remember are certain moments that have left a deep impact on our minds.

These may be moments of awakening, tragedy, joy, triumph, realization, silence, beauty, love etc. we must therefore live every moment of our lives meaningfully creatively or joyously so that our life becomes fulfilled and fun-filled. We must not waste or neglect the present or spend it in inadvertence.

Every year people bring out yearly planners that include among other things a daily plan-mostly focused on weekdays (workdays) and work time (9:00 am to 6:00 pm). This is used mainly to note down appointments and reminders of our commitments to others. Some organizations plan for a few years and countries make five or ten year plans. But there is no individual planning done for our entire life, from childhood to old age, from the time we wake up till we sleep. The Dharma Shastras guide us in life management by giving us a dina-carya (daily plan) and a jivan-carya (life plan). Following it transforms our present and our entire life.

Dina-carya-Daily Plan
Every day all of us have to perform actions like waking up, brushing our teeth, bathing etc. which are mundane, routine, repetitive and therefore classified by many as sheer drudgery. Many of us go through our daily routine unsystematically, that is, anything is done anytime, anyhow or somehow. In the process, we neglect doing, what we should be doing, spend a lot more time on unimportant things and are all the time trying to catch up with what should be done.

The Dharma Shastras give us a plan for a daily routine from the moment we awake till we go to bed. They guide us no how to make every action more meaningful and beautiful. They give us a vision by which we can divinize all our actions and teach us how to do the right things in the right way so that even our most routine actions become acts of meditation or exercises in concentration, or filled with creativity, sensitivity and beauty. E.g. we are advised to wake up early in the morning (brahma muhurta), the time when nature too helps the mind in being peaceful and energized. We should thereafter do kara-darshana (see our palms held together) and chant:

Karagre vasate laksmi
kara mule saraswati
Kara madhye tu govindah
prabhate kara darsanam.

This is to remind us that by our self-efforts we can gain wealth (Laksmi), knowledge (Saraswati) and true happiness or success (Govindah). It is in our hands to make or mar ourselves. It also reminds us that the Lord (Govindah) will bless all our efforts today and that we will fell His presence all through the day. Thus, the Dharma Shastras by giving us a dina-carya to guide us into a satvik lifestyle of simple living and high thinking.

Jivan-carya-Life Plan
Man passes through various stages in his life (asramas), which are broadly categorized as brahmacarya (student), grhastha (householder), vanaprastha (retired person) and sannyasa (renunciate). It is said that man’s allotted life span is 100 years and he should spend approximately 25 years in each of the four stages. Some of us do not have plans for any stage of our life and “merely exist” as one said, “Since we are not yet dead!” Many have professional goals and in one way or the other many of us also plan our student and householder years. Some even plan their retirement, but only in terms of financial security and a place to live. Rarely do we plan our whole life so that we can live a wholesome life. Almost no one plans a life of renunciation (sannyasa) which is the final result of going through all the other stages of life.

The Dharma Shastras through a jivan-carya guide us how we can live a wholesome life at each stage, grow in maturity, outgrow that stage and prepare for the next one. It helps us excel at each stage.

Ignorance of the law is not an excuse for not following the law. One is expected to know the laws of the country one lives in, either by reading the Constitution, understanding these aspects from others or following others who know and abide by them. Similarly, in life on is expected to know what is right and wrong, good and bad.

“The Vedas, smritis, good conduct and that which is dear to us are the four factors that help us to determine what is dharma and what is a dharma-righteous and unrighteous.

Vedah smrtih sadacarah
varya ca priyamatmanah
Etad caturvidham prahuh
saksat dharmasya laksanam.
- Manu Smrti II 2.

1. Vedah-the Vedas: Does an action have the sanction of the Vedas? If yes, it is righteous. If not, it is unrighteous.
2. Smrtih-the Smritis: The Smritis give guidance in line with the Vedas. Therefore certain actions not mentioned or elaborated in the Vedas are determined to be right or wrong according to the Smritis.
3. Sadacarah-Good conduct: ‘When in Rome, be like the Romans.’ The culture, laws, traditions, customs, eating and dressing habits, ways of greeting i.e. socially accepted behaviour etc. differ from place to place. We should base what is right and wrong keeping these factors in mind. E.g. in some countries men hug and kiss each other by way of a greeting but it is considered weird elsewhere.

Etasmin dese ca acarah
paramparyena kramagatah
Varnanam santaralanam
sa sadacara ucyate
- Manu Smrti II 18

4. Svasya priyam-atmanah: Do what is dear to you. Our conscience or inner voice always tells us what is right or wrong, good or bad. However we might be tricked by our own mind. Therefore, we should follow the maxim ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you’. E.g. we do not like others to insult us, hence we should not insult others. We want others to respect us and so we should respect al, even inert objects.

The above-mentioned four factors suffice to determine what is right and what is wrong. However, one should seek the guidance of great, knowledgeable or good-hearted men or those who follow the path taken by them (mahajano yena gatah sa panthah). E.g. Arjuna approached Shri Krishna as he was unable to determine right and wrong (dharma-sammudhaceta). He walked the path shown by Krishna and attained success i.e. won the war. Even today we consider the life and actions of Shri Rama as dharmic and try to emulate Him.

But one who has no faith in the scriptures or in the works of wise men and is himself confused, doubting and indecisive will only destroy himself (samsayatma vinasyati).

An important instruction of the Dharma Shastras is ‘Acarah prathamo dharmah’ i.e. the formost dharma is good conduct. Many virtues like good character; humility, selflessness, dedication, politeness, honesty etc constitute good conduct. However, one of its important meanings is ‘obedience’. At birth and in infancy a baby displays no intelligence, discrimination, subtle thinking or refined conduct. In obeying the instructions, guidance, teaching or values of the teachers, family and society, the child cultivates the right conduct. Without obedience to good advice, the child may act according to its whims and fancies and may become demanding, indulgent, stubborn, and wayward or indiscipline. Presently many have become oversensitive and reactive to being corrected or advised in even the most ordinary things. You cannot tell anyone anything. People fear to offer advice, even when they should, as thy are sure that no one will listen or obey them. Children tell their parents, “Don’t tell me anything,” “Why should I obey you?” “I will do what I want,” “Let me make my own mistakes and learn,” etc. Shri Rama is considered the very embodiment of dharma (Ramo vigrahavan dharmah). His greatest virtue was His total obedience to the advice of His parents, teachers and elders.

Dharma
Now let us see what ‘dharma’ is. Is it a particular thought or an action like giving in charity, or an act of worship (puja)? Dharma is defined by what it does. Dharma is that which upholds, nourishes, sustains, unfolds, integrates, strengthens, and unites.

Those thoughts or actions that uphold one’s character, nourish life, sustain our joys, give meaning to life, integrate, and strengthen the individual and society is dharma. For instance, to keep the body healthy is dharma. Anything done for the same i.e. eating the right diet, proper exercise, sufficient rest and work is dharma. If one has a bad stomach, eating (which otherwise serves to keep the body healthy and fit) may worsen it. People get attached to particular actions and consider them alone as dharma. We should understand that dharma is that which ensures the overall well-being of the individual and the society. The prosperity of the individual at the cost of the total is adharma E.g. the rich exploiting the poor.

The Manu Smriti defines dharma as that by which outer prosperity and inner unfoldment is attained (yatah abhyudaya-nisreyasah siddhih). People falsely accuse Hindu Dharma as being unworldly or otherworldly. The very definition means to attain growth and advancement without compromising with our values. Dharma thus ensures a holistic growth, both inner and outer. If however prosperity and growth is attained at the cost of one’s values, stress and disaster follows. E.g. selfish rulers have had ignoble falls.

‘Abhyudaya’ also means one’s well being here and hereafter. ‘Nihsreyasa’ then means liberation from the here and hereafter. i.e. from the cycle of birth and death. Liberation is also called parama dharma or Supreme Good, which should be man’s ultimate goal.

The Manu Smriti further says that dharma is four fold (manava-dharmah caturvidhah).

1. Samanya/Sadharana Dharma: They constitute the eternal values of life which hold true at all times irrespective of one’s caste, creed, color, gender, class nationality or religion. E.g. One should be honest always and that too totally so. These values bestow all good to all. (sarva-kalyana-sadhakah).

Vibhishana was apprehensive when he saw the bare-footed, bare-chested, unarmed Shri Rama facing the mighty Ravana seated in his armored chariot and armed to the teeth on the battlefield. Shri Rama allayed his fears by saying that he possessed-a ‘chariot of virtues’ (dharma-ratha) which alone makes man truly victorious. Elsewhere the Dharma Shastra says:

“Fortitude, forgiveness, control over the organs of action, non-stealing, inner and outer cleanliness, control over the organs of perception, discrimination, knowledge, truthfulness, mastery over anger are the ten virtues which constitute dharma.

Dhritih ksama damo’steyam
saucam indriya-nigrahah
Dhirvidya satyam akrodho
dasakam dharma laksanam.

The Bhagavad Geeta and many other scriptures describe various other values like humility, fearlessness etc.

2. Asamanya/Asadharana Dharma: These are values or conduct that one follows because of one’s special ability, talent, or possession (sakti-pradhanya nimittah). E.g. a man due to his greater physical strength takes on the role of an escort or a protector to a weaker one. A rich man pays taxes not levied on the middle class or the poor.
3. Visesa Dharma: These are particular duties that come to one because of one’s profession, state, position or status in life (adhikara-pradhanya hetukah). They are also called varna asrama dharma. E.g. a teacher’s duty is to teach and the student’s is to study.

 4. Apat Dharma:They are duties that come to one under extraordinary circumstances, in crisis or in emergencies (apatmulakah). In such circumstances, even that which under normal circumstance is deemed wrong becomes dharma (tatra adharmo’pi dharmah). Here the righteous motives guide our actions (bhava-suddhimattvat). Normally a doctor gives anaesthesia before operating the patient but an emergency operation performed on the battlefield to save the life or limb of a soldier on the battlefield may be done without anaesthesia and with the instruments available, be they sterilized or not. When emergency is declared in the country, the elected parliament can be dismissed, the Constitution suspended and the ruler assumes extra-ordinary powers to deal with the situation. When peace prevails, the youth of a country should get education and work, but during war, the country may call upon its youth to sacrifice their education and fight in defence of the country, sometimes with hardly any training.

Animals too have the above four-fold dharma. However, unlike man, they are pre-programmed by instinct and act choicelessly. Man has to think and decide what is right and wrong. Also dharma is not the same for all. Hence Dharma Shastras guide man in making the right choices in life. They play a vital role in the Art of Manmaking.