Classifications:
There are two major divisions. One is Sanaatana dharma (Sanaatana meaning
eternal) and this term is applied to the entire Vedic, Hindu religion. This is Moksha dharma, leading
to release from this birth and death cycle called Samsara. This may be pravritti dharma with focus on karma
or action aimed at the house-holder or nivritti
dharma with focus on the sannyasin,
one who has renounced worldly duties.
The other is Saadhaarana
dharma when applied to matters dealing with worldly affairs. This is pravritti dharma and varies depending upon the person, place and
time and therefore differentiates into raja dharma, ( for the rulers, kings); praja
dharma ( for the citizens); desa dharma (appropriate to the region); jathi dharma (appropriate to the sect); kula
dharma (appropriate to the family); varna dharma (appropriate to each of the
four varnas, mistakenly called the
castes), and ashrama dharma (appropriate to the stage of life – childhood,
bachelorhood, family life and life of renunciation).
Interestingly, there is another category called aapad
dharma, dharma during times of distress and danger. This allows breaking some
of the other rules of conduct at times of danger. This is unique among systems
of ethics. This is humane and takes into account the facts that dangers are
inevitable in life and that even the best of men will behave differently under
threat. If the system is strict, people will break the rules and feel guilty
all their life. If given a way out, it is much more in line with nature, since
every living creature tries to save its own life. This flexibility is not
understood by those who grow up under strict systems of black or white
philosophy in which there is no place for shades of grey. This subject will be
dealt with again later in this essay.
Saadhaarana
dharma includes saamanya dharma, vyavahara dharma and raja dharma. Saamanya dharma is applicable to everyone and includes general obligations and common duties of every individual to be followed when dealing with the realities of this world. Virtues such as kindness, telling the truth, not coveting other’s properties are included. Vyavahara dharma
deals with the citizen and obeying the civil and criminal laws of the society. Raja dharma is applicable to those
in executive and judicial power. This classification should make it clear
that dharma is always relative to one’s position in life. It is not fixed for
everyone and for all times.
Saadharana dharma
is flexible. Therefore it is also divided into several categories to denote the
importance of one’s station in life. Varna
dharma is one’s specific duty based on his or her family origins, the
caste. Svadharma is one’s duty
depending one/s nature and on one’s role in the family and society such as that
of a father or mother, or child, a policeman or a doctor. Aapad dharma is that one can follow at time of adversity. This may contradict rules of conduct
applicable under normal circumstances. Yuga dharma is currently accepted
law in the society, the current social norm.
Another source calls the saadharana
dharma by a different name: vyaavahaarika
(practical) dharma or neethi (ethics)
dharma. This definition includes duty (karthavya),
ethics (neethi) and
morality (neethi
dharma). You can see how the same word has several meanings and several
words are used to denote the same thing. Also note that in the English language
ethics means
“the study of
standards of conduct and moral judgment” whereas morality means “relating to,
dealing with or capable of making the distinction between right and wrong in
conduct”.
It appears that in ancient times neethi shastra (books on ethics) included both the rules of conduct
for the kings (raja dharma) and the
rules of conduct for the common people (saadharana
dharma). Obviously the words neethi and dharma were used
interchangeably. You can now see why the saadharana
dharma got divided into subsets depending on when and where these rules are to
be applied.
Before we leave this section, let
me document what I have read in the texts regarding varna and varna dharma. By dictionary definition, varna means caste, social classes. This
is meant to be a functional division based on the principle of social economy.
It is started further that this division is based on one’s nature and aptitude
and not just on the basis of birth. However, caste and social classes are not the same. Varna is not the same as caste either.
Bhagavat Gita states that this
division comes out of qualities born of the three basic gunas, namely sattva, rajas
and tamas. Let us first understand these words before we proceed further. Guna is
defines as quality or attribute. The three basic qualities which determine all
the created things are: sattva
meaning pure, harmony, rajas meaning
activity and passion and tamas meaning
ignorance and inertia. According to the Samkhya system of philosophy, all
created things have all three of them. However one of them is dominant in each
individual thing or life and this dominant quality determines the
characteristic of that thing or being. For example, in Ramayana, Ravana
represents rajas, vibhishana represents sattva and kumbakarna represents tamas.
Bhagavat Gita lists the varna dharmas ( specific or peculiar duties of castes) as follows. Slokas 40 and 41 of Chapter
XVIII state that there is no being on earth who is free from the three gunas
born of nature and that the duties of Brahmans, kshatriyas, vaisyas and
sudras (although the word caste or varna
is not used) are divided according to
the dispositions born of their own nature (svabhavaprabhavaih
gunaih). It does not say that this division is based on birth although this
is how the division has been perpetuated in spite of the best efforts of noble
souls from Gauthama Buddha to Mahatma Gandhi!
According to Gita, the varna
dharma for the Brahmins (not by birth but by qualities of nature) consists of
peaceful nature, self-restraint, cleanliness, quiet, straightforwardness,
spiritual knowledge and a belief in the future world. For the kshatriyas, it
includes bravery, brilliance, courage, not running away from battle, generosity
and exercise of authority. The dharma of vaishyas includes agriculture, tending
to cattle, and trade and for the sudras it is service (paricharya) to all the
other three castes.
A word about varna and jaathi. The English word “caste”, as
used today, stands for both these words. But they are two separate ideas. Varna
was the original word and stands for the four major groups based on the role in
the society – the priests, warriors, merchants/farmers and the menials. This is
no different from what existed in other early civilizations such as in Persia
and Greece (pistras/classes) except that
this system became rigid in India.
But varna is
different from jaathi. Jaathi defines
social class. In later Hinduism, this was defined by rules of marriage
(legitimate only when within the social group), eating arrangements (food may
be received from and eaten with members of the same or “higher” group) and
craft-exclusiveness (can take only a trade or profession of his own group, not
take up that of another). Megasthenes noted seven classes (jaathi) in
the India he visited in 300 BC! When the Portugese came in the 16th
century, they found hundreds of classes based on endogamy (marriage alliances
within the group only) and trade, and used the word caste which meant class. The
word stuck and is used now to lump both the varnas and the classes into one
word “caste”.
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