Postulation of the Vedic concept of Dharma

Here is my thought on Dharma after listing to various lectures and reading books from the learned…

I would like to set the understanding of Dharma correct, albeit it being very nascent due to my miniscule and limited knowledge. I beg for pardon from the learned.

If you carefully notice our great Vedas actually are trying to propound the concept of Dharma in very subtle way. It is also true that all the follow-up commentaries and great epics try to clarify the Vedic standpoint; Ramayana and Mahabharata are no different. Before we indulge ourselves, we need to understand two important aspects, which are:-

SHREYAS: Shreyas is something, which is beneficial (good) in the long run, something like right education which helps us during our entire lifetimes or doing something which benefits somebody positively and has a long running impact. It could also mean a person who seeks long standing benefit as in “Shreyas Person”.

PREYAS: Preyas is the opposite of Shreyas in general terms. For example if you drink liquor, it does give you momentary happiness and feeling of wellbeing, but it surely does not give us a long term benefit. Similarly a murder for revenge may bring you immense satisfaction and joy at that moment, but it is not Shreyas but Preyas.

So, according to Vedas, Dharma can be enunciated using the following 3 points

1) Always try to do good (Shreyas) to “Shreyas” seeking person.

2) Always try to do good (Shreyas) to “Preyas” seeking person too, but try to do the very best to change the person from “Preyas Seeking” to a “Shreyas Seeking” person.

3) Always try to do good to “Preyas” seeking person too, but try to do your very best to change the person from “Preyas Seeking” to a “Shreyas Seeking” person. But, it the “Preyas Seeking” person refuses to change and continues to do “Preyas” activities, then “punish” him/her with all the powers you have.

So, it becomes very important not to confuse Dharma with “Ethics” or “Law”. In fact in Kurukshetra during the time of Mahabharata, the law of the land stated that wife is the “property” of the husband. So, if you see when the Pandavas lost to the Kauravas in the game of dice, they had lost everything, finally Yudhistira had to give away Draupati to the Kauravas. This is because Draupati was the “property” of the Pandavas and so this “property” was transferred to the Kauravas. So, when Dushyasana was disrobing Draupati in the open court, the greats like Bhisma and Dronacharya sat as mute spectators because such an act was legal, since Draupati was now the property of the Kauravas. So Bhisma and Dronacharya in spite of being highly learned confused “Dharma” with “Law”. Obviously letting such an outrage of modesty of a noble lady was obviously Adharmic, so finally god (as in Krishna) had to descend to help Draupati from being completely humiliated and to reestablish Dharma.

So, we clearly see how well these great epics try to convey to us the concept of Dharma, which cannot be explained in any easy terms. If such confusion was inherent in great people like Bhisma and Dronacharya, then it is beyond doubt that we lesser mortals can be easily misguided. No wonder the great sages of the yore ensured that they gave us these concepts in a more digestible way so that we humans of the Kaliyug understand the concept of Dharma in a better way an ensure Dharma prevails everywhere.

So, as an endnote, the all time favorite verse 4:7 from Bhagvat Geeta clearly puts things in the right perspective, when it comes to adharma, and how god will manifest himself to eliminate adharma and to reestablish dharma.

BG 4.7
yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham

Whenever and wherever there is a decline in dharma, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of adharma--at that time I descend myself.