Dharma Definition
Your right to do what is just and right

Dharma: is the root from where stemmed the present Civilizations ... their Faiths, beliefs and practices! The origin of all Cultures and Religions ... Dharma is the Eternal guiding force which guided the first Human Being on Earthly journey!

You are born on Planet Earth. Devoid of any fundamental knowledge ... You are a completely lost being! The inherent dharma within prompts one to follow a certain path ... a set of prefixed guidelines!! How does one know who is a Father and Mother ... What is our relation to animals, birds and all beings in general!!

The laws of Manu ... The first Human being to inhibit Mother Earth, from where did they emanate from? At the time of Manu there was no system of Education ... Still, all laws were written by him with such precision that most are prevalent even today ... Even after a lapse of above 5000 years!!

We follow the path of dharma, derive the inherent knowledge All from the Reservoir of Mind plus and Mind minus ... The source of all knowledge and wisdom existing in the Cosmos. Manu had his instincts developed to an extent that he could invoke those laws from the mighty Reservoir of all Thoughts and write them in form of legible reading so as to reach the masses.

What is dharma?

"Dharma" ... "Your right to do what is just and right and not what was destined". Who is supposed to be following dharma! Do we each and every individual manifesting on Mother Earth follow dharma inherently!! Yes, Each one of you. None can escape it ... For an atman soul which has manifested on Mother Earth ... needs a constant guide to continue on its Cosmic journey and it is only “Dharma” ... the eternal “Sanatana Dharma” which comes to its rescue!!!

Jains may say ... Jainism is the highest and the oldest Religion! Their first Tirthankar Lord Risabhdeva was born at the time of beginning of the cosmos nay when Earth started taking a shape for germination to take place.

Buddhists may say ... Lord Buddha is at the highest platform! Followers of Lord Krishna also say the same!! Preachers of Islam insist on Mohammed Prophet being the foremost of gods!!

Christianity which has roots in several countries believes only in Trinity ... An Energy source (the Creator), Mother Mary and Lord Jesus Christ!

Let me take you on a journey backwards in time ... Roughly 1800 years or before when Prophet Mohammed was not even born ... Would you still say Islamic Dharma had its roots all over the place. Nay! There was nothing like Islam for its preacher was not even born!!

Traveling further back roughly 2000 years from now when Jesus Christ was not even born ... Were there any followers of Christianity ... A non existent Word at that time!!

Traveling further 500 years back when Gautama Buddha was not yet born ... No sign of Buddhism was to be seen!!

Further 77 years in time (Gautama Buddha was a contemporary of Lord Mahavira born 77 years after him... Jainism did not have any roots as a Doctrine. Even though 23 Tirthankars had come and gone but Jainism took its roots as a Religion only after the Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankar came!!

Further back in time ... Roughly 3600 years from now ... A time when even Lord Sri Krishna was not even born ... Where lay the Teachings of ‘Gita’!!

Going further back by 1500 years i.e. 5000 years from now ... A time when Vedas are supposed to have been composed ... Did dharma exist? Yes, dharma was very well there at each and every stage.

Comparing dharma and all Religions as a united front we find, all part of the same whole yet different!

Now imagine a tree with roots and a long single stem going straight upwards. Roots being the reservoir of all wisdom and Knowledge i.e. the mighty Mind plus and Mind minus!!

The base stem being dharma ... An inherent Cosmic guide available to each and every Atman soul manifesting on Mother Earth! This was a time when literacy was not there and all jivas lived together, their behavior towards one another prompted by dharma!!

From dharma germinated the stem of four Vedas ... consisting of all applied knowledge ... the first visible signs of literacy on Mother Earth! This knowledge was available to all but, within the confines of dharma!!

This stem grew straight up and evolved Lord Sri Krishna, about 3600 years ago. The Humanity got a straight and most upright document ... A code of conduct for all to follow ... The Doctrine of Gita! Gita contains in itself a summary of all what God wants each one of us to know ... The song Eternal, knowing which one can come out of the cast of ignorance and see the self in full effulgence!! The culmination of spiritual practice of Million of years brings one face to face ... With God the Creator of the cosmos!!!

Loaded with Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita ... Humanity evolved further and 1000 years thence, the stem which was growing straight branched into Mahavira who evolved a different line of thinking somewhat different from Gita (In Essence all Doctrines and Religions finally meet at one point ... This becomes clear to one only after Self Realization!!).

The Teachings of Mahavira expressed that every individual had the capability of becoming God! One who wins his real self (acquires Kaivalya Jnana (becomes Omniscient) and realizes that he is a Cosmic power in its pure Atman soul form) is known as a ‘Jina’ and followers of Mahavira thus came to be known as “Jains”!!

This branch of Jains (the followers of Mahavira) further branched into two ... One Digambars (Highest amongst these even leave the attachment of cloth and lived nude) ... the other Septembers who decorate Idols of their Gods with cloth and believe in a more balanced and Earthly living order ... A being more mundane and physically attached to the materialistic World!! Their Saints wear a loin cloth and cover their mouth with a strip of cloth.

This branch of Svetambars further segmented into 20 panthies, Mooh patti dhari and so on depending on difference in their beliefs and decree of the elders!

The main stem still growing straight after about 77 years branched into Gautama Buddha ... Who taught a different set of Teachings. Finding the path of Gita and Jainism to be very arduous and difficult to follow ... He recommended the Middle path! One could even while performing his Earthly duties proceed on the path towards God. Keeping a balance between prayers and household duties ... Become the mainstay of his Teachings.

Further up after about 450 years (1998 years ago from now) Jesus Christ came on the scene with his set of Teachings. Having born in the West and all earlier traditions being confined to India (Hindustan) alone (Gita, Jainism and Buddhism being strictly of Indian origin) the Teachings of Jesus spread throughout the West!!

West ... A region more colder in climate and to follow Indian traditions in the earlier years when there was practically no Science and all was dependent on the mercy of God would have been found externally difficult (most of the ancient Indian Saints barely wore cloth and engrossed in serious Meditation ... Could increase or decrease their body temperatures as per will). Teachings of Jesus Christ came to be known as the ‘New testament’.

Jesus Christ thus taught man to live a perfectly balanced homely Life ... Full of harmony with neighbors! Praying to God before meals, every Sunday Mass became a practice with Christians, to remember God in Daily Life!! (To live a perfectly balanced Life could remain a motto for a few hundred years but what after when the basic needs of a man were fulfilled. As on today most Christians are looking forward to India to teach them a deeper meaning of Life ... the truth of ‘I’ within!!).

Further up after about 200 years came Prophet Mohammed who almost followed the same path as Jesus Christ ... The prime reason why Christianity and Islam are known as contemporary Religions! Followers of both are more inclined towards physical well being rather than elevating self to higher Spiritual realms (liberation of atman the soul within from the shackles of birth and death was never their aim). Teachings of Prophet Mohammed were incorporated in “Quran” and his followers came to be known as followers of Islam.

Further up came Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th Century (about 1000 years after Prophet Mohammed). He again voiced his concern on the down fall of ‘Sanatana dharma’ as Buddhism had developed strong roots in India owing to a very righteous King Ashoka, a staunch follower of Buddhism! He succeeded in his attempts in giving “Sanatana dharma” (Combined Teachings of Gita, Upanishads and Brahma Sutras) a foothold by writing detailed commentaries on Gita and Brahma Sutras and that too at the young age of 15!!

In present times, following the same traditions of Gita and Upanishads came Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Acharya Ramana Mahirshi. Both these Saints Realized-God ... Never ever again to take rebirth on Mother Earth! Both were Saints of the highest order ... True Yogis who preached Gita and whose services were available to the commonest man!!

The Swami’s and Muni’s of today who meet only with prior appointment ... Meeting whom is but a dream for a commoner (for they do not have fat cheques for donations) ... Can such be expected to achieve ‘Kaivalya Jnana’ and Self Realization!!

It is only the grace of Almighty God that one Realizes-self within this Life! How blessed are those who Realize-Self and thereafter ... Spread the Teachings of Gita!!

Hurry ... Before the Sunset of Life occurs!!!

A Cosmic tree (tree of dharma) with roots and branches spread all over ... Where is the cause of disparity!

It has always been Unity in Diversity ... It is only the vested interests of few which takes Humanity towards the wrong goals ... Individuals who fail to realize that the strings of all lives is in the hands of God ... One pull and you are gone!!

All wealth, money and power which you consider now is yours will belong to others once you leave this body ... Realize-Self before the Sunset of your Life takes over!!!

All Religions, all individuals are but different paths towards the same goal! There can never be a cause for Religious disharmony unless vested interests are involved!!

Forget about Religions ... Follow any path ... Change as many paths as you desire ... You shall reach the goal one day! (provided you aspire to realize self within this Life)

Leave nothing to chance!! Never ever forget that it is the Dharma of every individual which plays the lead role ... Religions come next!!!

By: Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani"

Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 explains the concept of Dharma Definition. For more on dharma definition visit - dharma definition. Send Your Query - click here Ref. 980205