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Thread: Hindu Dharma: Codes for Personal, Familial, Worldly and Spiritual Life

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    Hindu Dharma: Codes for Personal, Familial, Worldly and Spiritual Life

    This compilation is inspired by VCIndiana's thread 'Understanding JC' in the Christianity forum here.

    Many Hindus have only a vague idea about what the Hindu Dharma Shastras speak about, as I used to have until recently. Vested interests in India have promoted the idea that our Dharma Shastras talk only of the four castes, and mostly about the duties of BrahmaNas, unduly favouring them to rule over the other castes. Many of the promoters of this idea, mainly the politicians, strive to exploit and preserve the very caste system that they seek to abolish, sowing seeds of hatred in the society to divide people on the lines of caste and creed and rule over them, a strategy they learned from the British.

    The vested interests seek to hide from the people that it was the VarNa and not caste system that was prevalent in ancient India and is elaborated in the Dharma Shastras. The VarNa system was based on a person's occupation and this form of classification has always existed in the eastern and western social setup throughout history.

    However, unlike the codes of conduct prescribed in the Bible (which are very simple in order to cater to the peasant civilization prevalent in those parts of the world then), the codes prescribed in the Hindu Dharma Shastras are exhaustive, comprehensive, and universal, covering all aspects of human life--personal, familial, worldly, religious and spiritual, highlighting how advanced was our Hindu civilization from the ancient times.

    An wonderful thing about our Dharma Shastras is that they have been revised to keep up with the times. Thus we have several kinds of Dharma Shastras, from those prescirbed by the 18 Rishis of yore to the Tantric texts of the Kali Yuga, mainly the Mahanirvana Tantra of the 11th century, supplemented with the ethical texts in most Indian languages, such as the Tirukkural in Tamil.

    The Mahanirvana Tantra (Sanskrit) or the "Treatise on the great emancipation" is a 11th-century Advaita scripture dealing with mantra and esoteric rituals. It is one of the Agamas which are ranked with the shrutis. Agamas are in the form of a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati. Parvati questions and Shiva replies. In Nigamas Shiva questions and Parvati answers. In other Tantras such as Damaras and Yamalas only Shiva speaks, there being no conversaton between Him and Parvati. There are several Upa-Tantras and commentary on the Mul Tantras by Rishis and savants.

    Here is a compilation arranged in topics from many of our Dharma Shastra texts. The texts selected are universal, specially relevant to our times. They clearly delineate how Sanatana Dharma is a way of life with Hindus. (In the compilations, the passages that have no reference indicators are from the Mahanirvana Tantra, chapter 8).

    It is necessary that we have a quick reference on Hindu Dharma, amongst other texts, in the repository of our Hindu Dharma Forums. Members may add to this compilation with relevant passages from other relevant texts and make it more and more comprehensive.

    References:
    1. SaMkShepa Dharma ShAstram hosted at
    http://acharya.iitm.ac.in/mirrors/vv...ras/dsint.html

    2. The catechism of Hindu dharma - Vasu, Srisa Chandra, rai bahadur, 1861-1918
    http://www.archive.org/details/theca...ofhi00vasuuoft (13 MB)

    3. Mahanirvana Tantra (Tantra of the Great Liberation) Translated by Arthur Avalon
    http://br.geocities.com/templodekali/tantrafull.pdf (568 KB)

    Definition of Dharma

    • Veda says that Dharma is the foundation of the whole universe.

    • Manu: That is Dharma which is followed by saintly men who know the scriptures and who are free from bad traits such as desire and hatred and that which is accepted by the mind which understands the purport of the term.

    • Apasthamba: Dharma and Adharma do not move around saying "I am Dharma" and "I am Adharma". Even Devas, Gandharvas, and ancestors cannot point and say "This is Dharma", and "This is Adharma", since Dharma has no physical form. Whichever activity eminent persons praise, that is Dharma. Whichever activity they condemn, that is Adharma.

    Authorities for Dharma

    • Manu: Vedas are authorities for revealing Dharma; the books on law and the conduct of the sages who know the Vedas are the authorities on Dharma. The approval of eminent persons is also an authority on Dharma.

    • Narada: Vedas, devotion to Vishnu, and devotion to Shiva will not save a man if he fails to observe rules, even if he is a brahmin. Visit to holy places, bathing in holy rivers, and performing yagnas will not save him.

    • Heaven, happiness, and Moksha are obtainable through the observance of rules. What can be beyond reach for those who follow Achara?

    The Authors of DharmashAstra

    • Manu, Brahaspathi, Daksha, Gauthama, Yama, Angirasa, Yagnavalkya, Prachetas, Shatatapa, Parashara, Samvartha, Shukra, Shanka, Likhita, Atri, Vishnu, Apasthamba, and Hareetha are the 18 maharishis who authored the Smrithis. (Note: The 18 Rishis, according to tradition, received the Vedas from Brahma, the Creator, through their extraordinary intuitive faculties and made them available to mankind through a succession of teachers. Hence the description of the Vedas as "Sruti", or what was heard.)

    • Bodhayanam, Apasthambam, Sathyashadam, Drahyanam, Agasthyam, Shakalyam, Ashvalayanam, Shambhaviyam, and Kathyayanam are the nine early axioms.

    • Vykhanasam, Shouna-keeyam, Bharadvajam, Agniveshyam, Jaiminiyam, Madhunyam, Madhyandhinam, Kaundinyam, and Kaushitakam are the nine later axioms.

    Sites of Residence

    • Where the Krishnasara deer roams, darbha grass, barley, and rice grow, and where the four varNas live comfortably, that is the land of Dharma. Those who believe in God should live there.

    • Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Krishnaveni, and Godavari in South India, and Ganges in North India are called the Pancha gangas. The banks of these rivers are good for residence.

    Yuga Dharma

    • Parashara: The four Yugas, Krita, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali contain twelve thousand Deva years. The human year is one day for the Devas - Uttharayana of six months is daytime and Dakshinayana of six months is night.

    • Krita yuga comprises of four thousand years plus four hundred pre-dawn years and four hundred post-twilight years.

    • Treta yuga comprises of three thousand years plus three hundred pre-dawn years and three hundred post twilight years.

    • Dvapara yuga comprises of two thousand years plus two hundred pre-dawn years and two hundred post-twilight years.

    • Kali yuga comprises of one thousand years plus one hundred pre-dawn years and one hundred post-twilight years.

    The twelve thousand years are accounted in this manner for the Deva years.

    • Meditation is the special dharma in the Krita yuga. Spiritual wisdom in Treta yuga, Yagna [rituals] in the Dvapara yuga and Charity in the Kali yuga are the special dharmas for these ages. Though all the dharmas are to be observed in all ages, each has a special value in each yuga.

    • Whenever all kinds of troubles are created for good people who follow the Vedic prescription, that can be taken as a sign of the times of the Kali age. Ways should be devised to stop it.

    • Vyasa: Dharma that is performed in Krita yuga for ten years can be done in one year in Treta yuga, one month in Dvapara yuga, and in one day in Kali yuga--i.e. the efforts and results will be the same.

    • The religious merit which accrues from meditating on God in Krita yuga, from performing yagnas in Treta yuga, from ritual worship in Dvapara yuga, can be obtained by praising and praying to Kesava in Kali yuga..

    Four Ashramas (Stages) of Life

    • The four ashramas of life a Hindu passes through from birth to death are: brahmachArya (student), gRuhastha (householder), vAnaprastha (hermit) and sannyAsa or bhikShuka (renunciate).

    • All these four ashramas were observed in the first three Yugas.

    • In this age of Kali Yuga, there are only two ashramas: gRuhastha (householder) and sannyAsa (renunciate).

    Four VarNas (Classes) of the Hindu Society

    • The four varNas (classes) of Hindu social setup are: BrAhmaNas, KShatriyas, Vaishyas and SUdras. All these varNas with their distinctive rules were observed in the first three Yugas.

    • In Kali Yuga, there is a fifth varNa: SAmAnya or the common people.

    In my opinion, it looks sensible that varNas as related to occupations of life are prevailing in any social setup. Thus, without going into the validity of the controversies that surround the Hindu caste system, we can say that:

    • brAhmaNas are those whose exclusive occupation is the study, teaching and practice Vedas and other scriptures, and serving as priests of God in the temples.

    • kShatrias are those whose exclusive occupation is the government administration in all forms and those in the defence services such as the armed forces, police, etc.

    • vysyas are those whose exclusive occupation is doing business and business administration, in all its forms.

    • sUdras are those whose exclusive occupation is serving the society by doing work in agriculture and farming, saloons and beauty parlors, menial services such as domestic service, and such other services.

    • sAmAnyas are those whose livlihood does not fall under any of the above four categories: beggars, persons of games and sports, people in the entertainment industry such as films, dramas, TV, and so on.

    Dharma of a Householder
    Personal

    • should acquire knowledge in early age, acquire wealth and marry in his youth, perform religious duties in his maturer age, and should be a renunciate in his old age.

    • should not generally become a renunciate in his youth.

    • should not tell falsehood, nor deal in duplicity; should be constantly engaged in worshipping gods, parents and guests.

    • should not be addicted to sleep or laziness, physical comforts and the embellishment of his body; should not have too much attraction either for food or dress.

    • should be moderate in his food, sleep, and in speech, should keep the passions under restraint, and should be simple and pure, modest, dextrous and energetic in every work.

    • He who feels no attraction for another's wife nor does he envy another's riches, he who is devoid of pride and haughtiness, by him are conquered the three worlds.

    • Yama: A man's character is known by being familiar with him, his cleanliness from his behaviour, and his intelligence from his talk. Thus should a man be appraised.

    Familial

    • should never enter the SannyAsa stage, abandoning an age old father and mother, or a devoted wife, or a minor child; or else he becomes a great sinner.

    • the mother and father are the visible manifest deities, so thinking them as such, he should serve them always with due attention.

    • should protect his wife, educate his sons, and maintain his kinsmen and friends: because this body was nourished by the mother, produced by the father and trained by kinsmen with great affection.

    Food and Feeding

    • One should not eat the flesh of man nor of animal having human structure, nor of cows, nor of carnivorous animals.

    • All vegetables wild as well as cultivated, all roots and every kind of vegetables that grows from the earth, may be eaten according to one's wish.

    • A known person is a visitor. Only a previously not known person is a guest. Apasthamba: Guest, children, elders, sick people, and pregnant women should be fed first.

    • BhikSha should be given three times to brahmacharis and sanyasis. If possible, and if accepted, food can be given more number of times.

    • Sumanthu: Food should be served with ladle and never by hand. Regard the served food with reverence and recite the Aposhana prayer. Vyasa: Join your hands in worship and pray "Let me get food like this daily."

    • Vyasa: One should not be talking while taking meals not even in Sanskrit. Vishnu can be meditated upon and praised. Other deities' names should not be mentioned.

    • Shandilya: The householder need not remain silent during meals. He should speak pleasantly to the people who eat with him.

    • Markandeya: Food should be eaten with concentration. Sweets should be eaten first. Then a man should eat salty and sour items in the middle, and bitter and astringent items later. First, liquid food and then solid food and at the end liquid food should be taken. This gives strength and good health.

    • Apasthamba: Sanyasi should eat eight mouthfuls of food. Vanaprasthan should eat sixteen mouthfuls, householder thirty-two mouthfuls and the brahmachari should eat asmuch as he wants.

    • When many people are eating together, one should not eat fast but should adjust with others. Food should not be spread around wastefully. One should not walk around with unwashed mouth.

    • Yama: When many people are eating together, if different foods are served for a few out of friendship, fear, or because they are rich, the host commits a sin like brahmahathi [killing a brahmin] as given in the Vedas and as uttered by the great sages.

    • Vyasa: After the meal, one should sit comfortably and let the food be digested. At this time he should study the vedas, ithihasas and puranas.

    • should not eat under any circumstances without having first fed his father, mother, son, wife, brother and guests.

    Social

    • should steadily maintain the persons of his own religion, his co-villagers, the strangers and the ascetics.

    • should be brave towards his enemies, and humble before his kinsmen and elders, he should not honor the wicked persons nor should he show disrespect to the honored ones.

    • should not divulge his own fame or prowess, or secrets, told to him, or what he has done for the benefit of another.

    • should abandon vain quarrels, the company of bad persons and indulgence of all sorts; should acquire with great energy religious merit, fame, wealth, and learning.

    • should say what is beneficial to others, what is pleasant, what is sweet but always truth; should not indulge in vain glory of his own self or utter slander about others.

    • should dig tanks, plant trees, and erect resthouses on the roads and make bridges over rivers; by such great works he can conquer the three worlds.

    • He who is not afraid to die in the battle, nor turns his back to his enemies, whose glory is to die in a just war, by him the three worlds are conquered.

    Gifts in Charity

    • Yagnavalkya: Everyday a person should give a gift to a deserving person. He should give gifts on special occasions as well as when somebody makes a request. He should do it with devotion and according to his ability.

    • Among all the gifts, teaching the Vedas is the greatest.

    • Shandilya: All gifts should be given to the man who does not make a request. But the gift of education, food and a daughter in marriage should be given only to persons who make requests and who deserve.

    • Two kinds of men shine over the heaven--One who gives food at the time of famine and one who gives away gold and clothes at the time of prosperity.

    • Devala: It does not matter whether the gift is small or big in value. It depends on the love and devotion of the man who gives and it's value is known from the results.

    Devotional

    • should be devoted to the Supreme God, aspire for divine knowledge, and offer all actions to the Supreme Brahman.

    • He whose parents are satisfied, whose friends are attached to him, whose praise the people sing, he has conquered the three worlds.

    • He whose vow is truth, who is always compassionate to the poor, whose passion and anger are under his control, he has conquered the three worlds.

    • He who is free from unnecessary doubts, he who has faith and devoted to the duties of this religion, he who follows my commands, by him are conquered the three worlds.

    • That wise one who performs all duties merely for the sake of carrying on the worldly activities, he who has equal regards for all, by him are conquered the three worlds.

    • The purifications are of two kinds, external and mental; offering one's self to the will of the Supreme is mental purification.

    • He should pray thrice, at the times of three sandhiyas, and perform puja of his tutelary deity.

    • The first day of the month, of the year, of the lunar fort night, the fourteenth day of the moon, the eighth day and the eleventh day of the new moon, one s own birth day and the anniversary day of the deaths of father and mother, and the days of joyous festivals, are sacred days.

    • The river Ganges, all great rivers, the house of the teacher, the famous shrines, are said to be the sacred Tirthas or places of pilgrimage.

    • A person should not go to Tirthas by renouncing the study of scriptures or the nursing of his old parents or protecting his wife, for he who does so incurs sin instead of merit.

    • Truth is pilgrimage, forgiveness is pilgrimage, the restraint of senses is pilgrimage, kindness towards all living beings, straight forwardness of dealing, alms-giving, controlling the mind, content ment, chastity are the best of all pilgrimages: so also speaking kindly; knowledge, fortitude, doing virtuous deeds are all true pilgrimages but the pilgrimage of all pilgrimages is the purity of heart.

    Dharma of a Son

    • should give to his father and mother, seat, dresses, food and drink at the proper time, whenever they ask for these.

    • should speak sweet words, always do what is pleasant to them, be obedient to his parents, for such a son is the glory of the family.

    • should not be haughty, or arrogant in their presence, nor laugh or rebuke any one; or abuse any body if he wants his own good.

    • should rise up respectfully, bow to them whenever he sees his father or mother, and not sit down without their permission; should always remain under the command of his father.

    Dharma of a Husband

    • should never chastise his wife, but should always maintain her like a mother, even under greatest affliction; should never abandon a chaste and dutiful wife.

    • The wise householder should not even think with evil mind of another's wife, for by so doing he incurs sin.

    • He should not sit or dwell with another's wife in a solitary place, and should not speak harsh words to his wife nor treat her cruelly.

    • should always satisfy his wife by giving her presents, dresses and money, and also by love, respect and pleasant words, but he should never behave unkindly towards her.

    • O Goddess! a man who is loved by his chaste wife, has acquired all merits and becomes thy beloved.

    Dharma of a Wife

    • The truest duty of the wife is to serve the husband and not going to pilgrimages or keeping fast, or performing vows, unless with the husband's permission.

    • The husband is to a woman her pilgrimage, her austerities, her alms giving, her vows and her preceptor. Therefore should a wife serve her husband with all her soul.

    • Let her always do what is pleasant to her husband, both by serving as well as by speech and, always remain obedient to his command and respect his kinsmen.

    Dharma of a Father

    • should fondle and give indulgence to his sons upto their fourth year; then up to their sixteenth year should teach them science and arts; then up to their twentieth year, should make the sons do household works and treat them with affection and equality.

    • should ensure that his daughter is also taught so as to fit her to be a good wife, and mother.

    • The daughter must be educated and brought up with great care just like the son, and she should be married to an educated husband, with riches and ornaments as dowry.

    • A girl should be married after reaching years of discretion. A girl who does not know to serve her husband, who does not Know the honor due to him, such a child should not be married by the father nor until she knows the Duties and precepts of religion.

    Dharma of a BrahmaNa

    • Teaching and sacrificing for others, are the highest duties of the BrahmaNa, but if he is incapable of doing that, he may earn his livelihood by doing the duties of a kShatriya or a Vaishya.

    • Agriculture and trade (are) also (lawful for a BrAhmaNa) provided he does not do the work himself. (Gautama, 10.5)

    • He should be free from envy and avarice, he should be calm, truthful, and leader of his senses, free from haughtiness and guile.

    • He should teach his pupils considering them as sons, he should be the well-wisher of all humanity and free from all partialities and prejudices.

    • Useless talk, envy, gambling, harsh words, keeping the company of low persons and pride, should always be renounced by a Brahmin.

    • A man is a Brahmin by deeds and not by birth.

    • Truth, alms-giving, forgiveness, good conduct, want of cruelty, austerities, and mercy, wherever these are to be found, he is a Brahmin, king of the Nagas, for this is the law.

    If these attributes are seen in a (born) SUdra and are not found in a (born) Brahmin, then that SUdra is not a SUdra, nor is that Brahmin a Brahmin.

    Oh Serpent! wherever these qualities are to be found, the law declares him to be a Brahmin, and wherever these qualities are not found [in a Brahmin], he, Serpent, should be regarded as a SUdra. -- (Mahabharata, Vanaparva)

    • Who is a real BrahmaNa?

    He who has realized

    • • that the AtmA is one without a second, that He is devoid of all differentiae of genus, attribute or activity,

    • • that He is free from the six-fold human infirmities (grief, delusion, decay, death, hunger and thirst),

    • • that He is free from the six fold stages of existences (origination, existence, modification, increase, decrease, destruction),

    • • that He is true, knowledge, bliss, and infinity;

    • • that Himself unmodified, He is the substrate of all modifications, that He is the Inner Ruler of all created things, that he is all-pervasive, in and out, like space or ether;

    • • that he is indivisible, all-joy, Immeasurable, Unproveable, known by intuition alone.

    He is the most direct cognition, like a plum in one's hand,--a person who has realised God-vision in this way, who is free from lusts and attachments &c., who is endowed with sama and dama etc., (subjection of the senses and of mind), who is free from envy, desire, expectations, delusion etc., whose mind is untouched by pride, hypocrisy etc., such a person alone is a BrahmaNa, according to the real meaning of all Revelations, Traditions, Puranas and Itihasas. There can be no Brahminity in anything else. -- (Vajra Suchi Upanishad)

    Dharma of a KShatria

    • Bravery, energy, fortitude, dexterity and flying not in battle, gift and lordliness are the nature-born duty of the kShatriya.

    • The desire for war is heinous where an honorable peace can be made by a king; the duty of the warriors is either to win the battle or die in it: O Devi!

    • The king should not be avaricious of the wealth of his subjects, he should take moderate taxes, his duty being to protect, he should like a father nourish his subjects.

    • Vishnupurana: A king obtains the worlds of his desire when he punishes the wicked and protects good people.He thereby preserves the social order.

    • Manu: A king shares the divinity of the devas: Indra, Sun, Wind, Yama, Varuna, Moon, Fire,and Earth. He should follow their lustre-giving qualities.

    • Indra causes rain to pour down during the rainy season of four months as his bounden duty. The king follows this duty by providing the country with goods that everybody needs.

    • The Sun consumes moisture with his rays during the dry eight months of a year. In the same way, the king collects necessary taxes from citizens without hurting them.

    • Yama dispenses justice without favour. The king also should do justice to his people,following Yama's way.

    • Varuna keeps dirt under control with his binding qualities, as his bounden duty. In the sameway, the king keeps wrong-doers under control.

    • The way people are happy when they look at the full moon, they should look at the king in the same way.

    • The famous and illustrious king follows the way of Fire, in being harsh to criminals and enemies.

    • The way the earth bears the burden of all the beings on earth, the king takes care of all beings in his kingdom.

    Dharma of a Vaishya

    • The ancient duty of a Vaishya is agriculture and trade, and all those means by which the bodily welfare (food supply) of the community is maintained.

    • O Devi! He should leave all carelessness, evil habits, laziness, falsehood and cheating in dealing with others in commerce and agriculture.

    • After a Vaishya has received the sacraments and has taken a wife, he shall be always attentive to the business whereby he may subsist and to (that of) tending cattle. [Manu, v.9.326.]

    • Let him exert himself to the utmost in order to increase his property in a righteous manner, and let him zealously give food to all created beings. [Manu, v.9.333.]

    Dharma of a SUdra

    • The man who follows the profession of service should be dexterous, pure, truth-speaker, master of sleep, master of his passions, free from carelessness, and not lazy.

    • The master should be respected like God Vishnu, and his wife like mother. The kinsmen of the master should be honored by the servant, if he wants happiness in this and the next life.

    • The master's friends should be regarded by him as his friends, the master s foes, his foes; he should always be ready to carry out the orders of his master, and have fear.

    • He should conceal carefully the disgrace of his master, the family ruptures, whatever is said to him in privacy, and what ever would bring discredit on his master.

    • He should have no avarice to possess the riches of his master, he should always be devoted to his master's welfare; he should leave improper speech, play and laughing in his presence.

    • He should not look with evil mind his fellow maid-servants; he should not laugh with them or remain with them in a solitary place.

    • He should never use for his own purpose the master's bed, or seat, or carriage, or dress, or household-furnitures, nor his shoes or ornament, or weapons.

    • He should ask the pardon of his master, if he has committed a fault: he should abandon arrogance, defiant speech, and vile conduct.

    • By rightly performing these duties, Goddess, a SUdra be comes a Brahmin and a Vaishya becomes a KShatriya.

    • By the good merits of these works a SUdra, though born in a low caste family, becomes a twice-born sanctified person when he has studied the laws and the Vedas.

    • By pure actions, Goddess, by purity of mind and the conquest of senses, a SUdra even becomes as honorable as a twice-born, for this is the command of Brahma.

    Dharma of a SAmAnya (common people)

    • O Goddess! the common caste may adopt any means of livelihood other than that of a BrahmaNa, in order to maintain themselves.

    • Vishnu: Patience, truth, control of mind, cleanliness, gift giving, control of senses, nonviolence, serving the teacher, visiting holy places, kindness, absence of deceit and greed, worshipping the gods and the godly and avoidance of jealousy are common dharmas for all the four social groups.

    Dharma of Marriages

    • Eight forms of marriage were allowed in ancient times: brahma, daiva, arsha, prAjApatya, asura, ghAndarva, rAkShasa, and paishacha.

    • That is called a Brahma marriage wherein the bridegroom being invited, the bride is given away, bedecked according to the girl s means. The son born of her purifies twenty-one persons on each side. (Yajnavalkya)

    • (Giving away the bride) to the Ritwij sitting at a sacrifice makes a Daiva marriage. Giving the bride along with two cows makes an Arsha marriage. The son born of the first marriage purifies fourteen generations, that born of the second, six.

    • Giving the girl to the suppliant bridegroom saying " "May she walk in religion with you" is KAya marriage. The son born of it will purify six generations together with himself.

    • The Asura is constituted by taking of money, the GhAndarva by mutual consent, the RAkShasa by forcible taking in war and Paishacha by deceiving the girl.

    • Only two forms of marriage are current in this age of Kali Yuga: Brahma and Shaiva.

    • The Shaiva is the form of marriage solemnised under Siva's ordinance. Under this form, a man of one caste can marry a woman of another caste.

    • Marriage is allowed by law for those women who fall under these five misfortunes: 1. whose husband is missing, 2. or is dead, 3. or becomes a religious anchorite, 4. or is impotent, 5. or has fallen from caste. (Parasara and Narada)

    • Q. Did true Hinduism allow burning of the widow?

    A. No. It prohibited it in strong language. It considers the body of every woman as the image of the Goddess Durga, and to wilfully destroy the body was considered as sinful as polluting the image of a Sacred deity.

    The wife should not be burnt with the husband. All women are thy image, Goddess! thou dwellest in this world in the form of women! that woman, therefore, who through (ignorance or) delusion (or excessive love for her husband) burns herself on the funeral pile of her dead lord goes to hell. (mnt, 10.79-80)

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    Re: Hindu Dharma: Codes for Personal, Familial, Worldly and Spiritual Life

    Hari Om
    ~~~~~~
    Quote Originally Posted by saidevo View Post
    the codes prescribed in the Hindu Dharma Shastras are exhaustive, comprehensive, and universal, covering all aspects of human life--personal, familial, worldly, religious and spiritual, highlighting how advanced was our Hindu civilization from the ancient times.

    Namaste saidevo ( et.al)

    I thought perhaps this snapshot would compliment your most in-depth post.

    We also know the word dharma is from it's root dhṛ to uphold, to support, establish. Some say the definition = 'what holds together'.
    This word has been extended to include duty. Some extend it to encompass religiosity. Here are a few ways Dharma has been viewed via the śastra's:
    • varṇa āśrama dharma - ones specific dharm/duty for various stages of life, bramachara, householder, sanyas, etc.
    • sanātana dharma - the eternal dharm of upholding creation
    • āpad dharma - dharm prescribed at time of adversity
    • yuga dharma - the dharm fundamental to the 4 yugas, (sat, treta, dvapa, kali)
    • sādhāraṇa dharma - general obligations of the social individual to uphold within society
    There is also the notion that dharma is a specific quality (viśeṣa-guna) that belongs to the SELF. Others on HDF have also talked of dharma as the dharma chakra pravartana or the setting in motion of the wheel of law.

    pranams
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Re: Hindu Dharma: Codes for Personal, Familial, Worldly and Spiritual Life

    Namaste Yajvan.

    Your precise definition of dharma nicely complements my compilation. In another thread, you posted a dhArmic advice from Mahabharata. If you can compile them from Mahabharata and Ramayana and add to this thread as you find time, it could be very useful.

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