In this creation, every object has some dharma of its own. It should not lose that dharma. If it loses it, it is said to have been destroyed. Heat is the dharma for fire. If there is no heat, it is no fire at all. Attracting iron is the dhrama of magnet. If it loses that dharma, it is no longer a magnet. Human dharma belongs to human beings. Like wise animals have ‘pasu dharma’. In the universe, planets and starts exist with natural attraction. If any one of them goes away from its dharma, total annihilation will be there. So none should leave their dharma. We also should not give up our dharma.
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Hindu dharma is acceptable to all people. It only has the ability to see the unity in diversity. If we cannot see that unity but only see diversity, that short coming is ours only. Hindu’s soul is dharma itselt. This should be well understood by us. Since dharma is the soul of Bharata Desa, in this country, Hindus who are dharmic by nature, do eating driking and sleeping also as per dharma. Right from their birth to death, to say more correctly, even from the time before their birth to death, they are bound by dharma. All these things we come to know in the coming chapters. Before birth, ther are dharma karyas like (vedic rituals) ‘Pumsavanam’ and ‘Seemantham’. After death, there are obsequies and ‘Sraddha Karmas’. That means, a Hindu’s life is completely bound by dharma. If he does not follow that dharma, it is deemed that he is dead. So every Hindu should know dharma and practise it. This dharma which gets for us material and spiritual benefits, has four features: i) Dharma should be ordained by the Veda, ii) It should be enunciated in ur culture, iii) be in the practice of elders and iv) be a dear one to us. Dharma is also to have ten features like dhriti (courage), kshama (tolerance) etc. Alongwith them there are certain main items in the Hindu dharma like faith in God, ‘Sadacharam’ (good practices), ‘Varna dharma’ based on physical activities, qualities of mental maturity like ‘Asrama Dharma, chastity, idol worship, yogavidhi, pacha yagnas (like brahma, deva, pitry, bhoota and manusha), purity of panchakosa (like annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya, anandamaya kosas), faith in doctrines of Karma and rebirth and faith in nirguna and sagunopasana and mukti. This dharma is universal dharma (viswa dharma). To protect this dharma means protecting the universe. For such a protection of dharma, we all should bind ourselves.
2. Dharma Rakshana
Practice of dharma itself is the main item in dharma rakshana. It is not a thing to be done by some aged people, who cannot physically do any thing else. “Yuvaiva dharam seela ssyat – anityam khalu jeevitham: ko hee jaanati kasyadya – mrityu kalo bhavishyati” said the enlightened ones. While in youth itself, people have to be ready for practice of dharma. Because this life is impermanent. Nobody can say which day is death day. So immediately, we have to take up dharma karya. “Eka eva suhrit dharmo nidhanepyanuyaati yah” – Even after death also, the only one friend who will be with us in dharma only. At one time this dharma only was ruling us. It was said of those bygone days as “Na rajyam nacha rajaa aseet – na dandyo nacha dandikah dharmenaiva praja ssarvah – rakshamtisma parasparam’ – At that time, there was no kingdom, no king, no punishment and no punished one; all people depended on dharma and mutually protected each other. Thus we have tasted such a glorious superior state of our society in this dharma. Again, we have to wish for such an ethical society. For that, good effort should be make by us only.
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3. Hindu Means?
The vedica dharma which is a timeless one has beome famous and great as the Hindu dharma. Since it is the correct name for that dharma, the name as Hindu dharma has become permanent from the oldest times to till this day. There are several reasons for our dharma being called as Hindu dharma. Some researchers have proved that Rigveda mantras are the base for this very ancient name. Rahul Samkrityaan says that the word “Hindu” has been formed from the word “Sapta Sindhu” which we come across at various places in the Veda. He explained that the illiterate people are
persians who were near to the Aryas used to pronounce ‘sa’ as ‘ha’ and Sapta Sindhu became ‘Satpa Hindu’ and its abbreviated form became ‘Hindu’. There are several examples of words to show that the letter ‘sa’ become ‘ha’. In old Hindi language ‘sapta’ became ‘hapta’, ‘kesari’ became ‘kehari’ and in persian language ‘saraswati became ‘harahvati” and ‘asura’ became ‘ahura’. Persians in their oldest book ‘Avesta’ told ‘Sapta Sindhu’ as ‘Sapta Hindu’. Persians used to call Vedic Aryans as ‘Hindus’. Veera Savarkar expressed the opinion that the word ‘Sindhu’ is a refined form and its old form might have been ‘Hindu’. That way the word ‘Hindu’ which belonged to the beginning times and symbolised unity, has lost its spread and prominence due to settlement of foreigners, formation of kingdoms and weakening of our country’s integrity. (To be continued…)
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