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Advocacy of Dharma

CHENNAI: Dharma is the foundation of the Vedas, which can be seen from the fact that the Vedic tradition is known as Sanatana Dharma, meaning it is eternal. Lay people generally consider any good act as Dharma. For example, charity is considered as Dharma, but according to the Vedas charity is only a drop in the ocean of Dharma. Any act is considered Dharma only if it is done without expectation of reward or merit. This is not to belittle the munificence of those who espouse charity but only to point out that Dharma is an all-encompassing concept and hence cannot be circumscribed just by ethics.

In his discourse, Sri K.V.Seshadrinatha Sastrigal said according to the Vedas Dharma was the basis of the whole universe. As the Vedas are revelatory and eternal, they are the ultimate scriptural authority. The Vedas state that Dharma is eternal and therefore existed before creation, and all the insentient and the sentient beings owe their existence to Dharma. There is an oft-quoted dictum which declares that Dharma is the root of the Vedas. Just as a tree must have strong roots if it has to withstand a cyclone, so also must Dharma be upheld for the harmonious functioning of the entire universe. The analogy of the tree can be extended further. If Dharma is the tap root, the Vedas are the trunk of the tree, and the Puranas and the epics (Itihasa) are the branches. Unless the root is healthy and strong the tree cannot survive and hence it is only by protecting Dharma that the entire universe can be sustained.

It is said that Vyasa, who codified the Vedas, composed the Mahabharata with the intention of expounding the teachings of the Vedas and hence this epic is hailed as the fifth Veda. It can be stated with certainty that the Mahabharata does not digress from enunciating Dharma at any place. Every episode and character teaches some facet of Dharma. The epic is not meant for narration to dramatise the story. The storyline is the thread which connects the delineation of Dharma and vests it with a mythological feel so that the young will be attracted to the innumerable tales while the mature reader should look for the nuances of Dharma that permeate the stories.

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