Dharma has a variety of meanings in the Indian culture depending on your chosen religion. However, a general interpretation, if we were to look at Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, is “the right way of living” and “the path of righteousness.” One could make the argument that dharma is the moral code by which these religions rely on. Those who practice Hinduism believe in reincarnation and that karma determines person’s next existence, karma is the actions undertaken by the body and mind. In order to achieve good karma it is important to live life according to dharma, what is right. (aboutreligion.com)
In The Ramayana, the main focus is on the life of Rama. Rama is considered a hero in Hindu culture because he lives his entire life following the rules of dharma. He is a perfect son allows going along with his father’s will. He was a faithful and ideal husband to Sita and later a grand and responsible ruler.
He is not the only character that practices and displays good dharma in this story. His brother, Bharatha, learns that his mother has used one of her wishes to have Rama exiled. He knows that dharma requires that the eldest son rule and therefore promises to Rama that he will hold the throne as regent until Rama is able to return from exile. (pg. 60-61)
Rama’s wife, Sita, upholds dharma by remaining at her husband’s side and going with him into exile even though she herself was not exiled, because it is a family’s duty to remain faithful to one another and stick together. (pg. 53)
I think we could all use a little more dharma in our lives.
Dharma is a very interesting concept because of the deeds you do causing karma. Further these depend on your caste and actions according to your caste. It goes beyond what is typically thought of as karma but this is everything in hinduism and fulfilling dharma is key to living a good life.
In Viswarmithra a man changes the world and teaches others for the good of it to stop creatures from harming the holy ground. If the people or himself failed in stopping these beings then there would be karma on them for their failure in the actions.
Rama the son of King Dasharatha was considered perfect in his culture. He is in several stories along with his wife Sita for their roles in dharma throughout. Sita’s dharma is to stay by her husbands side and that is her fulfillment. She continues to stay with him throughout his adventures and even his banishment.
Dharma is a really interesting concept to me because of the role that is kind of forced on to the people as their role in life. Out of this role if they follow it for the good of it instead of to please the big brother then they will have good karma.
The concept of dharma is extremely important in not only hinduism but many other cultures. You get good karma (which is what decides your fate for your samsara) by living your dharma which is different depending on which caste you are born in. I find all of this fascinating. So many people (including me) use the term karma very lightly without knowing the full extent of its importance to hindus. A person’s karma is the most important thing in their world and they cannot get good karma without fulfilling their dharma.
Pattanaik talks about the never ending cycles 0f life that hindu’s believe in and the difference between Alexander and the gymnosophist and how differently they viewed their lives. Alexander believed he had one life to live so he needed to live it extravagantly while the gymnosophist was fulfilling his dharma for this life. Pattanaik also talks about today’s indians and how everything is “maybe” (which I find hilarious!). Everything is maybe because they aren’t as caught up in how fast everything “needs” to be in our american culture because we are used to instant decision making and results. Modern day Indians aren’t as concerned about that because they are all just living out their dharma and being good people so that they can have good karma for the next life.
Dharma has different strengths in each age of a Maha Yuga. As each stage progresses and there is more evil in the world, the role of dharma decreases and becomes more and more unsteady and has less of a role in people’s lives. The less you follow your dharma, the worse your karma is going to be.
In the Ramayana, Rama has so much respect and love for his father and his stepmother that he doesn’t even question them ( more his stepmother Kaikeyi) when he is told that he is not only no longer going to be king but he is also to be exiled for 14 years (chapter 3). Rama is just fulfilling his dharma and doing what he is told because his parents told him so (great kid right?!).
I am one of the many people that get Dharma and Karma confused and tend to think that they are indistinguishable from each other. Dharma is the compass that guides us to do good for others and Karma are those individual actions. I see this as the same as Christianity; you should do good for the sake of good, not because “the boss” is watching.
When Rama was faced with killing a demigod, yaksha he did not want to complete this task knowing that she is a woman. “Rama hesitated; for all her evil, she is still a woman. How could I kill her?” (pg.12) This shows Rama’s good side where he does not kill for the glory but, when it is necessary. He has a code of honor that he lives by.
Manthara and Queen Kaikeyi are equally not great people. Manthara told the Queen that Rama should not be the king, but her own son should. To top this off the Queen is told that in order to accomplish this Rama should be exiled for 14 years and Bharata should be on the throne. (pg.38) I don’t see either of these women moving up in their Dharma journey.
I found Devdutt Pattanaik to be fascinating when he talked about the differences between how cultures can think (my world vs. your world). You can see how many disagreements can occur with western and eastern religions. Rama is definitely not infallible as Jesus is widely perceived to be. You can see how due to Rama’s mistakes he can still be a hero and looked up to for we can see ourselves in Rama because the Dharma train keeps rolling. For most western religions it’s a one and done mentality. Mr. Pattanaik explained this is where we get our different priorities in cultures, the “straight answer” west verses the “maybe” east.
Dharma is going through life by making good choices. We develop karma by going through dharma. Dharma orders the universe. It’s very powerful and is also very well known in other religions and does resemble many other mythologies that have a deity that controls our destiny, such as the Fates in Greek mythology or God in the Hebrew myths.
Many others discussed this story, but I think it’s a story that really does show dharma. In the story of Viswarmithra (p.7), we see a man choose to change the world for the better good and teach others the good they could do by stopping creatures that were hurting holy ground. If he didn’t stop these creatures, dharma would make sure that, eventually, this would hurt you (karma).
Rama is also a story that dharma is involved in. Rama is perfect (p. 4) and is the son of King Dasharatha. Rama is in all the chapters that we read this week and he’s who dharma is involved with the most throughout our readings, but the person I think also is involved in dharma is Sita. Sita is Rama’s wife (Chap. 2), and her dharma is being by his side. She is with him throughout his adventures even when he is banished, she accompanies him to the forest and is with him.
Dharma is involved in many of the myths we read this week and I really loved reading about her instead of karma, which is what most people think about.
I love how many people who don’t practice Hinduism get dharma and karma mixed up. And, that Karma is not what its all about. “Building on the eternal concept of atman, karma is the belief that a person’s actions in life will determine their fate in the next life. With the belief in karma, Hinduism holds firmly to dharma, the moral force that orders the universe.” (study.com) While dharma deals with your roles in life and karma deals with action.
I like the story of Viswamithra; how everyone looked up to him and held him in high regards. He then sets off to defeat some beasts (p.7) and asks the king’s son to attend in this victory. Not only to share the victory, but to also mentor the younger boy in all that he knows regarding wisdom.
Do you think it’s any consolation or coincidence that after Rama learns this wisdom and mentorship from Viswamithra that he is able to get Sati by stringing an unstringable bow?
Both of the above stories (in their entirety) show older men not worrying about their present obstacles, whether a beast or a daughter’s marriage. But rather, looking to the future to worry about their personal future and the future of the next generation by doing good in their own actions?
Dharma is like the road map of your life, and the road is different for everyone based on your caste and your status. Similar to the idea of fate, dharma is the key to stop the spinning of the wheel of reincarnation, by following our dharma we acquire good karma, and once we acquire enough, once we have grasped the true meaning of life and understanding of the universe we can achieve a higher state. There are times when it is easier for people to follow and understand their dharma. In the Krita Yuga, the first age in the Maha Yuga, it is said that men follow their dharma without any problems. However, as the ages pass it becomes harder and harder for people to understand their dharma because it is being overpowered by greed and materialism.
Dharma plays a significant role in the story of Rama. Rama is an example from the gods as to how we should understand our dharma, and how to follow it. Valmiki said that Rama would have the following attributes: “ integrity, bravery, righteousness, gratitude, dedication to his beliefs, a flawless character, compassion for all living, learning, skill, beauty, courage beyond bravery, radiance, control over his anger and his desires, serenity, a lack of envy, and valor to awe Indra’s Devas.” (p. 4)
Understanding our dharma is difficult because of Maya, which is basically our desire to be separate from our reality and prevents us from becoming “one” with the rest of our kind. Sita’s father had embraced his dharma, he knew that he needed to ensure that only the very most worthy man was able to marry his daughter, and though he questioned his decisions he was ultimately rewarded with Rama easily stringing Shiva’s bow.
To live by dharma means to make choices and actions that will benefit your life, your families lives and the universe too in the future. Making choices that are according to dharma can keep bad and chaos at bay.
Viswamithra was a righteous man whom everyone looked up to. He made a choice to change the world by stopping the creatures that were disturbing the holy ground.(p. 7) Because he was older, needed some younger protectors and I think he wanted to mentor young men. Viswamithra asked King Vasishtha to let his son, Rama to travel with him to slay the creature. Viswamithra’s request seems to be a way he can give back to the people by teaching Rama everything he knew to carry on his legacy for the future. Dharma means to act in a good way so that you have a good future. If you have bad dharma or make bad decisions those decisions could come back in your future to hurt you.
I liked the Wedding chapter. Sita sees a young man from her balcony and love hits her. But the man doesn’t stop to meet her. Sita is lonely and distressed. She has had many gentleman callers but none approved by her dad. Sita’s dad questioned his decision to make Shiva’s bow the answer to the suitor tale. If a man could string Shiva’s bow then he was worthy to marry Sita. I think Sita’s dad thought that maybe the bow quiz was be dharma for Sita. Her future could be doomed because the quiz was unattainable by any man. That is until Rama came along. Rama happened to be the man Sita saw from the balcony. Rama was able to string the bow with ease. Sita’s dad was convinced that it was the right thing to do to ensure Sita’s future with a good man. Rama and Sita were married and returned to Rama’s home town.
It seems that the people of this time was always thinking of the future. They lived for the future. They did things like fight demons to protect the future of the land or the people. Rama’s dad soon realized that he was not physically able to be king anymore. He knew that his choice to pass the leadership on to Rama would ensure that the kingdom would continue to grow with good people living with dharma. The dharma code to take care of your people and family is what made living in Dasaratha’s kingdom so good. He set a good example.
My latest obsession is fantasy novels geared more towards teens. I think it’s because they are a quick easy read and that’s just about all I can find time for. Not too many days I finished up The Mortal Instruments series and purchased the City of Bones. In this series Clary Fray is the heroine alongside her mentor/ the hero of the series, Jace Wayland.
The City of Bones opens in the normal/average teenage life of Clary Fray, being raised by her mom with the support of her mother’s best friend Luke.
The hidden truth that Clary is soon to reveal is that she is in fact a Shadow Hunter.
She begins drawing this symbol repetitively and often times subconsciously. In her efforts to discover what it is that the symbol represents she meets Jace Wayland. He too is a Shadow Hunter and realizes and reveals to her that she is not mundane (human) but he has yet to uncover the entire truth as well.
Her adventure begins when her mom disappears. The only message her mom manages to get through to her is that “Valentine’s alive and he found [her].” As it turns out, Clary’s mother has had a spell placed on Clary by a Warlock and this is blocking all of Clary’s memories of the other realm and even suppressing her powers.
Clary begins her journey in an attempt to locate and rescue her mother but it soons intertwines into a mission to locate the Mortal Cup which her mother has been hiding from Valentine. Clary has many mentors along the way. Jace Wayland who is immediately on her side and there to help her. Two other Shadow Hunters, Isabelle and Alexander, a brother/sister duo who aren’t entirely with her but go along with the plans because of Jace. Also, there is Hodges, he essentially runs the institute and is able to fill Clary in on some of her past.
In this story the special world is the world of the Shadow Hunters and Under-Worlders. Their world is kept hidden from the mundanes. Shadow Hunters derive many of their powers from the use of runes, which they also use to mask their society.
Clary faces many trials along the way. She learns that her neighbor is a witch who was protecting her mother’s secret, Luke IS a werewolf whom she actually “can’t trust,” and that Valentine isn’t the only person after the Mortal Cup. She has to develop her skills in the midst of battle as there is no real time for proper training.
The main battle takes place when Clary discovers where her mother has hidden the cup. She first must battle a demon in order to retrieve it and then upon returning to the institute she reveals the cup to Hodges and he reveals that he is working alongside Valentine. Clary must now fight against Valentine and re-hide the cup even at the risk of potentially never seeing her mother again. Valentine uses deception against Jace and Clary, who have fallen in love (the struggles of being female and having a heart lol) and tells them that they are in fact brother and sister (spoiler alert…they are not). Clary actually goes MIA for a good part of the battle and then returns just in time to rescue Jace by threatening to throw the cup into a portal. As females, we have a tendency to let our hearts do the thinking. Don’t be fooled though, turns out the cup was a fake and she is able to shove Valentine into the portal.
The battle is over and her reward is the safety of her still unconscious mother and the Mortal Cup. She chooses to keep the cup hidden though so that it’s powers do not fall into the wrong hands. There can be no return to normal for Clary. She is not a mundane and being a Shadow Hunter is now her new normal.
This video does a fairly decent recap of the first installment but only up until 2 min 48 sec:
Ordinary World: Katniss Everdeen is the heroine of the Hunger Games. She lived a simple life, in a post-apocalyptic world, hunting birds to feed her family and friends. The government ruled with an iron fist with hopes that the fear the instilled in their people would keep them all in check and allow society to continue to rebuild itself.
Call to Adventure: Katniss’s call to adventure comes on the dawn of the 74th annual Hunger Games. Her sister Primrose is called at random to fight to the death in hopes of a victory that would give extra food to her community. Fearing her sister would die, Katniss is forced to volunteer as tribute and take her place.
Refusal of the Call: When he family is ripped away from her and she starts to get a better sense of what she is being called upon to do, she waivers a little bit. Her friend Peta also volunteered and as a result she would be forced to kill him in the arena as well. The fear of conflict becomes so great at times that she considers giving up. Her love of her family and her district prevail, and she continues forward.
Meeting with the Mentor: Katniss is introduced to a previous winner of the Hunger Games. His life is in total shambles and he is almost always drinking himself under the table. When the going gets tough and the games are about to begin, he pulls himself together and gives her some last minute advice which helps her survive in the arena.
Crossing the Threshold: After some publicity and prepping Katniss is sent up a glass elevator and arrives on the battlefield. She can’t turn back and if she gives up, she dies.
Tests, Allies and Enemies: The entire arena is designed to facilitate as much killing as possible. There are boobytraps around every bush, and she is required to form alliances to help keep her alive, even with the knowledge that eventually she will have to try to kill them.
Approach: She arms herself with a bow, and finds places to wait out the killing as long as possible. She tries to minimize her profile in the games by doing her best to defend everyone who is being attacked. She also has to nurse Peta back to health who has unfortunately gotten the stuffing beat out of him. Mostly because he is a little man boy baby. But that is just my opinion.
The Ordeal: Katniss and Peta are the last two left alive. They have to decide whether to die together or live together. I an act of defiance they decide that they will kill each other, when all of the sudden the game-master says that they can both stay alive. The biggest ordeal they now have to face is becoming the golden-children of the corrupt government that literally puts its people in pit and watches them kill each other gladiator style. The political and social pressures from a side of extreme elitists as well as the guilt they feel for surviving is an even bigger ordeal than competing in the Hunger Games in the first place.
The Reward: The reward for Katniss is the knowledge that she just stuck it to the man on live TV in front of the entire world. She has given hope to the oppressed and gained some super fame. She gets to go home and see her family. She get’s to feel like the rebel with a cause. Until President Snow decides he wants to destroy her entire world. But that comes later.
The Road Back: The challenge on her journey now is to try to go home and feel normal again. She wants to act like nothing ever happened, but the events of the games haunt her. She feels the burden of guilt for being a part of something so terrible and she feels awkward going home knowing that she’s the face of the rebellion disguised as the face of the government.
The Resurrection: Katniss’s resurrection comes when she has to confront her demons and accept the fact that things will never be the same. The people look to her as the Mockingjay now, a bird that was genetically modified by the government (but it backfired) and now stands as a symbol of the failures of the government. She doesn’t have to face an physical death in this resurrection, but she does have to accept that her soul is now on the line. She has to figure out how to rally her people and protect them, and it takes deep emotional toll on her.
The Elixir: The elixir that Katniss returns with is the elixir of hope. For so long her people thought they would be held captive and starving forever. Seeing that she was able to one-up the government has given them the resolve to become unified and throw down their oppressors. As hard as it is for her, Katniss accepts her new role and prepares her people for a rebellion. To Be Continued.
Hum 115: World Mythology 