Your Dharma and Mine
The great seers of ancient India - both men and women - contemplated on the universe, discussed about it, and shared their insights in the form of evocative poetry. Among their several contributions to the knowledge bank of the world, the greatest is dharma
The more I meditated on the concept, the more convinced I
became that dharma was not merely an esoteric idea but had immense practical
value. To be a successful person - in terms of money, relationships, reknown,
intelligence, or inner peace - adherence to dharma is inevitable. I wondered if
it might be worthwhile to conduct a workshop on dharma. The word dharma has
many meanings but the one that I find most relevant today is 'sustainability.'
Dharma is the great principle that sustains everything and by definition,
dharma protects one who protects it. If we chop off the branch of the tree on
which we are sitting, who can save us? As we move forward, it has become
essential to protect our natural environment and our social establishments. Let
the fundamental principle of dharma help us in our quest to making our world
more sustainable. ślokārdhena pravakṣyāmi yaduktaṃ grantha koṭibhiḥ |
paropakāraḥ puṇyāya pāpāya parapīḍanam || - Veda Vyāsa I will tell you in half
a verse what has been said in a million books: helping others is good, harming
others is bad.