The Bhagavad Gita – Dharma

By

Dr. R. J. Kalpana Ph.D

Visvaayudha August 2024

vasudevasutaḿ devaḿ kaḿsa-cāṇūra-mardanam

devakī-paramānandaḿ kṛṣṇaḿ vande jagadgurum

I bow down to Sri Krishna, who is the Master of the Universe, beloved son of Vasudeva, who vanquished Kamsa and Chanura, who brings immense joy to his mother, Devaki.

Pranams from Dr. R J Kalpana, Welcome to the study of The Bhagavad Gita.

Let us begin by considering the first word of the first sloka of the first chapter. The word is Dharma! If we understand the meaning of Dharma the secrets of Gitaji will be revealed to us. If we do not understand Dharma, then these remain just mere words that we read and listen.

In order to understand Dharma, I will tell you 4 stories. Each story presents a conundrum and a solution. Now the question we must ask ourselves is the decision taken by the protagonists adhering to the principles of Dharma.

The first story is set in ancient times where there still lived sages who had their ashrams on the outskirts of villages.  This particular sage was known for his truthfulness. He would utter not a word of untruth. One morning, he was plucking flowers in his garden when he saw in the distance a well dressed man run into the far end of his ashram and hide behind some bushes. He saw another commonly dressed man in pursuit who searched in vain. The sage continued plucking the flowers when the searcher approached him and asked him if he saw someone run this way. The sage nodded. The searcher once again asked him if he knew where he was. The sage pointed to the bushes that hid the well dressed gentleman. The searcher pounced upon him and robbed him of his wealth.

The Question we must ask ourselves is – what the sage did, was it Dharma?

The second story is set in fairly modern times where lived three married sons and their parents. The eldest lived far away due to his job. The youngest had a small job that barely furnished the needs of him and his small family. The second son was reasonably well-off and so it fell upon him to take care of his parents which he did with due diligence. The eldest son would visit on occasion and send money on occasion for his parents upkeep and thus time passed. Time they say is a great leveler and so there came a time when the parents passed away. The only property worth inheriting was the gold chain of the mother. The eldest son refused the gold chain stating that he had no necessity to own gold and he could afford to buy his own. The second son claimed the gold chain as payment for services rendered to his parents. The third son asked for the gold chain because he was poor and he had a daughter who had to be married. The warring sons came to a compromise. The second son said, I will give the gold chain as a gift when your daughter gets married.

The question we must ask ourselves is, was the decision of the second son – Dharma?

The third story is set in ancient times when there still remained the tradition of Gurukuls in the Brahmacharya tradition and people sent their children to the Guru to be educated and fit for society. In one such Gurukul two students neared graduation time and so the Guru called them both and addressed them saying the they have learnt all that had to be taught here and the time has come for them to leave the Gurukul. But before they do so, they must first go to the village on the other side of the river and buy provisions for the Gurukul. The students agreed and woke up bright and early the next morning to set off to the village. The boatman was awaiting them by the river bank and they crossed the river and bought fresh farm produce from the village market and returned back to the river bank. The boatman was ferrying other passengers and so he was on the other side of the river. The students waited patiently. In the meanwhile, the sun rose gently and the village women came to the river bank to do their chores, wash clothes, wash vessels, have their baths. The students discretely turned away and gazed into the distance. While suddenly they heard screams. They turned and saw one woman had slipped from the river bank and had fallen into the river. She didn’t know how to swim for she was desperately crying for help and so were the other women watching helplessly unable to help. Some children were sent to the village to inform the men.

One student made a move forward while the other held him back. Stop! What are you doing? You cannot touch that woman. Have you forgotten the rules of Brahmacharya ashrama? The other student said I know how to swim she will drown if I don’t rescue her.

Village men will come for that, said the other student holding on to his arm.

It might be too late. And he dived into the river and rescued the woman who was soon surrounded by the village woman wrapping clothes around her and patting her dry.

The boatman arrived and the students made their way back to the Gurukul. One silent, the other angry.

The Guru took one look at their faces and asked them what troubled them. One student remained silent with downcast eyes and the other recounted hotly the events that took place.

The Guru patiently heard the story and studied the silent student. He asked gently, Why? The student said simply, I knew how to swim.

The Guru smiled and said, you have learnt everything that I have to teach you and you are free to leave my Gurukul and make your way in the world. I am confident you will lead an exemplary life. He turned to the angry and now surprised student and said, Forgive me child, I must have been remiss in my teachings. If you can give me one more chance and continue in my Gurukul, I will do my best for you.

The question we must ask ourselves is, was the Guru’s decision Dharma?

The last story is set in modern times and three rapists were brought before the judge for a ruling. One of the rapists was under 18 years of age and the judge sent him to juvenile detention centre for the law states that under 18 years of age accused of crime will not tried as an adult but as a juvenile. Therefore he is sent to a detention centre for two years and is taught social-vocational skills for consequent rehabilitation.

The question we must ask ourselves is, was the decision by the Judge, Dharma?

These stories must be deeply reflected upon and deliberated. I pray your reflections will give you greater clarity of the role and meaning of Dharma in your life. Hold onto your answers and perhaps by the end of the study of the Bhagavad Gita, the meaning of Dharma will become clearer.

Do not hesitate to hold an opinion. For a 5 year old child, the sun is an image in a picture book. For the 15 year old, the sun is a star in the galaxy. For the 25 year old, the sun is solar eclipse, solar flare, solar energy.

As we grow and understand, our consciousness expands and allows us to contemplate a 360 degree view of a subject.

Before we end this session, I will leave you with a clue: There are 3 types of Dharma: Svadharma, Varnashrama Dharma and Sanatana Dharma. Svadharma means our individual dharma. Varnashrama Dharma is a combination of our spiritual, political and economic position in society and our journey in achieving individual perfection and Sanatana Dharma means the Eternal Dharma. If ever there is a conflict between these categories, what prevails is – Sanatana Dharma – the Eternal Dharma. That which remains ever unchanging, ever imperishable. That immutable eternal principle! Dharma!

yogeśaṁ(m) saccidānandaṁ(v̐), vāsudevaṁ(v̐) vrajapriyam,

dharmasaṁsthāpakaṁ(v̐) vīraṁ(ṅ), kṛṣṇaṁ(v̐) vande jagadgurum

I bow to the Master of Yoga, who is the beloved son of Vasudeva, the brave warrior who established Dharma, the spiritual guru of the world.

OM ŚRĪKṚṢṆĀRPAṆAMASTU