The Vedic Fundamentals of Dharma: An Excerpt

मा हिंस्यात सर्व भूतानि।

mā hiṃsyātsarva bhūtāni

“Harm not all beings.”

The desire to be happy is the Dharma of all living beings. Every deed a living entity does is either to be happy or to get rid of misery. Even when one changes one’s posture while one sleeps, it is only to get rid of the pain which occurs through maintaining the same posture. Even an ant moves, only to come out of the pain which it experiences when it stands still in the same place. Every action of every living entity is only to get rid of misery or to be happy. Infact getting rid of misery is a metod of gaining joy. Therefore, here we bring the two categories (the desire to get rid of misery and the desire to get joy) into one (the desire to get joy). Desire to be happy is the Dharma of all living entities.

There is a graduation in the Dharma of various entities. Micro beings work only desiring their own sustenance or joy. They never work for others’ joy. All their activities, and instincts are only to get joy for themselves, e.g. the bacteria that dwell in our bodies fight with the foreign bacteria, for their own survival (which is their joy). Thus bacterial Dharma is in the desire for its own joy. When we see the animals like cats and pigs, they not feel and work for their own joy, but also of their little ones’ joy. A she pig brings the eatables, not only for herself but also for her little ones. A she-cat searches a place where she can safely give birth to her little ones. She chooses a place that is comfortable to her little ones and then only gives birth. She searches and brings various eatables for the kitten. She also sees other beings with suspicious eyes and guards her kitten from other living beings. She feels for her kitten and works for it. Thus feeling for herself and her little ones is Cat-Dharma. Of course, Cat-Dharma extends up to feeling and working for the particular humans who take care of them. That is why they are kept as pet animals. The birds not only feel for themselves and their little ones, but also for their mates.

A bird family includes a she-bird, a he-bird and little ones. Everybody in that family desires the welfare of everybody in the family. She-bird and he-bird feel and work for the joy of the whole family. Feeling and working for the joy of the whole family is the Bird-Dharma. Concept of family is prevalent among birds. To safeguard their family, they build nests as their homes. Homes are the features of families.

Animals like elephants and apes and the insects like bees and ants not only feel for themselves, their little ones and their mates, but also for their group or clan, e.g. thousands of elephants live together in a herd. Every elephant belonging to that clan feels and works for the welfare of the whole clan. This is Elephant-Dharma. If somebody tries to catch one monkey, all the monkeys of that group will come to fight. But if a goat is killed by a butcher, another goat nearby shall never feel sad. Thus a monkey feels and works for the welfare of its whole group. This is the Dharma of monkey. But the same monkey shall not feel sad if a monkey of another group is hunted.

Human feeling can expand beyond oneself, one’s little ones, one’s family, one’s language, one’s state, even one’s nation and religion, one’s race and one’s caste and creed. A human being can feel and work for the welfare of the whole world. This is Human-Dharma. If a Tamilian comes to know about the sufferings of Gujaratis through earthquakes, he/she can feel sad for it. If an Indian read in a newspaper about the peoples’ suffering through natural calamity happening in Japan or even in Pakistan, he/she can feel sad for it. Humans are able to feel for all. Humans are capable of working for the universal well-being. This is Human-Dharma.

देवास्तानि धर्माणि प्रथमान्यासन् ।

tāni dharmāṇi prathamānyāsan

“Those were the Prime Dharmas”

In the previous section, we saw the meaning of Dharma as nature. Dharma occurs in Vedic literature sometimes in plural also. Dharmas mean the laws of nature. “Dhāryate anena iti dharmaḥ”: Dharmas are the laws of nature by which the things get sustained. Discoverers of these laws are called as Ṛṣis. Their research is called as Tapasyā. But Ṛṣis are generally different from scientists, while Tapasyā is generally different from the modern day scientific research. The fundamental difference between Ṛṣis and scientists is that the Ṛṣis mainly explore the consciousness, while the scientists investigate the matter. Matter is known to consciousness and consciousness is not known to matter. Therefore, consciousness is superior to matter. Therefore, the Rsis, the explorers of consciousness are superior to the scientists, the investigators of matter. Researching the matter, one cannot find the truths about consciousness. But by exploring the consciousness, one can find the facts of matter also, if needed. That is why Ṛṣis talk on scientific facts also. Until one is not exposed to search in consciousness and until one researches only the matter, one may deny the separate existence of consciousness and one may think that the consciousness is the product of matter.

When one starts to explore consciousness, only then does one come to know how the matter is highly interlinked with consciousness and how matter is dependent on consciousness. The Vedas show how the laws of material nature are highly interlinked with the laws of conscious nature. Devas or Devatas in the Vedas are the representatives of these laws of nature. Every chapter of the Vedas is dedicated to a Deva or more.

The prime subject matter of the Vedas is the description of Devas. Every hymn of the Vedas is dedicated to a Deva. It is very important to know about Devas from the Vedic point of view. Devas are not merely persons in the Vedas. Devas are natural elements around us without which we cannot live. This is the preliminary understanding about Devas, e.g. Vāyu is the blowing wind; Agni is the fire; Varuṇa is the power in water; Sarasvatī, Gaṅgā and Sindhu are rivers; Indra is the electric force behind thunder and rain; Sūrya is the sun and Soma is the moon. In this way earth, space, stars, planets and ocean which are around us are Devas without which humans cannot live. Humans are therefore, obliged to respect all of them.

Further in the Vedas, these Devas are not only perceived as natural elements but also as natural forces dwelling in us, without which we cannot live. e.g. Vāyu is the vital energy; Agni is the heat and sound energy; Varuṇa represent the energy in all fluids that flow in our body; Indra represents power and strength; Surya represents light energy and Soma represents mind and heart. Therefore, Devas like Soma, Sūrya, Varuṇa, Agni, Vāyu and Indra are the natural forces dwelling in us without which we could never like. In a deeper sense these very same Devas are perceived and understood as the various powers of cognition. This is because each and every natural element in the external world has become a symbolic representation or archetypal expression of the higher and the cognitive world, e.g. Vāyu which is the blowing wind in the concrete world represents the core Prāṇa of Psyche and beyond, in cognitive world. Agni which is fire in the gross world represents the burning will of the Divine, dwelling in the cognitive realm to guide aspirants:

अग्निर्होता कविक्रतुः

agnirhotā kavikratuḥ

“Agni is the will of the seers.” (Ṛg Veda 1.1.5)

Varuṇa which is the power of water in the gross world represents the basic law of the universe, or the cosmic order in the cognitive realm. The Sarasvatī and Sindhu, which are rivers in the gross world, represent the flow of inspiration in the cognitive realm.

चोदयित्री सूनृतानां चेतन्ती सुमतीनाम् ।

codayitrī sunṛtānāṃ cetantī sumatīnāṃ

“Sarasvati is the impeller of sweet and truthful word and awakener in good thoughts.” (Ṛg Veda 1.3.11)

Indra which is the electric charge behind rain, lightning and thunder in the gross world, represents cognitive strength and the power to destroy all evil forces of the psyche. Sūrya–the sun–in the gross world is nothing but the self-light or self-wisdom itself in the inner world. Soma–the moon–in the gross world is nothing but the aesthetic flow of Bliss and peace:

यत्रानन्दाश्च मोदाश्च मुद: प्रमुद आसते।

कामस्य यत्राप्ताः कामास्तत्र माममृतं कृधीन्द्रायेन्दो परि स्रव ॥

“O Soma! Make me immortal in those realms where the ecstasies, delights and higher delights exist and where all wishes get fulfilled.” (Ṛg Veda 9.113.11)

In this manner all natural elements and forces remain archetypal expressions and symbolic manifestations of the cognitive forces. In this way enjoying the rising sun as the Self-Wisdom and, the waxing moon as the Self-Bliss, synchronizing the fresh air with the vital force, visualizing Fire as the Divine-Will, symbolizing the water-force as the Divine Law, seeing the flow of water as inspiration, seeing electric charge produced in the clouds as the cosmic strength, and actualizing the whole cosmos as the Self, the seers revealed the impersonal wisdom through the verses, the whole collection of which constitutes the Vedas. The Devas in the Vedas are also associated with different skills and occupations. e.g. Indra and Sūrya are associated with farming and agriculture. Varuṇa and the Aśvins are closely associated with navigation. Vāyu and Soma are closely associated with medical sciences. Tvaṣṭā and Viśvakarman are closely related to engineering skills. Agni is closely associated with home and family. Indra and Varuṇa are closely associated with administration and governance. Sarasvatī and Sindhu are closely associated with the skills of creating poetry and art. Ultimately all these words like Indra or Varuṇa denote the one Self, the indweller of all beings:

एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति

ekaṃ sadviprā bahudhā vadanti

“The wise call the one in many ways.” (Ṛg Veda, 1.164.46)

यत्र विश्वम् भवति एकनीडम्

yatra viśvaṃ bhavati eknīḍaṃ

“Where the cosmos is one nest.” (Śukla Yajur Veda 32.8)

एकं व इदं भभुवा सर्वम्

ekaṃ va idaṃ bhabhuva sarvaṃ

“One has become this all.” (Ṛg Veda 8.58.2)

ॐ. यस्मिन् सर्वाणि भूतान्यात्मैवाभूद् विजानतः।

तत्र को मॊहः कः शॊक एकत्वमनुपश्यतः॥

yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtānyātmaivābhūd vijānataḥ

tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvam anupaśyataḥ

“One who sees oneness and to whom all beings are the one Self, never experiences misery and infatuation.” (Śukla Yajur Veda 40.7)

Understanding the Self as the fundamental Truth of the whole existence, and to live a life with that as the fundamental principle, is the objective of the Vedas. The very nature of this Self is absolute silence, peace, bliss and harmony. The Self is pure conscious Being and is eternal. 

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