Dharma
Videos
Dharma is a key concept in various Indian-origin religions. The term dharma does not have a single, clear translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit dhr-,
The Prakrit word "dhaṃ-ma"/𑀥𑀁𑀫 (Sanskrit: Dharma धर्म) in the Brahmi script, as inscribed by Emperor Ashoka in his Edicts of Ashoka (3rd century BCE)
Rituals and rites of passage
Sannyasa and stages of life
The Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription is from Indian Emperor Asoka in 258 BCE, and found in Afghanistan. The inscription renders the word dharma in Sanskrit as eusebeia in Greek, suggesting dharma in ancient India meant spiritual maturity, devotion, piety, duty towards and reverence for human community.
Ṛta
Videos
In the Vedic religion, Ṛta is the principle of natural order which regulates and coordinates the operation of the universe and everything within it. In the hymns of the Vedas, Ṛta is described as that
Dharma
…making the concept a dynamic one. The antonym of dharma is adharma. In Hinduism, dharma denotes behaviours that are considered to be in accord with Ṛta—the "order and custom" that makes life and the universe possible. This includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues, and ethics, forming the "righteous…
17th century watercolour depicting Varuna (here astride the Makara), a god closely associated with Ṛta in the Vedas.