INTRODUCTION-

ACCORDING TO THE SANATAN TEXT THERE IS FOUR GOALS OF

HUMAN RACE KNOWN AS PURUSHARTHA,WHICH ARE DHARMA, ARTHA, KAMA AND
MOKSHA. DHARMA REFERS TO RIGHTEONESS, MORAL DUTY AND LIVING IN
ACCORDANCE WITH COSMIC ORDER, ARTHA RELATE TO MATERIAL WEALTH,
PROSPERITY AND PURSUIT OF ECONOMICS SUCCESS, KAMA DEPICTS DESIRE
PLEASURE AND ENJOYMENT OF THE SENSES. MOKSHA SIGNIFIES LIBERATION
FROM THE CYCLE OF BIRTH AND DEATH, ACHIEVEMENT OF SALVATION AND
ENLIGHTMENT. ONE OF THE PURUSHARTHA DHARMA,PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN THE
EPIC OF KURUKSHETRA, WHICH HAPPENED BETWEEN PRINCELY COUSINS
PANDAVAS AND KAURAVAS, WIDELY KNOWN AS THE MAHABHARATA.
THE SHRIMAD
BHAGAVAD GITA IS THE MOST LIKEABLE TEXT ALSO KNOWN AS THE SONG OF GOD
WHICH CONTAINS THE ETERNAL AND PROFOUND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE
UNIVERSE AND LIFE, IT WAS DIRECTED BY THE SUPREME GOD SHRI KRISHNA TO
ARJUNA IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLEFIELD,GITA EXPLAINS DHARMA FROM
INSIDE OUT.

DHARMA-
DHARMA IS ABOUT ONE'S DUTY ACCORDING TO THEIR NATURE AND
POSITION NOT JUST ABOUT FOLLOWING RIGID RULES. IN (CHAPTER 2 VERSE 07)
OF BHAGAVADA GITA GIVES A MINOR HINT ABOUT THE DEFINITION OF DHARMA
WHERE ARJUNA ASKED SHRI KRISHNA THAT WHAT IS DHARMA THE CONTEXT IS
THE ARJUNA WAS CONFUSED EVEN PARALYZED, BECAUSE HE WAS STANDING AS
A WARRIOR AGAINST OF HIS OWN DYNASTY, ARJUNA WAS CONSIDERING THIS
WAR AS A GREATEST SIN HE WAS EVER GOING TO DO. SHRI KRISHNA LATER ON
REPLIED IN (2:31,32),ONE WHO GET THE CHANCE TO PROTECT DHARMA IS
LUCKIER THEN OTHERS BECAUSE THE ONE WHO PROTECT DHARMA GO TO
HEAVEN AFTER DEATH. THIS WHOLE CONTEXT REFERS DHARMA AS A RIGHT
THING AND DUTY OF AN INDIVIDUAL. DHARMA IS CATEGORISED IN 2 TYPES
MENTIONED DIRECTLY BY SHRI KRISHNA IN THE WHOLE BHAGAVADA GITA
1.​ SVADHARMA
2.​ VANASRAMA DHARMA

SVADHARMA-
SVADHARMA IS MENTIONED IN CHAPTER 3 VERSE 35 OF BHAGAVAD
GITA WHERE SRI KRISHNA SAID,“IT'S BETTER TO PERFORM ONE'S OWN
PRESCRIBED DUTIES, EVEN IF IMPERFECTLY, THAN TO PERFECTLY PERFORM THE
DUTIES OF ANOTHER”. THIS STANZA EXPLAINS A LOT ABOUT SVADHARMA. EACH
INDIVIDUAL HAS A NATURAL DUTY AND PATH ACCORDING TO THEIR INHERENT
QUALITIES AND INCLINATION WHICH ALSO INFLUENCED BY THEIR PAST
ACTION,MEN SHOULD DO WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING FOR HIMSELF RATHER THAN
SEEING FROM THE SOCIETAL ASPECTS.
LATER ON IN CHAPTER 18 VERSE 47, SHRI KRISHNA
CONSEQUENT IS WORDS FROM THE 3RD CHAPTER OF BHAGAVAD GITA, WHERE
HE SAID THAT A INDIVIDUAL SHOULD DO HIS OWN DUTY, ASSIGNED BY THE
NATURE ITSELF, WHICH IS CONSIDERED ULTIMATE, EVEN DONE IN A VERY
INFERIOR WAY THAN DOING FOREIGN’S DUTY.

THE TERM “ASSIGNED DUTY”WHICH IS BEING REFERRED FROM THE BEGINNING

CONTAINS A VERY DEEP AND DIFFERENT MEANING, LETS UNDERSTAND THIS WITH
A EXAMPLE OF A BOY, HIS MOTHER AND FATHER NAMED X Y AND Z RESPECTIVELY.
X IS THE SON OF Y AND Z WHERE Y AND Z KEPT THE FOUNDATION OF X
EXPECTING HIM TO BE A GENEROUS HUMAN BEING. HERE, ACCORDING TO
SVADHARMA X SHOULD TAKE CARE OF HIS OLD PARENTS Y AND Z EMOTIONALLY
AS WELL AS FINANCIALLY, BUT X CHOSE TO BE A MONK THINKING THAT HE IS
FOLLOWING THE GOD’S PATH AND THE IMMUNE FROM SIN. THIS KIND OF BELIEF
OBSERVED WRONG IN THIS SHLOK (18.47). HERE, X DID NOT TOOK CARE OF HIS
OLD PARENTS, NEGLECTING THE LAWS OF SVADHARMA AND WENT TO FOLLOW
PARADHARMA, WHAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO NOT, RESULTS IN A SIN.

VARNASRAMA DHARMA-
IT IS A PROFOUND CONCEPT THAT DEFINES THE DUTIES
AND RESPONSIBILITIES BASED ON INDIVIDUAL’S SOCIAL CASTE(VARNA) AND
STAGE OF LIFE (ASRAMA). THE TERM “VARNA” REFERRED BY SRI KRISHNA IN (1.41)
BHAGWAT GEETA WHERE HE WAS SPEAKING ABOUT HOW THE DHARMA OF A
WOMAN GOT CORRUPTED AFTER WAR. REFERS TO A SOCIAL POST GET S FROM
HIS BIRTH, THERE ARE FOUR VARNAS MENTIONED IN HINDU TEXT, BRAHMIN,
KSHTRIYA, VAISHYA AND SHUDRA. BRAHMIN ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
SCHOLARS, PRIEST AUR TEACHERS. KSHTRIYA ARE THE RULERS, ADMINISTRATOR
OR WARRIORS. VAISHYAS ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE AGRICULTURISTS, FARMERS
OR MERCHANTS. RUDRAS ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LABOUR AUR SERVANTS.
ASHRAMA IS A SYSTEM OF STAGES OF LIFE OF AN INDIVIDUAL,
WHICH SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY A MEN THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE. THERE ARE
ALSO 4 ASHRAMS MENTIONED IN HINDU TEXT, BRAHMACHARYA(STUDENT),
GRIHASTA(HOUSE HOLDER), VANAPRASTA(FOREST DWELLER) AND SANYASI
(RENUNCIATION).
BRAHMACHARYA ASHRAM IS CONCEPT WITHIN INDIAN RELIGIOUS
THAT LITERALLY MEANS “ON THE PATH OF BRAHMAN”. BRAHMACHARYA, A
DISCIPLINE OF CONTROLLING THE SENSES IS SEEN AS A WAY TO LIBERATION.
THOUGH SEXUAL RESTRAINT IS A PART OF BRAHMACHARYA.
BRAHMACHARYA IS THE FIRST STAGE OF LIFE, THE BRAHMACHARYA ASHRAM
STARTS FROM THE BIRTH OF A CHILD UNTIL HE TURNED INTO AGE 25, DURING
THIS HE WAS FOCUSED ON EDUCATION AND PRACTICE OF CELIBACY.
GRIHASTHA ASHRAM MEANS BEING A HOUSEHOLDER. IT REFERS TO
THE SECOND PHASE OF AN INDIVIDUAL LIFE IN A FOUR AGE-BASED STAGES, IN
THIS ASHRAM INDIVIDUAL SHOULD RAISE HIS FAMILY IN A VERY WELL ORDER TILL
HE TURNED 50 THIS ASRAMA IS CONSIDERED AS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASRAMA
AS PER ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL ERA TEXT OF HINDUISM.
VANAPRASTHA ASHRAM LITERALLY MEANING ‘WAY OF THE FOREST’, IS
THE THIRD STAGE IN THE FOUR ASHRAM SYSTEM OF HINDUISM. VANAPRASTHA
ASHRAM TAKES PLACE AFTER THE GRIHASTHA ASHRAM, WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL
HAND-OVER HIS RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HOUSE AND FAMILY TO THE NEXT
GENERATION, AFTER TRANSFERRING THE INDIVIDUAL CAN GO TO THE WAY OF
SALVATION.
SANYASA IS THE FOURTH ASHRAM AMONG THE FOUR STAGES OF
LIFE, IN THIS ASHRAM A INDIVIDUAL WOULD RENUNCIATE FROM THE MATERIAL
DESIRE AND PREJUDICES, THE CHARACTERISTIC OF SANYASA ASHRAMA IS THAT
THE INDIVIDUAL WOULD DETACHED HIMSELF FROM THE MATERIALISTIC
WORLD(MRITYU LOK) TO ATTAIN MOKSHA, IN THIS ASHRAM INDIVIDUAL DISOWN
EVERYTHING AND WENT TO HARD PENANCE.
IN (18.41), SHRI KRISHNA STATED ALL FOUR VARNAS, WHERE HE SAID THAT
THE VARNAS ARE ASSIGNED BY HIMSELF TO THE PEOPLE ACCORDING TO THEIR
BEHAVIOUR AND DEEDS(KARMA).
IN (18.42), SHRI KRISHNA MADE US UNDERSTAND THE FUNCTION OF
THE FIRST VARNA, BRAHMAN. HE SAID THAT A BRAHMIN SHOULD ATTAIN PEACE,
SELF CONTROL, PENANCE AND SACREDNESS. WHO CAN GAIN ALL THIS EMOTION
WOULD BECOME A GREAT BRAHMIN.
IN (18.43), SHRI KRISHNA MADE US UNDERSTAND THE DUTIES, KARMA AND
BEHAVIOUR OF KSHATRIYA.HE SAID THAT A INDIVIDUAL WITH FULL OF BRAVERY,
DETERMINATION, APTITUDE AND PATIENCE CAN BE A GREAT KSHATRIYA. HE LATER
SAY THAT KSHATRIYA ARE VERY BRIEF AND PROTECTIVE REGARDING TO THEIR
KINGDOM FROM INSIDE OUT.
IN (18.44), SHRI KRISHNA SPEAK ABOUT THE LAST TWO VARNAS
VAISHYA AND SHUDRA. HE SAID THAT THESE TWO VARNAS ARE EQUALLY
IMPORTANT AS THE OTHER TWO ARE, HE ADDED THAT VAISHYAS ARE MEANT TO
BE A MERCHANT AND TO BE SERVE OTHER PEOPLE THERE IS NO DISCRIMINATION
BETWEEN THESE FOUR VARNAS.