Dharma

: That by which the universe is sustained is dharma – “Dharayidhi idhi dharma:” Dharma, artha, kama moksha are the four purusharthas and dharma is the foundation on which the other three are built. In other words artha, kama and moksha spring from dharma. There is another view that practice of karma with gnana is dharma.Dharma, artha and kama are based on the three gunas, dharma based on satvikam, artha based on rajasam and kama based on thamasam.
One’s existence is sustained by jeeva. Similarly the universe is sustained by dharma. There is a belief that Brahma at the time of creation, created karma and divided the same into dharma and adharma.
Dharma is broadly classified as srowdha dharmam and smartha dharmam, the former is yagnadhi karmas based on sruthy and the latter based on smrithy. Srowdha dharma gets authority from mimasa sastra . This mimasa is divided into poorva mimasa and uttara mimasa the former is based on the karma kanda of the vedas and the latter based on the end portion of vedas i.e.vedanta. The two mimasas are otherwise known as karma mimasai and Brahma mimasai.
Smartha dharma commonly known as varnasrama dharma gains authority from dharma sastras, puranas and nyaya. Ancients like Manu, Yagnavalkya and Gowthama have brought out dharma sastras. Puranas are authored by veda vyasa. They are also considered as sastras wherein various dharmas are interspersed in stories. Nyaya comes to help when there are conflicting views. There is another guiding principle known as sadacharam which includes practice of non-violence, patience , truth, sraddha, control of sense organs, dhanam, yagnam, tapas and shame in indulgence.When none of these dharmas could be applied in a particular situation, one can act as per manasakshi!
According to dharma sastra, there are separate dharma for persons belonging to each varna – brhamana, kshatriya, vaisya and sudra. These are known as varna dharmas. Again there are dharmas for each asrama i.e., brahmachryam, grahastham, vanaprastham and sanyasam. These dharmas are known as asrama dharmas. There is a third set of dharma known as varnasrama dharma., i.e. dharma to be followed by each varna in each asrama – brahmana in brahmacharya asrama, brahmana in grahastasrama etc., and kshatriya in brahmacharya, kshatriya in grahastasrama and so on, with each varna in each asrama. .
In varna dharma, brahmins in general are expected to follow 1) veda adhyayanam, 2) veda adyapanam 3) performing yagas 4) making others do yagas 5) giving dhanam and 6) receiving dhanam.
Kali dharma is comparatively made simple (although not gaining authority from vedas). Sadacharam, vivekam, brahmanyam and deva pooja are the factors in kali dharma. Sadacharam includes non-violence, patience, truth etc., as already detailed above. In the 12th skantham of srimad bhagavatham, there is mention about these dharmas.
In short, all karmas can be converted as dharmas if only one’s mind is attuned to the Supreme Truth which absorbs all karmas – both dharma and adharma in It.
Manu dharma declares “achara paramodharma”. By this he must have meant “sadacharam” which can be taken as the golden rule applicable to all Ages including the present kali yuga. This is again emphasised in Patanjaly’s yoga sutra. The first two angas, yama and niyama of Ashtanga Yoga are meant for chitta suddhi. Yama consists of abstaining from violence, abstaining from falsehood, abstaining from theft, abstaining from sexual immorality and abstaining from avarice (ahimsa, satyam, astheyam, brahmacharyam, aparihragam) Niyama is the cultivation of purity, serenity, austerity, study and worship of God.
It is said in one of the puranas that once upon a time there were only two groups aryans and mlechas. While aryans were following varmasrama dharma, mlechas were following mlecha dharma viz., faith in God, worship of fire, non-violence, tapas and control of senses. Mlecha group came as a descendent of Adam and Eve and got this name from one Hanuhan , a descendent of Adam and Eve. He was a great bhaktha with all acharas and he was thus praised as mlecha. Mlechas are adhikaries only for bhakthy, ahimsa, control of senses and tapas.and not for veda based rituals. At that time one sage by name Kashyapa came here from the other world, as per directions of devas. He begot 10 children and they were named dwivedi,trivedi, chadurvedi ,agnihotri, deekshadar, upadyaya,etc probagating vedic dharma. Kashyapa with the blessings of Jagadamba, could convert the mlechas into his fold and he grouped them into 4 varnas as per the arya tradition. We cannot claim for certain that we have the true aryan blood Sometimes we may be converts too!! There is another story that Kali himself appeared as mlecha before Iswara and as per his prayer Iswara granted him a special yuga and named it after him. By the end of dwapara yuga only few aryans were left and they all moved from Naimisharanyam and went to Badri and sat in meditation. In this circumstances only probably Kashyapa was directed by devas to come to this world and convert the mlechas into four varnas according to the dominence of guna in each individual, as described above!
From the above story should we not surmise that except a few descendents of Kashyapa with the title of dwivedi, chathurvedy etc., all others are converts!Aryan race or for that matter the dharmas as per the vedas are in no way belittled by the above narration. It is disturbing that some persons are hyper-self-conscious of their varna forgetting the basic truth of “Vasudeva kudumbagam” and are hesitant to accept other class of people within this Truth.