Tuesday, January 09, 2007

On Dharma

When God created the universe, He endowed it with order, with the laws to govern creation. Dharma is God's divine law prevailing on every level of existence, from the sustaining cosmic order to religious and moral laws which bind us in harmony with that order. Related to the soul, dharma is the mode of conduct most conducive to spiritual advancement, the right and righteous path. It is piety and ethical practice duty and obligation. When we follow dharma, we are in conformity with the Truth that inheres and instructs the universe, and we naturally abide in closeness to God. Adharma is opposition to divine law. Dharma is to the individual what its normal development is to a seed - the orderly fulfillment of an inherent nature and destiny. ~from the latest issue of Hinduism Today

Dharma yeilds Heaven's honor and Earth's wealth.
What is there then that is more fruitful for a man?
There is nothing more rewarding that dharma,
nor anything more ruinous than its neglect.
~Tirukural 31-32

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