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Concept of Dharma and Adharma
21
term dharmaņā is used which has been interpreted by Sãyana as 'ātmiyena dhāramena karmaņã'. The efficacy of stones in squeezing the soma by virtue of dharma clearly indicates that the word dharma means 'power of action inherent' in them. This meaning is clearly brought out by the following verse :
पवमान धिया हितो भिऽयोनिः कनिक्रदत।
__ धर्मणा वायुमाविश ।।
(Pavamāna dhiyã hito bhihyonih kanikradat
dharmaņa vāyumavisa] Commenting on this verse Sãyana writes: He pavamına soma dhiyã karmaṇāsmad vyāpāreņa Angulyã vã hitah dhritah san kani kradat sabdam kurvayan yoni sthanam graham vã abhivišeti śesah. Tadevah. Dharmaņã vãyuí sambandhi pătramityarthaḥ. Tatãvića pravića. हे पवमान सोम धिया कर्मणास्मद् व्यापारेण अङगुल्या वा हितः धृतः सन् कनि क्रदत् शब्दं कुर्वन् योनिः स्थानं ग्रहं वा अभिविशेति शेषः । तदेवाह । धर्मणा वायुम् सम्बन्धि पात्रमित्यर्थः । तत् आविश प्रविश।
In the foot-note he explains dharmaņā as karmaņā. Here, soma is invoked to take its place making noise and enter into the pot by virtue of dharma. The word dharma undoubtedly, denoted the principle of action inherent in soma because of which the act of flowing and entering into the potsis rendered possible. It is interesting to note that the word dharma does not carry any other sense than a characteristic or condition of action or motion inherent in matter and reminds us of the Jain concept of dharma as a category of substance serving as conditions of motion. This term has been used in the same sense in another verse of Rigveda (X.175.1) where soma is invoked to flow and reach Indra and ascend
