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Identification of Dharma (Religion)
by Chandraprakash Shah The Omniscience Tirthankaras established Dharma Tirth to remove all Miseries and Unhappiness of the worldly materialistic pleasures and bring supreme, eternal, Peace as well as Bliss to all living beings. They declared and propounded perfect Dharma. I bow down to them and request their blessings for the completion of this article. All beings act with the common aim of achieving permanent happiness and the same cannot be achieved in absence of Perfect Dharma. Therefore, a living creature or specie and human being must concentrate themselves in perfect Dharma. What is the word Religion? Does this convey correct and appropriate meaning of Dharma? What are its characteristics? How to identify it? I think it does not transpire perfect meaning of Dharma. How? And Why? These are two principal questions to be answered in this article. The word Dharma is derived from root "Dhru" element in Sanskrit language. It has meaning of sustainability and maintainability. Our scriptures writers, keeping in mind the meaning of this word affirmed that Dharma is the subject and not object matter, which sustains and maintains as well as preserves the living creatures and species from falling the prey to Karmas and ultimately to degradations. This is indeed very much clear and lucid meaning of the Dharma. This definition also summarises multiplicity definitions of Dharma, which I am going to narrate below. We search for advantage, profits and not for disadvantages and losses. There are many Dharmas in the world and everyone believes what they perform is the true Dharma. Various thinkers have given various thoughts about Dharma. There is nothing wrong in it. Everybody has own right to have about his or her own selection of Dharma. But if you are intellectual and learned person you will certainly think for any activities that may result in advantage and profits. You will definitely search for perfect Dharma as we are following in our day in and day out business and worldly matters without following Sheep like attitude. We are always searching for advantage, profits and not for disadvantages and losses. It is human tendency. Then why cann't we apply the same here for our spiritual progress. I shall list some of the characteristics that are termed and believed as Dharma or Religion in the world today. 1. Dharma means Duty 2. Dharma means Service 3. Dharma means Morality 4. Dharma means Right Conduct 5. Dharma means Devotion and Worship to God, the almighty. 6. Dharma means Charity. 7. Dharma means Traditional Conduct of the Family 8. Dharma means acquiring Scriptural Knowledge. 9. Dharma means following some canons laid down in holy books 10. Dharma means Divine or Holy thinking and many more definitions given to Dharma. 11. Dharma means one of the material of Shad (six) Dravys 12. Dharma means Vyahara and Nischaya 13. Dharma means Dravya and Bhava However neither of these definitions conveys perfect and purest meaning of Dharma (Religion). It may be true that they all convey only one aspect of the Dharma but do not tell the whole truth and all aspects of Dharma that we should understand.
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