Dharma In Ancient Indian Thought

"The fundamental importance of the concept of dharma for the Hindu tradition and any account of it is matched by the resistance of this concept to comprehensive definition and comprehensive monographic treatment.1 The term dharma has the widest scope of application covering all areas of human life. It is the concept the Hindus have used for centuries to articulate what is right, both true and proper, in every sphere to which they turned their minds - religious, philosophical, social, legal - the list is as endless as the propensity of the human mind to conceptualisation. Through the particular meaning it has in any given context dharma highlights the uniqueness of every moment of life, whereas through its operation across contexts it emphasizes the interconnectedness of life's particulars. The context sensitivity of dharma makes it necessary to contextualise any study of it. My treatment of it is not and cannot be comprehensive: the aim of the present work is to study the concept of dharma in its religio-philosophical dimension, tracing its development from the Vedas to the didactic passages of the Mahàbhàrata. I believe that studying dharma from the religio-philosophical perspective is a useful starting point: due to the pervasiveness of religious thought in the Hindu tradition the meanings dharma has in this sphere inform its use in other spheres. A competent examination of dharma in its religio-philosophical aspect can therefore chart the domain of dharma in broad outlines which can be subsequently filled in with more specific studies. In the religio-philosophical, as in any other of its semantic fields, the concept of dharma cannot be studied in isolation. As a master key to a large network of concepts and ideas, dharma opens a wide field of investigation. To account for the developments in the ideology of dharma one must look at all the significant religio-philosophical developments in the period under consideration. " - from the Introduction

The conception of nama-rupa, "name-and-form," is that of the complex of worldly reality, i.e., differentiated contingent existence, both individual and cosmic. It pertains to the differentiation of the original infinite unity. The related term dharma-rupa presents the same conception, but expresses the contrast between the original unity and its differentiation.This book is a scholarly study of this conception, showing how it pervades Indian thought from the Hindu Vedas to the Buddhist Suttas. By way of the all-pervasive Yoga tradition it emerges and re-emerges in various forms in the different systems. This book includes material on the idea of"pre-canonical Buddhism" pioneered by Stanislaw Schayer.

An esteemed scholar of Hinduism presents a groundbreaking interpretation of ancient Indian texts and their historic influence on subversive resistance Ancient Hindu texts speak of the three aims of human life: dharma,artha, and kama. Translated, these might be called religion, politics, and pleasure, and each is held to be an essential requirement of a full life. Balance among the three is a goal not always met, however, and dharma has historically taken precedence over the other two qualities in Hindu life. Here, historian of religions Wendy Doniger offers a spirited and close reading of ancient Indian writings, unpacking a long but unrecognized history of opposition against dharma. Doniger argues that scientific disciplines (shastras) have offered lively and continuous criticism of dharma, or religion, over many centuries. She chronicles the tradition of veiled subversion, uncovers connections to key moments of resistance and voices of dissent throughout Indian history, and offers insights into the Indian theocracy’s subversion of science by religion today.

This is the first scholarly book devoted to the study of the term dharma with in the broad scope of Indian cultural and religious history. Most generalizations about Indian culture and religion upon close scrutiny turn out to be inaccurate. An exception undoubtedly is the term dharma. This term and the notions underlying it clearly constitute the most central feature of Indian civilization down the centuries, irrespective of linguistic, sectarian, or regional differences. The nineteen papers included in this collection deal with many significant historical manifestations of the term dharma. These studies by some of the leading scholars in the respective fields will both present a more nuanced picture of the semantic history of dharma by putting contours onto the flat landscape we have inherited and spur further studies of this concept so central for understanding the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent.

This book is a close study of the Āpaddharmaparvan which situates it within its context in the great Sanskrit epic the Mahābhārata and within Indian political and social thought, and explores the relationship of its didacticism to the broader literary context of the Mahābhārata.

Master's Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Law - Comparative Legal Systems, Comparative Law, , language: English, abstract: This study intends to be a comparative analysis between two legal tradition which grew up in two different civilizations. The concept of Dharma in Medieval Hindu legal philosophy and Thomas Aquinas’ Natural Law theory have been taken into the comparison in this research as two great legal traditions which grew in the same period of middle age. This research has examined the salient features of natural law ascribed by concept of Dharma in medieval Hindu jurisprudence and how natural law was perceived by Aquinas in his legal philosophy which was aptly described in his master work “ Summa Theologiae”. Apart from mere analyzing facts this study further examines the affinities that existed between concept of Dharma and Aquinas’ theory of Natural Law.