About Dharma and Karma

(This post is dedicated to Danny Maccha)

Dharma is duty. Karma is deed.
The law of Dharma and the law of Karma are two simple laws which together tell us how to lead our lives. The Law of Dharma tell us that we must always do our duty. Often the most difficult thing about 'doing our duty' is knowing what exactly what our duty is. It is easy to not pay attention to the necessity of doing out duty. Our scriptures contain guidelines to figure out our duties in various situations. Perhaps to make then easier to understand and implement, these guidelines were laid out in the form of stories. An example of a story that defines an individual's duties in various situations is the epic Ramayana. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata together provided definitive guideline for individual duty.. The duty of a father towards his children and vice versa, the duty of a friend towards another, that of a wife, a sibling, an enemy, the list is quite exhaustive.

The law of karma is a value-scale for deeds. It is the cause of the cause-and-effect paradigm. Every effect has a cause. The law of Karma tells us the link between the nature of the cause and its correspoding effect. Put simply, the law of Karma promulgates that the future is a direct result of the sum of the infinite past.

The knowledge of the laws of Dharma and Karma can help us lead more satisfying and happier lives. With our 'knowlegde' of the laws such as these, we only attempt to approximate the absolute truth, assuming there is such a thing.


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