Dharma

Dharma (Sanskrit धर्म, dharma — "that which holds together", from the root dhṛ — "to support", "to hold") is one of the key concepts of Indian civilization, with no precise translation.

In different contexts: law, duty, ethics, path, the nature of things, cosmic order. Context determines which meaning is current.

Aspects of Dharma

• Rita / Satya Dharma (ऋत / सत्य) — the universal law, cosmic order
• Svadharma (स्वधर्म) — personal calling, "one's own" dharma
• Varnashrama Dharma (वर्णाश्रमधर्म) — social duty, linked to the stage of life and the calling
• Yuga Dharma (युगधर्म) — the law of the age (changing in each of the 4 yugas)

Words of the Bhagavad Gita. "Better one's own dharma performed imperfectly than another's performed perfectly".

Dharma in Sankhya Shastra

The Dharma Number. In Sankhya Shastra (#30), the Dharma Number (धर्मांक) = DAY + MONTH — a numerical indicator of life purpose, "what you came for".

Dharma in Jyotish

The 9th house and the Navamsa. In Jyotish (#18), Dharma is read through the 9th house of the natal chart (Dharma Bhava) and through the Navamsa (D9 — the harmonic chart of Dharma).

The Buddhist Understanding

Buddha's Dhamma. The Buddhist understanding of Dharma (Pali: Dhamma) emphasizes the teaching of the Buddha and the nature of reality. Here it is no longer "duty", but "truth as it is".