THECONCEPTOFLAWANDDHARMAANDIT'S RELEVANCEININDIANJURISPRUDENCE
ABSTRACT
Twocategoriescanbeusedtoclassifytheconceptofdharma.Oneisthenormativeconcept,whichissaidtohavecomefromanorm,forinstance,whatoneoughttodo andwhatoneoughtnottodo(forexample,oneoughtnottostealandoneoughttotellthetruth),andtheotherishowitgovernsanindividual'sday-to-dayactivitiesin their social and personal life. For example, it outlines the responsibilities and obligations that each person has to their family, society, life, and God. Several Dharmasastra,Vedas,andSmritisarewheretheword"dharma"firstappeared.Peoplewereruledbytheideaofdharmainancienttimes.Priortoit,thereweren'tany lawscreatedspecificallyforthesociety
RajDharma,theking,wastaskedwithprovidingthepopulacewithjusticethroughdharma.Santanadharma,Samanayadharma,Varnadharma,Savadharma,Guna dharma, Stri dharma, and many others are among the several varieties of dharma. If we delve further into the idea of dharma, we find that dharma and law are connected.Theconstitutionwasestablishedasthehighestlawinthecurrentlegalsystem,andnooneisaboveit.Dharmausedtobesupreme.Therearenumerous instancesincontemporarytimeswherethejudiciaryhasuseddharmatoguideitsconclusionsinlegalproceedings.
KEYWORDS:Dharma,sourcesofdharma,Rajdharma,classificationofdharma,dharmaandConstitution
INTRODUCTION
Before delving into the specifics, what is dharma? Dharma is not a religion, to startwith.Inthecontemporaryworld,Dharmaisseenasareligion.Yet,religion isahumaninvention.IntheSrimad-Bhagavatam,thewordDharmaisdefinedas theLord'swordsandthecommandmentsthatdrawusneartotheLord,whatis Dharma? Right now, it's quite challenging to define Dharma. How does a laypersoncomprehendDharma?Dharmasimplymeansoureternaloccupational duty in layman's terms. Assume that the halwa you are tasting is spicy even thoughitissupposedtobesweet.Doyouwantsomeofthathalwa?andsincethe response is no, the Halwa's Dharma is to be sweet and when it is not doing it's dharmaofbeingsweetthen,whattypeofhalwaisit?
Similartothis,ifsomething'sessentialnaturedoesnotdictatethatitshouldbe spicy,pungent,orbitter,thenwemightarguethatitisnotupholdingitsDharma. Takeatubelightorelectricbulb,forinstance,whichisintendedtoprovidelight. Ifthatdoesn't,whatkindoftubelightorbulbisit?afterall,providinglightispart oftheirfundamentaldesign.
Similartothis,everylivingthing'sintrinsicnature,naturalinnateornatureisto servetheLordlovinglyandinaprofoundlytranscendentalwayaspartoftheir eternal professional obligation. Furthermore, if we don't do that or fulfil our dharma.
AsI'vealreadyindicated,manypeopletodaymistakenlythinkthatDharma,like Muslim, Hindu, and Christian Dharma, is a religion. Nevertheless, Dharma is intrinsictonature,whichmeansthatitreferstosomethingthatisapartofnature. Whereasreligion,whichwecouldsaywascreatedovertimebyman,hasledto manygroupsofpeopleadheringtovariousfaiths.SinceDharmacannotbepractisednorisitabelief,religioncanbothbepractisedandheldtobetrue.Dharmais a responsibility that must be fulfilled. The purpose of spirituality, tolerance, humanity,compassion,andtreatingeveryonewithequallove,aswellasthepath oflovingtheSupremelordandbeinganempoweredCompassionateinhishand fortheapprovementofsocietythisisdharma.
Moreover, the Bhagavad Gita states that everyone has a finite obligation to uphold their Dharma.We get so much from nature, including the grain we eat, which,accordingtoShreeKrishna,arriveswiththeaidofrainthatfallsfromthe clouds.Aswerelyonnatureforsomuch,itisourobligationtoreturnthefavour bycarryingoutourduties.whenwedigalittledeeper
HowdoIlivemyDharma?Ifyouthinkofyourselfasthebody,thenyourbodily Dharmaiswhatyouowetoyourcountry,spouse,parents,andotherlovedones. Yet after telling Arjun that you are not your body but rather your soul, Shree KrishnacontinuedonintheBhagavadGita.WhenArjunasksshriKrishnawho createdDharma,Krishnarepliesthatwhateveryouthinkofasyourrelativesisn't reallyyourgenuinerelated.Everyhumanbeing,accordingtoShriKrishna,createstheirowndharmaorisaccountableforit.Soquitmoaningaboutthosewho arenotdeservingofyourmoaning.Arjunthenresponded,"HeyLord,ontheone handyou'retellingmetoperformmydharma.Thisentireargumentisincoherent onbothsides.Youareawarethateveryoneofushasamotivationforcarryingout
ourkarma,whichservesasoursourceofinspiration.Asaresult,thereisalwaysa motivationbehindcarryingoutthetask,andthesenseofkarmathatresultsfrom doingsofostersthedevelopmentofrelationships.ShriKrishnaconcurredwith Arjunandaffirmedthatfeelingsdoleadtothedevelopmentofrelationships.But, thistorrentofemotionevaporatesjustlikeadropofwaterinafire.Theyimmediatelybegincleaninguptheirhomeafterthedeath,andallemotionspassaway Thus,theParamDharmaiswhatyoudowhenyourealisethatyouarethesoul andthatyourdharmaistoloveandserveGod.Buttheissueisthataregularperson cannot simply flee everything because they are living in a household. The routeofKramaYogaisthenexplainedbyShreeKrishna.Engageyourintellectin ParamDharma,orlovingservicetoGod,anddischargeyourworldlyobligations withyourbody,headvises.Thisishowmaintainingabalancebetweenfulfilling yourobligationstotheoutsideworldandadoringGodinyourhead.
ORIGINOFDHARMA
Dharma is thought to have its roots in the Vedas and other early Hindu texts. Dharma,whichrelatestoobligation,conduct,andmoralobligations,isseentobe the basis for all human aims both for yourself as a person and for yourself as a memberofsociety Tofurtherexemplify,ateacherorprofessor'sdutyistoimpart temporaryinformation.
Manu, an old sage, provided significantguidelines for adhering to the dharma. Theseareself-control,restraint,rationality,forgivingness,honesty,truthfulness, knowledgeoflearning,sense-control,sanity,andalackofrage.DharmawasformerlyassociatedwithHinduism'spractiseofadministeringjustice.Butcommon lawhastakentheplaceofdharmainmodernsociety
Dharma cannot be understood in a singular way because it depends on various contextsandreligiousbeliefs.Forinstance,Buddhistsdefinedharmaascosmic law WhenwespeaktodharmainHindulaw,itdenotesresponsibilityorobligationstoperformindifferentfacetsoflife,whichexplainsitassocial,legal,and evenspiritualduties.Incontrast,JainandSikhutiliseittoillustratetherouteof religiouspractises.
NATUREOFDHARMA
Therearemanylegalschools,howeverHindujurisprudencediffersfromother schoolsinthatitprioritisesobligationsoverallotherrights.Thisissolelydueto Dharma's many hidden meanings, which convey that each person has specific responsibilities.Thespecificsofthesetaskscanvaryfrompersontoperson,locationtoplace,andregiontoregion,butthecoreprincipleofDharma—thateach person must fulfil specific obligations or duties—remains consistent. For instance, a king's Dharma is to uphold or validate religious law, but a farmer's Dharmaistofeedornourishthepopulace.
IfweturnourattentiontoanotheraspectofDharma,weareallawarethatthere are different schools of law One such school is the natural law school, which holds the view that all laws originated in the past in nature, i.e., that God bestowedrightsonhumanbeings.Hence,itispossibletoconcludethatallsocial, legal,political,andspiritualrightsaremanifestationsofdivinity
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TYPESOFDHARMA
Therearevarioustypesofdharmasomeofthemarelistedbelow:-
1. Samanyadharma (Morality, qualities of the soul) – this type of dharmaincludemercy,truth,controloverthemind,purity,offerings,control over the senses , non-violence, pilgrimage , compassion, honesty, absenceofanygreedandnoonecancriticizeanyoftheabove
2. Varnadharma(Dharmaofaclass)-thistypeofdharmaisapplicableto the four classes of people which is Brahman (Priest), Kshatriya (Warrior),Vaishya(Businessman),andShudra(laborer).
3. Ashramdharma (Dharma according to stages of life) – this type of dharmaislimitedtoacertainstageoflifeanditalsoincludefourtypeof ashrams which is Brahmacharyashram, Gruhasthashram, VanaprasthashramandSanyasasashram.
4. Gunadharma (Dharma according to the qualities ) – this type of dharmatelldutytobeperformedbythepersonwhoisholdingaparticularpositionorrole forexamplethedutyofkingistonurturehissubjects. Theimputeoffivecosmicelementsarealsocalledgunadharma.
5. Svadharma – this type of dharma tells to practice it own duties, rights whicheachandeverypeopleisbeingprovidedwith.Itisuniquedharma because every person has born out of his/her own traits , nature and capacitieswhichisknownasswabhav
For example – the swadharma of the fish is to live in water but milk is betterthanwater,ifanyfishwillinsisttoliveinmilkwilldie.
6. SanatanaDharma-thistypeofdharmaisusedbyHindustorefertoHinduism.InsanatandharmathetermHinduismisdenotedas'eternal'orset of duties and responsibilities that is prescribed to every individual irrespectiveofclass,creed,casteorsect.
NOTIONOFLAW
Severalattemptshavebeenmadetoprovideacomprehensivedefinitionoflaw
Theissue"whatislaw?"hasnotyetbeenadequatelydefined,andthereisnosingleanswertoitifweviewlawasajurisprudentialelement.
Numerousphilosophersandacademicshaveofferedtheirowninterpretationsof the law Certain of them areAccording to GlanvilleWilliams, the definition of theword"law"reliesonthecontextinwhichithasbeenemployed.Lawcannot bedefined,accordingtosome.
JohnAustinsaidlawwas“thecommandofsovereign”.
Ulpiandefinedlawas“theartorscienceofwhatisequitableandgood.
Injurisprudencetherearevariousschoolsandeachschoolhasdefinedlawonthe basisoftheirnaturesomeonsourcesorsomedefinedaccordingtosociety Some ofthemalsodefinedlawonthepurposeoflaw Lawisasocialscienceitgrows anddevelopswiththegrowthanddevelopmentofsocietyassocietygrowslaw alsogrowaccordingtothemwhichmeanslawsaremadeinaccordancewiththe whatisgoodandwhatisbadforthesociety Newdevelopmentsinthesocietycreatenewproblemssolawsaremadetotackleorhandlewiththoseproblems.In ordertokeeppeaceandharmonyinsocietylawmustcontinuetochangebecause ithappenthatwhatisgoodfortodaymightnotbegoodfortomorrowmeansdefinitionoflawgivenataparticulartimenotbevalidforalltimetocome.Adefinitionoflawwhichismightbesatisfactoryforthetoday'ssocietymighttomorrow cangetnarrowdown.So,lawshouldbedynamicinnature.
The Supreme Court of India ruled that law is a watchdog, not a bloodhound1, meaning that it keeps an eye on or monitors how governments perform their dutiesandstepsaretakenifanythinggoesagainstthewillofthepeople.Lawcannotbefoundinanyideologyorphilosophythatmayhaveinfluencedsomeone's thought,butitcanbediscoveredthroughtheexperiencesofthosewhocreated andappliedthelaw
InthematterofM.C.Mehtav.UnionofIndia,RanganathMisraCJ,G.N.Ray, andA.S.AnandJJmadethefollowingobservations:
Accordingtojurisprudenceacademics,lawisacontrollerofhumanbehaviour
Yet,nolegislationcanbesuccessfulunlessitisembracedbysocietyasawhole. If there is no voluntaryacceptance,law cannotbe appliedeffectively But, this won'tbeachievableuntilactionsaretakentoraiseawarenessamongthepopulacethatlawsareessentialtotheirdailylivesandthattheyhavestandardsthat mustbemet2.
DISTINCTIONBETWEENLAWANDDHARMA
Thereissomesortofseparationbetweenrichandpooralmosteverywhere.Yet, the one idea that does not make a distinction between the rich and the poor is dharma.Dharmaisaduty,notjustagameforthewealthyandpowerful;anybody canbecomeonewithGodbycarryingouttheirdharma.
DharmaistheunderlyingnaturallawthatexistsinIndia.Accordingtothenatural lawapproach,weallagreethatkillingsomeoneiswrongbutthatpunishingsomeone for killing someone is appropriate. Similar to this, dharma also refers to "righteousness"andtheroadofrightness,bothofwhichwecanallfollowifwe practisedharma.
SincetherewasnolawinancientIndiancivilization,theconceptofdharmawas used to dispense justice to the populace. Because the king was not above the dharma,thedharmawasultimateandcouldbegraspedfromasinglesimpleposition. The phrase "Raja Dharma" defined the king's dharma, or obligation, towards his subjects, and it was of the utmost importance. In Raja dharma, the ideathatakingisabovethelawhasneverbeenaccepted.
But as British power spread, it had a disastrous impact on the idea of dharma becausetherewasnolawinIndia,thereforeBritishofficialsbeganimplementing western laws in government. Subsequently, natural law with the principles of equality,justice,andmoralitytookitsplace.
Manypeoplemistakenlybelievedthatdharmawasthesameaslaw,howeverlaw isabranchofdharma,butdharmaasawholehasagreaterscopethanthelaw We cansaythatdharmaandlawareintertwinedbecause,inancientIndiancivilization, dharma assisted in the administration of justice, whereas, in today's legal system, law assists in the provision of justice to individuals. One line from the BRHADARANYAKA Upanishad, which reads as follows, can be used to explainthebasicnotionthatledpeopletoupholdthedharma
“Punyovaipunyenakarmanabhavati,papahpapeneti”
Thisimpliesthateveryoneturnsgoodthroughdoinggoodthingsandturnsbad throughdoingnegativedeeds.
Or,"everyonereapswhathesowsandwhatisgoodisdeterminedbydharma,"to useanotherexpression.
Therefore, it has been emphasised in the current situation as well that those in positionsofpoliticalauthoritymustadheretodharmicprincipleswhenperformingtheirdutiesordispensingjusticetoindividuals.Thedharmicprincipleunderlies all spheres of activity, including government and the management of the nation.
DHARMAANDPERSONALLAWS
ThemostsecularteachingissupposedlyDharma.Everyonehastherighttopractisetheirdharmaregardlessofreligion,caste,sex,orclass.Inreality,theconstitutionhasclausesthatdistinguishbetweentheunderprivilegedandotherunderprivilegedsectionsorincludeuniquelanguageforwomen.
Dharma, however, is not false; it is a fundamental aspect of the law Sanatana dharmaisreferredtoasaneternallawthatregulatesyourlife,soitdoesn'tmatter ifyou'veattendedschoolornot,whetheryou'relearningscience,law,oranart.
Itcomesfromone'sactionsandconvictioninone'svirtue;itisnotsomethingthat is taught in schools or institutions. Hindus have always adhered to Sanatana Dharmabecausetheythinkthatitgovernsthem.Thereisnolegislationorexecutive order that governs this dharma, and no law has been passed to uphold this Sanatanadharma.Yet,itisstilltruethatallHindusadheretoSanatanadharma, regardlessofcasteorvarna.
Thereareseverallawsthathavebeencreatedtodaythathaveadharmicfoundation.Everypersonissubjecttotheirownsetoflaws.Itdiffersfrompersontoperson,thereforesomeonewhoisHinduwillbesubjecttoHindulaw,whilesomeonewhoisMuslimwillbesubjecttoIslamicregulations.
Dharmaisthesourceofauthorityforalllawsgoverningpeople'sprivateaffairs insociety,includingmarriage,inheritance,succession,anddivorce.
Forinstance,TheHinduSuccessionAct,1956,whichwasdraftedbasedonthe lawsandtraditionsthatHindushaveobservedsincetimeimmemorial,setsforth guidelinesformattersrelatingtothetransmissionofproperty.Italsodiscusses Karta, who serves as the family's head in a Hindu Undivided Family, and his responsibilitiestohisfamily,whichisalong-standingHinducustom.
DHARMAANDIT'SRELEVANCEININDIANJURISPRUDENCE
ThestruggleforindependencewasnotjustaboutendingBritishcontrol;italso includedfightingforthefundamentalfreedomtoenjoyone'srightsandliberties asahumanbeing.Withthisinmind,theConstituentAssemblyofIndiadrafted the Constitution of India.According to the "Grund norm" idea of positive law schools,theIndianConstitutionisthereference.
Similar to how everyone in today's society derives their authority or exercises theirfreedomfromtheconstitution.Similartonow,dharmawasafundamental ruleinancienttimessinceeverything,fromgrantingfreedomtodeliveringjustice,wasbasedontheideaofdharma.Thesamedharmahasnowbeencodifiedin responsetochangesinviewpointandwayoflife,asitwasfeltthatthetraditional wayshouldgivewaytoamorepragmaticwayofliving.
Thefundamentalrightsclauseoftheconstitutionincorporatestheideaofnatural law The same is true here; what was once dharma has been transformed into basic obligations. Similar to how dharma was founded on morality, ethics, and duties,thefundamentaldutiesarefoundedontheideaofmorality,ethics,andspecificobligationsthatoneshouldhaveforothers.Thereisnopenaltyforfailingto
carry out our essential obligations, but in order to follow the holy path, one shouldfulfiltheirobligations.Asiswellknown,themodernlegalsystemisrightbasedasopposedtothedharma,whichwasaduty-basedsystem.Theserightsare undoubtedlyderivedfromtheconstitutionandaregrantedtothepeoplesothat theymayexercisethem,buttheyarealsosubjecttolimitations.
Thereisnoshortageofprooffromworldhistory,whetheritconcernsNaziHitler orthehistoricemergencydeclaredbyIndiraGandhi.Thesealonesufficetodemonstrate the abuse of authority, as it is believed that when absolute power is granted to a position of authority, it corrupts absolutely and raises ethical concerns.
Acourtrulinginahabeascorpuscaseissometimesreferredtoasthe"blackest day"inIndianlegalhistorysinceitfurtherunderminedpublicconfidenceinthe judiciary In this ruling by the judiciary, people's rights and libertieswere arbitrarilytakenawaybythehonourablesupremecourt,buttheerrorwasquicklycorrected; in the well-known I.C. Golaknath case3, the fundamental rights were declaredabsolute,andthedoctrineofbasicstructurewaslateradvancedinthe KeshvanandaBharticase4.
Some courts have reached judgements using the idea of dharma. Narayan Deekshitulu vs. State of Andhra Pradesh & Ors.5 is a significant case that addressestheissueofwhatconstitutesdharma.Isdharmaequivalenttoreligion?
Aswasalreadysaid,religionisnotthesameasdharma.Dharmastillgovernslaw today through morality Dharma is secular, possibly the most secular; it is an innerhappinessthathaswitnessedmanymortalswhoareanormalpartofhuman lifebuthasenduredforever
CONCLUSION
Althoughthereisaconflictbetweendharmaandlaw,aswecanseefromthediscussionabove,bothideologiesorviewsareshared.Lawisderivedfromdharma, whichisagenusandaspecieofit,accordingtothisdefinition.Somepeoplemistakenlybelievethatdharmaisareligion,butthisisuntruesince,asthehonourableSupremeCourthasstatedorconcurredinnumerousdecisionsasmentioned above,dharmaisasocialandmoralobligationthatexistedamongpeoplelong beforetheruleoflaw
TherewasnoideaoftheIndianCriminalCodeoranyofthelegislationthatwere createdpriortoorafterindependenceintheprevioustimes.Today'slawshave their roots in dharma. On the surface, there are no differences or connections betweendharmaandlaw,butifwelookcloserorexaminethisindepth,wesee thattheyarebothinextricablylinked.
Asaresult,"Dharma"isoneofthemainsourcesofcontemporarylawanditis influencingsociety
REFERENCES
1. https://www.sanatan.org/en/types-of-dharma
2. https://www.lawctopus.com/academike/dharma-and-law/
3. https://www.academia.edu/41853308/concept_of_Dharma
4. https://indianlawportal.co.in/dharma-and-indian-jurisprudence/
5. https://youtu.be/37XS45GwPbc
6. https://youtu.be/rqfks18IYiM