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ISSN : 2394-773X

"Exploring the Concept of Dharma in Ancient

India": A Comparative Study of Arthashastra
and Shanti Parva

Prof. V.K.Rai*
Mr. Swapnil Dwivedi**

Abstract:
To maintain order in society, the government creates rules
and regulations, by following these laws society runs in an orderly
manner. In ancient India, society was sustained by Dharma.
Dharma as law, permitting and sustaining the entire universe and
binding into some sort of unity the different orders and stages of
life. Over time, the meaning of dharma has evolved to become more
inclusive covering morals and ethics, for example, Daya, Kshama,
and charity forming part of universal Dharma. As J.P. Suda stated
in his paper entitled “Dharma : Its Nature and Role in Ancient
India”, "The sons and daughters of India made dharma the pivot
around which their thinking and activity revolved, and also made it
the basis of the pursuit of artha and kama. When they abandoned its
principle and began to practice adharma in their personal and social
life, National decline and degeneration were inevitable”. Modern
India is facing challenges such as corruption, gender inequality,
unethical conduct, and unemployment, one of the primary reasons
for this is the lack of dharma inspiration in society. Today our
vision is to make India again Vishwaguru and establish peace in the
world through democratic values for which compliance with
religion is essential. The objective of this paper is to examine the

* Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Allahabad.

** Research Scholar, Department of Political Science, University of Allahabad.
"Exploring the Concept of Dharma in Ancient India" ... 151

various aspects of Dharma as portrayed in Arthashastra and Shanti

parva, and determine their relevance in promoting the welfare of
modern Indian society. This research is based on secondary sources
and utilizes a qualitative and historical methodology.
Introduction:
Dharma is one of the key concepts among the major
concepts of Indian philosophy, it is an invaluable contribution of
India to the entire world. Annie Beasant in her address on Dharma
to the annual convention of the theosophical society in 1898 said
“That (Dharma) is the word of India to the world”.(Beasant ,1964)
The word Dharma is derived from variation on the root dhr, which
means, ‘to uphold', ‘to support', and ‘to sustain’.Brereton,2004, pp.
450). As, In shanti parvaBhishma stated while answering
Yudhisthir that,
(MBH,Shanti parva,109,11)
(Means, Dharma is the only thing that sustains the people and That
which upholds the created universe, supports it and sustains it,
without which the universe just falls apart, is 'Dharma'. )
‘Dharma’ is a Sanskrit word, there is no single suitable word in
English or any other language to express this meaning. It has been
variously translated as duty, right, justice, morality, religion, ethics,
ordinance, law, good work, code of conduct and so on. P. V. Kane rightly
says: “Dharma is one of those Sanskrit words that defy all attempts of an
exact rendering in English or any other tongue. That word has several
vicissitudes'(History of Dharmasastra's - Vol. 1, P. 1). The concept of
Dharma has been evolving over time. It has been used in different senses
in different scriptures, that's why it contains various meanings. The most
effective use of Dharma is in the context of moral and ethical connotation.
The word Dharma occurs as early as in the Rigveda. In the
hymns of Rigveda, the word dharma seems to be used in the sense
of the ‘nature of things’ or ‘cosmic law’. As stated in the
purushasukta of Rigveda-
Rigveda, X.90.16)
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(Means, The Gods worshiped the sacrificial form of supreme

(Parampurush) through yajna. By practicing the Dharma generated
from this yajna, the gods, becoming greatly glorified, consume the
place (heaven) where the ancient supreme gods (parampurush)
reside.)
This was the meaning of Dharma in the beginning, here the
word Dharma stood for cosmic law. Ethical connotations of
Dharma come to have later.
In another hymn of Rigveda itself, the word Dharma
appears to be used in the sense of upholder, supporter or sustainer.
_
॥ (Rigveda, X.92.2)
(Means, both Gods and Men made Agni the protector, the
upholder of duty, the accomplisher of the sacrifice; they have
recourse to him (who is) vast as the sun, the precursor of the dawn,
the son of the brilliant Vayu.”)
In early vedic literature we find a word ‘Rit’ which is
closely connected to the word Dharma. "Rit" represents a system
that represents a stable and established arrangement of natural
elements. The word Rit stood for ‘universal harmony’.The Vedas
depict deities such as Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Usha (Bhor)
and Sandhya (Sham) as living elements, which can have a broad
moral impact on human life. That is why in the materialistic
context, moral elements are also added to the Rit. In
Rigveda'ssuktam cited as “both man and devtas were bound to
follow Rit1 2”. Therefore Rit presents a system of regularity of
materialistic power (Usha, Surya, Agni, Chandra) of the world and
also decides their functions.
The Smriti's are also considered as a source of Dharma.
Smriti are distinct from Vedas and literally "that which is
remembered”. Actually Rishi’s like Yajnavalkya and Manu
explained Vedas in simplest form and they told society about their
duties/ rights in detail, the do’s and don’ts and how rites and rituals
are to be performed. That's why the moral and social aspects of

1
ऋतेन ऋतं िनयतमीळ आ गोरामा सचा मधुम प म े। कृ णा सती शता धािसनैषा जामयण पयसा पीपाय॥ P
( Rigveda,4.3.9)
2
असृ िम दवः पथा धम॑ ृत य सु॒ि य: । िवदाना अ य योजनम् ॥ (Rigveda, 9.7.1) Here, (धमन+ ऋत य)
"Exploring the Concept of Dharma in Ancient India" ... 153

Dharma appear in smriti’s and Upanishad. At that time Dharma was

expressed as a ‘code of conduct’ which regulated human behavior
as a member of society and also as an individual. As said in
YajnavalkyaSmriti-
इ याचारदमा हसा दान वा याय कमणाम्।
आ तु परमो धम य गेना मदशनम्।। (YS, acaradhyayam, 1.8)
(Sacrificial rituals, Non-violence, self study, kindness and Self-
realization through Yoga are the unlimited Dharma of an
individual.)
According to Manu, To regulate behavior according to
Dharma ensures spiritual welfare of society as well as individuals.
As Manusmriti says “वेदः अिखलो धममूलम्''3 which means Vedas are the
roots of whole Dharma. Manu stated that, wife, son and wealth can
not help in attaining moksha; it is only Dharma with the help of
man that can pass all types of heavenly difficulties. The following
Verse of Manusmriti put focus on characteristics of Dharma:
धृितः मा दमोऽ तेयं शौचिमि यिन हः।
धीिव ा स यम ोधो दशकं धमल णम् ।। (Manusmriti,VI, 92)
(Forgiveness, Self control, Steadiness, Abstention from unrighteous
appropriation, Purity, Control of the sense organs, Material
discrimination, Knowledge Truthfulness and Absence of anger
these are ten fold forms of Dharma.)
In TaittiriyaAranyaka we found the word Dharma seems to be used
in the sense of social ethics. A king is worthy of respect only if he
follows Dharma-
धम िव य जगतः ित ा लोके ध म ं जा उपसपित। धम सव
वदंित।। (Taittiriya Aranyaka,10,63)
(Means Dharma is the only thing that keeps the entire world stable
and prestigious. People believe only in that king who follows
Dharma. Everyone's prestige and authority is due to dharma, that
is why dharma supreme.)
The Brahmanas are the texts which throw light on vedic rituals and
ceremonies. In these texts the word Dharma has been used in the

3
वेदः अिखलो धममूलम्'', Manusmriti,2.6
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sense of truth and righteousness. We find a verse in Satapatha

Brahmana :
यो वै स धमः स यं वै त मा स यं वदंतमा धम वदितित धम वा वदंतं स यं
वदित येत येवैतदुभयं भवित।। (SatapathaBrahmana, 14 : 4: 2 :26)
(That which is Dharma, is the truth. That is why it is said that one
who speaks the truth speaks Dharma, or one who speaks Dharma,
speaks the truth).
As we see in background Dharma has been accepted as vedic
rituals, cosmic law and code of conduct, In Mahabharata, Dharma
applied for, duty and virtue. The refrain “एष धमः सनातनः” is often
repeated in Mahabharata, and presents Dharma as meaning Truth,
Ahimsa, kindness, and duty. (BhagwadGeeta 16.2, Mahabharata
4.281.34, 3.281.34, M.B.H. Shanti parva, 130. 30). In another hymn
we found the meaning of Dharma in the context of
‘Swadharma’. वधम िनधन परधम भयावह: (BhagwadGeeta 3,35).
Dharma in Arthashastra:
Arthashastra is an ancient Indian treatise on politics, economic
policy, governance and administration. Arthashastra was written
around 300 BCE. Arthasastra is the science which provides the way
to acquire what is unattainable and protect the attainable good. As
Arthashastra says; “मनु याणा वृितः अथ, मनु यवती भूिम र यथ:।
त य पृिथ ालाभपालनोपायः अथशा ।।” (Arthasastra 15.1)
Indian philosophy talks about ‘trivarga’ ; which means there are
three goals of human existence: dharma, Artha and Kama.
According to Kautilya, Dharma is supreme and it is the base of
Arthashastra, along with this, attainment of artha (wealth) and
kama (pleasure) should be done in the light of Dharma. As
Arthashastra explains “धममथ काम वतयित पाित च।
अधमानथिच ष
े ािनदं शा ं िनहि त च।।”
means; it protects and promotes Dharma (righteousness), wealth
and desire. This scripture (Arthashastra) also destroys Adharma,
evil and hatred.

P
 "Exploring the Concept of Dharma in Ancient India" ... 155

Now the question arises that what is the source of Dharma

according to Kautilya? Like other scriptures as mentioned above
Kautilya also considered Vedas as the basis of Dharma in
Arthashastra. Kautilya considered ‘Trayi’ as the basis of
Dharma.(Trayi represents; “The collection of three Vedas Rigveda,
Samaveda and Yajurveda)4”.Kautilya has placed Atharvaveda and Itihas
in one another category5. According to Kautilya the duties of
‘Varnashrama’ should be in accordance with Trayidhamra. As Arthashastra
says, एष यीधम तुणा वणानामा माणां च वधम थापनादौपका रकः (KAS 1.3.4)
That is, when the duties prescribed by Trayi are followed by all
four varnas and ashrams, then Dharma will survive in such a
society.
Word ‘Varnashrama’ denotes four Varna and four Ashrama.
Four varnas are Brahmin5, Kshatriya7, Vaishya8 and Shudras9, and
each caste has different duties called ‘Swadharma’. Following his
Swadharma sustains Dharma in society. Apart from
Swadharmakautilya has also provided general instruction for
‘SamanyaDharma’ for everyone. Which are Ahimsa, Truth,
cleanliness, Compassion, Forgiveness and others10. Here Dharma is
used in the sense of ethical Values.
The ultimate purpose of the Arthasastra treatise is to create a
powerful king, Kautilya called him ‘Vijigishu’. He has ordered the
king to ensure duties of all four Varna respectively with the use of
Danda. This way the role of the king becomes eminent in sustaining
Swadharma. As we found a passage in Arthasastra.
“आ वीि क यीवा ानांयोग ेमसाधनो द डः, त य नीितद डनीितः” (KAS 1.4.3)
(means; Danda is a means of ensuring and protecting
Anviksiki(logic), Trayi(three Vedas), Varta (agriculture) and
yogakshema (welfare of all). Kautilya called him Dandaniti.
Dharma in Shanti parva:
The two great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata explore
and expand the multifaceted form of Dharma. From Vedic times to
the time of Mahabharata we can see qualitative changes in Dharma,

4
साम यजुवदा य यी (KAS 1.3.1) 5 अथववेदेितहासवेदौ च वेदाः (KAS 1.3.2)
6
वधम ा ण या ययनम यापनं यजनं याजनं दानं ित ह (KAS 1.3.5)
7 8
ि य या ययनं यजनं दानं श ाजीवो भूतर णं च(KAS 1.3.6) वै य या ययनं यजनं दानं कृ िषपाशुपा ये विण या च (KAS 1.3.7)
9 10
शू य ि जाितशु ूषा वा ा का कु शीलकम च (KAS 1.3.8) सवषाम हसा स यं शौचमनसूयाऽऽनृशं यं मा च ( KAS 1.3.13)
 156

e.g.; In Vedic time Dharma used in the sense of ‘following Vedic

rituals’ and ‘’as a power who sustains the universe’ but in the time
of Mahabharata, Dharma presents the meaning of Swadharma,Duty,
Truth and Ahimsa. An entire parva of Mahabharata, that is, Shanti
Parva, is dedicated to the interpretation of Dharma. The war of
Mahabharata known as a ‘Dharma yuddha’, king Yudhisthir known
as ‘Dharmputra’ and Lord Krishna presents himself as a source of
Dharma. Therefore Mahabharata presents different meanings of
Dharma in different places:
Bhisma's message to DharmaputraYudhisthir expounds the
systematic principle of Rajdharma (duties of the king). According
toMahabharata it is the duty of the king (Rajdharma) to seek and
promote the welfare of its subject (praja). When a king protects his
subjects and keeps them happy, he fulfills his duty and establishes
'Dharma' in the society. As mentioned in the Shanti Parva,
Maharishi Vyas, while explaining to Yudhishthira, immersed in
mourning, says that it is the duty of the kings to take care of their
subjects.
जानां पालनधम रा ां राजीवलोचन।
धमः माणं लोक य िन यं धमानुव तनः।। (Shanti parva,32.2)
(It means; O kamalnayan(King)! It is the duty of kings to protect
their subjects (praja). For Those who always follow Dharma,
Dharma itself is the proof of the world.)
Besides this, In shanti parva Sage Narada also advised king
Yudhisthir to question the aged Bhishma who knew all the varied
duties of the four castes. As we found a sloka here, the king is the
protector and sustainer of the duties of the four castes. त मािन यं काया
चतुव य िवपि ता। धमा मा स यवा राजा जा:।। (Shanti parva,56.36)

P
"Exploring the Concept of Dharma in Ancient India" ... 157

(It means; A learned king should always be kind to all the four
castes; only a virtuous and truthful king can keep his subjects
happy.)
One another hymn which explains Rajdharm as a shelter of the
entire living world. It means in the universe Dharma is supreme and
all things are sustained by Dharma. सव य जीवलोक य राजधम परायणम्।
(Shanti parva 56.3)
In Mahabharata, Dharma is also applied in the sense of virtue,
ethics and Truth. The refrain “एष धमः सनातनः” is often repeated in
Mahabharata, and presents Dharma as meaning Truth, Ahimsa,
kindness, and duty. (Bhagwad Geeta 16.2, Mahabharata 4.281.34,
3.281.34, Shantiparva, 130. 30). The Mahabharata extols the virtues
of Ahimsa. Ahimsa is the highest truth from which all Dharma (like
Buddhist, Jainistetc) proceed. Refrain अ हसा परमो धमः repeated many
times in various verse. (MBH, 2.207.74, MBH 1.11.13, 1.115.23,
1.115.1, 1.116.27, 1.116.29)
In Mahabharata Dharma makes its presence felt in the royal
assembly hall when the infamous dice game takes place. When
Kauravasdisrobe Draupadi, Krishna saves her. It Means who follow
Dharma, Dharma protects him. As Mahabharata says: त मा म न

ह त ो मा नो धम हतोऽवधीत् ॥ धम एव हतो हि त धम र ित रि तः।। (MBH, 2.313.128)

In the Mahabharata war Krishna gave knowledge of Dharma to

Arjuna when they were facing the dharmic dilemma. Arjuna gets
distracted from his dharma because of attachment to one's relatives
then Krishna opens her eyes. As we found in BhagwadGeeta-
ध याि यु ा ेयोऽ य ि य य न िव ते। (Chapter 2. 31) it means; For
kshatriya there is nothing supreme than Dharma (Kshatriya) and
 158

war. Along with it also stated the importance of swadharma (Duty)

which is decided by Veda.
Thus Krishna mentions that there is no greater Dharma than
performing one's duty(swadharma). They says to Arjuna that
सवधमा प र य य मामेकं शरणं ज11 Means, He (Arjuna), should simply
surrender to Krishna, that surrender will save him from all kinds of
sinful actions. In this way Krishna describes himself as the
protector of Dharma12.
Conclusion:
On the basis of above facts, it can be said that the word
Dharma displays different meanings such as moral values, duty,
vedic rituals, Righteousness, Truth, or is used in different
meanings. In present times, Dharma is also seen in the sense of
religion by scholars, Religion is considered to be the English
synonym of Dharma. Which is erroneous. According to Cambridge
dictionary, the word religion means ‘the belief in a god or gods and
the activities connected with this’. In the contemporary world,
caste, sect, race are dividing the world, on the contrary the word
Dharma is determined for VasudhaivaKutumbakam. ‘यतोऽ युदयिनः ेयस

िसि ः स धमः’, means Dharma is that disciplined life pattern in which

both worldly progress and spiritual salvation are attained. In this
way, Dharma helps in a disciplined and restrained life of a person.
Today, in the age of globalization, life has become artha-oriented,
due to which society has become valuless. In such a situation, the
concept of Purusharth (Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha) and
Ashrama(Bramhacharya,Vanaprastha, Grihastha, Sanyasa)

P
11
सवधमा प र य य मामेकं शरणं ज। अहं वां सवपापे यो मो िय यािम मा श◌ुच: ।। (BG,18.66)
12
प र ाणाय साधुनां िवनाशाय च दु कृ ताम्। धमसं थानाथाय स भवािम युगे युगे ॥ (Bhagvad Geeta,4.8)
"Exploring the Concept of Dharma in Ancient India" ... 159

determined by Dharma will helpful in the moral and spiritual

upliftment of human life.
Along with this, there are some faces of Dharma which are
not relevant in the present times. The democratic system in which
we are living today is right based (believes human as a rational
being) whereas Dharma gives priority to duties not rights, due to
which society becomes dominant and it binds the person (mainly
woman) in such duties which make her feel suffocated. Dharma
talks of a society based on the Varna system which is based on
hierarchy and gives rise to inequality and injustice.

Reference
Original Text
 Kautilya'sArthsastra, R. Shamashastri; Maisur, 1923.
 Mahabharata, Vth Part, ShantiParva, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, reprint 2001.
 Manu-Smrti : With the Manubhasya of Medhatithi edited by
GanganathaJha.
 Rig-Veda Samhita, H.H.Wilson, The Bangalore Printing and Publishing
Co., Ltd.1946.
Other text:
 Beasant, A.(1964). Dharma (Madras : Theosophical Publishing House.
 Brereton, Joel P.(2004). “Dhrman in the Rigveda".Journal of Indian
Philosophy 32: 449–489, Kluwer Academic Publishers. Netherlands. pp. 450.
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University Press, Bombay.
 Jayaswal, K.P. (1924). "Hindu Polity- A Constitutional History of India
in Hindu Times", Calcutta, Butterworth & co. India.
 Kane, P.V.(1930). History of Dharmasastra - Vol. 1) Bhandarkar
Oriental Research Institute. pp. 1
 Mishra, K. K. (2004). ‘The study of ancient Indian political traditions'
Indian Journals of Political Science, Vol 65, pp.9-20.
 160

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