I understand dharma as the duties a person is responsible of fulfilling. In the text it is explained as “carrying out one’s responsibilities and duties, for the sake of social and cosmic order” (95) and the “moral order in the world, and people’s duty to act in accord with that order” (78). Dharma is one of the four major goals that define the good life for Hindus (95). For my life, dharma could include my duties as a daughter to follow the directions of my parents or my duties as a student to be present in class and complete all my work. I think dharma is so important to Hindus because tradition has been so engraved into the culture, as well as dharma holds importance because of its relation to moksha, the liberation from samsara (78), the cycle of “birth, death, and rebirth” (77).
Dharma is focused on so much in the Rāmāyaṇa to assert its importance to everyone. Dharma is a major goal of Hinduism to achieve the good life, and the Rāmāyaṇa teaches “examples of the virtuous life – responsibilities to others as defined by one’s social roles” (79). The significance of dharma can be learned in the Rāmāyaṇa; for example, when Rama goes willingly into the forest because he is “observing that a son’s duty is always to obey his parents implicitly, even when their commands seem wrong” (79). This converges with bhakti, or devotion, because devotion to a specific god is another way of release out of moksha. Because Rama is an avatar of the god Vishnu, someone who devotes themselves, or in other words obsessed with, Rama could essentially achieve moksha because of bhakti of the god, Vishnu. In the reading from Living Religions, there is an excerpt of the Rāmāyaṇa which has Sita expressing her devotion to Rama, “O Lord of my being, I realize you in me and me in you…” (80). It then has Sita disappearing into the ground, and in my interpretation achieving moksha. Dharma and bhakti hold importance in Hinduism as they are both paths to achieving moksha.