In this week’s reading, dharma is defined as “carrying out one’s responsibilities and duties, for the sake of social and cosmic order” (95). From the readings we have done thus far, it seems that dharma is almost like a moral code, a pull to behave and orient yourself in a certain way, but at the same time it is more than that. I really like how in this definition, it is not only for the sake of social order, but for cosmic order. That really iterates the interconnectivity between not only the Hindu people and other humans, but also all things that make up this universe. Near the beginning of the chapter was a discussion about the different deities that are revered in Hinduism, and it built into a discussion of Brahman, “the Unknowable,” who “out of himself projected the universe, and having projected out of the universe, he entered into every being…all that is has its self in him alone” (77). So dharma, as I understand it, is having respect for and recognizing Brahman in all aspects of creation. Each individual piece of the universe possesses a piece of Brahman, and therefore everything should be cared for. And that value of caring for other things exceeds care for the self and sometimes even exceeds logic.
The illustration on page 101 of the homemade designs helped me understand this a little more. These designs are made daily with edible substances to summon a deity to protect people’s homes, and because they are made with edible materials, they are often eaten by other living things. But the text claims that this is “of no concern for they help to fulfill the dharmic requirement that one should feed 1,000 souls everyday” (101). Orienting yourself to have this consideration for other creatures, even non-humans, is dharma. And it makes sense that this would be such a prominent theme in the Rāmāyaṇa, seeing as the main characters are meant to present the ideal humans, and there is nothing more ideal than upholding your responsibilities for the sake of social and cosmic order.