Explorations in Religious Identity (RE 300 WR)

Dharma is an important concept in Hinduism and especially in the Rāmāyaṇa. After reading the chapter on Hinduism, how do you understand dharma? Can you explain it in terms of your own life? Why do you think it is so important in Hinduism? Why do you think it is focused on so much in the Rāmāyaṇa? How do you think this converges with devotion (bhakti)?

Please give page numbers when you refer to things you have read. The discussion should be grounded in the text(s).