Sri Rama, an Embodiment of Dharma
(part 2)

June -9- 2012                                           (Saturday)
Dharma is eightfold as: "Sacrifice, Vedic study, Charity, Penance, Truth, Fortitude, Forgiveness, Non-desire."
The following ten are characteristics of Dharma (Dharma Lakshanam).
Fortitude, forgiveness, restraint, non-stealing, purity, control over sense organs, intelligence, knowledge, truth, absence of anger.
‘Dharma’ is a term which could be understood but which cannot properly be translated into any other language. This word comes from the root ‘DRI’ which means supporting. That which is the support of this universe is Dharma. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14.says:
"Yet he did not flourish. He created that Dharma which has an excellent form. This Dharma is the controller of Kshatriya. Therefore, there is nothing higher than that. Even a weak man hopes to defeat a strong man by Dharma as one does through the king. Dharma is verily Satya or truth. A speaker of truth is said to speak Dharma or a person speaking Dharma is said to speak truth. Both these are but righteousness."
The glory of creation was not complete without Dharma. Dharma may mean action approved by the scriptures. It may also mean the unseen result of such action. Dharma has different shades of meaning and signifies different things acording to the context. It may mean a Sadhana or a means and then it signifies righteousness. It may also mean in another sense the very Principle which is the support or ground of everything else in this universe. In this supreme sense ‘Dharma’ means the Supreme Being who is the support of every other thing.
Sri Rama is described as the very embodiment of Dharma in both these senses. ------------------- (to be contined tomorrow).  Compiler : Prof. Komaragiri Venkata Ramana Rao. Ph.D., (Retired Professor; Andhra University College of Engineering); Astrologer-Scienitst. Durham. NC; U.S.A.: (Tatayya = Grand-father). My e-mail address : pandit@jyothishi.com---------- I dedicate all these stories in the blog to Sri Parama  Paalakas (Supreme Rulers of this entire Universe): Bhagavan Sri Siddhi Vinayaka,  Sri Lakshmi Narayana and Sri Gouri Sankara and Sri Saraswathi and Bhagavan Sri Venkateswara !