Dharm Is Neither Religion Nor Ideology

All beings wish for happiness, peace, and serenity in life. Hindu shastras teach us that it is possible to lead such a life by following the path of dharm. Vivekananda defines dharm as 'that which makes man to seek happiness in this world or the other'. Vedas declare, 'All is established in dharm'; 'dharm is the foundation of the entire world.'
Valmiki, in Ramayan, 3.37.13, considers Ram to be personification of dharm. Ram in Ayodhyakand, 21, says, 'Dharm is highest and superior most, even truth acquires a value only if it conforms with dharm.' In Aranyakand, 9.30, Sita argues that dharm alone begets wealth and happiness and that it is the source of all that is worth achieving. Tirukkural says, 'As dharm leads to prosperity and supreme happiness, how can anything greater than that be obtained by man.'
Despite extensive use of the term 'dharm' in Dharmashastras, Puranas and Itihasas, it continues to be an enigma. Even Wittgenstein's notion of 'family resemblance' fails to capture nature of dharm because the sense in which it is used ranges from everything to nothing.
Bhishma in Shanti Parv of Mahabharat says, 'Dharm sometimes takes the shape of adharm.' He, therefore, argues that though 'dharm was declared for advancement and growth of all creatures', it is difficult to say what dharm - righteousness is. It is not easy to find out what it designates.
In the early Buddhist texts, it refers to 'ultimate elements of things.' However, in later Buddhist texts, it is used to 'denote the essential function of things.' According to Buddha, whatever leads to peace, humility, control of desire, love of solitude, earnest striving after moral and spiritual progress, and easy pacification of mind, is dharm.
According to the Jains, dharm and adharm are material atoms that enter the soul. They are principles of motion and rest respectively. Jains uphold that nature of jiva is dharm. Acharanga Sutta says, "Arhats of all times have only one sole message to give: no beings should be harmed; this is the eternal dharm."
In c 1800, when Indian scholars met English-speaking scholars, they had to explain 'dharm' by juxtaposing it with anyone or both highly problematic English terms 'religion' and 'ideology'. Singular religious adherence is the main feature of religion. For example, it is not possible to simultaneously be a follower of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. Exclusivity is also definitional marker of the notion of ideology. The feature that distinguishes religion from ideology is that while religion admits to a transcendental dimension, ideology does not.
Dharm, while sharing several features of religion, does not share the property of exclusivism with it. Dharm differs from ideology as it possesses a transcendental dimension, whereas ideology rejects any transcendental commitment. Likewise, dharm cannot be translated as laws because 'it is more than laws for it is what underlies law and creates law in the universe.' So, while the notion of dharma is easy to comprehend, it is very difficult to define.
Authored by: Ashok Vohra