THE FUNDAMENTAL DUTY:UPHOLDING AND PROMOTING DHARMA

The fundamental prerequisite of establishing and preserving order, harmony and fair-play conditions in the society, bring to fore dharma in personal and public life. Dharma is the ancient concept generally understood as the righteous order or righteousness and/or one's righteous duties, and strictly not as the narrow definition of religion as it is common to associate these days. Things like dharma, righteousness, righteous duties, righteous living and spiritual development are independent of religion, and the least any particular religion. All these connote simple, healthy and ethical living, feeling concern for the suffering of others, doing ones duties, and participating actively in the affairs of the society and the nation. While dharma or righteousness are common to all, religion is a matter of personal faith. Today, we have nation states as a unit of society and culture. Every nation has its written or unwritten laws, rules and conventions, derived from its culture, traditions and collective wisdom of humankind. Generally, as in India, these laws are based on principles of liberty, equality, justice, fraternity,common good, rule of law, democracy (equal opportunity for everyone to be heard and to participate in the functioning of the society),etc. There are also certain eternal values like honesty, integrity, compassion, universal love, brotherhood, sacrifice, peaceful co-existence, selfless service to the society and the country, etc. and conventions, which cannot always be reduced to laws, but which nevertheless form the spirit of the society. The adoption and promotion of these principles, values and conventions, amount to the establishment and maintenance of order, harmony and fair-play in the society. These principles, values and conventions can be collectively taken as dharma or righteousness or the righteous duties of the individual and the society . Almost all philosophies ordain that the path of dharma or righteousness, described and interpreted in their ways, has to be followed to have order and harmony in the society and for one to attain salvation, moksha or nirvana or freedom from rebirth or a final place in the heaven.For example, the Geeta says that nothing is more welcome than striving for the righteous cause. While it is up to the individual, based on his inclination, study and beliefs, to accept the concepts of moksha, nirvana or heaven and hell, the desirability of accepting the necessity of treading the path of dharma can be denied by none. For it is only by following the universal path of dharma that can we aspire to live in harmony with fellow human beings and the rest of the universe. That is to say, that a good thing has to be done, supported and promoted just because it is good and not in expectation of any reward; and a bad thing has to be shunned simply because it is bad or evil and not for the fear of retribution or punishment. Of course, this philosophy brings with it the obvious added advantages of the rewards or disadvantages of the condemnations in the forms described by the various doctrines, depending on one's beliefs. Therefore, upholding and promoting dharma (righteousness or goodness) and confronting adharma or unrighteousness or evil is the natural and bounden fundamental duty of every human being, both individually and collectively with fellow human beings in the society. And being a duty, it is not a matter of choice. This, one has to perform with the capacity he / she is endowed with and attempt to exceed it by constant efforts. If a society or generation fails to perform this basic duty, no wonder, it will degenerate to find itself in the grip of adharma or unrighteousness and consequently disharmony and chaos.Thus dharma / righteousness is the bulwark against disorder and disharmony. It is the bounden duty of every human being and every generation to contribute to the spread of good values in the society and in larger terms the world. We live in a large, very large, extended family known as society.Our wellbeing and happiness is linked to the order and values in the society.If we spread goodness, the world becomes good, if we spread evil, world becomes more evil. One cannot, always, keep drawing good things from the society and do nothing to add to it or feed into it. Every system has losses inherently attached to it. And unless it is made good or replenished with persistent efforts, it stands exhausted. The world we live in is also a system in which we have both virtuous and evil tendencies and forces. If one only keeps enjoying the fruits or good effects of virtuous or good forces in the universe, without contributing to the goodness or virtue by proactively doing good or virtuous deeds, evil tendencies and forces will start gaining upper hand and gradually eclipse the virtuous forces, plunging the system into disorder and disharmony. Even staying 'neutral' or as people say “not indulging in evil acts” (i.e. yourself being good but not taking initiative or being proactive in promoting goodness) will also lead to upsetting the good order in the society. Because evil forces are always at work and steadily overpower virtuous forces. So one must try to do something extra than being merely good oneself. Thus, it is amply clear that an individual or a society on any other similar unit of human organisation like a nation is responsible for its own fate. If the society is happy and prosperous, it is the making of its own efforts, and conversely, if a society or nation is in deep malaise, that is also its own making. Any consequence is the result of the activity or inactivity or will to act or not act of the individual and the society itself. As discussed earlier, if the there's no order, harmony and fair-play in the society, the individual is neither assured of earning, possessing and enjoying the basic necessities of life nor of his spiritual development, leading to ultimate peace and happiness. Thus denying the individual of his most fundamental rights in life. So, when adharma or evil is burgeoning and the order in the society is failing, there's no cause for self-pity and expectation that a messiah will appear and alleviate the human beings from their sufferings and pitiable conditions. It is only through untiring hard work and efforts by the people that order, harmony and justice can be reestablished and the society can regain its purity.Evil triumps, when good people remain silent. Every people, culture and generation has to find its own 'salvation'. History is replete with such efforts — the American and the French revolutions, the Indian renaissance and freedom struggle, and the innumerable movements against injustice and exploitation by various people at different times all over the world. The lead in this ought to be taken by those who are more awakened and understand the things better than their brethren.