04Explainer
The Bhagavad Gita: A Conversation Before a Battle
Eighteen chapters, one battlefield, one long conversation. A guide to what is actually said, chapter by chapter.
ConceptSample draft
dharma
धर्म- IAST
- dharma
- Say it
- DHUR-muh (audio pronunciation coming later)
In 40 words
From the root dhṛ, to hold or support. Dharma is what holds things together: cosmic order, right conduct, duty and one's own path. Its meaning shifts with context, text and tradition.
A longer note
Dharma is one of the most important and least translatable words in Indian thought. In the Vedic period it is linked to , cosmic order. In later texts it covers ethics, law and social duty, and in the Bhagavad Gita it becomes personal as , one's own duty.
It is also one of the four aims of life, alongside artha, kāma and . Buddhist and Jain traditions use the same word with their own meanings.
The full explainer walks through each layer with sources and everyday scenarios.
Sources
- [Author], "[Entry on dharma]", Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online, [Year].
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "[Entry title]", iep.utm.edu, accessed [DATE].
Entries that use this concept
Where dharma comes up
02Explainer
Dharma: One Word, Many Meanings
Your grandmother, a judge and a Buddhist monk might all use the word dharma, and mean three different things.
13Interactive
Arjuna's Dilemma
Two armies. Teachers and cousins on the other side. Arjuna puts down his bow. What do you do?
25Interactive
Dharma in the Age of Career Ambition
A promotion, a shortcut, a manager who fudges the numbers. What does dharma say at your desk?
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