ccording to Bhisma, who also admitted the nature of dharma is subtle, was ordained for the advancement and growth of all creatures; therefore that which leads to advancement and growth is Dharma. Dharma was ordained for restricting creatures from injuring one another; therefore that which prevents injury to creatures is Dharma. Dharma is so called because it upholds all creatures; therefore that is Dharma which is capable of upholding all creatures (Sukthankar 1998, 81).Dharma, as suggested by root word it is derived from, has to do with upholding and keeping things intact. Now, this can occur at universal level and as well as individual level. At individual level, dharma is considered as one of the four goals of human existence. By observing dharma, one will live a contended and happy life; and save oneself from degradation and suffering. Dharma does not only help a person during his lifetime but, ultimately, also leads to liberation. It is said that one who will live his life according to dharma will ultimately receive liberation from the unending cycle of life and death.Mahabharata does a very good job in trying to teach an individual these and many aspects of dharma that will lead him to live a more happy and contended life. It uses dharma in many senses such as varna-dharma, asramadharma, rajadharma, kuladharma, and so on. Even though, the times have changed and so has the social structure of the society; an individual can still relate himself to the dharmas described in the Mahabharata one way or the other and learn to succeed in life by learning from the successes of those Mahabharata characters who have followed dharma and failures of the characters of the epic who have not followed dharma.The concept of dharma, that has taxed many scholarly minds, can be described, after analyzing it in the context of one of the greatest epics, as a foundation of everything from universe to an individual. It can be considered as the ve...
