After many years of practice of Yoga that Ahave led, and will hopefully go on leading, to inner changes for the good, this writer keeps reflecting over an advice that is over 3000 years old and still most valid. It is an advice given by the ancient sage Vyasa, author of the long epic “Mahabharata”, of which the “Bhagavad Gita” is just a chapter. It runs as follows: “I am screaming at the top of my voice with both arms upraised: Why are you not carrying out your natural duties (Dharma)?
You are bound to get everything in life by doing your natural duties – wealth pleasure and all. Alas! None seems to be listening to me”.
So getting ever clearer about the deeper meaning of “Dharma” seems most important. Most often the writer heard it translated as “duty”. However, German or English-speaking nationals must keep in mind that the German word “Pflicht” as well as the English “duty” are both very much narrower in their meaning than the so many-sided word Dharma. Therefore, misunderstandings seem inevitable. As read, the meaning of Dharma is “something that connects, combines, unites”, meaning the connection of all the doings that are required just for a decent living on one hand with religious acts such as rituals and other devotional practices on the other. And all this has to be carried out daily, from getting up early in the morning to going to bed at night. That would be one‘s quite normal duty and Dharma.
This story is from the December 2024 edition of Yoga and Total Health.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2024 edition of Yoga and Total Health.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Moringa Flowers
Edible flowers? Yes! Ayurveda mentions many edible flowers. One of them is the Moringa flower.
You Gain Some, You Lose Some
Recently, we the Chennaites, got the opportunity to get blessings from His Sharada Peetam.
A Healthy Body
An incident from Swami Vivekananda's Life
A Man Himself is Responsible for His Deeds
Renouncing doer-ship
The Unstructured Drama of Life
Go for the silent roles
Positive Thinking and Meditation
A life-raft for seniors
Soul Connects
The Yoga Institute’s Reach Out Camp
The Wood Wide Web
As a kid, Suzanne Simard grew up in the rainforests of British Columbia and she normally spent her summers visiting forests around and exploring them along with her family, which included a curious dog named Jiggs.
More About Dharma and Duty
Considering One's Own Background (Part 2)
Devaluing Your Value
The lure of more