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Sources of Dharma (धर्मस्थानानि) (view source)
Revision as of 09:52, 2 January 2020
, 09:52, 2 January 2020→परिचयः ॥ Introduction
Thus we see that all dharmas have their roots going down to the Vedas. They are also the revered sources of [[Vidya (विद्या)|Vidya]] and thus the ancient education system greatly stressed on imparting them to children at a young age in the [[Gurukula (गुरुकुलम्)|Gurukula]].
Thus we see that all dharmas have their roots going down to the Vedas. They are also the revered sources of [[Vidya (विद्या)|Vidya]] and thus the ancient education system greatly stressed on imparting them to children at a young age in the [[Gurukula (गुरुकुलम्)|Gurukula]].
The samskrit word veda (वेदः | knowledge, wisdom) is derived from the धातुः (root) विद् (vid) - ज्ञाने (वेत्ति) in the meaning "to know" (Dhatupatha 1064). Apart from this, Veda is derived from विद् (vid) धातुः with the addition of Bhavarthaka (भावर्थकः), Karmarthaka (कर्मार्थकः) and Karanarthaka (करणार्थकः) "धम" Dhama pratyaya (प्रत्ययः | suffix) to form the meanings "knowledge, pertaining to knowledge and instrument of knowledge" respectively (See Page 2 footnote 1 for further reference).
Meaning: That which is the means for obtaining the knowledge of Dharma and other (अर्थः ॥ Artha, कामः ॥ Kama and मोक्षः ॥ Moksha) purusharthas is called Veda. Thus, the inseparable link between Dharma and Vedas is well established by scholars in many instances. The word Dharma is derived from the root ’धृ’ which means to hold. Apte Sanskrit dictionary explains the word dharma as
Meaning: That which supports or holds together everyone and everything.
From the above we can see that both Vedas and Dharmas are interlinked at the root level of Purusharthas.
==वेदः ॥ Vedas==
==वेदः ॥ Vedas==
That the Vedas are the root material for Dharma, Karma (Yajnas) and Upasana has well been advocated by many seers of olden and modern days. The Vedas do not contain positive precepts (vidhis) on matters of dharma in an interconnected manner, rather they give incidental references to various topics pertaining to moral and social order. Vedas have, in different passages, shed light on topics related to dharmas such as marriage and different kinds of marriage, varna-ashrama dharmas, different kinds of sons, adoption, partition, inheritance, dana, shraddha, prayashcitta and stridharma. Such vedic references constitute the basis of the rules of the dharmasutras and subsequently dharmashastras. While shrutis have been looked up as a source of dharma, they are not formal treatises on dharma owing to disconnected statements and few pointed explanatory anecdotes. It is the smrtis that contain a formal, systematic and connected treatment of the topics of the dharmashastras.<ref name=":3" />
That the Vedas are the root material for Dharma, Karma (Yajnas) and Upasana has well been advocated by many seers of olden and modern days. The Vedas do not contain positive precepts (vidhis) on matters of dharma in an interconnected manner, rather they give incidental references to various topics pertaining to moral and social order. Vedas have, in different passages, shed light on topics related to dharmas such as marriage and different kinds of marriage, varna-ashrama dharmas, different kinds of sons, adoption, partition, inheritance, dana, shraddha, prayashcitta and stridharma. Such vedic references constitute the basis of the rules of the dharmasutras and subsequently dharmashastras. While shrutis have been looked up as a source of dharma, they are not formal treatises on dharma owing to disconnected statements and few pointed explanatory anecdotes. It is the smrtis that contain a formal, systematic and connected treatment of the topics of the dharmashastras.<ref name=":3" />