Dharma Point of View

Every person leads a life irrespective of the civilization he belongs to. But every civilization has a characteristic way of living (जीवनशैली), which, as per that civilization’s convictions, is superior to the way other civilizations live. And the basis this characteristic way of living is forms the perspectives of life that the civilization is founded upon. And underlying the way of living and the perspectives of life are the perspectives about the world ie. vishwa dristhi (विश्वदृष्टी - worldview) and tattvajnana (तत्त्वज्ञान - foundational philosophy) that the civilization is founded upon. The world view and perspectives toward life held by the civilization tend to influence an individual’s relationships with other entities, which include all movable and immovable (चराचर) entities.

Concept of Dharma

Dharma is the greatest and the most valuable contribution to humanity by Bharatavarsha, our beloved Motherland. On account of its antiquity, utility and universality the very mention of that word rouses the conscience of an individual in this land. As proclaimed by numerous scholars, Dharma is one of those Samskrit terms that defy all attempts at an exact rendering in English or any other tongue.

Mahabharata proclaims that ultimately it is Dharma which holds together all the entities of the Universe.

धारणाद्धर्ममित्याहुर्धर्मो धारयते प्रजाः। यत्स्याद्धारणसंयुक्तं स धर्म इति निश्चयः॥ (Maha. Karn. 8.69.58)

dhāraṇāddharmamityāhurdharmo dhārayate prajāḥ। yatsyāddhāraṇasaṁyuktaṁ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ॥ (Maha. Karn. 8.69.58)

That which supports, that which holds together the peoples (of the universe), that is Dharma

Core Idea of DharmaWiki

DharmaWiki lays the foundation in creating a universal forum and spearheading a campaign for bringing to light the numerous perspectives of Sanatana Dharma expounded in the Vedic traditions.

The core idea is to take the reader closer to the the original sources - the Vedas and the Vaidika Vangmaya (Vedangas- Kalpas and Nirukta, Darshanas, Itihasas, Puranas, etc.) thereby sensitizing him/her about the various dharmika perspectives that lead to self fulfillment and a holistic existence.

श्रूयतां धर्मसर्वस्वम् || Listen to the Essence of Dharma

श्रूयतां धर्मसर्वस्वं श्रुत्वा चाप्यवधार्यताम् | आत्मनः प्रतिकूलानि परेषां न समाचरेत् || (Vishnudharmottara Purana 3.253.44)

śrūyatāṁ dharmasarvasvaṁ śrutvā cāpyavadhāryatām | ātmanaḥ pratikūlāni pareṣāṁ na samācaret || (Vishnudharmottara Purana 3.253.44)

Please listen to the essence of Dharma and having listened to it, bear in mind. The essence of Dharma is: Whatever is adverse (or Unfavourable) to us, we should not adopt (operate) that in case of others.

Padma Purana also reverberates the same concept.(1.19.335). Our primary efforts are to bring to light and present the unbiased dharmika perspectives on social, economic, political and cultural aspects presented in Shrutis, Smrtis, Puranas and Shastra granthas.

We strive to lay a strong foundation of religion, philosophy, ethics, codes of conduct, and common laws on which the reader may contemplate and build his/her character with more specialized principles suited to his/her intellectual and emotional temperament. It is directed to the building up of a character - pious, dutiful, strong, self reliant, upright, righteous, gentle and well-balanced - a character which will be that of a good man and a good citizen leading a Dharmika Jivana Vidhana.

लोकसङ्ग्रहम् || A Common Ground

As Yojakas (योजकाः । organizers) we aim to bring together the diversity of the intellectual thoughts, establishing the foundational unity (एकवाक्यता) in Bharatiya Shastra Granthas. It is inclusive enough to unite the most divergent forms of Hindu thought, but exclusive enough to leave outside it, forms of thought which divides humanity.

Bharatiya Samskrtika Parampara stands unrivalled in the depth and splendour of its philosophy, while it yields to none in the purity of its ethical teachings and in the flexibility and varied adaptation of its rites and ceremonies.

अमन्त्रमक्षरं नास्ति नास्ति मूलमनौषधम्‌ । अयोग्यः पुरुषो नास्ति योजकस्तत्र दुर्लभः॥

amantramakṣaraṁ nāsti nāsti mūlamanauṣadham‌ । ayogyaḥ puruṣo nāsti yojakastatra durlabhaḥ॥

There is no syllable which is not a mantra, no plant which is not of medicinal value, no person totally unworthy, but what is rare is the one who can facilitate or harness these to good use.

धर्मसारम् इदं जगत् || Universe is The Essence of Dharma

Our vision is to compile, discuss, promote, assimilate and disperse the dharmika knowledge seen in all aspects of the Universe and Life, bringing together a scholar and novice to interact on a universal forum. We actively advocate a holistic approach towards life expounded in our traditional treatises for the betterment of the generations to come by revitalization of Purushartha Drshti and by letting go of the Svartha Drshti.

धर्माद् अर्थः प्रभवति धर्मात् प्रभवते सुखम् । धर्मेण लभ्यते सर्वं धर्मसारम् इदं जगत् ॥ [रा. ३.९.३०] (Ramayana 3.9.30)

dharmād arthaḥ prabhavati dharmāt prabhavate sukham । dharmeṇa labhyate sarvaṁ dharmasāram idaṁ jagat ॥ [rā. 3.9.30] (Ramayana 3.9.30)

From righteous duty wealth arises, from righteousness happiness will result, by righteous ways (of life) everything is attained. This universe (world) is the essence of dharma.

Objectives

DharmaWiki serves as a common comprehensive reference platform for both the novice and the scholars and actively promotes

1. Initiation of resurgence of ancient time-tested knowledge of dharmika jivana vidhana to promote holistic approach towards life in the generations to come.
2. Language resource creation (wikisource) its development and population with the knowledge base from ancient Sanskrit Vedic sources.
3. Aiming to capture, complement, supplement and disseminate knowledge India's integral practices.
4. Bringing to light the unbiased dharmika perspectives on social, economic, political, and cultural aspects presented in Vedic literature.
5. Providing a technological workspace to bring forward the views of traditional scholars (mainstream or otherwise) and their scholarly works that have been unexplored.
6. Developing narratives grounded in dharmika traditions for mainstream subjects such as medicine, sciences, economics, judiciary, chemistry, geology, ecology, astronomy, mathematics and vocational subjects.

Distinguishing features

1. DharmaWiki articles tap into the traditional well-established research heritage of India, reflected in the intellectual writings and translations of Bharat's scholars, whose knowledge base was founded on the guru-shishya parampara.
2. Compilation of the subject matter involves extensive research of Vedic literature available both in libraries and on reliable internet sources. (Shodhganga, Vedic Heritage Portal, Internet Archives, Digital Library of India and Sanskrit Literature sites such as Sanskrit ebooks and Sanskrit Documents). Research thesis works of modern day research students (published in shodhganga), find an expression in DharmaWiki articles.
3. Subject matter is supported by direct quotations from vedic and vedantic literatures to remove ambiguity, numerous interpolations and extrapolations, and psychoanalysis thereby allowing the readers to independently develop unbiased thoughts (based on the presented primary sources). 
4. Sanskrit content material (words, slokas, mantras) is used to improve the subjects’ visibility and promote usage. References to grammatical texts, Shabdakalpadruma, Vachaspatyam, Nirukta reinforce the concepts. 
5. Easily approachable structure of the articles gives the comprehensive information sought for by the masses.
6. Scholarly views about principles of Sanatana dharma (Punarjanma, Moksha) are collected through personal interaction with learned scholars in Samskrit forums and a record of such conversations are presented under the Discussion heading. 
7. Fundamental concepts of Dharma - the moral code of conduct applicable for every living being under different circumstances are presented. Example : Judicial aspects from Manusmriti, Dharmashastras. A first hand information from scholars about the traditional view-points of socially contentious topics (Example : Yama-Yami samvada) are included.
8. Lucid presentation of ancient practices such as Nityakarmas (Aupasana and Agnihotra) serve as reference manuals (of conventional practices) to promote their revitalization in the society.
9. Topics that are profound with esoteric insights of ancient seers provide an insight into the characteristics of the vedas and vedanta. Examples : Vidya (Brahmavidya, Bhumavidya, Panchagnividya), Mahavakyas, Yajna (Shrauta yajnas), Margas (Paths in life and for enlightenment) such as Pravritti and Nivritti, Shastras (Nyaya and Mimamsa).

Basis of Dharmawiki

DharmaWiki portal is a platform for like-minded people, to read, discuss and contribute to the knowledge base of the subjects based on Sanatana Dharma and Shastras discussed here. Generally speaking it is a public source of narratives for widely accepted knowledge base of Vaidika Dharma or Sanatana Dharma. The article and topic contributions on this portal are built keeping in mind the following aspects.

• संप्रदायसिद्धविषयः ॥ Sampradayasiddha vishya: Handed down from generations this dharmika tradition belonged to the people of Bharatavarsha and it is our right as well as duty to protect and proliferate it.
• मूलसिद्धान्तसमैक्यता ॥ Integral Unity of Sanatana Dharma : Narratives highlight the rich diversity of various traditions with emphasis on the integral unity of core principles of Sanatana Dharma.
• पुरुषार्थदृष्टिः ॥ Purushartha Drshti : Revitalize the society to perform activities for Purusharthas and not for Svartha (selfishness).
• अननुवादनीयता ॥ Non-translatability : English or any language is grossly insufficient to explain the numerous nuances of the divine language Samskrit. Hence words such as Moksha translated as 'liberation' or 'release from bondage' do not exactly stand for Moksha. Hence such words, viz., atma, karma, moksha, sat, chit, etc are used as is in the narratives.
• रचनासौष्ठवम् ॥ Towards Diligence : The quality goals of narratives compiled here include : good research (after svadhaya) maintaining depth of the subject, towards comprehensiveness and consistency. It is to be noted that the articles are foundational to provide a discussion platform and they are gradually refined over time with more scholarly inputs.

Scope of DharmaWiki

The article and topic contributions on this portal have the following additional points with an aim to include more insights in future.

1. कालानुक्रमणिका न ॥ No Dating or Chronology of Texts : The subject of establishing timeframes of Vedas, vedic texts, or any other allied literature will not be attempted here.
2. भारतीय विद्वत्समीक्षा ॥ Bharat's Scholarly Views : The field of "Indology", which developed in the past 300 years and is largely controlled till date by western academia, is now presented here with perspectives of traditional Bharat's academia to dispel myths created by western indoctrination. Narratives include prose quotations, slokas, and mantras available in samskrit texts along with basic translation to place the perspective before the reader. Research work done by students, academic paper presentations, poster presentations, and conference proceedings of revered scholars are explored and used for references.
3. संस्कृतमूलम् ॥ Original Samskrit Sources : Articles contain the original samskrit references from traditional texts (Vedas, Vaidika Vangmaya, Puranas, Itihasas etc) with their sources cited to enable anyone with knowledge of Samskrit to verify personally and make their interpretations. Interdisciplinary extrapolations, psychoanalysis are strongly discouraged here.

Dharma Constituents

A common territory and common values of life evolved and cherished by the people of Bharatavarsha by far have welded the people of this sacred land into a nation bound by the system of values of life. There are many main and subsidiary values, traditions and customs but all of them within the framework of Sanatana Dharma. Universal acceptance that 'Dharma' bears the Universe and holds entities together (Maha. Karn. 8.69.58) is the moral binding factor of different people of Bharatavarsha. A few important values may be summarized here.

1. Duty towards others
2. A Code of Conduct: Samanya Dharma (for all human beings) and Raja Dharma (Duty of Rulers)
3. Respect for Womanhood
4. Equality (Samanata)
5. Gratitude (Kritajnata)
6. Compassion (Daya)
7. Simple Life -Sparing use of Natural Resources
8. Service (Seva -Paropakara)
9. Sacrifice (Tyaga)
10. World is one Family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam)

Aptly, in modern thought processes, the dharmika paradigm encompasses

1. integral unity (dharmika tattvajnana)
2. perspective of life (dharmika jeevan drishti)
3. codes of conduct (dharmika vyavahar sutra)
4. systems and structures (dharmika vyavastha)

These aspects are studied at length in Dharmika Jivana Vidhana, through which we aim to bring back restructuring of the society along with the ancient glory, and peace in global dharmika communities.

Guidelines for Contributing Articles

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