Dharma: Religion and Dharma Are Not Synonymous

By Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj

Religion and Dharma Are Not Synonymous

Dharma and religion are not the same thing. The terms are used interchangeably for want of an appropriate English word. The Oxford Dictionary defines religion as "A system of faith, especially personal God entitled to obedience".

Performing rituals alone is not dharma . Worship or upasana is the method. The mind gets purified by worshipping the Supreme Lord, Bhagwan. It will yield love for the Lord and all living beings. There will be no violence. Therefore, love for the Supreme Lord is the best dharma .

The word ' dharma ' means 'nature'. Whatever your nature, that is your actual dharma . Dharma is of two types: Naimittik dharma (temporary nature) and Nitya dharma (eternal nature). For example, water is liquid by nature. When cold, it takes the form of ice, and upon heating, it again converts to water. The cold caused the water to become ice, so ice is the naimittik dharma and liquidity is the nitya dharma .

Who is a living being by nature? The body is normally understood to be the person. We use the following terms - my body, my mind, my intelligence, etc. Nobody says 'I am body, I am mind'. So the speaker 'I' is not body but something different from body.

Until the body has consciousness or atma, it is identified as a person and not a body. Until the soul, the energy of the eternally existing, blissful, knowledgeable Bhagwan remain in the body; it is identified as a person. By the existence of that principle, 'I' remains and by the absence of that principle, 'I' does not remain; that is my nature (means, I am a soul). Soul is eternal, body is not eternal. Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita says that living creatures are part of His energy.

He also says that they are His own parts. On the basis of the second statement, some say that as the living being is a part of Bhagwan, the living being is also Bhagwan. This is not correct. Krishna says, "O Arjuna! There is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises of Living entities." According to the Gita, living entities are not part of Bhagwan, but part of His energy. Every part of infinite is infinite. For example, sunlight cannot be termed as the Sun. Similarly, living being (soul) is part of Lord's energy, not of Lord.

The wise have interpreted "Tattvamasi" as "You are That". However, Vaishnava devotees explain it as: "Tasya tvam asi, you are His or you are His servant". Bhagwan has infinite potencies or energies. Living beings are superior energy. Material and subtle bodies are inferior energy. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu made it clear that Jiva is a part of the Lord's marginal potency, atomic conscious. As a finger is a small part of the body, the soul is also a small part of the Lord's potency, not the complete Lord.

The absolute is always absolute; so the Lord is eternal. Jiva is also eternal; so is their relationship and dharma . This is eternal dharma or Sanatana Dharma . The meaning of Sanatana is, whatever existed in past, exists and will continue to exist.

However, the dharma of the body is not eternal as the body is mortal. The subtle body made up of mind, intelligence and ego is also not eternal. When one's tendency for sensual enjoyment ends, his subtle body also ends. Therefore, the dharma of a mortal cannot be Sanatana Dharma ; it is naimittik dharma . Sanatana Dharma is universal for it is the natural dharma of the living entity.

Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj is president, World Vaishnav Association and Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math