[PAPER ID: 60882 ] TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF DHARMA AS RTA

ARTICLE INFO: Date of Submission: Oct 25, 2025, Revised: Nov 22, 2025, Accepted: Nov 30, 2025, https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v4i4.2025.207-213, HOW TO CITE: Singh Laishram Omorjit & Sharma Laimayum Bishwanath (2025). Towards understanding the Concept of Dharma as Rta. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews, 4(4), 207-213.

Abstract

The Sanskrit word ‘dharma’ (or ‘dhamma’ in Pali) possessing multifarious life forms is derived from the root, dhr which means to uphold, to establish, to support or to maintain. Dharma is that which ensures the order and harmony of the universe and also embodies the guiding principles for social order as well as righteous behaviour of individuals. This omnibus term having no exact translation in any language and defied a universal definition is generally regarded as a normative concept that encompasses the recurring paradox of ancient Indian thought, the paradox being that a tradition based on memory or smriti must establish a perennial relationship between the eternal absolute truth and contingent historical truth. It is also considered as an Indian metaphysical equivalent of a primordial unmoved mover, something that causes motion without itself moving, that can be widely used in a variety of contexts to indicate various ideas. Rta as cosmic truth signifies those principles by which both natural and social worlds are sustained whereas Satya embodies individual truth i.e., the fulfillment by an individual of his personal duty under the rta. The main purpose of the paper is to study the different issues related to the genesis of concept of dharma as rta which are manifested particularly in the Rig Veda.