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Dharmo Rakshathi Rakshithaha

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“Dharma eva hato hanti/ Dharmo rakshati rakshitah” (One who destroys Dharma is destroyed by Dharma/ One who protects Dharma is protected by Dharma).

Is this the real meaning?

If we try to translate “Dharma protects those who protect Dharma” in Sanskrit then it will be more like “Rakshitam Dharma Rakshati“.

Then what could be the real meaning of this sloka?

Let us break down each word and find out the meaning:

Dharm~Eva Hato Hanti, Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah!

Tasma~Dharmo Na Hantvyo, Ma No Dharmo Hato~Vadhit!!

Dharm - Dharma

Eva - used to emphasis

= Dharm~Eva - Dharma alone/Dharma indeed

Hato - Being killed/destroyed

Hanti - Kills/destroyes

Dharmo - From Dharma

Rakshati - To protect

Rakshitah - The protected one


Tasma - Hence/Therefore

Dharmo - From Dharma

Na - Not

Hantvyo - To kill/destroy


Ma - Do not

No - Nor

Dharmo - From Dharma

Hato - Being killed/destroyed

Vadhit – Killed


If one adds all the meanings, it becomes:
Dharma used to emphasis Dharma alone/Dharma indeed Being killed/destroyed Kills/destroyes

From Dharma To protect The protected one

Hence/Therefore- From Dharma Not To kill/destroy

Do not Nor From Dharma Being killed/destroyed Killed

So the meaning of the Sloka : Dharma eva hato hanti/ Dharmo rakshati rakshitah

Dharma destroyed, destroys; Dharma protects, the protected.

This is what the Sloka conveys.



Dharma does not destroy, nor Dharma can be destroyed.

Here Manu is trying to state a fact rather than an advice.

Compare this with Gravitational Force: Here it goes,


If Gravitational Force is destroyed, everything on earth will fall apart; Gravitational Force keeps everything protected on earth. Neither Gravitational Force can be destroyed, nor does Gravitational Force destroy.

Manu is just stating the fact that Dharm is an essence of everything. It is neither a philosophy, nor moral obligation, or religious doctrine, or some kind commandments, or any faith or belief.


Now coming to your next part “Why yudhistra had to suffer at the hands of the treacherous Duryodhana ?


The course of the events and how Yudistrara dealt with it lead all the Pandavas to suffer as well as to enjoy success.

Even Sri Rama suffered the agony of separation from MA Sita.

Here also how Ma Sita handled her situation brought both Sri.Rama and herself the sufferings.

Suffering is the result of our perception of events and how we handle them.

Because man is free to select his options, he needs to think and understand that any human activity, including in action, has the potential to cause a chain of consequences. It is therefore important to choose an appropriate path. If he had no options or if he was not free to choose, that is another matter.

Mahabharata seeks to awaken the essence of Dharma within us, to learn to distinguish Dharma from its opposite.

One has to look within oneself, grasp the true intent and spirit of Dharma in order to judge a situation and act in the best interests of the self and of the fellow beings.

On one occasion, Krishna tells Yudhishthira: "Sometimes one protects dharma by forgetting it."

Yudhistrar handled the situations in a way, that lead to a chain of consequences, resulting the sufferings for Pandavas.

Dharma pictured in Mahabharata is ambiguous, uncertain and often disputed. For instance, Draupadi after the dice game, demands to know whether Yudhishtira had a right to stake her in the game after he had staked and lost himself. It was so difficult a question that even Bhishma, the recognized authority on Dharma, when pointedly challenged by Draupadi, confessed his inability to decide the issue. ”I am unable to answer your question because Dharma is subtle”, he says (na dharmasaukshmyat subhage vivektutm shaknomi te prasnam imam yatthaavat).

It was said that Dharma is subtle (sukshmam) because its essence is concealed in a dark cavern (dharmasya tattvam nihitath guhaayaam).

On another occasion, Draupadi wonders why they have to suffer so, if they were the righteous ones. If everything happened by the will of god, why then do the virtuous suffer? She exclaims, it seems only the powerful escape harm, not the righteous. Yudhishthira tries to explain: "None should ever perform virtue with a desire to gain its fruits.. ... Do not doubt virtue because you do not see its results. Without doubt, the fruits of virtue will be manifest in time, as will the fruits of sin.

The fruits of true virtue are eternal and indestructible”.

Years later, Yudhishthira has similar doubts. Soon after the war, he was overwhelmed by a sense of horror and melancholy; and was much troubled by the death and destruction caused by the war decides to perform Rajasuyaga as penitence for the acknowledged wrongs of the war.




Sometime sufferings give great lessons, as in the case of Ramayana and Mahabarata.



The sufferings of the Yudhistra and other Pandavas and Draupadi, Nala and Damayanti, Savitri and Satyavan, clearly explain to us the fact or hard truth that the goal of life or perfection can only be attained through pain and suffering.


Pain is the means through which man is moulded, disciplined and strengthened. Just as impure gold is turned into pure gold by melting it in the crucible, so also the impure and imperfect weak man is rendered pure, perfect and strong, by being melted in the crucible of pain and suffering. Therefore, one should not be afraid of pain and sufferings. They are blessings in disguise. They are eye-openers. They are silent teachers. They turn the mind towards God and instil mercy in the heart, strengthen the will and develop patience and power of endurance, which are the pre-requisites for God-Realisation.


The message of the Mahabharata is the message of Truth and Righteousness.

The great epic produces a moral awakening in the readers and exhorts them to tread the path of Satya and Dharma.

It urges them strongly to do good deeds, practise Dharma, cultivate dispassion by realising the illusory nature of this universe and its vainglories and sensual pleasures, and attain Eternal Bliss and Immortality. It induces people to do what Yudhishthira did and abandon what Duryodhana did. Stick to Dharma tenaciously. You will attain everlasting happiness and Moksha, the summum bonum of life. This is the final purport or central teachings of the Mahabharata.

May the teachings of this illustrious and ancient epic guide us in every walk of our life. May we stick to Dharma. May the great characters of the Mahabharata inspire us! May we imbibe the righteousness of Yudhishthira, the purity of Bhishma, the courage of Arjuna and the liberality of Karna! Glory to Sri Bhagavan Vyasa, the grandsire of the heroes, the author of the Mahabharata, a Chiranjeevi and an Avatara of Lord Hari.



Source(s):http://www.dlshq.org/religions/mahabhara..

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https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=A0LEVvmSdNhY8Q8AGr8PxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTByNXM5bzY5BGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--?qid=20100816101858AA3tguY&p=Dharmo%20Rakshathi%20Rakshithaha


Go samrakshana: How do you do it, Or it is aslogan you picked it.
Even the priest living in a big city can not take care of cows. So getting cows they rather prefer the cash.
So many cows, and bulls are abandoned by their owners. My brother is involved in Goshala of Kanchi Matt. They take care of these abandoned cows, and maintain them out of donations. That money could have been used for other purposes.
 
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