Krishna and Rama as exemplars of Dharma

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“Dharma is the knowledge prominently directed towards the achievement of desired happiness here (i.e., in this life) and hereafter by means of appropriate actions” (Khan, Benjamin. The Concept of Dharma in Valmiki). Rama and Krishna have been set as perfect exemplars of Dharma in the texts of Ramayana and Mahabharata, respectively. They are considered to be the reincarnations of God Vishnu, a Supreme Being, and supposedly lived their lives according to the Dharmic (or right) way of life. However, the stories of Rama and Krishna in the texts include some of their actions, which are questionable in terms of Dharma. This may lead one to question whether Ram and Krishna are true exemplars of Dharma. To fully analyze whether the roles of Rama and Krishna are in accordance with Dharma, one must first understand Dharma. In Khan’s book, The Concept of Dharma in Valmiki, he finds it difficult to provide a proper definition for the word Dharma. Khan believes that there is much more to Dharma than one specific definition that can encompass the whole meaning. According to Khan, “Dharma is created for the well-being of all creation. All that is free from doing harm to any created being is certainly Dharma, for indeed Dharma is created to keep all creation free from harm.” Therefore, Khan is saying that Dharma is created so that all beings have a correct path to follow in their lives. He implies that anyone who follows the Dharmic way of life will not cause harm to anyone and will lead a moral and rational way of life. Khan further expands on the purpose of Dharma by saying, “To order life in human society, we are always confronted with certain problems, and we have to settle these within the framework of society; otherwise, life becomes impossible.” Khan views Dharma as a means to create a framework within a society to deal with the chaos and conflict that humans arise due to different reasons. He says that there must be a framework within a society that is mutually agreed upon by the existing society. Dharma is embedded in that comprehensive framework, which is to be followed by the society without asking any questions.

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