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The Diverse Of Social Dharma
The ancient Vedic seers provided different teachings for
different levels and temperaments of human beings. They recognized
an organic order to society, in which various individuals and
classes perform different functions for the benefit of the whole.
This is just like the various organs of the body in which the hands
perform one function and the feet another. A healthy society, like a
healthy body, must have a place for all its different members and
honor all their different functions, and cannot make one function,
however important, exclude or denigrate the others.
The sages sought to spiritualize society through emphasizing the
ultimate goal of liberation (Moksha), but at the same time they
recognized that the evolution of souls takes place over many births
and in a number of ways. Therefore they did not try to impose an
artificial spiritual standard upon everyone, trying to turn all
people into monks and renunciates, but formed an organic social
order that allowed for all necessary types of human experience.
While much of this system in time degenerated into mere caste by
birth, it was based on a great and important idea that is universal
and must once more be considered.
Unfortunately,
this comprehensive Hindu Dharma has been misunderstood in modern
times and there has been an attempt to impose certain practices
appropriate for one group of society on everyone. Particularly the
role of the Kshatriya, the political or warrior class has been
misunderstood.
Author : David Frawley
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