In this context, consider the following statements:
- Dharma was a conception of obligations and of the discharge of one’s duties to oneself and to others.
- Rita was fundamental moral law governing the functioning of the universe and all it contained.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Dharma and Rita in the Vedic period appear as early as the Rig Veda.
Rita (impersonal law) refers to universal harmony in which all things in the world have a proper function and place.
‘Rita’ refers to regulation order by nature and was related to the conduct of the Vedic Gods and Humans, somewhere related to the moral and physical law. Rita is the physical order of the universe, the order of the sacrifice, and the moral law of the world. As per the Vedic Period, the sun and moon pursue their daily journeys across the sky, and the seasons proceed in regular movement because of Rita.
‘Rita’ was later replaced by ‘Dharma’ and was a more sophisticated form of principles of law. As per Chanakya, ‘Dharma’ was the promotion of one’s own security, happiness and social order.
Dharma (personal actions) signifies cosmic ordinance, often in connection with the sense of natural law.
Ans (c) Both 1 and 2