Dharma And Rules Poem by Bashyam Narayanan

Rules are evolved
For a common good and a
Social cause for
Harmonious, meaningful
And a collectively progressive living
Of a state or country

Rules and Laws get enacted
By representatives of the elected people
In a democracy
Non adherence to Rules
Is also punishable
Rules implementing agencies
Ensure that these rules are followed
And book those who violate

Dharma, however, is a self evolved
Values to life
And ways of living
This is based on an individual’s experiences
And normally an evolved individual has
A set of Dos and Don’ts
No one else except that individual knows
The extent of adherence or otherwise
Non adherence of self evolved values
Is not punishable
And normally expected to have
No impact on society
Unless otherwise the value driven
Actions are broad-based
And are meant to impact a society

Values are attached to practices
Evolved in the thought processes entertained
By an individual
Thus Dharma or values
Are thought driven
Thoughts, in turn, are based on
Emotion, experience and intelligence
Values, policies are as simple as
The very thoughts themselves

Thoughts are often worldly
And they use a scale
To measure a performance, success
And similar others
As applicable at that point of time
Thoughts are time-bound
And thus have the potential
To keep changing with time
And experiences, emotions, levels of intelligence

Krishna tells Arjuna
“Drop these thoughts
Those direct you to attach values
Instead divert them on to me
And me alone
The one as you are given to know as the supreme
And you know my multi-faceted quality
Nurse a desire to take in me your final refuge”

He continues
“I will relieve you of all the impacts
Of these unmindful and worthless attachments
So that you mentally ever stay in my
Energizing presence
And in perfect bliss
You need to have no doubts
On this ability of mine
And there will be no occasion
When you have to worry”