Business Sutra 3: Dharma Sankat

By Devdutt Pattanaik

Telecast in CNBC on 19 June 2010

The term 'dharma-sankat' is used to denote various ethical and moral dilemmas in life. The word dharma is open to all kinds of interpretations. I feel wallowing in interpretations is for academicians. People need clear answers. I try to provide clear frameworks that explain dharma in a manner that is functional and can be used in daily life. Dharma for me is the human ability to outgrow the animal instinct born of fear of survival, manifesting as domination, territoriality, and migration.  Dharma is a human concept. Animals and plants belong to Prakriti or nature, where no one has choices. Everyone is fettered to their nature. Purusha or humans have the unique ability to make choices and hence reject what is 'in their nature' - from this space comes the idea of dharma, which is beautifully illustrated in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Dharma is a principle, not a rule, which is why in Ramayana rules are upheld and in Mahabharata rules are broken. Beneath the actions of Ram and Krishna is dharma - which may result in rule making or rule breaking, depending on the context.

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