According to the Puranas, What Is Dharma?

If we look at the Gita, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata, we find different definitions of Dharma in different places. Definition of Sanatan Dharma

Dhritarashtra Uvacha

Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre Samaveta Yuyutsavah.

Mamakah Pandavaschaiva Kimakurvata Sanjaya

(Chapter 1, Verse 1)

Meaning:
1.1 — Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya! What did my sons and the sons of Pandu do after gathering on the holy land of Dharma, Kurukshetra, with the desire to fight?

In this very first verse of the Mahabharata, Dhritarashtra refers to the battlefield as Dharmabhoomi—the land of Dharma. This means Dhritarashtra believed that the Mahabharata war was essentially a battle between Dharma (righteousness) and Adharma (unrighteousness), whose verdict was to be delivered on the field of action. This is why the battlefield is called the land of Dharma.

If you have seen the Sanskrit shloka inscribed in the Supreme Court of India, it reads: “Yato Dharmaḥ Tato Jayaḥ” (Where there is Dharma, there is victory). This shloka appears around eleven times in the Mahabharata and emphasizes the importance of following one’s Dharma.

In many verses of the Mahabharata, we see that Lord Krishna Himself says that Karma (action) is Dharma:

Karmanyeva Adhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana.

Ma Karma-Phala-Hetur-Bhurma Te Sango’stvakarmani. (2.47)

Meaning:
In the 47th verse of the second chapter of the Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna to focus only on action, because the results are given by God Himself. Thus, if we look into the Puranas, we find that Karma itself is described as Dharma.

What Is the Meaning of Sanatan Dharma?

The word Sanatan means eternal or everlasting—something that has neither a beginning nor an end. Sanatan Dharma is a Sanskrit expression, now commonly used in Hindi as well.

Speaking of Dharma, the word comes from the Sanskrit root “Dhṛ”, which means to uphold, to sustain, or to follow. Based on this literal meaning, we can say that conduct worthy of being upheld is Dharma.

When we combine the words Sanatan and Dharma, the meaning becomes: that conduct which is eternally worth following.

Where Did the Word “Sanatan” Originate?

When discussing Dharma, the earliest scriptural reference to the word Sanatan appears in the Gita. The term was used by Arjuna.

Kula-Kshaye Pranashyanti Kuladharmaḥ Sanatanah.

Dharme Nashté Kulam Kritsnamadharmo’bhibhavatyuta. (1.40)

Meaning:
In the 40th verse of the first chapter of the Gita, Arjuna uses the word Sanatan. He says that when a family becomes corrupted, the eternal Dharma (Sanatan Dharma) of the family is destroyed. The Gita uses the word Sanatan several times, always indicating something eternal. Krishna Himself explains in the Gita that the soul is Sanatan—eternal. Dharma is action. Definition of Sanatan Dharma