Dharmo rakshati rakshitah - One who protects Dharma is protected by Dharma
Dharma is the essence of all existence. It is not a philosophy or a moral obligation. It is not a religion. It is not a commandment, faith or belief. Dharma is the underlying power of God in all existence which propels us into right thinking and right action. When we follow Dharma, we are protected by the Universal Power and when we go against Dharma, the law of Karma operates and the Power of the Universe destroys us through the agencies around us. Dharma is in eternal existence. It is the power which holds the planets, stars and galaxies suspended in nothingness in space. It is not created or destroyed. Dharma is God.
Dharma has many aspects to it. One aspect is the duty of the parent to nurture the children when they are small and helpless. Its return aspect is for child to take care of the aged and weak parents. This Dharma is followed by all creation. When this dharma is followed sincerely, the powers of the Universe come together to help and protect the follower of Dharma. The story below speaks of this eternal truth:
In a far away forest, there was a grove of silk cotton trees. High up on those trees lived thousands of parrots. An aged pair of parrots and their baby bird also lived in these trees. This baby bird was extremely beautiful and was the apple of his parents' heart. His parents took great care of him and taught him the right approach to life. The baby bird grew up to be a handsome young parrot. He was also gentle and kind and was loved by all. One day, the young parrot noticed that his parents were old and tired and decided that it was time for him to take care of them. So he requested them to rest in the tree while he flew around and brought food for them daily.
Each morning, as the dawn broke, the handsome parrot flew to a far off rice field to find food. The whole flock of parrots went with him. He would return after some time with his beak full of rice grains which he offered to his parents. A worker in the field noticed this daily trip by the parrots and noted the large handsome leader. He informed his master about the parrots who came daily and ate rice grains. He made a special mention about the large handsome bird that carried a beak full of rice grains and flew away. The master ordered the worker to set a trap for the handsome bird.
The next day, when the parrots were pecking at the rice grains, the handsome parrot’s foot was caught in the trap. He waited for all the parrots to finish eating and then called out for help. The other parrots were so alarmed at the news that they flew away instead of helping him. The trapped parrot was sad and frightened. After some time, the worker came and freed the parrot gently and took him to his master. Seeing the extremely charming form of the handsome parrot, the master was thrilled. He asked the bird: O beautiful bird, why do you take so much of rice with you every day? The parrot said: I have a duty to fulfill I carry food for my aged parents. I am blessed to be able to do this service of love for my parents.
The master was thrilled to hear such noble words from the parrot. He told the parrot that from then on-wards the rice field belonged to the parrots and they were welcome to come and eat there daily. The handsome young parrot flew away to his parents with his beak full of rice for them and his heart full of gratitude to the master of the rice field. He flew home and gave everyone the wonderful news. The dharma he followed protected him.
The Guru shows us the path of Dharma. Let us walk on that path with faith and conviction of the rightness of what we do and Divinity will aid us at all times. Let us live our lives chanting the SitaRam mantra, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru.
