Manu Smriti is part of Vedic literature and forms the law book of human society. There are fourteen Manus in Lord Brahma's lifetime, and Manusmriti is believed to have been taught by Lord Brahma to Swayambhuva Manu, who further gave this knowledge to Bhrigu Muni. The Manu Smriti is compiled in 2700 verses and divided into 12 chapters that establish the way of life according to virtues and codes of conduct for the general populace.
In general terms, dharma refers to leading a righteous life in harmony with natural laws as defined in scripture. In ancient India, this was regulated through stable, sustainable lifestyles and traditional norms of behavior. Today, with globalization and advanced civilization, it is far more difficult for people to decide what practices align with Dharma. They face situations and moral dilemmas not directly mentioned in the scriptures and must re-evaluate what practical behavior constitutes righteous actions.
Manu has listed ten pillars or characteristics of Dharma in the Manu Smriti:
“Steadfastness, forgiveness, self-restraint, non-stealing, purity, control of sense-organs, application of intellect, self-knowledge, truthfulness, freedom from anger – these constitute the tenfold aspects of virtue.” (Manu Smriti 6:92)
To be steady in one’s material or spiritual practices is the foremost important quality to make progress. Anyone who blindly follows the path may be determined to walk at first out of passion, steadiness will make him resolute in the long run. Great sages and devotees of the Lord mentioned in the scriptures were all steady in their services and were able to remember the Lord every moment. To have full faith in the process of Bhakti and to be firmly convinced that the Lord will surely protect from all material obstacles amid all difficulties is the real test of a practitioner.
Forgiveness is a saintly quality. It is said – “To err is human” and the wise knows this and neglects others’ ill acts. He thinks that no one is directly responsible for being mischievous without the sanction and authority of the Supreme Lord. Those are the Karmic reactions to his past deeds. When a man forgives an offender, he not only forgives that person but also burns discrepancies in his spiritual life. A heart which is full of revenge and aversion towards even a single person cannot make advancement in his spiritual path.
Human life is meant for “simple living and high thinking”. A man is expected to use their higher intelligence to pursue their Bhagavat or Sanatana Dharma to achieve the love of God. But if he, instead of this, engages in sense gratification, then he loses a gem of a chance. Whereas, a self-controlled person remains satisfied and blissful and attains perfection in his life.
Rupa Goswami, a great Vaishnava scholar, in his Upadeshamrita describes – “One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities:
(1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required
(2) over-endeavouring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain
(3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters
(4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically
(5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in God consciousness
(6) being greedy for mundane achievements.”
Although the literal meaning of the word Asteyam is non-stealing, it has a wider concept. Non-stealing means not being greedy for accumulating unnecessary material things and to go beyond our capacity to collect wealth. Unrestricted desire ultimately leads to one’s downfall.
A greedy person does not envision Dharmic principles and without hesitating, goes on with his illicit actions to gain prestige and a high position in society. However, such results are only short-lived and bring inauspiciousness in the end. A Dharmic person who maintains his integrity and remains honest, although he is struggling in his material aspect of life, soon achieves great results and the grace of the Supreme Lord.
Purity is the force which keeps us on the spiritual track. It is mentioned in the Shastras that an individual should maintain purity of mind, purity of speech, and purity of body. External purity is obtained by keeping the body clean and fit. A person should bathe at least twice a day. Internal purity is obtained by control of the mind and speech. Mind is controlled when one’s consciousness is fixed on the spiritual goal and speech is controlled when the person does not speak on unnecessary topics such as gossip, material activities, and blasphemy.
A great emphasis is given to sense control in the Shastra. By controlling the senses, one becomes a “Swami” or “Goswami”. The senses do not control him, rather, he controls the senses. Only when the senses have been controlled, the mind becomes the best of friends. But whose mind and senses are not controlled, he remains ever-frustrated and unsatisfied even in favorable circumstances.
Intelligence refers to the distinction between the right and the wrong. Lord Shri Krishna gives an interesting analogy of a horse cart in the Bhagavad Gita in which he explains that the five horses represent the five senses of a man, the chariot represents the body, the reins symbolize the mind, the driver represents the intelligence, and the passenger symbolizes the soul.
The mind is above the senses and superior to intelligence. If the intelligence is corrupted, the mind becomes weak and comes under the sway of illusion. To deepen intelligence, one must regularly associate with like-minded devotees and inquire from a bona fide spiritual master on righteous actions.
Knowledge is the basis for self-realization and it comes from scrutinizingly studying the Vedic scriptures. Scriptures guide us through material bondage, cut off all the knots of unwanted attachments within the heart, and develop love of God. The knowledge given in the scriptures dispels all doubts in the mind of an inquisitive soul and explains the ultimate goal of human life.
Truthfulness is an essential principle of Yoga and is also one of the limbs of Dharma. According to Shastra, the present age of Kaliyuga rests only on one pillar which is truthfulness. It is destroyed when one gambles and engages in such activities because it is an attempt to bypass the laws of nature and obtain material profit without honestly working for them. Another aspect of truthfulness is not lying. Remaining honest and true in spiritual practices is the key to perfecting our lives.
Akrodhah means to check anger and not to act upon it. Lord Krishna tells Arjun in the Bhagavad Gita that there are three gates to hell – lust, greed, and anger. Anger is a demoniac quality which pollutes one’s intellect and the person loses all his distinction power. Therefore, the scriptures suggest that even if there is provocation, one should be tolerant. Only when he is free from anger, can he transcend the three modes of material nature.
“Dharma verily destroys one who destroys it; it is dharma again, which protects one who protects it. Hence one should take care not to deviate from dharma; if not it is sure to destroy him.” (Manusmriti 8:15)
Without following the principles of Dharma as explained in the Manusmriti and other books on Hinduism, it is impossible to walk the path of transcendence. These virtues help one to remain calm in their mind so that the mind then can think of a higher goal.
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