Dharma Defined
Dharma is a pure, mostly misunderstood Indian word since there is no equivalent word in any other language. It has nothing at all to do with ‘Religion. The nearest English word would be ‘righteousness’, which however still does not mean the same.
In simplest words, Dharma would mean doing that which is right. Now the problem starts here, since Dharma will keep on changing with every situation. The Dharma of the actor will depend upon the role, purpose and intention of the actor, along with the role and purpose of the interactional person or importance and urgency of the situation if any. In the western concept, right and wrong will be generally quite rigid. What is right (or wrong) for the common man will equally apply without distinction to the role of the person or situation concerned. What is right or wrong for the Ruler will be exactly the same for the ruled. It is an exception that the role of a soldier to kill will be treated and understood differently from a civilian. This probably is a rare difference understood and is aligned with our Dharma concept. But overall, Dharma is a very dynamic concept. Therefore for each role of the person, his Dharma will be different. Hence as a provider, a person ‘s dharma will be to take care of his ailing old mother, even if as a last resort he has to steal. But if he steals for greed or if any other option was open, he will be judged differently and act will not be condoned.
Almost the whole of our scriptures are mainly aimed at teaching this concept as to what is the dharma of people at different times and in different roles. In this short blog, I am unable to take it further.
What is Businessman’s Dharma?
In the matter of business, let me just say that the primary dharma of a business man is to provide for his family, and to take care of their financial needs. Secondary role will be to provide all this while taking care of the social needs of the society and the nation too. This is the purpose or Dharma of doing business.
Morality and Legality in Business
It is necessary, particularly for young people to understand, as to what is right and wrong in business.
For lasting success, which includes happiness as an integral part of success, we should understand that doing business has two aspects; moral and legal. First and foremost, business needs to be morally correct. This will ensure money is well earned and will deliver happiness and prosperity, which is aimed for. Money earned without morality gives a direction to business which leads to destruction of all happiness, destroys its support systems, and creates turbulence not only in one’s own self and family, but also in lives of the close friends and society as a whole. Money earned through unfair means, by ruthlessness, by cheating customers, uncontrolled greed, and similar means, may lead to fast financial gains, but will take away whatever else is the dearest to oneself. Morality cannot be compromised; otherwise severe unhappy consequences will surely follow.
The other aspect is Legal. Business should be legally correct. This is necessary for society to function and this is the societal role of the businessman. As much as possible, legal requirements should be fulfilled. But here, this will also depend on the environment and the fairness of the legal system, whether it is conducive and allows a businessman to earn a decent livelihood for his family while being legally correct. If not, there can be a tussle, which would need to be resolved. This is the secondary role of a businessman surely. Any transgressions would any way bring legal consequences, hence a deep understanding is required for following one’s dharma here. This is an expanded role of a businessman as a provider for the society and this role should also be fulfilled to the best of his ability.
It is of utmost importance to differentiate between this moral and legal correctness in business. In comparison, Morality is the more important in as much as it has direct and sure consequences and complete success will not be had without this. On the other hand, Illegality of any kind will impinge on his social Dharma and have legal consequences. Before anyone starts his own business, this difference should clearly be kept in mind.
