Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/49

 tions, as a member of humanity, or as a husband or father, would involve more or less the same duties as a Westerner would imagine them to be. Perhaps the jāti-dharma and Kula-dharma need some explanation.

Jāti-dharma, or the duties of a man as a member of a tribe, generally consists of obeying the laws of the tribe regarding marriage and divorce, etc., the worship of tribal gods and general participation in the rites and festivals of the tribe. Kula-dharma is something similar. Here an individual is expected to follow the customs of the family.

How should a person know his dharma ? How should he know what his duties are towards humanity, towards his class, tribe, and for his civil condition? The general advice on the matter is that he should guide his conduct by the practice of the best of his class. "Vedas are the first source of dharma, next come smritis, and then the virtuous conduct of those who know the Vedas and the customs of holy-men, and finally self-satisfaction." Every man generally follows the customs of his tribe and is governed by ideas of right or wrong that prevail in the tribe. The tribe follows its own tradition, and in cases of doubt as to what is proper they consult the Brāhmaṇas.

No pretence is made to the effect that everything regarding dharma is known, for it is infinite and eternal. The orthodox belief is that whenever dharma becomes faded the God proclaims it through inspired persons. There is no restriction as to who should give advice on dharma. Any learned man, that is, learned according to Hindu standards, who is speaker of truth may explain dharma. Even though dharma is regarded as infinite and unknowable in totality, it is not regarded as a great grievance, for every