Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/55

 duties towards another, the only rule laid down, both by dharma writers and writers on niti (conduct) is that the interests of the smaller group should be sacrificed to the larger. On this matter the guiding verse tells us “For the sake of the family (kula) individual (purusha) should be abandoned, for the sake of town (Grāma) even the family should be abandoned, and for the sake of the country the town may be abandoned.” Another method divides dharma into, dharma regarding personal ceremonial conduct (āchāra); ordinary court law (Vyavahāra-dharma) rules regarding penance (Prāyaschitta-dharma). Dharma is also divided according to sex (Linga-dharma) into dharma for man (Purusha-dharma) and dharma for woman (Stridharma).

Dharma for the individual differs according to the class (varna) to which he belongs ; according to this division there are four divisions of dharma, namely, Brāhmaṇadharma, Kshatriya-dharma, Vaishya-dharma, and Shūdradharma. To these some writers add Antyaja-dharma, viz. dharma for the outcasts.

Dharma is also classified according to the Ashrama of the individual. These ashramas are four as far as Arya men are concerned. They are, (1) Student (Brāhma-charya), (2), Householder (Grihastha), (3) Forest-dweller (Vānaprastha), and (4) Ascetic (Sanyasta).

Though there are several ways in which dharma is divided, the dharma is by no means completely exhausted. There is always some room for innovation and addition. For example, in the seventeenth century, a new word was coined and a new dharma was created, by the famous Maratha sage Rāmadāsa. He called it Maharāshtradharma, a word which is used by the writers in Mahā-