Dharma

; *Fitzgerald, James (2004), "Dharma and its Translation in the Mahābhārata", ''Journal of Indian philosophy'', 32(5), pp. 671–685; Quote – "virtues enter the general topic of dharma as 'common, or general, dharma', ..." | image2 = Yoga Meditation Pos-410px.png | caption2 = Yoga, personal behaviour | image3 = Balanced scales.svg | caption3 = Law and justice | image4 = A havan ceremony on the banks of Ganges, Muni ki Reti, Rishikesh.jpg | caption4 = Rituals and rites of passage | image5 = Raja Ravi Varma - Sankaracharya.jpg| caption5 = Sannyasa and stages of life | image6 = Dharma Wheel.svg| caption6 = Duties, such as learning from teachers }} Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in the Indian religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. The term ''dharma'' is understood to refer to behaviours which are in harmony with the "order and custom" that sustains life; "virtue", righteousness or "religious and moral duties". The antonym of ''dharma'' is adharma.

The concept of ''dharma'' was in use in the historical Vedic religion (1500–500 BCE), and its meaning and conceptual scope has evolved over several millennia. In Hinduism, ''dharma'' denotes behaviours that are considered to be in accord with ''Ṛta''—the "order and custom" that makes life and universe possible.}} This includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and "right way of living". ''Dharma'' is believed to have a transtemporal validity, and is one of the Puruṣārtha.

In Buddhism, ''dharma'' () refers to the teachings of the Buddha. In Buddhist philosophy, ''dhamma/dharma'' is also the term for "phenomena". ''Dharma'' in Jainism refers to the teachings of Tirthankara (Jina) and the body of doctrine pertaining to the purification and moral transformation of humans. In Sikhism, ''dharma'' indicates the path of righteousness, proper religious practices, and performing one's own moral duties.

As with the other components of the Puruṣārtha, the concept of ''dharma'' is pan-Indian. The ancient Tamil text ''Tirukkuṟaḷ'', despite being a collection of aphoristic teachings on dharma (''aram''), artha (''porul''), and kama (''inpam''), is completely and exclusively based on ''aṟam''—the Tamil term for ''dharma''. Provided by Wikipedia