Dharma (Right Order and Duty)

Dharma is one of the richest words in the tradition. It means the order that holds the cosmos together, and at the same time the right way for a person to live — one's duty, ethics, and proper role given one's stage and station in life. It is what is fitting and sustaining, as against adharma, what tears the fabric. Because it is so context-dependent, much of Hindu ethical and legal literature is an inquiry into what dharma actually requires.