Dharmashastra National Law University

⌖ Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

Understanding Dharmashastra The ancient legal system was based upon the concept of supremacy of dharma. Dharma is the Sanskrit expression of the most comprehensive import. It is difficult to define precisely, but it can be explained. The word “dharma” is sometimes used to refer to justice (Nyaya). It implies what is right in a given circumstance and includes moral values of right, pious obligations of individuals, righteous conduct in every sphere of activity, being helpful to other living beings, giving charity to individuals in need of it or to a public cause, or alms to the needy. Dharma also connotes the idea of duty and law. The position of dharma is explained in Taittiriya Upanishad, which states that dharma constitutes the foundation of all affairs in the world. The Supreme Court, in the case of A.S. Narayana Deekshitulu, AIR 1996 SC 1765, has quoted the following verse of Karnaparva (Chapter 69, verse 58) of Mahabharata: