The Manusmriti contains a comprehensive description of the meanings of religion. The word Dharma is derived from the root dhrn dharane by adding the suffix man. That is, -which holds, Capable of being put into practice or acceptable. wearable, best idea, That is, which everyone should wear, This is religion. Thus, this is our well-known karma. It is said in Manusmriti 1/108 – Aacharah Paramo Dharmah. That is, conduct is the ultimate religion. Aachar means good conduct, Not misconduct.
Religion is used to mean duty, non-violence, justice, good conduct, virtue, true way of life, non-biased behavior, practical limitations etc. But the meaning of religion has a very vast and profound meaning. The world’s oldest codified text i.e. the first book of law, Manusmriti written by Swayambhuva Manu, contains a detailed description regarding the meanings of religion. The word dharma is formed by adding the suffix man to the root dhrīṇa. That means – which is capable of being adopted, put into practice or accepted. The most acceptable belief, that is, which everyone should adopt, is religion. Thus, this is our well-known karma. It is said in Manusmriti 1/108 – Aacharah Paramo Dharmah. That is, conduct is the ultimate religion. Ethics means good conduct, not misconduct. Clarifying this fact, it is said in Manusmriti-
The Vedas, memory, good conduct and one’s own dear self.
This is said to be the fourfold characteristic of direct religion. -Manusmriti 2/1
That is, the visible signs (proofs) of religion are – memories of the four Vedas, Manu etc., good conduct of good men and behavior that is dear to one’s soul.
Elsewhere in Manusmriti, the daily routine and special duties related to the four varnas and ashrams, edible items, when and in which they are edible, taxes imposed by the king, controversial subjects and the measures for their execution, the process of atonement, etc. The types of sustainable descriptions are partially mentioned, which are inspiring and acceptable even today. Dharma also means virtue or nature. The religion of water is coolness. Here virtue is targeted rather than religion. It is said in Yogadarshan 3/14 – Shantoditavyapadeshyadharmaanupati dharmi. That is, the one in whom Shant (past), Udit (present) and Avyapadeshya (future) dharma are found (in the mind or senses), is righteous. Here the nature of religion is meaning. Manu’s ten characteristic religions also describe the qualities that humans should possess.
The meaning of religion is also taken in the sense of virtue or sin. Virtue or sin, it is the result of man’s actions. According to Manusmriti 8/17, religion is the only friend which goes with us even after death, because everything else gets destroyed along with the body. Here religion means the results of deeds. In this way, the word religion has many meanings, capable of doing or inculcating in nature etc. That acceptable religion can be divided into two parts – eternal i.e. eternal and social, impermanent. Temporary religion keeps changing according to circumstances, but eternal religion remains fixed. It has three characteristics – universal, all-time and public. The religion applicable to the entire world i.e. the entire land is called universal. Speaking the truth.
No matter where in the world people live, the religion of human beings will prima facie lean towards the truth like a magnet, whereas on the contrary, the way of greeting is different in every country. The one which is applicable in every moment, every moment is called eternal. Like- don’t steal. Be it day or night, big or small, theft will always remain a crime. On the other hand, duties towards children extend only as long as they are children, and end when they grow up. It is called public, not prescribed for any particular community, but for human beings only.
Doing charity is such a religion, which is not prescribed only for Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras or anyone else, but it is the duty of all human beings. On the other hand, the Kshatriya’s duty of protection is not that of others. Unlike this Sanatan Dharma, social religion depends on the country, time and social situation. Ten characteristics of Sanatan Dharma have been described in Manusmriti, in which emphasis has been laid on the nature aspect only. It is said in Manusmriti 6/92-
patience, forgiveness, self-control, stealing, cleanliness, control of the senses.
Intelligence, knowledge, truthfulness and anger are the ten characteristics of righteousness.- Manusmriti 6/9
That is, patience, forgiveness, restraint, stealth, purity, restraint of the senses, intelligence, knowledge, truth and anger – these are the ten characteristics of Dharma.
The ten characteristic dharma of Manusmriti indicate the attainable human nature. But due to the close relationship between nature and behavior, some behavior becomes a duty. And this religion is not for any particular caste or sect, but is preached for the entire human society. It is the ultimate duty of human being to understand and accept it properly. Householders are mostly engaged in earning money and maintaining their family. Earning money and bringing up the family are certainly the main duties of a householder, but according to Manu Smriti, many other duties including the deeds mentioned in the Panch Mahayagyas are also special duties of the householder. Through these duties, he sustains other ashrams and other living beings through Bali Vaishvadev Yagya and Atithi Yagya.
Those who perform Panch Mahayagya for their family, society and nation perform the duties of a householder. Along with all these duties, he also gets maximum enjoyment. All ashrams follow religion, but only the householder enjoys wealth and work. That’s why he performs all his duties with a smile. For this reason, it is said in Manusmriti 3/78 that the remaining three receive food, clothes etc. donations from the Ashrami householder every day. Therefore, in reality, it is the householder who sustains them. For this reason, Grihastha Ashram is the biggest ashram among all the ashrams. It is said in Manusmriti 3/75-
For he who is engaged in the work of destiny sustains this moving and non-moving.
That is, the householder fills the entire universe by the sacrifice of the gods.
In Manusmriti, it has been taught to adopt a religious, non-violence livelihood as per one’s interest, while it has also been suggested that worldly work should be done only to the extent that one can live comfortably. One should not invest in raising too much money. The same has been said for health protection also. Taking out some time every day for self-study i.e. studying the Vedas and scriptures for salvation is the biggest religion of the household. According to Manusmriti 4/147, as much time as you get, you should practice the Vedas daily, without being lazy, because that is the ultimate religion, all other religions are sub-religions.
Manu Smriti 4/17, while advising to teach the knowledge gained from study to others through teaching to the best of one’s ability, states that one should leave aside activities that are opposed to self-study, and under any circumstances, one should teach regularly even for a short period of time, because self-study The gratitude lies in this. Self-study is Rishiyagya itself. In Manusmriti, daily charity has been described as the duty of a householder, but while warning about charity, it has been said in Manusmriti 4/227 that after being happy and completely removing attachment from things, the householder should daily perform astheic activities i.e. organizing yagyas to the best of his ability, and provide nutritious food. That is, construction of a hospital, school, etc., and a suitable person should be found and donated to him. It is very important for the character to be eligible. Giving to the wrong person does not result in virtue but only in sin. According to Manusmriti 4/193, by giving three types of wrong utensils, even the money earned according to religion, becomes the cause of disaster for the donor in this life, and brings sorrow in the next life for the recipient of the donation.
According to Manusmriti, these characters are of three types – those who woo fearful people by talking big, showing their miracles, their great deeds, or their great knowledge, and those who prove themselves knowledgeable by showing humility. And those who go around preaching religion despite not knowing the Vedas. By donating money to these three characters, the donor can also become the cause of disaster or its victim. It is very important for the householder to be happy. Only when he is happy can he follow the path of religion. While explaining the measures to increase happiness, it has been said in Manu Smriti that as far as possible, one’s livelihood should be under one’s control, because whatever is under control is painful. According to Manusmriti 4/160, one should be satisfied with whatever is achieved through efforts, even if one continues to strive for additional growth. Without satisfaction, all wealth and opulence are like dust. According to Manusmriti 4/12, to be situated in ultimate satisfaction, the person seeking happiness should control his desires, because satisfaction is the root of happiness, and dissatisfaction is the origin of unhappiness. If you remain humble even after many efforts, you should not blame yourself for your condition, and you should never consider the attainment of God as rare and keep trying till death.
According to Manusmriti 4/163, a human should not be an atheist, criticizing the Vedas and scholars, malicious, devious, proud, angry or sarcastic. Even if you do not have Vedic knowledge, you should maintain respect for the Vedas by having faith in the words of the scholars. Disrespect of scholars and pride in oneself deprives one of the light of knowledge. Hatred, arrogance, anger and greed pollute the human mind the most. These four emotions do more than cause sadness to sin. Therefore they should be abandoned as soon as possible. In Manusmriti 4/246, while mentioning the nature of a householder i.e. the qualities that a human being should have, it has been said that one should always remain firm on the path of religion, one should behave gently with everyone, one should not have relations with cruel people, one should be non-violent, Must be intelligent and charitable. With this the householder soon attains great happiness.