That which supports the jiiva [living being], or the object the jiiva is supported by, or, in other words, the essence of life, is called dharma. It is only dharma that carries the exact identification of an object. That is why dharma occupies the highest of all places in life. For any object or being to occupy a position higher than that of dharma is inconceivable. Hence dharma has to be protected under all circumstances. If a being deviates from its dharma, its very existence as a being is jeopardized; just as milk can no longer be called milk if its whiteness is taken away.

In the same way, when the dharma of an object or a being is destroyed, nothing will be left of that object. So whenever and under whatever conditions a person might be living, protecting his or her dharma is that person’s bounden duty. One should also help others to protect their dharmas, to protect their very existences. Whenever any jiiva or any being deviates from its own dharma, great calamity will befall it. This is called mahatii vinaśt́i, “all-round destruction”, in the scriptures.

So never under any circumstances should dharma be defiled; rather it should be protected. When under the influence of wrong ideas or wrong training and evil environments people lose their dharma, deviate from the path of dharma, society collapses. In the Giitá Shrii Krśńa says:

Paritráńáya sádhúnáḿ vinásháya ca duśkrtám;
Dharmasaḿsthápanártháya sambhavámi yuge yuge.

[I incarnate Myself in this world from age to age for the protection of the virtuous, the destruction of the wicked, and the restoration of dharma.]

When under the influence of wrong training and wrong environments, people deviate from their dharma, Bhagaván Himself appears to re-establish dharma.

Now the question is, what is it that brings on the decay of dharma? Why, after all, do people deviate from dharma? Why and how do wrong education and bad environments come about? There must be reasons. When dishonest people dominate over society, when administration is in the hands of the corrupt, honest people keep a low profile. When adharma reigns in society, when people are goaded by immoral persons and compelled to act by them, then and only then is it that people deviate from their dharma.

Yadá yadá hi dharmasya glánirbhavati Bhárata;
Cábhyutthánamadharmasya tadátmánaḿ srjámyáham.⁽¹⁾

[O Bhárata, at a time when dharma declines and adharma is ascendant, I create myself out of my own fundamental factors.]

The word gláni means “deviation from one’s own natural state”. What a miserable and helpless condition people are in when they have to lower their heads in fear before sinners, and adharma triumphs over dharma! They can do nothing under such circumstances. Under such awful circumstances, Parama Puruśa Himself has to come and take stern measures. In order to save humankind from such an extreme situation, Parama Puruśa will certainly have to do something.

To save someone from danger is called tráńa. The word tráńa is derived from the root verb trae plus the inflection anat́; it means “to save”. Suppose someone is in danger, and you rescue the person for the time being; that is an act of tráńa. But although you have saved the person today, they may be in danger again the next day. Obviously you have not pulled them out of danger permanently. Such an act of bringing someone out of the woods permanently is not an easy task; it is, in fact, beyond the power of human beings. To save someone permanently is called paritráńa. Only Parama Puruśa can bring about the paritráńa of jiivas [living beings], no one else. Tráńa leaves open the possibility of further danger in the future. But in the case of paritráńa, the question of recurrence of danger does not arise. The Giitá speaks of this paritráńa.

Similarly, the annihilation of sinners, evil-doers, is also the duty of Parama Puruśa. The meaning of the word násha is “destruction”, and the word vinásha implies permanent destruction. That which will not occur again is vinásha. Another such word in prańásha; but that has a different connotation. Prańásha implies going back to one’s own original state of being. For instance, we get sugar-cane juice from the cane; then from that juice comes sugar. Now if the sugar could go back to sugar cane, this would be prańásha.

Hence in order to annihilate evil-doers and restore dharma, Parama Puruśa showers His special grace and compassion. This special effort is necessary because the place of dharma is above all else; its importance is greater than that of anything else.

So you must under all circumstances give first priority and primary importance to dharma. Victory is assured to those who put dharma above everything else. Under no circumstances can they be defeated. Never have they been, nor are they now, nor will they be in future.

Footnotes

(1) Bhagavad Giitá. –Trans.