​Why does definition of kshatriya not refer to protection of dharma?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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In the Rig Veda, the verse that describes the characters of kṣatriya, it doesn’t talk so much about how kṣatriya has to protect dharma.
See, literally speaking, the word kṣatriya means kṣata trāyate iti kṣatriya. Kṣata is heard. Trāyate means one who protects from hurt.
So, now when we say brāhmaṇa, brāhmaṇa is brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa. So, now brahma jānāti, one who knows brahma. See, no definition can be inclusive.
Definitions have to be concise. So, when we say brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa, that definition cannot include what is a brāhmaṇa or what is brahma. When we are talking about brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa, we are talking about brāhmaṇa, at that time we cannot include what is the definition of brāhmaṇa.
So, the primary protection, primary role of kṣatriya is to protect. Protect from injury. Now, what is an injury? That will vary from time, place, circumstances.
So, usually we think of injury in terms of physical injury. Now, one person attacks another and beats them up. But, there can be financial injury.
If somebody cheats, there can be somebody cheats and robs money, that’s financial injury. If somebody maligns and spreads rumors, assassinates someone’s character, that can also injure. That is also injury.
So, similarly, if somebody just mentally tortures for someone, not too much, speak bad, speak bad, discourage, even that can be a kind of abuse. And similarly, there can be spiritual abuse. So, the word dharma, we often think of dharma in a very restricted sense.
Prabhupāda told us that dharma means that which is our nature. So, that which makes us, us. That is dharma.
But dharma, that is definitely as a foundational definition. But there are various aspects of dharma. The Bhagavad Gita itself talks about kula dharma.
It talks about jāti dharma. The first chapter talks about kula dharma, jāti dharma. It talks about the essential conflict with Arjuna is between his kula dharma and his kṣatriya dharma.
So, dharma in a broad sense means order. And there is order in nature. And there are actions which we do, which can contribute to maintaining the order.
Or there are actions which can disrupt that order. So, whenever that order is disrupted in any way, that causes injury. So, whenever the order of nature is disrupted, that causes injury.
Some kind of injuries may be gross and visible, such as physical injury. But emotional injury in a person who is emotionally hurt or emotionally wounded, they may externally appear to be perfectly healthy. But they may be terribly, terribly hurt.
So, there are various kinds of protection. And in the concise definition of kṣatriya, although our universe that is describing the qualities of kṣatriya, the specific point of the protection of dharma may not be mentioned. But the point is, protection from injury comes when order is maintained.
And maintenance of order is dharma. So here, kṣatatrayate iti kṣatriya, or if we talk about the qualities of kṣatriya as mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, there also, the focus is on preventing the injury, on protecting people in a resourceful way, in a gallant way, in a heroic way, by which they are protected from injury. So, in the protection from injury, and in the qualities required for protecting them from injury, the aspect of protection of dharma is implicit.
Okay? Thank you. Yes, sir. Where is the mic? Okay, it’s gone.
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