The blossoms of Indian culture have been reared in the garden of dharma, Artha and Kama and have always spread the beautiful fragrance of Moksha which has been ever the goal from every standpoint on Indian soil. The king, the nobleman, the priest, the trader, the warrior, the cultivator, the teacher, the disciple, the husband, the wife, the parent, the child, the stranger, the friend, the foe, even the most unconcerned recluse and mendicant in India have always been guided in their outlook on lie by that single word of significance, Dharma.
So to understand the spirit of Indian culture we should understand the significance of dharma. But it is very difficult o understand dharma by any particular definition as it is intimately connected with life; and dharma is only a happy mode of living for the benefit of the world without injustice to the self. It is a full, true, loving and aesthetic mode of life in which the nobler sentiments of man have their full play. Considered from various aspects of life the flowers of Indian culture are as full of colour and splendour as the fragrance that they spread.
In India, as in any other country, certain fundamental ideas proclaim national ideals, and if the nation is to be understood, these ideals should be studied. In a tropical country, rich in mountains and rivers, warm with the warmth of the sun during the day and cool in he silvery light of the moon by night, with twinkling stars in a dark bright sky that give an impression of vastness, with trees laden with flowers and fruit, lakes and pools filled with lotuses and lilies, animals and birds as friendly companions all around, the people, living in such bright, natural surroundings, developed a love and affection for nature itself. |
