Conflicts in Svadharma

Ever since civilization began we have been seeking happiness in our

personal lives and harmony in the society around us. But in trying to do so,
we sometimes face a conflict between love and duty, between following
the path of selfless love and devotion (bhakti) and the path of duty based
on truth and righteousness (dharma). Truth is the heart of the universe;
Truth is eternal and not subject to time and space; Practicing truth in
thought, speech, and action is the highest duty—dharma—and dharma is
the only way to eternal peace and happiness.”

In situations in which there seems to be a conflict between these two great

spiritual laws, most of us would be hard-pressed to choose between them.
History is rich with examples of those who have sacrificed their lives for
dharma and those who have sacrificed their lives for the principle of love,
even at the cost of renouncing their dharma. In situations in which there
seems to be a conflict between these two great spiritual laws, most of us
would be hard-pressed to choose between them. The episodes from the
Ramayana shows that it is possible to reconcile the conflict between
dharma and selfless love in a way that deepens our understanding of how
to live a happy and spiritually fruitful life.

The Bhagavad Gita accepts that there are no ultimate universal solutions and all
solutions have their own defects. When the Lord incarnates as Rama or Krishna
to establish dharma, He subjects himself to the pressure and limits of its rule
caused by the exigencies of the various contexts when its supremacy is
challenged. Adharma is its opposing partner always threatening to supersede it.

The Ramayana shows the way to ideal living and how to restore “Dharma” on
earth. Rama is the inner Self or Atma, the embodiment of love, peace and
effectiveness, acting through the mind, body and senses of human being. Rama
is also the embodiment of Dharma, of all codes of morality that hold mankind
together in love and unity. His mind and behaviour are pure and steady, because
he is the embodiment of the inner Self & all life-promoting universal values.
Rama is the impersonate form of God. So, God impersonates in human
experiences. He shows how to overcome the evil forces. His unique success in
all spheres of life — mental & physical, casual & spiritual— has inspired
people at large. Rama is a man of spirit and not of war. He symbolizes the
embodiment of all moral values that a man of Dharma possesses and thereby
support that “spiritualism is synonymous with universalism”. Rama is the
rational reflection of the theory of “Dharma” that enlightens “Humanity” as its
essence.

Reference should be done to:

 Killing of Vali
 Banishment of Sita
 Arjuna while he refused to fight
 Arjuna killing his kiths and kins (Kshatriya)