The Subtlety of Dharma

‘The hunter was having a particularly tough time finding an animal to hunt, and it was getting exasperating. That’s when he spotted a deer. He aimed an arrow, but the sprightlydeer dodged him. The deer ran and reached an opening in the forest with two roads, one leading to the village and another towards the mountain. The deer scanned the area, and its eyes met the sage’s, who sat under the tree. Apparently, he had been meditating and was perhaps about to head back to his ashram. For a moment, their eyes locked. That’s when the deer heard the fast-approaching footsteps of the hunter and ran down the opening that led to the mountains. The hunter came to the spot and was surprised to find the sage in the deep woods. Finding him not meditating, the hunter asked him if he had seen the deer run away. The sage nodded and pointed to the opening that led to the village. The hunter ran in that direction.’ Finishing the story abruptly, the guru asked his disciples, ‘So what’s your opinion about the sage’s action?’

Everyone found the sage to be right in saving the poor deer. ‘He was compassionate, and that makes his action right.’
The guru countered, ‘What about the lie? He misled the hunter.’
‘Lying for the sake of helping someone isn’t a sin,’ one of the disciples blurted out the philosophy that he had heard since childhood. ‘You also taught us aapad-dharma, where rules can be bent during an emergency for greater good.’

The guru nodded as he spoke, ‘And how does one decide greater good? The hunter was also performing his duties. Is it not his dharma to fill the stomachs of the little ones in his house? The sage’s action deprived the entire family of dinner, perhaps even of money he could’ve earned by selling the remaining meat.’

The disciples became pensive upon hearing the guru’s words. In their rush to judge, they had forgotten to factor in all the aspects. There’s something called Dharma Sukshmata, or the subtlety of Dharma. Each action hascontrasting elements intertwined and is neither entirely good nor bad. We ought to be careful before painting any action in purely black or white shades without understanding the perspective and the situation, and definitely not before getting a glimpse of the complete picture.