The warp and weft of existentialism and svadharma

For representative purposes. | Photo Credit: iStockphoto “It is certain that we cannot escape anguish, for we are anguish,” Jean-Paul Sartre wrote in Being and Nothingness. It is as if he was reflecting on Arjuna’s confusion at the outset of the Kurukshetra war. “I am confused about my dharma, and am besieged with anxiety and faintheartedness,” Arjuna beseeches Krishna.But what exactly is this dharma? Traditionally, dharma is taken to mean life affirming “orders and customs”, “virtues”, “righteousness”, “religious and moral duties” or “law”. The term sanatana dharma has found a revival in recent history, and refers to that part of dharma which is eternal. The now famed dictum, “speak the truth, speak it pleasantly. do not speak truth unpleasantly. do not speak untruth pleasantly. that is the eternal dharma”, rather succinctly captures the meaning of santana dharma. Published - March 11, 2025 08:30 am IST