Dharma as justice
Topic: Equality and Social Justice · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "Social Justice"
Meaning
In ancient India, justice was linked with dharma, which means a just social order. Keeping dharma was seen as the king's main duty, known as rajadharma. A good king was one who protected this order. NCERT uses this idea to show that the question of justice is very old in Indian thought.
Example
Amartya Sen (2009) later used old Indian terms for justice. He spoke of nyaya, meaning justice actually achieved, and said it prevents matsyanyaya, "the big fish eating the small fish". Protecting the weak from the strong in this way was part of what rajadharma meant.
Don't confuse with
- Confucian idea of justice: in ancient China, Confucius said kings keep justice by punishing wrongdoers and rewarding good people. Dharma meant upholding a whole social order.
Related concepts
- Justice
- Confucian idea of justice
- Glaucon's view of justice
- Plato's theory of justice
- Giving each person his due