“So What if Dharma Vanishes? Why Should the World Care?”
🌠 When Dharma Falls, the Cosmos Trembles
🌀 If Hindu Dharma is erased, the principles of Karma and Dharma—which uphold the moral and spiritual balance of the universe—will vanish from human consciousness. Without Dharma, there can be no cosmic order. And without the practice of Yajna, even the Devas—the divine forces who sustain life—are deprived of their due offerings (havis). When the sacred cycle of offering and nourishment is broken, the result is not divine wrath in the mythological sense, but natural and spiritual imbalance on a scale humanity cannot even fathom.
⚖️ The Cosmic Body Is Out of Balance
🛑 The universe is not a mechanical construct—it is a living, conscious organism, a vast cosmic body (Virāt Purusha) that mirrors the structure and needs of the human body. Just as we must nourish our bodies with wholesome food, minerals, and internal balance, so too must we nourish the cosmos with righteous actions, selfless offerings, and reverent alignment with Dharma. When these cosmic duties are ignored—when we stop “feeding” the Devas, the divine intermediaries between humanity and Supreme Consciousness—the universe, like a starved body, begins to manifest symptoms of decay, distortion, and destruction.
⚖️ Not Divine Anger—Just Cosmic Law
🌩️ Some people, trapped in a dualistic mindset, misinterpret natural calamities as unjust punishments from angry gods. But in the non-dual understanding, there is no separate “other” who punishes. There is only One interconnected cosmic system, governed by eternal laws. The universe does not react out of emotion—it simply rebalances itself. Just as gravity doesn’t punish someone for falling, Dharma too is a law—not of vengeance, but of alignment. When violated, it restores equilibrium through upheaval—not out of wrath, but out of necessity.
🔱 Yajna: The Sacred Engine of the Universe
🔥 At the heart of this cosmic order stands Yajna—the sacred act of selfless offering. It is the invisible pillar on which the world rests. Yajna is not merely a ritual performed around fire; it is a way of life—a commitment to perform one’s duties without ego, without attachment, and as an offering to the Supreme Brahman. It is the spiritual current that keeps the universe aligned. And when Yajna disappears, it is not just tradition that crumbles—the very soul of civilization collapses.
🔄 The Divine Cycle of Yajna (Gita 3.16)
“evam pravartitam cakram” — Thus was the wheel (of Yajna) set in motion.
In Bhagavad Gita 3.16, Krishna reveals the eternal law of Yajna—the sacred wheel of mutual nourishment that sustains the universe. When human beings perform selfless actions, divine forces (Devas) are nourished, and in return, the world is blessed with balance, prosperity, and peace. This is not merely about ritual—it is the deeper cosmic law of giving, receiving, and sustaining. The sun, rivers, trees—all give without asking. To live selfishly, outside this divine rhythm, is to live in vain. Such a life brings suffering, not as punishment, but as a correction from the Whole—because separation from the Yajna-chakra is separation from one’s own Self.
🕉️ Liberation Through Karma Yoga (Gita 3.9)
“yajñārthāt karmaṇo ‘nyatra” — Action done for any purpose other than Yajna…
In verse 3.9, Krishna clarifies that all action binds when done with ego and expectation. But when work is done as an offering—free from personal desire—it becomes a path to freedom. This is the essence of Karma Yoga: to act without ego, to serve without pride, and to give without grasping. In the non-dual understanding, there is no separate “I” acting—only the play of consciousness expressing through form. The illusion of doership is the root of bondage. Renounce this illusion, Krishna says—not action itself. Offer every act as Yajna, and your life becomes a sacred current within the great cosmic flow.
🧘♂️ Who Trembles When Yajna Ceases? A Clarification
A common question arises when we speak of the “cosmic body trembling” or “Virāt Purusha starving” due to the absence of Yajna:
Does the Supreme Brahman suffer? Is God affected by human action?
To answer this, we must turn to the clarity provided by Adi Shankaracharya, who distinguished three fundamental realities within the realm of Māyā:
Jīva – the individual soul, identified with body and mind.
Jagat – the world of names, forms, and experience.
Īshwara – the personal God, the ruler of the universe, who creates, sustains, and dissolves.
Īshwara is not different from Brahman, but is Brahman reflected through Māyā—functioning as Brahmā (the creator), Vishnu (the sustainer), and Shiva (the dissolver). Each represents a pure mode of nature:
Brahmā embodies Rajas (activity),
Vishnu embodies Sattva (purity),
Shiva embodies Tamas (dissolution).
Between Īshwara and the three illusion-bound realms—Swarga Loka (heaven), Bhuloka (earth), and Naraka (hell)—operate the Devatās, cosmic intelligences responsible for delivering karmic results based on human deeds.
But beyond all this—beyond Jīva, Jagat, and Īshwara—shines the Supreme Brahman:
Formless, genderless, changeless,
Untouched by action, unaffected by time,
The silent, unmoved Witness behind all experience.
So, when scriptures or seers say “the cosmos trembles” or “the Devas are starved”, it is a reference to the manifest world of Jagat, Jīva, and Īshwara—not to the Nirguṇa Brahman. The trembling is not in the Absolute, but in the functional framework of the universe—the subtle machinery that sustains harmony and order within illusion.
Thus, the Supreme remains untouched. But within the play of Māyā, when Yajna (selfless offering) is neglected, it is the structure of cosmic interdependence that destabilizes—much like a finely tuned system collapsing when its core function is ignored.
