Organisational Dharma of Human Society: Lessons from Human Biology

Tattvaloka’s lecture series on ‘Onward March to Rāma Rājya’ witnessed an absorbing talk by Dr. Sudha Seshayyan on 24^th of June 2018 at the Tattvāloka auditorium. The speaker, an accomplished practitioner of modern medicine and the Director of Madras Medical College, spoke on ‘Organisational Dharma of Human Society: Lessons from Human Biology’.

The significance of the term ‘organisation’ to human society as a means to ensure order is well understood. It has linkage with the biological organism and with the order maintained in the cosmos.

Organisation is essential for the achievement of any goal. In terms of the human society, the goal is effective and useful existence. History reveals that only organisational abilities have led to technological advancements and civilisation.

According to the Vedas, the organisation in the universe is called ṛtā, and dharma developed as a systematised body of values based on ṛtā, Dr. Seshayyan said. “Dharma must, therefore, determine individual and group behaviour.”

Lessons on Biology

The science of biology shows the incredible assemblage of minute parts of smaller units in any organism into larger entities. Whether it is an insect or a human, every organism has organs grouped in itself. These organ groups form organ systems within the body and they work towards a common goal. A perfect example is the heart, blood vessels and blood, which all form into one organ system, the cardiovascular system.

Smaller units like cells integrate seamlessly into larger entities. The cells have myriad shapes, dimensions and functions, but every one of them has a role to perform.

Elements in the universe are made up of subatomic particles which unite to form an atom, and several atoms unite to form a molecule. In a biological structure, these molecules regroup to form the cellular organelles, and many of these organelles put together form one single cell, which is the fundamental unit of life.

It is incredible that the human body has a total of 100 trillion cells. Diverse types of cells come together, in different combinations and permutations, to form a tissue. Different types of tissues join together to form an organ and different organs come together to form an organ system and all of them work towards the same goal of sustaining the body. The cells do their work; the heart as a whole does its work, and then the entire cardio vascular system does its work. All the components work at their respective levels.

“This is the organisational dharma I find in biology,” said the speaker, drawing to the conclusion established by Vedas that smaller units in society have to collectively work towards a harmonious whole.

Some structures in the body play the role of fighting intruders. While organs like the liver try to regenerate, compensate and make up, some organs try to do the repair, while some step in only when needed. However, all of them keep working, helping one another and trying to keep the body together. They try to retain harmony as much as possible and do not give up in spite of abuse of the human body.

There is perfect division of labour. Some organs are ‘lethargic’ compared to others, as for example, while the heart is working all the time, the thymus is active only during youthful years of a person.

Nature has its own dissimilarities. But these dissimilar components complement each other. Every cell and structure is interested in only doing its work and it does not confront other cells or structures. Seemingly dirty organs are as essential as seemingly clean organs.

Biology therefore teaches us that individual parts are important, and that individual achievements are always part of a comprehensive and collective whole.

Lessons from Rāmāyaṇa

Dr. Seshayyan portrayed two extraordinary scenes from the epic Ramayana to drive home the point of dissimilar entities complementing each other.

Rāmacharitamānasa describes the scene of the marriage of the four brothers - Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Shatrughna at the same venue. After the wedding, the respective brides turned to look at their grooms and, looking at their match, they smiled to themselves. Rāma was dark in complexion while Sītā was fair; Lakṣmaṇa was fair while Urmilā was dark, and so on. That they, as a couple, were endowed with mutually complementing features gave them joy.

Another example can be drawn from a version of Valmīki Rāmāyaṇa which describes how the vāṇaras were kāmarūpīs and endowed with the power to assume any form at their will. However, they fought the war as monkeys, and not assuming any other form. It was only after the war was over and Rāvaṇa was slain, when the vāṇara senā was on the way to Ayodhyā for Rāma’s coronation, Rāma asked them all to take human forms.

Drawing lessons from the epic, the speaker concluded her lecture by saying that that the Onward March to Rāma Rājya is nothing but the march of man from his abject lower nature to a state of divinity.