Similarly, man too has some natural characteristics that are his very life-breath. They are also called Sakthis or abilities. They can be identified as 'men' only so long as these abilities are found in them. If they are lost, they are no longer 'men'. To preserve and foster such qualities and abilities, certain modes of behaviour, lines of thought are laid down. Dharma will not decline if these (Aachaaras and Vichaaras) are kept up. Dharma is not imported from somewhere outside, nor can it be removed. It is your own genuine nature, your uniqueness. It is the thing which makes a man out of an animal. How to observe Dharma? By being 'yourself'. If a thing breaks loose from its Dharma and behaves as the whim dictates, then it is doing A-dharma.

This Sahajadharma of man was overpowered in course of time; those who supported it, encouraged it and derived joy from it, declined. So, in common parlance, it was said to have been 'destroyed', though it is something that cannot be destroyed. It is only like the weed overpowering the crop. So the 'establishment of Dharma' is only weeding the field. Now in this iron age or Kaliyuga, Dharma has become a mere matter of words. Dharma is not just the magical manipulation of words. This must be clearly understood. What has to be spoken is Truth; what has to be acted is Dharma.

"Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara" - has been the clarion call of the Upanishads, the repositories of Indian culture. These glorious teachings have been forgotten today; they have been turned upside down, in fact. "Dharmam vada,", "Speak Dharma" is the order of the day! That is the first step in the decline of Dharma, this descent from deed to word, the belief that a thing is done when it is only uttered! This is A-dharma, in fact.

But that which is not practised cannot possess strength. The crocodile's strength depends upon its being in water; the strength of Dharma depends upon its being practised. It becomes weak when it is taken out of practice and thrown on the sands of words. Sathya is a matter of speech, it gets strength when it is practised in speech; it is difficult to practise it in action. "Strength" has two meanings here: Animal strength and Dharmic strength. Bhima had physical strength, but as his elder brother, Dharmaja, was by his side, Bhima's strength became Dharmic. The Pandavas were saved by their adherence to Dharmic strength! But for that, they would have suffered defeat even in the very beginning. The Pandavas, without Dharmaja, whatever their resources, would have been an easy match for their opponents. Just ponder over that. How were the Kauravas destroyed, in spite of their vastly superior resources? They did not have Dharmic strength. All that they could rely on was sheer animal strength. The day when Dharmaja and Bhima, those who had Dharmic strength, moved into the forest, A-dharma penetrated into the land of the Kauravas.