Ṛta

In the Vedic religion, Ṛta (/ɹ̩tam/; Sanskrit ऋत ṛta "order, rule; truth; logos") is the principle of natural order which regulates and coordinates the operation of the universe and everything within it. In the hymns of the Vedas, Ṛta is described as that which is ultimately responsible for the proper functioning of the natural, moral and sacrificial orders. Conceptually, it is closely allied to the injunctions and ordinances thought to uphold it, collectively referred to as Dharma, and the action of the individual in relation to those ordinances, referred to as Karma – two terms which eventually eclipsed Ṛta in importance as signifying natural, religious and moral order in later Hinduism.

Quotes

• Among the Chinese, a narrowly corresponding term for ṛta is 道 dao, “path”, “way”, and more precisely 天道 tiandao, “way of heaven”. Its visible embodiment was the daily (seeming) course of the stars around the earth, the orderly movement of constellations, the day cycle and year cycle.
  • Is the term Dharma untranslatable? (in Saradindu Mukherji, ed.: Prabodhan 2, Delhi 2018) by Dr K. Elst, 2018 [1]

• The personification of ṛta among the Vedic gods is Varuṇa, lord (Asura) of heavenly hosts, the star-studded night sky, the oceanic expanse above us.
  • Is the term Dharma untranslatable? (in Saradindu Mukherji, ed.: Prabodhan 2, Delhi 2018) by Dr K. Elst, 2018 [2]