Dharma as action from undistorted consciousness: A functional and operational framework within the programme of liberation mathematics
International Journal of Sanskrit Research July 1, 2026 DOI: 10.22271/23947519.2026.v12.i4b.3253 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Keywords | Normative Consciousness Narrative Carelessness Discriminative model Action physics Epistemology Shalom Observer physics Artificial intelligence Rhetorical question Notional amount |
| Key points | Argues that Dharma can be operationalized as the action trajectory of minimally distorted consciousness, modeled mathematically as a gradient vector, and measured via the proposed Dharma Consciousness Index, with illustrative scoring demonstrating discriminative capacity. |
Abstract
Dharma has been extensively defined by source (Jaimini), effect (Kaṇāda), etymology (Mahābhārata), and normative function (Dharmaśāstra), but has rarely been formalised as a mechanism of real-time consciousness-to-action generation. This paper proposes an operational framework at three distinct levels. At the philosophical level, Dharma is identified as the context-sensitive action trajectory generated by a consciousness-state with minimal rāga (self-directed attraction), dveṣa (aversion), and avidyā (misidentification). At the formal level, using gradient language as a hermeneutic representation, Dharma is modelled as the gradient vector ∇K of a consciousness-function evaluated from an undistorted state — a representation that illuminates why Dharma is contextual, why it resists codification, and why apparently contradictory prescriptions in the Bhagavad Gītā are structurally coherent. At the empirical level, the paper proposes an illustrative measurement model, the Dharma Consciousness Index (DCI), as an observer-based proxy for estimating the degree of distortion in a consciousness-to-action sequence, with anchored scoring criteria. The framework is situated within the author’s broader research programme: Liberation Mathematics [1], which defines liberation operationally through five simultaneous conditions; the structural analysis of Krishna as a case study in liberated consciousness [2]; and the demonstration that Rāma’s warrior conduct is compatible with ahiṃsā when evaluated by consciousness-quality rather than action-content [3]. Illustrative expert-coded scoring of canonical Mahābhārata cases — presented as ranges with confidence ratings — demonstrates the framework’s discriminative capacity. The paper’s deepest synthesis: Dharma is the action of minimally distorted consciousness; the mathematical model represents its structure; and the narrative tradition trains the consciousness capable of recognising it.