Abstract

This article discusses the path that leads one to obtain a righteous self through the concept and practice of “dhamma” in the Buddhist philosophy. It draws attention toward economic changes that replace the Brāhmaṇic hegemony maintained through rituals or scriptures, reorganize “varṇa” and bring epistemic change, thereby creating conditions conducive to germination of Buddhism. It elaborates the idea of "atta," or self, and its invalidation, reformulation of Brāhmaṇic concepts such as son, and Buddhist concepts such as the Buddhahood in "Dhammapada." In other words, “dhamma” is a philosophical and practical layout of the path that the individual may tread to form a righteous self. Thus, it is around the “dhamma” that the Buddhist life is built. The article also emphasizes that the ramifications of paving such a way lead to social transformation for the welfare of people irrespective of sex, gender, and the “varṇa” hierarchies and distinctions in the erstwhile Indian society.