Dharma has several overlapping meanings in Hindu thought, including ethical responsibility, sustaining order, appropriate conduct and duties connected to particular situations. It should not be reduced to the English word “religion,” nor does it mean that one immutable rule applies to every person and circumstance.
Indian philosophical discussions sometimes place dharma alongside artha, kāma and mokṣa as the four puruṣārthas, or broad human aims. The Bhagavad Gītā explores action and responsibility in a difficult moral setting; its use of duty cannot simply be detached from that setting and applied uncritically. Historically, some social interpretations of svadharma have been contested. A careful explanation distinguishes ethical principles, textual prescriptions and regional or social customs rather than automatically endorsing every historical hierarchy.