Dharmasya charnam shreyah
Dharmajnam tu dushkrama.
The good and righteous follow the dharma but it is difficult to know what the dharma is.
The keeper of dharma tend to become self righteous such men are known as dharmadwaja these people on the face of it are vociferous keepers of dharma but their rigidity gives rise to the rebels.
Dharma is essential is a way living that allows everyone to be safe and grow. The dharma that is applied to the society at large is samajika dharma; this could vary with needs of the society.
Then is vaiyaktika dharma or the personal code of conduct. This is the choice of the individual.
I found some very interesting stuff here.
Marriage is left to the vaiyaktika dharma, to marry or not, the right age for marriage this choice was extended to both the men and women. If child marriage made sense in one era adult made sense in the other.
The same goes for progeny to the extent vyasa has terms for children of unmarried girls they are Kaneena, Golaka are children of widows, while Kundara children born of women whose husbands are impotent, that is married women impregnated by other men with the consent of the husband.
The only dharma that is Santana or for all time is Maitri—karuna—muditata—upeksha—chatsrah and chittavrataha
This loosely translates to
Company you keep—kindness—joy—rejecting negativity.
Philosophers and bards have fortified samakaleena dharma as sanatana and suppressed the vaiyaktika dharma totally.
Parwatisingari's Weblog 
Truly, thought provoking.
I wonder how killing young couples, in love, on the name of Dharma by few so called “Protectors of Culture” be justified.
Reblogged it at http://mesrujn.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/random-thoughts-on-dharma/
and commented as below:
DHARMO Rakshati Rakshitah!
No it cannot be condonned. The fact is Hinduism as our nationalist friends call it is only as old as the nationalist movement and the perception of the brits to whom there was the muslim, the christain, the sikh and everyone else was hindu. But that covered a vast network of faiths. Not only that the differentiation is so nebulous.
Thanks for reblogging.
Reblogged this on Altruistic Hedonism.. and commented:
Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah!