What is the true meaning of word 'Dharma'?

Preface
Quotes such as 'There is no substitute for religion' and 'Religion is like a narcotic pill' which are contradictory
create confusion in the mind of the common man. When we talk about Righteousness (Dharma) one thinks
about religious orders such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc. Others think that India being a
secular state talking about religion is highly objectionable. To eliminate these misconcepts and to realise how
there is no alternative to Righteousness as well as to unite all mankind one has to understand the true
meaning of Righteousness. Information on Righteousness - its meaning, importance, its various aspects,
mysteries, doctrines and types, its difference from culture and morality, its decline and assumption of
incarnations, importance of India in the context of Righteousness, etc. is given in this holy book.
Since generally people have heard only words like the Vedas, Upanishads, etc. they think that only these
texts are spiritual literature. They do not know what a vast treasure house of spiritual literature India has and
about its contents. To get acquainted with it this book gives information on the Vedas, their importance, aims,
divisions, subdivisions, parts, etc. The study of the Brahman texts and the Upanishads is important as they
include several doctrines of Spirituality; hence they have been elaborated upon. An introduction to the
Darshans is also made. Scriptures on Righteousness from the Smrutis which describe the righteous code of
conduct are discussed with respect to their importance, characteristics, number, their authority, the period
when they were written, how they are different from the Shrutis (Vedas), various texts of the Smrutis and their
authors, etc. An introduction to the divine mission of Maharshi Vyas and the foremost (Adi) Shankaracharya
has also been made to illustrate Their supremacy. To limit the size of the text, information on the four classes
(varna) and stages of life (ashrams) has been given in 'Science of Spirituality : Vol.1 C -
Varnashramvyavastha'.