The Guide

by

R. K. Narayan

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Guide makes teaching easy.

Dharma Term Analysis

Dharma is a concept based in various South Asian religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, which alludes to an order or a law that controls the universe. For an individual, following one’s dharma—in a sense, one’s destiny or fate—leads to spiritual transformation and fulfillment. In The Guide, the notion of dharma is closely associated with Raju, who in spite of his various transformations, always occupies a position of guide in some form or another—as a tourist guide in Malgudi, a dance manager (and hence an artistic “guide” of sorts), and finally as a spiritual guide on the riverbank of a small village. Thus, a law or a destiny seems to govern Raju’s life, which ultimately leads him to fulfill his destiny, or dharma, in the highest sense—as a holy man who sacrifices himself to “guide” others out of their suffering.

Dharma Quotes in The Guide

The The Guide quotes below are all either spoken by Dharma or refer to Dharma. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Hypocrisy and Disguise Theme Icon
).
Chapter 11 Quotes

“Will you tell us something about your early life?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Er—for instance, have you always been a yogi?”

“Yes; more or less.”

Related Characters: Raju (speaker)
Page Number: 193
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Guide LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Guide PDF