When all other methods have failed, this ritual is used to persuade another person to address one's grievances.
The term dharna is derived from the Sanskrit (holy language) verb dharna, which meaning "to hold" or "to keep." The supplicant's constant public presence in close proximity to the individuals to whom he or she is appealing is one feature of the dharna ritual.
In contemporary India, a dissatisfied civil worker may stage a dharna before the Parliament building in Delhi, and in some instances, individuals have slept there for months to raise awareness of their situation and organize public opinion.
People may also perform a dharna at a deity's temple to seek direction or assistance; the most famous example of this is at the Tarakeshvar temple in West Bengal.
Self-inflicted pain, which is commonly done via fasting (upavasa) or other types of monastic self-denial, is another prevalent feature of dharna.
Pilgrims to Tarakeshvar abstain from eating or drinking until the deity Shiva delivers them a vision, however temple officials frequently restrict this to three days in practice.
On a political level, Mohandas K. Gandhi developed the "fast unto death" as a means of achieving his goals.
The ancient Hindu idea that by willingly enduring bodily agony (tapas), one might acquire spiritual and magical power is one of the cultural assumptions that contributes to make such self-inflicted misery compelling.
The announcement at the start of the ritual is the other working premise that makes the dharna effective.
Dharnas are frequently held to rectify very specific perceived injustices that are made public at the outset on a human level.
It is widely believed that if the person holding the dharna dies, the person against whom the dharna was held would face karmic consequences for causing that person's death.
Such dharnas are usually only done when there are no other options.
They continue to be a significant resource because of this idea, even in modern times.
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