ऋत | ṛta - in the dictionary means:
- Proper, right.
- Honest, true; सर्वमेतदृतं मन्ये यन्मां वदसि केशव Bg.10.14; Ms.8.82.
- Worshipped, respected.
- Bright, luminous (दीप्त).
- Gone, risen, moved, affected by; सुखेन ऋतः = सुखार्तः ऋते च तृतीयासमासे Vārt. on P.VI.1.89; so दुःखः˚, काम˚.
To understand it etymologically though, we notice the formation- ऋ-क्त | ṛ + kta
The ‘kta’ affix, or pratyaya, denotes a sense of “has been done” or “has come into being.” And √ṛ is a dhātu that Pāṇini describes as ‘gatiprāpaṇa’ and ‘gatau’, ie: motion-attainment and motion.
This instructive, for we can then put it within its cultural context:
- There is ‘sat,’ the eternal truth (satya), which is without a beginning or end, and without change or temporality. It just is.
- Then there is the attainment of motion, gatiprāpaṇa, and the state changes to one of gatau- of motion. This is the great cosmic whirring- ṛ + kta or: motion has been done/has come into being.
ṛta then is a derivative of sat, with the property of motion and change. It is the objective reality we see around us.
And since it is a derivative of the eternal truth, it carries the same cosmic light. It is proper and correct. It is honest, true. We accord it respect. And by coming into being, it spreads out the luminosity of light which makes our reality possible. Refer here to the entry on Ontic Bloom to see how this understanding can lead us on towards:
- Arya - the “present continuous” form of √ṛ- ऋ-यत् by the grammatical rules of Sanskrit. That is, “being” in motion.
- Ārya - the “vṛdhi” or extension of arya continuous - ऋ-ण्यत्. That is, one who is continuously/non-endingly in motion.
What ārya truly means then, is one who constantly strives to conduct oneself in motion. But this is not unqualified or abstract motion. This is motion in harmony with the cosmic motion- with ṛta. An ārya is one who strives to live in harmony with the natural order, an ārya culture is one that conducts life and society in harmony with nature, and the āryan civilization is one dedicated to this quest for harmony.
which of course, is none other than Dharma.
That despite this plain derivation being possible by straightforward grammatical rules, we find Indology exercising all sorts of contortions on the definition of “aryan” is for me Reason 1 to attribute here malice, not ignorance. It is impossible for any genuine inquiry into Sanskrit etymology to miss this, and inexplicable for any genuine academic investigation into Dharma to have avoided mentioning this.
For further ontic bloom, one may consider the meaning, by similar method, words such as ratha, artha, ṛca, arcanā.