"Dharma", then, was originally conceived of as a "finite or particularized manifestation of "Ṛta" inasmuch as it represents that aspect of the universal Order which specifically concerns the mundane natural, religious, social and moral spheres as expressed in ritualistic regulations, public laws, moral principles and laws of nature".Though originally understood as a subordinate component of the essentially metaphysical concept of "Ṛta", "Dharma" eventually grew to overshadow "Ṛta" in prominence in later Vedic and early Hindu literature.