Dataset for: Can Ethical Orientation Shape the Quality of Well-Being? Evidence from the Dharma–Sukh Framework

Dataset Title: Dharma–Sukh Framework Study This dataset contains anonymized responses from 255 undergraduate students from Gujarat, India, collected as part of a study examining the relationship between Dharma (ethical orientation) and Sukh (multidimensional well-being) within classical Indian philosophical traditions. The study operationalizes Dharma through a Situational Judgment Test based on ten virtues described in classical Indian texts: Dhṛti, Kṣamā, Dama, Asteya, Śauca, Indriya-nigraha, Dhī, Vidyā, Satya, and Akrodha. These virtues represent ethical dispositions that guide moral conduct and social responsibility. Sukh is operationalized as a multidimensional construct derived from the Bhagavad Gītā, consisting of three experiential forms of well-being: Sāttvika Sukh (wisdom-oriented well-being) Rājasika Sukh (desire-driven well-being) Tāmasika Sukh (inertia-oriented well-being) The dataset was used to examine the Dharma–Sukh framework, testing whether ethical orientation grounded in Dharma is associated with different qualitative experiences of well-being. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), including Confirmatory Factor Analysis and structural modeling of the relationships between Dharma and the three dimensions of Sukh. This dataset supports the article: “Can Ethical Orientation Shape the Quality of Well-Being? Evidence from the Dharma–Sukh Framework.” All data have been fully anonymized to protect participant confidentiality.