Ṛta is the Vedic notion of order and truth: the regular course of nature, the rightness of the ritual and of moral conduct, upheld by the gods. It is the forerunner of the later concept of dharma. The word is related to the Avestan asha.
Ṛta
The cosmic order of the Vedas, by which the world, the seasons and the ritual are kept in harmony.
Also: Rita