I have been puzzled often about how the traditional handling of "jAti" and "kulam" is. Specifically, what is the liberty/freedom that a family has in forming its own policies, principles, without transgressing जातिधर्माः I have not been able to find any specific "new" thing a family did it on its own which other close families within the same jAti did not do. Does raghukulam do something very different from what other kShatriya kulams do?

Let's pick a simple practical example. Some of my relatives eat eggs. Some other families try to avoid dairy products. That's their kuladharma based on their principles. We don't judge them (too much).

maNi, I like your example and can give many more that are applicable today. I was asking about what this means in Arjuna's times. This is a rarer case where I find these words making more sense to me in my current time than in the time they were stated :-)

A possible example of the difference : jAtidharma would be common for soldiers and kings but kuladharmas would be different.