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A Practical
Indian Philosophy |
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Aranyakaandda - Continued 241
Dohaa: Maayaa Eeesa na aapu kanha, jaana kahi-ya so jeeva: 241. Shree
Raama continued, "He who does not know maya, God and his own Self is
jeeva or a human being. He Who binds the jeeva and
also frees him from that bondage, Who is beyond all human beings and
all and is the controller of maya, is God." [1]
The jeeva in the instant couplet is our body with its active ‘ Regardless
of whether we believe in God as a reality or not, as long as we think
that our body with our mind and individuality is a reality separate
from God and independent as a doer of all our acts, we are a jeeva.
After realizing that God is all and we are nothing, we have to remain
alert to this realization. This alertness in every step, which is every
thought, word and act in our daily life, takes away a part of our being
a jeeva. This takes us closer to our reality that is
our aatma. This closeness receives more of our freedom from
misery and fear to fulfil the purpose of our life. That purpose is to
serve society selflessly for the enjoyment of the highest bliss in any
plane of existence for us as a human being. This was the bliss on the
earth that Arjuna received from Shree Krishna after His discourse known
as the Geetaa and the vision of the cosmic form of God that Shree
Krishna showed Arjuna. Even if we do not think of God as a reality but
treat the purpose of our life as selfless service of society, we become
entitled to this highest bliss because God is for all whether anyone
believes in Him or not. (See 267) [2]
If we think that God cannot be seen, it is our choice. God Himself
creates that choice and the variety in our thinking about Him. He
responds to our desire to experience Him in the manner of our choice.
(See 101)
His
relationship with
us is in its variety and is the oldest and direct. So, it needs no
language or an intermediary. (See 262)
On the basis of experience of men of purified mind and of divine vision
in ancient India, Sanaatana Dharma concluded that God was both
imperceptible and perceptible. In the imperceptible aspect, Sanaatana
Dharma calls Him the qualityless Brahman, the Great Soul, Universal
Consciousness or Paramaatmaa or the ever unchanging Ultimate
Reality. In the perceptible aspect God is Paramayshwara or Eeshwara
as Naaraayana or Vishnu, who descended upon the earth in a human body
as Shree Raama, Shree Krishna or others, all a treasure of virtues and
attributes. For all we know, may be there are other aspects of God too,
because we cannot be dogmatic and God is limitless and indescribable.
All we know as revealed or experienced is that He is at least
Satchidaananda and Praymaswaroopa and also omnipresent,
omnipotent and omniscient. [3]
Lakshmana’s question in 236 was,
'What is the difference between God and man?’ The answer in the instant
couplet refers to six topics. These are, Eeshwara (God), jeeva
(man with his active ‘I’ and all living beings in the creation), maya
(reality and its appearance), karma (man’s incessant deeds and bondage
through them), moksha (freedom from bondage or liberation from
the cycle of rebirth) and jnaana (the Knowledge). The
knowledge about these topics states our concept about man, the creation
and God and their inter-relationship. This knowledge is Vedanta.
Vedanta explains the rationale of the beliefs that constitute Sanaatana
Dharma. Vedanta is believed and practised, and sometimes unconsciously,
by all the literate or illiterate today who call themselves Hindus
except when they are misled by selfish leaders. Distinct
from Sanaatana Dharma is Hindu religion. It follows some of the beliefs
of Sanaatana Dharma but it becomes a divisive religion, in modern
parlance, by some observable practices, such as a mark on the forehead,
a form of dress, food habits, social customs, rituals and religious
ceremonies. Some of its practices in pursuit of beliefs of Sanaatana
Dharma sometimes contradict those beliefs. For example, dowry, burning
of widows, lowering of the status of women, discrimination of caste and
treating followers of other religions as ‘they,’ or any practice that
divides men are all a negation of Advaita, the cardinal belief
of Sanaatana Dharma. Violence, except in defence of our person and
property and of those who depend on us, that includes hurting others’
feelings and sensitivity, is against the concept of God as praymaswaroopa
of Sanaatana Dharma. So, to find fault with any religion is a negation
of Sanaatana Dharma that holds that all religions are to be respected
as good for their followers. This is because all beliefs other than the
Sanaatana or universal innate divine nature of a human being are a
superimposition on that nature. For each person that divine nature
takes its own time to supervene to end his journey in his origin that
is God. For Sanaatana Dharma therefore there is no only or
superior religion. Karma makes us the master of our fate only by
enjoining upon us to forget the past and live in the present. It
decries history except to remember the errors we committed to eschew
them. We have to live in the present from now onwards and eschew our
past or any other errors. If we allow any grievance or grudge from the
past to motivate our act today we reject the law of karma. Many who are
unaware of Sanaatana Dharma flout it today in their speech and conduct
in the name of Hindu religion. Tulaseedaasa
relied upon Vedanta for the Shree Raamacharita Maanasa. Thus discourses
on the Book among illiterate villagers made them aware of the practical
in Vedanta. This practical is summed up in a conduct of righteousness,
non-violence and compassion which is hurt none and help all. It has no
prescribed practices or book, tradition or guru.
This conduct secured the people
inward power for greater prosperity, contentment, and freedom from
disease and fear for their perseverance in it to become their
second nature in India. Similarly
some think that the creation is as they see it. Yet to everyone it
appears different depending upon the aspect one sees or thinks of or
the mental state in which one sees things around one. To some the
perception of the world depends or the availability of the five or less
senses, such as a blind or a deaf man. Just as the perspective of a
situation is different for each, the perspective of the world is also
different for each. So, to any thinking person, the reality of the
world is different from what our senses perceive as conditioned at the
time by our mental state, which is determined by the power of one or
more of our six passions. In the same
manner, some think of God as a powerful majestic ruler punishing
sinners. Another thinks of him as an embodiment of maternal love always
forgiving and correcting lovingly. Another sees Him as unapproachable
and distant. Another sees Him as imperceptible and he can neither know
about Him nor experience Him. Another sees Him as an intimate friend
and constant guide and so on. Thus, each man has his own beliefs about
the reality of man, the creation and of the Creator and their
inter-relationship. Each man’s concept, beliefs about and experience of
these three differed and became his religion. Each concept was a
religion because in each the three entities, man, the creation and the
Creator, were central to comprise it as a religion. No religion can do
without any of the three; but philosophy can. So religion and
philosophy are quite distinct subjects except for the confused. A
philosophy and the philosophy of a religion are also distinct subjects.
So, in fact there were as many religions as there were men. That is why
ancient Indian sages were of the view that there were 330 million gods
which they estimated as the population of the world in their
times. [4] Some
ancient Indian sages purified their mind so much as to recall a clear
memory of their past lives and sojourns in between. They observed the
working of the law of cause and effect in man’s life. They sought for
the truth underlying all phenomena. Their perseverance revealed man’s
place in the creation and his relationship with God. That knowledge,
its acquisition and the method for that acquisition are together known
as Vedanta. No one can, however, tell us comprehensively the real
nature of the creation and that of the imperceptible Godhead
Brahman. [5] From
whatever knowledge they gained, ancient Indian sages retained what was
practical in life and rejected pure theory. After their discoveries of
a high order for the sustenance and comfort of man, namely, sciences
and medicine, they also went for that knowledge which secured continual
bliss. The whole gamut of that practical knowledge is Indian
Philosophy. Philosophy today comprises epistemology, logic, ethics and
psychology. It was segregated from objective sciences and metaphysics.
The latter is the awareness of the world beyond the material and the
desire to know and make use of it. In that sense. Vedanta is not a
philosophy but a truth, its aspects and the method for its experience
by man in all his material and non-material aspects of life. As the
meaning of the word Vedanta suggests, it is the end of the Vedas. It is
the articulation of the ultimate in practical belief which is Sanaatana
Dharma and which is followed as a religion by the bulk of those who
call themselves Hindus. The concepts, which Vedanta articulates much
later than the Vedas, are older than the Vedas in which they appeared.
The concepts in the Vedas are older than any Incarnation of God such as
Shree Raama and Shree Krishna. Vedanta also explains to us why what it
believes is the Truth and how to secure it. This is a practical
philosophy of Sanaatana Dharma. As the philosophy of beliefs, Vedanta
answers why I believe what I believe. It develops conviction in the
instant worth of our beliefs or our religion. This conviction is based
on reason as also on experience of those we respect. It encourages us
to practise beliefs in our daily life for availing of their
worth. [6] The
three schools of Vedanta are these. First is
Shankaraachaarya’s Advaita (AD 780-820). Some record places him
in the sixth century BC and Aanandagiri in 41-12 B. C. Aanandagiri was
one of Shankaraachaarya’s fourteen principal disciples, whom he put in
charge of the seat of learning, which he established at Badrinath in
the Himalayas. Second is
Raamaanujaachaarya’s Vishishttaadvaita (AD eleventh century).
(See [30] below) Third is
Maadhavaachaarya’s Dvaita (AD 1190-1276). (See [35] below) The above
dates are not material to either the ageless origin of thought or its
value. [7]
The common source of knowledge for the schools of Vedanta was the
Upanishads. Upanishads are based upon the Vedas. All schools accept the
validity and authority of the Vedas. The three schools teach different
aspects of the same truth. That truth, which is the universal, eternal,
unchanging, absolute, infinite and the basic reality of the creation,
is Brahman or God, and not explainable in words. The three aspects or
schools of Vedanta were experienced by their exponents and other
seekers before and after them. Tulaseedaasa found that these different
experiences were explained by understanding of Shree Raama’s life and
its message. Tulaseedaasa integrated the experiences of three schools
of Vedanta, of the with form and without form aspects of Satchidaananda
Brahman in Shree Raama and brought that out in his Book the Shree
Raamacharita Maanasa. The same truth was described by Swami Ramakrishna
and is demonstrated by Baba. [8]
A guru with divine vision and after non-dual experience of Divinity can
explain with illustrations the concepts of Vedanta. He can impart the
disciplines for attaining the Knowledge of the Self or God or Brahmajnaana,
which is the goal of Vedanta. Without experience of a path, its
disciplines and guidance from a true guru or the non-dual experience of
divinity, an attempt is made here to present broadly only those
conclusions or beliefs of the three schools of Vedanta, which
we can easily understand and apply, in our daily busy life. We can
trust the selflessness of old rishis who presented their conclusions
drawn from their experience. By living with trust in their conclusions
our experience will establish our enlightened faith sooner than we can
think. The faith will be that this living will secure freedom from
doubt, fear and misery as also attain continual bliss for society and
through that for us. These conclusions are in the form of tips in the
Shree Raamacharita Maanasa. We can benefit from them in a measure
greater than we can think by a change in our attitude without need for
extra time. ADVAITA (Monism or Non
Dualism) [9] The
greatest discovery that man ever made was that human mind had the
capacity to realize that his reality was one with God in His nature,
substance, power and capacity. Secondly, with the mind empowered by
that realization, we could make use of that oneness for the peace and
wellbeing of humanity of an extraordinary order. This discovery was a
fraud on humanity by ancient Indian sages, if it did not make India
prosperous for millenniums or if it could not be made use of for the
good of humanity. Fortunately for the modern age of reason, a man
recently lived by this discovery. He did it by his ingrained respect
for ancient Indian heritage and an understanding of two handy books
that pointed to this this discovery, namely, the Geetaa and Tulsi
Ramayan, of which he was a votary. He demonstrated the limitless power
he received by this living. This power broke the British Empire.
Mahatma Gandhi's life has to be studied again to see how he lived by Advaita
and what disciplines he observed and the strange methods he employed to
make use of his power through non-violence, The modern treat
non-violence as an antithesis of power and a sign of cowardice and
helplessness. Shankaraachaarya
presented this discovery and its methodology, which is known as
Advaita. Advaita means not two but one. According to Advaita, Brahman
is the only limitless ever-unchanging reality and universal
conscious-ness. The creation, though tangible, is not a reality but
appears a reality because it rests upon Brahman. (See 67) Brahman is Satchidaananda
or Sat-ta (the Reality, the Truth or Being), chit-ta
(consciousness), and aananda (continual and limitless bliss).
These three are inseparable aspects of the one reality or the Godhead,
that is Brahman. The three aspects are not a substance, which can be
fragmented but are the nature of Brahman. Brahman is not omnipresent
because other than Brahman itself, nothing else exists in reality in
which It could possibly be present. It is the reality on which what
appears to us as the variety of forms in the creation, including human
beings, is based. The creation cannot however even appear as real
without its tiniest particle resting on Brahman as its underlying
reality. In a way this itself is omnipresence of Brahman. Brahman is
without any quality or attributes or any form. Brahman cannot be
reached because it is our reality and we cannot separate it from us to
reach It. We can realize Brahman as our own reality or identity through
the path of rational inquiry or of Knowledge. Our reality is not our
body, brain and individuality but our jeevaatmaa or human soul,
which is one with Brahman. For those who treat the tangible only as
real, it is difficult to accept our reality as intangible and one with
the intangible Brahman. For those for whom character, virtues,
thoughts, feelings, fears and intangible experiences are real, it is
easy. But to know or understand what Brahman is itself is very
difficult. Brahman is universal consciousness of which we can be aware
but cannot describe it or know it fully as an entity. We can however
experience it. (See 435)
[10] The
three aspects of Brahman, the Great Soul, are also of our human soul.
Inside a living body, human or other, the soul is called jeevaatmaa
and outside, after leaving the body and its bondage, it is a soul or aatmaa.
All souls and Brahman are always one. Every soul is a complete
miniature of the Great Soul or Brahman, Its being, nature or Its three
aspects, namely, Satchidaananda. Except for Brahman and the aatmaa
in all sentient or insentient bodies, which include human body, there
is nothing that exists in reality for man. Brahman and the aatmaa
in all are one. That which we hold as tangible and so real, is not
actually real but appears real to us because it is based upon the
reality of Brahman in it as its aatmaa. (See 67) Oneness of
our
human soul or jeevaatmaa
with Brahman or Godhead establishes the oneness of the reality of all
men and beings. Discrimination between the reality of men is ignorance.
The appearance of that one reality as manifested in diverse
personalities of men differs, so, in dealings we distinguish between
men and men. [11]
Whatever we perceive as the entire world, natural phenomena,
occurrences and time, is not for ever and therefore not real in the
final analysis. Everything including our body is temporary in the
world. Any moment it can die; our reality or jeevaatmaa does
not die. The influence of Avidyaa maya makes us ignorant and so
the world real for us. (See 238)
So, the world itself is also called maya and is of the substance and
character of a dream. (See 133)
When this ignorance that the world is real persists, we remain
engrossed in seeking bodily comfort and happiness from objects around
us and remain bound to suffering and rebirth on the earth. [12] As
long as we consider ourselves separate from Brahman, the world also
appears true and real to us. Why do we consider ourselves separate from
Brahman and from other men? We think that our being or reality is not
our jeevaatmaa or soul but our body. Avidyaa maya
makes us forget our reality. (See 390)
[13] The
objective of Advaita is to realize jnaana or Knowledge
of the identity of our Self with the Impersonal Godhead, Brahman. After
gaining this Knowledge, our devotion to the Personal God, which can
lead to our having His vision in person, is vijnaana. (See
Geetaa 18:66) Swami Ramakrishna says that the vijnaanee can
experience both the Absolute or impersonal or Nitya of Advaita,
and the Relative, personal or Leelaa aspects of God in Dvaita.
In the former experience, which is indescribable, the world becomes
unreal and in the latter, it reappears as a reality. To the liberated
man the world is true in his perception to continue to deal with it in
life as a karmayogi but the world is always untrue in his mind,
which helps him to correct his attitude in dealing with it. (See Geetaa
5:26) [14] Before
gaining jnaana and becoming a vijnaanee, however, Avidyaa
maya resists our effort in life to realize that our reality is our soul
within. Maya maintains our ignorance of the truth of oneness with God
and so causes us suffering in the mayaic world. We suffer because we
act in ignorance of what is real and worthwhile and what is unreal and
worthless. (See 239)
Our
suffering in the world is as real as in our dreams. (See 133)
[15] In Advaita,
the form of maya is only Avidyaa. Avidyaa maya
superimposes our artificial nature over our divine nature. (See 242)
Through this
artificial nature, Avidyaa makes us see everything through
senses and
passions to create our likes and dislikes. These create for us virtue
and vice in things and happiness and unhappiness and justice and
injustice in our feelings. All these opposites or dualities appear to
us as the nature or dharma of this mayaic world. (See 407) In
their
reality, things and
happenings are neither good nor bad in themselves. By the power of our
passions, maya creates our likes and dislikes to make them all appear
as dualities of good and bad, respectively. (See 131, 135) All
things
and phenomena are
qualityless in themselves. They only perform a role and are without
dualities. [16] Why
does it all so happen? It is a pointless question. It is as if
searching for the cause of existence of, or for good or bad in
something, or to improve it when that something does not even exist. It
is as if finding ways to remedy events in a dream. The profitable
question is how to wake up, do the best for all around us and through
that for ourselves and get out of the mayaic dream world or be free
from maya. It is maya, which binds us to suffering in the mayaic or the
unreal world and to rebirth in it. Maya makes us enter the world of our
dreams in the same manner as we enter the unreal mayaic world. Maya
activates and creates our ‘I’ or awareness, respectively, in both. (See
133)
[17] In Advaita,
the Godhead Brahman is indescribable Universal Consciousness or the
Great Soul. It is the only reality that there is. In Advaita, there
is no reality in the existence of the personal God, or of an
Incarnation of God, of the Indian trinity, or of gods, or deities, or
guru, or family or of any worlds or of entities in or beyond the
terrestrial world. Brahman is without any form and is not a person. It
cannot be revered, loved or worshipped as our succour. It is not a
personal God Almighty to be our inmost witness in the three stages of
wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. It does not dispense the
consequences of deeds or take cognizance of sin. In Advaita, there
is neither sin nor meritorious deed. A deed is only right or wrong.
Whatever we do in the unreal or phenomenal world, our intention and
desire underlying that act either tie us down to its consequence and
cause rebirth on the earth or free us from rebirth. [18] In Advaita,
deeds in the unreal world, which accord with the unity of Brahman and
contribute to the oneness of all are correct. (See Geetaa 3:20, :25)
Correct deeds can arise only from love and treating the reality of all
beings alike and one with oneself and with Brahman. For example, we
distance ourselves from the wicked. We pity him, do not hate him but
pray to God to transform him into good. In this manner we love all.
Deeds not based upon love, create dislike, divisions or separateness.
They are contrary to oneness of Brahman and are incorrect. One basic
test of a correct deed is that it is not motivated by any bad thought
but intends to hurt none and to help all. Correct deeds need control on
our senses and passions and accumulate no consequences because they are
dedicated to God. This control purifies our mind. A purified mind
secures us Knowledge of our identity or oneness with Brahman and our
release from rebirth on the earth. Incorrect deeds arise from the power
of our senses and passions over us, accumulate consequences and bind us
to rebirth, which is all the hell there is in Advaita. That is
why violence in thought, speech and conduct in any form, other than for
defence of person and property, is not Sanaatana Dharma. In other
words, when our senses and passions are in our control for correct
deeds, we are in heaven. When they are our masters as the Devils that
they are to make us do incorrect deeds, we are in hell. (See 240 [23])
In Advaita,
heaven
and hell are not a reality but an appearance both on the earth itself.
So, we sometimes hear a man complaining that he is having hell on the
earth and another is living in heaven. (See 272 [7,
12-13]) [19] In Advaita,
we ourselves decide our deeds and their consequences to
suffer because there is no personal God to dispense us consequences. In
Advaita therefore the law of karma is an iron law from
which we cannot escape because we fix our own consequences and have to
bear them. We have no personal God to give us relief. In Dvaita
and Vishishttaadvaita, our personal God dispenses consequences
and we can invoke His grace to give us relief. So, karma is not an iron
law in these two schools of Vedanta. As an Advaitin, our
diseased or deformed body or early death in this life, are
consequences, which we determined for ourselves in our past life. Our
subtle body in its present abnormal physical body knows when it is worn
out for our purpose to cast aside. (See 450 [10])
As an Advaitin, we
claim that we are self-relying tiger cubs. For an Advaitin, a
devotee of Dvaita and of Vishishttaadvaita is scared
and relies on God’s grace and protection. His personal God determines
consequences of his deeds for him. Yet the fact is that seekers through
the three schools get what they get by their seeking the same God in
His impersonal and personal aspect and none has any strength or power
of his own. (See 330)
[20] In Advaita,
salvation means elimination of or reaching across our
individual active ‘I’ and be free from the ignorance it causes. Thereby
we live in our universal ‘I’ or the Self and recollect the knowledge of
the identity of our self with Self or Brahman and regaining our oneness
with It. This attainment is called Kaiwalya. Its bliss is
indescribable. So, the path and the objective both are realizing this
identity. This realization is becoming what we ourselves have always
been in our reality. It is recollecting or recovering ourselves. It is
not a union or merging of the human soul with the Great Soul. They are
not two but always one. Maya makes them appear to us to be separate.
This is because maya makes us identify our reality with our body. This
makes us treat our apparent 'I' as our reality instead of our inmost
Self or soul. This Self is always one with the Great Soul, as our true
'I.' Some understand the Geetaa to prescribe two paths for this
becoming. The paths are meditation and rational inquiry. They appear
distinct from the paths of deeds and of devotion. In reality one can
achieve this realization of oneness with Brahman by any of the four
paths or any path of one's choice as long as the objective is God and
the means rest on love or God's religion. The four paths are not
exclusive of each other and ultimately become one. (See 421) All
along,
however, Shree
Krishna in the Geetaa, amalgamated both bhakti and jnaana.
This is because bhakti to jnaana is said to be as oil is
to a flame in a lamp. (See Geetaa 9:2) [21]
As a follower of Advaita, we mentally treat the world as
wholly unreal and ourselves as responsible for the consequences of our
deeds. We have no personal God to dedicate or surrender to or bestow
grace upon us. This path is that of rational inquiry and is very
difficult and dangerous. (See 441)
The danger in this Advaitic path is that as a seeker we can
treat our mistake as right when it suits us. This happens because
without a purified mind secured through the path of devotion and deeds
dedicated to a personal God, our egotism or the ‘I' persists in
selfishness of passions to attach us to worldly attractions. Egotistic
reasoning can prove anything by false postulates and assumptions. It is
often practised as an art by the heartless today amongst some experts,
technocrats and politicians more than by the common people. This is the
curse of pure reason. [22]
Though Shankaraachaarya, the exponent of Advaita, treated the
world as unreal he lived in it, worked in it. From the age of fourteen
to thirty-two, he spread his message in it in the four corners of the
Indian sub-continent. Thus we deal with this world, the personal God,
Incarnation, gods and goddesses as if they are as real for us for all
practical purposes as our body. We know in our mind however that only
God underlying them all is real. All that appears is His unreal forms.
So, we treat the world and our surrounding as neither real (in our
mind) nor unreal (in dealing or action) yet both, or sat-tasat-ta
or mithya. It is difficult to live with this attitude. Our
knowing the law of karma and the oneness of all in God however helps us
to live in hurt none and help all selflessly with compassion as our
service of the needy. It takes away the adverse impact upon us of the
apparent reality of the world. (See 131 and Geetaa
9:30) [23]
Shankaraachaarya knew that to attain kaiwalya or
Self-realization of Advaita in life through the path of
rational inquiry or Knowledge was very difficult. It required our
having to live in the Brahmajnaana of oneness with all sentient
and insentient beings in the conviction that the world was unreal. (See
240 [1-6,
9, 10, 21]) Living
in all this awareness, required a purified mind rid of the power over
us of the six passions and desires, and an almost annihilated or
deactivated 'I,' which was free from all kinds of mayaic dualities. So,
Shankaraachaarya suggested two disciplines for life. The first was the
company of spiritually advanced persons or satyasanga. (See 394) The
second
was that he taught
the rules of yoga and of devotion to the Incarnation of God in Shree
Raama or Shree Krishna or to the Indian trinity of gods or to a deity,
all as forms of Brahman. This devotion was necessary for dedication of
all our deeds to Brahman in Its aspect of a person. The two disciplines
of satyasanga and dedicated deeds purified the mind and heart
for our objective of recollecting or realizing our oneness with
Brahman. How can dedicated deeds purify the mind? Our uncontrolled
desires, senses and passions, which are impurities, prompt incorrect
deeds that we cannot dedicate to God. Knowing this, for correct deeds
for dedication to God, we try to control passions and thereby purify
our mind and eschew sin. In this effort, the grace of the personal God
to Whom we want to dedicate our correct deeds is necessary to help us.
(See 26, 265 [7,
10], 272 [10,
11,
14-16], 318
and paragraphs 148 to 150 of the
chapter on the Philosophy in Section 2 of this
Selection) [24] One
method for purifying our mind is mentioned in the preceding paragraph.
Another method is by self-discipline, we have to deactivate the ‘I'
consciousness, that is, remind ourselves that God is the doer and not
the ‘I.' Holy men whose company Shankaraachaarya advises, suggest
convincing solutions for difficulties in our observing self-discipline.
For reaching the objective of Dvaita and Vishishttaadvaita,
namely, merging in the personal God, our devotion to God in the deity
and its practice in selfless service of society, purify our mind and
deactivate our ‘I.' Love of God in devotion, without love of man
expressed through his service, is hypocritical and therefore devoid of
any benefit to us through any path to God. God's grace solves sincere
devotees' difficulties of self-discipline and other difficulties
without devotees sometimes even knowing how. (See 177 ) For
paths,
the Advaitic
and the non-Advaitic, the pre-requisite, a pure mind without
the egotistic ‘I,' is the same. Methods differ with our concept about
the creation the Creator God and us. Is God impersonal, or a person,
the embodiment of love for all or for some, and what is love itself?
Our answer is in the three schools of Vedanta. The answer colours our
methods for advancement in life. (See 101)
Our egotistic concepts of our objective and the methods for reaching it
create denominations, sects and cults in the name of religion. For the
humble and wise, all beings are one in God and all paths to reach Him
are correct. If we are sincere in our effort to free ourselves from the
six passions for reaching God, He corrects our path for our rapid
progress. [25] For
purifying our mind by correct deeds, the world and our personal God are
both real. After attaining a purified mind through them and our Advaitic
objective both, we realize that Brahman alone is real. The personal God
and the world are mere appearance of the reality of Brahman in myriad
forms. In our experience however they are as real as our physical
bodies. So, the world is called sat-tasat-ta or real and unreal
both. Advaita accepts the world and dedication of deeds in it
to a personal God as a step in reaching its objective. Thus man's Advaitic
objective is attainable through the three schools of Vedanta as three
aspects of one reality. It is therefore said that Brahman alone is real
and the world is unreal ‘can be cognized by a mind strained through Dvaitic
worship of the personal God and Vishishttaadvaitic
emphasis of the jeeva as a limb of the absolute.’ (BS 3 31) The
manhood of Advaita cannot normally be reached without the
infancy of Dvaita and Vishishttaadvaita. Swami
Ramakrishna who experienced God in life found that for man's experience
God was both formless and with form. To be capable of encompassing
innumerable opposites and be omnipresent, God cannot have a form. Yet
to respond to man's desire for mercy, love and relief from miseries,
God has to have a human form to be real for the seeker. Some faithful
find satisfaction and relief in thinking of God as a majestic Emperor
sitting on a glorious throne in heaven. Others want to experience God
in this human form in flesh and blood. If God is real and true, can He
deny response to this yearning of either in a form the seeker can
experience? One wonders. [27] An
internationally known modern preacher of the Vedanta was Swami
Vivekananda. He condensed practical Sanaatana Dharma in Vedanta into
these four propositions: ‘Each soul
is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divine within by
controlling nature, external and internal (external nature by our
actions based on oneness, that is, hurt none and help all selflessly,
and internal nature by spirituality and love for all as one with us, in
thought, respectively). ‘Do this
either by work, or worship, or psychic control or philosophy – by one,
or more, or all of these – and be free. ‘This is
the whole of religion.
‘Doctrines or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples or forms, are
but secondary details.’ (Parentheses Author's) (CWV, V, 1124
11th Edition) [28]
Vivekananda's guru Swami Ramakrishna, who saw and experienced God has
this to say about pure Advaita. ‘But in Kaliyuga
(today), man, being totally dependent upon food for life, cannot
altogether shake off the idea that he is the body. In this state of the
mind it is not proper for him to say, "I am He." When a man does all
sorts of worldly things, he should not say "I am Brahman." Those who
cannot give up attachment to worldly things, and who find no means to
shake off the feeling of "I" should rather cherish the idea "I am God's
servant; I am His devotee." If you believe that God is formless, then
stick to that belief with firm conviction. But do not be dogmatic:
never say emphatically about God that "He can be only this and not
that." He can be many things more... How can man with his one ounce of
intelligence know the real nature of God? If God through His grace...
ever reveals Himself to His devotee and makes him understand, then he
will know... ‘but not otherwise.’ The Swami's advice is that ‘If you
seek God, you must seek Him in the Incarnations...’ The greatest
manifestation of God is through His Incarnations... ‘Let me ask you not
to disbelieve in the forms of God. Have faith in God's forms. Meditate
on that form of God which appeals to your mind.’ (RK 103, 634-35, 353,
355) (Parentheses Author's) (See 148) Swami
Ramakrishna reached
that
highest state where even the duality of the real and unreal disappears
in experience and everything becomes one. [29] Baba
explains the practical Advaita for us. ‘We in India see God in
trees, in plants, in birds and beasts; we worship Him everywhere, in
all things. People laugh at you when you worship a picture... But we
are treating the picture as God and not treating God as the picture,
Worship the stone as God, not treat God as stone...’ When you see the
Idol (read icon) as God, you transmute the stone... ‘out of existence;
the stone has been eliminated, when you see God only in the shrine!
Purify and cleanse the mind so that wherever you turn, not only in the
shrine, not only in the idol (read icon), but in everything at all
times, you will cognize only God; then the mind becomes your best
friend, your most efficient instrument of liberation...’ Though in
principle all is Brahman, in dealing with them (men and things) in the vyavahaarika
stage (the phenomenal world), in day-to-day activity, you cannot follow
the Advaitic line (that the world is unreal). There should be Bhaava
Advaita (the attitude in the mind that the world is unreal), not Karma
Advaita (not actually treating the world as unreal in dealings)’
that is to say that the underlying faith should be in the unity of all,
though the outer activity may be different in different entities. The
activity must not leave any scar on the faith in unity.’ (BS 7 211, 7
223, 4 305) (Parentheses Author's) In other
words, Bhaava Advaita is to see God in the tiger. Karma
Advaita is not to try and meet God in the tiger. Milk and poison
are one in Advaita; but we take only milk and not poison.
Similarly, the virtuous and the wicked are one but we distance
ourselves from the wicked but pray to God to transform him to good. So,
we can practise only Bhaava Advaita which is the attitude,
which Swami Ramakrishna said, was to accept everything – Brahman. We
should accept the imperceptible underlying reality and the unreality of
what we perceive. We accept the experience of God in both His with and
without form aspects. We accept all that we perceive as real only for
dealing with it, knowing all along that it is maya. We accept the
universe and its living beings to get the best out of everything and
not explain away all as maya. This acceptance gives us the basis for
our correct conduct of service and love of and prayers for all as one
with us in God. This conduct secures the best for us. This is also the
message of the Shree Raamacharita Maanasa. (See 17) VISHISHTTAADVAITA (Qualified Monism)
[30] The
exponent of Vishishttaadvaita was Raamaanujaachaarya, In Vishishttaadvaita.
Brahman is not formless. It has a form as Naaraayana for Its role as praymasawaroopa
or personification of love to receive it and respond to devotees’
yearning for Him. Naaraayana lives in Vaikunttha in a plane
higher than heaven. Naaraayana is also the
indiscernible form of human and other souls and of the creation. All
forms in the world are real, appear as separate from Naaraayana but are
one with Him being a projection from or a limb of Naaraayana Himself.
He is all but beyond our knowing. [31]
Different from maya in Dvaita, prakriti in Vishishttaadvaita
is Naaraayana’s creative power. It does not create the
Universe. So also, the Universe is not an unreal entity as in Advaita.
In the Vishishttaadvaita, prakriti merely projects the
creation, the human and other beings as the visible shape of Brahman.
They are Its expansion and inseparable from It as Its limb. The
cyclical dissolution of the creation is its retraction into Brahman.
Their reality is one. The jeeva and creation are merely the
diversity of the visible forms of Brahman. (See 17, 288)
Both appear to be separate from Brahman, as sunlight from the sun, but
in reality they are not. It is this oneness in fact but separateness in
appearance of the extension of that oneness as the visible creation,
which gives this school of Vedanta the name qualified monism or Vishishttaadvaita.
In Advaita, Brahman is invisible and all that is visible is not
Brahman. So Brahman remains one, the imperceptible. Brahman in Vishishttaadvaita
is the cause and the creation is the effect inherent in each other and
both exist as one inseparable and real. So, God is immanent in the
creation. [32] In Dvaita,
the creation, which is brought into existence, is real but is separate
from God. In Vishishttaadvaita, however, the creation is a
mere manifestation of God in an entity out of but not separate from
Him. Vishishttaadvaita accepts the all-pervasive oneness of
Brahman. Whatever there is is all within Brahman. There is nothing
other than or outside of Brahman. Having accepted this all
inclusiveness or pervasiveness, Vishishttaadvaita however gives
Brahman a form in Paramayshwara called Naaraayana. It does not
accept Brahman as formless inasmuch as its form can be projected. Vishishttaadvaita
does not accept the oneness of Brahman as the only reality and the
creation and beings as an illusion. Being omnipotent and omniscient,
Brahman has projected from itself two realities, the creation and human
beings, just as sunlight is projected from the sun. They are not
separate and cannot be without one another. Brahman as Naaraayana is
omnipresent in the smallest fragment of everything in the creation. It
extends to the living, the non-living, energy, time, space and concepts
and includes human beings and their souls. The concept of omnipresence
is literal. Naaraayana is inside us and our inspirer and inmost
witness. Omnipresence is not limited to the presence of God around but
not inside all in the creation. There is nothing outside God. All that
is is God. This is the basic difference in the concepts about God, the
creation and the human being in the three schools. [33] Vidyaa
and Avidyaa aspects of maya are one as Prakriti
in Vishishttaadvaita. Overwhelmed with satvaguna, Prakriti
is a shakti, or cosmic power of projection, personified as
Lakshmee, the consort of Naaraayana and under His control. Prakriti
also prevents us from seeing the true form of the world, which is the
visible form of Brahman. (See 288) Prakriti's
attractive veil
is a veil of our ignorance as a
tainted eyeglass within us, which creates for each of us our different
perception of the world. So, there become as many worlds as men. Our
ignorance identifies us with our body to attach us to worldly things
for their enjoyment by the body. [34] In Vishishttaadvaita,
the human soul is a reflection of the Great Soul or Brahman or
Naaraayana. Naaraayana bears an intimate relationship with the human
being. Naaraayana does not have the same relationship with insentient
objects. This special relationship is shown by Naaraayana's gift to us
of a consciousness one with the universal consciousness. It is for
highly developed intellect for pursuit of inquiry into the Ultimate, a
yearning for beauty, truth and goodness, and awareness of the
underlying Unity. Naaraayana did not apparently give this gift to any
other being. This makes man pre-eminent in the creation and nearest to
God. (See 415)
Naaraayana
dispenses to us the consequences of deeds done by us. Advaita
accepts the bliss of realizing our oneness with Brahman or Kaiwalya.
Dvaita and Vishishttaadvaita also accept that
bliss and, in addition, the similar bliss of merging in God or
Saayujya. In Vishishttaadvaita, correct deeds are in
accord with our divine nature of love and service of all men because
all are a part of Him. All deeds can be dedicated to Him. Vishishttaadvaita
accepts the Incarnation, gods, worlds beyond the terrestrial, heaven,
hell and rebirth. It also believes in malevolent and benevolent deeds,
karma and the supremacy of God's grace, refuge in, and surrender to
God, and paths of devotion, work, meditation and knowledge. DVAITA (Dualism) [35] The
exponent of Dvaita was Maadhavaachaarya. In Dvaita,
for Its role as
praymaswaroopa or personification of love, Brahman has a form in Paramayshwara
called Vishnu. He is the Supreme, eternal, indestructible and the same
forever. He is not without attributes. On the contrary, He is the
treasure of all attributes, qualities and capabilities. He is limitless
and beyond knowing. He is supreme over the law of karma and grants the
consequences of deeds as rebirth, hell, heaven and salvation to man. He
is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. As Paramayshwara
within us as our jeevaatmaa. He is our constant witness but
remains unaffected by our intent, thoughts, actions and their
consequences. [36]
Vishnu, the Paramayshwara or God, has created the universe by
His own choice and will. The creation is not unreal or a mere
appearance. It is true and real. (See 288)
The creation has come out of the oneness of the Paramayshwara.
There is nothing outside Paramayshwara out of which the world
could be created. The substance and soul of the creation and its cause
are only the Paramayshwara Himself. Paramayshwara
descends on the earth from time to time as an Incarnation such as Shree
Raama and Shree Krishna for giving God's devotees the joy of His
vision. Paramayshwara creates the Indian trinity of Brahmaa,
Vishnu and Shiva and all gods and goddesses for the tasks He assigns to
them, which they perform by His power, inspiration and grace. (See 65 [5, 6,
10, 11, 13, 14] and Geetaa
4:7) Brahman, in the formless Advaitic concept of the Great
Soul, called Paramaatmaa, does not create the world as a
reality. Brahman, with form as the Dvaitic, concept called Paramayshwara
in Vishnu, however, does, To avoid confusion of Vishnu of the Indian
trinity of gods, with Vishnu, the Paramayshwara, Tulaseedaasa
generally calls Shree Raama, as Brahman's Incarnation and treats Shree
Raama as supreme over Vishnu of the Indian trinity of gods. (See 82, 137)
Some people cannot understand gods and goddesses as acting under the
power, inspiration and grace of God and God taking a human form as an
Incarnation because their concept of God's omnipresence, omnipotence
and omniscience is limited to what these people are conditioned to
believe or can think with their limited imagination. They do not want
to think that God, who they accept as omnipotent, can do many things
beyond their beliefs and imagination. (See 65 [2-15,
18,
20]) [37] Dvaita
believes that Paramayshwara creates gods and man out of
Himself. Man is separate from Paramayshwara and is as real as Paramayshwara
Himself. The declaration Tat tvam asi (Thou are that) in the
Chhaandogya Upanishad, implies that just as 'I' am the soul in my body,
my soul has Paramayshwara in it. In other words, man (the human
soul underlying the 'I' in him as his reality) is a part of Paramayshwara.
When encased in the body with an active 'I,' though unaffected by it
and its doings, the human soul appears as separated from Paramayshwara.
Paramayshwara being omnipresent is in man as his inmost
guide, inspirer and witness in His miniature as the jeevaatmaa
or the human soul. [38] For
the role of maya in Dvaita, please see 239. Maya
creates a duality
in each object only because of our perception of it through the mayaic
veil of passions. On receiving God's grace, we get control on passions
and de-activate our ‘I' consciousness. We then see the true form of the
object, which has only a role without any intrinsic quality. So also,
every object in and the world itself is neither good nor bad nor has
any duality. Without securing this understanding through Dvaita,
it is very difficult to attain Brahman of Advaita. [39] In Dvaita,
we commit errors in ignorance that are mistakenly called sins and also
perform meritorious deeds, both in reality. Meritorious deeds are
those, which are in the spirit of service of all as imbued with our
personal God Vishnu or His Incarnation. These deeds are in accord with
our 'Thou' and 'I' relationship of love with God as master and we as
servant or mother and child. We dedicate all to Him. He grants their
consequences to us. Dvaita accepts the existence of hell,
heaven, rebirth and the world of gods and other planes of existence for
the temporary sojourn of the beings. (See 265 [9,
11]) We
reach God by
meditation, worship, devotion or deeds. Greater emphasis is however
placed on devotion to a personal God. The supreme bliss of salvation,
that is, freedom from rebirth, is in four stages. (See 148) This bliss
in Dvaita is
greater than that of liberation through Knowledge in Advaita.
(See 234)
[40] In Dvaita,
Paramayshwara creates and destroys cyclically innumerable universes
and worlds of gods, spirits, men, animals and others. (See 79) The
Indian trinity of Brahmaa,
Vishnu and Shiva is separate for and end with each universe. Other gods
have different spans of continuity. For a follower of Sanaatana Dharma
and a believer in forms of God, Paramayshwara creates gods by
for doing work assigned by Him. For others, God does His work in the
manner they believe. There is no one way for God. He Himself creates
all entities and beliefs for our experience. Meritorious deeds secure a
stay in the world of gods or heaven. (See Geetaa 9:21) In addition to
all this, Paramayshwara Himself assumes a form in His
Incarnation. [41] Dvaita
accepts God as a person with qualities and attributes. Dvaita
believes in a vision of Vishnu or His Incarnation in Shree Raama or
Shree Krishna or in any of God's forms and also accepts the union with
or merging in God. Through devotion, Dvaita makes one
fit to recollect Advaitic oneness with God. (See 148) That is
why Tulaseedaasa has
called the path of devotion sweet and a treasure of bliss and
pre-eminent over all paths. The path of devotion makes us dependent
upon God and therefore humble and safe from the fall of pride, which is
in the path of pure knowledge without devotion. (See 438) To be
with
and serve God in
person is the highest bliss of salvation in Dvaita. Ordinarily
there is no return to the earth from this state. (See 390 and
Geetaa
8:14-15) [42] In the
instant couplet, Tulaseedaasa merely hinted at the schools. He drew
from scriptures practical precepts but only alluded to them in his
Book. He avoided their elaboration. It has been rightly said that
elaboration or all fine points of philosophy, or the explanation of why
and how of our beliefs, are buttermilk, which is left aside. They are
not butter, which is purified and preserved. Only God is butter. Having
himself seen God, Tulaseedaasa first tested precepts for himself for
their practicality, lived in them and discovered their value for
day-to-day use. (See 157, 269) He
left out
from his Book those
precepts, practices, and rituals that were useful for austerities to
recluses in forests and caves for their meditation and prayers for the
welfare of mankind. He did not outline any philosophy of his own nor
made any a monk. There is no holy order of monks called Tulaseedaasee
in India. In a layman's language, Tulaseedaasa gave us practical
precepts for day-to-day life for receiving an empowered mind and
securing bliss for all through it. Putting precepts into practice does
not need extra time but their understanding. They do not detract from
our busy life. This is a practical Indian philosophy. [43]
Tulaseedaasa accepts formless and limitless Brahman of Advaita
as a reality underlying multiplicity of phenomena and forms. In
addition, Tulaseedaasa views all forms as those of Brahman because
there can be nothing, perceptible or imperceptible, outside Brahman. We
can understand and have faith in the Geetaa only if we accept that
Shree Krishna as an Incarnations of God was a reality as much as
Brahman Itself. We can then experience Him as Arjuna did or as
Tulaseedaasa had a vision of Shree Raama or Swami Ramakrishna that of
Mother Kaalee. Thus in Dvaita, Shree Raama is a supreme
manifestation of Brahman. The creation in its diverse aspects becomes
understandable as being His instrument for His play and role in
it. [44]
The three aspects of the Truth in the three schools of Vedanta find
expression in the integration of the Ultimate Reality and its
appearance in form in Shree Raama. This integration was Tulaseedaasa's
greatest contribution to Sanaatana Dharma as a religion and its
philosophy for man as such. His other contribution was that he did not
endorse any spiritual discipline, all being difficult or being not
readily available for millions of commoners because without them God
was available to commoners too. Tulaseedaasa was therefore a great
reformer in the footsteps of Shankaraachaarya. Tulaseedaasa based his Raamaayana
on Vedanta. He removed the crust of practices and disciplines in the
name of dharma that were either extraneous to it or unnecessary
for living in it. Thereby he restored Sanaatana Dharma to its nascent
Vedic purity. He suggested one saadhanaa or spiritual
discipline. We should remember God somehow, the easiest method being by
any name of God or Raamanaama with an attitude of intense love
for Him. His response gives us His experience in person, which leads us
from our being to becoming one with His impersonal aspect.
Tulaseedaasa’s fourth contribution was to lay before the illiterate the
highly advanced message of scriptures in their practical nutshell. He
presented the easy method for living in Sanaatana Dharma and receiving
freedom from fear, anxiety and need, and a fully empowered mind in
harmony with the heart for advancement in any field for the prosperity
and peace of society. The illiterate listeners quoted his couplets in
their day-to-day life. (See 26 and
Geetaa 9:27) [45]
Tulaseedaasa repeated the importance of grasping both impersonal and
personal aspects of Brahman to show that all religions are many
concepts about God. (See 26)
Tradition or unwillingness prevents many from understand-ing or
experiencing the oneness with all in a loving God. For the virtuous or
godly or devotees through virtuous conduct as a form of love, this
understanding is unneces-sary. Those engrossed in the mayaic world are
not interested in it. Maya prevents universal love to motivate our
perspective because love rids us of differences or dualities. Without
dualities, maya ceases to exist for us. In sum, universal love is fatal
for maya because it destroys ignorance and secures us Jnaana.
For practical purposes, Vedanta is summed up as, ‘There is only One God
and He is Omnipresent. There is only One Religion, the Religion of
Love. There is only One caste, the caste of Humanity. There is only One
Language, the language of the Heart... You must recognize this truth
and be prepared to propagate it in the world.’ (BS 7 366, SS 76 1
47) 242
Chaupaayi: Dharma tayn birati joga tayn jnaanaa: jnaana
mochhaprada bayda bakhaanaa:: 242. Shree
Raama continued, "By following his dharma, a man develops
detachment. By following the path to reach God, a man attains
Knowledge. Knowledge secures liberation for him. This is what the Vedas
declared. That which quickly pleases me, however, is devotion to me
which gives bliss to devotees." [1]
Detachment, Knowledge and devotion do not secure their fruit in
happiness without our daily conduct in dharma. The word dharma
has vast meaning. Basically however it means the inalienable nature of
an object or a being and its nature to remain or live in accord with
it. The dharma of water is liquidity and of fire is heat.
Having emanated from Satchidaananda Brahman, Satchidaananda
and prayma (love) are man's dharma. (See 288 and
Geetaa
15:7) The proof of
man's divinity is that man is conscious of his being a reality (sat-ta),
is always conscious and seeks knowledge (chit-ta) and continual
bliss, which is within and not dependent upon environment and objects (aananda).
Love is inborn in man and all experience it since birth. These four
components together form the inalienable nature or dharma of
Brahman and also that of a human being. To live in accord with this
inalienable nature in our thought, speech and conduct prompted by love
and done as duty towards family and society is also our dharma.
In a way, without exchange of love in thought, speech and conduct bliss
can neither be sown nor reaped or neither be given nor received. So,
love is not in addition to Satchidaananda but is included in
it. (See 139)
[2]
Love is an integral aspect of Brahman as much as the above three
aspects of Satchidaananda. (See 262) When
Brahman
incarnates as
Shree Raama, Brahman does not change in or diminish from its entity.
Brahman merely takes a form to manifest its aspect of love, which It
cannot manifest in Its imperceptible and formless aspect. The
Incarnation is only a facet of Brahman that appears to us for a
different role to revive the practice of dharma by personal
example and to gladden the hearts of devotees of God yearning for His
vision. (See 83-84)
In his conduct of life, an
incarnation of God manifests fully the Satchida-ananda and Praymaswaroopa
aspects of Brahman. Though of the same inalienable nature as the
Incarnation, we manifest to a little extent that nature as love, which
is the sum of all virtues in thought, and conduct with the sole object
of spreading peace, truth and bliss around us through compassion
towards others. [3]
Upon birth, maya covers man's reality or jeevaatmaa by three
artificial veils. They are, mala, the dirt in the form of our
unfulfilled desires and disposition arising from our past lives, and
excessive power of six passions in the present life. The next is vikshaypa
or ignorance that hides truth and makes untruth attractive. The
third is aavarana or the imposition of the particular (mind)
over the universal (aatmaa or soul) to make man think that he is
in reality different from others. The first veil is destroyed by karma,
the second by bhakti and the third by jnaana. The three
veils become our nature superimposed over our divine nature. The
superimposed nature operates in our dealings through our 'I.' It varies
for each person and is his sva-dharma. It treats our body as
our reality and the world real for the satisfaction of our sensuous
desires. So svadharma can be full of desires. Our effort should
be to make our nature desireless by surrendering the fruit of the
effort for fulfilment of our desires to God. (See 66) [4] In
spite of ourselves, unless we are alert, this superimposed nature or
artificial dharma suppresses our divine nature and makes us
live in accord with the former nature. Sometimes our divinity surfaces
and we appear sometimes good and sometimes bad to observers. Man has
forgotten his nature; birds, beasts and trees are still holding to
their inborn nature. They all exist wholly in their original nature,
instincts and tendencies. So, they suffer less in diseases. We too can
be free from disease by living in our nature of divinity. To live in
our divinity is our dharma and the aim of Sanaatana Dharma and
of all who seek God in any faith. (See 449, 454-458)
[5] The
battle between the divine and the artificial superimposed nature within
creates each man's individual nature. This nature is more observable
than our divine nature in our daily life. (See 244) It is
also
the dharma
of the jeevaatmaa or human soul to regain its freedom from its
bondage to a body. On an opportune occasion, God's grace inspires a
higher path, which is also our dharma. (See 267 and
Geetaa
18:59-61) That path
washes off the superimposed nature or the dirt sticking to our jeevaatmaa.
That dirt is the cause of our suffering and rebirth. With that dirt
washed off, we regain freedom from misery and our jeevaatmaa
regains its freedom from bondage to our body while we are living. (See 408) By
understanding the roles of
our divine nature of virtue and of the superimposed nature controlled
by passions, by study or by satyasanga, we change our outlook,
attitude and our superimposed nature or svadharma step by step
everyday to become human and then divine. For example, anger, hate,
cruelty and other vices are in our superimposed nature. A tiger cannot
change its nature because it has no superimposed element in it. [6]
Sometimes our bad past gives us adverse situations and a superimposed
nature, which we cannot resist. We should live with it to exhaust the
impact of our situations by doing what comes to us to do. If by God’s
grace we are aware of virtues and their value and our helplessness, we
should pray to God to seek relief from this nature, situations and
helplessness. His grace gives us perseverance and relief. It is
difficult but is possible. Practice of remembering God as often as we
can as our best prayer becomes a part of our nature, if we can
understand its value for us and have faith in it. All virtues rest on
faith in the reality of God for their pursuit. (See 182, 185 [2,
8, 15,
16, 19, 24], 261,
347 and
Geetaa 3:33, :35, 9:8, [7] Dharma,
as duty or doing deeds for living in accord with our divinity, is also
as prescribed in the Vedas and the Upanishads. It is called dharma-karma.
General dharma comprising deeds for all, however, is repayment
of debt to mother, father, saints and God. It is truth in speech and
righteousness in conduct, challenging injustice, defending the meek,
care of the weak and diligent performance of our daily duty. Dharma is
not a mere religious practice, such as going to a temple, or to a place
of pilgrimage, or attending a religious discourse or performing a
ritual. The practices are containers of dharma not dharma,
which is in the back of our mind. Dharma comprises beliefs, which
promote acts, which give happiness to all as one with us and do not
curtail their joy. They are not acts we decry in others. Dharma is in
never talking ill of or intending any harm to others. (See 453)
Dharma is
also activity for innocuous happiness for self through selflessness in
conduct. This happiness is for sharing with society. By this activity
we progress towards liberation from rebirth. 'Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you', or 'hurt none and help all,’ is dharma.
Prayers for the well being of all as a constant link with God are
necessary, but they are never a substitute for dharma as our
duty in our daily conduct. So, dharma is universal for man as
man, whether any man believes in dharma of such description or
not. It is the quality of being human as distinct from that of the
animal. In its broad meaning dharma is not a particular Hindu,
or Christian or any religion. It is not morality confined to 'we' and
varying with 'they' but the spirituality of love for all as one with us
in God. In short, dharma is universal for all men; religion is
each individual's beliefs. The two are separate and distinct. So,
Sanskrit has no word equivalent of the English word religion nor has
English a word equivalent of the Sanskrit word dharma. [8] We are,
however, cautioned that some Vedic learning and rites for enjoyment and
for power, bind man to rebirth on the earth. Scriptural knowledge of
the text or obser-vance of rites or practices, good in itself, is not
unavoidable for living in our dharma, attaining continual
happiness, jnaana or God. Learning and rites are not dharma
or obligatory duties for the followers of Sanaatana Dharma or human
beings. Whatever discipline, regulation or activity helps our living in
our divine nature of love for all is dharma because dharma
is our inborn nature and our effort to live in it. Dharma is not a
defined divine law or law of God, which we hardly know because the
little that we know about God is that He is Satchidaananda and Praymaswa-roopa.
(See 147-148) In truth,
however, He is much
more than all that we can think about Him. We attribute to God all
those aspects, which we can imagine yet we can never know or reach His
limitlessness. (See Geetaa 2:42-44, :53, 11:48, :53-54) [9] Dharma
is the one principle on which the universe rests because it is its
nature. For us, it is social harmony or oneness through eightfold
activity, namely, sacrifice, Vedic (or scriptural) study, charity,
penance, truth, fortitude, forgiveness and non-desire. A man of dharma
shows these ten qualities, fortitude, forgiveness, restraint, not
stealing things or claiming as his own even an idea originating from
others, purity, control over senses, intelligence, knowledge, truth and
absence of anger. All lead to oneness through love and non-violence in
thought, word and deed. None is the monopoly of any religion, region or
people. [10] The Varnaashrama
Dharma is the four-fold duty appropriate for each man's age from
birth. Regardless of a man's vocation or religion, Aashrama Dharma
is for each of the four stages of life from birth to adolescence,
youth, past middle age and old age. Varna Dharma is one
of the four broad divisions into callings, namely, of a scholar,
defender, businessman and a worker who is not qualified for any other
calling. Varna is not caste. Caste is the negation of the
inherent equality and indispensability of each of the four varnas.
Together Aashrama and Varnadharma are called Varnaashrama
Dharma and are essential for life for a healthy society regardless
of its religion. The observance of Varnaashrama Dharma is a
means for living in our dharma, which is our Satchidaa-nanda
nature that is common to humanity. [11] Dharma
is not worth observing if it does not make our conduct caring for all
as one with us to realize our divinity. Acts arising from the
realization that our jeevaatmaa and not our physical body is
our reality, motivated by selfless love for all, because God is the
embodiment of love, and dedicated to Him in advance to make God as
their doer, are dharma. (See 251)
An act which gives happiness to all and hurts none is dharma
and its opposite is not dharma. Acts on the basis of 'I' am the
physical body in reality and for the pursuit of its selfish desires if
they adversely affect another, are against dharma. This is
because oneness through a conduct of selfless love of all is dharma;
differentiation to divide is against dharma. This is the
correct social morality for all. [12] Dharma
is summed up in the four precious objects described in 111. It is
said
that pursuing them,
ancient India became a yogabhoomi, or the land of concentration
on the permanent, disregarding the ephemeral, tyaaga-bhoomi, or
that of detachment to attain the inmost Self or God, and karmabhoomi,
or that of only selfless deeds for the bliss of all. We have to restore
that heritage of prosperity through spirituality and harmony and joy
through selflessness and benevolence for all by each of us living in
our dharma in our daily conduct today. Many elements of all
religions do not clash with Dharma or man's religion as man as
explained above. Some particular religious practices clash because they
arise from the followers' belief in 'we' and 'they.' [13] Shree
Raama is shown to point out elsewhere that devotion to God through the
loving service of man, which is free of passions, is dharma. He
prefers it to other paths. (See 259, 288) When
we do
selfless
service for the good and happiness of others, which is the best form of
our love for them we forget our body, mind, self, name, fame and
status. We cannot forget them if we prompt service by desire for any
recompense or by our ego or for gaining name and fame. Being dedicated
to God, we work as His instruments. He gives us capacity and joy to
sustain us. Such work is worship. It crushes passions, annihilates our
ego and purifies our intellect for its alignment with our jeevaatmaa.
A pure mind, intellect and jeevaatmaa are one. This identity
manifests our divinity in superhuman capacity and activity for the joy
of all through our selfless daily conduct. (See 42 [3,
6-13], 390 and
Geetaa 5:12) This noble
pursuit is dharma. Its discipline prevents our speech and
conduct from hindering or harming anyone. (See 453)
[14] Dharma
also means living according to our beliefs, which for the followers of
Sanaatana Dharma are the minimum of these, four: the imperceptible Satchidaananda
and Praymaswaroopa Brahman or God, Its embodiment often in a
human Incarnation, karma and rebirth. These four beliefs arise from
understanding our inalienable nature or dharma and our role in
accord with it. These beliefs distinguish the religion of a follower of
Sanaatana Dharma. To live in these four beliefs is living in our divine
or Satchidaananda and Praymaswaroopa nature or dharma.
When we follow any one of the four beliefs others merge into it. They
form an integral whole. An Indian rustic's conduct often shows these
beliefs. When we live in these four beliefs, we live the way of life of
the followers of Hindu religion. Their way of life is the Hindu way of
life as Christians live in the Christian and Muslims do in the Islamic
way of life. To say that Hinduism is not a religion but a philosophy or
science or a way of life shows confusion between and ignorance of
distinct entities, namely, dharma and religion, the philosophy
of each and a way of life in accord with each. Thus they become four
distinct definable entities. [15]
Practically, dharma is diligently and contentedly doing a day's
work as our duty to society and service dedicated to God with the
conviction that all are one with us in their reality. Therefore, if we
do good to or hurt any, we do it only to ourselves. This positive
living based on faith and not logic, makes society and us healthy and
happy regardless of any religion. [16] It is
easily seen that the above concept of dharma is not only for
the followers of Sanaatana Dharma. It is of universal use and can be
easily followed by a follower of any religion who goes into the core of
his religion. He does not have to give up his avowed religion. The
oneness of an all encompassing and omnipotent loving God, our
visualization of Him in a form of our choice and consequences of our
acts for us to bear, are common in all religions. (See 65 [2-15,
18,
20]) What happens after
death is God's doing which no one can know or say with certainty.
Demonstrating the law that an exception proves the rule, rebirth on the
earth, though a rarity, is a repeatedly recorded phenomenon and also
for everyone's observation. 243
Chaupaayi: So sutantra avalamba na aanaa: tayhi
aadheena jnaana bijnaanaa:: 243. Shree
Raama continued, "Devotion to God is independent by itself. It
needs no support. Jnaana or Knowledge and vijnaana, which
is the experience of jnaana in devotion to the with form aspect
of God, both rest upon devotion. Devotion is the root of unique
bliss because this bliss is higher than that through any path to
God. The bliss of all paths is in devotion. A man acquires devotion
only when spiritually advanced persons are favourably inclined towards
him." (See 304) Devotion is
called unique because it is unequalled by any path in its ease for
reaching God and in its bliss in life and thereafter. (See 234) Maya
is
an obstacle in other
paths but not so much in devotion. (See 275, 439 and
Geetaa
10:10-11)
The bliss
of all paths is in devotion. (See 443 and
Geetaa
11:54-55) Why are
Knowledge, Jnaana, and the experience of Knowledge, Vijnaana,
dependent upon devotion? Deeds in service of others and dedicated to a
personal God, which is the practical form of devotion, purify our mind.
A correct deed is possible only when the mind is full of love and so a
pure mind. A
pure mind is the equipment for seeing realities around us for
invariably a correct action and gaining Knowledge of the Reality or
Brahman.
Mental impurities obstruct acquisition of jnaana or Knowledge.
(See 241 [23])
So
Knowledge is
dependent on devotion. Jnaana and vairaagya or
Knowledge and non-attachment, respectively, are also called the two
sons of devotion because they easily accrue as the fruit of his
devotion to a devotee of a purified mind. If we can be engrossed in bhakti,
jnaana and vairaagya are soon with us. The three are
inseparable. (See 210)
In the
same way all eternal verities or tenets of Vedanta are inseparable. We
can pick up and follow any one of them and others will flow into our
effort. The Geetaa treats devotion as the easiest and the royal path
among the paths of Knowledge, of meditation, of work or deeds and of
devotion. (See Geetaa 9:2) Swami
Ramakrishna says, ‘As long as a man analyses with the mind, he cannot
reach the Absolute... ‘Aatmaa cannot be realized through this
mind; Aatmaa is realized through the Aatmaa alone. Pure
Mind, Pure Bud-dhi, Pure Aatmaa– ‘all these are one and
the same... ‘As long as the mind functions, how can you say that the
universe and the "I" do not exist?... ‘A mere vision of God is by no
means everything. You have to bring Him into your room. You have to
talk to Him.’ (RK 802, 836) This experience is vijnaana. (See 318 and
Geetaa 4:9-10, 11:54) A devotee
of a personal God can experience God in person and intimately. Can an Advaitin
seeking jnaana or his identity with impersonal and
imperceptible Brahman or a faithful who does not believe that he can
see God as a person, not have an intimate experience of God in person?
One wonders because any stand in the matter of an experience, claims
knowledge of the extent of God's omnipotence for what He can or cannot
do. (See 241 [9,
30, 35]) When, however, a believer in formless God
seeks His help, refuge, mercy, or wants to be His loving devotee, such
a believer can form a mental picture of the impersonal God in a human
form in which he seeks Him. This seeking is devotion. This ardent
seeker experiences God in that form as a devotee. This is experienced
regardless of the seeker's religion because of the reality of God and
of His intimacy with his children – men and women both. (See 101) Jnaana
secures
God's impersonal aspect. Devotion secures
both, His personal aspect followed by impersonal aspect. (See 26) So,
devotion becomes the base and
the path for jnaana and vijnaana. 244
Chaupaayi: Bhagati kay saadhana kaha-un
bakhaanee: sugama pantha mohi paavahin praanee:: 244. Shree
Raama continued, "I shall explain the means for securing devotion
to me. They are easy for reaching me. First. A man should develop love
and respect for Brahmins. Next, he should follow his own dharma
given in the Vedas." The first
form of devotion to God is respect for the company of men of divine
vision, as personification of knowledge. These men are sometimes found
among Brahmin varna and not necessarily Brahmin caste, gurus as
described in 157
and sannyaasees
more than among others. This respect for knowledge sustains an orderly
society and congenial environment for the pursuit of dharma and
Knowledge. Respect for the teacher and for Knowledge creates trust. It
makes the disciple percipient to get the best from him. Without this
respect, the disciple learns nothing worthwhile even from the wisest
teacher. (See 2,
341)
An
individual's daily dharma is explained in 242. Some
religious
obligations or dharma
are, obedience and respect to parents (See 123),
truth (See 116),
compassion (See 317,
318), wishing well for and doing
good to others (See 259)
and
avoiding fault finding and hurting others. (See 453)
We can all
attain the best for ourselves by performing diligently our daily duties
dedicated to God. We should believe that God gave them as the best
earning from our past deeds. Our selfishness or selflessness in life
and faith in God's grace determine the speed of change in our duties
for our betterment. Please notice that Tulaseedaasa confines himself to
only the Vedic or Shrutic norms for us to adhere to and not to
any other scriptures. Whatever we feel objectionable by the yardstick
of Sanaatana Satchidaananda and prayma in some
practices of present day Hinduism can almost all be traced to texts
other than the Vedas such as Smritis. (See 270)
245
Chaupaayi: Ayhi kara phala puni
bisha-ya-biraagaa: taba mama dharama upaja anuraagaa:: 245. Shree
Raama continued, Following one’s own dharma, "will detach
him from worldly objects to develop in him a love for my dharma.
The nine kinds of devotion for me in him are strengthened in this way.
This increases his attraction to my dharma." Shree
Raama's dharma or His nature is Satchidaananda and
Prayma. His activity is sustenance of the creation. (See 95, 239 and
Geetaa
3:21-26) God teaches His Dharma to all of
us from our
birth as
love and benevolence
in our dealings. We all practise them in our family from our birth. We
do it by thinking a little less of our interest and a little more of
caring for and serving others to make them happy. (See 259) Shree
Raama
repeats his nature
here. Shiva and Kaakabhushunddi repeat it in the references given in
the paragraphs, which follow. The nine
forms of devotion referred to here are given in the Shreemad
Bhaagawata. They are: 1. Listening to God's praise and stories. 2.
Group singing of sacred songs. 3. Thinking about or remembering Him. 4.
Reverential service of God, for example, remembering Him through
service of man as His form. 5. Worshipping Him. 6. Doing obeisance to
Him. 7. Service. 8. Treating Him as a friend and 9. Surrender of the
self or the 'I' to Him. These nine forms are also different stages in
the spiritual progress of a seeker to reach his goal of recollecting
his oneness with God. (See 444)
To follow
Shree Raama’s dharma we follow his activity. It is the selfless
sustenance of the creation through love and bliss. We have natural
interest in selflessness, which is divine. When we care not for
ourselves but for others, it is God who takes care of us because we are
taking care of His other children. It is a simple family affair
inasmuch as the father loves that son more who takes care of all. We
display this selflessness in our family. Outside, we are worldly. Our
faith in karma and God's grace free us from the selfishness of passions
sooner than we think. This freedom encourages our faith in the value of
selflessness. Our faith in the reality of God invokes his grace that gives us perseverance to
pursue it in our compassionate service to make happy the less fortunate
than us. The joy of selflessness increases our interest in Shree
Raama's activity. There is nothing like trying this experience. 246
Chaupaayi: Santa-charana-pankaja ati praymaa: mana
krama bachana bhajana drirhha naymaa:: 246. Shree
Raama continued, "A person who loves and respects spiritually
advanced persons, who, by his thought, word and deed, remembers and
worships me regularly, who sees me in his guru, father, mother, brother
and master and sincerely serves them treating that as service to me..."
Both of the
Hindi words bhajanaa and bhajana in the instant
couplets mean remembering God mentally or in song with reverential
faith often as a matter of habit. God is where His name is remembered
or sung. (See Geetaa 6:47) 246A
Chaupaayi: Tahaan bayda asa kaarana raakhaa:
bhajana-prabhaa-u bhaanti bahu bhaashaa:: Bk13 The
Vedas also describe in many ways the effect of remembering God through
songs. (See
20)
The
remembering of God through singing is important in devotion. (See 471)
As a girl dancing with a water
pot on her head keeps it in her mind, we can keep God in our mind
during our normal activities. This is a form of complete devotion to or
service of God. (See Geetaa 8:7-8, 10:8) If the word bhajana is
taken as singing, and a person has no voice for it, he can sing
mentally or listen to sacred songs. This is an easy way to be in God's
company. The company
of holy persons, group prayers, a guru or any effort to acquire any
qualification or ability, none are necessary for devotion to God. A
person at any social level or of ability, age, place or time is a
devotee when he mentally sings songs about or remembers God. (See 322, 415) No
one knows, however, whom God
considers His devotee. That is what matters. Group
singing of devotional songs is not always show. It curbs egoism.
Singing alone may distract thought. We should dwell on the meanings of
the songs and upon the message conveyed in each name and form of God in
the song. For the beginner, specially for children, practically all
Indian classical raagas and raaginees or modes in
Indian music in hundreds for different seasons and parts of the day and
night, are in devotional songs. This is spiritual heritage in Indian
culture. So, some knowledgeable Westerners call India the Empire of the
Spirit. The worship
of God through service of the guru, the father, the mother, the
husband, the family and others, is repeated in 327. A man
can
mentally
see God in
them and through them make his relationship with God more intimate.
(See Geetaa 9:17-18) By dedicating himself and his selfless duties
towards them as his service to God and by reminding himself of it often
to keep his relationship with Him vibrant, a householder keeps himself
by the side of God for twenty-four hours. If we can see God in our
parents, gurus and others, we can also treat God as our parents, guru
and others. God responds many times to any living and intimate
relationship we establish with Him. (See 34, 101, 294)
Swami
Ramakrishna says, ‘What I mean to say is that God is our very own. We
can exert force on Him. With one's own people one can go so far as to
say, "You rascal! Won't you give it to me?" ‘ (RK 630) (See 213) To
secure the maximum benefit
from God, the Swami emphasizes the intimacy of relationship we as
householders should have with God. It is the negation of the lesson of
the Geetaa and of the Shree Raamacharita Maanasa to believe in God
without the availability of this kind of close yet free intimacy of
love and trust in Him. This availability makes Him our friend, playmate
and partner for life. God, alien to, and distant from us, and as a
frightful potentate only punishing us for our sins and making demands
for rewarding us, is not a concept of God in Sanaatana Dharma. Putting
in believers a fear of God for their sins feeds some greedy priests of
some, if not all religions. In Sanaatana Dharma, God loves us and gives
us freedom from all fears and particularly from that of sin. He frees
us from fear of sin by our nourishment and protection if we avoid error
of hurting any and live in helping all. (See 185 [15,
16, 19,
24], and
Geetaa
9:30). 247
Chaupaayi: Mama guna gaavata pulaka sareeraa:
gada gada giraa na-yana baha neeraa:: 247. Shree
Raama continued, "When a man's singing my praise thrills his body,
brings tears to his eyes, makes his voice tremble and makes his mind
free from desires, pride and deceit, I am always bound down to such a
devoted man." A devotee
overwhelmed by the ecstasy of love for God is described here. Divine
communion cannot be comprehended by a man of the world in the same way
as a natural mother's love by an orphan since infancy or the pain of
childbirth by a barren woman. Apart from remembering God, a devotee of
such ecstasy needs no saadhanaa or spiritual discipline or
religious practices or rituals to observe. He may be said to have
reached his last birth on the earth. The deeper his love, the greater
is his pull upon God. (See 360)
God Himself searches for such devotees. (See 150 - 168)
248
Dohaa: Bachana karama mana mori gati, bhajana
karahin nih:kaama: 248.
Shree Raama continued, "I stay comfortably in the heart of a man
for whom I am his only refuge in his thought, word and deed and who
remembers me continuously without expecting the fulfilment of any
desire." The instant
couplet refers to single-minded devotees. (See 155, 360) It
emphasizes
the importance of
incessant prayer. When in difficulty we should pray intensely for
relief without any guilt complex if we have not been regular in our
prayers earlier. This is because God is the first and last resort for
all. After securing relief, to persist in remembering God and to make
it our second nature is wisdom of learning from experience. (See 26) We
should treat a difficulty as a
reminder from God Himself to turn to Him. This is brought out here.
Hanumaan exemplifies this devotion. To sustain her persistence in
prayers, Kunti, the mother of Yudhishttara, Bheema and Arjuna, the
Paanddava princes requested Shree Krishna to give her difficulties lest
she slipped from prayers to Him. 248A
Chaupaayi: Sumiri pavana-suta paavana naamu:
apanai basa kari raakhay Raamu:: Bk26 Hanumaan
constantly remembered Shree Raama's purifying name and thereby bound
Him to himself. In the instant couplet,
Tulaseedaasa uses the word paawana (purifier) for both Shree
Raama's name and His devotee, Hanumaan. If our intent behind
remembering Shree Raama's name is to purify our mind, He fulfils this
noble intent. A devotee of God acquires the capacity to purify others.
(See 15)
Shree
Raama treats a
man's service to his devotee as service to Himself and animosity to him
as animosity to Himself. (See 184)
Thus worship of, and devotion to Hanumaan is as if to Shree Raama. We
can understand that in many predicaments our physical or mental
capacity, our possessions and those on whom we rely are not of any
avail. We can find reliance in Shree Raama's refuge. The refuge makes
us feel that it is all Shree Raama, and our self ceases to exist as
separate from Him. Shree Raama searches for such devotees' pure hearts
to reside in them. The path of
devotion to Shree Raama is given in 242 onwards.
The
Shree Raamacharita
Maanasa and the Geetaa
consider devotion, based on jnaana and on karmayoga,
respectively, as the highest and easiest yoga for life. (See 243 and
Geetaa 6:47, 9:2, 12:6-7,
18:66) Shree Raama's discourse to Lakshmana, which is given in 235 to
end here, and to Jattaayu,
Shabaree, Vibheeshana, Bharata, citizens of Ayodhyaa and Garurha
elsewhere, are called Raama Geetaa. 249
Chaupaayi: Bhraataa pitaa putra uragaaree; purusha
manohara nirakhata naaree:: 249.
Kaakabhushunddi says, "O enemy of snakes, Garurha! The charming
face of a brother, father or son excites lust in a woman. She cannot
control herself. She is just like the precious stone which melts upon
seeing the sun." The sun is not even aware of the existence of
that legendary stone. The fire of
lust is sometimes wild in a man and woman alike. The instant couplet
describes Shoorpanakhaa's lustful condition. So, Tulaseedaasa gives a
simile for a woman. Men are also called followers of lust. 249A
Chhanda Kali-kaala bihaala kiyay manujaa: nahin
maanata ko-u anujaa tanujaa:: Uk103 Kaliyuga makes man restless with
lust. He does not care whether the woman is his younger sister or his
daughter. Lust is the
animal legacy in human beings but more in men than in women. In some
societies a woman is treated only as a commodity for the satisfaction
of male lust to be rejected at whim. She has no status or rights as a
human being. Hence prostitution and not begging is by women and not
generally by men. Lust persists till the end of man's physical body.
(See 313,
472)
In some
sections of materially
advanced society lust appears in the form of child molestation, incest,
rape, adultery, divorces, abandoned children and search for spouses
more by men even in old age. The third and fourth part of our mentally
healthy life should normally need the companionship of holy men and of
God for our advance from the human to the divine through inner peace
and prayers for the welfare of the world. We cannot give up bodily
pleasures because our body needs enjoyment. When we realize that we are
more than our body, we concentrate on that activity of the mind and
body, which secures satisfaction from that source which is other than
our body. Our experience shows this satisfaction to be a happiness of a
superior kind to the sensuous. This activity can be selfless help to
the needy, taking up a humanitarian cause, introspection and prayers
for humanity and making life worthwhile for those who need assistance
for it. Our inner happiness increases and bodily pleasures lose their
attraction. Sanaatana
Dharma points to a higher form of bliss in our reality of Satchidaananda.
We get it by full awareness of our divinity. The awareness of our
divinity makes man the paragon of creation and distinguishes him from
animals that live for sensual happiness. This indescribable bliss from
within fulfils and uplifts man, strengthens nations and advances
culture. (A Caution for Social Conduct) 250
Chaupaayi: Sayvaka sukha chaha maana
bhikhaaree: byasnee dhana subha-gati bibhichaaree:: 250.
Lakshmana said to Shoorpanakhaa, "These desires are similar to the
desire to draw milk from the sky, that is, impossible. A
servant desires happiness and a beggar respect. A profligate person
desires to accumulate wealth. A lascivious man desires a noble path or
destination. An avaricious man desires fame and a slave or an emissary
desires pride. A conceited man desires the four precious objects."
(See 111)
To get rid
of Shoorpanakhaa, Lakshmana reproached her for trying to fulfil her
carnal desires as a beggar, or a woman greedy of fulfilling desires
from every quarter, and lastly, for trying to be Raavana's secret
agent. Though clever yet blind with lust, she ignored Lakshmana's
reproach and stayed on. (See 251)
Tulaseedaasa
has collected here and elsewhere some precepts of correct conduct from
scriptures. Keeping them in mind today saves us from pitfalls and
ensures us success and happiness in life. (A Lesson in Conduct)
251
Chaupaayi: Raaju neeti binu dhana binu dharmaa:
Harihi samarapay binu satakarmaa:: 251.
Shoorpanakhaa said to Raavana, "To govern without statecraft, to
earn without following dharma, to do meritorious deeds without
first dedicating them to God, and to gain knowledge without developing
a sense of discrimination, all entail only fruitless labour. Company
for one who has renounced the world, evil counsel for a king, pride for
a man of Knowledge, and liquor for a man of respect are destructive for
each. The lack of trust in the chastity of the spouse destroys mutual
love. Pride destroys the virtuous. I have heard these wise sayings."
The noblest
deeds not dedicated in advance to God accumulate consequences and
rebirth. Discrimination gives objective knowledge its divine purpose.
Discrimination makes physical sciences an instrument for the happiness
of all; its absence makes them a means for destroying the weak. (See 414 [10-12]
) Shoorpanakhaa's advice
is relevant today. This advice
reminds us of Mahatma Gandhi's aphorisms: wealth without work, pleasure
without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without
morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice and
politics without principles, are dangerous for mankind. Baba's
aphorisms are that ‘the end of wisdom is freedom (from all misery and
fears), the end of freedom is not pleasure but wisdom (jnaana),
the end of culture is perfection, the end of knowledge is love, and the
end of education is character.’ (SS 72 3, BS X 164) (Parentheses
Author's) A hermit's
desire for any company weakens his non-attachment. Desire itself is the
mother of consequences, which binds him to rebirth. (See 148) For the
destruction of
Knowledge, please see 240 [3], 438, and 441.
These
couplets emphasize the identity of ends and means in nobility for the
happiness of all around us. No end, however noble, can justify ignoble
means. Ignoble means rely on selfishness and pride. They cannot
guarantee noble results because we reap what we sow. By ignoble means
we also sow adversity for us. Noble means demand individual
self-control, discipline and sometimes sacrifice which are our efforts
towards godliness. Godliness invokes God's grace to bring about noble
results. The courage to face results is a sign of a healthy society.
Noble means can seldom achieve ignoble ends. The fruit is in the seed.
Correct means for correct ends cannot be logically proved. Correct
means however are practically all that Sanaatana Dharma as a religion
and its philosophy are about. (See 272 [1-10,
13, 14]) (A Lesson in Conduct) 252
Soratthaa: Ripu ruja paavaka paapa Prabhu, ahi
gani-yay na chhotta kari:: Ark21 252.
Shoorpanakhaa continued, "One never treats as trifling an enemy, a
wound, fire, sin, a master, or a snake." Please see 242 for
the opposite of sin that is dharma
or meritorious acts. When considering sin, we should be clear that just
as natural phenomena, all acts in themselves have no quality. Killing
in the patriotic war is meritorious. On threat of being killed, it is a
duty. On provocation, it may appear justified. Out of grudge, revenge
or animosity or hatred, it is a sin. Killing by a crash in drunken
driving is none of these. Our intent gives acts a quality, attaches us
to them and brings us their consequences It is a sin
not to act according to one's Satchidaananda nature and the Varnaashrama
Dharma. Acts under the compulsions of man's superimposed
nature, which hurt others, are sins. (See 265 [6-10],
347 and
Geetaa
3:36-40) All acts
free from malice and based upon love for, and the wellbeing of all as
one with us, unite and are correct. Acts, which divide are sins. (See 241 [18])
All acts for selfish
pleasures in satisfaction of desires, which hurt someone or diminish or
deprive others of their happiness, are sins. (See 376-385)
An act incorrect in one's selfless judgement is a sin. ‘...
remember there is no sin as such: there are only errors due to
ignorance, envy or hatred. Sin is not the real nature of man; it is
acquired and can be shed.’ (BS 2 166, 5 78) If someone calls a man a
sinner, it hurts him. It is because his divine reality surfaces in
every man from time to time to resent such characterization. It is a
libel to call one a sinner. (See 193, 373, 416) For
an
honest and
compassionate
man, Swami Ramakrishna says, "I chant the name of Hari. How can I be a
sinner?" He who constantly repeats, 'I am a sinner! I am a sinner!'...
‘verily becomes a sinner. What lack of faith? A man chants the name of
God so much and still talks of sin!’ (RK 538) Sin
unnecessarily creates a guilt complex, which is a festering sore to
obstruct our progress. We know it was an error in momentary ignorance
forced upon us by our past, the present intractable situations or our
momentary passions. We repent, surrender to God and resolve to be alert
to eschew it in future. (See Geetaa 9:30) When in a quandary, we pray
for help. The impact upon us of the consequences of our past dwindles
by God's grace by our surrender to Him. If however we again slip into
wrong ways or insincerity, this assured redeeming process stops
temporarily. (See 148, 318)
The Oxford
English Dictionary defines sin as a ‘transgression against divine law
or principles of morality.’ Sanaatana Dharma does not believe in this
definition of sin. How can any scripture codify, circumscribe or
interpret all God's laws, or state how God administers them and what
amounts to transgression? If a scripture does it by prohibiting the use
of our mind to think upon what a scripture contains, to reach beyond
it, it is a bondage to the book by the its believer’s choice. It is not
bondage for all. Can any scripture make God subordinate to it by tying
down God to words recorded by man in it? Is not God above all sacred
texts? Has God not given us the mind with its harmony with the heart
for its proper use throughout our life? One wonders. (See Geetaa 18:63)
We do not directly know enough about the divine law to transgress it;
we can only know our divine nature to go against it. The principles of
morality are not universal or the unchanging truth. They are different
for the rich and the poor at places. They are a code for the age or yugadharma
for sections of people. An act against morality can be a sin today and
not tomorrow. (See 123, 184, 241 [18])
Sanaatana
Dharma concentrates upon action, its intent or cause and consequence
all inherent in each other. Nothing happens without a cause and there
is always a cause for a cause and so on. Each cause is followed by
action and its consequence. There is this continuity in universe. Our
alertness to this basic understanding of cause and effect and the
importance of our intent behind every act keeps us linked to God. This
link prevents our committing an error. If we slip into error in spite
of our sincere effort not to, the link secures us relief from its
consequences. (See 177, 96) This is
because God protects us
from error so that we reach Him as soon as possible. There is no
perdition in Sanaatana Dharma. How can we end in anything other than
our origin when there is nothing real beyond that origin – God? If action
arises in ignorance, it is an error. If one has Knowledge one does not
ordinarily commit a wrong action. (See Geetaa 4:37) God does not punish
ignorance. He gives opportunities for Knowledge or redemption. For
Sanaatana Dharma, a sin is an error in our ignorance due to maya and
its six generals. An error in ignorance is distinct from the concept of
sin as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary. Second, a sin, similar
to a crime, is an act distinct from its punishment. Vikarma or
any incorrect action has its consequence, inseparable from and inherent
in it. When the consequence is harsh it appears as a punishment. Third,
a sin or a crime is committed knowingly. An incorrect karma is an error
in the ignorance caused by maya. Maya makes us believe something as
correct when in fact, it is not. So, in that belief we commit an error,
which is called a sin. We are responsible for our bad intent. It is
also the result of our ignorance of the totality of elements in a
situation. That is why the advice is to act always with a benevolent
intent (See 259)
A jnaanee
reaches beyond maya and commits no error. (See 67 and Geetaa
4:37,
5:10) Fourth,
ignorance is not punished. Children's curiosity sometimes hurts them.
Their hurt is not a punishment but the consequence of ignorance. Fifth,
the intent determines the gravity of the consequence of our karma. (See
34) Its
result
on others,
which is beyond our control, is not so material. (See 72) A sin or
a
crime is punished both
for the gravity of its intent and effect upon others. Last. We can
never know the totality of the visible and the invisible elements in a
situation. So, we always act on incomplete data or ignorance. Neither
correct nor incorrect act is a meritorious deed or a sin because both
arise from ignorance. Our consequences for any act therefore rest on
our intent and not on the act, which is called sin. So, no act by
itself is a sin. We can rid
ourselves of the fear that sin in today's parlance creates for us by
knowing that in Sanaatana Dharma God loves us with all our faults as a
mother does, even if her child is forgetful of her. (See 306, 318) God
is neither hurt nor
affected by abuses hurled on Him nor by one opposing Him. Do we have
the power to hurt or annoy Him? Can we hurt or annoy the ocean by
throwing a rock on it? God is an ocean of love and mercy and not a mere
punishing father with human failings. It is repeated in the Book, that
God wants us to approach Him for succour. (See 325) The
greater
our
distress from
our errors the greater is His love to give us relief. (See 227, 261 and
Geetaa 9:30) We should
never forget that only God knows whether to give or not to give us
consequences of our acts and if so, of which ones, what consequences of
what gravity and in what sequence. We need not worry about the right or
wrong of any act if we motivate all our actions by love for all as one
with us. (See 241
[18])
With that
we should dedicate all actions to God's care with the faith that He is
the doer and we His mere instruments. We leave it to Him to give us
what He thinks best for us. This is the net result of the analysis of
the concept of sin or error. The word
sin or paapa enters into the religious vocabulary of Sanaatana
Dharma because our ego does not admit that we acted in ignorance. Since
we acted in awareness, our incorrect karma becomes a crime or a sin.
Secondly, sin comes in handy to remind us of the law of karma. It acts
as a deterrent that while we can escape punishment by the state, we
cannot escape from consequences meted out to us by God. Deterrent
punishment has failed to prevent or stop crime because it does not root
out their cause. A proper understanding of the law of karma can prevent
and stop crime because of the inescapability from consequences for
wrong acts and it also shows how to root out their cause. A crime is
violence to another person or prevents his living in accord with his
divine nature or dharma. Sanaatana Dharma does not lay down
principles of jurisprudence, the law or procedures for crime and
punishment in society. Dharma cannot call a crime sin. A sin today
cannot cease to be a sin tomorrow or vice versa. A crime however can.
Concepts of crime and punishment change with the advance of society.
For example, polygamy or polyandry in some societies was no crime
yesterday. Smoking, drinking, suicide and abortion can become crimes
tomorrow where they are not today. Dharma
being eternal only says all laws must be equal for all because all are
one in God. ‘Ideas, principles, laws, customs, codes, habits and
actions – all are to be judged on the twin points of intention and
consequence. Is the intention pure, born out of love and based on
truth? Does it result in peace? If yes, dharma is enshrined in
that action or law, custom or conduct.’ (BS 2 219) Purity, love, truth
and peace within are religion but are not defined or given a form in
scriptures nor can they be codified as law and enforced by the State.
They develop from knowledge of the religions of all neighbours and all
living in the core of each. Hence is the continuing fall in standards
of morals and character in Sanaatana
Dharma recognizes the innumerable forms of wrong actions or crimes,
which disturb society. However, they are not sins. Sanaatana Dharma
goes into their cause. It finds that all of them arise from our
forgetting our divine nature or dharma on our getting
overwhelmed by our six internal enemies. They are desire, anger, greed,
attachment (the feeling of mine), pride and envy. For example, desire
or lust leads to adultery, anger arises from frustration of desire or
insult, pride leads to violence, greed to selfishness and fraud,
attachment to class distinctions and racial and sectarian hatred and
envy leads to unscrupulousness and unethical behaviour. The forms these
passions take to satisfy themselves create all the crimes and problems
without exception, which make society sick. Other causes arise only
from this single cause, the six passions. Sanaatana
Dharma finds the cure for all problems of society in the control of
passions by individuals. This control is also a prophylactic against
the sickness of an individual's mind, which causes sickness of the
human body and of society of which crime is a symptom. Sanaatana Dharma
does not call symptoms sins to instil in man the fear of a frightful
despot called God. The provision of the knowledge of each path for each
follower through his respective teachers or scriptures and for all to
understand each other therefore becomes the duty of the state.
Sanaatana Dharma tried the method of fear. It rejected fear of God with
the discovery of Vedantic principles and perennial verities to free man
from all fear of sin and of God to live in a loving God. (See 241-242)
Sanaatana
Dharma does not call any crime a sin to permit the interference of
religion into matters of the state. Sanaatana Dharma does not permit
interference of state into Dharma. Through Advaitic oneness,
Sanaatana Dharma reminds the state that all paths to God or religions
are correct and the state should encourage and provide nourishment and
protection to all following their particular path. The state should
ensure that no faithful is denied the economic, social and political
facilities as long as the visible practices of his path do not hurt
anyone else's sensibilities or restrain civic freedom. To confuse crime
with sin can have frightful consequences in depriving citizens of
liberties gained after centuries of oppression. This deprivation is
observable in some sections of society and nations today. If, as
Sanaatana Dharma does, a religion takes care of the cause, the State is
left with no effects in crimes to deal with. Selflessness and
compassion of service of the needy develop in each member control of
his passions. These virtues with the knowledge of our oneness with all,
lead to a crime free and healthy society. Neither these virtues nor
this knowledge can be revived or enforced by the State in any member of
society. Divine traits in man are recalled and strengthened by their
demonstration in the conduct of exemplary parents, citizens, leaders,
teachers and gurus. They eliminate crime. Example, not precepts without
practice, pledges and law, is the role of religion. If we
search for a sin in a holy book we forfeit our intellect to it because
we treat the book as unalterable. The yardstick for sin or meritorious
act is whether an act is in conformity with our Satchidaananda
divinity or not. In other words, does the act distinguish between
reality and unreality and intends to give bliss to all? If so, the act
is meritorious. We must always use our common sense. (See Geetaa 18:63)
If not, some meaningless rituals and personal habits and practices,
which affect none else, can be viewed as against God and therefore
sins, for example, not observing some prescribed niyamas or
practices in pursuit of our concept of religion. Jnaana, which
is oneness of all with us in God, and Brahmacharya, which is
control over our six passions, provide an additional yardstick for
right and wrong in our conduct to sustain our material and spiritual
progress. When we find difficulty in deciding what is right or dharma
and no guru is readily available to guide us and the yardstick outlined
above appears difficult, we follow the Geetaa summed up in 240 [23]
and
in paragraphs 148
to 150
of the chapter Philosophy. The Geetaa does not enumerate sins. In the last
four couplets and the instant one is given that advice and warning
which Shoorpanakhaa gave to Raavana. This advice keeps wide our outlook
today by relying on our common sense and experience. (A Lesson in
Conduct) 253
Chaupaayi: Sura nara asura naaga khaga maaheen: moray
anuchara kanha ko-u naaheen:: 253.
Raavana thought, "There is none amongst gods, men, demons,
underground animals such as serpents, and birds, who dare stand against
even my attendants. Khara and Dooshana equalled me in strength. None
except God Himself could kill them." On
Shoorpanakhaa's report that Khara and Dooshana were killed, it struck
Raavana that God descended on the earth as Shree Raama. Raavana rightly
wanted to test himself if Shree Raama was God. 254
Chaupaayi: Sura-ranjana bhanjana mahi-bhaaraa: jaun
Bhagavanta leenha avataaraa:: 254.
Raavana thought, "If God has come as a man to secure happiness for
gods and to free the earth of its burden of the wicked, I must fight
Him. Killed by His arrow, I shall be free from rebirth on the earth."
Raavana
discovered that Shree Raama or God and kaama or lust could not
stay simultaneously in his mind. His demoniacal nature obstructed his
securing God. So, Raavana decided to secure Him by being killed face to
face by God Himself. (See 269, 347) Such
was
Raavana's wisdom. If
Raavana were not to be destroyed because of his greed, lust and pride,
he would have accepted the sound advice of his friends and foes alike
to surrender to Shree Raama. (See 320)
In these
four couplets, Raavana, the knowledgeable, is shown to present a
lesson. A worldly man should test by personal experience any person who
is respected by others as spiritually advanced person or a guru or an
Incarnation of God. He should not be swayed either for or against by
what others say from their experience of the revered person. This is
because we are gifted with our mind to use it purposefully and for
personal experiment and experience. These three persons respond to the
level of the seeker to create perceptions that are sometimes
contradictory. (See 101, 157) Also
these persons are viewed
by different persons differently. Incarnations of God are derided by
some of their contemporaries. Each seeker has to reach his destination
in his own time and way. Some born with a high level of spirituality as
Kayvatt and Mandodaree, recognize an Incarnation of God by just hearing
about Him. And, Shabaree recognized divine vision in Guru Matanga to
receive Shree Raama in her hut. (See 141, 262, 340)
255
Chaupaayi: Jaun nara-roopa bhoop-suta ko-oo:
hariha-un naari jeeti rana do-oo :: Ark23 255.
Raavana thought to himself, "If the princes are mere sons of a
king, I shall defeat them in battle and snatch their woman from them."
Raavana was
a follower of the path of Knowledge and of deeds, namely, prescribed
austerities and sacrificial rites, but motivated by rajoguna or
the mode, which generates activity for selfish satisfaction. He did not
develop love for, or seek refuge in the embodied God in Shree Raama
because he had very little of satvaguna or the spiritual mode
in him. That little was however sufficient to interest him in
scriptures and jnaana. After reaching the height of his paths
of Knowledge and of the Vedic ritual deeds, maya in the form of lust
and pride brought him down. (See 275, 438) For a
moment
the divine
in Raavana surged forth to be overwhelmed again by his demoniac nature.
(See 242,
254)
Raavana
also illustrates a man's helplessness against overwhelming superimposed
nature from his heinous past, that is his svadharma in spite of
his effort to get rid of it through study of scriptures, observance of
religious practices and devotion to Shiva. Raavana’s life illustrates
the limit of achievement by devotion to any form of God if it is not
accompanied by benevolent intent and virtuous conduct. Raavana
shows us that howsoever wretched we may think of ourselves to be in our
introspection, we all have enough satvaguna in us to take to
the right path. Thereafter, unlike Raavana, regardless of our
situation, powerful or powerless, we can surrender to God in all
humility to seek God's grace to alter our nature and path for our good.
Raavana did not do it in his pride of achievements and power and in
spite of his spiritually advanced Queen Mandodaree's repeated
exhortation to him. Pride of intellect is the strongest ally of the
atheist but lets him down in a foxhole that makes him a theist. 256
Chaupaayi: Sunahu priya brata ruchira suseelaa: main
kachhu karabi lalita nara leelaa:: 256. Shree
Raama said to Seetaa, "O dear Seetaa! Listen. I have to do some
extraordinary play-acting as a human being. You merge into fire till
all the demons are destroyed." According
to ancient Indian sages, energy subsists in matter and matter is
condensed energy. All transmutations in nature of forms, matter and
energy take place from within them by one law, which governs all.
Matter and the aatmaa or soul can subsist in energy because the
Paramaatmaa or the Great Soul, Brahman, pervades
everything and is one with its power or energy, namely, Mahaashakti.
Lakshmana
had gone to collect some tubers and fruit. On return, he took Seetaa's
replica to be the original. Some thinkers are of these views on this
incident. The
original Seetaa would have destroyed Raavana by her yogic powers of a
chaste wife. (See 222)
The moment
Raavana died his entire family and all demons would have sought Shree
Raama's refuge. Shree Raama's promise to rid the earth of all demons
could not be fulfilled. So, Raavana was the last demon to be killed.
(See 226,
347)
Second, if
Raavana touched her,
Seetaa would cease to be chaste for Shree Raama. Third, Shree Raama was
the powerful and Seetaa was his power. They could not be separate. So,
Raavana could kidnap only Seetaa's replica. For the drama Shree Raama
had planned, Seetaa's replica was necessary. (MP) (See 85) 257
Chaupaayi: Sastree marmee prabhu sattha dhanee:
baidya bandi kabi maanasa-gunee:: Ark26 257. One
should not make an enemy of an armed man, a man who knows one's
secret such as one's neighbour, one's master or the king, a fool, a
moneyed man, a physician, a panegyrist, a poet or a skilled man.
Besides the
above, if we are forced, we should think of animosity only with one
whose intellect and power we can conquer. God saves us from
predicaments and animosity if we live a life of love for all. (See 177)
On Raavana's threat to fall
into his plan to kidnap Seetaa or be killed by him, Maareecha
remembered to follow this wise saying. This is practical wisdom in life
threatening situations even today. (A Lesson in Caution) 258
Chaupaayi: Jaa kara naama marata mukha aavaa:
adhamahu mukuta ho-yi sruti gaavaa:: 258.
Jattaayu said to Shree Raama, "The Vedas say that even the vilest
sinner gets salvation, if at the time of his death, he remembers Shree
Raama. You are yourself present in front of me. For whom and for what
should I continue to retain my physical body?" Raavana
mortally wounded Jattaayu. Restoring him to health by an affectionate
touch, Shree Raama said, ‘You can continue to live.’ The above is
Jattaayu's reply. We cannot remember God's name at the time of our
death, unless even with remembering it continuously, we receive God's
grace. (See 292
and
Geetaa 7:30,
8:5, :10) 259
Chaupaayi: Jala bhari na-yana kahahin Raghuraa-yee:
taata karma nija tayn gati paa-yee:: 259.
With tears in his eyes, Shree Raama said to Jattaayu, "O
friend! You have attained your salvation by your own deeds. Nothing,
even salvation, is impossible for those whose hearts are filled
with the desire and who are set to do good to others." This is the
only occasion in the Book where Shree Raama had tears in his eyes on
someone's death. Jattaayu was the only fortunate devotee whom Shree
Raama cremated. Jattaayu had earlier said to Shree Raama that the
repetition of His name and His vision secured it salvation. Shree Raama
however said that Jattaayu secured salvation only by the single act of
his mind, namely, keeping it always filled with the set desire to do
good to all. Shree Raama eliminates the need of God for us if we can
make selfless benevolence our second nature. (See 290)
Shiva,
Kaakabhushunddi, Dasharatha and Shree Raama Himself advise as means for
bliss that are repetition of Shree Raama's name, (See 248)
devotion to
Him, (See 242)
securing His vision, (See 269)
earning His
grace, (See 347)
non-violence, (See 453) truth,
(See 116,
139)
developing
love for
Shree
Raama, (See 360)
surrender to
Him, (See 325)
and lastly, the
service of others. (See 54, 444) Here
Shree
Raama gave
pre-eminence to a mind, filled with selfless benevolence to motivate
all actions in life, over all other means. This is because such a mind
could achieve the impossible. The Geetaa gives benevolence of all as
the duty of even those who have attained salvation in life. (See Geetaa
3:20, 5:25, 12:4) Benevolence,
compassion, help and service are the forms of true love, which is
essential for our spiritual journey for contented prosperity and
continual bliss and thereafter freedom from rebirth in life itself.
(See 360)
Sincere helpful
interest in problems of others' family, work and their world, ignoring
others' criticism, desisting from harping upon our own insignificant
troubles as a hypochondriac that add to others' basket of minor aches
and pains and not cutting jokes at their cost, are also forms of this
love. Love is the enemy of laziness. It demands thinking less of us and
more of the ways to expand our love to benefit others. The aim is
mutual material and spiritual growth. We achieve this growth by sharing
our happiness with others. Even unconscious selfish interest does not
demean love into attachment if we motivate our acts by help all and
hurt none. (See 122, 126)
We
are judged by our conduct
towards those who cannot or do no good to us or even hurt us. (See 432)
From our birth, we all learn in
our family how to express and reciprocate love. It is by making others
happy. For filling
our mind with benevolence and compassion for all within our reach, we
should remember that all are one with us. If I hurt anyone I hurt only
myself. When I give to all love and compassion, truly I give it in a
multiple measure only to myself in the end. This conviction, not
possible through logic but attainable by faith in the law of karma and
God's grace, fills our mind with compassion. The conduct emphasized
here is merely the enlargement of the person's concern for the self
into compassionate service of all and particularly of the needy around
us. This is because eventually the self encompasses all. This attitude
saves us from harming others and thereby ourselves even if we cannot
help them. If we can do nothing materially for the needy or others, our
prayers for the needy earn us merit regardless of God's relief to them
or not as a result of our prayers. Even not to harm others consciously
or uncons-ciously can improve society to blissful heights. Polite
manners, courtesy to, and respect and care for others, voluntary social
work and charity, all benevolence arise from the precept in this
couplet. They are signs in us of civilization and their absence those
of barbarism. Vivekananda calls the conduct of compassion and
benevolence our expansion or life, and its opposite or
self-centredness, as our contraction or death. (See 64, 344, 240 [1-6,
9, 10, 21], 389)
The
significance of the mind purified through compassion for all is that
without such a mind no path to reach God is sincere and fruitful. To
discriminate in our conduct makes our devotion to, or any path towards
God who is love, hypocrisy. Secondly, once the mind is compassionate,
it is pure and our acts become correct, the path or religion becomes
immaterial. Thirdly, every path rests upon our Satchidaananda
nature which is to spread and share bliss through compassion towards
the less fortunate ones than us. Lastly, and most importantly, we can
sincerely think of the good of others and not of some only on the
conditions that follow. We expect nothing from them (no kaama).
We are not angry with them (no krodha). We do not intend to
grab something from them (no lobha). We are not attached to
some and averse to others (no moha). We have no intent to hurt
or denigrate them (no ahamkaara). We are not envious or jealous
of them (no matsara). And, we do not put our 'I' first in
dealing with them. In practice we find that if we think good of all and
act accordingly, the six passions do not bother us. We by pass them.
They become irrelevant and we become practically free from their hold
on us. Thus sustained selfless benevolence easily secures us control
over six passions and so a purified mind. To attain this control is
difficult by many other disciplines. (See 300, 407) A
purified mind is
one with
God. (See 300,
318)
Benevolence
is the mark of the divine in a human being because it renders the six
passions practically non-existent or powerless for us. It sums up all
spiritual disciplines. (See Geetaa 5:25, 6:8) We also secure
benevolence by aligning our intellect with our inmost Self, which links
us to the reservoir of cosmic power within. Thereby we can achieve the
apparently impossible for others' good. (See 42 [3,
6-13])
That is
why Shree
Raama repeated benevolence as the best conduct to Bharata. (See 386)
This is a tip for
securing a pure mind that receives the limitless power of the mind. That
benevolence, as all virtuous conduct, is beneficial for us cannot be
proved by pure logic. Reason without its harmony with our heart cannot
persuade us to be virtuous and self-sacrificing for others' good. It is
the heart, not intellect, which learns virtuous conduct and its value
from the experience of those we trust and respect. Hence the need for
alertness to the mischievous power of our intellect not tempered by our
heart and not aligned with our inmost Self or divinity. (See 300, 322)
Selfless benevolence invokes
God's grace. Both increases our capacity, create congenial situations
and favourable circumstances and increases opportunities for
benevolence to make us tenacious in its pursuit. (See 261) This
is
experienced because it
is one of God’s ways to hasten our reach to Him. Our joy in our conduct
of benevolence is not apparent to others. Sometimes
our superior, relation, neighbour or colleague persists in hurting us.
The defence of our person, family, property or of one in our refuge is
however our duty. It is difficult to be benevolent towards him. If we
have firm faith in karma, after performing our duty of defence in
response, we deal with the situation as best as we can but without
malice and this is the rub. In faith, we should not let go correctness
of our response as we would like to be done unto us. After our
response, regard-less of results, we accept the situation as the result
of our own past doing. We should take the situation as a test for us.
This reduces the impact of the situation on us. Second, we pray for
relief from God who can alter the situation for us. Third, a tit for
tat, or vengeance on our part is incorrect action because it is
malevolent and therefore invites for us adverse conse-quences sooner or
later. We should act according to our good nature relying on our prayer
to God to change the offender’s attitude towards us. Lastly, our
strength of faith finds us relief sooner than we think. This is
experienced. Defence of our person, family, property or of one in our
refuge is however our duty. God Himself
searches for the benevolent to stay in his heart. (See 164)
Benevolence
makes us God's
instruments for His work to sustain the needy in His creation. For His
purpose, God keeps us self-sufficient and fearless even if we do not
think of Him. (See Geetaa 3:24) No wonder, some followers of other
religions cannot understand Sanaatana Dharma as a religion. It is one
in which God seems to step aside. (See 267 [1-7])
When we try this path, however, we feel we need help. God's grace
helps. In the Book, benevolence is given as the all-encompassing path
for our continual success and bliss in life. (See 139, 386) The
path of
benevolence for all
by the masses sustained India and it culture but ironically many see it
as India’s weakness today. If only
every Indian could follow the Sanaatana or universal religion
summed up in the instant couplet, and not Smritic Hinduism that
we observe today mostly in urban areas, Vivekananda would not
have had to express his anguish in the words, which follow. ‘No
religion on the earth preaches the dignity of humanity in such lofty
strain as Hinduism, and no religion on the earth treads upon the necks
of the poor and the low in such a fashion as Hinduism.’ (CWV V. 5
15) ‘I do not
believe in a God or religion which cannot wipe the widow's tears or
bring a piece of bread to the orphan's mouth.’ (CWV Eight Edn. V. 5
50) ‘So long as
the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor,
who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to
them.’ (CWV V. 5 58) ‘So long as
even a dog of my country remains without food, to feed and take care of
him is my religion; and anything else is either non religion or false
religion.’ (VEWD 644) (Parentheses Author's) To bring
home to followers the contradiction of their faith in their conduct and
the faults in the latter is the role of the wise. The condemnation of a
religion for the faults of its followers is the role of maya or
ignorance. Maya sways sometimes even jnaanees and men of divine
vision such as Janaka and Vivekananda. (See 97, 405)
Indefensible faults, which are cyclical in every society, are the role
of time, the cause of all changes. The removal of faults in society and
bringing it back to a healthy path by the permanent transformation of
its individual members is the role and responsibility of gurus,
exemplary parents, teachers, the learned, leaders and preachers. Their
exemplary conduct arises from their living in the universal core of
love in their religion. This conduct cannot arise from their total
reliance on pure reason, which is devoid of compassion and fosters
belief in 'we' and 'they.' The demonstration of the power of faith and
its value in ideal daily conduct of benevolence is the role of ideal
parents, gurus or of an Incarnation of God. (See 36 and
Geetaa 10:1) |
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