Deivathin Kural # 8 (of Vol 2 )

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 8 (of Vol 2 ) of 13 June 2007.
(Continued from Deivathin Kural # 7 (of Vol 2 ) of 11 June 2007.)
16. Where and when was the foundation laid, for that bliss of 'seperateness dissolving in oneness'; Jeeva merging into Paramatma; the individual soul subsiding in the Universal ? For that question, the answer is, "saisave abyastha vidyanam". It is the moral foundation laid in childhood, that stands by him throughout one's life. It makes him aware that all other events of life are only transient points and not the destination.
17. Childhood is the time to inculcate discipline. What is the first requirement of discipline ? Humility, control and contentedness, are the three basics for discipline. Humbleness is essential for self control and control by authority. For all good qualities, 'vinayam' is the back-drop. Vinayam is lack of pride and head weight, and a willingness to learn. More than medicine, diet is important. Similarly, for all sudents, vinayam was the essential quality. Actually the student was called, 'vineyan', that is, he had the humility, humbleness and willingness to learn. By the time he was eight years of age, he was given the 'yagnopaveetham' by a function called 'upanayanam', otherwise called the 'poonal kalyanam'.
18. What is 'upanayanam' ? 'Nayanam' is to escort. The blind man has to be escorted by someone else. From this you can understand that, it is the eye which takes us places. That is why the eyes are called, 'nayanam'.
'Upa' means, close / near. So, 'upanayanam' was, giving the young boy, 'yagnopaveetham' (to enable him to do the trikala sandya vandanam) and escort him to the Guru, for Gurukula Vasam. Till now he was playing around as a child and now he undertakes a responsible, disciplined Brhmacharya Asrama. Asrama, here does not necessarily mean, being closetted away in an asylam, but an imporant stage of one's life. In Brhmacharya Asrama, the Guru is the most important person.
19. In this first Asrama, Guru is the 'be all and end all'. Finally in the Sanyasa Asrama too, another Guru comes in to play. To cut the 'poonool' or 'yagnopaveetham' given now, that Guru has to come. What the first Guru taught as the Aim of all Upanishads as Brhmam; to enable him to realise that Brhmam, the second Guru comes as a Sanyasi Guru. By Guru Parampara, we mean that line of Sanyasi Guru, whom we reverentially prostrate to.
20. But, it is the first Guru in Brhmacharya Gurukula Vasam, who enbles us to acquire the merits, to be able to approach the Sanyasi Guru. This Guru taches us all the Vidyas / Education, arts and crafts. This Guru is not a sanyasi. The first Guru is called Vedavith(one who knows the Vedas) and the final Guru is called Brhmavith(one who knows the Brhmam). This initial Guru, who is a Vedavith has bookish knowledge of Brhmam but not aware. He is yet to go to a Sanyasi Guru and take Sanyasa and do Brhma Anusandanam !
21. But this does not mean that, he is anything less. He is exactly as he should be as per Asrama Dharma. If the student is required to be full of 'vinayam', he should be capable of inculcating that 'Vinayam' and be able to live in a manner that will evoke the natural respect of the student. He should be unfailing in observance of His Karmas. He should be morally incorruptible. While being strict with the student, he should have adequqte care and concern for a child who has left his parents, to live with him. The student as he is called, 'vineyan', has another name as 'anthevasi', meaning, 'inliving' or 'with-living'. Like 'upnayanam' means, 'taking the student near', automatically also means, 'near the Guru'; 'Anthevasi' automatically means, 'student living with the Guru'. Actually, 'anthe' does not mean, 'with or near' but 'inside'. Like the words, 'antharangam, antharatma, antharyami', 'antha', means 'inside'. Inside not only means in the same house, but also in the heart. The Guru should keep the Sishya in his heart. That is how loving he should be.
22. He has a very big responsibility towards the student. If he does not fulfill that resposibility, he will suffer most. Now-a-days, often teachers can heard saying, 'how does it matter whether the student is successful or not, I get my pay'. A Guru running a Gurukula cannot afford to have that sort of an attitude. Because, the 'Guru - Sishya' relationship is not a business contract. The present day condition is far below a business contract even. In business atleast, they will insist on true value for the money in return. Though the student might have paid for the tution, his failure does not affect the teacher, these days. But the Guru in the Gurukula has undertaken an enormous responsibility. What is that ?
23. Needi Sastram says, 'sishya (krutam) papam gurum vrajeth'. That is the effect of the sins of omission and commission by the Sishya, accrues to the Guru. That means that, the Guru not only takes the responsibility to teach the student, but also maintaining the student in an acceptable level of discipline. He is concerned, not only about the behaviour but also the attitude. If he does not live upto his undertaking, he is punishable. The Guru has to suffer for not having corrected the Sishya.
24. In a family, the wife's errant behaviour affects the husband and not her because, it is his responsibility to advice and bring her to the right path. Even in national affairs, the 'papa' that accrues due to the sins of the citizen, goes to the King who failed to correct the citizen. If the King commits mistakes, the 'papa' accrues to the 'Raja Purohithar' or religious advisor in the King's court. Thus the 'Needi Sastra', gave a very high responsibility to the Guru, Husband, King and the King's Acharya :-
raja rashtra krutham papam raja papam purohitam I
bartharam sthreekrutham papam sishya papam gurum vrajeth II
25. However this does not mean, that the husband bossed over the wife; the King ruled with an iron hand and the Guru was a task master with a stick in his hands, for corporal punishment ! They were morally held responsible for their wards' behaviour. They had to bear the burden of their ward's sins, if they had failed to apply corrections effectively. How was the Guru's behaviour in such a condition, when the Guru knew this and was afraid of the accumulation of 'papa' due to the sishya's faults. He would have kept his own behaviour so clean and above board, that the student would be motivated by example. In 'Thithreeya Upanishad', the Guru tells the Sishya, "You follow the good behaviour in us", (asmaakam sucharithaani). It is such a Guru, to whom the child should be entrusted, early enough !
26. Those days, every father knew Veda Sastras very well. Brahmins used to know the meaning and chanting of Vedas, while others knew the gist and message. But when it came to teaching their own son, they took him to another Guru, possibly to avoid spoiling the child because of too much parental liberty and blind love. The child had to learn, obedience based on inner respect to the institution of Guru. You can glean this fact, through the Upanishads.
27. Bharadwajar was a great learned Guru himself. But when it came to putting his son Sukesa in Gurukula, after a search, he took his son to Pippalada, with Sukesa holding 'samit' ( or pieces of small twigs useable in Yaga). Prasnopanishad starts like that. For easily pleased Gurus, offer of Samit was most welcome for conduct of Yagnas. There are many such examples. In Chandokhya Upanishad, there is mention of Swetaketu, who does Vidyabyasam under his own father and does not fare well, when he goes to the Kings court, there to be questioned by one Pravahana. This seems to indirectly convey that education under ones own father was not much appreciated.
28. What is called, 'adakkam' in Tamil and 'vinay' in Sanskrit, a quality that combines humbleness and contentedness, is very difficult to obtain or cultivate. Specially with more education, pride that one is educated, will keep increasing. This is elaborated in another story about Swetaketu, in Chandokhya Upanishad. He returns after a period of 12 years of Gurukula Vasam under other Gurus, with the pride that he had learnt everything. Then his own father, shatters his pride and makes him realise that he knows nothing about 'Brhma Gnana'. He causes his son to request with a bowed head, that he may please be given 'Upadesa' by his own father, on 'Brhma Gnana'.
29. The children were sent to other teachers for 'Gurukula Vasam' for the main purpose of inculcating the essential quality of 'Adakkam'. What we see now is that, when sent to hostels, children's behaviour becomes even worse. Now-a-days, the reason for this is the teacher's lack of charcter qualities. The second reason is the strict framework of tight schedules, that were enforced in the Gurukula. The most important part of that schedule was, 'bikshacharyam', which means, to beg and collect alms.
30. Immediately after the 'yagnopaveetham' ceremony was over, the father of the boy would say, 'bikshacharyam chara', which means, 'go and beg for alms and hand over what you collect, to your Guru'. Even if the father was very rich, and the son will inherit all that one day, he must make his son go through the experience of 'Gurukula Vasam and Bikshacharyam'. The boy is supposed to reply, 'baadham' to mean, 'O K, I will do as ordered'. However rich the boy may be, he had to wear a strip of cloth around his loins, and got each house and stand with a begging bowl and say, 'bavathi biksham dehi !'. This was to bring home humility, humbleness, adakkam and vinayam. The essence of education will be lost track of if this adakkam was going to be missing.
31. What he collected by begging was submitted to the Guru. He would ask the Sishya, to hand it over to the Gurupathni. The Sishya's daily food was dependent on that. When he eats at home to his hearts content and goes to school or college, the student couldn't care less for the teacher. The attitude would not be so, if he had to eat out of the teacher's or his wife's hands. What he brings would be generally more than one man's requirements. But the arrangement ensured that, he would get a feeling of dependancy on the Gurukula, instead of otherwise.
32. There should be no control on the quantity, of what a growing Brhmachary eats. But he should avoid certain type of foods, that will affect him mentally and physically, unsuitable for an educational environment. Guru / Guru Pathni would ensure that such inputs are avoided. To-day evidently no such control exists, neither at home nor in hostels.
33. Normally, to learn one Veda, (including its brahmana, karma kanda and aranyaka,) along with other essential subjects, would take 12 years. He came to the Guru at about Eight and remains there at least upto around 20 years of age. By the time he is 14 to 15, adolescence comes in with concurrent changes in the mental make-up and temptations. In that most important and most impressionable, period of ones life, if you have a kind hearted, likeable, knowledgeable yet firm, Guru of exemplary character, that enables the student to acquire a command over the senses. If the Gurukula Vasam and Bikshadanam had been created, in the later years, it would not have been as effective as the one already in vogue since eight years of age. If we try to construct a buttress wall against a flood, it wil wash away not only the wall but also those who are working to create one. That ia why our Sastras say that, six to seven years before adolescence, the child should get used to Gurukula Vasam and Bikshadanam. Before Kamam can enter inside his mind, Gayathri has already entered and started reinforcing his defences against potential threats. Brhmacharya Asrama schedules, restrictions and control, added to Bikshacharyam, have already instilled much, 'adakkam' including control of the senses. Then, he will not only be a Brhmachary in name only, but in reality too he will be moving in Brhmam, 'brhma charyam'.
(To be continued in the next e-mail, i.e.,Deivathin Kural # 9 (of Vol 2 ).)
Sambhomahadeva.