Deivathin Kural # 9 (of Vol 2 )

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 9 (of Vol 2 ) of 14 June 2007.
(Continued from Deivathin Kural # 8 (of Vol 2 ) of 13 June 2007.)
34. I compared the King and Government of this world, to the Guru, for the inner or spiritual world. I said that both the initial Guru during Brhmacharya Asrama, who laid the foundation for our education is as important as the Sanyasi Guru, who gives us Pranava Upadesa and Mahavakya Upadesa. Don't we serve the government in various ways and pay the taxes ? Similarly we should serve the initial and end Gurus and pay them Guru Dakshinai. We can never get anything from anybody, without giving them something in return. Whatever it is that we get, it will be useful and long lasting only if we give value for value. For Sanyasa Guru, money is not so important as service and obedience.
35. To the 'Vidyabyasa Guru', both money and service are to be given / rendered. He has a household. For that it is not enough to give the food material obtained by Bikshacharyam. He has to do various Yagas and other Karma Anushtana. For this the Sishya has to give material and money. As it happens now, if you pay fees during education, that may lead to an idea that the Guru is dependent on us. The devotion to Guru will vanish. So this Guru Dakshinai is given at the end of Gurukula Vasam, before returning to ones, worldly life. As per Sastras, the Sishya has to give what the Guru asks for. Though one can never pay back for what all the Guru gives, one should try to, in terms of service and money / kind.
36. Till peace and vinayam prevailed education flourished. Now there are as many agencies as possible, at work in agitating and pulling the mind of the student in humpteen different directions. Drama, cinema, story books, TV serials, advertisements, magazines and so on, start affecting the mind of the child, from its birth. They diturb the peace of the mind and agitate. Another enemy is Anger and Hate. From the school days, the political parties are interested in creating the so called Youth Wing of the party, with the eye on future vote banks ! Student union elections and the related political orientation of the children's minds are the bane of the modern world. With the dwindling of Vinayam, pride and Ahambhavam have to come in filling in. It is not Vidya anymore. It is Avidya, arts and crafts with cleverness, thuggery and skullduggery.
37. If the boy is given tuition at home, the boy is the Lord and the Guru is a servant. So also in schools and colleges, the student behaves like a Lord. He goes on strike and tries to physically beat up the warden and teacher. Because, in all these places too, they take money first. But in Gurukulam, the Dakshinai is to be paid only in the end. In these things, the psychological insight that our forefathers had is really surprising. Having lovingly interacted with the Guru for a number of years, the student himself will feel indebted and deliberate on, 'how he can never be able to fully compensate the Guru !' On such occassions, there have been Gurus, who have asked for the 'impossible such as, Indrani's ear rings or the gem from the head of the snake !' But such people were rare indeed. May be some of them were wanting to prove that, there was nothing impossible to that Sishya. Normally the Guru lot were self satisfied people, easily pleased.
38. In Baghawat Gita, Sri Krishna says,
"tat viddhi pranipadena pariprasnena sevaya I
upadeshyanthi the gnanam gnanina: tatvadarsina: II "
(The word 'the' in the above line is to be pronounced similar to 'way'.) 'If you want to know about Paramatma Tatva, go to Gnanis who know. Behave with them with Adakkam and humility (pranipadena); serve them well (sevaya); attentively listen and absorb the Upadesas by repeatedly questioning and clarifying doubts (pariprasnena); If you are like that, they will certainly give you Gnanopadesa !', He says.
39. Because He is talking about, ' tatvadarsina: gnanina: ', there is no mention of the Guru Dakshinai. only service (sevaya) is mentioned. But in Taitreeya Upanishad, it is clearly mentioned that, 'for the Guru who does Viddhyabyasam, render service and give the Dakshinai as asked for': 'acharyaya priyam danam ahruthya'. Just because the Upanishad tells the Sishya to give whatever asked for, does not mean that, Guru will suddenly become greedy and ask for the 'moon'. Like the Sishya has a code of conduct, the Guru has much higher norms to live up to.
40. In taitreeya Upanishad, a Guru's advice to the Sishya, prior to his departure after finishing 12 years of Gurukula Vasam is worth taking note of. The talk being quoted here is equivalent to the convocation address given while passing out after graduation in any University ! It goes, "Sathyam vada, Dharmam chara....Mathru devo bhava, Pithru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava, Athiti devo bhava..." and so on; meaning, what is given in the next para.
41. "Speak the truth. Stand by moral standards. Do not refrain from chanting the Vedas even for a single day. (Meaning, never let your profession go by default.) Since Veda Dharma is for ever, accept Gruhastha Dharma, beget children and spread the Vedas for the future generations. Never let your Deva, Rishi, Pithru, Bootha and Jeeva Karmas go by default. Consider your Mother, Father, Teacher and Guest, as God." Having said all that and some, the Guru adds, "Whatever good attitude and behaviour, you have seen and observed in us, emulate. Do not go contrary to that". I am sure that the Guru must have been very well behaved, to be able to say that.
42. As this last sentence may construed as self advertisement, He immediately adds, "You are likely to come across people better than us in many ways. I will tell you as to how to behave with them". Then He goes on to describe as how the Sishya should get along with those who are higher in status, in education, behaviour and social standing. Like the Sishya, the Guru had to have Vinayam too. We can see that, the Guru who is advicing is also speaking from a position of real 'Adakkam'.
43. When faced with the quandry, as to what is to be done and how, the Guru says, "Study people carefully. Those who do not jump to conclusions, but come to a clarity only after a detailed study of the situation, are worth emulating. They should be capable if independant thinking and decision. They should not be cruel minded. Instead of being materialistic, they should be morally incorruptible. You should consider such pesons as your role model. Follow such people of high moral standards, well knowledgeable in Vedas and its purport." we can easily see that the person advicing cannot be a hypocrite and must be a depository of the qualities He is enlarging. The Sishya has seen his Guru on various occassions. Now he returns to his household and the Acharya is telling to live upto the high ideals that is expected of him.
44. The love that is likely to develop between the Guru and the Sishya, is the life force of Gurukula Vasam. The Sishya's Vinayam, control of the senses, progressive advancement in devotion to God, and his personal refinement of character; is all based on this initial capital of Devotion to Guru.
45. Even if the Guru was not not capable of winning the student's devotion on his own, at a young age, when you leave the child in the Guru's household, with the instruction to the boy, to consider the Guru as equivalent to God, coupled with the Bikshacharya arrangement; automatically will evoke Guru Bakthi in the student's heart. Such Guru Bakthi would make the student and the society benefit. Contrary to the need for 'Adakkam', what we see is, 'Adangaamai', that is, uncontrollable mis-behaviour ! That is why, looking at the most unpleasant direction in which education is moving, I am keen on somehow reviving the Gurukula pattern of education.
46. I wish that, every child should go through the experience of Gurukula Vasam, at least for one year, even if it meant the loss of one year from the normal curriculum. Let him do Bikshacharyam and Gurukulam. If I say twelve years, none of you will listen. That is why I am asking for 'one year'. In the young age, even one year of such experience, will benefit the child and society immencely. That loss of one year will be more than made up by the fact that he will brighten up beyond belief. He will at least get into the habit of early morning bath, doing Sandya Vandanam three times, in the morning, forenoon and evening. Such habits will last a life time.
47. Now-a-days, don't you send your child on Scout camps for fifteen days to a month? Like that for a longer duration of minimum one year, make your child undergo, Gurukula Vasam and Bikshacharyam, under a worthwhile Guru. Through Guru Bakthi, many good habits and discipline will be imbued. We have yet to identify such Gurus, and parents who are ready to, do this social experiment. I am sincerely requesting you all to help run such organisations, by first contributing in kind, identify suitable teachers and put the idea in to practice. Basically the people who are too poor to send their children to school, could contribute by sending their children to Gurukula Vasam.
48. We do not have to make a huge infra-structure. Actually, we should avoid making a big organization, I am not saying that no organization is required. But simply, launch such Gurukulas and then periodically review, as to how best to help and overcome problems. We should all see as to how best we can help. It is important to get that mind set.
49. More education means more Agnosticism, more disbelief, more indiscipline and lack of control. If the state of affairs is to change, even if only as a model case in an experiment, we have to create Guru Bakthi and make it thrive. Till the last generation, at least in Sangeetham, Gurukula Vasam was in vogue. Now, even that is extinct.
50. So we have to make a start. We should not be inactive, thinking, who will join such. 'Small drops make the ocean.' For the welfare of humanity, Love of God is essential. For that, Guru Bakthi is the essential prelude.
(KTSV adds:- Actually this lecture led to the creation of Sankara Baktha Sabhas and Sankara Gurukulams in many cities. I personally know of one running very effectively in Malkajgiri, Secunderabad, where some 100 Brhmachary students are studying, 15 to 30 students becoming Ganapadigal every year.)
Sambhomahadeva.