DEIVATHIN KURAL # 20 (of Vol 3) Dated 24 Nov 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 20 (of Vol 3) Dated 24 Nov 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal of Kanchi Kamakoti peetam, over a period of some sixty years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of last century. These have been published in Tamil by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each, as Deivathin Kural. To day we are proceeding from the last para on page number 87, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original. The readers are reminded that herein the word 'man' includes 'woman' too. )
(Note:- These e-mails are available at http://advaitham.blogspot.com constantly up-dated.)
35. Now a days many people have a wrong notion that, the way Buddha, Jesus Christ and Mohammad Nabhi have emphasized Ahimsa, Love and Brotherhood; it has not been done in the Vaidik Religion. The Hindu Sanatana Dharma leans heavily towards, Karma Anushtana, Yagna-s, rituals of Divasam and Tarpanam and so on. Hinduism relies more on big festivals and idol worship. Fasting and abnegation, Yoga-s and esoteric gnaana vichara are all much labored with. But there is no mention of 'Jiva Kaarunyam', that is, love for all types of life forms. This is one charge leveled against Hindu Religion.
36. Then they say, "OK. Show me a good practicing Vedic scholar. What is he doing. He is most of the time telling some mumbo jumbo in Sanskrit. Keeping himself aloof. Not letting anybody come anywhere near. 'He is a touch me not!' They call it 'madi and aachaaram', as though he is too clean and all others are untouchably dirty! They show no down to earth keenness of a Christian missionary!" The criticism does reach the core of our hearts too! The uninformed Hindu is likely to cringe with a bit of self effacing shame!
37. In reality, in our saastra-s, before talking about individual Karma Anushtaana-s for each member of the four Varnas of Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra; there are eight Atma Gunas mentioned. These eight ‘saamaanya dharma-s’ are commonly applicable rules meant for all human beings. In this the first one is ‘ahimsa’ that is, avoidance of cruelty to life forms. Vegetarianism is a part of that ‘ahimsa’. Even ‘satyam’ that is, truth as a principle comes after ‘ahimsa’ only! While defining ‘satyam’ it is said, “satyam bhoota hitam priyam”, that is, to tell or report exactly what happened is not the only thing about truth. What ever is comfortable and liked by people for their intrinsic convenience is truth!
38. Similarly, before the forty samskaaraa-s, are the eight fold Ashta-Gunaa-s. The first in that is, ‘daya sarva bhooteshu’, kindness and compassion for all life forms. Without practicing love and kindness in one‘s life, to hope for God’s blessings is nothing short of being foolish. When you do not have love for others of your kind, how can you expect kindness from God? When you do not have care and concern for others like you, what could be the basis for expecting care and concern from God?!
39. As I said earlier, one cannot progress spiritually without love, care, concern, compassion and kindness towards all living things. Paropakaaram, devotional activities, karma Anushtaanaa-s, functions and rituals, social service and festivals; they all go hand in hand with mutual complimentality, ennobling and cleansing each other.
40. In the interregnum East India Company arrived in India, slowly but steadily enabling introduction of the British rule, education, culture and way of life. In India, it has always been the tradition to copy the King, as the saying goes, "jaise raajaa, vaise prajaa". When everybody started copying the westerner in all walks of life, those who were more religiously oriented, possibly started being more noticed as being different. It is only after that, it seemed as though, Vaidik Aachara-s and Social Service as an activity, became estranged and divorced from each other. If you read the life history of renowned Vaidik scholars such as, Appayya Deekshidar, Govinda Deekshidar, Thiruveesa Nallur Ayyavaal and such, you realize how close they were to the common man including the slum dwellers!
41. For the sake of world's well being, when the work load was traditionally shared between the castes, there was a certain amount of compartmentalization. Accordingly the respective karma-s differed and so the iterative work load of the castes called the 'Aachara-s' differed. those differences did not create abysmal unbridgeable gaps. Mutual help was not lacking. There was nothing lacking in co-operation and inter dependent co-existence! Without much fanfare and publicity, social service was done though not with that nomenclature! Temples were built, roads made, wells and ponds were dug. trees planted, yeti novas were run, 'a tend kurri niruvudal' was done; all without being called 'social service'!
42. Village life gave away to town and city life. Modern amenities increased. Every half brown Saheb started proving himself to be more modernized than the westerner. Casteless creedless society became the much trumpeted pass word. Those who were die hard conventionalists, had to steer a bit lonely path, leading to a situation that if you believed in your Saastraa-s and Karma Anushtaana, you could not help but stand apart! The common areas of joint efforts between the castes, just dwindled out of form!
43. The ideal state of the earlier days, when neither were they totally divorced nor did they thoroughly inter-mingle; was no more. To differ in the work oriented culture of their castes and work hand in hand for common ventures of mutual need; as common citizens of one King and one God; was lost for ever! The last straw on the proverbial camel's back of Indian culture was, the so called reformists' criticism of the very Karma Aachaaram Anushtaanaa-s! The traditional practicing believers of the saastraa-s could not help getting more and more isolated! Their social involvement got scaled down, next to nil. Isolation leads to lack of trust and mutual dis-trust! But if True Sanaatana Dharma is to be followed, Paropakaaram and social service are as important as the forty Samskaras and the eight Atma Gunaa-s. Amongst those 40 samskaaras and eight Atma gunaas, the first and fore-most is 'arul udaimai'. You may do any number of Yaagaa-s and Yagnaa-s, but you have to have the basic love, care and compassion in your heart; and that is 'arul udaimai', as exemplified by the story of Ranti Deva in Srimad Bhagavatam.
44. Ranti Deva was a king in the Chandra Vamsa lineage. He did many Yaaga Yagnaa-s. This information is mentioned in Maha Bharatam. Despite doing many such karma-s his basic heart was full of human kindness, is very well brought out in Srimad Bhagavatam. This will be covered in the next e-mail!
(To be continued)
Sambhomahadeva.