DEIVATHIN KURAL # 46 (Vol # 3) Dated 21 Jan 2009

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 46 (Vol # 3) Dated 21 Jan 2009
(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyaval of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, over a period of some 60 years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of last century. These have been published by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each as Deivathin Kural. To day we are proceeding from the middle of page number 200 of Vol 3 of the Tamil original, The readers are reminded that herein 'man' includes 'woman' too, mostly.)
(Note:- These e-mails are all available at http://advaitham.blogspot.com constantly updated.)
303. Correction. 1.) Last para in the previous e-mail should have been numbered 302 and not 202. Correction. 2.) In Deivathin Kural # 39 (Vol # 3) Dated 06 Jan 2009, in para 239, line 7, for word 'foreigner' read, 'brochure or literature'.
304. Co-operation Between Husband and Wife. Like 'Srama Daanam' everyone should also do some 'Sampaththy Daanam', that is money. However less your income may be, at least some fraction should go for donation! In this much can be done by the Lady of the house! Jewels, clothes, expenses on cinema and eating outside, desire for dowry and related gifts, are the reasons why, money is not available for genuine Daanam and Dharmam. Men squander their money in horse racing, gambling, imbibing liquor, cigarette and such allied expenses! I know that. But it is women who can reign-in their husbands and also motivate their men towards sacrifice! As Mothers, such a mentality to give and sacrifice is in their very nature. In sparing something for the not-so-well-to-do people of the world, both husband and wife should thus co-operate, by cutting down on all other expenses.
305. When I say that even the relatively poor should save for ‘Paropakaaram’, it evidently means that those already endowed with plenty of income are expected to do so anyhow! A point to grasp here. Being poor or rich is a relative term only. I have seen very rich people with a miserly attitude and also seen very poor people with a big heart. Like Mahatma Gandhi has said, “There is enough in this world for every one’s need; but, there is not enough to cater for even one man’s greed!” So it is necessary to develop the heart and attitude to be of help to others.
306. There is a misleading catch-phrase quoted by many, “...thanakku minji dharmam...”. What it ordinarily means is that, ‘first cater for yourself before making any donation!’ I give a slightly modified interpretation. If you first cater for yourself, you may end up becoming more greedy! A man with 5 Lacs may feel that he needs at the least another 50 Lacs! Another with a million may be in dire need of a few hundred millions! Where do you draw the line for ‘...thanakku minji...?’, meaning having catered for yourself! So I give you what is ‘...thanakku minji...’, that is, ‘what is essential to keep body and soul together!’ Otherwise no one will ever have any money for daanam! If you keep on endlessly increasing your expenses on non-essential luxuries of life, yes, you will never have money for giving others! Only when you are stingy with yourself, you can spare anything for giving others! That is how we should interpret that statement '...thanakku minji...', that keeping the minimum for your self, spare what you can for Dharmam.
307. To do dharmam is an inviolable order of the Veda-s. It says very clearly, "...dharmam chara...". Avvai Patti also enjoins on us as the first direction given in 'Aathi Choodi', her book on morals which is taught to all the children in Tamil Nadu, before they even know how to write. She says, "aram seya virumbu". This advices the young children to 'Wish to do what is right'. So, the direction is to save to be able to spare for 'Aram' (and not 'Aaraam' which is luxurious slouching and lounging)! It automatically means also that, we are not to run a huge debit account.
308. Now-a-days, individuals, firms, huge corporation and governments too believe in what is known as, 'deficit financing'! In the same way, if we make unnecessary things our essentials, we all have to become indebted. Not to take a loan itself is a great help you can give yourself and the society. The most important reason for this is that, when you take a loan and spend, you cannot do Daanam and Dharmam! In addition to our not being able to do Daanam and Dharmam, we are instigating others to become jealous of us and to similarly take loan and feed the senses with more and more gratification! To become sinfully wastefully extravagant is one and cause others to emulate you is another greater sin!
309. From the first sloka of 'Isavasyopanishad', (which says, "isavasyam idaghum sarvam yat kincha jagatyaam jagat, tena tyaktena bhunjeeta! maa gruta: kasyasya vith dhanam?", meaning, 'the whole world is covered by God, every inch of it, so, give up covetousness, since after all, whose wealth is all this?'), till as late as Mahatma Gandhi, we have always insisted on 'simple living and high thinking!' If such an attitude becomes our way of life, there is no need for Communism and Class Struggle in this country, what so ever!
310. By simple living, if he saves enough for Daana and Dharma, that itself is a great help. In addition, by not being a cause for others to become jealous, crassly catering to the senses, by hook or crook; is another great help! There is a saying in Tamil, which goes like this:- "varave siruthu, selave peruginal adhu thirudu!". This means that, 'if your income is less and your expenditure is more, that is (tantamount to) theft!' Isn't the money you take on loan somebody else's? Till you return it, he has to worry as though his wealth has been stolen! That is why it has been called a theft. The King of Lanka, Ravana at the end of the day was completely bereft of any arms. All his soldiers had been killed or injured. He was told by Rama to retire for the night and come back the next day. Ravana did not feel happy for being permitted to go, without being killed. He felt extremely belittled as though he had been extended a loan (of a day's life)! That was then. Now, it is the man who extends the loan, who has to worry about getting his money back! Not to give or take a loan is a better option, when neither of the parties are the sufferers. (Look at how wide scale fore-closures of house loans led to closure of many of the financial institutions in US of A!)
311. Dowry, the Social Evil! For your information, 'Dowry' has no sanction in the Saastra-s! If we are spend-thrifts and are extravagant, not only are we going astray, we are committing another sin in tempting others to go astray! We are doing the Devil's job in the bargain! It is a great insult to our society that in the past century extravagant marriages and the evil system of giving and or extracting huge sums as Dowry, has been going on, damning many families in to indebtedness!
312. I am endlessly repeating this in as many forums as possible that in marriages, the importance should only be given to the Vedic rituals and ceremonies and not to extravagance and show. I am saying that expenditure on all other things should be kept to the minimum. No one seems to be listening to me at all! The parents of the grooms and even the boys themselves have been shamelessly salivating for this dowry! Since the Girls family has to shell out huge sums or be indebted for years or decades, people started getting the girls employed so as to be able to save money for their own dowry. What started innocuously like this has now become universally accepted as a way of life and fashion! This is totally against Sthree Dharma.
313. All that one saves in a life time is not enough to cater for the expenses in a marriage and the Dowry. So to take a loan has become a must. One evil leading to a multiplication of evils. To give dowry and look for it are heinous evils. To make women go for employment is another evil. Then for the Father of the girl to become indebted for life is another evil. This leads further to the horrendous evil of infanticide just before or after birth of the girl child.
(These e-mails under the heading ‘Paropakaaram’, which is going on since Deivathin Kural # 17 (Vol # 3), of 18 Nov 2008, is to be continued, possibly another 15 more before we go to the next chapter.)
Sambhomahadeva.