DEIVATHIN KURAL # 96 (Vol # 3) Dated 05 June 2009

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 96 (Vol # 3) Dated 05 June 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 page 440 of Vol 3 of the Tamil original. The readers are reminded that herein 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too, mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://advaitham. blogspot. com constantly updated.)

10. Samanya Dharma-s. These are such dharma-s common for all Varna and Aashrama, that is for all Castes and Ashrama-s such as Brhmacharya, Gruhasta, Vanaprasta and Sanyasa. Of course in Sanyasa Ashrama one is generally beyond all rules and regulations. But by then you have possibly imbibed these character qualities to the extent that they have become your second nature! For all castes in all walks of life, Manu Smruti talks of five common character qualities. First is Ahimsa, second is Satyam, third is Astheyam, (that is not stealing and not coveting), fourth is the Chousam that is cleanliness and finally, Indriya Nigraham that is reigning in of the senses. Though normally all Aachaaram seems to come under the one Dharma of Chousam, on deeper analysis you will recognize that all these five common dharma-s are covered by the activities of Aachaara-s!

11. While talking of clean dietary habits, all animal meat including fish and birds are forbidden. This means that the first samanya dharma Ahimsa is included in Aachaara. Since Satyam is at the top of all dharma-s, that is also an aachaara. I will tell you one more logic of how Satyam is part of Aachaara. Once a person is punished by the King, he becomes Doshi or stigmatized. He is supposed to be socially an outcast till he does the act of 'Prayaschittam' that is the act of atonement! {Not that he was punished twice for the same offence. Till he did an act of atonement, he was not entitled to do the Aachaara Anushtaanaa-s. Relate this to the number of people elected in the Legislative while continuing to be Known Delinquents in the present day India!}

12. Crimes as you know are of two types, civil and criminal. Mostly these civil cases are about cheating, fraud and contractual failures to keep a promise. In civil cases normally a man goes to jail on grounds of Asatyam! So, in civil cases if some one is not to be sent to jail, as per Saastraa-s / Aachaara-s, he should be very strictly maintaining the next samanya dharma of Satyam. Normally these cases of untruth will generally involve not returning a loan or unfairly appropriating another man's property forcibly or misappropriation by forgery and such. All these cases come under the third samanya dharma of Astheyam Theft and robbery are Stheyam and refraining from such activities is Astheyam. Prostitution, stealing the affections of another man's wife and such will come under yet another samanya dharma of Indriya Nigraham. In addition anyhow a debauch is unfit for conducting or supervising any of the Karma as per the Saastraa-s.

13. Thus with the rules on the standards of 'Chousam' that is, cleanliness to be maintained, all these Satyam, compassion, sacrifice, lack of greed and covetousness, Ahimsa are all inextricably directly emphasized. Further in many places it is said that, "the person who does not observe this particular aachaara is liable for as much Paapa as someone who has failed to keep his word of promise or having uttered a hundred lies or having been cruel to an animal or stolen others property or stolen the affection of another's wife; and so will suffer for it. The simple word 'Madi' has so many connotations that he is uncorrupted by any of these sins! To be clean means the one is unpolluted by any of these sins and the resultant Paapa (demerit) that accrues!

14. Till a person is under tuition for Veda-s that is Adhyayana, he is to observe celibacy called 'Brhma charyam'. Thus the Ashrama itself gets the same name of Brhmacharyam, for that duration till he decides to get married. Then after marriage, he has many duties towards his family and society as part of Aachaaraa-s. The couple are not to indulge in sex on the days such as Ekadasi, Pradosha, Sivaratri, Pithru-s days and so on. Thus Indriya Nigraham, i.e., control of the sensual urges was part of Aacharaa-s with special emphasis on avoidance. Thus all Samanya Dharma-s were part of Aachaara-s.

15. This could be said in a different way too. 'For Dharma that is the medicine, Aachaaram is the 'Patyam' i.e., the dietary controls. For the disease to be got rid of, it is not enough to take medicines. You have to control the inputs of food, drinks and other sensory inputs too, into the system! Otherwise the effect of medicine will be offset. Thus the Dharma-medicine dependent on inner correct attitude and outer good behaviour, will not be effective without the Aachaaram. In fact Aachaaram is meant not only for outer show of cleanliness, but equally for inner clarity.

16 I will give you an example for how Aachaaram is the Patyam for the Medicine of Dharma. Pithru Tarpanam is a Dharma to be done by people of all castes. This is required to be done , with our thoughts on the forefathers who are dead and gone, with Veda Mantra-s, with due veneration, wearing a suitable dress of respect, facing the Southern direction, with the Poonool i.e., Yagnopaveetam on the left shoulder abnormally. Contrary to this, if you do it differently, there will be no effect of your action at all!

17. These two aspects of Aachaaram and Dharma are so intermingled to give raise to such statements as, "Aachaaram is a part of Dharma; or Dharma is itself Aachaaram; or Dharma is born of Aachaaram; or Aachaara: prabhavo dharma:" Satpurusha-s are those who meticulously observe the Aachaara Niyama-s, we say. So, their actions are Sad-aachaaram and Sishta-aachaaram. Similarly the actions of bad characters who do not follow the dictates of Aachaara is called, 'Dur-aachaaram'!

18. All Inclusive. As we say that in Aachaaram all Samanya Dharma-s are included, it also contains within it's ambit many other matters. There is fairness and morality, health and hygiene, mutual love and respect, humaneness and compassion, loyalty and faithfulness; while all this enable to raise the individual from the ordinary to the highest pinnacles of greatness! For example if only we strictly abide with Aachaara, such heinous social evils such as, pre-adult pregnancies, extra marital sex, prostitution, and the dreaded AIDS can be obviated!

19. Drushta and Adrushta Effects. Drushta means seen and Adrushta means unseen, (wrongly taken as Lucky). The Aachara-s agreeable to Science & Ethics to the extent that we understand, are considered to be OK. Rest of the Aachaara-s are discarded out of hand on the grounds of being blind beliefs! This is objectionably wrong! (To be continued.) Sambhomahadeva.