Book Excerpt: "Hindu Dharma"

Stumbled upon this while reading the comments under a post by Sandeep on his blog. It's an excerpt from the forward by P.S. Mishra, former judge of the High Court of Madras of the book "Hindu Dharma" which is the English translation of two volumes of the Tamil book "Deivatthin Kural" by Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Mahaswamiji. Very profound I must say, and has most of the answers to the questions I raised in this post.

"Man is no different from animals," says Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada in his Sutrabhasya. "Pasvadibhiscavisesat".

Texts tell us: "Human beings and animals have the same urges. They eat and sleep and copulate and besides, the feelings of fear are common to both. What, then, is the difference between the two? It is adherence to Dharma that distinguishes human beings from animals. Without Dharma to guide him man would be no better than an animal."

"Aharanidrabhayamaithunam ca samanyametat pasubhirnaranam

Dharmo hi tesamadhiko visesah dharmena hina pasubhissamanah"

The Lord says in Bhagavad Gita: "When a man thinks of the objects of sense, attachment to them is born; from attachment arises desire; and from desire arises anger. Anger causes delusion and from delusion springs loss of memory; loss of memory leads to the destruction of the sense of discrimination; and because of the destruction of his sense of discrimination man perishes."

Dhyayato visayan pumsah sangastesu pajayate

Sangat samjayate kamah kamat krodho bhijayate

Krodhad bhavati sammohah sammohat smrtivibhramah

Smrtibhramsad buddhinaso buddhinasat pranasyati

Commenting on these two slokas of the Gita, Swami Chinmayananda says that evil develops from our wrong thinking or false imagination like a tree developing from the seed. Thought has the power to create as well as to destroy. Rightly harnessed, it can be used for constructive purposes; if misused it will be the cause of our utter destruction. When our mind constantly dwells on a "sense-object" an attachment is created for that object. When we keep thinking of this object with increasing intensity, our attachment to it becomes crystallized as burning desire for the same. But as obstacles arise to the fulfilment of this desire, the force that at first caused the desire now turns into anger.

Swami Chinmayananda further observes that anyone whose intellect is in the grip of anger becomes deluded and loses his sense of discrimination since he is also deprived of his memory. A man who is the victim of anger is capable of doing anything, forgetful of himself and his relationship with other people. Sri Sankaracharaya observes in this connection that a deluded fool will fight even with revered persons like his own parents and preceptors, forgetting his indebtedness to them.

Says Socrates: "The noblest of all investigations... is what man should be and what he should pursue". And Samuel Taylor Coleridge observes: "If man is not rising upward to be an angel, he is sinking downward to be a devil. He cannot stop at the beast."

It is perhaps because of his understanding of the instincts of man and the need for human actions to be inspired by dharma that the famous poet Nilakantha Diksita said: "If, even after being born a man, one does not have any sense of discrimination, it would be better for such a one to be born an animal since animals are not subject to the law that controls the senses."

Our rishis knew that "all except God will perish". Man with his capacity for discrimination must be able to grasp the truth that the Atman is not different from the Bhraman. The Atman has neither a beginning nor an end. Every individual goes through a succession of births and, determined by his karma, either sinks further and further down or rises further and further up. But in life after life the Atman remains untainted.

There is a difference of opinion even among the learned as to the meaning of the word "dharma". The word is derived from "dhr" to uphold, sustain or nourish. The seers often use it in close association with "rta" and "satya". Sri Vidyaranya defines rta as the mental perception and realization of God. The Taithriya Upanishad also uses it with "satya" and "dharma". It exhorts students to speak the truth and practise dharma ("Satya vada"; "Dharmam chara"). According to Sankara Bhagavatpada, satya means speaking the truth and dharma means translating it (Satya) into action.

"Satyamiti yathasastrarthata sa eva anusthiyamanah dharmanama bhavati."

In this connection, the explanation given by Sri.K.Balasubramania Aiyar is relevant:: "An analysis of the significance of these three words (rta, satya and dharma) brings out clearly to us the fundamental basis of dharma as the ideal for an individual. While rta denotes the mental perception and realization of truth and satya denotes the exact true expression in words of the truth as perceived by the mind, dharma is the observance, in the conduct of life, of truth. In fact, dharma is the way of life which translates into action the truth perceived by the man of insight as expressed by him truly. In short, rta is truth in thought, satya is truth in words and dhrama is truth in deed."

To right-thinking people "dharma" and "satya" are interchangeable words and their goal is --- as it has always been --- to rise higher so as to realize Him who alone is the Truth. For them there is no pursuit higher than that of practising truth in thought, word and deed.

"Bhutahitam" is Sri Sankarcharya's answer to the question ( that he himself raise), "Kim Satyam ?" It means that truth (or truthfulness) is what is spoken for the well-being of all living beings. To the question,"Ko dharmah?", his answer is "Abhimato yah sistanam nija kulinam". It means that dharma is that which is determined by the elders and by learned people.

Of the four purusharthas or aims of life, dharma is always mentioned first, artha second, karma third and moksha last. The four stanzas of the Mahabharata that together go by the name of "Bharata-Savitri" contain these profound truths: Dharma is eternal but neither happiness nor sorrow is eternal; the Atman is everlasting but not that which embodies it; and from dharma arise artha and kama. They also contain Vedavyasa's lamentation: "With uplifted arms I cry but no one listens to me, 'From dharma spring artha and kama. Why is dharma then not practised?' "

Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada observes that even the wise and the learned, even men who have a vision of the exceeding subtle Atman, are overpowered by tamas and do not understand it even though clearly explained in various texts.

The Reality is perceived by one who has sraddha or faith which, according to the saints, is acceptance of the truth as proclaimed by the scriptures and as taught by the guru. By following the reasoning of the sastras and the path shown by the guru the bonds of avidya are broken and one becomes aware of the Atman. One's own experience obtained through one-pointed meditation of the Truth is another means to achieve the same goal. These moments are indeed blessed, the moments during which the Truth dawns on us as we receive instruction from our guru and as we gain wisdom that is supported by the authority of the scriptures. Yes, these indeed are moments of bliss when the senses are quietened and the mind is firmly fixed on the Atman. Thus dharma, to be precise Veda Dharma, has been and is essential for man to become a real man.

According to Sri Chandarsekharendra Saraswati, the Mahaswami, dharma is our only protection. In this book, the Great Acharya recounts all that we need to know about dharma and presents in an integrated form the various systems of thought that have flourished in this country. "The Vedas", Sri Mahaswami affirms, "represent the lofty principle that it is the one Truth that is envisaged as all that we perceive."

The discourses that make up this book are remarkable for their simple and enchanting style. The most complex of ideas are explained with such lucidity as to make them comprehensible to the ordinary reader. Sri Mahaswami deals not only with the wisdom of the Samhita part of Vedas and with other scriptural matters, he takes in his stride even modern scientific concepts like those of time and space. It is all at once so wide-ranging and so profound that we bow our heads in reverence to the Great Master of our time, the Sage of Kamakoti Pitha. His approach shows that he has no doubts in his mind, no hesitation in affirming the truths in the Vedas and sastras.

Raj Dharma

Buffer upto 27:50 and watch till end.

Some lines on Dharma from Bhishma's address to Yudhisthir in the 94th episode of Mahabharata by B.R. Chopra.

".. Oh warrior, oh king, I am a defeated warrior and a defeated citizen. And from me, you should learn what a good warrior and citizen should not do. Vidur told me many times, that I should not honor the throne of Hastinapur. Instead, I should remain dutiful to Hastinapur. For if Hastinapur is not around, there will be no throne. Nothing is larger than the nation. No father, no son, no promise. My promises took me away from the interests of the nation. Yet, I kept them, and allowed the nation to go waste. My devotion to my promises made me a traitor. You are now seeing a traitor on this bed of arrows. I am the reason for the division of Hastinapur, the wax house accident, Draupadi's vastra haran and my beloved Arjun has thus nailed me to the ground for my sins. Every arrow is telling me, every wound is telling me, to recognize this land. You forgot it to see an image of your father?

Oh son, I am that Kshatriya who lived as a slave of my promises. With me, this chapter of disrespect for my motherland will also cease to exist. Oh son, on these white clothes of mine, there will be the blot of my pride. And this blot is so strong, that no penance from me will wash that. So son, do not ever make a promise that separates you from your nation. And if you did that, you will end up on a similar bed of arrows. Because when a Devavrata blocks the path of the nation, there will be an Arjun to slay him. This is the core essence of politics. Oh son, there is no interest of a king that is bigger than the interests of the nation. And if you think there is such an interest, then you too have trodded away from the path of Raj Dharma.

The country is not for the king, the king is for the country. And that king is never lucky for the nation, that blames his past for his nation's economic and social handicaps. If history has given you a weak socio-economic structure, then improve it! Change it! Because the past itself hasn't stood up to the challenges of the present. Because if the past were healthy, and if it had the strength to take the nation on the path of progress, then there would have been no change. And listen to this carefully oh son, the challenge of a nation's agility is that womankind is respected. The nation's borders are as respectful as a mother's clothes. Protect them with all vigor.

Vasudeva: Tell them something about Dharma and Rajdharma too Pitamah.

.. Dharma is not confined to rites and rituals. It is a balance of your duties and others' rights. Thus, you must follow Dharma. Raj Dharma (Dharma towards your nation) is the same. But a king's duties are more than that of a citizen's. If a situation calls for the partition of a nation, then call for war, but never partition the nation. Can you five brothers cut your mother into five and distribute amongst yourselves? If not, then how can you divide the motherland? I have committed this sin. Which is why I'm telling this. To delay war, I even agreed to the partition of the nation. Do not fall for this move Yudhisthir. Now I'm tired Vasudeva and won't say anything more..."

Media: The good, passionate and the ugly

In chapter 14, Shri Krishna speaks of there being three modes of nature, very akin to our concepts of good, bad and ugly. Except that bad is replaced by passion. Whether passionate actions are good or bad, we leave it to future post. To summarize them in one verse,
17:

सत्त्वत संजायते जनानाम
रजसो लोभा एव च
प्रमदा-मोहु तमसो
भवतो ’जनानाम एव च |

"From the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of passion, greed develops; and from the mode of ignorance develop foolishness, madness and illusion."

Media is a fourth pillar of any nation. As such, its purpose is fulfilled only when it emanates true knowledge of happenings in the outside world, while remaining detached from giving opinions. This is because facts are very sacred in our day-to-day life. Opinions are free, (i.e. in a nation based on basic freedoms). One can either be biased, or be thoughtful of the other. However, a matter of concern for a rational mind would be when opinions are arrived at with incomplete knowledge. This is obviously more important in democracies, since people need basic knowledge of the system and the participants in it in order to be able to make choices of candidates.

Fig. The hammer of judgement should be struck by the people, not the media.

But as everything in the world, the media is not perfect. There are sections that cater to certain lobbies. Then there are other sections that focus on petty things when more important things are around. To the knowledgeable reader, viewing this could be quite entertaining or sometimes, discomforting.

However, the common man out of distrust for the system generally buys their message hook, line and sinker. When people, out of laziness or limitations of time stop their questioning or confrontationist attitude, the society lapses back into dogma or superstition. We have been there once, perhaps many times, and we have faced the consequences.

Without classifying them, I'm quoting three articles from the Indian press:

1) In this connection, I have only three points to raise. First, those who call themselves the champions of human and women’s rights take pride in forcing Muslim women to abandon the burqa which is a clear infringement of an individual’s freedom to wear what one wants to. When some women are allowed to wear skin-showing outfits, why should others be disparaged when they want to cover their body? The writer forgets that individual choice of dressing should not come under the purview of law.

2) The Indo-Pak Joint Statement issued after PM Manmohan Singh met Pak PM Gilani in Sharm-al-Sheik (Egypt) has created ripples of controversy across the nation. Supposedly, India agreed tode-link Indo-Pak dialogue from the latter's action against terrorism in the Joint Statement. There is also a mention of unrest in Balochistan in it.

3) "He wanted to be the first pop star in space so badly. He had to be first. He knew it wouldn't only be history-making, it would be history-shattering," said Jackson's close friend Uri Geller.

I leave it up to you to classify them according to your bent of mind.

Is there anything like "absolute dharma"?

Some basic questions people following dharmic rules, rooting for a dharmic state and having problems with our present state of affairs should engage in are:

Q 1.: How do we define dharma?

Q 2.: Is Dharma something that is radically different from the natural state of the world?

Q 3.: If that is the case, why do we strive for it, when we know that things have a tendency to revert to their natural state sooner or later?

My concept of dharma, perhaps still in its infancy, is something called righteousness. For me, among other things, it should prompt the powerful to not only let the meek survive, but to also assist them in their survival.

A system in which the powerful allow a way for the weak? Is that feasible? Because, nature does not allow such a system. It is vicious competition in nature, one species besting another. The weak have no place out there. Ours seems meant to be a place where the bigger fish eats the medium fish, the medium fish eats the smaller fish and so on.

So, is a system feasible, which staples the ability of the strong, while allows the weak to grow? Isn't it natural for the strong to gobble the weak? For how long can man made to resist his natural animal instincts? Perhaps just as long as the nation has a powerful triumvirate of legislative, executive and judiciary forces. With the absence of these three, how long can people remain dharmic?

The one argument that is laid against the above question is that in nature, one species always supports its own kind. There is never violence in one species, which is what we see in Homo Sapiens. But on a closer look, we might be proved wrong.

If this is a temporary endeavour, why should we put so much of effort into it as writing miles and miles of scriptures and spending more time teaching and even more time spreading it? Why not let the rules of nature prevail?

And say, even if we achieve such a system, how far should we go? Do the forces of dharma have to be on a constant vigil for adharma in the society? Finally:

Q 4.:Is there anything like "absolute dharma"? When can we sit down and relax, that we have created the best society? Is life a constant war?

I would appreciate your reply to the above questions.

The Science of Gayatri Mantra

Since we are in the process of discovering Hindu philosophies rationally, I advise viewing of the following video.

Mantra

ॐ भुर्भावास्वः तत्सवितुर्वर्नियम ।
भर्गोदेवस्य धीमहि धियोयोनः प्रचोदयात ।

Transliteration:

Aum Bhurbhavasvaha Tatsaviturvaraniyam,
Bhargodevasya Dhimahi Dhiyoyonaha prachodayat.

Translation:

We meditate on the glory of the Creator, who has created the Universe, who is worthy of worship, who is the embodiment of knowledge and light, who is remover of all sin and ignorance. May he enlighten our intellect.

Along with several uses of sound in warfare and use in Raaga Dipak and Raaga Malhar, there is a lot of explanation on how the sounds of the Gayatri Mantra activate our endocrine glands. A must watch not only for people who are already into things like accupressure/accupuncture but for the general populace as well.

Yaksha Prashna

From episode 55 of Mahabharat by B.R. Chopra

Buffer up to 24:00 and watch till 30:00

Only in Hindi for now, so my apologies. Some of the questions are as follows:

Question No. 1:Yaksha questioned: Who makesthe sun to rise and ascend in the skies? Who moves around the Sun? Who makes the sun set in the horizons? What is the true nature of the Sun and where is the sun established?

Yudhisthira answered: Brahma makes the sun rise and ascend. The Gods perambulate about the Sun. The Dharm sets the Sun. Truth is the actual Sun and the Sun is established in truth only.

Question No. 2: How can one become a 'Shrotriya'? How can one attain greatness? What is man's second companion? How does one become become intelligent?

Yudhisthira replied: The study (Adhyana) of the Vedas makes one a 'Shrotriya'. One can achieve greatness by penance and perseverance. Patience is one's second companion. Service to old and wise men renders one intelligent.

Question No. 3: Yaksha enquired: What instills 'divinity' in Brahmins? What is the quality of virtuousity in a Brahmin? What is the humanlike quality of a Brahmin? What is the conduct akin to a non-virtuous person in a Brahmin?

Yudhisthira replied: The self-study (Swadhyana) of the Vedas is divinity in a Brahmin. Penance is the quality like a virtuous person in a Brahhmin. Death is human-like quality in a Brahmin. Criticising others is conduct in a Brahmin like a non-virtuous person.

Question No. 4: Yaksha asked: What instills 'divinity' in Kshatriyas? What is the quality of virtuousity in a Kshatriya? What is the humanlike quality of a Kshatriya? What is the conduct akin to a non-virtuous person in a Kshatriya?

Yudhisthira replied: The art of archery is the divinity in a Kshatriya. Oblation is Kshatriya's quality of virtuousity in Kshatriya. Fear is his humanly quality. Abandoning people are under protection of Kshatriya is his conduct like a non-virtuous person in Kshatriya.

Question No. 5 the Yaksha asked: What is that thing which is like a Mantra in the performance of oblations (Yajnya)? Who is the performer of rites and ceremonies during Yajnya? Who accepts the offerings and oblations of a Yajnya? What is that which even a Yajnya can not transgress?

Yudhisthira replied: 'Breath' is like a Mantra in the performance of rites. 'Mind' is the performer of all rites in the course of Yajnya. Only Shlokas of the Vedas rucha or the richa accept oblation. The Yajnya can not surpass nor transgress the richas.

Question No. 6 the Yaksha asked: What is the most wonderful thing?

Yudhisthir replied: The most amazing thing is that even though every day one sees countless living entities dying, he still acts and thinks as if he will live forever.

Although some of the questions are now obsolete, most of them are worth considering for spiritual enlightenment.

Politics from Mahabharat

Time (Samay) says this after Shree Krishna kidnaps Rukmini and her brother does diddly squat to prevent Him..

"When politics is fatally infected by corruption, then it changes nature. Definitions begin to change. Loyalty is no longer to the nation, but towards the King. Whoever is not a yesman, is an opponent. If truth is against the king, then it is no longer the truth. In this environment, the importance of bribes increases, and politics wants to buy everyone within its reach.The meaning of loyalty, friendship and other words like these change.

The same happened in Hastinapur. After Yudhishthir was made crown prince, there was no silence. Shakuni and Duryodhan were burning with vengeance. Dhritharashtra was going through the same feelings too. And he was giving opportunities to Shakuni to continue these fires of vengeance.

Duryodhan opens up the state treasury. It is unfortunate that inspite of Yudhishthir being made crown prince, Duryodhan is given control of the state treasury. And the latter was to use it to diminish Yudhisthir's popularity. He was buying those who could change the people's mind. Loyalties were being bought. Opponents were being bribed. Dhritarashtra too was plotting against Yudhisthira."

No prizes for guessing who is who today.. Although comparing the characters exactly is a bit far-fetched.

CAPEEM victory

A small victory for a cause we endorse:

PRESS RELEASE
Los Angeles
June 8, 2009

California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials (CAPEEM) and officials of the California Department of Education and the State Board of Education came to an agreement to settle the lawsuit that was filed in the United States District Court of Eastern District of California in 2006. CAPEEM had challenged the process by which religious claims were incorporated into the textbooks used by public school students, as well as some of the religious claims, themselves, which had made their way into those texts.

Believing that its points had been clearly understood by the defendants, CAPEEM opted not to prolong the litigation. The State entered into negotiations with CAPEEM and agreed to pay CAPEEM $175,000 in exchange for a voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit.

CAPEEM looks forward to participating in a review process free from biases, and to work with the State to approve textbooks that do not favor or disfavor any religious doctrines.

For more information contact:
Arvind Kumar (646) 594-4397 arvind@capeem.org http://www.capeem.org
CAPEEM is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization with tax ID 56-2565521. If you do not wish to receive updates from CAPEEM, please reply to this email with the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject line.

Check Nizzal Yoddha's (a.k.a. Rajeev Srinivasan's take on this (link)). An excerpt is as follows:

"It should also be replicated in india with a solid legal entity. there are many opportunities to challenge the state and other actors on unconstitutionality and legality. Some random recent examples:

1. The prime minister, sworn to uphold the constitution, violated its equal-rights clauses (this should be an impeachable offense) by saying that one group of people should have greater rights than others

2. An award-winning NGO was found to have fabricated witness statements, thus tampering with witnesses (a major offense) and thus rendering any related trial a mistrial, not to mention libelous and defamatory statements should result in large punitive damages

3. The speaker of the last parliament, sworn to neutrality, said he could not vote with a particular party. this should be an impeachable offense

4. The same speaker belittled and ignored what appeared to be a major vote-buying scam during a no-confidence motion, where it appeared people were bribed with large amounts: a felony. however, the same speaker pursued a misdemeanor with great enthusiasm, again suggesting bias."