€¦ · FOREW ORD. HE Boar d of T r ustees of the Centr al Hindu College has l aid down the...
Transcript of €¦ · FOREW ORD. HE Boar d of T r ustees of the Centr al Hindu College has l aid down the...
SA NATAN A DHA RMA
A N ELEM EN T ARY T EXT -BO OK
HINDU RELIGION AND ETHICS
PUBLISH ED BY T HE BO A RD O F TRU STEESCEN TRAL H IN DU COLLEGE
BEN ARES
[T HE RIGHT OF TRA N S L A TION A N D REPRODUCTION [S nzsxnvso j
Pr ice A m . 12 , boa r ds . Re. 1 , cloth. Pottaga 1; A nna
FOREWORD.
HE Boar d of T r ustees of the Centr al HinduCollege has laid down the following principles on which religious and moral teaching
is to be given in al l institutions under its control .The Object of the Central Hindu College being
to combine Hindu religious and ethical trainingwith the western education suited to the needs ofthe time
,it is necessary that this religious and
ethical training shall be of a wide,libera l and nu
sectarian character,while at the same time it shallbe definitely and distinctively Hindu . It must beinclusive enough to unite the most divergent formsof Hindu thought, but exclusive enough to leaveoutside it
,forms of thought which ar e non -Hindu .
It must avoid al l doctrines which ar e the subject ofcontroversy between schools recognised as orthodox it must not enter into any of the social andpolitical questions of the day ; but it must lay a
solid foundation of religion and ethics on which thes tudent may build , in his manhood
,the more spe
cial ised principles suited to his intellectual and
emotional temperament. It must be directed to the
building up of a character— pious,dutiful
,strong
,
self-reliant,upright
,righteous
,gentle and well
balanced—a character which will be that of a goodman and a good citizen the fundamental principlesof rel igion
,governing the general view of life and
of life’s obligations,ar e al one sufficient to form
such a character . That which unites Hindus in acommon faith must be clearly and s imply taughtal l that divides them must be ignored . Lastly,care must be taken to cul tivate a wide spirit oftolerance , which not onl y respects the diff erencesof thought and practice among Hindus , but whichalso respects the diff erences of religion among nonH indus , regarding al l faiths with reverence, as
roads whereby men approach the Supreme.
Therefore1 . The religious and ethical instruction must
be such as al l Hindus can accept.2 . It must include the special teachings
which mark out Hinduism fr om otherreligions .
3 . It must not include the distinctive viewsof any special school or sect.
This elementary Text-Book,written in accord
ance with this scheme, is intended for the use of
V I!
Hindu boys in the middle an d upper sections ofthe High Schools of India
,and is designed to give
them a general but correct idea of their nationalreligion
,such as may be filled in by fuller study in
College and in later life, but will not need to bechanged in any essential respect .It contains the fundamental ideas and doctr ines
which ar e general ly received as orthodox, but doesnot enter into the details as to which sectariandivisions have arisen . It is believed that whil e a
sectarian parent or teacher will probably makeadd itions to it
,he will not find in it anything
which he wil l wish positively to repudiate .While the book may be placed in the hands of
the boys for their own study,it is intended to be
simplified by the oral explanations of the teacher,
and each chapter serves as an outline on whichone or more lessons may be based .
The shlokas given at the end of the chaptersshould be committed to memory by the boys .They will thus acquire a useful store of sacredauthorities on their religion .
The name of this series, S ancitana pharma,
was chosen after full discussion,as best represent
ing the idea of the fundamental truths presented.
It has become somewhat of a sectarian name insome parts of India, but it is here taken only as
meaning the eternal religion .
That this book may prove useful in laying a
firm foundation of right thinking in the minds ofHindu youths
,and may hel p in shaping them into
pious,moral
,loyal and useful citizens of
Hother land and of the Empire, is the prayer withwhich its compilers send it forth to the world .
CONTENTS .
PART I.
IN T RODUCT IOR
BA S IC H IN DU RELIGIOUS IDEA S .
CH A PT ER I .
— The One ExistenceCHAPTER I I .— '
I‘he Many
CHAPTER [IL— Rebir th
CHAPTER IV .
— Karma
CHAPT ER V .— S acr ifice
CH A PT ER V I .
— TheWor lds— Visible and In v isiblePART II .
GEN ERAL H IN DU REL IGIOU SCU STOMS A N D R ITES .
CHA PTER I .—The Samaskaras
CH APTER II .
— Shraddha
CH A PTER III .
—Shaucham
CHAPTER IV .—'
I‘be five Daily S acr ifices
CHA PTER V .—Wor ship
CHA PTER V I. -The Four A shr amas
CH A PT ER VII .
—The F our Castes
PART I I I .ETH ICAL TEACH IN GS .
CHA PTER I .
-Ethical Science, what it isCHAPTER I I. -The Foundation of Ethics as given by
Rel ig ion
CHA PTER III — Right andWrongCHAPTER IV .
-T be Standar d of EthicsCHAPTER V .
— V ir tues and their f oundationCHA PTER V I — B liss and Emotions
CHA PTER VII — Sel f -r egar dingCHAPTER V l I I.— Vir tues and V ices in r elation to S uper ior s m
CHA PTER IX —V i r tues and V ices in r elation to Equal sCHA PT ER X .
-V irtnes and Vices in r elation to In f erior s
CHA PTER XI .
— T be l i e-action of V irtues and V ices on eachOther 000
W3”
wind a'
i lg a?{Hawaii
xiné fimg az a ta a’r l
tiné i353“
vii when?11
IN T RODUCT ION .
A N A T A N A DHA RMA means the EternalReligion
,the A ncient Law , and it is based on
the Vedas , sacr ed books given to men many longages ago. This Religion has also been called theAryan Religion , because it is the Religion that wasgiven to the first nation of the Aryan race
,Arya
means noble , and the name was given to a greatrace
,much finer in character and appearance than
the races which went before it in the world’s history .
The first families of these people settled in thenorthern part of the land now called India, andthat part in which they first settled was namedA ryavarta, because these Aryans lived m it . “
(Theland) from the eastern ocean to the western ocean ,between the twomountains (Himavan and Vindhya)the wise cal l A ryavar ta.
”
2
In later days the Religion was called the HinduReligion
,and this is the name by which it is now
usually known . It is the oldest of living Religions,
and no other Religion has produced so many greatmen— great teachers , great writers , great sages , greatsaints
,great kings
,great warriors
,great. statesmen
,
great benefactors , great patriots . The more youknow of it, the more you will honour and love it
,
and the more thankful you will be that you wereborn into it . But unless you grow up worthy of it
,
this great and holy Religion will do you no good .
T HE BA S IS OF S A N AT A N A DH A RM A .
The A ncient Religion is based on one strongfoundation on which ar e erected the walls of itsstructure .
The foundation is called gal : Shr utih“that
which has been heard the walls ar e called qfitSmr tih,
“ that which has been remembered .
The Shruti has been given through ver y wisemen
, who heard it and received it from Devas ;these sacred teachings were not written down til lcomparatively modern times
,but were learnt by
heart,and constantly repeated .
The teacher sang them to his pupils,and the
pupils sang them after him,a few words at a time ,
3
over and over again , till they knew them thoroughly.
Boys still learn the Shruti in the same way as
their forefathers learnt it in very ancient days, and
you may hear them chanting it in any Vaidika
Pathashal aat the present time .
The Shruti consists of the a g‘
éa‘
r : Chatur vedah,the Four Vedas . Veda means knowledge, thatwhich is known and the know ledge which is thefoundation of Religion is given to man in the FourVedas . They ar e named 55333 : Rigvedah m 2?S ftmaveda li 213 313 : Yajur vedah and star-ifs};A thar vavedah.
Each Veda is divided into three parts1 . m : Mantr ah or 6?a Samhita
,collection .
2 . m a Br fihmanam.
3 . M a Upanishat.
The Mantra portion consists of Mantras,or
sentences in which the order of sounds has a particul ar power
,produces certain effects . These ar e in
the form of hymns to the Devas—whose relationsto men we shal l study presently— and when theyar e properly chanted by properly instructed persons
,
certain results follow . These ar e used in religiousceremonies
,and the value of the ceremony depends
chiefly upon their proper repetition .
The Brahmana portion of the Vedas consists ofdirections about ritual and explains how to performthe ceremonies in which were used the Mantrasgiven in the first part and further
,stories connec
ted with them .
The Upanishat portion consists of deep philosophical teachings on the nature of Brahman
,on
the supreme and the separated Self, on man and
the universe,on bondage and liberation . It is the
foundation of al l philosophy,and when you ar e
men,you may study it and delight in it. Only
highly educated men can study it ; it is too difficultfor others .There was a fourth part of the Veda in the
ancient days,sometimes called the a tri a?Upavedah,
or aa qT antr am this consiste d of science,and of
practical instructions based on the science butvery little of the true ancient Tantra remains , as
the R ishis took them away as unsuitable for timesin which people were less spir itual . Some Tantrikaform s of ritual ar e
,however
,used in worship
,along
with,or instead of
,the current Vaidika forms . The
books now extant under the name of Tantras ar e
generally not regarded as part of the Veda.
That which 18 found l n the Shruti 18 of supremeauthority and 1s accepted by every faithful follower
6
being s . A s there ar e two Manus for each Man
vantara,that shows that we ar e in the fourthMan
vantar a, under the ruleof the seventhMann, who is ,the next shloka tel ls us
,the son of Vi vasvat . Some
of his laws ar e handed down in the Mann S mr tih.
The Yafi iava lkya Smr tihfollows the same gener al line as the Manu 87717 35121 and is next in importance to it . The other two ar e. not now muchstudied or referred to
,except in some parts of
Southern India.
Whil e the Shruti and the Smriti ar e the. founda
tion and the walls of the S anz’itana Dharma, there
ar e two other important supports like buttressestheW ,
Puranani,Puranas
,and the {Erma
Itihasah, History .
The Puranas consist of histories and stories and
allegories,composed for the use of the less learned
part of the nation , especially for those who couldnot study the Vedas . They ar e very interestingto read
,and ar e full of information of al l kinds .
Some of the allegories ar e diffi cult to understand,
and require the help of a teacher.The Itihasa comprises two great poems
1 . The (mm Rémdg/anam,the history of
S hri Ramachandra,the son of KingDashar atha, and
( 7 )
of His wife S ite, and of His brothers , a most interesting and delightful story
,as you al l know .
2 . The RETWREI, Mahdbhdr atam,the history
of the Kurus,a royal family of Northern India
,
which split into two parties,the Kurus and the
Pandavas,between whom a great war broke out.
It contains an immense number of beautiful stories,
noble moral teachings,and useful lessons of al l kinds .
These two books,the Rdmduana and the
Mahabhar ata , tell us most of what we know aboutancient India
,about her people and customs
,and
her ways of living,and her arts
,and he r manu
factures . If you read these, you will learn how
great India once was,and you will also learn how
you must behave to make her great once more .*
T HE S CIEN CE A N D PH ILOS OPHY OF
S A N AT A N A DHA RM A .
While the Shruti and the Smriti, the Puranasand the Itihasa make the edifice of Hindu Religion
,
we find that the Rel igion itself has given rise toa splendid literature of Science and Philosophy .
The Science was divided into thew ShadaI
‘
igani, the Six A ngas, literal ly Limbs ; and these‘Summar ies of these have been given as lectur es at the C. H . Col lege,
by Annie Besant, and ar e publ ished as The S tor y of the Gr eatWa r , andShr f Ramachaad r a .
8
six Limbs,or Branches
,comprised what would now
be called secular knowledge . In the old days religions and secular knowledge were not divided .
They included Grammar,Philology, A strology,
Poetr y,together with sixty-four sciences and arts ,
and the method by which study should be carriedon
,so that any one who mastered the six angas
was a man of varied and deep learning .
The Philosophy also had s ix divisions , theW I?! Shaddar shanani, the Six Dar shanas , orways of seeing things
,usually called the Six Sys
tems . They al l have one object : the putting an
end to pain by enabling the separated human selvesto r e-unite with the supreme Self ; and they al l haveone method— the development of m h e
‘
mam,
Wisdom . The ways employed ar e diff er ent, tosuit the different mental constitutions of
.
men,so
that they ar e l ike'
six different roads,al l leading to
one town .
A s to what is contained in the Six Systems of
philosophy, it will be enough for boys to know thisThe Nyaya and the Vaisheshika arrange al l the
things o f the world into a certain number of kindsthen point out that a man knows al l things bymeans of his senses
,or by inference and analogy ,
or by testimony of other (wise and experienced )
9
men ; and then they explain how' God has made
al l.
this material world out of atoms and moleculesfinally they show how the highest and most usefulknowledge is the knowledge of God , who is alsothe inmost Spirit of man
,and how this knowledge
is obtained in various ways .
The Sankhya explains in more detail and innew ways the nature of gas : Pur ushah, Spirit, andof afifin Pr akr itih, Matter
,and relation of each to
the other .
The Yoga says that as there ar e now generallyknown five senses and five organs of action , so therear e other subtler senses and organs ; and explainsmore fully how they may be developed by men whoar e seeking to know God
,who is their own true
inmost Spirit.The Mimansa explains what karma is
,i. e.
,act
ion , both rel igious and worldly, and what ar e itsconsequences , causes and effects , and how it bindsman to this world or to another.
The Vedanta finally tells fully what is the exactand true nature of God
,or Atma
,and shows that
Jiva of man is in essence the same as thi s inmostGod
,and explains how man may live so that karma
shall not bind him ; and final ly,by understanding
( 10 )
what the Maya Shakti of God is,by which al l this
world comes forth and appears and disappear s, howhe may (after practice of Yoga) merge himsel f intoand become one with God and so gain Moksha .
CH APT ER I.
T HE ON E EX ISTENCE .
HERE is one Infinite Eternal, ChangelessExistence
,the A LL .
From THAT al l comes forth ; to THA T al l
returns .One only
,Without a second .
”
THAT includes within Itself al l that ever hasbeen
,is,and can be . A s a wave rises in the ocean
,
a universe rises in the A LL . A s the wave sinks againinto the ocean
,a universe sinks again into the A LL .
A s the ocean is water, and the wave a form or
manifestation of the water, so is there one Existence
,and the universe is a form
,or manifestation
,
of the Existence . A l l this verily (is) Brahman ] ?This is the primary tr uth of Religion . Men
have given to the A LL many different names .The name in the S anatana Dharma is BRAHM AN.
Englis h-speaking people use the name GOD,add
ing, to make the meaning clear,God , in His own
V I,i i— I .
TIbid , l l I , xiv— i ,“ Thi s” is the technical name for a univer se.
( 1 2 )
N ature . Sometimes the Hindu speaks of the A LLa s N ir guna Brahman , the Brahman without attr ibutes
,or the unconditioned Brahman . This is to
distingu ish the unmanifested state of B rahman,
the A LL,from the manifested state
,in which
Brahman is called the Saguna Brahman,the B rah
man with attributes,or the conditioned Brahman
the Supreme ishvara with His universe .
These ar e called : “the two states of B r ahman ;
the subject is very difficult,and it is enough for a
boy to understand that the Saguna Brahman isBrahman revealed—not “
a second, but B r ahmanshining forth as T HE ON E, the Great Lord of Being,Thought and Bliss . He is the self-existent One,the Root and Cause of al l beings . He is also sometimes call ed Pu r usottama,
’ the Supreme Spirit ,T HE SELF . With Himself as Spirit He reveals theother side of the A LL
,which is named Mfilapra
kriti, the Root of Matter. Prakriti,Matter
,is
that which takes form , and so can give bodies ofal l sorts and shapes and kinds ; al l that we cantouch
,taste
,smell
,see
,and hear
,is Matter
,and a
great deal more besides,which our five senses ar e
not yet developed enough to perceive . The solids,
B n hadd r apyakop, II. ii i— l
( 14 )
cannot think, or feel , or observe ; it is 3 3°
Jadam,
without consciousness. A nd it has also the tendency to be constantly dividing itse lf into manyforms and to become many . So that Spirit andMatter ar e said to be the opposites one of theother ; Spirit is called the knower, the one thatknows
,while Matter is called the object of know
ledge,that which is known .
Students should try to understand these differences , and must never confuse Spirit and Matter ;they ar e opposites
,the fir st pair of opposites
,
”out
of which a universe is built up .
Just as Spirithas three qualities, Erafi Qfl
'
fi T-iSat Chit A nandam—Being
,ThoughtoPower and
Bliss , so has Matter thr ee qualities an : ( a : mTamah, Rajah, Sattvam—Inertia, Mobility , Rhythm.
Inertia gives resistance and stabil ity to MatterMobility keeps Matter active
,moving about
Rhythm makes the movements regular . You maysay
“ A stone does not move of itself.” B ut
science tells you that every particle in that stoneparticles too small for you to see—is moving rapidly and regularly to and fro
,is vibrating, to use the
scientific term.
( 15 )
The Shaktih, or the D ivine Power of l shvara
,whichmakes Matter begin to take form
,is
calledmm Maya,and sometimes 33m : Daivi
prakrtib, the Divine Prakr ti. Shri Kr shna speaksof “ My Divine P
'
r akr ti”
as“ My other Prakr ti,
the higher,the life-element
,by which the universe
is upheld .
“
The student may think of the great pair of
Opposites , Ishvara and Mfilapr akrti, standing, as itwer e
,face to face and the Divine Power of Ishvara
shining out on Mf rlapr akr ti and making the qualities, called gm: gunah, act on each other, sc lthatmany forms begin to appear. This D ivine poweris Maya
,and so Ishvara is called the Lord of Maya.
Even young students must try to rememberthese names
,and what they mean
,for they cannot
otherwise understand the teaching of the Bbdgavad Gitd
,which every Hindu boy must try to un
der stand . It may be well to say that the wordPr akr ti is generally used instead of Mfil apr akrti,the prefix Mula, Root, being usuall y left out.
i f: av er mama m a m a?! l
Sta ff! “ atm a «a swag-a rm ll
*Bhaga rad Gitt’
i , V i i— 5.
16
«as : gems «sis ters! fiver?! u
fi fizvgmmé Hfifi rm'
a i ff mq I
was?Hézzs éa fi zfui {N i f ty a n
afa r-em m in i a r se: a I
W afi ifi a ff air a an it
man a fi uwms a m ul l
qami 5 am aims; unfavg; a :
m an m aimemmzwtqu it I
m mi ammw'
tr?H ires Pari‘
s au n"
“ I will declare that which ought to be known ,that which being known imm ortality is enjoyedthe beginningless supreme Brahman
,called neither
Being nor Not -Being .
“ Everywhere TH A T has hands and feet, everywhere eyes
,heads and mouths ; al l hearing, He
dwelleth in the world,enveloping al l
a.
“ Shining with all sense-faculties , without any
s en se unattached,supporting everything ; and
free from qualities , enjoying qualities .
Without and within al l beings, immovableand also movable by a reason of his subtlety indis
mtinguishable at hand and far away is THAT.
*B lzagar ad Gigd, x ui, l 2
— 1 7 .
( 1 7
Not divided amid beings.
and yet seated distr ibutively. THAT is to be known as the supporterof beings He devours and He generates .THAT
,the Light of al l lights , is said to be beyond
darkness w isdom,the object of wisdom
,by wisdom
to be reached, seated in the hearts of al l .me lee afi
‘
vm anaamqi
N EWng cama G ala : 11
fi fiqhua laauflf l m aaffl fqashl ar]?g rits" : a rgtrsfia n
‘
rg q: ll
fi smam‘
tiiqama : g eranium qmaa : I
«Wa i rs fw uz 8 ma w ager ed“
: ll"
This was in the form of Dar knes s,unknown
,
without marks [or homogeneous] , unattainable byreasoning, unknowable, wholly , as it were , in sleep .
“ Then the self-Existent,the Lord
,unmanifest
,
(but) making manifest. This— the great elements .and the rest— appeared with m ighty power
,D ispel
ler of Darkness .“ He who can be grasped by that which is beyond
the senses,subtle unm inifes t
,ancient
,containing al l
beings , inconceivable, even He Himself shone forth .
m m: 53154111 asti g mati sm : I
“ E l fi n was a g amma ( a a I T
Manu S mr iti i— 5, 6, 7 . 1
‘
Bhdgavad Gigi , x— 20.
18 )
I,O Gudakesha, am the SELF , seated in the
hear t of al l beings [ am the beginning, the midd le
,and also the end of al l beings .
xii-s shgai t shitfi f fi
f
fi'
t we: a I
in : «Win ararfi an ti war s eas n
m mm : m fin rta:
airm arm'
évu Enn i s-w fiat : a
m a fi f fl'fil ffi'
fl nfi ttaf fi' fimw: I
n it
There ar e two Pur ushas in this world , the destr uctible and the indestructible the destructible isal l beings
,the unchanging is cal led the indestr uct
ible .
The highest Purusha is verily another,declar
ed as the Supreme SELF ; He who pervading al l,
sustaineth the three worlds,the indestructible
Ishvara.
Since I excel the destructible,and am more
ex cell ent also than the indestructible, in the world
and in the Veda I am proclaimed Pr ushottama.
M W film : Harem: I
I Ibid , xiv— 16.
Bhagamd Gigd , xv— 7 .
1 9 )
A portion of Mine own Self,transformed in
the world of life into an immortal Spirit,draweth
round itself the senses,of which the mind is the
sixth,veiled in matter .
mi 8 33m Fag-oil when : I
Faetwss fimrwi a : med?! 8 m fit n
flatWimwwfiwmflavw fi l
m m a fis ta it‘
m mw‘
a am ll
um s am ba: Wai‘
vair'
fiti ( fit: I
fi éfi r am afiesé nm fi mta u ’
r
“ Seated equally in al l beings, the supreme
Ishvara,unpe r ishing within the perishing he who
thus seeth,he seeth .
“ When he preceiveththe diversified ex sistence
of beings as rooted in ON E and spreading forthfrom It
,then he reacheth Brahman .
A s the one sun il l umineth the whole earthso the Lord of the field
,ill umineththe whole field
0 Bhar a’
ta .
w’
fi trti‘
rswa’
tavg : fit as?gfa'ia
“
a I
tram «hi it fir s tm’
fitsa r IIM afi a-sew Stef fi! Fait ir m i
Grim 31m vi i Emit“
! an t
Earth, Water,Fire
,A ir
,Other
,Mind and
1‘ Ibid xii i— 27 30
, 33. Bhaga rad-Gigt’
i, 1711 , 4-5.
( 20 )
Reason also and Egoism— these ar e the eight-fo lddivisions of my Pr akr ti.
This the inferior . Know my other Pr akr ti,the higher, the life-element
,O mighty -armed
,by
which the universe is upheld .
ma’
(m a {fi tgun: m an ner : l
fi swfia Hermi t it?“
affl uen t: a f
Sattva,Rajas
,Tamas
,these ar e the Gunas
,
born of Prakriti ; they bind fast in the body, 0great-armed one
,the indestructible dweller in the
body .
”
1 Ibid— x iv 5
22
we may use the names Mahat-Buddhi,Pure Rea
son,and A hamkar a
,Egoism
,the principle o f sepa
ration,breaking up matter into tiny particles
,called
atoms . Then come the remaining five T attvas
Akasha,Ether ; Vayu , A ir ; A gni, Fire Apa,
Water ; Prithivi , Earth . This is cal led the creation of the $13!l Bhfitfidi, Elements , and out ofthese al l things ar e partly made There is more ofTamo-guna than of Rajo-guna and of Sattva-gunashowing itself in these elements
,and so the things
composed chiefly of them ar e dull and inert theinner li fe
,the Jiva
,cannot show its powers
,for the
coat of matter is so thick and heavy .
Next after the Elements,the ten Ind riyas ar e
created ; these were at first on ly ideas in the mindof Brahma
,and later were clothed in the Elements
they ar e the five centres of the senses smell,taste
,
sight,touch
,hearing
,the organs of whichar e the
nose,tongue
,eyes
,skin and ears and the five
centres of action,the organs of which ar e hands
,
feet,and those of speech
,generation and excretion .
There i s more of Rajo-guna than of Tamo-gunaand of Sattva-guna shewing itself in these Indr iyas ,so they ar e very active
,and the inner l ife
,the J iva
,
can show more of its powers in them.
A fter the Ind r iyas , Brahma created in His
23
m ind the Devas who ar e connected with thesenses , and also Manah, the mind, which is sometimes called the sixth Indr iya, when the first fivear e spoken of
,and the eleventh
,when the ten ar e
taken ; because it draws into itself and arrangesand thinks over all the sensations collected by theIndr iyas from the outer world . There is more of
Sattva-guna than of Tamo-guna and of Rajo-gunashowing itself in these Deities and Manah.
The student must remember that these gunas
ar e never separated , but one guna may be moredom inant than another in any particular being .
When Tamo-guna dominates,the being is called
tfimasik when Rajo-guna dominates,the being is
called rajasik when Sattva-guna dominates,the
being is called sattvik . A l l things may be dividedunder these three heads of sattvik
,rajasik , and
tamasikfi“
Brahmanext created in His mind the hosts ofDevas
,who carry out
,administer the laws of Ishvara
,
and see to the proper management of al l the worlds .Ishvara is the King
,the One Lord
,and the Devas
ar e His ministers,like the ministers and officials
of an earthly king . The students must neverconfuse the Devas with the supreme Ishvara
,with
S ee Bhiig tad-Gil d , x iv , xvi i and xvi i ] .
24
Brahman . They ar e His higher officials for the
Brahmanda,
as we men ar e His lower officials forthis one particular world .
The Devas,sometimes called Suras
,see that
each man gets what he has earned by his karma.
’
They give success and failure in worldly things,
according to what a man deserves they help men
in many ways , when men try to serve them,and
much of the bad weather and sickness and fam ineand other national troubles come from men entirelyneglecting the duties they owe to the Devas .The Devas ar e a vast multitude
,divided under
their five Rulers,Indra
,Vayu
,A gni
,Varuna and
Kubera. Indra has to do with the ether ; Vayu'
with the air ; A gni with the fire ; Varuna withthe water ; Kubera with the earth . The Devasunder each have different names , as we see in thePuranas and the Itihasa. The student may haveread
,for instance , how Bhima fought with the
Yakshas,who were the servants of Kubera .
In these Devas the Rajo-guna dominatesManu says that their nature is action .
The A suras,the enemies of the Devas , embody
the resistance , or inertia, of Matter, and in themTamo -guna is predominant .
Karma 15 explained i n Chapter IV .
25
Brahma then created in His mind minerals ,
plants, animals and men , thus completing the picture of the worlds wherein the unfolding of thepowers of the Jiva—what is now called Evolution—was to take place . In Sanskr it this world-evolution
,or world -process
,is called (wa rt : S amsar ah,
and it is compared to a wheel , constantly turning,on which al l Jivas ar e bound .
Thus Brahma. completed His share of the gr eattask of a universe, but the form s needed, to beclothed in physical matter
,to be made active be
ings ; this was the work of Vishnu;the A l l -per vaéder
,the Maintainer and Preserver of the worlds .
He breathed His Life into all these forms , and , as
a Parana says , became Pr fina in al l forms and gavethem consciousness . Then al l the Brahmanda“ became full of life and consciousness . But eventhis was not enough
,when man came upon the
scene . T wo A spects of Ishvara had given TheirLife
,but the third A spect remained
,the One who
d issolves forms and thus liberates the Jivas,calling
them to union and bliss . The life of Mahadevamust be poured out to complete the triple Jiva of
man,that he might be the perfect r eflex ion of the
triple Ishvara. This was done, and the humanJiva began his long evolution
,having al ready passed
26
through, evolved through, the mineral , vegetableand animal kingdoms in previous kalpas . A verybeautiful description of the evolution throughp lants and animals to men
,until in man Atma is
manifest,
”and by the mortal he desires the im
mortal,”may be read by elder students in the
A z’
gfar cydr azzyakaf and will be found in the A dvanced T ext-Book.
The special manifestations of Vishnu,called
A vatar as , must not be forgotten . The word meansOne who descends , from tr i passing over
,the pr efix
ava” giving the significance of descending . It
is applied to D ivine manifestations of a peculiarkind
,in which the Deity incarnates in some form
to bring about some special result. When thingsar e going badly with the world, and special help isneeded to keep the world on the road of rightevolution
,then Vishnu comes down in some appr o
pris te form,and puts things right .
Ten of His A vatar as ar e regarded as more impor tant than the others
,and ar e often spoken of
as“ the Ten A vatar as .
”
1 . MATSYA , the fish.— Vaivasvata Manu once
saw a little fish,gasping for water, and put it into
a bowl it grew, and He placed it in a larger potI f . i ii— 2 .
2 7
then again in a larger,and then in a tank
,a pond
,
a river,the sea, and ever the Fish grew and filled
its receptacle . Then the Mann knew that this Fishwas connected with His own life-work , and whenthe time came for Him to save the seeds of lifefrom a great flood
,He entered a ship with the
Rishis and the necessary lif e-seeds,the great Fish
appeared,and drew the vessel to the world where
lay the Mann’s work . With the coming of the Fish
began the great evolution of an imal life in theworld .
2 . KUEM A,the Tortoise — A s the tortoise
,
Vishnu , supported the whirling mountain , whichchurned the great sea of matter
,that it might give
forth the necessary forms . The Tortoise is thetype of the next great step in evolution .
3. VARAB A,the Boar . -The earth was sunk
below the waters,and V ishnu raised it up
,giving
,
in the Boar,the type of the great mammalian king
dom which was to flourish on the dry land .
Modern Science recognises these three greatstages of evolution
,each marked in Hinduism by
an A vatara.
4. NA RA S IMHA,the Man -Lion .
— Thi s was theA vatara that came to free the earth from the tyrannyof the Daityas . Into this race a child
,Prahlada
,
28
was born , who from earliest childhood was devotedto Vishnu, despite the threats and the cruelties ofhis Diatya father. Over and over again the fathertried to slay the son
,but ever Vishnu intervened
to save him at last He burst from a pil lar in theform of a Man-Lion
,and slew the Daitya King .
p
o . V A M A N A, the Dwarf .— A t last He came as
man, to aid the evolution of the human race
,and
gained from Bali the right to al l He could cover,in
three steps ; one step covered the earth, and thusHe won for man the field of his evolution .
6. PARAS HURAMA , Rama of the A xe — ThisA vatara came to punish such of the Kshttr iyasas were Oppressing the people, and to teach badr ulers the danger of using power to tyrannise
,
instead of to help .
7 . RAM A,usually called Ramachandra
, the
son of Dashar atha.— He
,with His three brothers
,
came as the ideal Kshattr iya, the model King, and
He serves as an example of a perfect human life .A n obedient and loving son , a tender husband
,an
affectionate brother, a gallant warrior, a wise ruler,
a diligent protector of His people , He is emphati
cally The Perfect Man . His splendid story is toldin Valmiki’s ‘Rc
’
imdyaqtam,and the lovely version
of Tulsi Das is known in every northern Indianhome .
30
m aidWW ? en igma? fir m ll
swim : await a H mm
fi ssswaar sem i s! I
i tem?a ?fi r’
iflarfi a H5 ll
Within Thy Form,O God
,the I see ,
A l l grades of being with distinctive marksBr ahmathe Lord , upon His lotus -throneThe Rishis al l , and Serpents
,the Divine .
Rudras,V asus
, Sfidhyas and Adityas ,V ishvas , the A shvins
,Maruts
,U shmapas ,
Gandharvas,Yakshas
,Siddhas
,A suras
,
In wondering multitudes beholding Thee .
0 A 0
was s tem aga r stairs
afia mi nm’
iaaramgz l“ Indra
,Mitra
,Varuna
,A gni
,they callhim
,
and He is the radiant golden-feathered Gar utman ,Of Him who is one
,Sages speak as manifold ;
they call him A gni,Yama
,Mfitar ishvfi.
”
mesa Qatar : Hal :W WW I”
r
Bhagavad Gitfi , x 1 , , 15and 22 .
R ig r eda ,I , clxi v , 46. T M anmmr itt, xi i , 1 19 .
31
A l l the Gods (ar e) even the Self al l rests onthe Self.
mafi aam fiamgmi statutes l
{samba} mum?m W attH
“ Some call H im A gn i,others Manu, (others)
Pr ajéipati, some Indra, others Life -Breath, others .
the eternal Brahman .
”
W gfim rm qmr
W ill : qua-vs Hm : I
am ifafi ar: sil ls: war
g ames as $3 t urfia
m ai d m i?mt: H im a l
wargs'i’
rifirtm: trivi a?fi rs ts arfi‘tlf r II
m is" ass t w as ?"
G M T asp-mw eir was I I
“ A s from a blazing fire sparks,al l similar to
each other,spring forth in thousands so from the
Indestructible,O beloved
,various types of being
ar e born,and they also return thither
“ From That ar e born Breath,Mind
,and al l the
Senses,Ether
,A ir
,Fire
,Water
,and Earth
, the
support ofj bul , 124 . 1 M undakop,
1 1, i , 1- 1 7 .
32
From that in various ways ar e born , the GodsS fidhyas , Men , Beast, Birds .
arena Hams e ra ( a s?i n: aa a l
smears?ané‘
t aaawaraaa a u
aé mafia a im tr aitmafia ( term :
m ama waitmafia amen: u“ From Sattva w isdom is born
,and al so greed
from Rajah negligence and delusion ar e of Tamah,and also unwisdom .
“ They rise upwards who ar e settled in Sat igva
the Rajasic dwell in the midmost place . TheTamasic go downwards
,enveloped in the vilest
qualities .
GET gaff Ham'
s ( a : amifis mta I
mamas : a as : am?m anager II
r at: was?ansfi a an : e ra( s eam ll
Hawks 3&5a WISHmama I
mawar aar lflfll § fag?a‘
ara‘
ga l l
am : nqfi rrm z 65:11!!t sear u
m fi arra m a raga: m ama u
m mfirsflsfi lfi awai
t the 11a a l
m i arta a rwaeqe gusasaa ll T“ Sattva attacheth to bliss
,Rajahto action , 0
*Bhdgaw d Gitd , x iv, I 7 . 18. TB luiga vad-Gijd, mv, 9— 13.
33
Bharata. Tamah, verily, having shrouded wisdom,
attachethon the contrary , to heedlessness .
(Now) Sattva prevaileth , having overpoweredRajah and Tamah, O Bharata (now ) Rajah(having overpowered) Tamas and Sattva
, (now)Tamas
, (having overpowered ) Rajah and Sattva.
“When the wisdom-light str eamethforth fromal l the gates of the body , then it may be knownthat Sattva is increasing .
Greed,outgoing energy, undertaking of se
tions,restlessness
,desire— these ar e born of the
increase of Rajah, 0 best of the t’
i ratas .
“ Darkness , stagnation and heedlessness,
and
also delusion— these ar e born of the increase of.Tamah, O joy of the Kurus .
”
eat star is mien mu'
a'
eiat'
a mta n
mgmmaafim aatemag a rn et: u
m’
i amrm H rgal faarma a‘
g‘a‘
am ll
afiaemvaruia Hzaar'
ficr 3h ll
“ When dharma decays,when adharma is exalt
ed then I Myself come forth ;For the protection of the good
,for the destruo
tion of evil-doers,for firml y establishing dharma,
I am born from age to age.
”
Bhéga r ad -Gztd, iv, 7 ,—8.
CHA PT ER III.
RE-B IRTH .
HE evolution spoken of in the last chapter iscarried on by the Jiva passing from body to
body, the bodies improving as his powers unfold ;this is called r e-birth , re incarnation , or transm igration . The word r e-in carnation means literall y taking flesh again
,coming again into a physical body .
The word transmig ration mean s passing from oneplace to another passing into a new body . Eitherword can be used equally well . Let us see what isthe process described by these words .The Jiva
,we have seen , is a portion of Brahman ,
“a portion of myself, a J iva,
” says Shri Krebna.
He contains the powers of Brahman , is Brahman .
“ Thou ar t That,” the Shruti teaches . But yet there
is a diff erence in Space and Time,as the seed is
different from the tree . The tree produces a seed,
giving it its own nature ; it drops the seed on the
ground , and the seed slowly grows , pu tting out
its.
hidden powers,until it becomes a tree like its
parent ; it can become nothing else, because its nature
is the same as that of the paren t . A nd so with theJiva ; like a seed he is dropped into matter byIshvara, he slowly grows , putting out his hidden
powers , until he becomes Ishvara ; he can become
35
nothing else,because his nature is the same as that
of his Parent, Ishvara.
Ishvara is said to be wise and powerful , J iva tobe unwise and powerless ;' but the Jiva grows intowisdom and power, and that growth is what iscalled Evolution .
We have seen that the Jiva begins in the m ineral '
kingdom his long pilgrimage through the physicalworld . A t that stage he is unconscious of theouter world . His attention is called to it
,its ex
istence is forced on him ,by v iolent shocks and
blows from outside earthquakes , volcanoes , landslips
,the rolling of the furious surf
,these and many
other violent agencies arouse the Jiva’s attentiontothe fact that he is not alone , that there is something outside him . If the student reads the aocounts of the very early periods of the ear th’shistory , he will be struck by the number of bigcatastrophies all these were necessary to awakenthe J ivas . A fter a very very long time
,the Jivas
wer e sufficiently awake to be fit for softer and
more flexible bodies than mineral s,and they went
on into plants,while others
,coming out later from
Ishvara, took their places in the m ineral kingdom.
The J ivas in the plants now became more conShvetashvatar op, 1— 9 .
36
scious of the outer world , feeling the warm sun , andthe gentle breezes
,and the life -g iving rain . A s they
grew older and more sensitive, they pas sed into thelonger-lived plants
,such as shrubs and trees
,and
in these more of their inner powers unfolded,till
they were ready to go on into the animal kingdom,
while the younger ones came on into the vegetablekingdom
,and others still younger into the m inerals .
A nd now in the animal kingdom the Jivas goton much faster , and by hunting for food , and fighting and outwitting each other, the senses and thesimple mental powers were brought out and stren~
gthened ; until at last the animal form s were nolonger good enough for them
,and they needed the
human in order that their evolution should not stop .
The student may ask What makes the formsevolve to suit the Jiva The J iva’s own efforts .He wants to look out through the wall of matterthat encloses him he tries to see
,and his out
war dgoing energy works on the wall, and slowly,
very very slowly , evolves an eye and so with al l
the senses and al l the organs . The senses ar epierced from within outwards
,we ar e taught.
The Jiva shapes them al l to suit himsel f,so that
he . can use his powers in the outer world,
and the Devas help him by giving him mat
er ial s that ar e suited to the organ he wants
( 38 )
to a stone, til l hehas learned to use the human formbetter. Then he is like a man in prison
,shut out
f rom human society, and unable to use his humanpowers
,for want of freedom .
But the Jiva is not to be tied for ever to thewheel of births and deaths . The ropes that tiehim to this wheel ar e his desires . So long as hedesires objects that belong to this earth
,he must
come back to this earth in order to possess and en
joy these objects . But when he ceases to desirethese objects
,then the ropes ar e broken
,and he is
free . He need not be born any more ; he has reached liberation . He is then called aMukta, a free Jiva.
Often Muktas remain in this world to help itsprogress
,so that other J ivas may get free sooner
than they otherwise woul d . We read about suchMuktas in the Vedas and Puranas and the Itihasa ;sometimes they ar e great Rishis or Kings
,and
sometimes they ar e quite simple people . But whatever they may be in outside appearance
,they ar e
pure and unselfish and calm,and live on ly to help
others . They ar e content to labour for the good ofthe world
,and they know that they ar e one
with ishvara.
( 39 )
m ai n w E?firmi zfiafi am3 :1 ! t a ga ff?H
*
“ A s the dweller in the body exper ienceth, inthe body, childhood , youth and old age, so passethhe on to another body . The steadfast one grievethnot thereat.”
m am {itEar fitm ent: nfifimW W am qm a ma IIa mi fife sa ri ufi fi was am:s zfi fi a fimfirfi mé afia am fi n
a m a lu a u: qrW‘W‘
ant{anm'
éat at a 3131 : I
S tair firm: {marinam3 enterm rfi {l i ft ll
se lfi arfiré fired 1: W ars aw
méq gasrzqrvi fi s aram'
e i n
m ite: admit? um fires:a im?! m fir af rsqnfiu
’
l
am arfim’
ir Fag in sitar?wflnfir émfir amfa
"
as?IIis?fimnaszfiszi asmien mmm {ariaa atfifia gmffa ll"
“ These bodies of the embodied One who isBhfigaw d u —13
t’
iga cad Gi j f'
i , 1 1 , 18-22 and 30.
( 40 )
eternal,indestructible and boundless
,ar e known as
finite. Therefore fight,0 Bharata.
“ He who regardeth this as a slayer,and he
who thinketh he is slain,both of them ar e ignorant.
He slayeth not, nor is he slain .
“ He is not born,nor doth he die : nor
,having
been,ceaseth he any more to be ; unborn , petpe
tual,eternal and ancient
,he is not slain when the
body is slaughtered .
“Who knoweth him indestructible,perpetual
,
unborn,undiminishing ,
how can that man slay, O
'
Partha, or cause to be slain“ A s a man
,casting off worn-out garments
,
taketh new ones , so the dwell er in the body , casting off worn -out bodies , entereth into others thatar e new.
“ This dwell er in the body of every one is everinvulnerable
,O Bharata. Therefore thou shoul dst
not grieve for any creature .
”
m mam?(“Writmangqrmm aai m
mat mi alga maximum s?aren’
t fi zemfi ai'
«sala m i s amurai mi $ 63 u*
“ A s a goldsmith , having taken a piece of gold,maketh another form
,new and more beautiful
,so
B mhadci r a nyaknp, IV , 1v— 4.
( 4 1
verily the Atma, having cast ofi this body and
having put away A vidya, maketh another new and
more beautiful form .
”
m ar amifim(ii i wars" mitt?! a : I
em s a a ari a qsrqafirarmm II
5515171 new gas "%E§ftfifi tfi l
zfifim: anti g aifmEivi EHQWISWWll
gas: mitnei s mearmn’
ehmca‘
rfi fifg sf'
rqages: mummy as?! Gm
“
?Ps alm?tu‘
“ He who actethplacing al l actions in Brahman,
abandoning attachment,is unaffected by sin
,as a
lotus leaf by the waters .“ Yogis
,having abandoned attachment
,perform
action only by the body , by the m ind, by the reav
s on,
and even by the senses,for the purification
of the self .The harmonised man
,having abandoned the
fruit of action,
attainethto the eternal peace ; thenon -harmonised
,impelled by desire
,attached to
fruit,ar e bound .
Famfémzrmqsr award: at?! afa r? I
ufi’
t fitter saqfi a mi ter" : Hmf
iffl: II
fi ati
fifs’
ra : an“
?El s i emit find Ha : I
thi rs t”
?Gam m qaa rfir afim zu
B kdga cad— Gqfi, v , 10— 12 .
“ Sages look equal ly on a Brahmana ador nedwith learning and humi lity
,a cow, an elephant,
and even a dog and an outcaste .“ Even here on earth they have conquered the
universe whose mind remains balanced . Brahmanis incorruptible and balanced ; therefore they ar e
established in Brahman .
“ One should neither rejoice in obtaining whatis pleasant
,nor sorrow in obtaining what is unplea
sant ; with Reason firm,unperplexed
,the Brahman
knower (is) established in Brahman .
“ He whose self is unattached to external contacts , and findethjoy in the SELF , having the sel fharmonised with Brahman by yoga, enjoyethhappiness exempt fr om decay .
gmm m fi’rw a
1 m e,v . 18— 2 1 .
( 43 )
m i raf‘
agssmi tram?are-33am l
a far?! safa ri?use: seam mII*“ He who is happy within
,who rejoiceth within
and who is il luminated within,that yogi
,becoming
Brahman,goeth to the Nirvana of Brahman .
“
Rishis their sins destroyed, their dual ityremoved
,their selves controlled
,intent upon the
welfare of al l beings, obtain the Nirvana of Brah
The Nirvana of Brahman lies near to thosewho know themselves
,who ar e di sjoined from
desire andpassion , subdued ascetics,of contr olled
mind .
”
B ILdgamd-Gitfi, v . 24-26.
CHA PT ER lV
KARMA .
A RMA is a Sanskrit word which means action,
but it is generally used to mean a certaindefinite connection between what is being done
now and what will happen in the future . Thingsdo not happen by accident
,by chance
,in a disorder
ly way. They happen in regular succession ; theyfoll ow each other in a regular order .If a seed is planted in the ground
,it sends up
a little stem,and leaves grow on the stem and the
flowers come,and then fruits
,and in the fruits ar e
seeds again . A nd one of these seeds planted willproduce a stem
,and leaves
,and flowers and fruits
and seeds . The same sort of seed produces thesame kind of plan ts . Rice produces rice-plants ;barley produces barley ; wheat produces wheat ;thistle produces thistle ; cactus produces cactus . Ifa man sows thistles
,he must not expect a crop of
sweet grapes ; if he plants prickly cactus, he mustnot expect to gather juicy apples . This is karma
,
and a man,knowing it
,sows the seed of the thing he
wants to reap . This is the first thing to remember .
( 46 )
thing s, we sow kindness like a seed , and it growsup into kindness to ourselves . Whatever we sow
by our actions comes back to us . This is karma.
But action has thought behind it. N ow
thought makes what is called our character,the
nature and kind of mind that we have. A s we
think about a thing a great deal , our mind becomeslike that thing . If we think kindly
,we become
kind ; i f we think cruelly, we become cruel ; if wethink deceitful ly, we become deceitful ; if we thinkhonestly
,we become honest . In thisway our character
ismade by our thoughts,and when we ar e born again
,
we shall be born with the character that is beingmadeby our thoughts now. A s we act according to ournature, or character— as a kind person acts kindly
,or
a cruel person acts cruel ly- it is easyto see thatactions in our next life will depend on the thoughtsof our present life . This i s karma.
But thought has des ire behind it. N ow des ir ebrings us the object we wish for. A s a magnet attracts soft iron , so does desire attract objects . If
we des ire money,we shall have the opportunity of
becoming rich in another life . If we des ire learning
,we shall have the Opportunity of becoming
learned in another life . If we desire love,we shall
( 47
have the opportunity of becoming loved . If wedesire power
,we shall have the opportuni ty of be
caming powerf ul . This is karma.
The student should think over this again and
again till he thoroughly understands it. Only '
when he understands this, can he go on to the '
more difficult problems of karma. Karma may be
summed up in a sentence A man reaps as he sows .
But the student may ask If my actions nowar e the outcome of my past thoughts, and if mypast thoughts ar e the outcome of my past desires ,am I not helplessly bound? I must act as I havethought. I must think as I have desired .
” That istrue
,but to a certain extent only ; for we ar e
changing constantly as we gain new experiences,
and the Jiva thus gains more knowledge,and by
the help of that changes his desires . In other words,
while we have actua l ly desired , thought and acted‘
in a certain way in the past, the possibility of
desiring,‘
of thinking other wisehas also been presentthr oughout that past and this possibility may beturned, at any time , into actuality , as soon as we
realise, by means of new experiences,the evil‘
consequences of acting as we have actually done inthe past .
( 48
Suppose a man finds that he has acted cruell yhe learns that his cruel action was caused by hicruel thoughts in the past
,and that those cruel
thoughts grew out of desire to get an object whichcould only beqbtain ed by cruelty . He sees that hiscruel actions make peo ple miserable
,that these
people hate and fearhim,and thus make him lonely
and unhappy . He thinks over al l this,and he r e
solves to change,but the pressure of his past thoughts
and desires is very difficult to resist. He goes to theroot of the trouble— the desire for the things that hecannot get without cruelty , and he— who is theJiva— says to himself “ I will not let myself desirethose things
,and whenever [ begin to wish for them
I will remember that the desire breeds misery .
” Heuses thought to check desire
,instead of letting desire
control thought . Then instead of desires carryinghim away
,as if they were runaway horses , he
gradually u ses thought as a bridle,and keeps his
desires in check . He will only allow them to runafter objects that bring happiness when they ar e
obtained .
Young J ivas let their desires run away withthem
,and so bring much unhappiness on them
selves ; older Jivas grow wiser, and when the des1r e
( 49
runs out to an object the possession of which would,as he has found in the past, cause unhappiness , heremembers that past unhappiness , and by histhought pulls the desire back.
The student,then
,who would make happiness
for others and for himself, mu st look well after hisdesires
,must find out by observation and study
w hich objects in the long run bring happiness,and
which bring unhappiness,and mu st then try
,with
al l his strength , to desire only those things the outcome of which is happiness .It is very important to realise that escape from '
the bonds of birth and death is not gained by any
special mode of life, but that , as Shri Kr shna saysHe who
,established in un ity
,worshippeth Me
,
abiding in al l beings,that yogi liveth in Me
,what
ever his mode of Janaka,the K shattr iya
King and T u ladhar a,the V aishyamerchant, equall y
reached liberation,and that
,not by fleeing to the '
forest,but by the absence of desire for worldly
things .Janaka was King in Mithilaover the V idehas
and , having attained to tr anquility of mind , he sangthis song : “ Unlimited is my weal th, and yet I have
Bhr’
iga r ad-Gitd, v1. -31 .
( 50 )
jnaught. If the whole of Mithila be burned upwith fire
,yet for me there will be nothing lost.” j‘
A nd so he told Mandavya, having repeated this,that whatever possessions a man might have werebut a source of trouble
,and that the gratification
of desire,here or in heaven , could not afford the
sixteenth part of the happiness which comes fr omthe disappearance of desire . A s the horns of a cow
grow with the cow,so does the desire for weal th
grow with its possession . Weal th should be usedfor the good that can be done with it, but desire issorrow . Looking on al l creatures as on himself
,a
wise man gains freedom from all anx ietyfi“ By the
teaching of the sage Jajnavalkya, King Janaka at
tained liberation , for it “ enabled him to attain tothat Brahman which is auspicious and immortal
,
and which transcends al l sor row.
”
T A nd havingthus learned
,he became in his turn a teacher
,to
whom even Vvasa sent his son , Shuka, to learn thereligion of emancipation ];Jajali made great tapas
,and became fi l led with
1' M a/uibha
'
r a tam. Shanti Par va, clxxn iM ahdbhdm tam, cccxxv u.
1' See the great d1ecour se of Yajnavalkya to n Janaka , Ibid .
FlhanmPar va, cccxi— cacxix .
IIb1d , cccxxvi—cccxxvn i .
( 51 )
pride ; and one day he thought within himself“ who in this wide sea and spacious earth is like tome Then cried a voice : “ Say not such words .Even T uladhar a, busy in buying and sell ing, shouldnot thus speak, and to him thou ar t not equal.Then Jajali wondered much that a mere merchantshould be put above himself, a Brahmana and an
ascetic, and he set forth to find T uladhara, and
thus solve the riddl e. Vexing himself, he reachedthe city of Varanasi , and ther e found T uladhara, amere shopkeeper , selling, to whomsoever came, al lkinds of good s . T uladhar a stood up , greeting the
Brahmana as was fitting and to him T uladhara r e
lated the story of the great penance that had inflatedhim with pride : “ A ngry
,thou hast come to me
,
O Brahmana; what service can I render theeMuch amazed was Jajali at such knowledgeo f his past shown by this humble trader , and eagerly he pressed for explanation . Then Tuladhar a
spoke to him of the ancient morality known toall— though practised by so few— of living in a
way which inflicted harm on none, or when harmc ould not be total ly avoided
,a m inimum of suclb
harm ; he himsel f asked no loan from any, nor withany quarrelled ; attraction and aversion he had con
( 52 )
quered ; equal his look on al l,without praising or
blaming any ;when a man is fearless and is fearedby none
,when he neither likes nor dislikes
,when
he does no wrong to any, then he reaches Brahman . Very beautifully did T uladhara discourseof the injuries inflicted on animals and on men bycruelty
,of the nature of sacrifice
,and of true pil
grimage,showing how liberation m ight be gained
by harmlessness . 9“
m m: ti aragm {fita U flrfi lfi l aafirm ast-a
m e me m aa am m m u“ Man verily is desire-formed ; as is his desire
so is his thought ; as (his) thought is , so he doesaction ; as he does action , so he attains .
”
fi a s wzaz fi iafi as war as feast-aw II I
So indeed the desirer goes by work to the
object in which his mind is immersed .
”
“ Now ver ily man is thought-formed ; as man in
this world thinks , so , having gone away hence , hebecomes .
M a /u’
ibhfi r atam,Shaun Par va, cclx1 cclx1.
f Bmha d r‘
ir a nyakop I ‘7 . 1 v— 5.
*Ib:d , 6.
I Chhdndogyop, III , x iv— l .
( 54 )
Having abandoned attachment to the fr uit ofaction
,always content, nowhere seeking refuge he is
not doing anything, although doing actions .“ Hoping for naught
,his mind and self controlled
,
having abandoned al l greed,performing action by
the body alone,he doth not commit sin .
“ Of one with attachment dead,harmonious
,with
his thoughts established in wisdom,his works sacri
fices,al l action melts away .
”
m as aga ve mm inset: i f?Fwamm: weak en?w as as!W e II“
“When al l the desires hidden in the heart ar e
loosed,then the mortal becomes immortal
,then he
here enjoyethBrahman .
mama ( ma fi fe: xi ii mfia g I
3 am?! fi fe an : ques-era II
{fie-art
'
s smargfa'
maftfig “I? “anfifizaaa?g sr§firshrargfiafifim 11
m enswear; warmth-a new G an I
areafigmvaasa rfi germ {a m s : 11
mg Famaanaafeg ins new star 1
afifia an’
ar sauna «am {a w r it: IIm fiarammmm : w safa: I
a a magm as emf a rfim s a fe II T“ Know the Self
,the chariot-owner
,the body
,
Kat/101) , I I , vi— l 4 T Katha/7 , I , 11 1 , 3—7 .
( 55 )
the chariot ; know Reason the charioteer, and the
m ind as the reins ; they call the senses the horses,the sense-objects their province . The Self
,joined
‘
to the senses and mind, ( is) the enjoyer ; thus say'
the wise. Whoever is ignorant, always wi th mindl oose
,his senses (ar e) uncontrol led , like bad horses
of the charioteer. Whoever is wise,always with
m ind tightened,his senses (ar e) controlled , like good
homes of the charioteer. Whoever is indeed ignorant,
thoughtless,always impure
,he does not obtain that
g oal (but) comes again into Samsara.
”
CHA PT ER V .
SACRIFICE .
HE idea of “ offering sacrifices is very familiar inIndia
,but a student needs to understand the
pr inciple which underlies al l sacrifices,so that he
may realis e that every one should sacrifice himself tothe good of others , and that al l sacrifice of otherthings ar e meant , to teach a man how he ought
,at
last, to sacrifice himself.The first thing to grasp is that creation is sacri~
fice . Ishvara confines Himself, limits Himself, in.
mat ter in order that a universe may be made manifest. Shruti and Smriti alike proclaim this truth
,
as in the Purusha Sukta of the Rz
'
gveda or as in theallusion by Shri Kr ishna to the formal sacrifice thatcauses the birth of Immersion in matter is
,.
in spiritual language,called “ death
,
”and Ishvara
thu s sacrificed Himself in order that He mightbring into separate being portions of Himself
,the
J ivas who might develop al l His powers in matterin an infinite variety of forms . This is the primarysacrifice, and on this is based the Law . This alsogives us the meaning of sacrifice : it is the pouringoutof life for the benefit of others .
Bhfiga r ad Gitd , vm 3 .
( 57 )
The Law of Sacrifice is the Law of Life foral l Jivas . In the earlier stages of their growththey ar e forcibly sacrificed
,and so pr ogr ess involunta
rily,without their own consent or even knowledge
,
their forms being violently wrenched away fromthem
,and they propelled into new ones
,a little
more developed . Thus the Jives of the mineralkingdom ar e prepared to pass on into the vegetable,by the breaking up of their m ineral bodies for thesupport of plants . The Jivas of the vegetablek ingdom ar e prepared to pass on into the animals
,
by the breaking up of their vegetable bodies forthe support of animal life . The Jivas of theanimal kingdom ar e prepared to pass on into thehuman
,by the breaking up of their bodies for the
support of other animals,of savages
,and of certain
types of men . A nd even the Jivas of the humankingdom ar e prepared to rise into higher races bybreaking up of their human bodies for the supportof other human lives in cannibalism
,war
,etc .
In al l these cases the bodies are sacrificed forthe benefit of others , without the assent of theembodied consciousness ; Only after untold agesdoes the Jiva recognise
,in the body
,the univer
sal ity of the law ,and begin to sacrifice his own
upadhis deliberately , for the good of those around
( 58 )
him. This is called self-sacr ifice, and is the showing forth of the divinity of the Jiva, the proof thathe is of the nature of Ishvara.
A wonderful story of uttermost self-sacr ificeis told in the M ahdbhdr a lam.
Indr a, the King of the Devas , was sore besetby the A sura V r ittra, born of the wrath of a Rishi,whom Indra had offended by an unrighteous act.V r ittr a heading the Daityas , defeated Indra and
his arm ies in battle,drove him away fr om his
capital,A maravati and took away his sovereignty .
Long the Devas wandered with their King in exil e,
and repeatedly they made endeavour to regaintheir capital
,but were vanquished again and again .
~
Finall y they lear nt that the righteous wrath of aRishi could notbe allayed , except by the volumtary self-sacr ifice and pity of another Rishi ; andthat V r ittra could be slain by no other weaponthan the thunderbolt made with the self-givenbones of a holy one. A nd they went eagerly to
the Rishi Dadhichi and told their woeful tale tohim. A nd
' he was fill ed with a geat pity and said :“ I give to youmy body willingly to make what useof it you like.” A nd when their artificer V ishvakarma shrank from laying a rude and painful handupon that shining body of purity and tapas ,
59 )
Dadhichi smiled and said : “ Cover this body upwith salt ; bring here a herd of cows ; they shalll ick off the salt and flesh together ; and ye shal l takethe bones which only ye require ; and so naught ofthis body shall be wasted .
”A nd this was done
and V r ittr a fell before the might born of thatwondrous sacr ificefi"
The Jiva is led up to this point by the teachings of the Rishis , who bid him make sacrifices of
his pos sessions for a good that he does not receiveimmediately : they show him that when a man sacrifices to others
,his gifts return to him increased in
the future . A man is to sacrifice some of hisgoods
,which may be looked on as outlying pieces
of himself,and he is promised that this act of
self-denial shall bring him increased possessions .Next he was taught to make similar sacrifices and
to deny himsel f present enjoyments,in order that
he might lay up for himself increased happinesson the other side of death in Svarga. Thus thepractice of sacrificing was made habitual , and man
,
by sacrificing his possessions in the hope of reward,
prepared to learn that it was his duty to sacrificehimself in the service of others
,and to find in the
joy of that service his reward .
Lac. cat, Vana Pr ava, c.
( 60
A nother lesson taught in these sacrifices wasthe relation man bears to al l the beings roundhim; that he is not a solitary , isolated life, but thatal l lives ar e inter-dependent
,and can only prosper
permanently as they recognise this inter-dependence.
T he Rishis taughthim to sacrifice daily to the Devas,to Rishis , to ancestors
, to men and animals,and
showed him that as al l these made sacrifices toen rich his life, he had incurr ed to them a debt
, a
duty,which he must pay by sacrifice . A s he lives
on others , he must, in common honesty , live forothers . Sacrifice is right
,a thing that ought to be
done,that is owed .
Finally,as the Jiva recognises his parentage,
his identity in nature with Ishvara, sacrifice becomes happiness , a delight
,and the pouring out
of life for others is felt as a joyous exercise ofinnate divine powers . Instead of seeing how muchhe can take and how little he can give, he tries tosee how little he can take and how much he cangive. He begins to look very carefully into whathe takes for the support of his own upadhis , and
seeks to reduce to the lowest point the suff eringinflicted by the breaking up of lower forms forhis support. He abandons the foods and the
amusements which inflict pain on sentient beings
( 62 )
WW : in :W u
a n: m it i t im i tem’
s w as !
w a rmthi t gas-m mat a : u
M etal s : ma?{re ar-
21 aéi'
finisfi :
ga‘
a a83 2i turn aG am m a ll
sierra; mafiaqan'
fiWimm uaz I
Wm fi flflaa‘
: fi rm s : ll
min im? (at? aanma gm l
m a ( thatas! fim'
as star'
s “ II"
Having in ancient times emanated mankindtogether with sacrifice
,Prajapati declared ‘By
this shall ye propagate ; be this to you theKamadhuk
“ With this nourish ye the Devas , and may theDevas nourish you ; thus nourishing one anotherye shall reap the supremest good .
“ For, nourished by sacrifice, the Devas , shal l
bestow on you the enjoyments you desire . A thiefverily is he who enjoyethwhat is given by themwithout returning them aught .
“ The righteous,who eat the remains of the
sacrifice,ar e freed from al l sin s but the impious,
who dress food for their own sakes,they verily eat
From food creatur es come forth from rain isBhaga rad - Gijd , i n, 10
— 15.
( 63
the production of food rain proceedeth from sac
r ifice sacrifice ariseth out of action .
“
,Know thou from Brahma (the Veda) action
groweth , and Brahma (the Veda) from the Imperishable
,cometh . Therefore Brahman
,the al l permeat
ing , is ever present in sacrifice .’
5mm ! fi lmWm {a i sm: I
Fasi Pg 31t m% fli rfi w a‘
ame nII"E
They who long after success in action on eartlh
sacrifice to the Devas for in brief space,verily
,
in this world of men , success is born of action .
”
0 o \ f \
5113 1W sew M m m afitfi m'
W{m finiaw’
: tfi un i am W II
mafia}m ust“
? f it: m inis aafiqgamr I T0 Kings , Indra, Varuna, to this our
'
sacrificeBe ye turned by offerings and homage
,
“ O Indra,Varuna
,plenteous wealth and food
and blessing give us . .
This my song may it reachIndra, Varuna,and by its force bring sons and off spring .
m afi fi m
mt2atwi afai si‘
rsfiaarsr: ll
TR igr eda , V I I , Lxxxiv, I , 4- 5,
Wa : gun : 3 3 31mm : ll“
Whoever works (sacrifices ), pouring libationsinto the shining of these [the seven flames previously mentioned] at the proper time, him theses un-rays lead where dwells the one Lord of theDevas . Saying to him Come
,come
,
’ these r esplendent libations carr y the sacr ificer by the sun-rays,WOl'Shipping him and saying the sweet words :This is your pure well-deserved Brahma-wor ld .
’
“ The eaters of the life-giving remains of sacrifice go to the eternal Brahman . This world is notfor the non-sacr ificer , much less the other, 0 bestof the Kurus .
nas tie rW m ari nas-33 8 :
m uta te : sift emit afasimfi II I“ From one with attachment dead, harmon ious,
with his thoughts established in wisdom, his workssacr ifices, all Karma melts away .
‘M mdakop, I , 11 5—6 Bhfiga cad- Gitr
‘
i,iv—31 . 1 12nd , 23.
( 65 )
zr eai‘
rfitm an’
s ang els} serfs as
w e 65mmag ate
:313mmII
m ew mew?mam a : I
Whatsoever thou doest, whatsoever thou eatest,whatsoever thou offer est
,whatsoever thou givest
,
whatsoever thou doest of austerity, O Kaunteya, dothou that as an offering unto Me .
Thus shalt thou be liberated from the bondsof action , (yielding) good and evil fruits .
I l nd , 1x, 2 7—28.
CHA PT ER V l .
T HE WORLDS— VI S IBLE AND INVIS IBLE .
E al l know one world,the world around us
,
which we can see,and hear
,and touch
,and
taste, and smell . Science tel ls us of manyparts of this world
,which our senses ar e not keen
enough to perceive, things too small for our eyes tosee
,too subtle to affect any of our senses . These
_parts of our world, which we cannot perceive butabout which science tel ls us
,ar e stil l physical,
although invisible to us ; they ar e parts of ourworld . Physical matter includes solids , liquids ,gases
,and ethers , al l made up of atom s of the same
kind .
But we have heard of other worlds,which ar e
invisible and ar e not a part of this world,the
worlds into which people go when they pass awayfrom this earth by death . We read of the T r i loka
,
the three worlds,and every one shoul d know some .
thing about these, for in these three worlds the Jivais bound to the wheel of births and deaths
,and in
these his evolution proceeds . These three worldsar e made at the beginning of immense period calleda Day of Brahma, and perish at its ending. Fourother great lokas , or worlds
,complete the Bra
( 67 )
bwanda, but they last on through the life ofBrahma. We need not deal with them here . Therear e also some sub -divisions within the great lokas
,
to which the same name of loka is given,such as
,
‘
Pr etaloka and Pitr iloka in Bhi‘i var loka,and Indra
loka and Sfiryaloka in S var galoka.
The three great lokas with which we ar e
concerned,the T r iloki, ar e : Bhfi r loka
,the physical
world,or the earth ; Bhuvar loka, the world of be
coming - intermediate between the , earth and
v arga; Svar galoka, the heaven world . Of thesethree
,Bhfir loka is partly visible and partly invisible
to us ; Bhfivar loka and S vargaloka ar e invisible..In Bhur loka the Prithvi Tattva is the basis of al l
forms : it ex ists in seven modifications— solid,
l iquid , gaseous, radiant, etheric, super ether ic and
atomic . These later four ar e spoken as“ the
ethers . In Bhuvar loka seven s imil ar modificationsexist, but the basis is the Apas Tattva . In Svargaloka there ar e also seven similar modifications
,but
the bas i s is the A gni Tattva.
The Jiva has three sheaths corresponding to-these worlds— the A nnamayakosha, the Pranamayaskosha, the Manomayakosha. The A nnamayakosha, or food -sheath— so called because it isbuilt up out of the food we eat— corresponds with
( 68 )
the visible part of the earth and is compos ed ofsolids
,liquids and gases . The Pr anamayakosha or
F rans -sheath,corresponds with the invisible part of
our earth and is composed of ethers . Prana is
the l ife-energy,
and includes all the forces thatscience calls magnetic and electrical
,but is much
more than these . Both these sheaths ar e connectedwith Bhi‘ir loka.
The Manomayakosha, m ind-sheath , has twoparts the denser part, in which the passions have :
their seat,is connected with Bhi‘i var loka the finer
part,in which play the emotions and thought
,is
connected with S vargaloka.
Other names ar e used for these sheaths,accord
ing to the object for which the classification ismade
,but the student need not become confused
by these,for as he advances
,he will find that his
increased knowledge makes them quite intell igible.“ r
e will only notice three names very commonlyused .
The sthfilashar ir a,or solid body
,is the same
as the A nnamayakosha, made of solids,l iquids and
gases . The S fikshmashar ir a,or subtle body
,in
el udes the Pranamayakosha and the Manomaya
kosha ; in addition to these , it includes anotherkosha, the V ijnanamayakosha, the knowledge
70
ir ritation,and so on . The Jnanend r iyas have also
their centres in the S fikshmashar ir a,while their
or gans— eyes,ears
,tongue, nose and skin— ar e in
the Sthi‘
i lashar ira.
N ow let us see what happens at death . First,
the Sfikshmashar ir a is separated from the Sthfila
sharira,the Jiva drawing it away by means of the
Pranamayakosha. This leaves the S thi‘i l ashar ir aa mass of lifeless matter that is
,of matter
fr om which the life tlmt held it together is withdrawn there is plenty of life left in the cells ofthe body
,and they begin to break away from each
other,but the rul ing life is gone . The Jiva r e
main s in his Sfik shmashar ira. Very quickly he
shakes off his Pranamayakosha, and has then the
denser part of the Manomayakosha as his outermost garment . He is then called a Preta
,and is
an inhabitant of Pr etaloka . If he has been a very”r
good man on earth,he dreams away happily while
in this condition but if he has been a bad man,
he suffers while a Preta,craving for the earthly
pl easures which he is no longer able to obtain.A fter a shorter or longer time— according to the
Str ength of these cravings and the consequentlength of time needed for their exhaustion— thedensest part of the Manomayakosha falls away,
( 7 1 )
and he goes as a Pitri into Pitr iloka. Havingspent there sufficient time to purify the Manomaya
kosha from al l elements unfit for Svarga, the Jivain the purified Manomayakosha goes on into Svarga,and enjoys there the fruit he has stored up .
When this is exhausted,the time has come
for his returnto earth , and the purified Manomaya
kosha dissolves away , leaving.
the Jiva in theV ijnanamayakosha. He quickly puts f orth his
power to form new vehicles , and creates a newManomayakosha for his coming life in the lowerworlds . The Devas build for him a Pranamayako
sha and an A nnamayakosha, according tohis karma,and he is again born into Bhfir loka.
These ar e the recurring stages of the Jiva’spilgrimage life in the visible world
,death
,life
in the invisible worlds,r e-birth . This is repeated
time after time , time after time . A t last, the Jivagrows weary of these three worlds
,and longs for
higher, subtler experiences and more expanded life ;he turns away from al l these wor l ds can ofier him
,
and finds delight in meditation,in worship
,in the
compassionate helping of the weaker ; he no longeruses his vehicles to gain pleasur e for himself
,but
only to do service to others,and
,so used
,they ca
no longer imprison him . He dwell s in the higher
72 )
lokas,guiding his lower vehicles as his instruments
in the lower worlds,and becomes a cc -worker
with Ishvara,either retaining his vehicles for ser
v ice or throwing them away and entering intoBrah man .
an ai r ens simm ers : seas :W fi lt
Now verily there ar e three worlds— the worldof men , the world of the Pitris, the world of theDevas .”
am a ss r s fas s w s aw s l
m a fiafi s ii a sat firfsrgni
‘
fis II
m am W an?m
M IM I-1313 as 651 wfi’
iaar ui“ For certain is death for the hor n
,and cer tain
is birth for the dead therefore over the inevitablethou shoul dst not grieve .
Beings ar e unmanifest in their origin,man i
‘fest in their midmost state,0 Bharata
,ufimanifest
in their dissolution what room then for lamenta f
tio n
m adm an s emi! tag :
( IFS!m a tasfim fifi cm : H
If whada r anyakop. I . v— 16. T Bhagamd -Gzta , 11 ; 27- 28.
( 73 )
m ar : semi :W WW1
W 1TI! asfi'
u‘
aW e “ 11t
The people who know the Day of Brahma,
a thousand Yugas in duration, and the Night,a
thousand Yugas in ending , they knowd ay and
night .From the unmanifested al l the manifested
stream forth at the coming of Day at the comingof Night they dissolve
,even in that called the un
manifested .
”
it
§1%m at5m m: m m
M satire m eat I
agam maW its
mafiaW seam-1 11
shitgi n mi sts Pasha 1
namem m s afe 111L
The knowers of the three (Veda) , the Somadrinkers , the purified from sin
,worshipping Me
with sacrifice, pray of Me the way to Svarga; theyascending to the holy word of the Deva Indra,enjoy in heaven the divine feasts of the Devas .
Having enjoyed the spacious Svarga-world,Ibid vm ; 1 7— 18. 1
“
Bhdgaw d Gztd , ix , 20— 2 1 .
74 )
their holiness withered, they come back to thisworld of death . Following the virtues enjoined bythe three (Vedas), desiring desires, they undergothis passage to and f ro.
”
A t the end of many births the man full ofwisdom cometh unto me Vasudeva is al l ,
’ saithhe
,the Mahatma
,very difficult to find .
”
Ibid. vii , 1 9 .
78
Gestures and postures,for the most par t
,aff ect
the Pranas— the sub-divisions of the l ife-breath thatcirculate in the body ; some prevent the magnetism of the body from escaping into the surr ounding atmosphere
,and force its currents to move in
a way suitable for calm and quiet thought.Sounds are used for al l the three purposes
mentioned above . They give rise to vibrations,
and as these v ibrations ar e regular and even , theymake the vibrations of the Sfikshmashar ir a— whichis very sensitive and easily affected— regularand even also . When these vibrations of theS fikshmashar ir a ar e made regular
,the Jiva is
much helped in steadiness of thought and devotion . Sounds of a suitable kind attr act the attention of the Rishis and Devas to the per son uttering the sounds , and they help him. Further
,suit
able sounds ' drive away hostile l ntell igences and
bad magnetic influences , and so improve the surround ings of the speaker .Sounds thus used ar e called Mantras . A
mantra is a succession of sounds , a definite se
quence, the sounds being arranged in a certainorder if the sounds ar e changed the vibrations ar echanged
,and the results will be changed . That
is why a mantra cannot be translated . A tr ans
( 7 9 )
lated mantra is, like a sentence in which al l theletter s of the words ar e jumbled up , and so conveyno meaning .
There is another thing to remember aboutman tra if the man who utters a mantra is nottrying to lead a good life
,the vibrations of the
mantra will do him harm ,not good . For
,as they
work on his Sfikshmashar ir a, they bring to bear onit a force antagonistic to evil desires and evilthoughts
,and shake - it very violently and may
even wound and tear it,as his evil resolves make
it vibrate in one way and the v ibrations of the :
mantra force it into another. If his resolves ar e:
good then they work with the mantra and cause 1
no conflict however weak they may be , they aid ‘
and do not hinder .Mantras need not be spoken aloud
,and their
silent repetition is,indeed
,more powerful than
audible recitation . They aff ect the subtler kindsof matter more than the denser.
A mong the ceremonies in the life of a Hinduar e some important ones that mark the chief ‘
stages of his life in old days these were numerous,
ten standing out as the chief,but of these ten
,only
some ar e now practised . Seven of the Samskaras
r elate to infantile life and early childhood . Of
( 80
these seven , the sixth , A nnaprasanam,the first
f eeding with solid food,is universall y observed
and the seventh,Chudakar anam— the tonsure
,and
with it the piercing of the ears— is performedalmost universally . Then comes the importanteighth Samskara, the Upanayana, the leading ofthe boy to the Guru whog ives him the sacredthread, and teaches him the Gayatri , this initiationmaking him a DVi j a, twice -born .
The Upanayana is the beginn ing of the studentstage of life, during which Brahmacharya, entir ecelibacy
,is enjoined
,and the duty of the lad is to
study diligently . This stage is closed by theformal return home
,the Samavartanam,
afterwhich he i s ready to enter the second stage of life,that of the householder
,the Grihastha the tenth
Samskara,V ivaha
,marriage
,marking his entr y
into manhood and its responsibilities . In modernIndia these wholesome rules have fall en i nto disuse ,though the Upanayana and V ivaha .Samskar as ar e
maintained as ceremonies . Marriage i s incongruously thrust into the midst of the student lif e, and ,
the duties of manhood and boyhood ar e mixed upto the injury of both. May the ancient rule bespeedi ly revived .
m zw zw wafi s‘
fiwm g mafa lt
“ One sound,well-uttered
,becometh as the cow
of plenty in the Svarga-world .
xii i its : eatenadmitat{new 51335?a swims I
trim :W SW“ II TThe mantra defective in Svara ( inflectio n) or
Varna (letter or colour) is uttered falsely and declar eth not the true meaning . That lightning-wordslayeth the performer himself as (the word) ‘IndraS hatra ’ for fault of Svara ( s lew V r ittr a
,the per
former of the sacrifice,and the enemy of Indra ,
ins tead of slaying Indra,the enemy of Vi‘ittr a
,as
in tended) .
affi x: fi l'
fi : gfi fi n’
i r’
éamarqland : af rtétsart : mam: ffi
‘
d‘ £13 a 11 I
“With sacred V aidika rites should be performed the S amskar as of the body
,namely
,N isheka
and the rest, of the twice-born , which purify hereand hereafter .”
13 313151 aurfi’
éatri‘
i s a'
ieai ch: 1s ternum?easement fi rtfi fsfi éz 11
Pa ta f ya l f s M ahdbhdshya , V i , i— 84.
1' Pdnini-Shiksha 52 . I Mamm y
-1h, ii— 26.
A ng ir d quoted in Pa r dsha r a Gmhya-S fltr a , H am/mmbhdghya , p . 260. ( II . i.)
( 82 )
A s the outline of a picture is lighted up s lowly‘with (the filling in of ) many colours
,even so is
Brahmanya with scriptural Samskar as .
"ins istSHE“?{flai rmaxi a t
Vyfisa-S mmti quoted in Pci r r
‘
i sha r a ( r‘z ihya -S c
‘
ttr a , p . 269 .
CH A PT ER l l .
SHRADDHA .
HRADDHA is the name of the ceremoniesperform ed to help the J iva
,who has put off
his visible body in death,by those who r e
main in thi s world . The Jiva that has put Off hisvisible body is called a Preta, and the part of theShraddha performed to helphim at this stage iscalled the Preta-kr iya. The v isible body
,the A n
namayakosha, i s carried to the burning -gr ound thatit may be dissolved into its constituents as quicklyas poss ible the ashes ar e gathered together on
the third day, and ar e thrown into running water.preferably into a sacred stream . When the A nnamayakosha is destroyed , the Pr finamayakosha
r apidly disperses , and this dispersal is quickenedby some of the mantras u sed .at the cremation .
"Burning is the best way of destroy ing a dead body,
and this destruction is important both for the departed J im and for those left behind so long as itremains undissolved
,the Pranamayakos l ia hangs
round it,in consequence of the magnetic attraction
between them,and the Jiva is thus linked to the
earth,which is bad for him on the other hand
,a
s lowly decaying body in the ground,as in bur ial
,
( 84 )
sends out poisonous gases , and this is bad for thoser emaining behind .
The Shraddhas performed after the burninghelp in a r e-arrangement of the materials of theManomayakosha, partly by the magnetic influencesof the objects used, and partly by the vibrationsset up by the mantr as . A fter a certain time, the
Sapindikar ana ceremony is performed, which helpsthe Jiva to pass from Pr etaloka, to Pitr iloka, and
he is then enrolled among the Pitris,or the auces
tors living in the subtler regions of Bhuvar loka.
S even generations , one in Bhi‘
i r loka and six inBhuvar loka
,can affect each other. When the Jln
passes on into Svarga,he has no further need of
the helpfurnished by Shraddha .
fi fl a mi a m Fm'
aar a aa l
Pacifism fai n?! are magm as u“ Gifts to deserving Brahmanas for the sake of
benefit to the Pin is,in the proper times and places
and with faith,ar e known as Shraddha .
M tg : m arinara?“ a 1
W m facts : shaman . at“ Shraddha should be offered to the Pitris
,day
by day, with corn and water,or even roots and
B r ahmfindfi Pa rana . 1’
M dnutmr im, i ii— 203.
86 )
The Jiva remains on the path i. e. ,the Preta
loka) for a year, 0 best of birds then he passeson into the Pitri -loka (and dwells) with the Pitris .
“ By the offering of the sixteen Shraddhas he ishelped to dwell in joy with the Pitris . Thereforeshould the son ever the Sapindikar anarites for the father .”
CHA PT ER III.
S HA UGHA M .
HA UCHA M ,or Shaucha, consists of the rul es
laid down for keeping bodil y purity,and
thus ensuring physical health and str ength .
Disease is a sign that some law of nature has beendisregarded
,and the Rishis— knowing that the laws
of nature ar e the laws of God , the expression ofHis being
,and that the Jiva is a portion of God
enveloped in matter— have treated obedience to thelaws of nature as a religious duty .
The visible body,with its invisible double
,the
Pranamayakosha, being made of physical materials,
it is necessary to use physical means to make thempure
,and to keep them pure
,and we need to
understand them in order to do this .The visible body, the A nnamayakosha, is com
posed of particles drawn from the food we eat,the
liquids we drink, the air we breathe,and from a
constant rain of minute particles,too tiny for us to
see, that falls upon us continually from the peopleand the things ar ound us . This last statementmay sound a li ttle strange
,but it is true . Our
bodies ar e not made of dead matter,for there is
( 88 )
no such thing as dead matter .‘ Matter is made oftiny living things cal led atoms
,and of other tiny
living things that ar e coll ections of atoms . A
grain of dust is a collection of myriads upon myriads of tiny living creatur es
,and there ar e grades
upon grades of these minute lives,till we come to
what ar e called microbes,that can be seen with the
help of m icroscopes . Now these microbes and theother smaller l ives ar e al l floating about in the air
,
and our bodies and all things ar e made up ofthese . Stones
,plants
,animals
,human beings and
al l the manufactured things round us , houses , furnitur e
,clothes ar e constantly giv ing off clouds of
these particles . Everything near us,and still
more,everything we touch
,gives us some of its
par ticles and we give it some of ours . If we ar eto be healthy
,we must only take into our bodies
pure particles and drive away impure ones . Therules of Shaucha ar e intended to show us how todo this .
The food we eatmust be pure . Now al l thingsar e becoming more alive
,or ar e getting nearer
death ar e being built up,or ar e being destroyed.
9 S ee p . 67 . for what i s meantby l i fel ess matter . A body , as a.
whole , 18 sa id to be “ dead" when the J i va has lef t it, al thoughthe
par ticl es of i t ar e al ive. A s this “ dead body decays , the l xn ng par
ticl es ar e set f r ee.
( 90 >
death. So al so ar e drinks impure into which entersuchstupefying drugs as Indian hemp—the popularbut health destroying bhang.
Pure air is as necessary to health as pure foodand drink . A s we breathe
,we send out a gas ,
call ed carbon dioxide, which is stupefying, and ifwe shut ourselves into a confined space
,al l the air
in it becomes laden with this, and unfit to breathe.
Further the breath carries out with it waste particles from the interior of the body
,and unless the
fresh air blows these away,they ar e breathed in
again into our lungs and those of others,and ar e
poisonous in their effects .We must not only build up our bodies out of
cl ean materials,but we must keep the surface of
cthe body clean by f requent washing and bathing.
The whole body must be bathed , at least onceeveryday
,and well rubbed in bathing, so that al l
loose particles may be washed away, and the skinkept clean and fresh . A ny part of the body thatbecomes soiled, feet, hands , etc. , should be washedand washing before and after food must never beomitted . To eat with unwashed hands is to runthe risk of soil ing the food with dust and otherinjurious particles, and the washing after food isobviously imperative . Thef garments next the body
( 9 1
shoul d also be washed daily .
The Hindu , ever accustomed to look at théouter world as the symbol of the inner, has joinedto his outer ablutions the idea of inner purification.A she washes the outer body, he repeats mantrasfor the purifying of the inner bodies , and thusweaves his religion into the commonest incidents
Students will now see why the Rishis were so
particular about cleanliness . A person with a dirtybody
,or with dirty clothes , fills the air round him
with impure particles , and poisons the peopler ound him . We must be clean
,not only for our
own sakes, but for the sake of those around us .A dirty person
,dir ty clothes
,dirty houses
, ar e
centres of poison , public dangers .The purity of the Pranamayakosha depends on
the magnetic currents in it. It is quickly affectedby the magnetic properties of surrounding objects ,and we have therefor e to be careful on this pointalso. Thus some plant-products and plants, whileharmless to the A nnamayakosha, ar e very injuriousto the Pranamayakosha, such as onions and garlic.Their magnetism is worse than that of flesh . Thiskosha is al so mos t seriously affected by alcoholicemanations, and by the Prfinamayakoshas of others.
( 92
What is still more important is that it is aff ected byits own Manomayakosha and
,through it
,by those
of others . Hence the dangers of bad company.
N ow the purity of the Manomayakosha depends onthe pur ity of its owner’s thoughts and desires
,and
herein li es the most fertil e source of impurity in theA nnamaya and Pranamayakoshas . These two
physical koshas cannot be pure and heal thy if thethoughts and desires ar e impure. A man may
observe the rules of Shancha to the las t point ofstrictness
,but if he be proud
,passionate
,harsh,
vain,suspicious
,he is pouring impurity into these
koshas faster than any rules can wash it out. In
the eyes of the Rishis and the Devas such a one
is ever ashuchi.
m amasm vm ém I
M is fits-ata {newm i? u
Far from his dwelling lethim remove ex cr ement
,far the water used for washing his feet
,far
the leavings of food , and bath water .”
sum w eir mag i! fishG ulf “ : I
ni tehm awgmtfia w rists! utBeing purified by sipping water , he shall
al lways daily worship in the two twilights with a
Mam umr iti,vi—l 5l . 1
’ Ibbd , 11— 222.
( 94 )
fi fi safe tr uism nm fia’
fimw fir
fi sh nfif a rsfi’fi a itwas: m m?a
“ Even if the most sinful worship Me withundivided heart
,he too must be accounted r ighte
ous,for he hath rightly resolved ;Speedily he becometh dutiful and goeth to
everlasting peace . Know thou, O Kaunteya, that
my devotee perisheth never.”
1bid,1x , 30— 31 .
C l’
l A PT ER IV .
T HE FIVE DA ILY SACRIFICES .
E have seen that there exists a law of
Yajna,of Sacrifice
,and that man’s glory
is to voluntarily work with it . We havenow to see how the Sanatana Dharma trained its
foll owers to this end .
We may pass over, for the present, the numerous sacrifices of various kinds laid down in thesacred books
,and concern ourselves only with the
“ Great sacrifices to be offered every day. These
The Sacrifice to Rishi or Vedas .The Sacrifice to Devas .The Sacrifice to Pitris .The Sacrifice to Men .
The Sacrifice to Bhfitas .
Each of these has an outer form and innermeaning
, and the latter leads the sacr ificer on to
the fu ll life of sacrifice . Let us try to understandboth .
The outer sacrifice to the Rishis, or Vedas , isstudy and teaching . Every day a man shouldstudy some sacred book
,and thus gradually acquire
96 )
the knowledge without which he cannot rightlyunderstand himself
,his position and his duties .
A nd he should ever be ready to share this knowledge wi th thosemore ignorant than himsel f henceManu
,in describing this sacrifice
,calls it teaching“ .
A boy should daily offer this sacrifice, reading and
careful ly thinking over some shlokas from theBhégavad-Gitd, the A nugitc
’
z‘
,Ha
'
msa Gite‘
t orother sacred work . The carefulness and closenessof the thought is more important than
i
the amountread. The inner meaning is that al l study shoul dbe a sacrifice
,learning in order that we may teach .
The outer sacrifice to the Devas is the Homa,
the recognition of al l we owe to the kindl y ministryand protection of this active Intell igences workingin nature
,and the repayment of it by giving for
their service a share of our possessions . The innermeaning is the realisation of our relations with thesuper-physical worlds
,and of the inter -dependence
of the worlds . We must learn to be in harmonywith nature
,in accord with al l that lives .
The outer sacrifice to the Pitris is the Tarpanor off ering of water, to the older generations of ourfamily , to our ancestors . The inner meaning is therecognition of the great debt we oWe to the pas t,
See M anna/mats,ii i— 70.
( 98 )
harmonious relations on which the happiness and
prosperity of families and of nations depend. Theyturn the wheel of life in accord with the wil lof ishvara
,and so help on the evolution of the
worlds . ' They teach each individual that he isnot an isolated unit
,but a part of a great whole
,a
cell in ’
a vast body : and that his happinessand progress
,therefore
,can only be secure if they
s ubserve the general happin ess,
and conduce tothe general progress .
“ Teaching is the Brahma-sacr ifice,Tarpana is
the Pitri-sacr ifice, Homa (the offering into thefire) is the Deva-sacr ifice
,Bal i ( food ) is the
Bhfita-sacr ifice, hospitality to guests the, Manushya
sacrifice .”
En'em
‘
a film :“
a irs w ith:3?midis gas
“
: is fimafié sw am "1“ Let a man ever engage in Veda-study
,and in
the rites of the Devas engaged in the rites of theDevas he suppor teththe movable and immovablekingdoms .
”
*M anusmr ztt, i i i—470. 1
“ Ibut, i i i— 80, 81 .
fam e efi siarfi cran ial " ll“ The Rishis, the Pitris, the Devas , the Bhfitas
and guests expect (help) from the householdershence he who knoweth should give unto them.
“ Let him worship , according to the rule, the'
Itishis with Veda-study, the Devas with Homa,the
Pitris with Shraddha, men with food , and the Bhfitaswith Bali .
Ibtd 111— 75.
CH A PT ER V .
WORSHIP .
HE performance of the five daily sacrifices byman as an inter-dependent part of a universe
,
does not,however, completely satisfy the
l ongings of the truly religious man . He longs tocome into conscious relations with the Lord of . theUniverse
,with ishvara
,with the great Life of
which his own is a part . This need of man findsits satisfaction in worship . When Vyasa, masterof the final truth of Para-Brahma and ever workingfor the good of al l beings
,after he had written
even the M ahdbhdr aéam and the B r ahma-sain ts
for the instruction of men,still found not peace of
mind , Narada coun selled him to sing the praiseof ishvara and this he did in the Vishn u-Bkdga
vata , winning thereby the peace he did not gainbefor e f
Worship is the expression of love to the S u
preme, of reverence towards Him ,of aspiration
to reach Him in conscious communion , of longingto be united with him
,to feel the unity of the in
dividual self with the supreme S elf. It may takeV i shnu-Bhdgavata ,
I,iv— v.
102
Forms and ishvara is One. The worshipper isworshipping ishvara , and i s thinking of Ishvara
,
under the Form which he loves best. He is notworshipping the Form, but the Lord in the Form—as a wife loves her husband
,not the clothes he
wears , though even those may be dear for the sakeof the wearer . The worshipper worships the Love
,
the Beauty , the Power of Ishvara, as revealed insome one of His Divine Forms . We can onlygrasp a little,
“ being small,but we
_grasp in our
worship parts of the one Lord .
This is why the quarrels of different religions,
and of different sects in the same religion, are so
f eolish and so ignorant . A l l ar e worshipping thesame ishvara
,and the differences ar e only d ifferen
ces of names,due to diff erences in the worshippers
,
not in the Object of worship .
Pfija is the general simple form of worship .
A picture or image is used , mantras ar e r ecited,
flowers ar e off ered, water is poured ,out
,and in
these ou ter forms the inner love finds expression ,and then rises beyond the forms to the Obj ect thusserved . The Form selected as representing theObject is sometimes the family Deva or Devi
,and
sometimes is the Ishtadeva, the Form chosen by the ,worshipper him self, or by his Guru for him.
103
Upasanais a term that includes many forms
of worship,including meditation
,and the daily
S andhya,which shoul d be performed by al l
f ollowers of the Sanétana Dharma. There ar e twof orms of Sandhya
,the V aidika and the Tantrika,
and a boy should perform the Sandhyaaccordingto his caste and family customs . He learns it from~
a properly qualified instructor,and should then
practise it daily . Meditation,in its definite stages
,
belongs to manhood rather than to boyhood .
M erm aids a 511 313165film r
grew: y zmw fim amrfi mfim m a ut
“ Even the highest and most stainless knowledge
,even perfect un selfishness in actions
,shine
not if uninspired by devotion to the Imperishable.How then shall acts (bring peace) which (aim at
fr uit and) ar e not pure, or even those that ar e performed without desire, if they ar e not offered up toishvarat hm mfi
‘
éam aéqéme é l
s atvgafi trifle «was tar: II
WSW IWW QW l
w as? F5nfirézér a f fi rm II
*Vz
’
shnu-Bhdgam ta , I , V— IZ.
( 104 )
it5a a‘
rfinw ith: nfi em am :
wai l-via shim ai f arms eater?u
M Gaza?WWW I
w as a fi traw i m afnaéaem a“ They who worship the Indestructible
,the In
effable, the Unman ifested ever working for the
welfare of al l creatures , these all come to me.
The difficulty of those whose minds ar e set onthe Unmanifested is greater ; for the path of theUnmanif ested is hard for the embodied to reach .
Those verily who,renouncing al l actions in
Me and intent on Me, worship , meditating on Me
with whole-hear ted Yoga,
Those I speedily lift up from the ocean of
death and ex istence,O Partha, their minds being
fixed on me.
”
fas t : «aim sins-
51a l firg r'
fr
m ar gin-start?m en
'
s mm H
ahamat7135 shuffle a rts
swarmed stuffs m istattes t?! Amman ll iThe Lord dwell eth in the hearts of all beings
,
O A rjuna,causing all beings to revolve by His
il lusive power,as though mounted ‘
on a wheel .Flee unto H im for shelter with al l thy being
,
0 Bharata ; by His grace thou shalt obtain
Bhdga r ad-Giga , x1i , 3-7 1‘
1 1nd , xviii , 61— 62.
CHA PT ER V l .A
T HE FOUR A S HRAMAS .
A TIONS have characteristics,jus t as have in
dividual s,and among the characteristics of
the Hindu nation in old days were order andbalance . The Sanatana Dharma stamped thesecharacteristics on the people
,and thus shaped a
very dignified type of man , evenly developed and
well balanced . So much ar e these the char acter is
ti cs of the true follower of the Sanatana Dharma,that Shri Kr ishna said “ Equilibrium is cal led'
Yoga.
”
The large'
view of life taken in the Vedas is theroot of these characteristics . A l l things exist forthe sake of the Atma, the Self, and by his will.They exist merely to give him the experiences hedesires to pass through . He wills to unfold his
powers in the lower worlds, and to become the sel fconscious Ruler of the outer realms of densermatter
,as he is ever the Inner Rul er
,Immortal .
He is not in haste,being Eternal
,and knows it
best to take each experience in order, and thus tounfold symmetrically and harmoniously . This
Bhdgar ad -Gttd , ii—48.
'
107
order is imposed by ishvara, the Supreme Sel f, on‘
the lower kingdoms of our world the seed, theroot
,the stem
,the leaves , the flower, the fruit
succeed each other in due order, and each has itsplace and its beauty in its season so also He imposes the stages of human life—infancy, childhood;youth
,maturity
,old age this sequence man can
not escape from nor change but the unfoldingJivatma in man
,clouded by the matter he has not
yet mastered,pushes irregularly in various dirce
tions,led by Manahdominated by Kama, grasping
at the things of one stage while yet in another,and
so hindering his due evolution in each . The childwould be a youth
,the youth a maxi the old man
grasps backward at the joys of youth thus life isrobbed of its serenity and thereby of half its
In order to counteract this mistaken eagernessand lack of balanced order, the great Rishis markedout for the eldest-born fam ily of the Aryan racethe definite stages in the l ife of the individual from,
birth to death , and the definite stages in the lifeof the Jivatma in his long evolution through my
riads of births and deaths . In each case thesestages ar e four in the life between one birth and
one death they ar e called Ashramas , resting-places
( 108 )
dwellings : in the l ife passing through countless,
births and deaths they ar e cal led Var gas , colours , or
We ar e concern ed here with the Ashramas.A s said
,these stages ar e four : Br ahmacharya, the
stage of studentship ;Garhasthya, the stage of house‘holdership ; Vanaprastha, the stage of forest-dwelling, 5. e.
, seclusion ; Sannyasa, the stage of total r enunciation , z
'
. e.
,asceticism .
“E
In none of these stages must the man graspat the special duties of the other three ; the studentmust not be a householder
,a recluse
,or an ascetic
the householder must not be a celibate,a recluse
,
or an ascetic the recluse must not seek again thejoys of the household nor must the ascetic longaf ter the quiet attachments of the recluse . Eachstage has its own duties and its own pleasures.Discharged and enjoyed each in its own stage
,
they lead to the orderly unfolding of the Jivfitmawhen the Ashramas ar e disr egarded
,his evolution
is delayed .
Now in modern days the Ashr amas cannotbeex actly lived according to the detail s of the ancientrules
,the conditions having changed so much
but‘
if we get a clear idea of the fundamentalSee M anmmnti , vi—87 .
( 1 10 )
after humility lifts him quickly,as al l ar e willing
to share what they have with the humble and
serviceableness in the narrow circle of the familyand the school builds up the nature that will serve
The student must be chaste in thought andact
,a celibate in mind and body . He must guar d
his thoughts,for the boy who does not think
impurity will not act impurity . He should notthink of sex
,nor yield to day-dr eam ing . Onl y the
pure in thought and in body can pass unstainedinto happy household life . The very name of thestudent is the B rahmachari
,which has come now
to mean almost exclusively the celibate . Premature age, weakness
,d isease
,race-decay, spring
from student-marriage,against the ancient law.
The household stage is entered atmarriage,when the youth has completed his school and
college career,and is ready to take up the duties
and responsibilities of household life . Of al l theA shr amas this is the most important
,for it sup
ports al l the others ."s The welfare al ike of thefamily and of the nation depends on the householder, and their happiness and prosperity ar e in
his hands . A good husband,a good father
,a
See M anum r ztz,in , 7 7 , and 89— 90.
good master,a good citizen
,is the noblest of
'
men .
The home is the school of unselfishness , compassion
,tenderness
,temperance
,purity
,helpfulness
,
prudence,industry
,right judgment
,charity . The
qualities that make the good householder,when
shown to his own circle in house and State,ar e
the qualities that make the Sage and the Saintwhen shown to all . The degradation of the idealof the householder has made modern life pettyand sordid
,and the hal f entrance into it and the
confusion of its duties with those of the student,
caused by the modern evil of student-marriagehas deprived the entry into it of its ancient solemnity and dignity . The plucking and eating of
unripe fruit deprives the eater of its sweetness .Certain well-born but thoughtless Br fihmana
youths abandoning their homes before due time,
went into the forests to lead a life of asceticism.
Indra pitied them,and
,assuming the form of a
golden bird , taught them :“ Follow the household
l ife 1 It is the field for the cultivation of virtues.It is sacred . Worship of the Devas
,study
,repay
ment of the debt to the pitr is by the rearn of
a family and helping on new lives as we have beenreared and helped— these ar e the austerest of penances . Bear the heavy burthen of the duties of *
1 12
‘ the household They that run away from their“
work fall into sin . To eat the r emnant of the" food left after helping the needy is to eat the trueremnant of sacrifice .”
When the householder sees his sons able tobear the full burden of his duties
,when‘ the sign s
of age appear,and his children’s chil dren ar e
round him,the time has come for him and his wife
to surrender the headship of the home,and to
retire from active life and worldly labour. A quietand somewhat secluded life
,given to study, to sel f
sacr ifice for the good of others,to the
-
counselling'
of the younger,such should be the third Ashrama
in our modern days .Finally in old age a man may rightly enter the
f ourth A shrama,that of the ascetic
,passing his
fast days in meditation and worship,til l he enter s
willingly the life beyond death,to reap the fruits
of a well spent earthly life,hereafter to return for
f urther evolution .
ag ain?m am a rasmfrmm l
wem m w zgamma : 1The student
,the householder
,the forest
dweller,the ascetic— these, the four separate or ders ,
spring from the householder .M ahfiblui r atam
, S imian Par va— x i .
’r M amamr itt, v1~37 .
1 14
attainment of) heaven and merit,
and is disapproved by the world ; therefore let it be avoided} ?
swim trié a zia’
tmi tt ( H tfiam l
w fi fia m’
tfin flnfirai fiamwfi airé w a
‘
tfi a ae’
rfi rfim l
né aaearé a m
'
i are’
amqaa u
at : mfia Grim a ta :Warterst-r at 1
6mm (W i a‘
r firs t?! 3 3mm : 11
“ Directed or not directed by his teacher,let the
student ever engage in study, and in doing servicesto his preceptor.
Let the student refrain from wine,meat
, per
fumes,garlands
,tasty and savoury dishes
,women
,
acids,and injury to sentient creatures ;
“ From lust,anger and greed
,dancing
,singing
,
and playing on musical instruments,fr om dice
playing,gossip
,slander and from untruth ;
Let the student always sleep alone,and let
him not waste -his seed ; he who from lust w‘
astethhis seed
,destr oyeth his vow.
X anutmrm. in, 1 9 1 , 1 7 7— 180.
( 1 15 )
war erg H3 sfia fia was : I
amarmada?! am ( m m : it
«damn: éaai sqg r'
éfaam z l
m “ at“
: $19 : a Fe IIam a ffin e H 3 H3
“
: mfia Gifiufiflt 1
shareware: H‘e‘
tuse?! infia Hiiufiw. IIA s al l creatures live supported by the air , so
the other orders exist supported by the householder .
Of al l these (A shramas), by the declarationof the Veda-scripture , the householder is the highest ; he verily suppor teththe other three .
A s al l streams and rivers flow to rest in theocean , so al l the A shramas flow to rest in thehouseholder .m a m: with
-
é and anti emits?a : IG
’ 61e a zf‘
nfr a a rel-(flair a ttain : II T
He that performeth such action as in duty,
mdependently of the fruit of action,he is a
Sannyasi , he is a Yogi , not he that is without fireand without rites .
Jbzd , i i i , 7 7 , 89— 90 1“
B dgaw d-Gztd , vi— l .
CHA PT ER V l l .
T HE FOUR Cae s .
N the long pilgrimage of the Jivatma throughmyriads of births
,already referr ed to
,there ar e
four distinctly marked stages,called of old Va r
nas , or colours , and recognised in the social politylaid down by Manu as distinct social classes , orcastes .
These stages ar e universal,al l Jivfitmfispass ing
through them the peculiar ity of the SanfitanaDharma is that it has made them the frameworkof its social polity . In the early days the outercaste coincided with the stages Jivfitmfis at eachstage were born into bod ies belongmg to thatstage , and the whole of society was theref ore con
tented and progressive . But in these later days,
as A rjuna truly foresaw in his distress on Kurukshetr a, var nasankar a
,caste-confusion
,has come
on A ryfivar ta and her whole peninsula. Jivfitmfisat each stage ar e being born into bodies of otherstages , and hence
,as surely as content and pro
gress arose out of the harmony of elder days , dodisorder and stagnation arise out of the disharmonyof the present. How a better state of things
( 1 18 )
ar e discontented and rebell ion s. Of cour se a real0ly advanced Jivatma is content in any body, butthemediocre J1vAtm$ s quite naturally and inevitablyfight against uncongenial surroundings, and
their restlessnes s is used by Ishvara to help onevolution and to bring about necessary changes .
The second stage cover s the first hal f of theJ ivfit
’s manhood
,when he is fit to gain weal th
,
to enjoy it and use it, to organise labour and dir ectit,to undertake great responsibilities, and adminis
ter well accumulated possessions . This includesthe commercial class , the great trader s , and the
or ganisers of industr y, the capitalists, bankers , the
managers of large industrial concerns . In the se
cial polity of the San s‘ttana Dharma, such Jivfitmfiswere born into the caste of Vaishyas, and wer em ined in it gr adually to see as aim the commongood and the general prosperity
,instead of mer e
The thir d stage makes the second half of the
J ivétma’
s manhood, when his responsibil ities and
powers widen out to include the nation
,and h
e
king s, judges , leg islators, ~warriors, al l who rule
1 1 9
and keep order in the State . In the social polityof the {Sanfttana Dharma, such mature Jivfitmfis.were born into the Kshattr iya caste, and bore theburden of kingship and of fighting for the national defence .
The fourth stage embraces the serene age of theJ ivfitma, when earthly things have lost their charm ,
and he becomes the counsellor and friend and
helper of al l his youngers . Thi s includes thepriests
,the counsellors
,the teachers of every kind
- authors,scientists
,poets
,philosophers . In the
social polity of the Santtana Dharma,such Jivfit
‘
mas were born into the caste of Brahmanas,the
advanced and unselfish ones who gave much and
needed little . Caste-confusion in India has struckthis caste most hardly
,as the degradation of the
higher is always worse than that of the lower.T he Shfidr a Jivfitma in the Brahmana body is thegreatest danger to the Sw fitam Dharma.
Much of the evil has grown from men of eachcaste grasping at the work of the othe r castes , and
from each thinkingmore of the rights his caste giveshim than of the duties it imposes . The Brahmanaand the Kshattr iya have claimed their privilegeardently , and have shrunk from the 'heavy bu
’rdensbelonging to their castes . N aturally
'
this attitude
1 20 3)
'has provoked opposition , and antagonisms haver eplaced mutual service and good-will . Hencecaste has become a source of social bitterness
,
instead of a framework maintaining al l in happyorder .
A t least this much every boy can do towardsbringing about a happier state of things he candiligently practise the virtues characteristic of hiscaste
,and avoid pride
,vanity
,and grasping at pri
vileges . Let the Shfidr a be remarkable for hisindustry , fidelity and serviceableness let the Vai-v
shya be remarkable for his diligence,discretion and
charity let the Kshattr iya be remarkable forhis courage
,generosity and vigour let the Br fih
mana be remarkable for his patience,purity
,learn
ing,truthfulness and self-sacr ifice. A nd it may
be that,if the castes thus practise their several
Dharmas caste-confusion may gradually pass away.
g rammes gs mefiqms tram : 53 :
n arci s s i sm armi ng?name 11
“ The Brahmana was His mouth the Rajanyawas made His two arms ; His two thighs theV aishya the Shudrawas born from His two feet.
”
Wmu j e fiw m fi s m fim
Rigveda , X ,110— 12.
( 1 22 )
ma m a?sires gs :m mam rfi m ml 35!W t
“What is said as to the mar ks (pf conduct)indicative of a man’s caste, if these marks ar efound in another , let him be designated by thecaste of his marks (and not of his bath)
”
a zfifiwifi m lfi a gé a a e fi fi z l
m fif Pawn s ga in: 3 am "?“ N ot birth
,nor Samskaras
,nor study of the
V edas nor ancestr y,ar e the causes of being twice
born . Conduct al one is verily the cause thereof .”
estm m m m at" 511mI
“ Truth,charity , forgivenes s, good conduct,
gentleness,austerity, and mercy, Where these are
seen , 0 king of serpents, he is called a Brahmana.
“ If thesei
marks exist in a Shudra,and not in
one twice-born , the Shfidr a, is not a Shfidra, northeBréhmana a Brhahmana.
‘t gmB kdga r aga , V I I , ix- 35.
'
I'M ahéblui r ata
, Vana Par va, cccxiii— IOS .Il bz
'
d, Vans Par va, elm , 21 , 254- 26.
( 123 )
Where this conduct is shown, 0 serpent, he
is call ed a Brahmana ; wher e this is not, 0 serpent,
he should be regarded as a Shudr a.
“ The Vedas help not the man that hath not
righteous ways,even though they be studied to
gether with al l the angas . The Chhandas abandonhim at the supreme moment of death, even as fullfiedged birds their nest.
“ To the Brahmana that is void of righteousways
,the Vedas, even in their entirety, and with
all angas and al l sacrifices too,can bring no more
joy than a wife,lovely to see
,can bring unto a
Vasishtha-Smr iti , vi , 3—4.
CHA PT ER I.
ET H ICA L SCIENCE , WHA T rr 1s .
GIEN CE is a definitely arranged body of knowledge
,of facts related to each other . A col lec
tion of facts does not make a science ; thefacts must be systematically arranged in their relations to each other, and the principles underlyingthese relations mustbe known , before the colleetion can be called a science . ET HICA L means thatwhich relates to conduct
, to the way in which r as
tional beings should behave towards each other aswell as towards other creatures . When
,therefor e
,
we speak of Ethical Science,we do not mean a
list of virtues and Vices,but we mean a definite ,
and systematicall y ar ranged series of facts of conduct in their proper relations to each other and of
'
the underlying principles of these relations .A nother word for Ethics is moral ity
,right“
conduct, and in order to know what is right wehave to under stand something about man and hissurroundings .
The object of morality is to secur e the welfare of al l beings
,and this is done by showing men
,“
through the science of Conduct, how to live m
( 128 )
harmony with each other and with their surroundings . i shvara i s Love
,and wills the happiness of His
universe,is gradually bringing about universal
happiness . This does not mean that a right thingalways is pleasant, ,and a wrong thing always nu‘
pleasant,for the time but it means that the con
duct which ' leads to lasting happiness,to the bliss
of union with i shvara,to Moksha in the end
,is
good.
“A s the wheels of the cart follow the ox
,
so misery follows sin,
”and so also happiness fol
lows righteousness . The ‘fruit of wrong-doingmay be sweet to the taste in the eating , but it
,
ispoison
,and brings about bitter pain afterwards,
and sometimes long-continued disease . The boywho does wrong because it giveshim a short pleasureis like the ignorant child who plucks and eats thesweet gaily coloured poison-berries that make himin the evening writhe in pain .
'It is the duty ofthe teacher of morality to mark ever y sin as
“ Poison .
”
mattr es s?a ir:m I87m {3 a
‘
éwrma rt : 31g aw fir II
fil ahfibhfir ata , A nushasana Par va, civ.
( 130 )
For the well-being of al l beings was Dharma declared . That only.which bringeth such wellbeing is Dharma. This is sure .
“ Because it supportethand holdeth togetherit is call ed Dharma. By Dharma ar e the peopleupheld . That which upholdeth is alone Dharma.
This is sure .“ For the making harmless of beings was
Dharma declared . Thatwhich secur ethpreservation of beings is Dharma. This is sure .
He who is the fr iend of al l beings he who
(is intent on the welfare of al l with act and thoughtand speech— he only knoweth Dharma
, O J
aW témé‘i’ amarai 136133 : 1
W W m m “ H
afllfi i ts: trem‘
i ma fiam l
3161136 61 traitfirs: g am ma : IIHe who wishes to cross beyond this intense
darkness,let him not attach himself too much to
anything,for (such attachment) is the great fru
str ator of Dharma (religion , A rtha (wealth),Kama (pleasure) and Moksha (emancipation) .
“ Of these (four) too, Moksha is the trulyultimate end
,for the other three ar e ever haunted
"
by the fear of Death , the Ender .”
V's / mu Bhdgamta , LV ,xx 1i, 34—35.
( 131 )
mi 3 16361 am?a mam a?at I
fame: 5135m s : withifim tribe s : l l
fi ifi atntniEmmi m afi am F“=
“ The wise man, 0 best of speakers,that
knoweth the proper times, serveth Dharma, A rthaand K5ma, al l three evenly
,dividing his time
between them (on the Pr avr ilgti Marga, the path ofoutgoing) .
“ But, 0 King, al l beings desire happiness;and
Moksha (belonging to the N iv rtti Marga, the pathof retur n) is the highest good for them .
”
M ahdbhdr atam. Vana Par va, xxxm ,41—42 .
CHA PT ER II.
T HE FOUN DATION or ETHICS A S GIVENBY RELIGION .
E have already seen that the first proclamation of Religion is The Self is One."
There ar e indeed many selves in appearance
,but they ar e all portions or reflections of the
One. Their separateness is temporary,their unity
is eternal. Many pots may be dipped into a”
tank,but the water that fills each is the same water, ”
Many upadhis ar e dipped into the ocean of existence
,but the life that fills each is the same life.
This primary truth of religion is the foundationof Ethics .
We must,then
,in our Ethical Science recog
nise the unity of the Self. But this isnot enough,
for in unity there is neither I ” nor “ You,
”and
we have seen that our science deals with relationsbetween I and “ You .
” So we must also r e
cognise the “ diversity of the N ot-Self ;” that
means that there ar e many upadhis of matter, and
in each separate upadhi there is a part, or reflection,of the One Self. There ar e innumerable bod ies , innumerableminds
,and these bodies and minds come into
( 1 34 )
each remember that he who injures another injureshimself . S ayethShri K l i shna :
“ I am the Self,O
Gudakesha, seated in the heart of al l beings I am
the beginning, the middle, and also the end of
One God hideth in al l beings . He per va‘deth al l . He is the inmost Self of al l beings . Hesupervisethal l actions . He is the resting-place of
al l beings . He is the Witness , the Consciousness ,the One above limitations and qualities .”
inseamW rm s ci (as at?“ my I I“ This one universal Inner Self of al l beings be
cometh one separate individual self for each form .
”
« 3 a air'
i r {arm mimrgq a 1
518131213 enemaaa‘
r a fiance e? 11
m m {am nfiaqfim az I
as 6131 1113 : 33: fire]; G a ng stas : ll§“ He who seeth al l beings in the Self
,and the
Self in al l beings,he shr inkethno more (from any,
in
Bhdgavad -Gitd x— 20. T Shcef ds/ma l a r upanmha l , v1 1— 2 .
I Kat/u rpamshat, v— l O. t opan rs lza l , 6— 7 .
1 35
He in whose consciousness,full of perfected
knowledge,al l beings have become the Self— in
him,thus beholding the unity
,there is no more
any delu sion nor any sorrow.
”
W ears 8 51Wmania l
i ris diam 612151 m aria: II“ The self
,harmomsed by yoga
,seeth the Self
abiding in al l beings,al l beings
,in the Self every
where he seeth the same .Bkdga ead v1— 29 .
CHA PT ER III.
RIGHT AND WRONG .
HESE two words , Right and Wrong, ar e in the
mouth of everybody,but it is not everybody
who can tell us exactly what he means byright and wrong .
-
Let us try to understand .
We have seen that we have specially to do withthree worlds
,the T r iloki
,and we know that the
T r iloki is created by Brahma, preserved by Vishnu ,and dissolved by Shiva. Let us think of a new
T r iloki .* It is a going forth ; many forms appear
,and grow and develop ; they become more
and more different ; they involve into separate individual s they grow by the experiences they meetthey develop their bodies and minds by taking allthey
,can from outside and working it up into
themselves . This is called the Pr avr itti Marga,
the path of going forth,on which the Jivatmfi is
building himself up into a separate individual , by"
taking al l he can from outside,and making a
strong intellect,a powerful “ I .” When this is
complete,the J ivatmahas to learn that he himsel f
is only a part or reflection of a much greater I,”
the Ishvara, and that al l his powers can only bring
133
cr'
eases separateness and leads away from unity isWrong. But for animals
,savages
,and backward
,
undeveloped Jivatmas , whos e individuality is stillvery weak, separateness has still to be aimed at
,
and what is right or wrong for the more advancedis not yet right or wrong for them. Thi s is whatis meant by saying that mor al ity 'is relative . Itis related to our position in evolution
,to the path
we ar e on .
“ Subtle is morality,Bhishma said toYudhish
thira.
“ I instruct thee not by the letter of theVeda al one, but by the Veda as interpreted bywisdomand experience; None may accomplish hiscour se through the world aright with the help of amorality that is one-sided . The text of theScriptur e should be applied with careful exercise ofjudgment
,otherwise it faileth grievously . Ushan s
spake this truth in time of ol d,that Scriptures
ar e no Scriptures if they cannot stand the test ofreason . The presence of a knowledge that is fullof doubts is no better than its absen ce . A moralitythat is based on words, without regar d to special'
circumstances leads to error. In a time of longcontinued famine, the Rishi V ishvamitr a took forbidden meat from a chandala
,and compelled the
Devas to take their cu stomary share from that
1 39
same meat offered in sacrifice , and thus to justifyhis act. Forgiveness befits the Sannyasi it does
'
not always befit the King. The King may forgiveinjuries to himself . He may not overlook theslightest wrong done to the meanest of his sub
jects , if he wish himself and his country well.The sin that attaches to the killing of a personthat should not be killed is equal to the sin of nots laying one that deserves to be slain . The Kingshould ever exact with firmness , yea, severity, fromall his subjects their respective duties . If he doesnot
.do this
,then will they prowl about unchecked
,
like wolves,murdering the weaker and devouring
each other . It has been sung of old : She aloneis a wife that speaketh pleasantly . He alone is a
son that maketh his sire happy . He alone is afriend who may be safely trusted . That
,verily
,Is
the motherland wherein living is earned .
’
He
al one is a King who ruleth strictly without oppression , in whose territories the righteous haveno fear
,who cherisheth the poor and punisheth
the
The Ashramas and the Var nas were given inorder to shew people what kind of vi rtues theyshould aim at, in the particular place and time in
Il l ahdbhti r atam, Shanti Par va, cxxxix , and cxl i—cx l u .
1 40
whichthey find themselves,and thus -to help on
their orderly evolution . A s all men have not the.power nor the time to find out for themselves theWill of Ishvara
,the Shastras have been given to
tell us of that Wil l,and so to help us in distinguish
ing between Right and Wrong . But some generalrules have al so been laid down in the sacred books,by Vyfisa and by others
,for application in cases in
which the details ar e not clear or specific, and therefore the special rul es
,given in the Shastras , not
easy or necessary to apply. Such ar e
To give joy to another is righteousness to
g ive pain is sin .
Let not any man do unto another any act
that he wishethnot done to himself by others,knowing it to be pain ful to himself. A nd let himalso purpose for another al l that he wisheth for
himself.”
“ Let not any one do an act that injur etheu
other,nor any that he feelethshame to do .
”
“ Let him not do to another what is not goodfor himself.”
1 42
6 111 161121116 3111 s imca‘
n'
a 131113661 11 11
f irst : H im sti ngs Pasta 1
airs (mil m e aiméa 11 11 11 1 1
m am nrfia’
£11 151 111cwfi=1 mam 11"E
“ He from t om is the emanation of beings ,by Whom al l this is pervaded
,by worshipping Him
in his own karma,man winneth perfection .
‘Better is one’s own dharma,though desti
tute of merits,than the well -executed dharma of
another. He who doeth the karma laid down byhis own nature incur r ethnot sin .
Ishvara dwelleth in the hearts of all beings ,O A rjuna
,moving al l beings b his Maya
,as
though mounted on a wheel .“ Flee unto Him for shelter with all thy being
,
O Bharata by His grace thou shalt obtain supremepeace
,the everlasting dwelling place .
ai rs fiasir 21 111111 satanic aW I
m s cra m-11m m a 111
“ The whole of the Veda is the source ofdharma also the Smriti and the character of those
- that know the Veda also the conduct of the good*Bh¢igavad Gitti , xv ii—46, 47 , 61 , 62 . 1
‘ M anmmr agi , ii—6.
( 143 )
and the satisfaction of the Sel f .
“ 132113 11113 8111511311 cre am 1
11111161111 : 31111111 111 11111 111 1113 1111 11
m afi fzéM ama: 5151 116151 : I
a swig 5611’
s em i nence : 11
W 191 fi e sm u rfs Permi t: II “
316 =l€ 3? it
n ew’
fsei a mmnazafr tiim l
stasis 11 1 i s =1W IGEBW 111élé
31111 asrmi rsqszé 111611 11 aerate Ii
[The tr anslations of these shlokas ar eon p .
M ahciblui r ata tm,Shanti 1
"
Ibzd , cxx1v— 67 .
Par va, cclx— 20, 2 1 , 23 . I I'
dyfiam l kya S mr ztr , 111—65.
CHA PT ER IV .
T HE S T A N DA RD or ETHICS .
E have seen that the general standard bywhich actions should be judged at the
present stage of evolution is Union, al
though many Jivas ar e not yet arrived at thisstage. For the majority we can test each actionby asking : Does it promote union ? Does itpromote separateness P If the answer to the firstquestion is “ Yes
,
” the action is Right if the an
swer to the second question is “ Yes,
” the actionis Wr ong. This is why it was said in Chapter I. )
that morality showed men “ how to live in har
mony with each other and with their surroundings . To live in harmony is to promote union .
So also when Shri Krishna speaks of D ivineand A sur ic properties
,we find that he classes as
Divine those which promote union,and as A sur ic
those which promote separateness . “ Fearlessness ,cleanness of life
,steadfastness in the yoga of
wisdom,alms-giving
,self-restraint and sacrifice
and the study of the Shastras,
austerity and
straightforwardness,harmlessness
,truthful ness,
absence of wrath,renunciation , peacefulnes s, absence
( 1 46 )
a a'
mmfir émaz‘
ream awn'
i az 1
35mm?! am m1 : 11
was fi rm Gaff : e étmmmarw 1
9! ’l ‘
n : «5111313 a m 1 1
a M et: aarm’ffi tri an 11
"
Of al l these things , the knowledge of the‘Self is the highest. It is
-the' foremost of the
sciences,for immortality is attained thereby .
“ Let him with col lected mind see in the Selfboth the Real and the Unreal . Thus beholdingal l in the Self, he turneth not his mind towardsadharma.
The Self is al l the Devas al l resides in theSelf. He who thus seeth the Self in al l beings
,by
his own Self,he r eal iseththe equality of all and
attainethto the supreme state of Brahman .
”
M a / rusmr att, 10 1— 85, 1 18, 1 19 , 125.
CHA PT ERV .
V rar us s AND THEIR FOUNDATION .
E have already seen that mutual sacrifice,
another name for mutual service,is enjoined
by the Sanatana Dharma,and it is easy to see that
this is Right , since it promotes union . Thus thefive daily sacrifices promote union between thesacr ificer and Rishis
,Devas
,Pitris
,Men and
A nimals . A nother way in which the Sanz’itanaDharma teaches us to do right is by explaining tous the three debts that we owe ; the debt to theRishis , paid chiefly in the Br ahmacharya Ashrama,‘
by study and by service of the teacher the debtto the Pitr is , the A ncestors , paid chiefly in theGfirhasthya A shrama
,by rearing a famil y and by
charity the debt to the Devas , paid chiefly in theL
Vanapr astha Ashrama, by sacrifice and meditation .,
A debt is something we owe we have receivedand should repay . This payment of debt, of whatis due
,is called the d ischarge of duty , that which
we owe to others , which we ought to do. The discharge of a duty is called a virtue ; the non -dis,charge of a duty is called a vice . A virtuous man
recognises his duties,his obligations , and fulfils
148
them a vicious man does not recogn ise nor fulfilthem .
Virtues” have also been called by Bhishma
forms of Truth because Truth is that whichis Real
,is indeed
,as Bbi shma says
,
“ the eternalBrahman . 1
” Truth is the D ivine Nature,and we
see this in the reflection of Brahman thatWe callexternal Nature. Eor al l the laws of Nature ar e
expressions of Truth , and work with perfect accur acy and changelessness . N ow the greatest Truthof all is
,as said before, the unity of the Sel f
amidst the diversity of the Not-Self. A l l othertruths and laws ar e such only because they ar e
r eflections , copies , of this great unity in diversity .
A nd the form which this great Truth takes inEthical Science is that each one of us should feelfor other selves as for himself
,should feel himself
to be the same as , or at least similar to, other selvesand, so feeling, we must always tell the truth , because to tell a falsehood to another is to regard him‘with distrust
,to regard him as separ ate fr om
, or
even Opposed to oneself,to prevent him from
sharing with oneself in a common knowledge,which should be the same for al l when al l ar e as
M ahdblui r atam, Shanti Par va—clxu .
1 Ibi d , clxi i
( 150 )
against the Kurus , thus breaking the spir it of the
epromise that they would remain thirteen years inexile
,Yudhishthir a
’
s answer was “ The sons ofPandu swerve not from the path of tr uth .
“ Evenwhen ’ loss follows
,the pledged word must be kept .
When Pr ahlada took the sovereignty of the threeworlds from Indra
,Indra disguised himself as a
.Brahmana and served him as his disciple . A tlast Pr ahlada was so pleased with him
,that he
off ered to give him anything he asked for .Indr a asked for Pr ahlfida
’s
“ Shila,character
,
’
manner , behaviour, and Pr ahlada gave it, thoughhe feared it meant his own ruin— as indeed itdid—because he had pledged his word sl
‘
A nd who can forget Bhishma’
s splendid answer,
“
when hi s step-mother Satyavati prayed him to
'
take the throne and marry,against his promise
-‘I would renounce the three worlds , the empire ofheaven or anything that may be still greater, buttruth never will I renounce. Earth may renoun ceits scent
,water may renounce its moisture , light
may renounce its power of showing forms , the airm ay renounce its susceptibility to touch, the sunm ay renounce his glory , fire his heat, the moon
1 lud ,V ans Par va— clxxx i.
H ahdbhdr atam, Shanti Par va—cxxiv.
( 151 )
his cool rays,space its capacity to generate sounds,
the slayer of V r i’
ttr a his prowess , the God of
justice his impartiality,but I renounce not
Karna,the man of fire
,the man of pride, the
man of headlong straightforwardness , was born,the ancient story says , with a natural armour thatno weapons could pierce through . The Devas,ever working that the cause of the Pandavas mightprevail
,were sorely anxious lest in the predestined
combat between Karna and A rjuna,the latter
should fail because of that strong armour . It wasKarna’s rule that he sat facing the east every day,studying the Vedas , till the sun turned the zenith ,and he had ,
vowed that during that per iod of hisVeda-study every day, whatsoever a Brahmanaasked of him that he had to give , he would give tohim unfailingly and one day Indra, the King ofthe Devas
,seeing no other way, took . on the sem
blance of an aged Brahmana and appear ed beforeKarna and said he had a boon to ask . A nd Kar nasaid that he would surely give it
,if it were at all
Within his power. Then Indra said “ Give methis armour that you wear by natu re on yourbody .
” Kar na replied “ I know thee now to be noartless Brahmana
,but the King of the Devas him
Ibid , Ad i Par va - cn i .
152
self,disgu ised to help the cause of the Pandavas .
But even the letter of my given word must berespected . Take what thou askest
,though in
giving thee thy wish I know I give my life, andwhat is even more than l ife to me, the onl y chanceof conquering my soldier-rival, A rjuna, in battle I
”
A nd Karna hewed off that living armour piece bypiece
'
with his own ' hand and sword,and gave it
al l to Indra,winning thereby a longer life and a
far nobler name than if he had defeated A rjuna.
’
King '
Dashar atha, of the Solar Race of Kings,
asked by the Devas for help against the A suras,
battled against the latter as a Kshattr iya should;His youngest wife
,Kaikeyi, drove his war -chariot,
and when the king sank into a swoon under hiswounds
,she skil qy bore him away on the chariot
to a place of safety and preserved his life . Forthat deed the grateful King promised her two
boons,which she put by for f uture need . Long
afterwards, when the King was in his old age and
wished to instal his eldest son , Rama, as the heir t
appar ent, she claimed the boons , and claimed themfearful ly Rama
,eldest born and bes t beloved of
the aged King, noblest of men , should wander forthinto the fores ts as an exile, and the crown be
‘Mahdbhc
‘
ir agam,Vana Pan s . ocon i
—cccix .
154
truth, by the blessing of Vishnu , BaliWil l be the
next Indra, when the present Deva, whose propername is Pur andar a
,vacates that office ( for Indra
is the title Of the great office of the sovereign ofthe divine kingdom
,not a personal name) .
A s truth is Brahman,those who seek Brahman
must be tr uthful . A bove and al l else,
therefore,a boy shoul
’d strive for tr u ness .
smasharm % ffisri315fim m% ui 'a i’
sm
m (flaw : {manil a a ffirm : 11*
“ The Brahmana,being born , is born a debtor
with three debts tn the Devas by sacrifice,to the
A ncestors by progeny,to the Rishis by study .
"
sumrfi fl am e: sm?$116 Draw 1
m sfia‘
3W 1 aerate : 11
5121181 fi ifia'
fim gfi ifi m vi a
{31 a tufts-
sitfi fia‘
tfirs] fiesta 11 1“A fter having d ischarged the three debts let
him turn his mind to Moksha. He who desirethMoksha
,without having discharged them falleth
downwards.
“ Having studied the Vedas duly , having produced Offspring lawfully , having offered sacrifices
a:Ve da textquoted by Kul l fika m 11 1 3 commentar y on M amumr sga,
vi 36. 1’ M anmmr in, vi , 35 36.
155
to the best of his power, let him turn to Moksha.
m w'
t m ar-a : i n: m m 113R:
naidé i tal“
“WW71 : 1
warrgfi fi zrzrrtm‘
t6121mi a “ If?“
11*
“ Nourishing one another ye shall reap the
s upremest good .
“ He who on earth doth not follow the wheelthus revolving
,sinful of life and rejoicing in the
senses,he
, 0 Partha, liveth in vain .
”
e atmg Ganmi : aremi : m a : 1
«82113161 w e?“ treat?an “ m’é : 11
“
8 61i admi t6131 : {mi m « 16amemf as : at : sitar : G51 s eam "
it
flatm ama" fam i‘
aamft az’
ia a 1
We anar éa znfi a a énau
a fte r 5a n ew; 1mare-Rm 11 1
L
Truth is ever the (one) dharma of the good.Truth is the Sanatana Dharma. Bow onl y to the
Truth . Truth is the final wayf Truth is dharma,Bhdgavad-Gitd , i i i , 1 1 - 1 6.
T M ahabhar agam, An ushasana Par va c—Ix ii.
( 156 )
Truth is tapas . Truth is the eternal Brahman .
Truth is the highest sacrifice,for all is founded on
and upheld by Truth .
Truth is the name of That which is Unper ishing , Unchanging, Eternal . It is attained by the
Yoga-meditation that opposeth not anydharma.
Truthfulness,equality ( impartiality ) self-con
tr ol, absence of envious emulation,forgiveness ,
modesty , endurance, absence of jealousy,charity
,
thoughtfulness,d isinterested philanthropy
,self
posses sion,and unceasing and compassionate harm
lessness— these ar e the thirteen forms of Truth .
”
emanate?fiat: GWIW R (stem : 1
« sitar agar-aura Harri er} fiikm : 11 t
“ The four Vedas on the one side, well studiedtogether with al l their angas and rrpangas (ar e far
.
out-weighed by) Truth alone on the other .”
m a fi am m r m fir aa m l
m eg ream ere: urem ia 111“ Men place less trust in themselves than in
the true . Hence al l wish to secure the friendship.of the true .m rw m
new1613 11 1?m : flai r anfiqfi 1
m a n: Ernie eras e 356fi g : 11“
The Devas know not a better being in the
universe,than him of whom the al l -knowing Wit
ness feelethno doubt when he speaketh .
m fiafi m‘
rtefi m triers camera 1
m atria-s iesta?aw fim fi fin 111
Thy business i s with the action only,never
With its fruits ; so let not the fruit of action be thymotive
,nor be thou to inaction attached .
sari ( l ei vi
: ai r 1 it
The supreme Brahman is the Right, is theTruth .
”
M amwmmti , V in- 96. 1’ Bhdyaxvad-Ghtfi , ii— 47 .
I Atr in mhottam tdprm -Upamshat, i —6.
CH A PT ER V l .
Bu ss AND EM OTIONS .
E have seen that Ishvara is Thought , Powerand Bliss
,and man
,as His child
,has also
these characteristics . When the Jivatmfibecomes wrapped in dense matter, the aspect of
his nature which is Bliss , is ever going outwardsin search of satisfaction , trying to realise itself byuniting itself with the outer world . The impulsesoutwards ar e called desires, and when they unitethe Jivatma to an object that gives him pleasure,so that he desires to be again united to such an
object,the resulting emotion is cal led love, or lik
ing .When , on the contrary, they unite the Jivatmato an Object that gives him pain , so that he desiresto avoid union with such an object again
,the r e
sul ting emotion is call ed hate, or dislike . Thefirst makes an attraction between the Jivatma and
the object the second makes a repulsion .
The J1vatma thinks over these likes and dislikes, and gradually tr ains himself to direct hisemotions rightly emotions thus guided by reasonin accordance with the will of Ishvar a develop in
to Virtues, and thus the culture of the emotions
1 60
f orms the ethical development of man . A s he
cultivates the emotion called love he unites himsel f to an ever-widening circle of beings, thefamily
,the community
,the nation
,the race
,loving
them as himself and thi s love becomes a continuallyincreasing expression of the Bliss aspect of hisnature
,which finds satisfaction in union .
We have seen that evolution is now leading ustowards union
,or
,in other words
,that the will of
Ishvara is guiding the separated selves towardsunion with each other and with Himsel f. In thisunion is Bliss therefore the Right and the Happyar e inseparable . Over and over again the Sanatana Dharma leads us to this one conclusion .
Brahman is bliss ” therefore the Jivfitma,being
of the nature of Brahman,is also bliss
,and unhap
piness onl y arises when he goes against evolution,against the great Will
,goes
,in a word
,wr ong.
fi rearm—« wri t?«an 1
”
A l l this is Brahman— Sachchidananda Sachchidananda is this all .”
m anque;m fi m u st-1 1 T
t .Vr inmhottam f t‘
ipmi Upanis kat, 7 . f Kathopa/nishat, iv— l .
( 1623 )
Joy and consciousness,a limitless ocean of joy,
than which there 18 no greater happiness— such i s
A nanda.
mfi sfi gfi :m it tfi efiwir gfirgza gfi : 1‘“ The consciousness of pleasure is the cons
ciousness of an object desired ; the consciousnessof pain is the consciousness of an object undesired .
”
e erir'
irr g zw 11931 am? 11 1A l l beings revel i n pleasure ; al l shrink great
ly from pain .
{Warsaw arr—aim mm ! 1
em fi afiré e ii mrfia w 11 1By the delusion of the pair s Of opposites , O
Bharata,sprung from attraction and repulsion
,O
slayer of foes , all beings walk this world,wholly
deluded .
{fi r g etgas eregararzfiam gfi
was?HaremG rim m 11§
Desire,aversion
,pleasure
,pain
,the compound
(organism ) , in tel l igence, firmness,these
,briefly
described, constitute the Field and its changes .”
m m fi s m twams a‘
a’az 1 11
I Bhéyar ad -Gitd , Vi i— 27 . Ibid , xii i— 6. N 1 1nd , iii— 87 .
( 163 )
“ It is Kama (desire) and it is Kr odha (anger)ar ising out of Rajas .
{fa ce-31W m ar : m fiufir 1*
0
al ibi m m amtW 1 11
A ffection and aversion for.
the Objects of senseabide in the senses ; let none come under the domin ion of these two ; they ar e obstructors of thepath .
W arm fiw rfi rfigfifi ta 1’
r
a rmaafi'
éemem ae rznfi'
nw fi 11
But the disciplined self,moving among sense
objects “ with senses free from attraction and r epul
s ion,mastered by the self
,goeth to peace . ”
a : mafin c aria m em e : 1
a er firr'
taarfi rfa a g a’
a w ufi u nt
He who,having cast aside the ordinances Of
the Shastras , followeth the promptings of desire,attainethnot to perfection , nor happiness , nor thehighest goal . ”
( a?! 5111 «515mm
air mi aga r tr : art‘
rfi 1
Q
Bhdgavad-Gigd , i i i— 34 .
1“ Ibrd , 11— 64. I zbid ,
xvi— 23. §Katkopam§hat, v— l 2 .
164
The One Who contr ol lethal l,the inmost '
Sel f
of al l beings, Who maketh many forms of onef orm—they who see That One in the Self, only to
those ruler s of intelligence belongeth theHappiness, 11 none else .
( 166 )
harmonious relations with others much more thanone who has them not .
Manu,the great law-
giver, lays much stress onthe necessity for this self-control
,and gives some
most valuable advice about it. He says that actionhas three forces behind it, and that each of thesemust be mastered.
"‘A ction is born of mind,
speech and body .
The mind— theManomayakosha, which includesthe emotions— must be conquered . This is thehardest task of al l . For the mind runs after theobjects of desire, swayed and controlled by thelongings to possess the objects which promise togive pleasure . The emotions ar e ever craving satisfaction
,and the mind seeks to gratify them
,be
coming their slave . The Jivatma must free themind from this slavery , and subdue it for his ownservice
,making it the master of the senses and the
sense-organs as Manu says In conquering this
(the m ind) the two sets of five become conquered .
”
T The “ two sets of five” ar e the ten Indr iyas ,that is
,the five Jnanend riyas and the five Kar
mendr iyas .
Let the student,then
,aim at rul in g his mind
Lea , czt n — 13 1“ Loc. cit., 11
— 9 2.
167
if it runs to evil things let him cal l it back lethim allow it to fix itself only on good things.This is the first
,the most difficult
,the most essen
tial part of self-control .The control of speech is the next step we
must think before we speak . Hasty'
speech leadsus into endless troubles . A rjuna was of ten veryhasty in his speech
,and so got himself into many
difficulties as in his hasty'
vow to slay himself ifhe did not kill Jayadr atha, the slayer of his son,before sun set
,thus necessitating the interference
of Shri Krishna,who shrouded the sun prema
tur ely to induce Jayad r atha to come out from hisshelter fig So again in his quarrel with Yudhish
thira,provoked by Yudhishthir a’s taunting
speech, j'
and on other occasions . N ay, his failureto keep a hasty vow l ed to his death on the GreatJourney : “ A rjuna said he would consum e al l ourfoes in a single day. Proud was he in his heroism ,
but he did not what he boasted . Hence has hefallen down .
”
1 He who has conquered his tongueis near to self-mastery .
Thirdly,the phys ical body must be controlled
,
and not be allowed to hurry us into sin , for its-ll a /zdbhfir dgam, Dr ona Par va. 1
' Ibed,Karna Par va. lxx— ixx .
I I bul , M ahapr asthan ika Par va.
168
gratification. Says Shri Krishna : “ Worship of'
the Devas, the twice-born, the gurus and the wise,purity, straightforwardness, chastity and harmlessness
,are called the austerity of the Youth
is the time for conquering the body, for it is thenmost easily subdued, and set in the right way. Forthe body is, a creature of habit and though at
fir st, it wil l Oppose the will of the Jivatma withgreat energy, a littl e perseverance makes it giveway, and then it goes as contentedly and readilyalong the new road as it did along the old .
A mong the sources of evil and of sorrow thatwe should strive to get rid of by this self-controlis selfish desire, for out of the insatiable desire formaterial wealth an d material pleasures grow manymiseries, and peace arises from the absence ofthese desires and not by their continued gr atification . Thus Manki found . For
,greedy of Weal th,
Manki had searched for it long, but ever heseemed doomed to disappointment . With the
last remnant of his property he bought a pair Ofcal ves to train up for the plough . But fate or dain f
ed that the cord with which the two wer e tiedshould get entangled with a passing camel, so thatboth were kill ed . This last mischance opened the
Bhdgac‘
ad-Gifd , xv fl— H .
1 70
and labour no .more for the satisfaction of thywishes, O my foe . Casting off thee and all thytrain , I gain at once in stead tranquillity and selfrestraint, forgiveness and compas sion and deliverance .” Thus Manki lost a little
,and gained al l .‘
Hear also the story of King Yayfiti, who drivenmad by wild desire, took from his own son his fairand splendid youth to strive to fill therewith the“
ever-gaping maw of Des ire the insatiabl e . For thusthe story runs.
King .Yayati, son of N aba sha,of the Lunar
Dynasty of Kings,was over-fond of the pl easures
of sense and fell into sin , which brought upon himthe wrath of his father-in-law
,the great Rishi
Shukr a, the priest of the Titan-Kings . Becauseof that wrath, King Yayati was suddenly struckw ith shrivelled and tottering old age in the verymidst of his glorious prime of manhood . He
propitiated the Rishi, and Shukr a,taking pity
on him,decreed that he could exchange
,for a
thousand years,his age and feebleness for the
health and youth of any of his sons,who should
consent will ingly to the exchange . Yayati askedhis five sons in success ion the fifth and youngestPuru , for love and reverence of his father, gave
Shanti Par va—c lx xvn
171 i) .
him his own youth and took from him his age forthe period of a thousand years . For that long
period King Yayati assiduously pursued the
pleasures of the senses,endeavouring to exhaust
the luxuries o f the world of matter. But ever,
he'
found that his craving grew ,even when his senses
dulled with satiation . B e longed in vain that his:
longing for the world of sense should be exhaustedby fulfilment . A s one spoke of a wheel runningafter another spoke of it
,the chase was endless .
A t the last,as the thousand years approached their
close,a great vairagya arose in his mind
,and he
saw that desire ceases not with satisfaction butwith frustration . He called Puru to him
,took
back his own old age with gladness , and gave tohim his youth together with the kingdom
,and
retired into the forests chanting the verse that summed upal l his life-experience
“ Desire may not be quenched by enjoyment ofits objects it only increases manifold therewith,as fire with libations of butter .Let us pause a moment on the word “ harmless
ness,in the above quotation of Shri Krishna
’swords
,p . 141 . Harm les sness is the highest Dhar i
ma,Bhishma taught. We should injure nothing.
fil a lu’
ibhiir atam. A nushfisana Par Va, cxvi— 37 .
Our life should be a source of help , not of harm .
The control of. the body includes this abstention
f r om injuring others . A s said Brihaspati “ Thatman who practises the religion of universal compassion , achieves the highest shoul dnever do that to another which one regards asinjurious to one
’s own sel f. This,in brief
,is the
rul e of righteousness .People often harm others in more thoughtless
ness,and so bring about much troubl e . When
Yudhishthir a and Duryodhana and their brotherswer e boys and al l lived and studied together
,
Bhima,who was the strongest of them al l
,often
indul ged in practical jokes and rough horse-play,
exercising his great strength with boyish thoughtlessness upon the younger and weaker boys . When anumber of them climbed up into a tree to pluck thefruit
,he would take the trunk between his hand s
and shake the tr ee, till the little boys tumbled downlike ripe f ruits . Bhima thought it was great fun. and
laughed but some of the boys were hurt,hurt
in body,and what was wor se, hurt in mind . A gain
,
when they were out bathing and swimm ing in theriver that flowed beneaththe walls of Hastinapur a,Bhima would swim under neath the other boys , and,
l bid— cxiii.
( 1 74 )
A nd he who studies the Great History carefull yknows wel l that thePandavas were not al l to praise
,
nor the Kauravas al l to blame .The triple control of mind , speech and body
results in righteousness,in right character express
ing itself in right conduct. The man who has thusput himself into right relations with the thingsnearest tohim
,
'
his own emotions,mind and body
,
and has thus partiall y acquired the virtues classifiedas self-regarding or egoistic in wes tern ethicalbooks
,is able to practise more eff ectively those
classified therein as“altruistic
,
” those which arisein relation to other living beings .We have now to study the virtues and vices
which arise in the relations between human beings .These ar e best classified under three heads
1 . The virtues and vices which arise in relationto superiors .
2 . The virtues and vices which arise in relationto equals .
3. The virtues and vices which arise in relationto inferiors .
In this way we shall obtain a clear and s impleclassification of the virtues which make our relations with al l around us harmonious
,and seeing
them distinctly,we can strive to attain them. A nd
1 75
we shall also see plainly the vices which .makedisharmony and can try to avoid them. A l l the
vir tues have their root in pure Love,and have Bliss
for their fr uit al l the vices have their root inper sonal Hate , and their fruit is Misery .
gramm e! anti nfirarizzmuaqarm
‘s" new?sm amawm m: II
9K 86 l »
flfi fi‘ m m“
mm am it s as g with“ II
it i ’l‘ 3?
N ew: mik es : fi m taha a I
afi efifimgfi fims‘
ifi e m II
M m g am :
m ush3 (am as : M a fimfi fil“ Karma
,that bringeth good or evil fruit,
ari seth in the mind , or in speech , or in the body,A nd thr eefold ar e the paths of men
,according to
their karma, high or low or middling .
=l =
This (Jiva) reapeth good or evil , mental witlithe mind
,vocal withspeech
,and bodily even with
the body .
1‘ t 1?
The danda of the speech,the danda of the
M anusmmti , x ii— 3 , 4, 8, 10, l l .
( 176 )
mind,the danda of the act —~he who has laid these
rods (of rule over his intell igence he is the
T ridandi
“ Having laid these rods (of control over hismind) with respect to al l beings
,and having con
quered lust and anger, (the Jiva) attainethper f ec
tion .
2mW QW N M I'
vastnasi mszi e fi fiwi‘
zé a fi l
W fi uw fim arw fi fl
m zm mtfiwata'
firam fi fim l
Worshipgiven to the Devas , to the tvvice-born ,to the teachers and to the wise
,purity
,straightfor
War dness,continence and harmlessness—ar e call ed
the austerity of the body .
Speech causing no annoyence, truthful andbeneficial, the practice of the study of the Scr iptures
,ar e called the austerity of Speech .
Mental happiness,equilibrium
,silence. sel f
control,purity of nature— this is called the austeri
ty of the mind .
”
Bhdga r ad -Gztfi , a — l 4, 15, 16.
1 78
m hm attr
Fhvimfia: imam?m li‘
That which is the Eternal of . al l eternals,
That which is the Life of all lives,That which
being One in spir ethmany with des ir es— the wisethat behold that One seated within themselves
,to
them alone belongs the lasting peace,unto none
else.”
The kinsman is the congenital foe— such isthe view of those whose minds ar e blinded by thegreed of weal th . To him whose weal th is wisdom
,
the world,that is filled with his elders
,equal s and
younger s,is ( as a world of) parents , friends and
children .
”
W e a m am a stems lW WW fi rm : vfi s‘ifi ll
m an ila anti as sent f ra il-
er I
H tits} fi ihtimfi III“ He that
,without having conquered himself,
wishethto conquer his ministers , or that, without9 Kathopan ashad , 17— 13.
1’ Jl akdbhdr atam,
Udyoga Par va, 1i— l 7 . 1 1 l ud , cxxv1 11, ,29— 305
1 79
having conquered his ministers, wishethto conquerhis foes
,he faileth helplessly .
But he that conquer ethhimself first,as his
own foe, and thereafter conquers his ministers andhis foes , (his work) is not vain
”
W tacfi hmhhsfi‘m cfi mfi: I
arm QM {titmi : s wam u
m : gem chccc‘
rcqi m’
hcchI
smith cam m m ccfim l l
m hg awhichhi a c can I
ac t firi ng: c‘
ctfhcatGaza?i n : 11
act g iathc r a c car «tacti cc l
m’
hc c’
t area”aria git
-am en: II
m tficccém : mi ter : fhccni ar I
m’
hhmcqm a ffli cta gi c‘
i ac : tr““ N ot one but many ar e the branches of
dharma that have been declared by the wise,each
resting upon his own knowledge . But Dama ( selfcontrol) is the basis of them al l :
“ The elders , the seers of the sure, have declar ed that Dama leadeth to the Highest especiallyfor the Brahmana is Dama the whole of Sanatana Dharma.
.Vahdbhdr atam,Shanti Par va, s ix—6, 1 7 , 13
( 180 )
“ The man that is not self-control led meeteth'
suffering everywhere and many troubles hecauseth, ,al l arising out of his own defects .
“ For al l the four Ashramas,Damais the high
est vow. I shall declare to thee the marks thereof,
.
the characteris tics of whichDama is the source“ Forgiveness , self-possession , harml es sness
,
equability , tr uthf ulness , straightforwardness, theconquest of the senses , skil l, gentleness , modesty,r estf ulness, absence of scorn
,absence of excite
ment, sweet speech , harmlessness , and absence ofjealousy— of al l these is self-control the source .
c‘ifi m Gm imi ccaamc 11
“
“ Self-possession,patience
,self-control
,integrity,
purity, restraint, intelligence, learning, truthfulness ,absence of anger— these ten ar e the marks of
dharma.
”
3 ?t em it i ii'a fhl'
hcfi cz: I
«ae rcfihté chhighchsaciwa: lli“ Harml essnes s, truth-speaking, refraining from
theft,control of the senses— such is the essence
of the dharma that Manu declared for al l the fourcastes .
M anmmrm, vi— 92 . 1'
I bzd , x—63.
CHA PT ER V l l l .
VIRT UES AND VICES IN RELA T ION TO Summons .
OVE which is unselfish prompts us to makesacrifices for others , and to restrain ourselvesfor the common good therefore such love is
the root of virtues , of the qualities that promoteunion . So also hate prompts us to take from others,to grasp at al l desirable things for our own separateenjoyment to the injury of others therefore hateis the root of vices , of the qualities that promoteseparateness . Moreover, when we make a sacrificefor one we love
,we feel happiness in making it
,
and we thus learn that the deepest happines s , realbliss
,lies in giving , which is the joy of the Jivatma
and not in taking , which is the joy of the bodies .Let us see how love impels a man to act in rela
tion to his superiors , to those to whom he looksup. A man’s superiors ar e God
,Sovereign
,
Parents,Teachers
,and the A ged .
Love to God shows itself as Rever ence,Devotion
,
Wor ship and S ubmission to His Will . We findal l lovers of God show these Virtues . See howBhishma reverences and worships Shr i Krishna ,the A vatfir a of Vishnu : at the Rfijasfiya sacrifi ce
( 183 )
of Yudhishthir a Bhishma bids them off er the firstar ghya to Him
,and Narada decl ares that He
who approveth not the worship offered untoKrishna, the oldest One in the universe, deservethneither soft words nor consideration . Those menthat will not worship Krishna
,with eyes like lotus
petals,shoul d be regarded as dead though mov
ing. A nd so also,when Bhishma lay dying, he
was thinking “ of Krishna in mind,word and act
,
and his one thought was to r ece1ve His blessing i"
he closed the great exhortation with the recitalof “ the thousand names of Vasudeva, and hislast words
,ere bidding al l farewell, asked Shri
Krishna’s permission to deparalIn Parhlada, the son of the Daitya King Hir
anyakashipu , we have one of the most famous examples of devotion . Despite all his teachers couldsay, he steadily prayed to and praised Har i . Invain did his father threaten him and seek to killhim the wild elephant who should have trampledon him failed to injure the rocks that should havecrushed him lay light as down on his bosom thesword that should have struck off his head fel lblunted from his neck the poison that should have
M ahdbluir atam,S abha Par va, xxx vm— B. i Ib
’
td , Shanti Par vaI IbuI , A nushfis ana Par va.
—cx l ix.
184
carried death along his veins proved harmless aswater and at last Narasimha
,the A vatar s , burst
from the gran ite pillar,and delivered Hari’s servant
from the tyrant who sought to slay .
Dhruva, leaving his father’s pal ace to flee from
the unkindness of his step-mother,shows such
f ervour of devotion and such courage and steadfastness in worship
,that Hari appears to him
,and
gives him as throne the pole-star,on the boundary
of the T r iloki, wher eon he lives and reigns . 1“
Nothing,perhaps
,is more marked in the per
f ect human character of Ramchandra, than Hisunwavering submission to the Div ineWill . Overand over again during the whir l that followed Hissudden exclusion from the throne
,He calms those
around Him by reminding them that al l that happens is by the good law
,and He Himself is utterly
unshaken by the storm,knowing the Real amid
al l changing unrealities .
On the other hand, we read constantly of the
overthrow of those who do not honour the SupremeLord . Mighty ru lers l ike Havana
,who was mon
arch in Lanka, fell because they thought themselves rivals of ishvara
,and set themselves against
Bee V i shnu Pa rana , I , xvx— xx .
1 S ee Ibtd , 1 , x i— xu , .
( 186 )
devotion to duty imposed on the King,and by the
high ideal of kingship insisted on . Utatthya, of
the race of A ngira,instructing the King Mandhata,
son of Yuvanashva,said : One becometh a
King in order that he may uphold righteousness ,and not that he may conduct himsel f capriciously .
The King is the protector of the world,0 Man
dhata 1 If he act righteously, he attaineth to thehonours of a veritable God upon earth . But if heact unrighteously he sinketh into hel l . A ll creatures rest upon righteousness ; and righteousnes s ,in turn
,resteth upon the King. That King alone
is a true King who upholdeth righteousness . If
he fail to chastise unrighteousness,the Devas
desert hi s mansions,and he incur r eth obloquy
among men .
"i
Patr iotism,the love of one’s country, and Public
Spir it, caring for the nation more than for onesel f,ar e virtues that ar e so closely akin to loyal ty thatthey should never be separated from it . “ Kingand Country ar e the object of true loyalty . N o
man should be without this love of country and the
” r eadiness to sacrifice himself for his native land fornational greatness cannot exist without patriotismand public spirit, and national greatness means , in
M ahabhar ata /m,S nfinti Par va—xc.
187
the long run,family and individual prosperity the
“
whole and the part cannot be separated. Publicspirit makes a man feel the successes and thesufier ings of his country as though they were hisown— as indeed they ar e. It makes him try to
protect the weak from injustice,to resist wrong, to
uphold the law,to stand for justice, to refuse to
make unfair profit at the cost of the communityor to cheat it by evading what is due to it fromhimself. The heroes of ancient India ar e constantly descr ibed as
“ intent on the welfare of othersShri Krishna bids A rjuna see to the protection ofthe masses , ” to “ the maintenance of mankind .
”
The man who thinks only of himself and of hl sfamily is short-sighted
,and is really underm ining
his and their future happiness .To Parents is due ever the most complete
Obedie nce,
and this is one of the most oftenr epeated injunctions of the Sanatana Dharma. See
how Ramachandr a,the Great Example
,obeys his
father . When Dashar atha is inveigled into granting Rama
’s exile and the son is told by Kaikeyithat His father fears to speak his will “ Speak
,
O honoured lady, the desire of the King, is Hisquick reply , and I will carry it out. There is
Bhdgar ad-Gctd , 1i1 , 202— 5.
188
no service greater than service of the father,than
carrying out his words .” A nd to al l argumentscounselling resistance
,He gives the steadfast ah
swer Ther e is no power in me to tran sgress myfather’s order I shal l abide by my father
’sorders .” A nd later
,when His father was dead,
and Bharata,most unwil ling regent
,held His
crown in trust,al l His answer to Bharata’s passion
ate pleadings that He should ascend the thronewas that His father had sent Him to the forest
,and
had placed Bharata on the thr one each must dohis own task
,according to the father’s word
“ What My father hath commanded must not bemade untrue . 1“
A gain we read in the M akdbkdr aiam the storyof the knower of Brahman
,shrouded in the impure
body of a fowler,who led to his parents the Brah
mana Kaushika,who came to learn wisdom at his
feet . The fowler took the Brahmana to the beautifn l rooms in which he had housed his aged parents
,
saying that his own happy state of knowledgeand peace was due to his fil ial piety ; havingbowed low at their feet he introduced his guestand then told him These my parents ar e theidols that I worship whatever is due to the Devas .
Rdmdyana ,A yodhyakand am, xv—xxx . 1
“
Ibid , xc.
( 1 90 )
cause . He went to the father of Satyavati and
asked that she be married to the King . The fathersaid The King is aged thou shalt shortly reignin his stead . I would rather marry my daughter tothee But Bhishma replied : “ S ay not such a
thing. When my father has wished to marry her,
she is my mother already give her to the King .
”
Then S atyavati’
s father said “ But I shall do soonly if her son succeeds the King in sovereignty .
”
Bhishma said at once “ I promise to forego mybirth-right . I shall place that younger brother ofm ine upon the throne . But Satyavati
’
s father saidagain “ We know thy word once given may notbe broken . But what shall bind thy sons fromdisputing their uncle’s right Then Bhishma said“ I promise never to marry at al l so there shall beno sons to me who may dispute their uncle
’s right .N ow do thou let my father have his wish .
”A nd
because of his fearful promises the Devas cried outwith a bodiless voice “ He has been known as
Devavr ata so long he shall now be known asBhishma— the Terrible” —terrible surely to himselfbut most loved and most dear to all true Hinduhearts . King Shantanu too
,when he heard that
the vows had been already made and could not nowbe helped
,took Satyavati to wife but in the
1 9 1
fulness of his father’s love bestowed on Bhishmathe gift of death at his own will alone . Men that ”
prevail over their pas sions thus,and can conserve
their manhood perfectly,may well prevail against
the might of death itself, long as they like .*
On the other hand,it was Duryodhana
’s stubc
born insolence and disobedience to his parents thatprecipitated the war which destroyed his housef l'
Over and over again his father pleaded with himto yield to the just demands of the Pandavas
,and
give them a share in their ancestral property , butDuryodhana scorned his prayers and persisted inhis own way. Even when his mother, Gandhari ,begged him in open sabha to obey his fatherand to regard his duty, he treated her harshly and'
disrespectfully,and so brought on his head the
doom of failure . N o son can succeed who grieveshis father or mother by disobedience or by disrespect .The Teacher is added to the Father and
Mother by the Sanfitana Dharma,as the third
great object of reverence and service,and we see
this virtue also in the ancient heroes who shouldserve as examples to al l Hindu boys . How deepis the love , how unfailing the reverence, shown by
Mahabhar atam, Ad i Par va— c. T I ln'
d, Udyoga Par va —cxxx.
1 9 2
the Pandavas to Bhishma, to Drona,even when
compelled to fight against them see them bowingat their teacher’s feet ere the battle joins on
Kur ukshetr a and when Dhr istadyumna seizedthe white locks of Drona, hear the agonised cry ofA rjuna “ Bring the teacher alive ! do not slayhim 1 he should not be slain I” and his heart-brokensob when the crime is complete I have sunkinto hell
,overcome with
The only valid reason for disobedience to the
Guru is held to lie,in the Sanatana Dharma
,in
previous promise or clear duty . Bhishma,the ex
ample of dharma,gives a striking il lustration of
this in his career . A fter the death of his fatherShantanu , Bhishma
,in accordance with his vow
,
placed his younger brother Chitrangada on thethrone
,and when Chitrangada was slain in battle,
then he placed the second brother V ichitr avirya on
the throne of Hastinfipura. Looking for suitablewives for V ichitr avirya, Bhishma heard that thethree daughters of the King of Kashi were aboutto hold a S vayamvar a, and were in al l respectsworthy of marriage with his brother . He went toKashi
,and by his sole might in battle carried them
-ll ahdbhci r atam Bhishma Par va— x l n i.
’r ”N d Drona , Par va cxciu— cxciv.
( 1 94 )
serious wound but reviving again,they renewed
the fight,till on the twenty-eighth day, the aged
Parashurama acknowledged that he could do nomore and Bhishma won his cause . Yet becausehowever unwil lingly
,he had brought much sorrow
upon A mba,karma decreed that she should prove
the means of his death .
Rever ence to the A ged fitly closes the l ist ofvirtues which should flower when we come intor elation with our superiors
,and it was one of the
marke d characteristics of the ancient Hindu chameter . The wisdom which is the fruit of longexperience is the precious treasure in possession ofthe aged
,and they willingly pour this forth for the
benefit of the teachable,courteous
,respectful youth .
In the hurry of modern life,this respect for the
aged is apt to be trampled under foot, and it is themore necessary that care should be taken to cultivate it .
aw e : w e"m a ram nfi
mafitrwg i‘
m wf‘
wg’
s‘
sa a rena? 1
wfiwmgam’
tfi as "?a fi rs t": 11
Ga?swa m étfiéfi i l
s ame { emitte rs-ctr : m :
fi m ww fiarfifi
( 1 95 )
W u
mw m am I
W trait un it ti‘
mgm‘
r
ufawé a g nfi imrfi‘
f : u
w annasw im-ai
mfia “ 13 313 1137 !
atnew nnmfm asfi n*
There is no other path to the attainment ofBrahman
,so auspicious for yogis , as devotion to
wards the Lord who is the Atmaof al l .
With his mind full of wisdom,dispassion and
devotion,he seeth Prakriti losing its power and
Purusha as stainless .
Where the good gather,there ar e heard the
s tories that give knowledge of My Power, and ar e
as nectar to the ear and heart. Listening to them,
he turneth rapidly to the path of Moksha withfaith and joy and devotion .
Turning away with dispassion from sensuoussights and sounds because of devotion to Me
,he
dwelleth ever in thought on (the mysteries of ) Mycreation
,and thus
,restraining his mind, essayeth
the straight paths of yoga and attainethunion .
s nu-Bhfigavata ,I II xxv— I S , 19 , 25, 27 .
( 1 96 )
Giving up the service of the attributes of Prakr iti, his knowledge and yoga (realisation of Unity)blossoming with (the help of ) vairagya, and hisdevotion offered unto Me, he r eal i
'
sethMe as thePratyagatma (the Inmost Self) .i smsfi z sasurm fi rstamt-i stigma
-1s t: I
i s ti s s tint3 «hi : i ss’
s rrs i mm In
as'tssmtri s tti si ss i atisms?sc i s ism s
m'
i qa‘
is i m im ists : is ge m s: u
am mi sztma ems a ass ass rtsfi '
s ssm mm m
’
ixfi u‘i’
ss agsi mmfi fi sm art s
am m flm m s sfimis s m Fawnm u ffw e aves s a re : m s m
'
s atamists : u
sé r s i fi fiffissmmi ss s tse’
s fi si sgs r s s rfin
m d im s‘
rmi s i as sass in-cri s is "
i
i' f i sxts i‘M as ts"
im‘
tsas i s r fi i s rfitmm !
m m s issfirmfisms‘
Ws t i s gs s i s i s ts: u“
From its own nature , some Sages say, othersf r om time arising (came the universe) verily fromthe majesty of God revolves in this world theBrahma-wheel .
Shvetdshvatar opanishat, v i— l , 7 , 8, 9 , 12 , 13.
1 98
M Wfi fi afi l
as
m : mtis warm s?i ns s s rfittare'
t l
m : 3 313 a nti ss é 1 5r'
i gés r: ll
ai ( ratm s w fisfi mn’
sss i 1
47mm" fi s ts: g i t sni i s fi lfi s i llarc
-g?Ft g s si sir gi m m es fs : l
s zfir'
i s ni ré i ri s s ass « s as s ll
For the protection of the whole worldcr eated the King
,when the Kingless people wer e
scatter ed through fear .“
(He created the King) out of immortal portionsktaen from Indra
,Vayu, Yama
,the S un
,th e Fire
,
Varuna, the Moon and the Lo rd of wealth .
fit i i
For him the Lord created His own son Dharma
,the Protector of al l beings
,as the Bands
(Sceptre, or Rod of power) clothed with theBrahma-radiance .
f t
The Danda gover neth al l the people, the“ c aus ing
-wt, w t, 3 , 4 . 14, IS , 26— 28.
1 9 9
Danda alone protecteth the Danda waketh whileothers sleep
,the wise know the Danda as Dharma.
9k it
They declare the wielder of Danda to be theKing
,that speaketh the truth
,actethafter deliber
ation,is wise
,and versed in Dharma
,Kama
'
and
A rtha.
“ Wielding it righteously,the King incr easeth
in all three but if he be given up to Kama,unjust
and mean,then he himself is slain by the Danda.
“ A great fire is the Danda,difficult to be borne
by those who have not achieved the Self its layeth
,together with his family
,the King that
str ayethfrom Dharma.
i s s fi'
re tss rzi stair s‘
tsits i tar-n I
( Rama star : «sk i s trs r'
i m i ll"
“ By the great-souled King was this worldmade full of Dharma and al l the people weregladdened hence is he call ed the King.
”
( rm s ars i gi s s fi'fi
m'
ti : flfirg'
rW i n
antiwarmamst 6a sfiams szgs s r s i sx n
si s s ei s s é‘
rgis l
‘M ahc’
ibhd r agam . santiPar va, Int— 145.
The King is the inmost heart of his people, .
he is their r ef uge, their honour, and their highesthappines s relying on him
,they conquer right
conely this world and the next.
“ The King also,having governed the earth
m self -control, with truth, and with the heart of
m assion , having sacrificed with many sacr ifices ,attaineth to fair fame and ever lasm
'
ng w t in
Svar ga.
”
w wmrmms ri m afimimi Fran
Ten Upadhyayas doth the Achwa exceed
and a hundred Acharyas the Father but
Mother exceedeth even a thousand Fathers in the
ight to be honored .
”
mmsss fim i s smtm s qi a I
s ri‘
s rcs s s vaas r swim! fsirs a : n
it i t
a s s ms s’
tfitm ss s s srmmz l
a s s fi s s‘
r'
si rss s i rm s s’tw u
l bzd , lm ii , 59— 60. 1’ M an am a ,
xi— l tfi .
CHA PT ER IX .
VIRTUES AND vms s IN RELA T ION TO EQUALS .
E have next to consider our relations withthe equals that surround us on every side
,
and to know what v1r tues should be developed
,what vices avoided
,in order to make our
home and our outer relations harmonious and
happy . Let us first think of those of the home,
for they ar e of primary importance pure and happy homes , in which f amily virtues ar e practised,make the foundation of prosperous States , of successful nations . We have seen the relations thatshould exist between parents and children
,and we
must now study those that shoul d be found betweenhusband and w ife
,between brothers and sisters .
The Hindu books ar e full of stories of the lovethat should bind a husband and wife together, orConjuga l Love.
“ Husband and wife ar e thesays Manu they ar e one
,not two love
makes the two into one— love protective,sheltering,
tender,on the side of the husband love yielding
,
sweet,devoted
,on the side of the wife. “ Let
( 204 )
mutual fidd ity continue until Rama
chandra and S itfi form an ideal husband and wifethey enjoy al l life’s happinesses together
,and suff er
together al l life’s sorrows ; they take counsel togetherin all perplexities
,and share together al l d ifficul
ties . We see them first 'in unclouded bliss,Pr ince
and Princess,happy as the day is long when the
coronation of Ramachandra approaches,we see
them fasting and praying together when the shockof the sentence of exile comes
,S its accepts it care
'Iessly at first caring only for her husband’s presence
,and she would go with him
,she whose
heart is wholl y thine, knowing not another,ever
cl inging to thee resolute to die if left by thee .
”
Thorns would touch her skin like soft linen,dust
would be as sandal -powder,grass would serve as
'blanket,roots and leaves as pleasant food
,so long
as she was by her husband’s side . O Rama,thy
company is heaven,thy absence hell .” Only
when he pleads with her to remain behind,does
her heart fail her. A nd when he bids her comeshe tosses gaily to her attendants al l her costlyrobes and priceless jewels
,stripping herself of al l
that women love,without a sigh , caring only for
the joyous fact that ex ile could not separate hus‘fl am mr iti , ix— l Ol .
206
people worshipped her as a Devi,come to them
for their good deeds . When she came of age, herfather said to her “ Choose thou a fitting husband for thyself.” A nd she went forth asearch
,
with royal retinue. When she returned,after the
lapse of many months,the R ishi Narada was stay
ing with her father and in his presen ce she announced the choice that she had made . “ KingDyumatsena of the Shalva country
,old and blind
and driven from his country by his enemies,lives
in a forest,leading a hermit’s life His son
,Satya
van,have I chosen for my spouse . Then Narada
said “ A las I 0 King I innocent Savitri hathdoneill . Is he not fitting mate for Savitri theKing asked Narada.
“ Is he weak in mind or body,
wanting in forgiveness or in courage Naradasaid “ In nothing is he wanting of all this . Strongand radiant as the sun himself is Satyavfin , gener v
one like Rantideva, just like Shibi, magnificentlike Yayfiti, and beautiful like the moon . But al lthis wealth of virtues must pass away from theearth within a year . His span of life is veryshort.” .With sinking heart Savitri heard the Sage’swords
,yet said “ But once can a person say
give away.
’A nd I have said it once ‘I give mysel f
away to Satyavan .
’ I cannot choose again .
( 207 )
Narada said “Because . thy daughter wavers not,O King I give my bles sing to the marriagewent away .
Swift messengers went to Dyumatsena,and he
sent back word to A shvapati“ I once myself de
sired alliance with thee,but saw not how to ask
for it in my fal len state . Now that the blessedSavitri is coming to me of her own accord
,I know
for sure that Lak shmi’s self is coming back untoour ancient house.” So the marriage came topass . Joyously Savitri passed from her pal aces tothe herm it’s cottage. Eagerly she attended to theleast wants of her aged father-in -law and motherin -law
,rejoicing to perform the humbl est duties
of the household,
and by her tender ways andloving words enslaved the heart of her husband .
But ever undern eath all this,the fire of secret agony
lighted by the words of Narada burned within hersoul and ever she counted the days of the prescr ibed year. A t last the hour appointed for the deathof S atvavfin was only four days distant . Then sheresolved to seek the help of the Devas by fast and
prayer. A nd al l the three days she fasted,taking
not a drop of water . Early she rose on the morning of the fateful day, finished the morningrites , and touched the feet of her elders . A l l the
( 208 )
a scetics dwelling in that for est bles sed her on thatday, saying that she should never know thepangs of widowhood . A nd when the time camefor Satyavan to go forth with his ax e uponhis shoulder into the wood for work
,as usual
,she
made her heart strong and followed him . Heasked in wonder why but she said she wished to
go withhim that day and so they went,beholding
the beauties of the hills,the waters
,the woods
,and
the birds and beasts . Then Satyavan began hisdaily labours
,filled his wal let with f ruit and felled
dried branches for fuel . But suddenly '
a faintnesscameupon him and his head ached greatly
,and he
said this to Savitri and lay down . Then Savitr iplaced his head on her lapand sat
,with breaking
heart,awaiting she knew not what . A l l at once
she beheld a majestic and awe-striking form ,dark
yet shining,clad in r ed attire
,standing beside her
,
and gazing with fixed yet flashing eyes at Satyavan . Gently she placed her husband’s head onthe ground
,stood up and made obeisance . A nd
the form said The days of Satyavan ar e endedI am Yama
,Lord of Death and because he is so
virtuous,I have come to take him away myself,
r ather than send my emissaries as usual .” A nd
he drew the Sfikshma Shari ra of Satyavan
( 2 10 )
is righteous company, 0 King of Death, and sweetis it to dwell with one like thee
.Not fruitless
may such fair abiding pr ove . “ Take then a
second boon as fruit, O peerless lady , but ask notfor thy husband’s soul
,said Yama . Give then
,
O King of mortal worlds,his kingdom to my
husband’s father, his kingdom rent from him byevil men .
“ He shall regain his throne,said
Yama,
“and reign thereon . A nd now go back
,
fair dame,nor follow further . But with sweet
words and honeyed praises,Savitri stil l followed
the Lord of Death,and won from him two other
boons,one hundred sons for her father
,and one
hundred for herself. When the fourth boon was
granted,Sfivitr i spoke in praise of righteous living
and of high discharge of duty, til l Yama, charmedby her eloquence and wisdom
,granted her yet
another boon,
and Sav itri quickly claimed herhu sband’s life
,since Yama had granted her a
hundred sons,
and righteousness would be infr inged if other were their father save her husband.
Thus did a faithful wife win back from Death herhu sband
,and brought to his family prosperity,
r iches,and length of days , since even Yama
,King
of Death,is weaker than a pure wife’s faithful love .“
Mahdbhr‘
i r atam. Van s Par va, ccxcn—ccxcvi ii.
( 2 1 1 )
Nor can the Hindu boy forget the story ofDamayanti , the wife of Nala. Nala
,son of Vira
sena,and King of the N ishadhas , loved Damayanti ,
daughter of Bhima,the King of the Vidarbhas
,
and Damayanti loved Nala, though they had notmet each other, but each had only heard the other
’s
praises as being incomparable upon earth . Now theS vayamvar a of the princess was proclaimed
,and
thereto went King Nala, and Damayanti chose himto be her husband
,al though the Devas
,Indra
,
A gn i,Varuna and Yama
,were among the suitors
for her hand and Nala and Damayanti lived together in great love for eleven happy years
,and two
children were born to them . In the twelfth yearcame Pushkar a, and chal langed King Nala to playhim at d ice
,and Nala played
,and lost again and
again , till at length he had lost to Pushkar a hiskingdom and al l his wealth
,even his garments
,and
went forth an exile,with only one cloth
,half cover
ing his body . Then Damayanti,his wife— having
sent her children to her father’s care when she saw
how the games were going— went forth after him,
clad also in a single cloth,and in the outskr its of
the city they wandered,hungry and athirst. To
complete their m isery , Nala lost his cloth in theattempt to catch therewith some birds for food
,
( 212 )
and hopeles s and desper ate, he wished Damayantito be spared the suff ering of hunger, and re
peatedly pointed out to her the road to her formerhome. But Damayanti
,clung to him
,weeping ,
sobbing that she would not leave him,that when
he was wear y she wou ld soothe him,for in every
sor row there was no such medicine as a loving and
faithful wife . Presently, wearied out, she lay sleeping on the bare ground , and Nala argued withhimself that it would be kinder to l eave her, so
that she might seek her relatives , than to keep herwandering in misery with him . Thus thinking,he cut in half , with a sword that was lying near,the cloth she wore, leaving one half around her ;and wrapping round himself the other half, he fledfrom her
,mad with grief . The hopeless Damayanti
awaking, found herself alone,and bitter was her
grief,more for Nala’s loneliness than for her own
l oss . She sought her husband eagerly,but found
him not— found instead a huge serpent,that wrap
ped her closely in his coils . How she escaped,
and what fresh perils befell her ere she found at
last shelter as companion to a princess of theChedis , is told at length in the N a lopd/chydna .
Meanwhile Nala had rescued a snake ring ed roundwith fire, and by the magic of the snake his f orm
( 214 )
the morrow after thy.
arrival in A yodhya. Forshe knew that none save Nal a could sodrive as toreach her father’s palace from A yodhyawithin so
brief a space . A s she plann ed, so it happened ,
Bitupar na lbade Bahuka drive him swiftly to the
city of the V idarbhas,and Bahuka
,sore at heart
,
chose swif t steeds and drove them ,as only he
could drive,reaching the city of the Vidarbhas by '
that same evening,and there
,by Damayanti ’s
tender wiles,he was led to give signs that he was
indeed Nala,as she suspected
,for he wept over his
chil dren when he saw them,and he cooked as only
N ala could cook ; then she bade them bringBahuka into her presence, and husband and truewife recognised each other, and long thereafterlived they in wedded bliss , their kingdom regained ,and their children around them .
‘
Moreover, a Wife who tr ul y loves and servesher husband gains more of inner development andknow ledge than she can gain by long austeritiesand painful penances . For thus we read in thestory of the B rahmana’s wife who angered Kaushika. Now the Brahmana Kaushika made greattapas . One day he 'sat in meditation under a tree,when a crane sitting on a branch befouled his :
( i 215 )
person. He opened his eyes '
and looked up'
angrily atthe crane and,such was the psychic
power stored m Kaushika by his tapas , that thecrane was kill ed by that angry glance as if struck ‘
by lightning . Kau shika was sad at the death of
the crane , and glad also wi th the pride of testedpower . He went into the neighbouring town to bega s usual for his daily meal , and asked the firstgood housewife thathe came across for it. A s sheWas " fetching him some food her husband came 1n ,tired with his daily work
,covered with dust.
A sking Kaushika to stay a while,she began to
attend to her husband . Some time elapsed and
Kaushika’
s impatience grew.
' VVhen she came backtohim at last with the food he needed
,he looked
at her with angrier eyes than he had looked withat the crane, and asked her how she had neglectedthe Brahmanafor so long . She answered gently4 ‘My duty to my husband 18 more urgent than tothee . Restrain thy wrath and learn forgiveness
,
Brahmana . Look not at me w1thanger ; thatwil linjure thee . I am no crane . Kaushika was
thunderstruck and questioned her“ and she replied :
No penances haVe Iper formedwtog( r ather psychic
powers}; only servedmyhusband single iniii
dedly.
If thou wouldst lear n yet more about the virtues
of our simple household ,duties , go to
“the fowlerof d istant . Mithila.
”Kaushika
,went, . with a
humbled ,mind, to Mithila, and stood at the Erig geof the great crowd of customers around the fowler’s shop . The fowler saw Kaushika
,went up to
him,and, bowing low to the Brahmaha
, said Iknow why the faithful housewi fe sent thee to me
,
and shall resolve thy doubts and show thee whyI can do T hen the fowler took Kaushika tohis . home
,and showed him his aged par ents , as we
have already seen .
*
How brothers should show B r other ly Low we
read in the whole story of the Rdmdyana , and itis said that Lakshmana was like Rama’s life
,so
cl ear and close the bohd , nor would they sleepapart, nor apart engage in sport we see himfollow Ramachandra into the forest
,and stand
waking on watch whil e Rama slept we see him.
sharing in the search for Sita, ever wise in counseland loving in sympathy and when Lakshmanalies senseless , arrow-pierced , before Lanka, hearRama
’
8 piteous cry \Vhat have I to do with lifeand what with war , now Lakshmana lies woundedon the field of battle Why, forsaking me dostthou wander , 111 other worlds Without,
thee, lif eMahabharata?» Vans .Parvp, ocv.
12 18 1 )
into ever-deepening gloom, Bak er and darker grewthe
,air
,gloomier and gloomier yet
’ the shadowyway. Foul thing s of nauseous smell and horrid shapecrowded round them as they went
,and.beneaththeir
feet the .
ground -was slippery -with bleed; and wass trewn with fragments of the corpses l
of 1the slain.
Sharp thorns and piercing leaves obs tr ucted it,and
burning sand, and ir on smnes white-hotzlA stounde
'
d,
the.
King . questioned his celestial guide,'who told
him that he had been bidden to lead'
him thither,
but uii he wer e fweary, he could return . S loivlyr
tdoubtful ly, {Yudhishthiraturned, sur e thathis .bro
ther s .could '
not dwell in 'region so fo ll i and 'evi lbutas !he tur ned 'Sad cr ies a‘rose on every}hand, andpiteous pr ayer slthat he would ls
'
tay a while .
“Whoa r e you P
”asked the wonder ing Kin
'
g, and answers,sobbed from every; side . I
'
am Karna.
” I amBhishma.
’
1
’I 1 am A rjuna ”
.
“ I ’
am Nakula.
” “ Iam Sahadeva. I am Dr aupadi.
” '
.A 11d so withothers
,dearly loved on earth .
‘f Go back, go backto S varga,
’
f. cried the King, wrought to anger byhis
'
brothers' wrong s go back to those who sent
you-here as -guide. .Not with themmy place,
’ buthere, my loved
' ones dWel l . Gothoubu ll -to Svarga
’
s barr en-joys ; better .with . these injpain than there in lonely bliss .” -A 1i d as he . spake
( 21 9
heaven’s fragrance breathed around, and ”al l'
was
bal rhy air and shining lightand.For stronger than hell is l lo‘
vefi and'
fidel ity: than
'
1 A mong the vir tues '
to’ be,'
shown' outside théfami ly
,Hospitals?stand
's'"1n the first rank;'
and howhighly it is to be valuedmay be seen'
of the hal f-golden mongoose thatgreat sacrifice of King Yudhishthir a, whereal l thearches and the stakes‘
a‘
nd sacrificial vessels were ofgold
,andwhereat al l men took as they "would ‘
of
gems and money,none ‘ forbidding‘them.
iYétcried
the mongoose, that the sacr ifice'
of the wealth theregatheredWas of less worth than“a smal l measure ofpowdered barley, given byapob
'
r Bifih'mana to his
guest. A nd thus he told the tale. Therewas aBrahamana who kept the unchha vow
,and daily
l ived on the '
g rains of corn he gathered , makingone frugal meal a day, he and his wif e, with son
and daughter -l n law. A nd a terrible famihe laidwaste the land and fewwere the grains left uponthe husking ground by threshers , and ever thinner and thinner grewheand his faimly, till they wer ebut as living skeletons . One day it happened that he
fi
‘Eahdbhc’ir atam,Mahaprasthamka Par va, hi , and S vargarohana
' H ‘ f ” 1 1 °
( 220
had gathered a l ittle bar ley, and, having 1powder edit,thewife divided it into .
four,that each mighthave
a scanty meal and joyfull y they sat‘ down to eat.
But ere yet they had touched the little heaps ofgrain , a guest . stood in the doorway, and quicklyrising, , the Brahmanabrought -him in , and gavehimwater and a seat
,and then setbefore him his .own
share of the scanty food . . The guest ate, but stil lwas hungry , and
,the
‘wife brought her share andplaced it in her husband’s hands that he might putit before the guest . Shaking artthou with weakness , mother of my son , he said
“ keep thou thefood and eat
,lest my home lose its sunshine.
” Butshe pressed on him . the food , that .the dharma ofhospitality might not be broken, and, with a sigh,he took and gave
,Yetstill the guest was fain for
more, and the son brought his meagre share, and
the hrahmana, aching for his son’s hunger and the
emaciation of his youthq body, laid that thir dportion before the guest ,
But,alas even then the
guest was stil l hungry, for .each little share was as
nothing for ahungr y lman, and the
,
young wife’ssharewas nowheldoutto the host
’s shaking hands,but he dr ew
’
them back with anguishathis heart“ N ot yours
,my littl e one, not yours, not yours .
”
“ Father of my son’s father
,she said
,with sweet
a w
Espying a poor . she-pigeon lying '
on the ground,beaten down by the torrents of the rains and frozenwith the . cold he picked .
her up and mercil esslythr ust her into the 1 cage“ he carr ied . Wanderingon he -
'
shortly came to . a lordly tree that stpod’
in
the 'midst of the for est, and ex tended a‘ benevolent
shade and shelter to'
myriads . of the f eatheredtribe . -It seemed to have been placed there Son
purpose by the Creator for thegood of al l creatures ,like
.a g ood man
' for the . benefit of the wor ld .
The fowler took refuge -beneath the . spreadingboughs of the tre e . .
‘
By and by,the*
e louds dis
per sed, and the star s f shone outm ButEthezfoiwler
was too far away from his home and r esolved topass the night under the tree . A s he lay underthe tr ee he heard the he-pigeon lamenting : A las !thou hast not yet
'
r etur ned , dearvwi fe l
'What can
have 'happened ato n thee ? If that dear wife of
mine; with her bright rose-eyes, sweet'
coo,
‘
and
softest plumes , gcometh not back to my .nest, mylif e ‘
shal l no longer he .worth living . .The house isnot the home, in tr uth ; the wife is the home . She
eats when I eat, she bathes when I bathe she r ejoiceswhen I rejoice, and sorrows when I sorrow. Yet if I
am iangr y, she always speaks w ith sweetness only.
Life is empty _without such a spouse . Without
g( 223
palace is -.an empty wilderness. S ucha
'
on'
e is x'
al trusted companion and 'beloved associatein al l one’s acts of virtue, profit
‘
and pleasure .The wife is the‘ richest possessionof her‘lord . She
i s' his’ one unfailing associate in al l the concern s ofl ife. She is the" bes t of medicines for all the diseases‘of the mind . T her e is no fr 1end 'likeunto' thehvif e, no
'
r efuge' better than she.
Hearing the lament of her husband,
" the she'
pigeon caged by .the cruel fowler '
said to herself .
Unlim ited is my happiness even in the midst ofagony wthait my husband thinketh thus of me.
She is 'no wife with “whom'
her lord'
is not'content.Butwe must also think of this poor fowler, overtaken by the cruel storm and kept away fr omhome. He is now our guest
,having taken shelter
underneath' our abode . A nd she cried aloud toher husband, explaining the plight of the fowler.The pigeon too
,with instant sympathy
,forgetting
his own sorrows,add ressed “ Wel come
'to my house as honoured guest, and tell me what'
to
do. The . fowler said : am stiff with coldw’
arm ’me if thou canst The 'bird gathered togather a heap of dead and fallen leaves pickedup one : in his beak
,flew and very soon r eturned
w ith a tiny ember on it fr om some neighbouring
'
224
v illage. In a moment the fowler found hixnsel fwarmed by a gr atef ul l
'fir e,and . the bird asked
.him again for ser vice . . to be done. The fowlerasked f or . food .this .time . The bird thought c
“ I‘have no s tores fwher ewithto feed him ;
'
and yet a
hungry guest may not be left unfed .1A s he r e
flected deeply,a
'
n ew light ~arose within his mindand he cried to his guest “ I shall gratify thee lI have heard in former days fr om highv
'
sbul ed
Rishis , and the Devas and Pitris also that there isgreat merit in honoring a guest . 0 fr iend 5dorthou be kind to me and accept my humble -ser
vice 1” With this he ’
flew'
around the fir e'. thr ee
rtimes and then enter ed the flames,off er eing his
'body to his guest for food .
A t that awful actof uttermost guest-honouring,an unknown horror of his - own past lif e on sin
s eized on the mind of the fowler,tearing np his
ev il . nature by its deepest roots,and leaving him
al l shattered . Thou ar t my highest teacher,high-souled bird 1 Thou showest memy duty4F r om this day I expiate my sins , denying rosycomf ort to this sin fed body, evapor ating it witha ll its crimes by daily fast and tapas , '
es the sttong
trays of the summer sun -dry up a smal l -tend d irty
pool . Taught .by this . example I -shallpractise
226
Dhr itarfishtr a craved Vidur e’s help touching theevil conduct of Duryodhana
,and Vidura l oo
'
unseIJ
l ed his brother wisely but firml y,
'praying him to
enforce on Duryodhana his duty'
of peace with hisPandava cousins
,and to mak e his supporters win
forgiveness from the wronged and exiled princes .A t this , Dhritarashtra became much incens ed
,
and hotly blamed his righteous br other, accusinghim of partiality
, ,and finally of foul . disloyalty
,
adding gross insul t to the charge and going fromhis brother ’s side in wrath . Then
'
Vidure sadlysought ' the Pandavas
,and told how he was
'
sent
away with. angry words,and counsell ed them with
wisdom,urging urbanity and gentle ways . A nd
after V idu rahad gone,King Dhritarashtr a repent
ed him of his harshness and injustice,and sent
after him to beg him to return,exclaiming : G0
,
0 Safi jaya, and see if my brother lives, he whom Ihave driven away in angry madness. Never hashe wr onged me
,nor committed any fault, while
I have grievously wr onged him . Seek him and
bring . him hither,Sanjays
,the wise .” So Sanjays
wen t,wondering whether Vidure , the calm and
strong,would pardon his .wmkwhOM
’s
'
changing moods , and become .again . the pillar. of histhrone . A nd going to the forest, he found Vidure,
227
highly honoured by the"
princes '
and by al l,ahd"
approaching him ,prayed 'him
'
to return : Then'
V idui‘a,w ithout hesitating even for a moment,
"
rose and took leave -of his royal nephews , and
hastened to his elder brother’s “ presence, t'
w'
hb"
prayed for giveness for the wrong ' comml ttedzl
Gently .V idur a spoke 0 King; I have fo'
rgiven'.Worthy ‘
of highest reverence ar tthou; my elder,’
my superior . Eagerly have I come,longing to see“
thy face. A nd if I seemed to favour the sons of"Pandu
,it was because a .man’s heart year neth over
those who ar e distressed , more' from emotion than '
from reason . Dear ar e thy sons tome as they, 0
King,but the sorrows of ' the latter. moved my
heart . Thus gently and‘
magnanimously ' spokethe younger brother, forgetting; as unimportant, theinsults he had received .!
U rbanity is a virtue very characteristic of,
the ‘
old Hindu life . We see the most exquisite polite-I
ness in language and in a ction , as we read how thegreat ones of the epic poems
,good and
'
bad
behaved towards guests and‘ friends '
and ' foesfil '
Ramachandra is gentle in speech, and prefaces his‘“speeches with a kindly smilesl
'
, Lakshmi theI l ahdbhd r atam,
Ashvamedha Par va, xcu . I ' n . m s
’
l‘Rd l lbéyana , A yodhyakz
'
inda , i . . .m" r
”
; l u'
in
2281:
of Prosperity, speaking of the Danavas enduedz
with'
sweet speech,with f riend liness and with for
giveness, declares that She dwelt : with thembecause of their virtues When they gave way towrath, and harshness , and unfair dealings , She left .
them, ;attendedby the Devis who abide with Her s—wHope, Faith , Intelligence, Gontentment, Victory ,A dvancement and Forgivenessfi
“ So N aradai issaid to be sweet-speeched
,large-hearted, str aight
f orward, free from wrath and greed,and therefore
everywhere regarded with respect and‘ lova '
i”
A gain , Bhishma iteaches that we should not disparage others by look , word or thought nor speakevil of any. that we should never injure any, norbehave with unfr iendlin ess that we shoul d pass:with indifference Opprobrious speeches
,and
,even
when another seeks to anger us,shoul d still speak
agreeably, and when slander ed,we should not
slander in r etur ni So . again Narada . described a
Nags,named Padma
,who was wal king on ‘the
threefold pathof acts , knowledge and devotion , andspoke‘ of him as ever hospitable
,practising forgive
ness , and abstaining f r om infiicting injuries . He was
5’ N ahdblia r atcim, Shi nti Par va, ccx viii.1'M abdbhar atam, Shanti Pm aa—ocxm
1 Mahl bhér am , Shana Per u , ccln viii,
230
m am as cg sw im : u
anaemia ( we?! a r e an m : I
names; a visa-
3 em : firm : II
tria ls?! smi thas! film m l
a tit-1 193 afi rm editat“
: Eider u
em i tmt?!“
sentvi macaw 1
armm arsh ism m a
“fWomen must be honoured and adorned by
their fathers,brothers
,husbands and brother s iii
law who desire welf are .
‘Where women ar e honoured,there theDevas
ar e pleased but where they ar e not honoured,no
sacred rite is fr uitful .Where the female relatives live in grief, the
family soon perishes uttei'ly but that family in
which they ar e not unhappy prospe'
rs ever.The houses in which f emale
'
relatives,not
being duly'
honoured,pronoun ce a
,
curse,
. perishcompletely, as if
: destroyed
iér’
mzsirgsamhammi m.w _ll i
T his is the ex tento f the man his wife, shimself and his children ;~Brahmanas thus declare that
“
231
the husband and wife ar e known as the same .M anam a
“
?31m m : 1
rm mi : smear its : ssfig’
e i t: cit : ll
am fi eém ai u’
igm g mfifi n
Wmitr i r ai atWWWLet mutual fidelity continue until death this
'may be considered as the summar y of the highestlaw for husband and wife.
Let man and woman,united in marriage,
constantly exert themselves,that they be not dis
united nor violate their mutual fidelity .
”
muffswa s ans asa"
?s s tar l1126 1311 13“
Gai ifs ant-
E sr amari a ll46
m mhfin 9 11i Qatarqéhifam l
Emir m e E" em s am: 11
ahead aqfi m fim w mfi a l
an : m axi semi a rfirfaaism i ll iGrass
,room
,water and fourthly
,a kind word ;
' these ar e never wanting in the households of the'
1
. u A guest who is sent by the isun in the eveningmust not be driven . away 'by
'
a householderwhether he have come at a convenient or incon-f
1 1nd , 101— 102 . 1 Ibid . 1 11,— 106.
( 232 ;
venieht time;he must n ot stay in the : hou se :without entertaimnenti' i ‘1
“ Let him. (the anyxfood
which he doés ziiot offer te'
his guest; thehospitablereception or mmsmm rs eninhe zn
’
é,i ong l ife,
and heavenly bliss .
ii i a mgr?ag ree mi : li“
Let him speak the true, let him speak thepleasing
,lethiin not speak an unpleasing truth,
nor speak a pleasing falsehood ; this is the ancient18W.
” 3 H Fa
h
x x Q fiwe: w as?as B ungee a m ar la 5 m a l l
$587 : Ihin tWWI s taf fing“
Hewhose speechand mind ar e pure and:evercar efully guarded, he obtains al l the fruit .that i sObtained by means of the Vedanta.
r
“ Let him not,even though distressed, cut an .
other to the quick . (by his speech) nor meditateacts of hostility to others let him never utter ' themalignant word that disturbs the mind of the
M am/ swm ti , i ii—438 , 1' M anum r i f i, 11 160- 162.
( 2 34 )
utter that. belonging w the
evil wor lfish’
wher eby'
snother is agitateden'
D r
man that ever wounds the Vitals (bf oth‘ers,
har sh, , and 1 sharp '
oi z epeech, ‘ ever piercing bthermen with the thorns of evil wor ds , he
“
is the iman
most abandoned i'
e f fi'
(diak shmi) ;forigsmaef and everbeareth , bound tosii is1
'
mouth, azn ev il rd emon .
“ They ar e ver ihyjar i‘e‘ws ; theseWfliwaor ds thatissue from themonth; he whois wounded by themsorroweth n ight and day, for they wqimd the Vitals .The wise man 1mloosethnotjsiieh(sha;f ts) atother s .
“ There ar e no riches ; in them t‘lds like
charity and sweet speech. F ” 1; s ;
“ Therefore ever ; speak gently and never harshly honour the worthy ; give, but aslfi pot.
353
WWI 55; “ W ai t 11a
W WW first}Wfisfi :
The man sfi sfi eésww .W%W ? 3Y
commitm y : sin , he may slay,even ,his elders , or
insult show : worthy of his reverence withharshc
‘' i tN i'
1
He may send himsel f to the abode,of Death.
( 235 )
Beholding these great faul ts in anger,have the
wise ones conquered itfi gqA
shadm z’
um'
gsw em 1 w
What one thing, 0 Brahmanadflndra asks ofbie r Preceptor uBr ihas
'
pati),l if a 'man shall practisewell
,shall he ‘beconie '
a standar d 'for al l beings ,'
and
attain to fame'widespread 1?r
“ Gentleness is ‘ the (w i thing, O Shakra,Whichif a man .will
'
r pr a'
ctiser unremittingly,
‘"he shall become ia standard f or “ al l r beings and attain
'
to'
fame"
1 .r ‘1 ii
one thing br ingeth joy to‘
all thewor lds ‘
;
practising it (towards al l being'
siithe i‘manbbecometh
(dear 1unt0 '
al l «3 113 1 t u n -bu s?)“
s crew-tw at} “ s t raw s“ 1 ' " TM"
“ He that su'
ppié’
sééththe’aiiéfi
that'
hathrisen within1 of truth declare to bethe true T ejasizi i"
=
CHA PTER'
x 1 . r
i bf'
oh'
t'
V 1 1 1 .
V i a'
r nes A N D y icss mm u l es i g ihrnnti'H '
1 F l.
S we go more and ~m ore into“
the Wor ld , wecome ;acr oss tmany .peOpleg—whoware‘ muchyounger than,
our sél izes ,“
peoplet iotpthe nextor of later generations, peOple aisocwho ar e les s,educated, or ,who arepoorer, or belowuus 1in 1
' socialrank .
. 1 with such people, inferior .’
to1 ourselves , insome special , point or. generally, we enter intbnr e
lations,and we need '
to know iwhat virtues weshould cultivate, .what vices we shiould avoid,
‘if ourrelationsWiththem ar e to rbe harmonious . h
“.Theifir st and mOSt1ObV10uS of these r elations is
that with our youngers,and the best exam ii le
'
sfiof
thejnecessaryhvir tues, are -s een in the . 1r elations of
parents to; their 1111111111111. T ender ness, flompd ssion,Gentleness , Kindness , how 1-strongiy 1thesezvirtues
shine out ingorving par ents, and howM py theymake thehasten -J amel”madam hi e theirchildren;sufiss ie ,
theivxsufievings iw e ighed ih‘their
pleasures, ,fesl ”symposthy .With1them1imever ything.
Thi§tfarms beautiful ly brought» 1 101111 1 in an
“
ancient story,the story of the sorrow of Surabhr
when her children suffer. In daysof yor e, Sar abhl ,
238 9
princesand his nobles,’
when heprams 15marhis
'
sémas his siicceSSdr,to
‘
seat him on the throne.
Every sentenee‘
br eathes his loveand pride. A nd
when'Kaikey} has claimed her b00ns ,“ and demandsRama's4 exile tothe forest
,see Dasharatha fal ling
as her‘feet; declar ing that thoughthe Eworld mightlive WithOiit thd‘sun, without Rama fheicod l d notfive’: I laymy head at thy feet . “ IBs merciful to
Havepityon'
m'e,aged and ou the verge bi
death .
'
A nd 'so true was this,thaifiwhen Shri
Rama'lat 'last tore himself away f rom 'his father,
that father 'went home broken hearted, and ' diedf rofi
‘
gr ief for his exiled son .
“ A nd remember thepitiful
'scenebetwieen Ramach
'
andr a'
andmis motherKaushalya
‘ when he carr ies her the neWs 61 hisex ile.l He shall not go, she cr ies in her anguishWithout ?r hini she'will pine aWay and die. (Dr , if
he be''fixed in“wil l to‘ go, in loving?'obedience to
his» father’s order s then wil l she also tread thefovr ests ipatlrs : 1
“ Like unto a‘cow .following fi ts
’
youngJionw. shal l ' l 'af Ol lOW' thee, Q) .myi danling,
massevér'
thsu shalt go.
“ f
'.1ms w l
7seethewos '
of whenhasfiveiioblé
(1 9 39 1
was float. Khnti—ahr avest of‘
1 women? ahdl
'
of
mothers , who, when the'
hour '
of'
battle camef b'
ade
Shr i Krishila tell her sbns 'thatf
'
the timehad "some?for them for which'a Kshattr iya w
‘
oman'
borehson,
and that even l ife'
shou'
l d’
be 11111 (111211 11 forhohour’s '
sakew this Kuntiwailed,brokeril hear ted , andIcould jl
scarce force herself away‘from her sons
,coul d
scarceforbear to folIOW'them as they went'forth.
of A rjuna over the
top
, ; a s he rfrom the field
{lie feels unacturns
“
to Shri
“explan
question s his” ers,who fear to ans
with sadhehr t'
feels the pierei '
sh0 1 11
'
death and surely the youthmustas his
,
Ifoes closed
{
l n'
ar ound him]
,1 1 1 ! l l “ . 1 1
r escue me 0111 . th erce'
storm1
came not to;his 11I”
and heI
iel l,pierced
hundred wouiihds ve;"
been resentttois chil thelighht tliia';
h 11 "m
una to'
riiad[ e heroic soul/ j [
to protect the weaker much more thehero is f ather
,and the
M ahdbkc‘
in ttdm, S abhaPar va~ 1xx ix.
'
1"
Ibid , Drona Pam mxii.
240.
This duty of Pr otecting theWeak/ is incarnatedi n the,
r ighteous King, ,and it . is the ,f nlfil rnent
'
oi
this duty ,whichawakens the loyaltyo f hi s s ubfjects :
,
T o protect his subjects is the cream of k inglyduties ,
’
f* says Bhi shma.
,The ;King
'
should alwaysbear himsel f towards ,
his,
csubjeCt. as' a . mother
towards the child of her the mother,disregar ding those objects that ar e .most cherishedby her
,seeks the good of her, child alone, even so,
without doubt.
sho s conduS o
‘
str ixig’
ent 18 th KingSagara exiledh1s own eldest son
,A sama
naas,be
cause,
that prince , in reckless cruelty,
. drowned the
children of his subJects l n the river.1Many ar e the ston es of the ways in which good
pr oe
z
lower
.fromngs on
withlh‘ir
'
n the vast d
lodg’l
tr aif‘
él save theIndra has come downf romkings to Svarga, an
'dbidshid)
1bid , Shanti Par va— l vii i ..H f akdbhémtm sms Pm s mm "
m a da m , ”
( 242 )
deg . says Indr a.
“ This is well known in al l the
wor lds that withthe dead is neither f r iendship
yetquar r el . . When my brother s and K r ishna fell
and died , no power was mine to br ing them back
to life ; hence I abandoned them. I did not aban
don them so long as they wer e living . This one
lives . ,T o ter r or ise the seeker for pr otection, to slay
a woman , to steal what belongethto a Brahmana,td injur e a f r iend , to eachof these cr imes, methinks ,is equal the sin of abandon ing one so devoted .
”
A nd then the dog van ished and Dharma, Deva of
r ighteousnes s , stood in celestial glor y wher e had
crouched the dog , and withhim and Indr a, hymnedby Devas
,prai sed by ‘ Sages, the r ighteous K ing
was car r ied'
to the heaven ly wor ld .
*
Hear yet another tale of ancient days .
King‘
Shibi,son of Ushinar a
,sat in his spacious
hall, in the midst of his (assembled court. A ll at
once, a'dove flew in
,and
,r ushing throughthe air
,
flung itself into the br oad : lapof the King , pantingbr eathless , fainting withfatigue and fear . A s the
King str oked and smoothed i ts nufiied feathers ina
wonder ing tender ness , soothing back its br eathand
lifewithhis car esses , an angr yhawk dashed into
fire ball al so, , and came to a sudden pause befor e the
( 243 )
K ing . In r eviving ter r or , the dove cr ied out in a
human voice“ Thou ar t the sover eign of -this land
wher ein I dwell . I have a r ight to thy protection
too. I come to thee for r efuge f rom my enemy .”
But the hawk said also withthe human voice
too r eside within thy sover eignty, 0 K ing , and this
is my appointed food by Pr ovidence itself'
. If thou;
deniest it to me, then sur ely thou r efusest me my
r ight.
”The K ing ponder ed a while and said :
“ Ye’bothar e r ight 1 Thou hast a r ight,
’ 0 dove, that I
protect thy innocent lif e f r omharm and thou,
'O'hawk, that I depr ive thee not of thy
'
just food'
! But
thus shall I r esolve this knot of dharma. Takethou other food f r om me
, O hawk , till thou art
full I” But thehawk said .
“ I musthave the doveitself , none other ; or if other , then fleshf r om thine '
own body , 0 King, i of the weight of this ver ydove The angr y minister s would have slain atonce the,
hawk that menaced thus the pr iceless ,lif e
of their belovedmaster , and cr ied out against thepetty thing ,
But King ,Shibi said “ I sither e as,
the sover eign; ‘
not for small or g reat, not for zdgvg
or hawk, but as living embodiment oi u l lhaqrna”as example . to [my 1151 fail .in the small ,I shall fail i n the great also people,
,shall
fail gr ievously , imitating me up a pair,Of I
(i 244
scales . Stricken witha great sor row, power less todisobey, setting their teethagainst the du
twel l ing
gr oans; the minister s brought up scales .-
‘
IWithone-gentle
'
hand,the King placed the dove into one
,
’
and withthe other stronghand hé hewed 'l a piece;of fleshf romihisbwn 'liinbs . Butthe’dovewas! tooheavyf i And 1the K ing
‘hewed ofl andthea‘ pieceand the dove 'vvas mu
’
chtoo heavy still . ‘
A nd.
the
wander ing EKing'
hewed off still another piece bf
flesh'f r om-his fbody. But the dove' '
gr‘ew
'
ever beavi
s r.. , A t the last, .the K ing threw his whole body
into the scale,“ A nd behold, the hawk
"
and the dove
disappeared , and“
in . their . place stood Indr a and ,
A gn i , and they ,cr iedtaloud “ Tr uly. ar t '
thou a
King , and. knowest well the sover eign’
s fir st duty
of -
protectiOnzI ,We have f ound thee mor e thad '
we
had Thy body is no longer mang led .
Live thou long within the hear ts of thy
It i s'
true that these stor ies ar e tol d of kings ,because they ar e r egarded as the type (if the Pr 0 *
tector'
of theweak ,but boys can also showprotec
tion,
‘
in a smal ler measure,to all whoar e weaker
than themselves. For these stor ies ar e t'
old m or der
that we‘ma
'
y'
take example by themarid copy m—r—r
— v
H ahdbhd r dtam,Varia Pan s , cm ic— xcvi and A nushi sana
lam axxxii . The st'
or y is told of di ffer entheroic kingsfL
-246
soiled lips .
“ Dr ink,brother : the said kindl y
doubling the value of the gi ft withhis mild gra
ciousness . A nd . as the .outcaste dr ank, the lovinghear t of Raptideva bur st into pr ayer toHar i “ I do
not ask for the thus be s pake “ I
do not ask Nir vana. Only‘
l ask that may. per
vade al l beings , suf f er ing for them their miser ies,
that they. may live without sor row. . By givingthis water to save the life of this s uff er ing man,my hunger , thir st, languor , distr ess and rgiddinesshave al l passed away .
”A nd this pr ayer has ever r e
mained the most per fect ex pr ession ,of compas sion .
The danger whichis connected withthe shewingout of tender ness and pr otection to theWeaker thanour selves . is the vice '
of Pr ide. l t’
ar ises f r om
ahamkar a, that .g ives -the sense of separateness of“ I” and “
you ,’
and thinks mor e of the fact that
I am helping this weaker one,
”thahof shar ing
what is r eall y a common stor e withone tempor ar ily
shut out f r om it by his separ ate form . By lettingthe mind dwell on one
’
s own useful ness and power
to do good , pr ide . is awakened,and quickly
'
r uin s
the good wor k thathas been per formed . None thatwear s a separ ate body may escape the power of thissubtlest
'
and most danger ou s of foes , that is'
known
.247
as a'
hamkfira. 3 Even “ the . ver y highest fal l beneathits sway. in l ungua
'
r ded r moments and unavoidably
sufler 'the aconsequén'
ces,for
'
the Law of 'Karma i s
inflex ible, and equal for highand low alike. Many
a war n ing is'
ther efor e given'
in the Smr iti againstahamkar a and .pr ide , the gr eat and subtle foe of thewise and strong . Listen to some of these.
The ancient sage-Narayana spent ages in the
s ever est penance, on the peak known by the name
of Badar i of the Himalaya mountains . T o .testhis
f r eedom f r om the attr actions of sen se objects,Indr a
sent thous ands of heavenl y nymphs to play aboutin his T apovana, his grove of auster ity, and diverthis attention away f rom his au ster ities . They didas d ir ected . T he R ishi Narayana saw Withhisill umined eye the pur pose of their coming and
smiled w ith confidence. By his Yoga power hepr oduced as many thousands of s imilar ly shaped
form s,and sent them for thto offer hospitality to
Ind r a’s hosts . The latter wer e ashamed,and pr ay
ed to the Rishi to for give their ev il pu r pose. He
was pleased and did so,and fur ther off er ed them
a boon . A nd the boon 'they asked was thathe '
should be their husband and pr otector . Gr eat was
his per plex ity, buthaving said thathe would g ive,he could not say no. H e r epented ~sadly This
( 248 )
gr eat tr oubl e has ar isen out of my ahamkhra , with
out a doubt. .T he fir st cause of the f r ustr ation of
al l dharma is ahamkar a.
”Then he ' said to the
maidens It is againstmy vow to enter into the
household . l ife in’
this bir th. In another birth,as
K r ishna, whichI'
shal l have to take for other wor k
also, I shall r'
edeem my pr omise,i and ,bear the f ear
ful weight of this huge household, mar rying yeal lout of the highfamilies into whichyou also shal l
be bor n .l
V ishvamitr a,King of Gadhi
,belonging to a
line of Kshattr iya Kings founded by Kusha,who
came dir ect f rom B rahms,r etur ning tohi s kingdom
with his armies after a gr eat tour of conquest,
passed throughthe T apovana of the Sage Vashi
shtha. Leaving his armies at a distance, V ishva
mitr a went in rever ence to .the herm itage of the
Sage to make obeisance. . Vashi shtha r eceived himw ith al l honour and kindn ess . A s V ishvamitr a
r ose,
to depart,f ear ing lest his armies cause
distur bance in that place of peace,Vashishtha
off er ed hospitality to the K ing with al l his
for ces . V ishvfimitr a declined again an d again ,ver y unwill ing to bur den the ascetic
’
s scant r e
sour ces but Vashishtha insisted again and ag ain,
Dev! Bhagavata. IV , vi—vi i.
( 250 1)
Br fihmana power ; and this he succeeded in doing,after» -ages of self -denial, and peace w as
made between him and Vashishtha, and Vashi
shtha r ecogn ised him as a Br ahmar shi.
T o be King of the Devas is to hold a position
that may easily fill the hear t withpr ide,and fr om
this'
cause . l ndr a s ever al times fell f r om hi s high
estate. Once, sur r ounded by his Devas,he sat on
the thr one cf the thr ee wor lds,and when Br ibes
pati,teacher (if al l the Devas
,came befor e him
,
Indra kepthis seat,not r ising up ,
to r eca1ve the
gr eat.
.pr eceptor . Then Br ihaspati tur ned and
wenthis ways,abandoning the Devas, -whom the
A sur as then assaulted with success,dr iving them
and their King f rom S varga. This led to .many
another tr ouble, and to the slaying of , a Brahmana
on two,sever al occasions by Indr a, so that he had
to per form much penance,
.er e he became pu r i~
fled .
"E
N ow,while Indr a was per forming
'
this longpenance, .
-the Devas,in or der that S var ga might
not suffer the '
evils of anar chy,elected King
N ahusha '
of the Lunar Dynasty of the'
earth’
s
kings , to hold the high office of the Ruler of
HeaVen . 5None other was found fit for it But,as
Bhdga/m ta Pur dfla; fi i vii viii .
c. 251
N ahusharul ed,and r uled with!gr eater
'
miglit'
than
Indr a'himsel f
,p r ide gr ew in his 'hear t f r om day to
day; and'
thOughts of sin'came into' his
rmind behind t
the thoughts of pr ide.
'
f A nd he said totheDevas tr
“ I hear the bur den s of India,I ‘musthavehis‘
r ights also.
‘ ’Let Sha’
chi,
‘
th’d’wif e of Ind ra,appear
befOr e ’me .
” 1 Then the Devas S poke‘
with' each
other in (;their distr ess; and
'
thought that N ahusha'
was no longer fi t to r ule in ih'
eaven ,’ -and . fel t t al ser
Sur e .that! thé 1 time f or Ind r a’
s‘
r etu r n was n igh.
But' who was strong enough to stand » befbr ei
N ahusha The might thathe had earn edr by past 1
good deeds coul d be' defeated only if he r oused thé
wr athof some gr eatRishi by some d ir e.
"off ence.
A nd so they spoke with‘ Shachi,and told Nahus
'
ha '
that Shachi'
woul d see himif he came toher'
homel
on the shoulder s of the Rishis . N ahusha ordered'
a conveyance bor ne by Rishis .
’
A nd the sageI
A gastya‘
and other s wer e‘asked
,by or der of the
King, to li ft the sedan chair .
'
A nd they co‘
nsented'
gently . But,as the pr ocess ion marched
,N ahusha;
in liis eager ness and '
bverfldwin‘
g pr ide,touchéd’
A gastya’
s head withhis foot and angr ily er der edl
him togo faster . ThenA gastya saw that N ahush'a stime was come
,aiid he pf Onounc
'
ed a'
h'
iir se'bnI
him, and N ahu sha '
fell f rom heaven into a huge
252
ser pent’s body on this ear th, and suff ered the pains
of a high soul confined to a low body for many, .
many agesf til l r eleased ther ef rom .by the wise
Words of his descendant, Yudhishthira, the .Kingthathad no
N ow -Bal i, son of V irochana, had dwelt long in
high pr osper ity , for the Devi Shri , or Lakshmi ,abode withhim as r ecompense for his good deeds .
Butpr ide in his own r ighteousness , and in the hap
piness it brought him ,enter ed into his hear t
,and
be 'began to think highly of himself and il l of
other s, ,
and wroughtevil to them instead of seeking'
their welfar e as befor e. Then was the Devi dis
pleased with Bal i and determined to leave .him,
and to go and dwell with his enemy Ind ra, the.
Deva King in Svarga. A nd vainly Bali lamented ‘
his folly,when he saw the Devi , who had long
blessed him,living .Withhis r ival . A nd this ,
”
said Utatthya to King Mandhata,“ is the r esult of
malice and pr ide. Be thou awakened , O Mam ,
dhata, so that the Devi of pr osper ity may not“
wrath deser t thee. The Shr utis decl ar e that Unr ighteousness begot a son named Pr ide on the
.
Dev! of Pr osper ity . This,Pr ide, 0 King, led
many among the Sur as and the A suras to r uin"
2“ Haledbhdmtani, Vana Para, olm i.’ 1 I
254
of pleasur e 'br ing blessings to the son .
’
B ut the
mother ?'She ‘ is the giverf of
'the body, the pro
tector of ”the child . When 1the wish l oises his
mother,1the world for him is empty . Dikeher is
no'
shelter , no r efuge, nodefence none is so
'
dear
as
'
she.
” Thus 'mused Chir akar in,bewsil der ed by
conflicting claims . thought1 T he
husband has his names (Bhar tr i,Patif es the suppor ter and pr otector of the wife . If he cease to
support ‘and protect,how shall he remain the
husband ,-A nd my mother is
'
to me the object ofmy highest reve rence .
”N ow Gautama
,his m ind
calmed by meditation,was overwhelmed withthe
thought of the s in he had committed tu command
ing his sonto slayzhis wi fe, and hehastened home,
weeping, blaming his own car elessness for his'
wi fe’s
Offence, and hoping that h1s son had”not obeyed
him .
“ Rescue me , he cr ied,thinking of his son
,
“r escue me and thy mother, and the penances Ihave
‘
achieved,“ as also'
thine own sel f , *from gravesins .
“ So it befell that Chirakar in, by hi s patience
and car eful ‘consider ation, did his father’
s r eal will
though not his hasty or der,and thus saved his
father f r om a gr ievous sin,' inspir ed by
'
pr ide and
wrath.
‘
I l ahfibhd r atam,S ai nti Parva, ccx lvi .
mafia? ng'
tl'W swim Hfifi fi fim Ill?
Cr eated being must be instr ucted for theirwelfar e without . giving
'
them pain,a nd vsyveeta nd
gentle speeeh'mustbe u sed ~by
-
a ( super ior ) -:who
desir es (to fulfil) the sacr ed law .
w afiqm im mi a airs-tars I
m a mfia N IW U : at
By pr otecting those who live as A ryans , and
by r emoving thor ns , Kings , solely intent on guar d
ing their subjects, r eachheaven .
er est sfi mas s if 515mm : I
w ismmmmi a newaars n m'
éar u§The King has been cr eated to be the pr oteo
tor of the castes and ashr amas,who
,al l accor ding
to their r ank,dischar ge their sever al duties.
“
mfia’
r fi fiqim'
mi'
smé a w ith"
As the weeder plucks upthe weeds,
Bad pr eser ves the corn
,so let the King pr otecthis kingdom
and destr oy his foes .
”
WW: m itra f rfirfirM eant lW fi rm fi rm: fi rafi'fiw w a 11 TI
M ahabhar atam, Shanti Par va, ccxl vi. 1"
M anusmr ifi, 11 , 159 .
I M anusmn tz, i x , 253 1 1nd , vu , 85. II Ibrd , 1 10.
fll bsd , 1 11, 1 14
( 256 )
Lethim,without making distinctions, feed
newly-mar r ied women,young maidens, the sick
,
and pr egnant women , even befor e his guests .
”
ufimfiW fifimitmfimz fem : I
W “
a W e aim i s?m 1 use
Way shoul d be made for a man in’
a car r iage,for one who is above ninety year s old
,for a sick
per son , for one who car r ies a bur den , for a woman,
a Snataka,a King , and a br idegr oom.
ag i tate mgai a s !sfrfil new IIT
Compassion is the mark of the g r eatmer it of
saints compas s ion ever secur es the blessings (or
love) of the good .
a mi dst nfi n’
im m’
i gmmgfi'
a at I
surfs m sfiasri ss ram’
a:.
fivzm m : ll
I bid , ii , 138. 1' M ahabha
‘r atanc, An nshasana Par va, v— 28.
I V ishnu t’
igam ta , Ix ,xx i -12 , 13 . [For tr anslation , see P.
258
these ar e shown to us . I f a man speaks angr ily tous
,and we feel inclined to answer angr ily , we
should check our selves and answer very gen
and this'
gentle answer wi ll soothe him,an
him feel less angr y . This is what is meant by
r etur ning good for evil,and only by acting
way can we r estor e harmony when it is,di
and pr eser ve it f or the.happiness of al l ,When rDraupadi ur ged K ing Yudhishthira to .
attack the Ku r us,after he had been so
'
cr uelly
cheated'
and r uined by them,the wise King pointed :
out to her that the r etur ning of evil for evil couldly r esul t in the continuance of miser y .
“ The
wise man who, thoughper secuted , suff er ethnothis s
wr athto be ar oused, joyeth in the other wor ldy
hav ing passed his per secutor over withindiff er ence .
For this r eason ithas been said that a wise man,
whether str ong or weak,
should ever for give his
per secutor , even when the latter is in
amongst men ther e were not some equal to the
ear th in . for g iveness , ther e would be no peace 4
among men,but continued str ife . bor n of wr ath.
If the injur ed wer e to r etur n their injur ies,if one
chastised .by his super ior wer e to chastise his su
per ior in r etur n,the con sequence would be the des
truction of ever y cr eatur e, and sin would pr evail .
( 259 )
If the man whoi hath, ill speeches fr om another
r etur neth '
those speeches if fthe r .injur ed .man
r etur nethhis injur ies ; if the chastised per son'
chas l
tises in retur n then would father s tsla‘y sons,and
sons father s ;‘
then would fhusbands s lays
'
wives;
and wives husbands ; then,‘
0 Krishna, how coul d
bir thtake place'
in a'
wor ld thus fi lled withanger PFor know thou that the birthof {creatur es is
'
dhe‘
to peace.
”
Hear how~Dashar atha, the King, tu r ri'ed away
,
by soft humil ity,the
'
anger of his wife. Kaushalyfi,’
mother of Ramachandr a, r ent by'
anguish for,
the
loss of that‘ unequalled son,ex iled for long -year s
«f r om her fond arms, spake for the fir st time angr y
word s to Dashar atha “ Thou hast mur der ed thysinless son 'withthine own hands , 0 King .
5Well 'hast thou tr odden the A ncient Path
,maintained
by thy ancestor s twithso muchtoil . The'
husband'
is the fir st r efuge of woman the'
son is the second
the kinsmen the thir d ther e is no fourth.
.
.Thoui
hast abandoned me ; Rama is gone I cannot leavethee her e to go to him. In '
every way thou hast.
destr oyed me,and destroyed the kingdom and the
people.
”The King 1 hear d ithe 'harshi '
and bent'
lower ounder thatgr eater bur denof sor rbw.
( 250 )
His mind was al l distr aught, and he 1lostconsci0fu'
s l
ness . Recover ing ,‘he sawKaushalyastill beside him.
In that moment ) the memor y of'
that past sin of
his,of 'which this “ misery was -
'
the s consequence,came back to himL Burning withthe double sor~
row of that s in and of the loss zof Rfima,tr embling
folding hands, and 'bending head ,'
spoke to h
For give-me, 1 0 K aushalyfi. I fol d 'myr hands to
thee. Ever wast thou tender -hear ted,even amto»
other s. Bear with: thy husband r t whether he be
good or ill. I am sobroken alr eady -by my'sor r owd
Speak nothar sh. wor ds to me,even in : thy an
guish.
’
She hear'
d that piteous speechnf the humbled K ing , and . tear s of pity r ushed for th 1 & om ~
her eyes like new r ain -water f rom the water falls .
Her anger-van ished
,yielding place '
to deep hu
mility and r emor se and . fear of sin -for those har sh
wor ds . She seized the hands of the King , and
put them on her head, and in gr eat agitation said
, Forg ive, forgive me, 0 King , I entr eat thee with.
my head upon thy feet. It is for me to ask thee
for for giveness , not f or thee to ask .of for so
great sin would come to me ..That, woman is not
honour ed . of the wi se in this -or in the other
wor lds , who compel s her husband to'propitiateher .
I know the dharma, and I know that thou,my
(1 262
the, ex ile forced his thought atonce into theWay
of suspicion against B harata, and he came in
hasteu
toRama and asked him wrathf 11)l y , _to pre
par e for :battle, . as Bharata ,
‘
was coming to slay
themand so make sur e of his sovereignty . ”But
Rama’s . mind .wa31f ul l of love toBharata and not
anger. .IA nd 1tender l y lHe msaid f‘M istr ust than
not. -I. wil l say to'
him ; l'Give al l this kingdomfl
u'
nzto and -he wilLsay buttone “ wor dy.
‘Yes .
-T he wrathof Lakshmana vanished, giving ?
place ~to~shamen é A nd i Bharata came and begged
and ~prayed. of .Raman that he should go back to
A yedhya. But Rama would not br eak His father ’s
wor d in.letter , . or spir it. . A nd Bhar ata car r ied
away the wal king .sandals of Rama and placed ,
them on the thr one as symbol of the r ightf ul :Sover eign, and r uled A yodhya in His name ,
and
as his r egent . for the four teen years of Rama’
s
Over and over aga m1n the dar k days of their
exile, d id his wif e and' brother s , losing .hear tm and,
patience, blame Yudhishthir a for his loyal adher zdence to his compact with the Kaur avas , and . his“ .
patient endurance of wr ong . Over and over.again .
did that noble heart, pierced and tor tur edfiby the ,
Ramayana , A yodhyakandam—mv , ,
( 1 2633
fireproaches bf 1his loved 'ones,4 win f
lthem backeubyl
gentleness to the path:of tr uthand honour . 5Thus
Bhinm, givinglway to fier ce anger , bitter lyl upbraid 11
ed his : elder brother j zv fithl the.
tr ite mer it of
stickingxto e a'
promised?" made to'
gambler s vwho'
l’
had . over e r eached humlaid 1 the los s of , kingdom.
and s r iehes l athis door , r eproached him withoweak
ness, withd eserting the vir tues of ;hi s'
or der ,: with
making himself r idiculous . But'
Yudhishthira,"
summon ing al l 'his patience ( and r emaining; s ilent
for i aifewmoments,an swer ed gently that doubtlessal l Bhfma ls l wor dswe‘re-tr uezi “ I cannot r eproachthee ! for etor tur ing i ne
r’thus,pier cingmewiththyar rowy l wor ds (3;for , f r
om my own
'
fol ly alone'has1this calamity fallen upon you al l .
'
I '
°
should havecontrolled iny mind ,
Iand nothave al lowed it tobe
influenced by ar rogance, va‘nit‘y'
and pr ide: “ I "
can:
not 1then reproach: thee,*O Bhima
,l for thy winged
wor ds . i Yethave 'I ”given my pledge,”
and‘who
may breath his ' pledged . wor d -Deathis'
eas ier'
to
bear than the gaining tof a realm lby ia'lie.
’What"avail , then , to speak l td me thushar shly '? Myheart
,is
'
broken by'
the sight of the‘
suffer ings I"
.
have caused 'But I may ( not'
sbr eak 1‘rny lwdr d:Wait, O nrybrother , for the r eturn of better days,4
as the sower“
waits for the harvest. For know, 0
264;
Bhdma,thatmy, promisemay notbemade untameu
'
Virtue is ‘
lbetter than l life itself“
or athahtthefio‘ys of :
heaireni'gu l i ingdbm, sons; fame; weal th,"rall .thése
"
do-not come "
Up to‘
Onet'
sixteenth'
par tbi truth.
Thus patiently did the pr ince . bear ! his abrother’s
angr y ,taunts, and tever was he'readsy touneet
'har sh
blaine {w ithgentle lhu'
nf
nility,‘
aand to F'w‘in byl' lo
'
ve l al
yielding that hfi 'proudJM hehS XWOMd LM Ver JM Ve s
giyefi to wrathi"
“
lac-f f n 1 l'
amid gm"
ggntle‘
isymp’
athy c ar oil ses love, ysor does
thoughtless r idicule ar ousehatr edpandhatr edl in its
tur’
n, giges r isetomany;evils . ”The fameo f Eudhihhl i,
thinas pnead far , and'Wldegmd‘al l men; pr aised the
splendour of his Rajasfiya, sacr ifices N owthis pr aise,bestowed ion ,his hated r ival,n filled Swith)?jealousy
"
the : beant Dur yodhana, ‘and fthim ev il enibtion
was Render ed -bitter er ,afid mor e'agtivoby’the carér '
less disr egard ohhis f eelings shownlbymBhima‘and
by gathers . For one day , as Yudhishthirawas sittingon Jhisg olden ,
throne,‘Sur rouhded by his brothers, l
by ~many courtier s and Kings , Djm'
yédhmhand hi s
brother s entered the .assembly hall andS as he came"
he] washdeceived by theart of
who had built;Yudhishthiva’
s place withbskil l ‘ andtaking the cr ystal lake atswateuh
‘
e f drhw
'
l c'
aaiseof a hasty doubt of his wife’
s m m} badehis sons
,
‘
one by'one
,
'
to‘slay her ; but none would
lif thand against the mother’s‘
sacr ed pei'
ts'
onu save
Rfimfi,
’theyoungest, who
' lsmote ofi’her headWithan” ax e. Being g r anted a lboon by his f ather , hecasked
'
thathis mother might be r estored tol ife jahdthen w‘ent
'
ou pilgr image'
ton eXpiate'
itHe cr ime of
matr icide. But not thus éouki the evilWr ought byJamadagni ’s enger l b'e exhausted .
J 'Whi le her 8011 s
were ahseia,
'
Reguka; thewi fe of Jamadagni,‘l ef taim ;had tooffer hospitality ‘a
'
A rjlma sea .of
Kr itavi rya and he intox icated
pr ide,
"
not r eception wor thy :hf his
gr eatness , car ried away forcibly the calf of the cow
whose "mil k supplied the 1 butter for the daily
sacr ifice.
“When Rama r etur ned,Jamadagni told him
whathad happeiied; and theplaintive lowing of the
cowfor her youhg one increased the anger arousied
by ‘the r ecital'; and so,losing self 'contrb‘l 111 pans
ion,he
'
ru'
shed off‘
end slew A rjuiia, mittihg ofi his
thousand ar ins after fiercefight. This act aroused ,'
in lfm,fier ceWr ath‘
of the kinsmen of A rjuna,and
,to returnevilwithevil , they r ushed totheher
mitagefl‘bf Jamadagm,
where he sat e ngaged in
med itation , and slew’hirn withar rows , defen'
celess
as he was, sitting immer sed -in contemplation.
’
N or
'
267
yet l“t
’
vas thetal e of slaughter'completed since for
‘giveness
— the only ishing that could cut the chain
of evil-J-was not in the hear t of Rama (i f the A xe(
andhe,having bewailedhis—father andhaving burn
ed hisbbdy withdue r ites , vowed by that f uner al”
pyl e ’the slaughter of the K shattr lya caste— for
thus the evil gr e‘w
,ever swelling to lar ger f lan
'd lar
gen proportions. Then,taking uphis axe, he at
tacked and slew the kinsmen of A r juna , and after
that ’
war r ed with‘all "K shattr iyas , eXteiininatin‘
g
well -n ighthat f" “ l WM
Even when we ar e tr eatedO
With“ injustice“hnd
u nkindness,it is best
"
to preser ve sweetness and
agreeableness of behaviour ; and thus win the”one
who so tr eats us,be ‘h
'
e superior,equal
'
or" infer i0r ,to show '
sweetness and'
agr eeablene'
s'
s‘
in return .
Once Durvasa visited Dur yodhana,and proved tobe
a very"
d ifficult guest to please.
IIn'vain did Durvodha’
na and his brother s,tr eathimwiththe gr eat
esthonour ,[waiting on him day and nights” Some
times Dar v'
a'
sawould say I em'hungr y ,’
0King
givemme r some f ood . A nd sometimeshelwould go out for abath, and
"
Duryodhanal would
lhave food pr epared for his and onl returnin'
gDurvfisa I shall not'éat anything 156
Mwhébkamtam; Vana Par va, cxv—cxv. 1.
1)
dayhas I have no appetite. 3 Coming sudden lyflhe
would say } ,Feed ,
me A nd another
~tim£3J ; r ising atmidnight, 1hew ould, call for ameal,and when it,wasbrought, wouldqcarpl at it and r e
'f use to touchit,” ,Thus Dnr vasa, tormented Dur
ymlhana, for awhile,“
hut when he found that Du r
yodhana never showed e ither anger or,impatience,
then he becamegr acious to him and said : I have
power to, g rarrt, thee _a boon . Choose ,what thou
Pleased ,as
,I am “
with thee, thou mayest
obtain f r om me anything .that is not opposed to
“ rel igion or mor als .
” e
Sometimes, indeed , a man is so har d -hearted
a that no kindness,
can melthim; and then Jhe ,goes
‘on uun
'
y'ieldingly . til ] , at last, he par ishes. Dur
yoclhanal gnay per ve as a'
str iking il lustration of
this . r obbedhis cousins of their kingdom
and riches and dr iven them into exile, Duryodhana
resol ved tQIfeast ,his eyes on their '
pOVGI‘tYJ aDd
shardshipsl n in 1the for est; “ advised .by the ’wily
$hakuni, ,t o , t d him thathe.
-would, incr easehis
own joy..b§z2seeing themiser y of .his rivals ; .he took
;with him £hie 1brother s and hiends and the royal
; ladiesttbatthe Pfindavasmight suff er ehmne under
.thepontrast. . 1His cruel plot failed; in .consequence
, 1'Mahdbhdmtqm,Vana Par va, coin
270
sham King promised.
to atsh,if Yudhishthiraso
‘wi
'
shed,af ter ' hear ing the"‘Whole ”story - l The
Pandava ' pr ince‘ listened s ilently to the'
acbount of
the mean Iand cruel'
outi'hge contemplated . by
Duryodhana,“ and
'
thanking and praising the Gal»set Du ryodhana and his companions
free: ( itWhen the Gandharvas Were‘
gone, Yudhishlthira! spoke lovingly
i '
to'
his cou sm 0 child,never
again Ido thou so r ash-ah a
'
ct,' fOr
‘
r as liness l ead s‘riever tohappiness, 0
”Bharata. 0$8611 : of the
lKhr u li‘ace,Jblessed Ibe
'
thountvithal l thy br other s.
Gd back lti) thy capital as thou Wiltg and be not
than‘
" sad or cheer less .” i ;Thus kind ly did the‘blameles s "King
"tr eat"his envenomed foe
,
‘
the‘ear thly autlior of his ’miser y but l DtIryodhana,flépaiiting , was only themor e fi lled Withg r ief and
anger ; the very kindness became a new offence,
and he 'sullenly r etu r ned to Hastinapur a, only
hating the mor e bitter ly thdse whomhad r eturned
his evil withkindly 1h l l'1
Fortunately : such doggedn ess in angr y f eeling
iS ‘cornpar atively rar e,for as the ts‘un sof tens ?butter
so d ees the ‘ Warmth oE'kindly feel idg sof ten the”
angr y mood .
all Even‘ 'When zinger Shown '
to us arouses id {isle
pgr r esponding feeling -of.ang ermwer may try to
check it, and 'may refuse to.give it ex pr ess ion in‘word , or look, or gestur e. § Such r ep ression ,
rgr a
dual lyu'
extinguishes the feel ingfi and j at l east fvve
have succeeded iu, not,casting fuel on the flame to
incr eas e its burning . A f ter ssome pr actice of this
k ind , we shall find that the ,anger of ahother u no
longer causes “ any feeling of anger in our selvesand we shall be able to use al l ou r strength111
sending kind f eeling -tom eet thehar shf eeling of
the other .”1
It is how easy for : us to see why badzcompanyshould be avoided -; if we ar e withp
e
ople who nar e
thinking unkind,or unclean
,or other evil thoughts ,
or who aredoiugwrong actions intemper
any , gl uttohous; acts—: their f eelings e ll .wor k on
us , and ; will pushus towar ds thinking and actingin a similar way; A ny evils of suchkind aS
'lmay
l ie hidden ;imtoursel ves;wil l start'
intomor e activel if e under suchinfluenees, and will become .
r strong
er artd mor e difficult to. fight_ Fortthese
[r easons aboy.who -wishes to lead a i11
dustr ious life at'
school',pr epar ing. himselhfor a.
noble and useful manhood, should;avoid badpany
,.as .muchas he possibly can . A nd if at any
time he is for ced into it, ao'
that he canhot'
ésficape,
ihe should keep'his mind very~busy‘with1pur e and
lhighv thoughts ,'and thus try to afiect‘those round
him,and to influence them for good, instead of
al l owing himself to be influenced by'them for evil.'In this my we may turn outK knowledge
'
to gooduse
,‘applying
‘it ‘to pr actice in
'
6111"owri lives,
I for
'thu'
s only “
can wemake our knowledge fruitful,'and
by 1 noble living helpto br ing gr eater happ iness to1the wor ld .
1 1 1 ‘l 1
11
11 .'t‘Let: uhim nottbe ang ry again withthe angr y
eman ;1
'
being har shly addr essed,
" lec im'
speak
softlyu’f
5‘Cr oss?beyond the "pas sesf difficult’lb ler oss'”beyond wr ath
'
by-forgiveness ,
1 beyond'
luntruthbyRI! i i
w u m rft a qrm am‘c‘
t waefim l ..N“ 5 1
“ M m e s a-am y“
11111 111 11
“36 He Whol lJS fiZOf ang rywiththe angry , he 1s
physl cl an‘xunto both. nHe
'
saveth himsel f as dualfa s thélother s from gr eat danger .
1! i i 361” d .A rm wr fimiw é r kd-parva, aw m m t
'1' 1
(1
274
assailed , I always forgive . 3 1118 is the Met—11mmthat the elder s have ham-fed forgiveness”. and
tr uth, and candour,and g entleness . 11 1
A ddr essed har shly, lethim not reply har shly.
Thewrath of the wr athful assailant1 .consumeth1
himself , and takethaway al l his mer it. 11 111 ! I
He that addr essed; amughly, 1answeéeth'notroughly n
'
or evenjmild ly, he that beingf str unk'
xdon .
trol leth himself and returneth not the thlow, norwishethil l unto the assailant
,ver ilypthQFDevas
envy him .
A bused , insul ted, beats?“let1118?st1il forg
ive
(al l injur ies) f rom the lowxand vile, 1115£11
.
per ior s , f rom his equals so shal l he a {rer fec
tion .
”
W e ate : use61 white “m are
"
m'
agrut 1613 133 11316 1 : 11 v“ He indeed IS the . Wise and good manwhoi l
conquer eth his w r ath,and, showeth for giveness
even when insulted , oppr essed , and anger ed by, a
51191511151Whamm r ea: 1
we: 161 11931 113 111111 1151 : Eifira i 1131: IIM ahabhar atam, Vans. Par va, xx 1x—25 18
275
W a n da am 1m m? Farina : 11
fi gfi max: 3 q351111111111: am fl exKW w itanti : aahswim a
m em a 1% a‘
u m a 1au€t ll
[S ee p .
Ram 3 1111111 6131 ugnqrm g 1
HQ:WW mi : mist $ 1 3as a i r as a ft a t
s exi er was mean a”
May al l cross beyond the places har d to cross
may al l behold good things may al l attain to
happiness ;‘
may al l r ejoice ever ywher e .
A um I Tell the T r uth. A ct the Right.
T ruthalone pr evaileth,not Untr uth. A um l ”
PEA CE T O A LL BEIN GS .
A shramas ( l it r esting places ), 1 0 7- 1 08, 1 39 , the four , 1 06 fi
'
,
must notbe m ixed up, 1 08, names of the four , 1 08.
A shuchi, 9 2 .
A sur a , 2 4 .
A tharva Veda , 3 .
A tmai, 1 3 .
A toms , 88.
A ttraction and repu ls ion , 159 .
A vatar as (special man i festations of Vishnu), the ten , 2 6 11 .
Bad company , 9 2 ,2 7 1 .
Bali , 153- 154 , 2 52 , the next Ind ra , 154 .
Bathing , 9 0 .
Bhang , 9 0 .
Bharata, 1 88 , car r ies away the sandals of Rama , 2 62 .
Bhima , 1 7 2 , d is rega1d s Duryodhana’
s fee l ing s 2 64—2 65,thoughtlessnes s of , 1 73 .
Bhishma, 1 48, and A mba , 1 9 2 fl“
, and his father , 1 89- 1 9 0 ,
and S atyavati 150- 151 and Yudhishthir a , 1 38, asks Shr iKr ishna’
s perm is s ion to depart, 1 83 , d isobeys his Guru ,
1 9 2 ff , dy ing , 1 83 , on the duties of Kings , 2 40 , on gentleness , 2 2 8, 011 harmlessnes s , 1 7 1 , reverences $br i Kr ishna ,1 82 - 1 83 , the vow of , 1 9 0 .
Bhur loka ( the phys ical wor ld ), 67 .
Bhutadi (Elements) , creation of , 2 2 .
Bhuvar loka (the wor ld of becoming ) , 67Bliss , 159 real , is in gi ving , 1 82
, union 15, 160,
Bod ies . (or Koshas), J ivatma tr ies to master the , 1 65, (see alsoKoshas) .
Body , a creature of habit, 1 68.
Brahma (the Creator ), 2 1 , day of 66,fin ishes his task of the
univer se , 25.
(M
)
B r ahmacharya (complete ce l ibacy), 80B rahman
,1 1
,is bl is s , 160 , N irguna, 1 2 , Sag una, 1 2 , Sa.guna ,
an object of wor ship , 1 0 1 .
B rahmana , and caste confus ion 1 1 9 , story of the poor , 2 1 9 ,
v i r tues of the , 1 1 9 .
B rahmana, (a por tionof the Vedas ), 4B rahmanda (the eg g of B rahma) , 2 1 .
Br ihaspati , 1 7 2 , 2"
0
Buddha, 9 thA vatara , 2 9 .
Burning the dead body contrasted w ithburying , 83-84 .
Caste s , the four, 1 1 6 Ff .
Caste-confus ion , r easons for , 1 1 9 .
Celibacy,.of m ind and body, 1 1 0 , (see al so B rahmacharya) ,Ceremonies , 77 til , gestures used in, 78, objects used in, 77 ,postures used in , 78, sounds used in , 78, used of , 7 7 , (see
also S amskaras ) .
Child ren , and parents , 2 36 fi'
.
Chir akarin , 2 53 ff .
Chivalry , true, 1 73.
Chudak arana , 7thSamskara, 80 .
Compas s ion, 2 36, 2 45, the most per fect expression of , 2 46.
Conduct, foundation of right 1 33. r ight, 1 37 , sc ience of , 1 2 7 .
Control , of body , 1 67- 1 68, of body includes harmles sness , 1 7 2 ,of m ind , 1 66-1 67 , the tr iple, 1 74 .
Creation , of Elements , 2 2 , of Indr iyas 2 2 , a sacr ifice , 56.
Dadhichi, 58-59 .
Daiviprakr iti, 15.
Damayanti , and Nala, 2 1 1 if .Dasharatha , and Kaikeyi, 152
- 153 , and Kaushaiya, 259 -2 60 ,humi lity and patience of , 2 6 1 , love of for Rama, 2 37-2 38.
Death, King of , weaker than wi fe’
s love,'
2 1 0 , spi r itual , 56,whathappens at, 70 fl
'
.
Debt, payment of , 1 47 , to the Devas , 1 47 . P itr is , 1 47 , to the
Rishis , 1 47 .
Debts , the three , 1 47 .
Des ire , 45 if , control , 49 , the rope to bind the Jivatma, 38
selfish, 1 68.
Devas , creation of the hosts of , 2 3 , creation of.
these connected
w ith the senses , 2 3 , d iff erent f rom the Supreme Ishvara,
2 3 , d istr ibuting karma , 2 4 , the F ive Ruler s of the , 2 4
K ing of the , 2 50 , min ister s of I shvara, 2 3Dev i s , who ab id e w ithLakshm i , 2 2 8.
Devotion , ,1 82 .
Dharma , S anatana , 1 fi’
.
Dhruva , 1 84 .
D ir ty person , a publ ic d anger , 9 1 .
D is integ r ation , 89 .
D isobed ience , to the Gur u , a val id reason for , 1 9 2 .
D iv ine , and A suric properties , 1 44 , prope rties , l istof . -1 44- 1 45.
D raupad i and Yudhishthir a , 2 58-2 59 .
Dur vasa and Duryodhana, 2 67-2 68 .
Duryodhana , 2 68 if ,'
d isobeys his parents ,DV 1Ja (tw ice-bor n), 80 .
Emotions , 159 6, culture of , 159- 1 60 , develop into vi r tues ,
159 , ens lave the m ind ; 1 66.
Equals , relations w ith, 2 03 fi .
‘
Equ i l ibr ium , 1 06.
Ethics , 1 2 7 , 1 65, foundation of , 1 3 2 , standard of, 144 fi'
, ( see
also Moral ity) 1
Evil ,’
rewrned for evil , 2 65‘
fi?.
Evolution , 2 6, higher , of people, 137 , read at 137 .
Human l ife , stages of , 1 0 7 .
Husband and w ife, a re one not two,2 03 .
Impur ity , pour ing into the Koshas , 9 2 .
Ind ividual , is not isolated , 9 8Indra , and V r ittra, 58, and the youths 1 1 1 , connected w iththe other ,
'
2 4 , fal l of, 250.
Indraloka , 67 .
Ind r iya (organ of sense), the eleventh, 2 3 , the s i xth, 2 3 .
Indriyas , ten centres of the senses and of airtion , 2 2 ,“two
sets of five,”
1 66.
Infer ior , people , 2 36.
Inner Ru ler , the , 1 06.
Integ r ation , the higher , 89 .
Ishtadeva , the , 1 0 2 .
Ishvara, 1 2 , conscious relations w ith, 1 00 , co-worker
7 2 , the K ing , 2 3 , r ivals of , 1 84 , third aspect of , 2 5, those
who hate towards , 1 85, the three A spects of , 2 1, the
Umver sal Parent, 6 1 , theWi l l of , 1 37 , wor shipped under
many forms , 1 0 1 .
Itihasa (H istory), 6.
Jajal i , 50 fl“
.
Jamadagni, son of Bhrigu, 2 65if .
Janaka, 49 fl“
.
Jarasandha, 1 85.
Jayad ratha , 1 67 .
J iva (theSoul), 1 3,in the animal k ingdom , 36, in the miner a lk ingdom, 35, in the vegetable k ingdom , 35-36, is Brahman , 34 , the tr iple, 2 5.
J ivatma (the separated Sel f ), the Bl iss aspect of his
nature, 159 , d i rects the emotions , 159 , the joy of, 159 - 1 60 ,
must f ree the m ind , 160 , related to al l,1 65, unfold ing ,
1 0 7 , the young , 165.
Jnanend r iyas (organs of knowledge) the centres of the, 70 .
Jou r ney, the g reat, of the Pandavas ,Kalk i , 1 othA vatara , 2 9 .
Karma , 44 PE, in one sentence , 4 7 , man nothopeless ly boundby , 4 7 , the tw isted cord of , 45.
Karmend r iyas (organs of action ), the tr ue , 69 .
Kama and Ind ra , 151- 152.
Kauravas , not al l to blame , 1 74 .
Kaushalya , 2 38 .
Kaushika , and the Brahmana’
s w ife , 2 1 4 H.
Kindness , 2 36, to lower creatu r es is a sacr ifice , 9 7 .
K ing ,devotion to duty imposed on the , 1 86 , the r ighteous , 2 4o.
Kings , the Great, 38.
King ship , the highideal of , 1 86.
Koshas (Sheaths), 1 3 . compa rative table of the , 69 , of the J ivain the three wor lds , 67 .
Kr ishna, 8thA vatar a , 2 9 , ( see also Shr i Kr ishna).Kshattr iyas , the v irtues of the , 1 18- 1 1 9 .
Kubera , connected w iththe Ear th, 2 4.
Kunti , 2 38-2 39 .
Kurma (the Tor toise), 2 nd A vatara, 2 7 .
Lakshmana , 2 16.
Lakshm i Dev i , 2 2 73 2 2 8.
Li fe , the Lawof , 57 , v iew of , in the Vedas , l oo.
Liquids , 89 .
Lokas (the Wor lds) , the four other g reat 66,'
subd ivis ionsi
of
the three , 7 , the thr ee , 66 Pf .
Long ing s , of a truly rel ig ious man , 1 00 .
Love , brother ly, 2 16 f f , conjugal , 2 0 3 it, of country , 1 86, !of
God , 1 82 ff , stronger than Hell , 2 1 9 , unse lfish; 1 1 82 . . of
Loyalty , 1 85, the object of true , 1 86, of subjects aw ake
ned , 2 40 .
Magnetic cur rents , afi'
ect the Pranamaya Kosha , 9 1 .
Mahabharata , 7 , 2 1 7 .
Mahadeva , pour ing outhis l ife , 25.
Mahar loka, 69 .
Mahat-budclhi (Pure Reason), 2 2 .
M an , his relations to those around , 9 7 , in relation to other s
round him,60
, the tr uly re l igious , 10 0 . a v icious , 1 48, a
v i r tuous , 1 47 .
Manas (the Mind), creation of , 2 3 .
Manava Dharma Shastra , see“
M anusmr iti.
Mandhata , K ing , 1 86.
Mank i , 1 68, song of ; 1 69 .
M anomayakosha (Mind-sheath), 68.
Mantra, 3 , defined , 78 , effects of , 78, si lent repetition of, 79,why cannot be trans lated , 78 7 9 .
M ann , 5, 1 66.
Manus , other , 5.
Manusm riti, 5.
Manvantara, 5.
Mar r iag e , thrust into student l i fe , 80 .
Mater ial , wea lthand pleasures , 1 68.
Matsya (the F ish), 1 st A vatar a , 2 6- 2 7 .
Matter (see Pr akr iti ), 1 3 , dead , does not exist,Maya , 1 3 , Lord of , 15.
Meditation , 1 03 ,
M en , creation of , 2 5, noblestof , 1 1 0 - 1 1 1 .
Mi lk , 89 .
M imamsas , system of phi losophy , 9 .
Mind , made master of Indr iyas , 1 66, mustbe conquered , 11 66,
swayed by des i res , 1 66.
Minerals , cr eation of , 2 5.
Perseverence , 1 68.
Pi lg r image of the J iva , 35if , recur r ing stages in, 7 1
P itr i . 7 1 .
Pitr iloka, 67 , 7 1 .
Plants , creation of , 2 5.
Pole-star , 184 .
Prahlada, 183-1 84 , and Ind r a , 150 .
Prakr iti , 1 2 .
Prana, ( l ife-energy), 6Pranamaya
-kosha, 68,
8
d isper sal of , 83 , of others , 9 1Pr avr itti marga (pathof going for th) , 1 36Preta , 70.
Pretakr iya , 83.
Pretaloka, 67 , 70 .
Pr ide, 2 46, son of U n r ighteousness and Prosper ity ,Pr ithivi (the Earth) , 2 2 .
Publ ic spigit, 1 87 , ak in to loyalty ,'
1 86.
Puja, 1 0 2 .
Puranas , 6.
Puru, son of Yayati, 1 70 .
Purusha Sukta , 56.
Purushottama, 1 2 .
QuotationsAng i ra, 8 1 .
Bhag avad-Gita, 39 .
( i i 1 8 - 2 2 ) 39 .
(i i . 2 7-2 8) 7 2 .
39
158.
fii 48) 1 o6.
(i i 64) 163 .
J
( i i i . 1 0 6 1 -62 .
( i i i . 1 1 ) 155.
( i i i . 1 6)( i i i . 34) 1 63 .
( i i i .34 ) 1 62 .
(iv 7 -8) 33
(iv 1 1 ) 1 05.
( iv 1 2 ) 63 .
(iv-1 4 4 5) 53
(iv- l 9 -2 3 ) 53
(iv. 2 6) 64 .
(iv .3 1 )
(hf -38) 9 3
(v . 1 0 - 1 2 ) 4
(v. 1 8-2 1 ) 4 1 -4 2 .
(v 2 4-26) 4 2 -43
(vi. 1 l 1 1 5.
(vi. 2 9 ) 1 35.
(vi 49
(v1 35-s6)x77
(vii.4 -
5) 1 9 .
(vii.5) 15.
(V 11 1 9 l 74
(vii. 2 1 ) 1 05.
(vu 2 7 ) 1 62 .
(vi i i . 1 7- 1 8) 7 2 -73.
(ix . 2 o-2 1 ) 73 .
( ix 2 7 -2 8) 65.
(ix-3o-3 1 ) 9 3
(x . 2 o ) 1 7 , 1 1 34 .
(xi . 15) 30 .
(xi . 2 2 ) 30
(x i 1.3-7 ) 1 03- 1 04 .
(x i ii . 1 0 ) 1 77 .
(xi ii. 1 2 - 1 7 ) 15- 16.
(xii i. 2 7) 1 9 .
(x iii. 3o)
(x i ii. 33 ) I 9(x iv.5) -2 0 .
(x iv . 9- 1 3 ) 3 2 .
(xiv. 1 7 - 1 8) 3 2 .
( xv 7 ) 1 8 .
( xv 1 6
(xv i . 1 -3 ) 1 45.
(x vi.4) 1 45.
(x vi. 2 3) 163 .
(xv11. 1 4) 1 68, 1 76.
(xvi i . 15- 16) 1 76.
(xv i i i 46-217 ) 1 4 1 - 14 2 .
(~xvni.6 1 104 , 1 4 2 .
aBrahmanda Purana, 84 .
Brihadaranyakopanishad ,
(I.v . 16 1
1 2 .
( IV ivr5-6) 52 .
“ChhandogyOpanishad ,
52 .
(V 1 11 1 ) 1 1 .
16 1 .
( x iv )
1 9 9-2 00 .
( lxxxiv . 2 -
4 ) 2 35.
(lxxxv i i i 1 2 9 .
(xc 1 86.
(civ. 1 2 9 .
(cxx iv 67 ) 1 47 .
(clx .6-7 ) 1 7 9 .
(clx 1 3- 16) 1 7 9 .
(clxxi i i. 50 .
(ccxxx l . 2 7) 1 4 1 .
(ccxxx l . 2 2 7 ) 1 62 .
(ccxcv i . 255.
(cclx . 2 o-2 1 ) 1 43 .
(cclx . 2 3 ) 1 43 .
(ccc. 1 0 ) 2 73 .
(ccc. 1 2 ) 2 73 .
(ccc. 1 6- 1 8) 2 73 .
Udyoga Parva, 1 78.
(cxxv i i i . 2 9 -3o) 1 78.
(xx ix .4) 2 34 .
(xxrx .6) 2 34 .
(xxix .9 ) 2 7 2
(xx ix . 1 3-25) 258-259 , 2 74.-2 75.
(xxix 1 7 ) 2 35.
(xxi x . 2 74 .
(“ ht-73 ) 2 73
(xxxi ii .4 1 ) 1 3 1 .
(lxii i . 156.
(clx xx. 2 1 ) 1 2 2 .
(clxxx;25-2 6) 1 2 2.
(ccx i ii. 1 88-1 89 .
Manu Smr iti ,
0 0 0
(ccxv . 1 89 .
(ccxci . 156-157 .
(cccx 111 1 08) 1 2 2 .
(Ls-7) I 7
(1 87-9 1 )
(i. 1 08- 1 1 0 ) 1 2 9 .
(i i .6) 1 4 2 .
(11 2 6) 8 1 .
(11 53) 9 31 66.
- 1 2 1 ) 2 0 1 .
(i i 1 38) 256.
GL1 45) 2 00 .
0L 159 2 55.
(11. 1 60) 2 3 2 .
2 3 2 .
(i i . 1 63) 2 33 .
( i i . 1 7 7- 1 80) 1 1 4.
1 1 4 .
9 2 .
2 00 .
2 00 .
(i i . 2 30) 2 00 .
2 0 1 .
(i i i . 2 ) 1 1 3 .
-
58) 2 30 .
( i i i . 1 0 1 ) 2 3 1 .
(i i i 1 05) 2 3 1 .
(i i i . 1 06) 2 3 1 .
(i i i . 1 1 4) 2 55.
(i i i . 2 03) 84 .
(iv . 1 38)
( iv. 151 ) 9 3 .
(m os) 9 3
(V -I O 9 ) 9 3
(vi. 2 ) 1 1 3 .
(vi-33) “ 3
(V i335-36)
(v i .37 )'
1 1 3 .
(vi-43) 2 7 2 1
(vi.9 2 ) 1 80 .
(vi. 151 ) 9 2 .
(vii-34 ) I 9 7 4 1 98
1 9 7
(vn . 18) 1 9 7- 1 9 8.
(vn 2 6-2 8) 1 9 7-1 1 98.
(w l -35) 2 55
(V 11 1 1 0) 2 55.
(vi i i .9 6) 1 58.
( i x .45) 2 03 , 2 30 .
(ix . 1 0 1 )
(ix . 1 0 1 - 102 ) 2 3 1 .
(bf -253) 45
(x .63) 1 801.
( Xviii i)
Veda text (quoted by Kul luka), 154 1”V ishnu Bhagavata ,
(III.xxv. 1 8-1 9 ) 1 9 4- 1 95.
( l Il .xxv. 25) 1 9 4-1 95.
(Il l .xxv. 2 7) 1 9 4- 1 95.
(IV.xxi i. 34-35) 1 30 .
1 2 2 .
(IX.XX 1 1 2'
1 3) 2 56.
Vyasa Smr iti, 82 .
Yajnavalkya Smr iti ,(i ii .65) 1 43 .
( i i i ,66) 1 8 1 .
Rajasik , defined , 2 3 1
Rama, [or Ramachandra], 7thA vatara, 28. r-,V
Ramachandra , 1 84 , 1 87 , and S ita, 2 04-2 05, awakens trust
towards Bharata , 2 6 1 - 2 62 , gentle in speech, 2 2 7 , memoryof , for injur ies , 2 2 5.
Rama, of the A xe, 265if , [see also Parashurama]. ii .11 I
Ramayana 6, 2 1 6, of Tuls i D98 , 2 8, of Valmiki , 2 8.
Rantideva , K ing , 2 45ff , prayer of , to Har i , 2 46. 1 1
Ravana, 1 84 , 2 04. . 1
Reb irth, 34 .
Refer ences ,A d vanced Text Book of H indu Relig ion and Ethics ,2 6
A itareya A ranyaka, 2 6.
Bhagavat-Gita,III ,
VI I I , 3 . .i
.
X IV , 2 3 (footnote)
XV I,
U‘"0 m .W“
XVI I I , 2 3 (footnote).Bhag avata Purana, VI , 250 l
VI I , z5é.
VI I I , 250IX , 2 46
X , 2 65.
Devi Bhagavata ,
Mahabharata,A di Parva , 151 , 1 9 1 .
A shvamedhai‘Par va, 2 2 7 .
Bhishma Parva, 1 49 , 1 9 2 .
Drona Par va, 1 49 , 1 67 , 1 9 2 , 2 39 .
Kama Parva , 1 67 .
Mahaprasthanika Parva, 2 17 ,'
Sabha Parva, '
1 85, 2 39 .
y "k Shanti Parva, 50 1 52 1 ”18; 150 1 11 70 1 1 83 1
1 1 Udyoga Parva, 1 9 1 ,
Vana Parva, 152 ,
2 44 1 252 1 253 1 2 64 1 267 1 2681 2 70 °
Manu Smr iti , I I I , 96, 1 1 0 .
VI , 1 08.
Ramayana, 2 03-2 04 .
l
A yodhyakanda, 153, 1 88, 2 25, 2 2 7 , 237 , 261 , 2 62 .
Yuddhakanda, 185.
Shvetashvataropanishad, 35.
Vi shnu Bhag avata ,1 00 , 153
Vishnu Purana , 1 84 .
Re-incarnation , see Reb ir th.
Rel igion, fi rst proclamation of , 1 3 2 .
Rel igious , quarrels of the , 1 0 2 .
Renuka, w ife of Jamadag ni, 2 66.
Reverence, 1 82 .
Return , of the J iva to Ear th, 7 1 .
Rich, the, are the stewards of the poor , 9 7 .
Rid icule , arouses hate , 2 64 .
Righta nd wrong , 1 36 If , another defin ition, 1 37-1 38,
r defined ,1 37 , some general rules of , 1 40 , test of , 1 44 .
Righteousnes s , 1 7 2 .
Rig -Veda, 3 .
Rishis , the , 38 .
Sacr ifice , 56 fl”
, becomes a delight, 60 , g rowth of c the pr acticeof habitual , 59 , has outer form and inner meaning , 9 4 ,
Law of , 57 , 9 4, meaning of , 56, mutua l . 1 47 , the pr imary ,56, to Bhutas , inner 9 7 , to Bhutas , outer , 9 7 , to Devas ,inner , 9 6, to Devas, oute r , 9 6, to I shvara every action ,6 1 , to men, inne r , 9 7 , to men outer , 9 7 , to the P itr is ,inner , 9 6, to the Pitr is , outer , 96, to Rishis , and Vedas ,inner , 9 6, to Rishis and Vedas, outer , 9 41, true remnants
of , 1 1 2 .
Sacr ifices , the daily , 60 , the five dai ly, 9 4 8 , the five dai ly ,promote union , 1 47 , the G reat, ” 9 4.
Sagara, and A samanjasa , 2 40 .
S amavartanam (retu rning home), 9 thSamskara , 80 .
A rjuna, 187 .
Shruti , 2 .
Shudra, duties of the , 1 1 7 .
Shuka, son'
of Vyase ,'
50 .
Shukr a, Rishi , 1 70 .
S in, is poison, 1 2 8.
Smr iti , 2 , 3 , 5, (see also Dharma-Shastra).Speech, control of, 1 67 , hasty, 1 67 .
Sp ir it, the 1 3 , (see also A tma).S thula-shar ira (solid body), 68, 69 .
Strength, thoughtless exer ci'
se'
of ,
Submiss ion, to God's w i ll , 182 .
S ukshma-shar ira (subtle body),I
68, 78.
Super ior s , man’
s , 1 82 .
Sura, 2 4 , (see Devas al so).S urabhi, 2 36fi
'
.
S uryaloka, 67 .
S vargaloka (the Heaven wor ld), 67 .
Sweetness , of behaviour , 2 67.
T amasik , defined , 2 3 .
Tantra, 4 , (see also Upaveda),Tarpana, 9 6.
T attvas (the Elements), the seven , 2 1 .
T ea, etc.
,89 .
Teacher , third greatobject of reverence , 1 9 1 fi'
.
Teaching , a sacr ifice , 9 6.
Tenderness , 2 36.
Test, of eachaction, 1 4Thought, 45-46, use 0 in check ing des ire , 48.
Tboughtles sness , causes harm, 1 7 2 .
T itan n s , 1 70 .
T riloka (the thr ee wor lds), 66 f f .T riloki, 1 36.
1Truth, 1 48, the g reat, in ethical science; 148, the greatest, 1 48,is B rahman , 1 54.
Truthfu lness , in H indu literature, 1 49 , promotes union; 1 49 .
Tyranny, 1 73 .
Un ion , the path,
that leadt o; 1 37 , promoting , 1 44.
Upadhi, 1 32
Upanayana, or second bi rth, the 8thS ams lr ara, 80 , 109 .
Upan ishad , 4.
Upasana, 1 03.
Upaveda, 4 .
U rbanity , 2 2 7 f f. -r 1
Utatthya, 1 86.
Vaisheshika system of Philosophy, 8.
V aishya, vi rtues of the, 1 1 8.
V amana (the Dwar f ), sthA vatara, 2 8 , 153 .
Varaba (the Boar ), 3rd A vatar a,V amas (colours or 1 16, 1 39 , compared to the
A shramas , 1 07-108.1 1
V arnasankara (caste-confus ion), 1 16.
Varuna, connected withwater , 2 4 .
V asishtha, and vishvamitra, 2 48 f f.
Vasudeva, the thousand names of , 183.1 1
Vayu, Deva, connected w ithair , 1 2 4 , the element A ir ;Vedanta system of Philosophy, 9 .
Vedas , the four , 3 , parts of , 3:
( fi’xiV )
V ice, f ruitof, 1 75, produces vice , 257 , root-of 2275,
Vidur e , 2 25f f .V ijnanamayakosha (knowledge-sheath), 68.
Virtues , 1 47 f f , altruistic, 1 74 , and vices definecht1 and vices in relation to f f , .and viees in
relation to infer ior s , 2 36 f f. , and vices i n relation to super ior s , 1 82 f f , and vices and their ' reactierr
’
on each other ,
257 f f , character istic of each caste, 1 2 0 , Egoistic (orself-regard ing ), 1 74 f f , family, 2 03 ff ,
“ forms of Truth
1 48, fruitof , 1 75, in relations w ithother s , , e las sification ,
1 74 , of a student, 1 0 9 , produce virtues, 257 , rootof , 175,
self-regarding , see egoistic v irtues , sel f-regard ing defined ,
V ishnu, 2 1 , work of , 2 5.
V ishvamitra, K ing of Gadhi , 2 48 f f . , Rishi and the Cbanda la ,
188, (see also V asishtha).
V ivaha (Mar r iage), 1 0thSamskara. 80 .
Vyasa, 1 00 .
Washing , the hands etc. , 9 0 .
Water , 89 .
Weak , protecting the , 2 40 .
Wife, the, who truly loves , 2 114 . I.
Wisdom, the treasure of the aged ,~19 4 .
Wor ld , the outer,is a symbol of the inner , 9 1 , the prwent
pos ition of , in evolution, 1 37 .
Wor ship, 1 00 f f . 1 82 , attr ibuted needed
1 00 , forms of , 1 0 1 . 1 I“ 1
Wrath, next step afte r Ahamkara , 2 49 .
Yajnavalkya, 50. S inf lfi i 5-6
Yajur-veda , 3 .
Vavati , 1 o ff , sum of the life exper iences of 1 7 1 ;