Teachings od DharmaVyAdha - (2)

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Following his teachings on VarNa Dharma and Sva-Dharma, the vyAdha now

expounds on Vyakti-Dharma or individual dharma.

 

" Shaktya annadAnam satatam titIkshA dharmanityatA

yathArham pratipUjA cha sarvabhUtEshu vy sadA

tyAgAt anyatra marthyAnAm guNAh tishTanti pUrushE " - A person who

feeds the hungry ( to the extent he can afford),patient and forbearing,

follows dharma, compassionate to all living beings, recognize people

according to their merits, is a generous person.

 

" mrishA vAdam pariharEt kuryAti priyam ayAchitah

na cha kAmAnna, samrambhAnna dvEshAt dharmam utrsrajEt ' - a person

desirous of shrEyas (realizing the self) should totally avoid

dishonesty; must do good to others even unasked (ayAchitah);

desire, fear or jealousy shall not stray him away from dharma.

 

" priyE na atibhrisham hrishyEt apriyE na cha sanjvarEt

na muhyEt artha-krichrEshu na cha dharmam parityajEt " - He shall not

be very elated by pleasant circumstances nor troubled by unpleasant

events; he shall not compromise dharma due to financial pressures.

 

" Karma chEt kinchit anyat asyAdiratanna tat AcharEt

Yat kalyANam abhidhyAyEt tatra AtmAnam niyOjayEt " - an action known

to be defective should not be repeated; He must apply himself

in such actions that are not opposed to dharma, and that which

yield desired results consistent with dharma.

 

" Na pApE pratipApah syat sAdhurEva sadA bhavEt

Atmanaiva hatah pApO yah papam kartum icchati " - One should not

plot revenge against an offender; a follower of a pious and wise

person, shall not at any time, deviate from dharma by resorting to desires

and jealousy; otherwise he will ruin himself.

 

" Karma chaitat asAdhUnAm vrijinAnAm asAdhuvat

Na dharmO asthIti manvAnAh shuchIna-vahasanti yE "

" ashraddhadhAnA dharmasya tE nashyanti na samshyah

mahAdriti-rivAdhmAta pApO bhavati nityadA " - It is not the

way of the saints to revenge wrong-doing against him; a non-believer

in dharma will make fun of a saint. A person void of faith in the dharma

will perish; a man of having no faith in dharma will ultimately perish.

 

" mUDhAnAm avaliptAnAm asAram bhAvitam bhavEt

Darshayati antarAtmA tam diva rUpam iva amshumAn " - The life of such an

ignorant person is insipid; just as the Sun lights the worlds, the

soul of such a person projects his sinful acts on to his mind (he

however determines his actions are proper)

 

" na lOkO rAjatE mUrkhah kEvala AtmaprashamsayA

Api chEha shriyA hInah kritavidyah prakAshatE " - Self applause is a

foolish act and he will not rise to fame; A cultured person, even if

poor, will rise to fame.

 

" abruvan kasya chit nindAtma pUjAm avarNayan

Na kaschit guNa-sampannah prakAshO bhuvi drishyatE " - The world does

not witness self-applause from a man of higher guNas.

 

" vikarmaNA tapyamAnah pApAt viparimuchyatE

Na tat kuryAm punariti dvitIyAt parimuchyatE " - Repentance overcomes

the effects of sinful acts; determination to refrain from sinful acts

will prevent future downfall.

 

" karmaNA yEna tEnEha pApAt dvija-varOttama

evam shrutiriyam Brahman dharmEshu pratidrishyatE " - Oh! Brahmin, a man

must therefore repent for sinful acts. Repentance neutralizes sinful acts,

that are not neutralized by other good deeds. The "shruthi"

upholds this truth.

 

" pApAnya-buddhvEha purA kritAni

prAk dharma-shIlO api vihanti paschAt

dharmO rAjannudatE pUrushANAm

yat kurvatE papam iha pramAdAt " - A sinful act of a person of dharma,

unknowingly committed is removed by the adherence to dharma; Dharma

neutralizes the acts of carelessness of dhArmic people.

 

" pApam kritvA hi manyEta nAham asmIti pUrushah

tam tu dEvAh prapashyanti svasaivA-ntara pUrushah " - A sinful person may

disregard or overlook his acts; but the Gods and the soul inside are

constant witness to his acts.

 

" chikIrshEh dEva kalyANam shraddha-dhAnO anasUyakah

vasanasyEva chidrANi sAdhUnAm vivraNOti yah " - On must perform good

deeds with faith and without jealousy. A man of dharma must try to

eliminate his minor shortcomings, just as one sews the holes in his dress.

 

" pApam chEt purushah kritvA kalyANam abhipadyatE

muchyatE sarva-pApEbhyO mahA-bhrENEva chandramAh " - Such a person's minor

acts of sin are annulled by his persistent adherence to dharma,

just as the Moon is cleared by thick clouds.

 

" yatha Adityah samudvanaih tamah pUrvam vyapOhyati

Evam kalYaNamAtishTan sarva pApaih pramuchyatE " - A seeker of Self

knowledge, who is following a disciplined routine to achieve it, his present

and past sins don't bear fruit, just as a rising Sun eliminates darkness (I

believe this should be interpreted that he achieves liberation).

 

" pApAnAm viddhi adhishTAnam lObhamEva dvijOttama

lubdhAh pApam vyavasanti narA nAtibahushrutAh " - Extreme Greed is the seat

of sinful acts; ignorant, greedy and misers continue to engage

in sinful acts.

 

" adharmA dharmarUpENa triNaih kUpA ivAvritAh

tEsham damah pavitrANi pralApA dharma-samshritAh

sarvam hi vidyatE tEshu shishTa AchArah sudurlabhah " - Such misers

present an appearance of adherence to dharma, just as grass covers

a well; they project an appearance of adherence to Dharma;

However, they lack shishTa AchAra -Higher Conduct-in their personal life.

 

At this point, the Brahmin, Kaushia asks DharmavyAdha - How should I

understand what is Higher Conduct and what is not Higher Conduct?

DharmavyAdha continues to expound on this.

 

........................................(To be continued )

 

 

Commentary:

 

In the Sanathana Dharma, two paths are described; PrEyO Dharma and ShrEyO

Dharma. The PrEyO Dharma is associated with desire oriented karma, for the

goal of PrEyas - achieving heavens after death. The ShrEyO Dharma is the

path of ShrEyas - the realization of the Self. Though Dharma-VyAdha is not

addressing PrEyas directly, his teachings in this section also include the

dharma to be followed in the pursuit of PrEyas. He tells the Brahmin that

the desires should be consistent with his dharma {Desires are not per se

discouraged. Krishna himself says, He is the desire that is consistent with

Dharma (Dharma aviruddhO bhUtEshu kAmO-smi Bharatarshabha - Gita, 7-11)}. In

describing ShrEyO dharma, in the pursuit of ShrEyas, Dharma-VyAdha is

advising the Brahmin that one should be steadfast in Dharma, not swayed by

desire, fear and jealousy. We may recall Sri Krishna's teaching in Gita;

"Trividham NarakssyEdam dvAram nAshanam Atmanah kAmah, krOdhas tathA lObhah

tasmAt Etat trayam tyalEt" - (16-21)- The gates to hell are of three kinds -

desire, anger and miserliness or hoarding; therefore a seeker should reject

these three. Dharma-VyAdha stresses on the value of repentance, even saying

that the shruti upholds it. He says, if one recognizes he has erred in

following the dharma, repentance negates sinful acts.

 

 

The post on DharmavyAdha - (1) dealing with the varNa system generated very

passionate discussion. Lot of discussion was related to birth and VarNa. The

following mantra from KaTOpanishat (2-2-7)offers additional insight to help

understand re-birth.

" YonimanyE prapadyantE sharIratvAya dEhinah

sthANumanyE anusamyanti yathA karma yathA shrutam " - The soul (dEhi)

according to Karma and knowledge(shruti), enters a womb for a body or take

the life Of a tree or immovable life (sthANu). (The knowledge here,

I believe, should be interpreted as parA vidya or knowledge of the Self).

 

BhagavAn Shankara comments - "yathA karma yadyasya karma Tat yathA karma;

Yaih yAdrisham karma iha janmani kritam tat vashENa ityEtat. tathA yathA

shrutham; yAdrisham cha vijnyAnam upArjitam tat anurUpam Eva sharIram

pratipadyantE iti arthah.

yathA prajnyam hi sambhavAh (Ai. AraNyaka -2-3-2) iti shrutyantarAt. "

- yathA Karma is that karma which is his karma; according to the karma

performed in this life, he takes a life, being dependent(vashENa) on this

karma. He also continues to say that, the body he takes also depends on the

knowledge acquired in this life.

The other shruti (AitterEya AraNyaka) says - one begets life according to

knowledge acquired.

The dEhi selects the parentage for the next life, navigating through

the food chain. Lower births - animal or plant - are as much a

possibility as that of a human, weather varNa by birth or not.

 

PraNAms,

K. Ramakrishna.