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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gj721Ft3t_PDwalCatwenVv4jXdjjPgH/view?usp=sharingSANATANA DHARMA -AN ELEMENTARY TEXT-BOOK OF HINDU RELIGION AND ETHICS
PUBLISHED BV.THE MANAGING COMMiTTFK
CENTRAL HINDU COLLEGE
BENARES
1916
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SANATANA DHARMA AN ELEMENTARY TEXT-BOOK OFHINDU RELIGION AND ETHICS
PUBLISHED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
CENTRAL HINDU COLLEGE
BENARES
1916
[THE BIGHT OF TBANSLATION AND BEPBODUCTION U RE9KBVED. ]
Price Ant. 12, boardt. Re. 1, cloth. Pottage 1$ Ann*.
6
PRINTED BY PANDYA GULAB SHANKER AT THE
TARA PRINTING WORKS, BENARES.
7
1701"
9
FOREWORD.
Board of Trustees of the Central Hindu
THE College has laid down the following principles on which religious and moral teaching
is to be given in all institutions under its control. The object of the Central Hindu College being
to combine Hindu religious and ethical training with the western education suited to the needs of
the time, it is necessary that this religious and ethical training shall be of a wide, liberal and unsectarian character, while at the same time it shall be definitely and distinctively Hindu. It must be inclusive enough to unite the most divergent forms of Hindu thought, but exclusive enough to leave forms ofwhich are non-Hindu. outside it,thought It must avoid all doctrines which are the subject of controversy between schools recognised as orthoit must not enter intoof the social and
dox ;any but itlay political questions of the day ;musta solid foundation of religion and ethics on which the student may build, in his manhood, the more specialised 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 good
theprinciples
man and a good citizen ;fundamental
of religion, governing the general view of life and
of life's obligations, are alone sufficient to form
such a character. That which unites Hindus in a
common faith must be clearly and simply taught ;
all that divides them must be ignored. Lastly,
care must be taken to cultivate a wide spirit of
tolerance, which not only respects the differences
of thought and practice among Hindus, but which
also respects the differences of religion among non-
Hindus, regarding all faiths with reverence, as
roads whereby men approach the Supreme.
Therefore :
1. The religious and ethical instruction must be such as all Hindus can accept.
2. It must include the special teachings which mark out Hinduism from other religions.
3. It must not include the distinctive views of any special school or sect.
This elementary Text-Book, written in accordance with this scheme, is intended for the use of
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Hindu boys in the middle and upper sections of the High Schools of India, and is designed to give
them a general but correct idea of their national religion, such as may be filled in by fuller study in
College and in later life, but will not need to be changed in any essential respect.
It contains the fundamental ideas and doctrines which are generally received as orthodox, but does
not entei* into the details as to which sectarian divisions have arisen. It is believed that while a
sectarian parent or teacher will probably make he will not find in it additions to it,anything which he will 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 which
one or more lessons may be based.
The shlokas given at the end of the chapters should be committed to memory by the boys.
They will thus acquire a useful store of sacred authorities on their religion.
The name of this series, Sanatoria Dharma, was chosen after full discussion, as best representing the idea of the fundamental truths presented.
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( viii )
It has become somewhat of a sectarian name in me part* 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 of
Hindu youths, and may help in shaping them into pious, moral, loyal and useful citizens of their
Motherland and of the Empire, is the prayer with which its compilers send it forth to the world.
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CONTENTS.
PART I.
Pagik.
Introduction ...............1
BASIC HINDU RELIGIOUS IDEAS.
ChapterI. The One Existence ......... 10
ChapterII. The Many......... 19
Chapter III. Re-birth......... 32
Chapter IV. Karma.,.... 42
Chapter V. Sacrifice......... 53
Chapter VI. The Worlds Visible and Invisible... 63
PART II.
GENERAL HINDU RELIGIOUS
CUSTOMS AND RITES.
ChapterI. The Samaskaras......... 73
ChapterII. Shraddha......... 79
Chapter III. Shaucbam......... 83
Chapter IV. The five Daily Sacrifices...... 90
ChapterV. Worship ............ 95
Chapter VI. The Four Ashramas ......... 101
Chapter VII. The Four Castes.........Ill
PART III.
ETHICAL TEACHINGS.
ChapterI. Ethical Science, what it is...... 121
ChapterII. The Foundation of Ethics as given by
Religion......126
ChapterIII. Right and Wrong......... 130
Chapter IV. The Standard of Ethics...- 138
Chapter V. Virtues and their foundation...... 141
Chapter VIBliss aud Amotions......... 153
Chapter VII Self-regarding Virtues.-...159
Chapter VIIF. Virtues and Vices in relation to Superiors... 175
Chapter IX. Virtues anil Vices in relation to Equals... 195
Chapter X. Virtues and Vices in relation to Inferiors... 227
Chapter XI. The Re-action of Virtues and Vices on each
other...,... 247
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SANATANA DHARMA.
PART I.
BASIC HINDU RELIGIOUS IDEAS.
17
INTRODUCTION.
DHARMA means the Eternal
SANATANAReligion,the Ancient Law, and it is based on the Vedas, sacred books given to men many long ages ago. This Religion has also been called the Aryan Religion, because it is the Religion that was given to the first nation of the Aryan race ; Arya means noble, and the name was given to a great
race, 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 the northern part of the land now called India, and that part in which they first settled was named
AA
Aryavarta, because these Aryans lived in it. "(The land) from the eastern ocean to the western ocean,
between the two mountains (Himavan and Vindhya), the wise call Aryavarta."
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( 2)
In later days the Religion was called the Hindu
Religion, 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 great
men great teachers, great writers, great sages, great
saints, groat kings, great warriors, great statesmen,
great benefactors, great patriots. The more you
the morewill honour and love
know of it,youit,
and the more thankful you will be that you were
born into it. But unless you grow up worthy of it,
this great and holy Religion will do you no good.
The Basis of Sanatana Dharma.
The Ancient Religion is based on one strong
foundation on which are erected the walls of its
structure.
The foundation is called sna: Shrutih "that
which has been heard ;" the walls are called *Jfd:
Smrtih, "that which has been remembered/'
The Shruti has been given through very wise
men, who heard it and received it from Devas ;
these sacred teachings were not written down till
comparatively 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,
19
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over and over again, till they knew them thorough-
ly. 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
Pathashala at the present time.
The Shruti consists of the grg^r: Chaturvedab,
the Four Vedas. Veda means knowledge, that
and thewhich is the
which is known ;knowledge
foundation of Religion is given to man in the Four
Vedas. They are named : gg*^: Rigvedah ; *TntT%^:
and
Samavedah ; 3T3Jef5 : Yajurvedah ;3rsHj%3;:
Atharvavedah.
Each Veda is divided into three parts :
orcollection.
1. jt^p Mantrah ;J-rftr^TT Samhitii,
2. srfiinmi Brabmanam.
3. 3"qT^T^ Upanishat.
The Mantra portion consists of Mantras, or
sentences in which the order of sounds has a parti-
cular power, produces certain effects. These are in
the form of hymns to the Devas whose relations
to men we shall study presently and when they
are properly chanted by properly instructed persons,
certain results follow. These are used in religious
ceremonies, and the value of the ceremony depends
chiefly upon their proper repetition.
20
(I)
The Brahmana portion of the Vedas consists of
directions about ritual and explains how to perform
the ceremonies in which were used the Mantras
given in the first part ; and further, stories connec-
ted with them.
The Upanishat portion consists of deep philo-
sophical 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 all philosophy, and when you are
men, you may study it and delight in it. Only
it is too difficult
highly educated men can study it ;
for others.
There was a fourth part of the Veda in the
ancient days, sometimes called the T7%^*: Upavedah,
this consisted ofand of
or <T?3rq[ Tantram ;science,
practical instructions based on the science ; but
very little of the true ancient Tantra remains, as
the R;shis took them away as unsuitable for times
Some Tantrika
in whi^h people were less spiritual.
forms of ritual are, however, used in worship, along
with, or instead of, the current Vaidika forms. The
books now extant under the name of Tantras are
generally not regarded as part of the Veda.
That which is found in the Shruti is of supreme
authority and is accepted by every faithful follower
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of the Sanatana Dharma as final. All the sects, all
the philosophical systems, appeal to the Shruti as
the fin 1 authority, determining every dispute.
The S nriti or Dhirma Snastra, is founded on,
and scan Is next in authority to, the Shruti, and
consists of four great works, written by Sages, the
chief contents of which are laws and regulations
for the cirrying on of individual, family, social and
national life. Hindu Society is founded on, and
governed by, these laws. They are :
1. W3*Jjr%: or JTPrsrenrsrr^ Manu Smrtih or
Mdnava Dharma Shdstram. The Institutes
of Manu.
2. *irfr3r$^r*3=[r%: Ydjflavalkya SmrtiTj,.
,Shankha Likhita Smrtih.
3. $J*a f%f'errTSJjn:T:
4. srnj^qpjf^T: Parashara Smrtify.
The first of these is the chief compendium of
Aryan law, Manu being the great Law-giver of the
race. Hindu chronology divides the history of a
world into seven great periods or cycles of time,
each of which is begun and is ended by a Manu,
and is therefore called a Manvantara, Manu-antara,
"between (two) Manus."
" Six other Manus, very great-minded and of
great splendour, belonging to the race of this Manu,
the descendant of Svayambhu, have each produced
2
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beinsrs." As there are two M;inus for each Man-
vantara, that shows that we are in th^ fourth Man-
vantara, under the rule of the seventh Manu, who is,
the next shloka tells us, the son of Vivasvat. Some
of his laws are handed down in the Manu Smrtih.
The Ydjflavalkya Smrtih follows the same gene-
ral line as the Manu Smrtih and is next in im-
portance to it. The other two ar* not now much
studied or referred to, except in some parts of
Southern India.
While the Shruti and the Smriti are the founda-
tion and the walls of the Sanatana Dharma, there
are two other important supports like buttresses ;
the ^4|4jji?*r, Pumnani, Puranas, and the frcHJPH":
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 could
not study the Vedas. They are very interesting
to read, and are full of information of all kinds.
Some of the allegories are difficult to understand,
and require the help of a teacher.
The Itihasa comprises two great poems :
1. The imw<JJH Bdmdyanam, the history of
Shri Ramachandra, the son of King Dasharatha, and
23
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of His wife Sita, and of His brothers, a most in-
teresting and delightful story, as you all know.
2. The JT^nTPCrf, Mahabharatam, 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 coDtains an immense number of beautiful stories,
noble moral teachings, and useful lessons of all kinds.
These two books, the Rdrndvana and the
Mahdbhdrata, tell us most of what we know about
ancient India, about her people and customs, and
her ways of living, and her arts, and her 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.*
The Science and Philosophy of
Sanatana 1)harma.
While the Shruti and the Smriti, the Purauas
and the Itihasa make the edifice of Hindu Religion,
we find that the Religion itself has given rise to
a splendid literature of Science and Philosophy.
The Science was divided into the uplift Shad-
and these
angani, the Six Angas, literally Limbs ;
'Summaries of these have been given as lectures at the C. H. College,
by Annie Besant, and are published as Tlie Story of the Great War, and
Shri Jtamachandra,
24
V 8)
six Limbs, or Branches, comprised what would now
be called secular knowledge. In the old days reli-
gious and secular knowledge were not divided.
They included Grammar, Philology, Astrology,
Poetry, together with sixty-four sciences and arts,
and the method by which study should be carried
on, so that any one who mastered the six angas
was a man of varied and deep learning.
The Philosophy also had six divisions, the
M^SAMIR Shaddarshanani, the Six Darshanas, or
ways of seeing things, usually called the Six Sys-
tems. They all have one object : the putting an
end to pain by enabling the separated human selves
andall have
pto re-unite with the supreme Self ;they
one method the development of tyMH Jnanam,
Wisdom. The ways employed are different, to
suit the different mental constitutions of men, so
that they are like six different roads, all leading to
one town.
As to what is contained in the Six Systems of
philosophy, it will be enough for boys to know this ;
The Ny&ya and the Vaisheshika arrange all the
things of the world into a certain number of kinds ;
then point out that a man knows all things by
means of his senses, or by inference and analogy,
or by testimony of other (wise and experienced)
25
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and thenhow God has made
men ;they explain
all this material world oat of atoms and molecules ;
finally they show how the highest and most useful
knowledge is the knowledge of God, who is also
the inmost Spirit of man, and how this knowledge
is obtained in various ways.
The Sankhya explains in more detail and in
new ways the nature of jps^T. Purushaht, Spirit, and
of sr^jfan Prakritifr, Matter, and relation of each to
the other.
The Yoga says that as there are now generally
known five senses and five organs of action, so there
are other subtler senses and organs; and explains
more fully how they may be developed by men who
are seeking to know God, who is their own true
inmost Spirit.
Lact-
The Mimansft explains what karma is,e.,
ion, both religious and worldly, and what are its
consequences, causes and effects, and how it binds
man to this world or to another.
The Vedanta finally tells fully what is the exact
and true nature of God, or Atma, and shows that
Jiva of man is in essence the same as this inmost
God, and explains how man may five so that karma
shall not bind him; and finally, by understanding
26
( 10 )
what the Maya Shakti of God is, by which all this
world comes forth and appears and disappears, how
he may (after practice of Yoga) merge himself into
and become one with God and so gain Moksha.
:o :
27
CHAPTER I.
The One Existence.
is one Infinite Eternal, Changeless
THEREExistence, the All.
to That all
From That all comes forth ;
returns.
"One only, without a second."*
That includes within Itself all that ever has
and can be. As a wave rises in the
been, is,ocean,
a universe rises in the All. As the wave sinks again
into the ocean, a universe sinks again into the All,
As the ocean is water, and the wave a form or
manifestation of the water, so is there one Exis-
tence, and the universe is a form, or manifestation,
of the Existence. " All this verily (is) Brahman."f
This is the primary truth of Religion. Men
have given to the All many different names.
The nantie in the Sanatana Dharma is Brahman.
English-speaking people use the name God, add-
ing, to make the meaning clear, God, in His own
*Ckhandogyop, VI, ii I.
rThid, III, xiT i, "This'" is the technical name for a universe.
28
( 12)
Nature." Sometimes the Hindu speaks of the All
as Nirguna Brahman, the Brahman without attri-
butes, or the unconditioned Brahman. This is tc
distinguish the unmanifested state of Brahman,
the All, from the manifested state, in which
Brahman is called the S*guna Brahman, the Brah-
man with attributes, or the conditioned Brahman
the Supreme Ishvara with His universe.
These are called: "the two states of Brahman ;"
the subject is very difficult, and it is enough for a
boy to understand that the Ssguna Brahman is
Brahman revealed not "a second," but Brahman
shining forth as The One, the Great Lord of Being,
Thought and Bliss. He is the self-existent One,
the Root and Cause of all beings. He is al*o some-
times called Purusottama, the Supreme Spirit,
The Self. With Himself as Spirit He reveals the
other side of the All, which is named Miilapra-
kriti, the Root of Matter. Prakriti, Matter, is
that which takes form, and so can give bodies of
all that we can
all sorts and shapes and kinds ;
touch, taste, smell, see, and hear, is Matter, and a
great deal more besides, which our five senses are
not yet developed enough to perceive. The solids,
li rihadiiranyakoj), II, iii 1.
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liquids and gases of the chemist are made of Matter;
all the things round us, stones, trees, animals, men,
are made of Matter. But the whole of them is not
Matter ; inaudible, invisible, unsmellable, untastable,
intangible, the Spirit is in each, an ifo: Amshafo,
a portion, of fshvara. We call the Matter part a
or a ^jpr.sheath
tnftTH Shariram, body ;koshafr,*;
that which embodi-
or an <4Mlfv?: Upadhilj, vehicle ;
es, clothes, or carries the Spirit. Thus Ishvara is
in everything, and it is He who gives life to all
things. He is UTrTIT Atma, the Self, the Immortal,
the Inner Ruler, dwelling in all objects, and there
is nothing that can' exist apart from Him. An
amshah of Him in a body of matter is called a Jiva,
or a Jivatmsi, a separated Self.
There are some very important differences be-
tween Spirit and Matter, as well as the differences
just spoken of : that the senses, when completely
developed, can perceive Matter, while they cannot
perceive Spirit, and that Matter takes form while
Spirit is formless. It is the Spirit that is life, and
that thinks, and feels, and observes, that is the
M I "
in each of us. And the Spirit is one and the
same in everybody and in everything. But Matter
*Spelt also gfifa: koshah.
30
( H)
it isJadamr
cannot think, or feel, or observe ;3TS
without consciousness. And it has also the tend-
ency to be constantly dividing itself into many
forms and to become many. So that Spirit and
Matter are said to be the opposites one of the
other ; Spirit is called the knower, the one that
knows, while Matter is called the object of know-
ledge, that which is known.
Students should try to understand these differ-
ences, and must never confuse Spirit and Matter ;
they are opposites, the first "
pair of opposites," out
of which a universe is built up.
Just as Spirit has three qualities, ?<nj Psr^iTR^--
Sat Chit Anandara Being, Thought- Power and
Bliss, so has Matter three qualities <nr: csr*. HrTO
Tamah, Rajah, Sattvam-Inertia, Mobility, Rhythm.
Inertia gives resistance and stability to Matter ;
Mobility keeps Matter active, moving about ;
Rhythm makes the movements regular. You may
"
say : A stone does not move of itself." B ut
science tells you that every particle in that stone
particles too small for you to see is moving rapid-
ly and regularly to and fro, is vibrating, to use the
scientific term.
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The tff^r: Shaktih, or the Divine Power of tsh-
vara, which makes Matter begin to take form, is
Daivi-
called mn\ Maya, and sometimes ^fhrfn%: ;
prakrtih, the Divine Prakrti. Shri Krshna speaks
of """
My Divine Prakrti as My other Prakrti,
the higher, the life-element, by which the universe
is upheld."*
The student may think of the great pair of
opposites, Ishvara and Mulaprakrti, standing, as it
were, face to face and the Divine Power of Ishvara
shining out on Mulaprakrti and making the qua-
lities, called fJUFn gunah, act on each other, sol that
many forms begin to appear. This Divine power
is Maya, and so Ishvara is called the Lord of MayaV
Even young students must try to remember
these names, and what they mean, for they cannot
otherwise understand the teaching of the Bhdga-
vad Gltdy which every Hindu boy must try to un-
derstand. It may be well to say that the word
Prakrti is generally used instead of Mulaprakrti,
the prefix Miila, Root, being usually left out.
*Iihagavad Gita, vii 5.
32
( 16 )
qF3 ^ as*** vfavgg **rfe^$ ^ a
" I will declare that which ought to be known,
that which b?ing known i rumortality is enjoyed
the beginningless supreme Brahman, called neither
Being nor Not-Being.
"Everywhere That has hands and feet, every-
allHe
where eyes, heads and mouths ;hearing,
dwelleth in the world, enveloping all ;
"
Shining with all sense-faculties, without any
and
eense ; unattached, supporting everything ;
free from qualities, enjoying qualities.
"Without and within all beings, immovable
and also movable ; by a reason of his subtlety indisat hand and far
__^tinguishable ;away is That.
<k,
'
Ithagarad Oita, xiii,12 17.
33
( 17 )
" Not divided amid beings and yet seated dis-
That is to be known as tbe
tributively.supporter
of beings ; He devours and He generates.
That, the Light of all lights, is said to be beyond
darkness ; wisdom, the object of wisdom, by wisdom
to be reached, seated in the hearts of all. "
This was in the form of Darkness, unknown,
without marks [or homogeneous], unattainable by
reasoning, 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 mighty power, Dispel-
ler of Darkness.
" He who <;an be grasped by that which is beyond
the senses, subtle unm mife^t, ancient, containing all
beings, inconceivable, even He Himself shone forth."
* Itanu Smriti i 5, 6, 7. t Bhagava4 Gita, x 20.
34
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"am theseated in the
I, Gudakesha,Self,
Ithe mid-
heart of all beings ; am the
" beginning,
dle, and also the end of all beings.
srerisRn *tr* %% =51 amrf : g^reiff: II +
" There are two Purushas in this world, the des-
the destructible is
tructible and the indestructible ;
all beings, the unchanging is called the indestruct-
ible.
" The highest Purusha is verily another, declar-
ed as the Supreme Self ; He who pervading all,
sustaineth the three worlds, the indestructible
Tshvara.
<k
Since I excel the destructible, and am more
excellent also than the indestructible, in the world
and in the Veda I am proclaimed Prushottama. "
juMrh *fNr% sfrgr^: hstct*. i
*t: *STJfrf?2[*m% ngfawft ^fr% II*
*
Ibid, xvIf,.
*
Bhagarad GUa, xv 7.
35
( 19)
" 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.
sm Hi*f sjfT$ frrg?^ gdrwrcn; I
^ %sft ^rc $M 1^^^% vrrtrci ll t
" Seated equally in all beings, the supivme
he who
lshvara, un perishing within the perishing ;
thus seeih, he seeth.
" When he preceiveth the diversified exsistence
of beings as rooted in One and spreading forth
from It, then he reacheth Brahman.
"As the one sun illumineth the whole earth
so the Lord of the field, illumineth the whole field,
Bha'T.tM."
*
arev^rf JT^rsrrtr *t?i 'OT^ sm?* ft
"Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Other, Mind and
t Ibid xiii 27 30, 33.*
Bhagavad-Gita, vii, 4-5.
36
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Reason also and Egoism these are the eight- fold
divisions of my Prakrti.
" This the inferior. Know my other Prakrti,
the higher, the life-element,
" mighty-armed, by
which the universe is upheld.
"
Sattva, Rajas, Tamas, these are the Gunas,
born of Prakriti ; they bind fast in the body,
great-armed one, the indestructible dweller in the
body."
t Ibid xiv 5
:o
37
CHAPTER II.
The Many.
WHEN Ishvara shines out on Prakriti and
makes it fall into shapes, the first Forms
that appear are those of the HnjT^r: Tri-
miirtih, the three Aspects of Ishvara, manifested to
cause a sfiPNTsf Brahmandam, literally an Egg of
Brahma, a universe, or orderly system of worlds.
The aspect of Ishvara in which He creates the
worlds is named Brahms! ; Brahma is the Creator.
The aspect of Ishvara in which He preserves, takes
care of, and maintains the worlds is named Vishnu;
Vishnu is the Preserver. The aspect of Ishvara in
which He dissolves the worlds, when they are worn
out and of no further use, is named Shiva, or
Shiva is the Dissolver of the worlds.
Mahadeva ;
These are the first manifestations of Ishvara, His
Supreme Forms, His three Aspects, or Faces. The
One, the Saguna Brahman, or the Supreme Ishvara,
appears as Three.
Brahma, the Creator, shapes matter into seven
<jr3TI% Tattvani, Elements, as they have been
called.* Different Dames are given to the first two ;
* The western chemist uses the word in a different sense,
but the old meaning is the one we are concerned with.
38
))
we may use the names Mahat-Buddhi, Pure Rea-
sod, and Abamkara, Egoism, the principle of sepa-
ration, breaking up matter into tiny particles, called
atoms. Then come the remaining five Tattvas :
Akasha, Ether ; Vayu, Air ; Agni, Fire ; Apa,
Water ; Prithivi, Earth. This is called the crea-
tion of the *ffffe BhutMi, Elements, and out of
these all things are partly made. There is more of
Tamo-guna than of Rajo-guna and of Sattva-guna
showing itself in these elements, and so the things
the
composed chiefly of them are dull and inert ;
inner life, the Jiva, cannot show its powers, for the
coat of matter is so thick and heavy.
Next after the Elements, the ten Indriyas are
these were at firstideas in the mind
created ;only
of Brahma, and later were clothed in the Elements ;
they are the five centres of the senses : smell, taste,
sight, touch, hearing, the organs of which are the
nose, tongue, eyes, skin and ears ; and the five
centres of action, the organs of which are hands,
feet, and those of speech, generation and excretion.
There is more of Rajo-guna than of Tamo-guna
and of Sattva-guna shewing itself in these Indriyas,
so they are very active, and the inner life, the Jiva,
can show more of its powers in them.
After the Indriyas, Brahma created in His
39
23
mind the l.)evas who are connected with the
senses, and also Manah, the mind, which is some-
times called the sixth Indriya, when the first five
are spoken of, and the eleventh, when the ten are
taken : because it draws into itself and arranges
and thinks over all the sensations collected by the
indriyas from the outer world. There is more of
Sattva-guna than of Tamo-guna and of Rajo-guna
showing itself in these Deities and Manah.
The student must remember that these gunas
are never separated, but one guna may be more
dominant than another in any particular being.
When Tamo-guna dominates, the being is called
when theis tamasik ;Rajo-guna dominates,being
called rajasik ; when Sattva-guna dominates, the
being is called sattvik. All things may be divided
under these three heads of sattvik, rajasik, and
tamasik.*
Brahma next created in His mind the hosts of
l)evas, who carry out, administer the laws of Ishvara,
and see to the proper management of all the worlds.
Jshvara is the King, the One Lord, and the Devas
are His ministers, like the ministers and officials
of an earthly king. The students must never
confuse the Pevas with the supreme Ishvara, with
* See Bha<jiad-Gita, xiv, xvii arid xviii.
40
24
Brahman. They are His higher officials for the
Brahmanda, as we men are His lower officials for
this 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 famine
and other national troubles come from men entirely
neglecting the duties they owe to the pevas.
The Pevas are a vast multitude, divided under
their five Rulers, Indra, Vayu, Agni, Varuna and
Kubera. Indra has to do with the ether ; Vayu
with the air ; Asmi with the fire : Varuna with
Kubera with the earth. The l.)evas
the water ;
under each have different names, as we see in the
Puranas and the Itihasa. The student may have
read, for instance, how Bhima fought with the
Yakshas, who were the servants of Kubera.
In these Pevas the Ilajo-guna dominates ;
Manu says that their " nature is action."
The Asuras, the enemies of the Pevas, embody
the resistance, or inertia, of Matter, and in them
Tamo-guna is predominant.
* Karma is explained in Chapter IV.
41
25
Brahma then created in His mind minerals,
plants, animals and men, thus completing the pic-
ture of the worlds wherein the unfolding of the
powers of the Jiva what is now called Evolution
was to take place. In Sanskrit this world-evolu-
tion, or world-process, is called H^TTT*. Samsarah,
and it is compared to a wheel, constantly turning,
on which all Jivas are bound.
Thus Brahma completed His share of the great
task of a universe, but the forms needed, to be
clothed in physical matter, to be made active be-
this was the work ofthe
ings ;Vishnu,All-perva-
der, the Maintainer and Preserver of the worlds.
He breathed His Life into all these forms, and, as
a Purana says, became Prana in all forms and gave
them consciousness. Then all the Brahmanda
u became full of life and consciousness." But even
this was not enough, when man came upon the
scene. Two Aspects of Ishvara had given Their
Life, but the third Aspect remained, the One who
dissolves forms and thus liberates the Jivas, calling
them to union and bliss. The life of Mahadeva
must be poured out to complete the triple Jiva of
man, that he might be the perfect reflexion of the
triple Ishvara. This was done, and the human
Jiva began his long evolution, having already passed
42
26
through, evolved through, the mineral, vegetable
A
and animal kingdoms in previous kalpas.very
beautiful description of the evolution
A through
plants and animals to men, until " in man Atma is
manifest," and "
by the mortal he desires the immortal," may be read by elder students in the
Aitareyaranyaka* and will be found in the Ad-
vanced Text-Book.
The special manifestations of Vishnu, called
Avataras, must not be forgotten. The word means
One who descends, from tri passing over, the prefix
"ava" giving the significance of descending. It
is applied to Divine manifestations of a peculiar
kind, in which the Deity incarnates in some form
to bring about some special result. When things
are going bndly with the world, and special help is
needed to keep the world on the road of right
evolution, then Vishnu conies down in some appro-
priate form, and puts things right.
Ten of His Avataras are regarded as more im-
portant than the others, and are often spoken of
as "the Ten Avataras."
1. Matsya, the fish. Vaivasvata Manu once
saw a little fish, gasping for water, and put it into
itand Heit in a
a bowl ; grew,placedlarger pot ;
*
II. iii 2.
43
27
then again in a larger, and then in a tank, a pondr
a river, the sea, and ever the Fish grew and filled
its receptacle. Then the Manu knew that this Fish
was connected with His own life-work, and when
the time came for Him to save the seeds of life
from a great flood, He entered a ship with the
Rishis and the necessary life- seeds, the great Fish
appeared, and drew the vessel to the world where
lay the Manu's Avork. With the coming of the Fish
began the great evolution of animal life in the
world.
2. Kurma, the Tortoise. As the tortoise,
Vishnu, supported the whirling mountain, which
churned the great sea of matter, that it might give
forth the necessary forms. The Tortoise is the
type of the next great step in evolution.
3. Varaha, the Eoar. The earth was sunk
below the waters, and Vishnu 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 great
stages of evolution, each marked in Hinduism by
an Avatara.
4. Narasimha, the Man-Lion. This was the
Avatara that came to free the earth from the tyranny
of the Daityas. Into this race a child, Prahlada,
44
28
was born, who from earliest childhood was devoted
to Vishnu, despite the threats and the cruelties of
his Diatya father. Over and over again the father
tried to slay the son, but ever Vishnu intervened
at lastin the
to save him ;He burst from a pillar
form of a Man- Lion, and slew the Daitva Kino".
5. Vamana, the Dwarf. At last He came as
man, to aid the evolution of the human race, and
gained from Bali the right to all He could cover, in
onecovered theand thus
three steps ;stepearth,
He won for man the field of his evolution.
6. Parashurama, R&ma of the Axe. This
Avatara came to punish such of the Kshttriyas
as were oppressing the people, and to teach bad
rulers the danger of using power to tyrannise,
instead of to help.
7. Rama, usually called Ranaachandra, the
eon of Dasharatha. He, with His three brothers,
came as the ideal Kshattriya, the model King, and
He serves as an example of a perfect human life.
An 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 told
in Valmiki's Rdmayanam, and the lovely version
of Tulsi Das is known in every northern Indian
home.
45
29
8. Krishna, the manifestation of Divine Love
and Wisdom, worshipped by myriads with intense
devotion. As the marvellous child of Vraja and
Vrindavana, as the friend of Arjuna, as the speaker
of the Bhdgai'ad-GUd, as the wise counsellor of
the Pandavas, as the adored of Bhishma what
Indian boy does not know His story ? He is the
central Figure of the Mahdbhdrtam and His Life
is traced in several Puranas.
9. Buddha, the gentle prince who gave up
throne and luxury to become a travelling mendi-
cant, Teacher of the Truth. He is known as
Sh&kyamuni, as Gautama, as Siddhartha, and is the
founder of a mighty faiih, followed by millions of
the human race. In him Vishnu teaches vast
multitudes of non -Aryan peoples.
10. Kalki the Avatara who shall close the
Kali Yuga, and whose coming is yet in the future.
When He comes, the Satya Yuga, will return to
earth, a new cycle will begin.
The development and perfection of the human
type is indicated by these Avataras.
46
30
mw* r^rf ftftiuiitta ir H *
" Within Thy Form, God, the Gods I seeT
All grades of being with distinctive marks ;
Brahma the Lord, upon His lotus-throne,
andthe Divine.
The Rishis all,Serpents, A
Rudras, Vasus, Sadhyas and Adityas,
Vishvas, the Ashvins, Maruts, Ushmapas,
Gandharvas, Yakshas, Siddhas, Asuras,
In wondering multitudes beholding Thee.''
wfix *m jrraf^rTJrorg: i **
"Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, they call himr
and He is the radiant golden-feathered Garutm&n,
Of Him who is one, Sages speak as manifold ;
they call him Agni, Yama, Matarishva."
*
Iihugavad-Gila, xi 15 and 22.
**119.
Bigreda, I, clxiv, 46. f Manutmriti, xii,
47
ol
"All the Gods (are) even the Self : all rests on
the Self.
"Some call Him Agni, others Manu, (others)
Prajapati, some Indra. others Life -Breath, others
the eternal Brahman."
*^r$T: sre^r st^jt: I
spjr^rfkfegr: ht**t siren
_**Ci_
^rrr ??3^Tr <rogr g*frm i t
"As from a blazing fire sparks, all similar to
each other, spring forth in thousands so from the
Indestructible,beloved, various types of being
are born, and they also return thither
"From That are born Breath, Mind, and all the
Senses, Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, the
support of all
*
Ibid, 124. I Mundakop, 11, i, 117.
48
32
"From that in various ways are born, the Gods,
Sadhyas, Men, Beast, Birds.
snir^TTV^ rrm-rr vmms%r*im ^ il
3T*ir T^fcr ^?T^rr ws^ r%gfo *rsmr. I
"From Sattva wisdom is born, and also greed
from Rajah ; negligence and delusion are of Tamah,
and also unwisdom.
"They rise upwards who are settled in Sattva ;
the Rajasic dwell in the midmost place. The
Tamasic go downwards, enveloped in the vilest
qualities."
^srecrosjrw^ mi *rer% *nT<r1
SR *T^T <T^T lTOTf fefSC ^Tc^fffc^^ II
^jT^mfsr 3tpi^ fefi *rere*r 11
<m^<rn?r &w% fef^ir ^5^5* 11 1
"Sattva attacheth to bliss, Raj'ifr to action,
*Bhagavad-{fitd, xiv, 17. IS. f fi/nif/umd-f/ifa, xiv, 9-/3.
49
Bharata. Tamalj, verily, having shrouded wisdom,
attacheth on the contrary, to heedlessness.
(Now) Sattva prevaileth, having overpowered
Rajah and Tamak,Bharata; (now) Rajafr
(having overpowered) Tamas and Sattva, (now)
Tamas, (having overpowered) Rajah and Sattva.
"When the wisdom-light streameth forth from
all the gates of the body, then it may be known
that Sattva is increasing.
"Greed, outgoing energy, undertaking of ac-
tions, restlessness, desire these are born of the
increase of Rajah,best of the Bharatas.
"Darkness, stagnation and heedlessness, and
also delusion these are born of the increase of
Tamah, joy of the Kurus."
TfT^iwrT ^r^f furore ^ 5^rr*i 11
"When dharma decays, when adharma is exalt-
ed then I Myself come forth;
For the protection of the good, for the destruc-
tion of evil-doers, for firmly establishing dharma,
I am born from a^e to age."
*
Bkagavad-Gita, ir, 7. 8.
50
CHAPTER III.
RE-BIKTH.
evolution spoken of in the lastis
THEchapter
carried on by the Jiva passing from body to
body, the bodies improving as his powers unfold;
this is called re-birth, re-incarnation, or transmigra-
tion. The word re-incarnation means literally tak-
ing flesh again, coming again into a physical body.
The word transmigration means passing from one
place to another passing into a new body. Either
word can be used equally well. Let us see what is
the process described by these words.
The Ji va, we have seen, is a portion of Brahman,
"a portion of myself, a Jiva," says Shri Krshna.
He contains the powers of Brahman, is Brahman.
"Thou art That," the Shruti teaches. But yet there
is a difference 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, putting 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 parent. And so with the
Jiva; like a seed he is dropped into matter by
Ishvara, he slowly grows, putting out his hidden
powers, until he becomes Ishvara; he can become
51
35
nothing else, because his nature is the same as that
of his Parent, Ishvara.
Ishvara is said to be wise and powerful, Jiva to
be unwise and powerless;* but the Jiva grows into
wisdom and power, and that growth is what is
called Evolution.
We have seen that the Jiva begins in the mineral
kingdom his long pilgrimage through the physical
world. At that stage he is unconscious of the
outer world. His attention is called to it, its ex-
istence is forced on him, by violent shocks and
blows from cutside ; earthquakes, volcanoes, land-
theof the furiousthese and
slips,rollingsurf,many
other violent agencies arouse the Jiva's attention
to the fact that he is not alone, that there is some-
thing outside him.If the student reads the ac-
counts of the very early periods of the earth's
history, he will be struck by the number of big
all thesenecessary
catastrophies ;wereto awaken
the Jivas. After a very very long time, the Jivas
were sufficiently awake to be fit for softer and
more flexible bodies than minerals, and they went
on into plants, while others, coming out later from
Ishvara, took their places in the mineral kingdom.
The Jivas in the plants now became more con-
*
Shvetashvatarop, i 9.
52
36
scious of the outer world, feeling the warm sun, and
the gentle breezes, and the life-giving rain. As they
grew older and more sensitive, they passed into the
longer-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 vegetable
kingdom, and others still younger into the minerals.
And now in the animal kingdom the Jivas got
on much faster, and by hunting for food, and fight-
ing and outwitting each other, the senses and the
simple mental powers were brought out and stren-
until at last the animal forms were
gthened ;no
longer good enough for them, and they needed the
human in order that their evolution should not stop.
The student may ask : What makes the forms
evolve to suit the Jiva ? The Jiva's own efforts.
He wants to look oat through the wall of matter
he tries toand his out-
that encloses him ;see,
wardgoing energy works on the wall, and slowly,
and so with all
very very slowly, evolves an eye ;
the senses and all the organs. The senses are
pierced from within outwards, we are taught.
The Jiva shapes them all to suit himself, so that
he can use his powers in the outer world,
and the Devas help him by giving him mat-
erial* that are suited to the organ he wants
53
37
()
to build. When he is trying to see, Agni gives him
some of his own fiery matter, which vibrates when
When he wants to
touched by rays of light.taste,
Varuna gives him some of his own watery matter,
And so on. In this
which makes tasting possible.
way he makes his bodies, and when he has shaped
one as much as he can, and it is of no further use to
him, he throws it away and makes another. He
evolves faster and faster as he goes on, because his
powers, as they work more freely, can bring about
results much more quickly than in the earlier stages.
This is the general process of evolution, and the
succession has been told about as though it were
unbroken, so that the student may grasp the main
idea. But, in nature, while the general stream is
onwards, there are many little twists and turnings
and runnings up into bye-ways. A Jiva may slip
backwards for a time, stay a while in a stage that
he has long left behind him. There is something
he has not quite learned, some power he has not
quite evolved, and he falls by this into a lower stage
again as a boy at school, if he were idle, might be
put back into a lower class. A Jiva which has
reached the human stage may be attached to an
animal, or to a plant, or, if he be very t&masic, even
4
54
( 38 )
to a stone, till he has learned to use the human form
better. Then he is like a man in prison, shut out
from human society, and unable to use his human
powers, for want of freedom.
But the Jiva is not to be tied for ever to the
wheel of births and deaths. The ropes that tie
him to this wheel are his desires. So long as he
desires 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 desire
these objects, then the ropes are broken, and he is
free. He need not be born any more; he has reach-
ed liberation. He is then called a Mukta, a free Jiva.
Often Muktas remain in this world to help its
progress, so that other Jivas may get free sooner
than they otherwise would. We read about such
Muktas in the Vedas and Puranas and the Itihasa;
sometimes they are great Rishis or Kings, and
sometimes they are quite simple people. But what-
ever they may be in outside appearance, they are
pure and unselfish and calm, and live only to help
others. They are content to labour for the good of
the world, and they know that they are one
with Ishvara.
55
39
()
"As the dweller in the body experienceth, in
the body, childhood, youth and old age, so passeth
he on to another body. The steadfast one grieveth
not thereat."
^rerftRrsjrfcreT crorrf grer srrca ii
*T <** % ?*cTTC SH^t* WTtft %^m 1
srsir f^tar srraraT3*T 3*:rcfr
i^n% Wr% w-scmftr 1
cT^TTrJ" ^TOTTO ^TTR * c^f STrF^rJJT^fa II*
"These bodies of the embodied One who is
*
Bhiigarad-Gita, ii 13
*18-22 and
Bhdgacad-Gi/a, ii,30,
56
40
()
eternal, indestructible find boundless, are known as
finite. Therefore fight, Bh&rptt.
"He who regardeth this as a slayer, and he
who thinketh he is slain, both of them are 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, perpe-
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,
Partha, or cause to be slain ?
"As a man, casting off worn-out garments,
taketh new ones, so the dweller in the body, cast-
ing off worn-out bodies, entereth into others that
are new.
"This dweller in the body of every one is ever
invulnerable, Bharata. Therefore thou shouldst
not grieve for any creature."
TJTrTtJT cf^rT <JOT*r'mrc&f SKIT R^r5nr%Slf
"As a goldsmith, having taken a piece of gold,
maketh another form, new and more beautiful, so
*
Brihadi'trani/ako/i. IV, iv 4.
57
41
()
verily the Atma, having cast off this body and
having put away Avidya, maketh another new and
more beautiful form."
farad* ?t *t qm q^rq^ri^r^rcH^r n
^r^5i 5T?rHr ^^r ^%ftr?3[*fcfa l
*frf*tr. ^r ^rr% *?*t c^cgrrs^Ji^scqr n
^337: sFnreriw ^ *ra?t T>*r*ar?r II*
"He who acteth placing all actions in Brahman,
abandoning attachment, is unaffected by sin, as a
lotus leaf by the waters.
"Yogis, having abandoned attachment, perform
action onlv by the body, by the mind, by the rea-
son, and even by the senses, for the purification
of the self.
"The harmonised man, having abandoned the
fruit of action, attaineth to the eternal peace; the
non-harmonised, impelled by desire, attached to
fruit, are bound."
ctN rflr<r. *nfr qqf *?r*q >%i<t w- I
* lik iif/a cad O'i.ta, v, 10 12.
58
42
()
f^fi%^^gjfr asrfirf s*5n% few* 11
*r s5ratT5[rf>rcJrr gi$r*r^ssro53<T 11 1
"Sages look equally on a Brahinana adorned
with learning and humility, a cow, an elephant,
and even a dog and an outcaste.
"Even here on earth they have conquered the
universe whose mind remains balanced. Brahman
is incorruptible and balanced; therefore they are
established in Brahman.
"One should neither rejoice in obtaining what
is pleasant, nor sorrow in obtaining what is unplea-
sant; with Reason firm, un perplexed, the Brahman-
knower (is) established in Brahman.
"He whose self is unattached to external con-
tacts, and findeth joy in the Self, having the self
harmonised with Brahman by yoga, enjoyeth hap-
piness exempt from decay."
%5db*r ^marra: ^^bj^fi^r *w> 11
t Ibid, v. 1821.
59
( 43)
srracfr a^Rsrftjr *&lr M^arcJren^ II*
"He who is happy within, who rejoiceth within
and who is illuminated within, that yogi, becoming
Brahman, goeth to the Nirvana of Brahman.
"Rishis their sins destroyed, their duality
removed, their selves controlled, intent upon the
welfare of all beings, obtain the Nirvana of Brah-
man.
"The Nirvana of Brahman lies near to those
who know themselves, who are disjoined from
desire and passion, subdued ascetics, of controlled
mind."
*
Bhagavad-Glta, v. 24-26.
:0:-
60
CHAPTER IV.
Karma.
is a Sanskrit word which means
KARMAaction,
but it is generally used to mean a certain
definite connection between what is being done
now and what will happen in the future. Things
do not happen by accident, by chance, in a disorder-
ly way. They happen in regular succession ; they
follow 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 are
seeds again. And one of these seeds planted will
produce a stem, and leaves, and flowers and fruits
and seeds. The same sort of seed produces the
same kind of plants. Rice produces rice-plants;
barley produces barley; wheat produces wheat;
thistle produces thistle; cactus produces cactus. If
a man sows thistles, he must not expect a crop of
sweet grapes; if he plants prickly cactus, he must
not expect to gather juicy apples. This is karma,
sows the seed of thehe
and a man, knowing it,thing
wants to reap. This is the first thing to remember.
61
45
()
Xow an action is not quite so simple a thing as
it looks. If I ask a person, "Why do you walk
into the town?" he will say: "I wanteds pair of
shoes, and / thought I could get them there;" or:
il I v:anted to see a freind and I thought he was in
the town;" and so on, in many ways, but always:
"/ wanted and / thought therefore I acted." These
three are always found together.
Now a want is what is called a desire; we desire
to get somthing that is the first stage; then we
think how to get it that is the second stage; then
we act so as to get it that is the third stage.
This is the regular order; every action has a
thought behind it and every thought has a desire
behind it.
These three things action, thought, desire are
the three threads that are twisted into the cord of
karma. Our actions make the people round us
happy or unhappy; if we make them happy, we
have sown happiness like a seed, and it grows up
into happiness for ourselves; if we make them un-
happy, we have sown unhappiness like a seed, and
it grows up intc unhappiness for ourselves. If we
do cruel things, we sow cruelty like a seed, and it
grows up into cruelty to ourselves. If we do kind
62
( 46)
things, we sow kindness like a seed, and it grows
up into kindness to ourselves. Whatever we sow
by our actions comes back to us. This is karma.
But action has thought behindit. Now
thought makes what is called our character, the
nature and kind of mind that we have. As we
think about a thing a great deal, our mind becomes
like that thing. If we think kindly, we become
kind; if we think cruelly, we become cruel; if we
if
think deceitfully, we become deceitful ; we think
honestly, we become honest. In this way our character
is made by our thoughts, and when we are born again,
we shall be born with the character that is being made
, by our thoughts now. As we act according to our
nature, or character as a kind person acts kindly, or
a cruel person acts cruellyit is easy to see that
actions in our next life will depend on the thoughts
of our present life. This is karma.
But thought has desire behind it. Now desire
brings us the object we wish for. As a magnet at-
tracts soft iron, so does desire attract objects. If
we desire money, we shall have the opportunity of
becoming rich in another life. If we desire learn-
ing, we shall have the opportunity of becoming
learned in another life. If we desire love, we shall
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have the opportunity of becoming loved. If we
desire power, we shall have the opportunity of be-
coming powerful. 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 now
are the outcome of my past thoughts, and if my
past thoughts are the outcome of my past desires,
am I not helplessly bound? I must act as I have
thought. 1 must think as I have desired." That is
for
true, but to a certain extent only ;we are
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 actually desired, thought and acted
in a certain way in the past, the possibility of
desiring, of thinking otherwise has also been present
and thisbe
throughout that past ;possibility may
turned, 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 in
the past.
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Suppose a man finds that he has acted cruelly:
he learns that his cruel action was caused by his
cruel thoughts in the past, and that those cruel
thoughts grew out of desire to get an object which
could only be ojbtained by cruelty. He sees that his
cruel actions make people miserable, that these
people hate and fear him, and thus make him lonely
and unhappy. He thinks over all this, and he re-
solves to change, but the pressure of his past thoughts
and desires is very difficult to resist. He goes to the
root of the trouble the desire for the things that he
cannot get without cruelty, and he who is the
Jiva says to himself : "I will not let myself desire
those things, and whenever 1 begin to wish for them
I will remember that the desire breeds misery." He
uses thought to check desire, instead of letting desire
control thought. Then instead of desires carrying
him away, as if they were runaway horses, he
gradually uses thought as a bridle, and keeps his
desires in check. He will only allow them to run
after objects that bring happiness when they are
obtained.
Young Jivas let their desires run away with
them, and so bring much unhappiness on them-
selves; older Jivas grow wiser, and when the desire
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runs out to an object the possession of which would,
as he has found in the past, cause unhappiness, he
remembers that past unhappiness, and by his
thought pulls the desire back.
The student, then, who would make happiness
for others and for himself, must look well after his
desires, must find out by observation and study
which objects in the long run bring happiness, and
which bring unhappiness, and must then try, with
all his strength, to desire only those things the out-
come 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 Krshna says :
" He who, established in unity, worshippeth Me,
abiding in all beings, that yogi liveth in Me, what-
ever his mode of living."* Janaka, the Kshattriya
King and Tuladhara, the Vaishya merchant, equally
reached liberation, and that, not by fleeing to the
forest, but by the absence of desire for worldly
things.
Janaka was King in Mithila over the Videhas
and, having attained to tranquility of mind, he sang
this song: "Unlimited is my wealth, and yet I have
*
Bfuvjacad-Gitd, vi. 31.
66
( 50)
naught. If the whole of Mithila be burned up
with fire, yet for me there will be nothing lost."f
And so he told Mandavya, having repeated this,
that whatever possessions a man might have were
but 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 from
the disappearance of desire. As the horns of a cow
grow with the cow, so does the desire for wealth
grow with its possession. Wealth should be used
but desire is
for the good that can be done with it,
sorrow. Looking on all creatures as on himself, a
wise man gains freedom from all anxiety.* By the
teaching of the sage Jajfiavalkya, King Janaka at-
tained liberation, for it "enabled him to attain to
that Brahman which is auspicious and immortal,
and which transcends all sorrow."f And having
thus learned, he became in his turn a teacher, to
whom even Vyasa sent his son, Shuka, to learn the
religion of emancipation. J
Jajali made great tapas, and became filled with
f MahahhCiratavi, Shanti Parva, clxxiii
*
Maliabharatani, cccxxvii.
t See the great discourse of Yajnavalkya to King Janaka; Ibid.
Shanti Parva, cccxi cacxix.
Jlbid, cccxxvi cccxxviii.
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51
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pride; and one day he thought within himself:
"who in this wide sea and spacious earth is like to
me ?" Then cried a voice-. "Say not such words.
Even Tuladhara, busy in buying and selling, should
not thus speak, and to him thou art not equal."
Then Jajali wondered much that a mere merchant
should be put above himself, a Brahmana and an
ascetic, and he set forth to find TuladMra, and
thus solve the riddle. Vexing himself, he reached
the city of Varanasi, and there found Tuladhara, a
mere shopkeeper, selling, to whomsoever came, all
kinds of goods. Tuladhara stood up, greeting the
Brahmana as was fitting and to him Tuladhara re-
lated the story of the great penance that had inflated
him with pride: "Angry, thou hast come to me,
Brahmana; what service can I render thee V
Much amazed was Jajali at such knowledge
of his past shown by this humble trader, and eager-
ly he pressed for explanation. Then Tuladhara
spoke to him of the ancient morality known to
all though practised by so few of living in a
way which inflicted harm on none, or when harm
could not be totally avoided, a minimum of such
harm; he himself asked no loan from any, nor with
any quarrelled; attraction and aversion he had con-
68
( 52 )
quered; equal his look on all, without praising or
blaming any; when a man is tearless and is feared
by none, when he neither likes nor dislikes, when
he does no wrong to any, then he reaches Brah-
man. Very beautifully did Tuludhara discourse
of the injuries inflicted on animals and on men by
cruelty, of the nature of sacrifice, and of true pil-
grimage, showing how liberation might be gained
by harmlessness. *
"Man verily is desire-formed; as is his desire
so he does
so is his thought; as (his) thought is,
action; as he does action, so he attains."
a^ *^r- OT 5&%fcr f# JT?fr q^r rtotitot II X
"So indeed the desirer goes by work to the
object in which his mind is immersed."
"Now verily man is thought-formed; as man in
this world thinks, so, having gone away hence, he
becomes. "
*
Mnliftbltarutaiii, Shanti Parva, cclxi- cclxi.
f lir'iluidaranyahop 17, iv .">.*2bi&, 6.
\ {'hhandogiiop. Ill, xiv 1.
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53
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"Nor do actions affect Me, nor is the fruit o
action desired by Me. He who thus knoweth Me
is not bound by actions."
"Having thus known, our forefathers, ever seek-
therefore do thou
ing liberation, performed action ;
also perform action, as did our forefathers in the
olden time. "
*RriwT5W*Thlf cTTTf: t?^ fqh II
rN r*- e
*rc^rarrew?gir sfscrcfraf fcqdgrc I
*nr. f^rr^r%^fr =* s^rfa * fas^re II
^rr^r^Tcr: ^w siw srf%3fT*ra lit
"Whose works are all free from the moulding of
desire, whose actions are burned up by the fire of
wisdom, him the wise have called a Sage."
*
Bhagavad-GHa, iv, 1415. f Bhdgarad-GHa, iy 1923.
5
70
54
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"Having abandoned attachment to the fruit of
action, always content, nowhere seeking refuge he is
not doing anything, although doing actions.
"Hoping for naught, his mind and self controlled,
having abandoned all 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, all action melts away."
13T ^ srg^r% mmr vs^ %xk reran I
"When all the desires hidden in the heart are
loosed, then the mortal becomes immortal, then he
here enjoyeth Brahman."
iTTrHT5T T\*X* fofe qrfxi. ***$? rj I
rf^rfor ^^T5Triflr^?rf^5 m^^a^ l
^srfe^R^rq; vr^r^^fT v*m *t^t I
ri^r?3[?Trr% ^*w% *T5rr v% *n**i: II
*T^!%fTR*r?*rar3WT^f: *T375!5tV. I
"Know the Self, the chariot-owner, the bodyt
Kathop, II, vi 14 f Kathnp, I, iii, 37,
71
( 55)
know Reason theand the
the chariot ;charioteer,
mind 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 with mind
loose, his senses (are) uncontrolled, like bad horses
of the charioteer. Whoever is wise, always with
mind tightened, his senses (are) controlled, like good
horses of the charioteer. Whoever is indeed ignorant,
thoughtless, always impure, he does not obtain that
goal (but) comes again into Samsara."
:o:-
72
CHAPTER V.
Sacrifice.
idea of "offering sacrifices" is very familiar in
THEIndia, but a student needs to understand the
principle which underlies all sacrifices, so that he
may realise that every one should sacrifice himself to
the good of others, and that all sacrifice of other
things are 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
matter in order that a universe may be made mani-
fest. Shruti and Smriti alike proclaim this truth,
as in the Purusha Sukta of the Rigveda or as in the
allusion by Shri Krishna to the formal sacrifice that
causes the birth of beings.* Immersion in matter is,
in spiritual language, called ""
death, and Ishvara
thus sacrificed Himself in order that He might
bring into separate being portions of Himself, the
Jivas who might develop all His powers in matter
in an infinite variety of forms. This is the primary
sacrifice, and on this is based the Law. This also
gives us the meaning of sacrifice : it is the pouring
out of life for the benefit of others.
*
jBhat/ttcad-d'itd, viii 8,
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57
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The Law of Sacrifice is the Law of Life for
all Jivas. In the earlier stages of their growth
they are forcibly sacrificed, and so progress involunta-
rily, without their own consent or even knowledge,
their forms being violently wrenched away from
them, and they propelled into new ones, a little
more developed. Thus the Jivas of the mineral
kingdom are prepared to pass on into the vegetable,
by the breaking up of their mineral bodies for the
support of plants. The Jivas of the vegetable
kingdom are prepared to pass on into the animals,
by the breaking up of their vegetable bodies for
the support of animal life. The Jivas of the
animal kingdom are prepared to pass on into the
human, by the breaking up of their bodies for the
support of other animals, of savages, and of certain
types of men. And even the Jivas of the human
kingdom are prepared to rise into higher races by
breaking up of their human bodies for the support
of other human lives in cannibalism, war, etc.
In all these cases the bodies are sacrificed for
the benefit of others, without the assent of the
embodied consciousness. Only after untold ages
does the Jiva recognise, in the body, the univer-
sality of the law, and begin to sacrifice his own
upadhis deliberately, for the good of those around
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him. This is called self- sacrifice, and is the show-
ing forth of the divinity of the Jiva, the proof that
he is of the nature of Ishvara.
A wonderful story of uttermost self-sacrifice
is told in the Mahabhtlraiam.
Indra, the King of the Devas, was sore beset
by the Asura Vrittra, born of the wrath of a Rishi,
whom Indra had offended by an unrighteous act.
Vrittra heading the I)aityas, defeated Indra and
his armies in battle, drove him away from his
capital, Amaravati and took away his sovereignty.
Long the ])evas wandered with their King in exile,
and repeatedly they made endeavour to regain
their capital, but were vanquished again and again.
Finally they learnt that the righteous wrath of a
Bishi could not be allayed, except by the volun-
and
tary self-sacrifice and pity of another Rishi ;
that Vrittra could be slain by no other weapon
than the thunderbolt made with the self-given
bones of a holy one. And they went eagerly to
the Rishi I)adhichi and told their woeful tale to
him. And he was filled with a geat pity and saidt
"I give to you my body willingly to make what use
of it you like." And when their artificer Vishva-
karma shrank from laying a rude and painful hand
upon that shining body of purity and tapas,
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59
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Dadhichi smiled and said: "Cover this body up
with salt; bring here a herd of cows; they shall
lick off the salt and flesh together; and ye shall take
the bones which only ye require; and so naught of
this body shall be wasted." And this was done
and Vrittra fell before the might born of that
wondrous sacrifice.*
The Jiva is led up to this point by the teach-
ings of the Rishis, who bid him make sacrifices of
his possessions for a good that he does not receive
immediately: they show him that when a man sacri-
fices to others, his gifts return to him increased in
the future. A man is to sacrifice some of his
goods, 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 himself present enjoyments, in order that
he might lay up for himself increased happiness
on the other side of death in Svarga. Thus the
practice 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 sacrifice
himself in the service of others, and to find in the
joy of that service his reward.
*
Loc. cit, Vana Prava, c.
76
( 60)
Another lesson taught in these sacrifices was
the relation man bears to all the beings round
him; that he is not a solitary, isolated life, but that
all lives are inter-dependent, and can only prosper
permanently as they recognise this inter-dependence.
The Kishis taught him to sacrifice daily to the l.)evas,
to Rishis, to ancestors, to men and animals, and
showed him that as all these made sacrifices to
he had incurred to them aa
enrich his life,debt,
duty, which he must pay by sacrifice. As he fives
on others, he must, in common honesty, live for
others. 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 be-
comes happiness, a delight, and the pouring out
of life for others is felt as a joyous exercise of
innate divine powers. Instead of seeing how much
he can take and how little he can give, he tries to
see how little he can take and how much he can
give. He begins to look very carefully into what
he takes for the support of his own upadhis, and
seeks to reduce to the lowest point the suffering
inflicted by the breaking up of lower forms for
his support. He abandons the foods and the
amusements which inflict pain on sentient beings
77
( 61 )
and tries to become " the friend of all creatures.'
He realises that while the preying of animals on
animals, of men on men, and the slaughter of
animals by men for food or sport, are necessary
at certain stages of evolution for the development
of needed faculties and powers, men should gra-
dually evolve from these, and cultivate the faculties
of gentleness, sympathy and tenderness, regarding
the weaker as younger Selves to be helped, instead
of as victims to be immolated.
As a man lives in such thoughts of his non-
separateness from younger Selves, he begins to
feel more really his non-separateness from elder
Selves and from the Universal Parent, Ishvara.
Slowly he realises that his true function is to live
and that his true
for others, as Ishvara lives for all,
happiness lies in becoming a channel in which the
life of ishvara is flowing, a willing instrument to
do the will of Ishvara. Then every action becomes
a sacrifice to Ishvara, and actions no longer bind
him. Thus the law of sacrifice becomes also the
law of liberation.
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62
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wsrrf *rafet *jan% q^wn^sr***: I
^rr^ h^t% q^??fr *w ^*Tsrg^: II
3OTswr^3 fei% s^rrgrcsrg^rH: I
"Having in ancient times emanated mankind
'
together with sacrifice, Prajapati declared : By
be this tothe
this shall ye propagate ;you
Kamadhuk :
" With this nourish ye the Devas, and may the
thusone another
pevas nourish you ;nourishing
ye shall reap the supremest good.
"
For, nourished by sacrifice, the Devas, shall
bestow on you the enjoyments you desire. A thief
verily is he who enjoyeth what is given by them
without returning them aught.
" The righteous, who eat the remains of the
but the
sacrifice, are freed from all sins ;impious,
who dress food for their own sakes, they verily eat
sin.
from rain is
" From food creatures come forth ;
Wtagarad-Gita, iii, 10 15.
79
63
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rainfrom sac-
the production of food ;proceedeth
sacrifice ariseth out of action.
rifice ;
",Know thou from Brahma (the Veda) action
groweth, and Brahma (the Veda) from the Imperish-
able, cometh. Therefore Brahman, the all permeat-
ing, is ever present in sacrifice.' "
g;r^?rr: ttiisi T%rer w&g %% kwzx: I
"
They who long after success in action on earth
for in brief
sacrifice to the Devas ;space, verily,
in this world of men, success is born of action."
*i^ %*5!^W f^rerc: tfi >ro ?&& g^pc II
"
Kings, Indra, Varuna, to this our sacrifice
be ye turned by offerings and homage,,
"
Indra, Varuna, plenteous wealth and food
and blessing give us
" This my song may it reach Indra, Varuna,
and by its force bring sons and offspring.
'ror^ra' ^Tfcr^ft jOTKTO! I
*r* i^rsff Tf^riRrar^: it
.
*_
hagavad-Gita,vt, 12. f Rigreda, VII, Lxxxiv, I, 45,
80
( M)
<*tr#TT% cTJTTf^^: ffsraW:
*$*** *n*frf*nfjfirrsr gruffer I
" Whoever works (sacrifices), pouring libations
into the shining of these [the seven flames pre-
viously mentioned] at the proper time, him these
sun-rays lead where dwells the one Lord of the
Devas. Saying to him '
Come, come,' these resplen-
dent libations carry the sacrificer by the sun-rays,
worshipping him and saying the sweet words :
' This is your pure well-deserved Brahma-world.' '
" The eaters of the life-giving remains of sacri-
fice iro to the eternal Brahman. This world is not
for the non-sacrificer, much less the other, best
of the Kurus. "
*TOr*T[^Tcn sRir wit srfaar^ II t
" From one with attachment dead, harmonious,
with his thoughts established in wisdom, his works
sacrifices, all Karma melts away. "
>.*
*iv 31.H>>d, 23.
Miuuiakop, I. ii.. 56 f B/uh/urad-iiitd.%
81
65
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*Tr3*rfa qrapFnftr sshtut ^Tr% 33i
" Whatsoever thou doest, whatsoever thou eatest,
whatsoever thou offerest, whatsoever thou givest,
whatsoever thou doest of austerity, Kaunteya, do
thou that as an offering unto Me.
" Thus shalt thou be liberated from the bonds
of action, (yielding) good and evil fruits. "
* Ibid, ix, 27-28.
82
CHAPTER VI.
The Worlds Visible and Invisible.
WE all know one world, the world around us,
which we can see, and hear, and touch, and
taste, and smell. Science tells us of many
parts of this world, which our senses are not keen
enough to perceive, things too small for our eyes to
see, too subtle to affect any of our senses. These
_parts of our world, which we cannot perceive but-
about which science tells us, are still physical,
although invisible to us; they are parts of our
world. Physical matter includes solids, liquids,
gases, and ethers, all made up of atoms of the same
kind.
But we have heard of other worlds, which are
invisible and are not a part of this world, the
worlds into which people go when they pass away
from this earth by death. We read of the Triloka,
the three worlds, and every one should know some-
thing about these, for in these three worlds the Jiva
is bound to the wheel of births and deaths, and in
these his evolution proceeds. These three worlds
are made at the beginning of immense period called
a Day of Brahma, and perish at its ending. Four
other great lokas, or worlds, complete the Bra-
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67
()
hmftnda, but they last on through the life of
Brahma. We need not deal with them here. There
are also some sub-divisions within the great lokas,
to which the same name of loka is given, such as,
Pretaloka and Pitriloka in Bhiivarloka, and Indra-
loka and Suryaloka in Svargaloka.
The three great lokas with which we are
concerned, the Triloki, are: Bhurloka, the physical
world, or the earth; Bhuvarloka, the world of "be-
"
comingintermediate between the earth and
Svarga; Svargaloka, the heaven world. Of these
three, Bhurloka is partly visible and partly invisible
to us; Bhuvarloka and Svargaloka are invisible.
In Bhurloka the Prithvi Tattva is the basis of all
forms: it exists in seven modifications solid,
liquid, gaseous, radiant, etheric, superetheric and
atomic. These later four are spoken as "the
ethers." In Bhuvarloka seven similar modifications
exist, but the basis is the Apas Tattva. In Svarga-
loka there are also seven similar modifications, but
the basis is the Agni Tattva.
The Jiva has three sheaths corresponding to
these worlds the Annamayakosha, the Prftna-
mayaskosha, the Manomayakosha. The Anna-
mayakosha, or food- sheath so called because it is
- built up out of the food we eat corresponds with
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68
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the visible part of the earth and is composed of
solids, liquids and gases. The Pranamayakosha or
Prana-sheath, corresponds with the invisible part of
our earth and is composed of ethers. Praiia i>
the life-energy, and includes all the forces that
science calls magnetic and electrical, but is much
more than these. Both these sheaths are connected
with Bhurloka.
The Manomayakosha, mind-sheath, has two
the denserin which thehave
parts ;part,passions
the finer
their seat, is connected with Bhuvarloka ;
part, in which play the emotions and thought, is
connected with Svargaloka.
Other names are used for these sheaths, accord-
ing to the object for which the classification is
made, but the student need not become confused
by these, for as he advances, he will find that his
increased knowledge makes them quite intelligible.
We will only notice three names very commonly
used.
The sthulasharira, or solid body, is the same
as the Annamayakosha, made of solids, liquids and
gases. The Sukshmasharira, or subtle body, in-
cludes the Pr&namayakosha and the Manomaya-
kosha; in addition to these, it includes another
kosha, the Yijnanamayakosha, the knowledge-
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69
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sheath, which connects the Jiva with maharloka,
a loka beyond th* Triloka in which his pilgrimage
is carried on, one which is not destroyed, though it
is rendered uninhabitable, at the close of the Day
of Brahma. This part of the Siikshmasharira, the
knowledge- sheath, is relatively permanent, and
lasts through the series of births and deaths.
A table may make these two classifications, and
their relation to the lokas, clear:
Sharira.
86
( 70 )
irritation, and so on. The Jniinendriyas have also
their centres in the Sukshmasharira, while their
organs eyes, ears, tongue, nose and skin are in
the Sthiilasharira.
Now let us see what happens at death. First,
the Sukshmasharira is separated from the Sthiila-
sharira, the Jiva drawing it away by means of the
Pranamayakosha. This leaves the Sthiilasharira
a mass of ""
thatof matter
lifeless matter ;is,
from which the life that held it together is with-
there isof life left in the cells of
drawn ;plenty
the body, and they begin to break away from each
other, but the ruling life is gone. The Jiva re-
mains in his Sukshmasharira. Very quickly he
shakes off his Pranamayakosha. and has then the
denser part of the Manomayakosha as his outer-
most garment. He is then called a Preta, and is
an inhabitant of Pretaloka. If he has been a very
good man on earth, he dreams away happily while
but if he has been a bad
in this condition ;man,
he suffers while a Preta, craving for the earthly
pleasures which he is no longer able to obtain.
After a shorter or longer time according to the
strength of these cravings and the consequent
length of time needed for their exhaustion the
densest part of the Manomayakosha falls away,
87
( 71 )
and he goes as a l'itii into Pitriloka. Having
spent there sufficient time to purify the Manomaya-
kosha from all elements unfit for Svarga, the Jiva
in 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 return to earth, and the purified Manomaya-
kosha dissolves away, leaving the Jiva in the
Yijnanamayakosha. He quickly puts forth his
power to form new vehicles, and creates a new
Manomayakosha for his coming life in the lower
worlds. The Devas build for him a Pranamayako-
sha and an Annamayakosha, according to his karma,
and he is again born into Bhurloka.
These are the recurring stages of the Jiva's
pilgrimage : life in the visible world, death, life
in the invisible worlds, re-birth. This is repeated
time after time, time after time. At last, the Jiva
grows weary of these three worlds, and longs for
higher, subtler experiences and more expanded life;
he turns away from all these worlds can offer him,
and finds delight in meditation, in worship, in the
compassionate helping of the weaker; he no longer
uses his vehicles to gain pleasure for himself, but
only to do service to others, and, so used, they can-
no longer imprison him. He dwells in the higher
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lokas, guiding his lower vehicles as his instruments
in the lower worlds, and becomes a co-worker
with Ishvara, either retaining his vehicles for ser-
vice or throwing them away and entering into
Brahman.
fro spit ^ra qffor *rjrar^i: f^j^t^r ^^ff^ cfe i*
" Now verily there are three worlds the world
of men, the world of the Pitris, the world of the
Pevas."
^s^TrfTR^rjr^ <nr ^r ^fr^Jrr lit
"For certain is death for the born, and certain
therefore over the inevitable
is birth for the dead ;
thou shouldst not grieve.
"
Beings are unmanifest in their origin, mani-
fest in their midmost state,Bhiirata, unmanifest
in their dissolution : what room then for lamenta-
tion ?
*
brihaMranyakop, I. v 16. f Bhagarad-O'ita, ii; 27 "J8.
89
( 73 )
" The people who know the Day of Brahma,
a thousand Yugas in duration, and the Night, a
thousand Yugas in ending, they know day and
night.
" From the unmanifested all the manifested
at the
stream forth at the coming of Day ;coming
of Night they dissolve, even in that called the un-
manifested."
ijkftg wfra srsroi% I
" The knowers of the three (Veda), the Soma
drinkers, the purified from sin, worshipping Me
with sacrifice, pray of Me the way to Svarga; they
ascending to the holy word of the Deva Indra,
enjoy in heaven the divine feasts of the Devas.
"
Having enjoyed the spacious Svarga-world,
*
Ibid viii; 1718.f Bhagamd O'itd, ix, 2021.
90
( -i )
their holiness withered, they come back to thi&
world of death. Following the virtues enjoined by
the three (Yedas), desiring desires, they undergo
this passage to and fro."
" At the end of many births the man full of
'
wisdom cometh unto me : Vasudeva is all,' saith
he, the Mahatma, very difficult to find."
*
Ibid, vii, 19.
91
SANATANA DHARMA.
PART II.
GENERAL HINDU RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS AND RITES.
93
CHAPTER I.
The Samskaras.
EVERY religion prescribes a number of cere-
monies, or rites, to be performed by its fol-
lowers. The use of the ceremonies, speaking
generally, is: (1) to help the Jiva to conquer and
purify his sheaths; (2) to bring to his aid superior
Intelligences, such as the Devas and the Rishis; (3)
to improve the atmosphere around him and so
make it easier for him to steady and concentrate
his mind.
To this end are used material objects, gestures,
postures and sounds, all carefully arranged to bring
about the results aimed at.
The objects used are chosen for their good
magnetism, and in many cases such as particular
flowers offered to a particular Peva because they
share the magnetism of the Object of meditation
or of worship, and thus make a link between that
Object and the worshipper. Thus a mala", a rosary,
of tulasi beads is used in the worship of Shri
one ofof
Krishna ;rudraksha in the worship
Mahadeva.
94
78)
(
Gestures and postures, for the most part, affect
the Pr&nas the sub-divisions of the life-breath that
circulate in the body ; some prevent the magnet-
ism of the body from escaping into the surround-
ing atmosphere, and force its currents to move in
a way suitable for calm and quiet thought.
Sounds are used for all the three purposes-
mentioned above. They give riso to vibrations,
and as these vibrations are regular and even, they
make the vibrations of the Siikshmasharira which
is very sensitive and easily affected regular
and even also. When these vibrations of the
Siikshmasharira are made regular, the Jiva is
much helped in steadiness of thought and devo-
tion. Sounds of a suitable kind attract the atten-
tion of the Rishis and pevas to the person utter-
ing the sounds, and they help him. Further, suit-
able sounds drive away hostile Intelligences and
bad magnetic influences, and so improve the sur-
roundings of the speaker.
Sounds thus used are called Mantras. A
mantra is a succession of sounds, a deGnite se-
quence, the sounds being arranged in a certain
order : if the sounds are changed the vibrations are
changed, and the results will be changed. That
is why a mantra cannot be translated. A trans-
95
<9
()
lated mantra is like a sentence in which all the
letters of the Avords are jumbled up, and so convey
no meaning.
There is another thing to remember about
if thewhoa
mantra ;manutters mantra is not
trying to lead a good life, the vibrations of the
mantra will do him harm, not good. For, as they
work on his Sukshmasharira, they bring to bear on
it a force antagonistic to evil desires and evil
thoughts, and shake it very violently and may
even wound and tear it, as his evil resolves make
it vibrate in one way and the vibrations of the
mantra force it into another. If his resolves are
good then they work with the mantra and cause
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 affect the subtler kinds
of matter more than the denser.
Among the ceremonies in the life of a Hindu
are some important ones that mark the chief
in oldthese were
stages of his life ;daysnumerous,
ten standing out as the chief, but of these ten, only
some are now practised. Seven of the Samskaras
relate to infantile life and early childhood. Of
96
80
()
these seven, the sixth, Annaprasanam, the first
feeding with solid food, is universally observed ;
and the seventh, Chudakaranam the tonsure, and
with it the piercing of the ears is performed
almost universally. Then comes the important
eighth Samskara, the Upanayana, the leading of
the boy to the Guru who gives him the sacred
thread, and teaches him the Gayatri, this initiation
making him a Dvija, twice-born.
The Upanayana is the beginning of the student
stage of life, during which Brahmacharya, entire
celibacy, is enjoined, and the duty of the lad is to
study diligently. This stage is closed by the
formal return home, the Samavartanam, after
which he is ready to enter the second stage of life,
the tenth
that of the householder, the Grihastha ;
Samskara, Vivaha, marriage, marking his entry
into manhood and its responsibilities. In modern
India these wholesome rules have fallen into disuse,
though the Upanayana and Vivaha Samskuras are
maintained as ceremonies. Marriage is incongru-
and
ously thrust into the midst of the student life,
the duties of manhood and boyhood are mixed up
to the injury of both. May the ancient rule be
speedily revived.
97
( 81 )
"One sound, well-uttered, becometh as the cow
of plenty in the Svarga-world."
tot r: ssrccfr 3W m
*r sri^^r *T5ranr fft^nES"
"The mantra defective in Svara (inflection) or
Varna (letter or colour) is uttered falsely and de-
clareth not the true meaning. That lightning-word
slayeth the performer himself as (the word) 'Indra-
Shatru' for fault of Svara (slew Viittra, the per-
former of the sacrifice, and the enemy of Indra,
instead of slaying Indra, the enemy of Vrittra, as
intended).
"With sacred Vaidika rites should be perform-
ed the Samskaras of the body, namely, Nisheka
and the rest, of the twice-born, which purify here
and hereafter."
*
Patanjalts Mahabhashya, vi, i 84.
f Pdnini-Shikshd, 52. J Manusmriti, ii 26.
Angird quoted in Pdrdxhara- Grihya-Sutra, Harihara
bhdshya, p. 260. (II. i.)
98
( W)
"As the outline of a picture is lighted up slowly
with (the tilling in of) many colours, even so is
Brahmanya with scriptural Samskaras."
ttStor 5*reR sftimr snassii ^ I
*
dMiWM3v5*< &**nn: item **j<tp i
VyaHa-Siiifiti quoted in Pardshara Ctrihya-Sutra, p. 2G!J.
:0:
99
CHAPTER II.
Shraddha.
A
is the name of the ceremonies
SHRADDHAperformed to help the Jiva, who has put off
hie visible body in death, by those who re-
main in this world. The Jiva that has put off his
visible body is called a Preta, and the part of the
Shraddha performed to help him at this stage is
called the Preta-kriya. The visible body, the An-
namayakosha, is carried to the burning-ground that
it may be dissolved into its constituents as quickly
the ashes areon
as possible ;gathered together
the third day, and are thrown into running water,
preferably into a sacred stream. When the Anna-
mayakosha is destroyed, the PrSnamayakosha
rapidlv disperses, and this dispersal is quickened
by some of the mantras used at the cremation.
Burning is the best way of destroying a dead body,
and this destruction is important both for the de-
soas it
parted Jiva and for those left behind ; long
remains undissolved, the Pranamayakosha hangs
inof theattraction
round it, consequencemagnetic
between them, and the Jiva is thus linked to the
earth, which is bad for him ; on the other hand, a
slowly decaying body in the ground, as in burial,
100
i 84 )
sends out poisonous gases, and this is bad for those
remaining behind.
The Shraddhas performed after the burning
help in a re-arrangement of the materials of the
Manomayakosha, partly by the magnetic influences
of the objects used, and partly by the vibrations
set up by the mantras. After a certain time, the
Sapindikarana ceremony is performed, which helps
the Jiva to pass from Pretaloka, to Pitriloka, and
he is then enrolled among the Pitris, or the ances-
tors living in the subtler regions of Bhuvarloka.
Seven generations, one in Bhurloka and six in
Bhuvarloka, can affect each other. When the Jiva
passes on into Svarga, he has no further need of
the help furnished by Shraddha.
f^rafesT raavfr *nt srr^g^crH; n *
"Gifts to deserving Br&hmanas for the sake of
benefit to the Pitris, in the proper times and places
and with faith, are known as Shraddha."
"Shraddha should be offered to the Pitris, day
by day, with corn and water, or even roots and
* Erahmanda Pitrana. f MAnvsmriti, Hi 203.
101
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fruits and water, bringing them satisfaction."
^3^ ar *wfn smr%5 qrercr: i
<n*%^ ^TJrnrrs srsrr^ f^rrna: 11
*
tifor *n%m *jcr. ^pf ^rgrr^tt 11
"Out of the five elements a (subtler but) firm
body is born (as seeth) for sinful Jivas (after death),
that they may suffer punishment therein.
"After the suffering of the punishments award-
ed by Yama, in that body (the body) dissolves again
into the elements.
"If (the J iva) has done more Dharma and little
Adharma, he goes on to Svarga and enjoys happi-
ness there enclosed in (another body composed of)
the same elements."
"After the cremation is completed (the Jiva)
becomes a Preta."
sr *TTsn**a*rag ! wr*f *t^i% m*m 1
^%: ^torm: srrlc: ft^fw: *J5 wr^r I
fa<j*. jsrjt ^sq- ^fq^t^cqf ^<?r II t
* Manutmriti, xii, 16, 17, 20. t Garuda Purana, II, T 36.
J Ibid, Il.xvi 6,7, 20.
102
86
()
"The Jiva remains on the path (r. e., the Preta-
then he
loka) for a year, best of birds ;passes
on into the Pityi-loka (and dwells) with the Pitris.
"By the offering of the sixteen Shraddhas he is
helped to dwell in joy with the Pitris. Therefore
should the son ever perform the Sapindikarana
rites for the father."
103
CHAPTER III;
Shaucham.
or Shaucha, consists o the rules
laidSHAUCHAM,down for keeping bodily purity, and
thus ensuring physical health and strength.
Disease is a sign that some law of nature has been
disregarded, and the Rishis knowing that the laws
of nature are the laws of God, the expression of
His being, and that the Jiva is a portion of God
enveloped in matter have treated obedience to the
laws 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 them
pure, and to keep them pure, and we need to
understand them in order to do this.
The visible body, the Annamayakosha, 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 people
and the things around us. This last statement
may sound a little strange, but it is true. Our
bodies are not made of dead matter, for there is
104
88
()
no such thing as dead matter.* Matter is made o
tiny living things called atoms, and of other tiny
living things that are collections of atoms. A
grain of dust is a collection of myriads upon my-
riads of tiny living creatures, and there are grades
upon grades of these minute lives, till we come to
what are called microbes, that can be seen with the
help of microscopes. Xow these microbes and the
other smaller lives are all floating about in the air,
and our bodies and all things are made up of
these. Stones, plants, animals, human beings and
all the manufactured things round us, houses, fur-
niture, clothes are constantly giving off clouds of
these particles. Everything near us, and still
more) everything we touch, gives us some of its
particles and we give it some of ours. If we are
to be healthy, we must only take into our bodies
pure particles and drive away impure ones. The
rules of Shaucha are intended to show us how to
do this.
The food we eat must be pure. Xow all things
are becoming more alive, or are getting nearer
arebuiltor are
death ;beingup,being destroyed.
c See p. 67. for what is meant by lifeless matter. A body, as a
whole, is said to be "dead'* when the Jiya has left it, although the
particles of it arc alive. As this "dead body" decays, the liTint; par-
ticles are set free.
105
89
()
Pure food is becoming more alive, has life in it
which is unfolding : its next natural stage is one
of "higher integration," that is, of greater com-
plexity. Fresh leaves and fruits, grains and roots,
are full of life which is unfolding ; we take that
life into our bodies, and it builds them up. These
things become impure if they are stale, for the
life is then departing, they are on the way to
death. All flesh is more or less impure, because
and
its indwelling life has been driven from it,
its next naturalis one
it is ready to decay ;stage
ofinto
of "disintegration," that is,breaking up
thebuilt
simpler forms ;bodyby it is more liable
to disease than the body built of plant-products,
wounds heal less quickly, and fevers run higher.
Of liquids, pure water is necessary to health,
such ascoffee and
and infusions of herbs in it,tea,
cocoa, taken in moderation, are harmless and often
useful. Milk is at once food and drink of the
purest kind. Every form of drink into which
alcohol enters is impure, and most harmful to the
body. It is fermented liquor, that is liquor in
which decomposition has begun, and it injures the
tissues of the body, and is a distinct poison to the
brain. Especially it is mischievous in a hot cli-
mate, bringing about premature decay and early
106
( M )
death. So also are drinks impure into which enter
such stupefying drugs as Indian hemp the popular
but health destroying bhung.
Pure air is as necessary to health as pure food
and drink. As we breathe, we send out a gas.
called carbon dioxide, which is stupefying, and if
we shut ourselves into a confined space, all the air
in it becomes laden with this, and unfit to breathe.
Further the breath carries out with it waste parti-
cles from the interior of the body, and unless the
fresh air blows these away, they are breathed in
again into our lungs and those of others, and are
poisonous in their effects.
We must not only build up our bodies out of
clean materials, but we must keep the surface of
,the body clean by frequent washing and bathing.
The whole body mu3t be bathed, at least once
everyday, and well rubbed in bathing, so that all
loose particles may be washed away, and the skin
kept clean and fresh. Any part of the body that
becomes soiled, feet, hands, etc., should be washed
and washing before and after food must never be
omitted. To eat with unwashed hands is to run
the risk of soiling the food with dust and other
injurious particles, and the washing after food is
obviously imperative. The' garments next the body
107
( 91 )
should also be washed daily.
The Hindu, ever accustomed to look at the
puter world as the symbol of the inner, has joined
to his outer ablutions the idea of inner purification.
As he washes the outer body, he repeats mantras
for the purifying of the inner bodies, and thus
weaves his religion into the commonest incidents
of daily life.
Students will now see why the Rishis were so
particular about cleanliness. A person with a dirty
body, or with dirty clothes, fills the air round him
with impure particles, and poisons the people
round him. We must be clean, not only for our
own sakes, but for the sake of those around us.
A dirty person, dirty clothes, dirty houses, are
centres of poison, public dangers.
The purity of the Pranamayakosha depends on
the magnetic currents in it. It is quickly affected
by the magnetic properties of surrounding objects,
and we have therefore to be careful on this point
also. Thus some plant-products and plants, while
harmless to the Annamayakosha, are very injurious
to the Pranamayakosha, such as onions and garlic.
Their magnetism is worse than that of flesh. This
kosha is also most seriously affected by alcoholic
emanations, and by the Pranamayakoshas of others.
108
92
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What is still more important is that it is affected by
its own Manomayakosha and, through it, by those
of others. Hence the dangers of bad company.
Now the purity of the Manomayakosha depends on
the purity of its owner's thoughts and desires, and
herein lies the most fertile source of impurity in the
Annamaya and Pranamayakoshas. These two
physical koshas cannot be pure and healthy if the
thoughts and desires are impure. A man may
observe the rules of Shaucha to the last point of
strictness, 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 X)evas such a one
is ever ashuchi.
" Far from his dwelling let him remove excre-
ment, far the water used for washing his feet, far
the leavings of food, and bath water."
5^t ^tf snrsa^gqi^frcf *rorf%ra" H t
"he shall
Being purified by sipping water,
always daily worship in the two twilights with a
'
.Uanutmrit,. vi 151.t H>id, ii 222.
109
( 93 )
collected mind, in a pure place, performing Japa
according to rule."
"
Having washed, the twice-born should eat
food always with a collected mind; having eaten,
let him rinse well and sprinkle the sense-organs
with water."
frul kitjfawtr J5?TT;fr srnftirsnTi i
"
Wisdom, austerity, fire, food, earth, mind,
water, plastering, wind, rites, the sun and time
are the purifiers of bodies."
u The body is purified by water, the mind by
truth, the soul by knowledge and austerity, the
reason by wisdom."
"
Verily there is no purifier in this world like
wisdom."
*H 63.tv 105.Manvsmriti,v -109.
Ibid,Ibid,\
Bhagacad-Gita, iv 38.
110
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()
" Even if the most sinful worship Me with
undivided heart, he too must be accounted righte-
ous, for he hath rightly resolved ;
"
Speedily he becometh dutiful and goeth to
everlasting peace. Know thou, Kaunteya, that
my devotee perisheth never."
*
Ibid, ix, 3031.
111
CHAPTER IV.
The Five Daily Sacrifices.
WE have seen that there exists a law of
Yajfia, of Sacrifice, and that man's glory-
is to voluntarily work with it. We have
now to see how the Samltana Pharnia trained its
followers to this end.
We may pass over, for the present, the numer-
ous sacrifices of various kinds laid down in the
sacred books, and concern ourselves only with the
"Great sacrifices "
to be offered every day. These
are:
The Sacrifice to Kishi or Vedas.
The Sacrifice to Pevas.
The Sacrifice to Pifciis.
The Sacrifice to Men.
The Sacrifice to Bhutas.
Each of these has an outer form and inner
meaning, and the latter leads the sacrificer on to
the full life of sacrifice. Let us try to understand
both.
The outer sacrifice to the Rishis, or Vedas, is
study and teaching. Every day a man should
*
study some sacred book, and thus gradually acquire
112
( 96 )
the knowledge without which he cannot rightly
understand himself, his position and his duties.
And he should ever be ready to share this know-
ledge with those more ignorant than himself : hence
Manu, in describing this sacrifice, calls it teaching*.
A boy should daily offer this sacrifice, reading and
carefully thinking over some shlokas from the
Bhdgavad-Gltd, the AnugUd, Hamsa Gitd or
other sacred work. The carefulness and closeness
of the thought is more important than the amount
read. The inner meaning is that all study should
be a sacrifice, learning in order that we may teach.
The outer sacrifice to the l)evas is the Homa,
the recognition of all we owe to the kindly ministry
and protection of this active Intelligences working
in nature, and the repayment of it by giving for
their service a share of our possessions. The inner
meaning is the realisation of our relations with the
super-physical worlds, and of the inter-dependence
of the worlds. We must learn to be in harmony
with nature, in accord with all that lives.
The outer sacrifice to the Pitris is the Tarpan
or offering of water, to the older generations of our
family, to our ancestors. The inner meaning is the
recognition of the great debt we owe to the past,
*
See Manusmriti, iii 70.
113
( 97)
to the generations who occupied the earth before
us, and who toiled and laboured that they might
hand it on, improved, and enriched, to us, their
No man ishuman who does not
posterity.truly
recognise what he owes to the past, his debt to the
ancestors.
The outer sacrifice to Men is hospitality : every
day a true Aryan should feed some one poorer
than himself. The inner meaning is the duty of
serving and helping humanity, of feeding the
hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless,
comforting the sad. Those who are rich are the
stewards of the poor.
The outer sacrifice to Bhutas, to creatures, is
the putting of a little food on the ground, before
beginning the meal, for the invisible lower entities
around us, and the placing of the remains of the
meal in a suitable place for vagrant men and
animals. The inner meaning is the duty of caring
for those who are beneath us in the human and in
the lower kingdoms, the recognition of our debt to
them for their services to us, and the practice of
kindness and consideration towards them.
Thus the five great daily sacrifices teach man
his relations, with all around him, with his superiors,
his equals, and his inferiors. They establish the
114
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harmonious relations on which the happiness and
prosperity of families and of nations depend. They
turn the wheel of life in accord with the will
of Ishvara, and so help on the evolution of the
worlds. They teach each individual that he is
not an isolated unit, but a part of a great whole, a
cell in a vast body : and that his happiness
and progress, therefore, can only be secure if they
subserve the general happiness, and conduce to
the general progress.
"Teaching is the Brahma-sacrifice, Tarpana is
Homainto the
the Pitri-sacrifice,(the offering
fire) is the Deva-sacrifice, Bali (food) is the
Bhiita- sacrifice, hospitality to guests the. Manushya-
sacrifice."
t% eprftsr 3^r T% TnfTcfl5 ^HT^P:** lit
"Let a man ever engage in Veda-study, and in
the rites of the Devas ; engaged in the rites of the
Pevas he supporteth the movable and immovable
kingdoms."
*Manusmritii iii 70.t lh '
l,i 80, 81.
115
99
()
Smyrna sfjftwiJ&w ^fW m^TRciT II
fa<F5rec5T ^T&Jarfsi *W*4^i h *
"The Rishis, the Pitris, the Pevas, theBhiitas,
and guests expect (help) from the householders ;
hence he who knoweth should give unto them.
"Let him worship, according to the rule, the
Rishis with Veda-study, the )evas with Homa, the
Pitris with Shraddha, men with food, and the Bhutas
with Bali."
*
Jhid, iii75.
116
CHAPTER V.
Worship.
THE performance of the five daily sacrifices by
man as an inter-dependent part of a universe,
does not, however, completely satisfy the
longings of the truly religious man. He longs to
come into conscious relations with the Lord of the
Universe, with Ishvara, with the great Life of
which his own is a part. This need of man finds
its satisfaction in worship. When Vyasa, master
of the final truth of Para-Brahma and ever working
for the good of all beings, after he had written
even the Mahdbhdratam and the Brahma-svtras
for the instruction of men, still found not peace of
mind, Narada counselled him to sing the praise
and this he did in the
of Ishvara ;Vishnu-Bhdga-
vata, winning thereby the peace he did not gain
before.*
Worship is the expression of love to the Su-
preme, of reverence towards Him, of aspiration
to reach Him in conscious communion, of longing
to be united with him, to feel the unity of the in-
dividual self with the supreme Self. It may take
-i
* Viskn*- Bkagavata. I, iv T.
117
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the form of praise of His Perfection, of prayer rooted
in a sense of imperfection, of appeal to His Love,
of recognition of His Power, of meditation on His
Nature, of intense longing for His Unveiling and
many another, according to the temperament and
the stage of evolution of the worshipper. But
whether in the peasant or in the philosopher, it is
the
the expression of the longing after Brahman ;
expression differs with the emotional and intellec-
tual evolution, but the root-longing is the same.
The All, the Unconditioned, is never an Object
of worship. Attributes are needed for worship, on
which the mind can be fixed, by which the.emo-
tions can be stirred. The Saguna Brahman, Ish-
vara, is the Object of worship, whom all prayers
and praises reach, to whom all contemplation is
directed. He may be adored as Shiva or Vishnu,
as Mahadeva or Narayana, as )urga or Lakshmi,
as Ganesha, Indra, Agni, Sarasvatf, or as an Ava-
but under
tara Kama, or Krishna, or Buddha ;
whatever name and form, it is Ishvara who is
worshipped.
This explains a matter that often puzzles boys,
why sometimes Shiva, sometimes Vishnu, is spoken
of as the Supreme Being, why one Purana exalts
One and another exalts Another. All these are
8
118
( 102)
and
Forms ;Ishvara is One. The worshipper is
worshipping ishvara, and is thinking of tshvara,
under the Form which he loves best. He is not
worshipping 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 sake
of the wearer. The worshipper worships the Love
the Beauty, the Power of Ishvara, as revealed in
some one of His Divine Forms. We can only
grasp 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
foolish and so ignorant. All are worshipping the
same tshvara, and the differences are only differen-
ces of names, due to differences in the worshippers,
not in the Object of worship.
Piija is the general simple form of worship.
A picture or image is used, mantras are recited,
flowers are offered, water is. poured out, and in
these outer forms the inner love finds expression,
and then rises beyond the forms to the Object thus
served. The Form selected as representing the
Object is sometimes the family )eva or )evi, and
sometimes is the lshtadeva, the Form chosen by the
worshipper himself, or by his Guru for him.
119
103
()
Upasand is a term that includes many forms
of worship, including meditation, and the daily
Sandhya, which should be performed by all
followers of the Sanatana Dharma. There are two
forms of SandhyS, the Vaidika and the Tantrika,
and a boy should perform the Sandhya according
to 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.
"Even the highest and most stainless know-
ledge, even perfect unselfishness in actions, shine
not if uninspired by devotion to the Imperishable.
How then shall acts (bring peace) which (aim at
fruit and) are not pure, or even those that are per-
formed without desire, if they are not offered up to
fshvara ?"
...*
*
'
V 13.
*Vishnn-Bhdgacata, I,
120
( 104)
t f\<v
"They who worship the Indestructible, the In-
effable, the Unmanifestedever working for the
welfare of all creatures, these all come to me.
" The difficulty of those whose minds are set on
the Unmanifested is greater; for the path of the
Unmanifested is hard for the embodied to reach,
" Those verily who, renouncing all actions in
Me and intent on Me, worship, meditating on Me
with whole-hearted Yoga,
" Those I speedily lift up from the ocean of
death and existence, Partha, their minds being
fixed on me."
***?:: ^reajJJTRf f &-** ! RT5F% I
<m^ *RH!j *R5 *A*n^w *rccT i
cTcTOr^rcw 5jrf% ssirif srr=^^r% srrwrcrai II t
" The Lord dwelleth in the hearts of all beingsr
Arjuna, causing all beings to revolve by His
illusive power, as though mounted on a wheel.
" Flee unto Him for shelter with all thy being,
Bharata; by His grace thou shalt obtain
*CI 62.
Bhagarad-Gita, xii, 3-7 f Ibid, xviii,
121
105
()
"
susuprem peace and the everlasting dwelling place.
" However men approach Me, even so do I
welcome them, for the path men take from
every side is mine, Partha."
?fr ^r m *n ar^ *rar: sr^rcifcsrft^Rr I
"Any devotee who seeketh to worship with faith
any such aspect, I verily bestow the unswerving
faith of that man."
*
Bhdgarad-6fitd, iv.'..ll. t Ibid, vii 21
122
CHAPTER VI.
The Four Ashramas.
have characteristics, just as have in-
NATIONSdividuals, and among the characteristics of
the Hindu nation in old days were order and
balance. The Sanatana Pharma stamped these
characteristics on the people, and thus shaped a
very dignified type of man, evenly developed and
well balanced. So much are these the characteris-
tics of the true follower of the Sanatana Pharma,
that Shri Krishna said : "Equilibrium is called"
Yoga."*
The large view of life taken in the Vedas is the
root of these characteristics. All things exist for
the sake of the Atma, the Self, and by his will.
They exist merely to give him the experiences he
desires to pass through. Hfi wills to unfold his
powers in the lower worlds, and to become the self-
conscious Ruler of the outer realms of denser
matter, as he is ever the Inner Ruler, Immortal.
He is not in haste, being Eternal, and knows it
best to take each experience in order, and thus to
unfold symmetrically and harmoniously. This
*
Bhagavad-Gita, ii 48.
123
107
()
order is imposed by Ishvara, the Supreme Self, on
thethe
the lower kingdoms of our world ;seed,
root, the stem, the leaves, the flower, the fruit
succeed each other in due order, and each has its
so also
place and its beauty in its season ;He im-
poses the stages of human life infancy, childhood,
thisman can-
youth, maturity, old age ;sequence
but the
not escape from nor change ;unfolding
Jivatma in man, clouded by the matter he has not
yet mastered, pushes irregularly in various direc-
tions, led by Manafr dominated by Kama, grasping
at the things of one stage while yet in another, and
so hindering his due evolution in each. The child
the old
would be a youth, the youth a man ;man
thus life is
grasps backward at the joys of youth ;
robbed of its serenity and thereby of half its
usefulness.
In order to counteract this mistaken eagerness
and lack of balanced order, the great Rishis marked
out for the eldest-born family of the Aryan race
the definite stages in the life of the individual from
birth to death, and the definite stages in the life
of the Jivatma in his long evolution through my-
riads of births and deaths. In each case these
in the life between one birth
stages are four ;and
one death they are called Ashramas, resting-places
124
( 108)
dwellings : in the life passing through countless,
births and deaths they are called Varnas, colours, or
castes.
We are concerned here with the Ashramas.
As said, these stages are four: Brahmacharya, the
stage of studentship ; Garhasthya, the stage of house-
holdership; Vanaprastha, the stage of forest-dwell-
seclusiontheof total re-
ing, i. e.,; Sannyasa,stage
nunciation, i. e., asceticism.*
In none of these stages must the man grasp
at the special duties of the other three: the student
must not be a householder, a recluse, or an ascetic ;
the householder must not be a celibate, a recluse,
the recluse must not seekthe
or an ascetic ;again
nor must the ascetic
joys of the household ;long
after the quiet attachments of the recluse. Each
stage has its own duties and its own pleasures.
Discharged and enjoyed each in its own stage,
they lead to the orderly unfolding of the
AJiviitmfi;
when the Ashramas are disregarded, his evolution
is delayed.A
Now in modern days the Ashramas cannot be
exactly lived according to the details of the ancient
rules, the conditions having changed so much ;
but if we get a clear idea of the fundamental
* See M:\iiutmriti, vi 87.
125
109
()
duties of each, we shall still be able to shape the
life to an orderly course of development.
The life of the student begins with the Upa-
nayana ceremony, his "second birth," and from that
time forward certain virtues must be striven for by
the boy. He must be hardy and simple in his
these virtuesbody strong
habits ;make hisand
hethem
healthy ;acquiresby rising early, bathing,
eating moderately of plain food, taking plenty of
exercise, not allowing himself to lounge luxuriously
and idly. Contrast a boy who lives in this way
with one who lies late in bed, who over-eats him-
self on sweetmeats and rich dishes, who takes little
exercise, and spends much of his time lying on soft
pillows. The one is alert, strong, hard-muscled,
vigorous, active, and will be a strong healthy man:
the other is heavy, flabby, fat, lazy or too thin and
weak, and will soon be diseased and suffering.
The student must also strive for the virtues of
industry, obedience, humility and serviceableness ;
and indus-
youth is the preparation-time of life,
trious study to acquire knowledge is absolutely
obedience is
necessary for useful manhood ;using
the experience of his elders to guide his conduct,
and
and saves him many a trouble in early life,
only he who knows how to obey is fit to rule here-
126
no
()
after ; humility lifts him quickly, as all are willing
to share what they have with the humble ; and
serviceableness in the narrow circle of the family
and the school builds up the nature that will serve
humanity.
The student must be chaste in thought and
act, a celibate in mind and body. He must guard
his thoughts, for the boy who does not think
impurity will not act impurity. He should not
think of sex, nor yield to dtfy-dreaining. Only the
pure in thought and in body can pass unstained
into happy household life. The very name of the
student is the Brahmacharl, which has come now
to mean almost exclusively the celibate. Prema-
ture age, weakness, disease, race-decay, spring
from student-marriage, against the ancient law.
The household stage is entered at marriager
when the youth has completed his school and
college career, and is ready to take up the duties
and responsibilities of household life. Of all the
Ashramas this is the most important, for it sup-
ports all the others.* The welfare alike of the
family and of the nation depends on the house-
holder, and their happiness and prosperity are in
his hands. A good husband, a good father, a
* See Manvsmriti, iii, 77, and 89 90.
127
( 111 )
good master, a good citizen, is the noblest of men.
The home is the school of unselfishness, compas-
sion, 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, are
the qualities that make the Sage and the Saint
when shown to all. The degradation of the ideal
of the householder has made modern life petty
and sordid, and the half entrance into it and the
confusion of its duties with those of the student,
caused by the modern evil of student-marriage
has deprived the entry into it of its ancient solem-
nity and dignity. The plucking and eating of
unripe fruit deprives the eater of its sweetness.
Certain well-born but thoughtless Br^hmana
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
life ! It is the field for the cultivation of virtues.
It is sacred. Worship of the )evas, study, repay-
ment of the debt to the pitris by the rearing of
a family and helping on new lives as we have been
reared and helped these are the austerest of pen-
ances. Bear the heavy burthen of the duties of
128
112
()
the household ! They that run away from their
work fall into sin. To eat the remnant of the
food left after helping the needy is to eat the true
remnant of sacrifice.*
When the householder sees his sons able to
boar the full burden of his duties, when the signs
of age appear, and his children's children are
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 quiet
and somewhat secluded life, given to study, to self-
sacrifice 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
fourth Ashrama, that of the ascetic, passing his
last days in meditation and worship, till he enters
willingly the life beyond death, to reap the fruits
of a well spent earthly life, hereafter to return for
further evolution.
si^pt q5**rar 'sRsretfr *rf?rwrT I
" The student, the householder, the forest-
dweller, the ascetic these, the four separate orders,
spring from the householder. "
* Mahiiblturutam. Shdnti Parva xi. t Manusmriti, vi 37.
129
( 113)
*s
snrerei cT^rq^f <re:rc^ Hmsnn* ii
cr$ g fodrc <jar4 wrong*:i
"
Having studied the Vedas, or two Vedas, or
even one Veda, in due order, without violating
celibacy, let him enter the household-order.
on his
" When the householder sees wrinkles (
whiteness in his hair and the
skin ),(),progeny
of his progeny, then let him retire to the forest.
"
Having passed the third portion of his life in
the forest, let him abandon all attachments and
as an ascetic the fourthof his
wander ()portion
"
life.
srr$r %sr *^r tfr^ffp^snKTO: n f
"A twice-born man who seeketh Moksha without
having studied the Vedas, without having pro-
duced offspring, and without having offered sacri-
fices, goeth downwards. "
3Rrftwi*RTgn^l ^rremrsrro; i
"Over-eating is against health, long life, ( the
<^
* Idid. iii 2 and vi. 2 33. f Mannsmriti, vi 37. % lbid% ii 57.
130
114
()
attainment of) heaven and merit, and is dis-
approved by the world; therefore let it be avoid-
ed."
"Directed or not directed by his teacher, let the
student ever engage in study, and in doing services
to 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, from dice-
playing, gossip, slander and from untruth:
" Let the student always sleep alone, and let
him not waste his seed; he who from lust wasteth
Ins seed, destroyeth his vow. "
Mantttnriti. ii, 191, 177 180.
131
( 115;
**s Cs
urn grnj hjwstsi &? &\m*G sn^rer: I
*
cra^Rrrff^t ^ ^^ *m% ^T^ifcra: 11
"As all creatures live supported by the air, so
the other orders exist supported by the house-
holder.
" Of all these (Ashramas), by the declaration
of the Veda-scripture, the householder is the high-
est; he verily supporteth the other three.
" As all streams and rivers flow to rest in the
ocean, so all the Ashramas flow to rest in the
householder. "
*r *TT*fr sr *fr*fr ^r * fro*** ^ttsr?*: ii
"t
He that performeth such action as in duty,
independently of the fruit of action, he is a
SannySsi, he is a Yogi, not he that is without fire
and without rites.
Ibid, iii, 77, 8990 f Bagavad-Gita, vi 1.
132
CHAPTER VII.
The Four Castes.
the long pilgrimage of the Jivatma through
IN myriads of births, already referred to, there are
four distinctly marked stages, called of old Var-
nas, or colours, and recognised in the social polity
laid down by Manu as distinct social classes, or
castes.
These stages are universal, all J ivatmas passing
theof the Sana tana
through them ;peculiarity
Pharma is that it has made them the framework
of its social polity. In the early days the outer
caste coincided with the stages : Jivatm&s at each
stage were born into bodies belonging to that
stage, and the whole of society was therefore con-
tented and progressive. But in these later days,
as Arjuna truly foresaw in his distress on Kuru-
kshetra, varnasankara, caste-confusion, has come
on Ary&varta and her whole peninsula. Jiv&tm&s
at each stage are being born into bodies of other
stages, and hence, as surely as content and pro-
gress arose out of the harmony of elder days, do
disorder and stagnation arise out of the disharmony
How a better state of
of the present.things
133
117
()
may be brought about is a question for men to
discuss and resolve, not for inexperienced boys.
What we need here is to understand the mean-
ing of caste.
We have said there are four stages.
The first is that which includes the infancy,
he is un-
childhood and youth of the Jivatma ;
folding youthful virtues, developing obedience,
he hasresponsibili-
serviceableness, patience ;few
his dutiesbe summedin the
ties ;mayupword,
Service. Where there is no caste-confusion, such
young Jivatmas are born only into the lower social
stratum ; they are labourers, artisans, servants,
manual workers of every kind. In the social poli-
ty of the San&tana IDharma, such Jiv&tm&s were
born into the caste of Shudras. In these days of
caste-confusion, such young Jivatmas, whether
born into the Shudra caste in India, or into the
corresponding class elsewhere, are happy, content-
butas oftennow-a-
ed and useful ;where,happens
days, they are born into higher castes, or classes,
they do much harm to their surroundings by their
incapacity to discharge higher duties, and to bear
the weight of higher responsibilities. So also diffi-
culties arise when older Jivatmas are born into the
lower bodies, and fret against their environment,
9
134
118
()
are discontented and rebellious. Of course a real-
ly advanced JivatmA is content in any body, but
the mediocre Jiv&tm&s quite naturally and inevitably
fight against uncongenial surroundings, and
their restlessness is used by Ishvara to help on
evolution and to bring about necessary changes.
The second stage covers the first half of the
Jivatni&'s manhood, when he is fit to gain wealth,
tolabour and direct
to enjoy it and use it, organise
to undertakeand adminis-
it,great responsibilities,
ter well accumulated possessions. This includes
the commercial class, the great traders, and the
organisers of industry, the capitalists, bankers, the
managers of large industrial concerns. In the so-
cial polity of the Sanatana Pharma, such Jivatm&s
were born into the caste of Vaishyas, and were
trained in it gradually to see as aim the common
good and the general prosperity, instead of mere
personal aggrandisement.
The third stage makes the second half of the
Jiv&tm&'s manhood, when his responsibilities and
powers widen out to include the nation, and he
is called to legislate, to rule, to work unselfishly for
the State, and to use his power to protect and to
regulate, not to aggrandise himself. This includes
iings, judges, legislators, warriors, all who rule
135
( 119 )
and keep order in the State. In the social polity
Sandtanasuch mature Jivatmas
of the JDharma,
were born into the Kshattriya caste, and bore the
burden of kingship and of fighting for the nation-
al defence.
The fourth stage embraces the serene age of the
Jivatma, when earthly things have lost their charm,
and he becomes the counsellor and friend and
helper of all his youngers. This includes the
priests, the counsellors, the teachers of every kind
authors, scientists, poets, philosophers. In the
social polity of the Sanatana )harma, such Jivt-
m&s were born into the caste of Brahmanas, the
advanced and unselfish ones who gave much and
needed little. Caste-confusion in India has struck
this caste most hardly, as the degradation of the
higher is always worse than that of the lower.
The Shudra Jivatma in the Brahmana body is the
greatest danger to the Sanatana )harma.
Much of the evil has grown from men of each
caste grasping at the work of the other castes, and
from each thinking more of the rights his caste gives
him than of the duties it imposes. The Brahmana
and the Kshattriya have claimed their pririleges
ardently, and have shrunk from the heavy burdens
belonging to their castes. Naturally this attitude
136
( ii>o)
ha> provoked opposition, and antagonisms have
replaced mutual service and good- will. Hence
caste has become a source of social bitterness,
instead of a framework maintaining all in happy
order.
At least this much every boy can do towards
bringing about a happier state of things : he can
diligently practise the virtues characteristic of his
caste, and avoid pride, vanity, and grasping at pri-
vileges. Let the Shtidra be remarkable for his
let the \ ai-
industry, fidelity and serviceableness ;
shya be remarkable for his diligence, discretion and
let thebe remarkable for
charity;Kshattriya
let the
his courage, generosity and vigour ;Br&h-
mana be remarkable for his patience, purity, learn-
ing, truthfulness and self-sacrifice. And it may
be that, if the castes thus practise their several
Pharmas, caste -confusion may gradually pass away.
*
3^5; cfl^i vfan ***f H5J wsrnm 11
the
"The Br&hmana was His mouth ;Kajanya
His twothe
was made His two arms ;thighs
the Shudra was born from His two feet. "
Vaishya ;
*
Jtiigveda, X, xc 12.
137
121
()
"He, the Resplendent, for the sake of protect-
ing all this creation, assigned separate karmas to
those born of His mouth, arms, thighs and feet.
"Teaching and studying the Veda, sacrificing
and also guiding others in offering sacrifices, gifts
and receiving of gifts, these He assigned to the
Brahmanas.
"The protection of the people, gifts, sacrificing,
and study of the Vedas, non-attachment amid the
objects of the senses, these He prescribed to the
Kshattriyas.
"The protection of cattle, gifts, sacrificing, and
study of the Vedas, commerce, banking, and agri-
culture, to the Vaishyas.
"The Lord commanded one karma only for
the Shudras, to serve ungrudgingly these other,
castes."
"LManuxmritl, 87 91.
138
122
()
"What is said as to the marks (of conduct)
indicative o a man's caste, if those marks are
found in another, let him be designated by the
caste of his marks (and not of his birth)."
"Not birth, nor Samsk&ras, nor study of the
Vedas, nor ancestry, are the causes of being twice-
born. Conduct alone is verily the cause thereof."
e^ 3TT5T ^rr tfrsrm^tf** <r<ff ^w I
"Truth, charity, forgiveness, good conduct,
gentleness, austerity, and mercy, where these are
seen, king of serpents, he is called a Br&hmana.
"If these marks exist in a Shudra, and not in
one twice-born, the Shudra, is not a Shudra, nor
the Brahmana a Brh&hmana.
* Vishnu Bhaga rata. VII, ix 35.
"fMahdbharata, Vana Parva, cccxiii 108.
%lbid, Vana Parva, clxxx, 21, 25-^26.
139
123
()
"Where this conduct is shown, serpent, he
where this is
is called a Brahmana ;not, serpent,
he should be regarded as a Shudra."
"The Vedas help not the man that hath not
righteous ways, even though they be studied to-
gether with all the angas. The Chhandas abandon
him at the supreme moment of death, even as full-
fledged birds their nest.
"To the Brahmana that is void of righteous
ways, the Vedas, even in their entirety, and with
all aflgas and all sacrifices too, can bring no more
joy than a wife, lovely to see, can bring unto a
blind husband. "
*
Vasishtha-Smriti, vi, 3 i.
141
SANATANA JDHARMA.
PART III.
ETHICAL TEACHINGS.
143
CHAPTER I.
Ethical Science, what it is.
is a definitely arranged body of know-
SCIENCEledge,of facts related to each other. A collec-
the
tion of facts does not make a science ;
facts must be systematically arranged in their rela-
tions to each other, and the principles underlying
these relations must be known, before the collec-
tion can be called a science. Ethical means that
which relates to conduct, to the way in which ra-
tional beings should behave towards each other as
well as towards other creatures. When, therefore,
we speak of Ethical Science, we do not mean a
list of virtues and vices, but we mean a definite
and systematically arranged series of facts of con-
duct in their proper relations to each other and of
the underlying principles of these relations.
Another word for Ethics is morality, right
conduct, and in order to know what is right we
have to understand something about man and his
surroundings.
The object of morality is to secure the wel-
fare of all beings, and this is done by showing men,
through the science of Conduct, how to live in"
144
128
()
harmony with each other and with their surround-
ings. Ishvara is Love, and wills the happiness of His
universe, is gradually bringing about universal
happiness. This does not mean that a right thing
always is pleasant, vand a wrong thing always un-
but itthe con-
pleasant, for the time ;means that
duct which leads to lasting happiness, to the bliss
of union with Ishvara, to Moksha in the end, is
good. " As the wheels of the cart follow the ox,
so misery follows sin," and so also happiness fol-
lows righteousness. The fruit of wrong-doing
may be sweet to the taste in the eating, but it is
poison, and brings about bitter pain afterwards,
and sometimes long-continued disease. The boy
who does wrong because it gives him a short pleasure
is like the ignorant child who plucks and eats the
sweet gaily coloured poison-berries that make him
in the evening writhe in pain. It is the duty of
the teacher of morality to mark every sin as
Poison."
rr^rcTW*ra tnsj^raTCrspra farm II
*
MaMbk&rttta, Anushiisana Parva, civ.
145
129 )
"A
The mark of Pharma is Achara (good conduct)*
JLchara is the mark of the good. Higher than all
teachings is AchSra. From Achara is Pharma
born, and Pharma enhances life. By Achara man
attains life. By Ach&ra he attains fame, here and
hereafter.
trewr^iw* ^r 3trt r%r^ Fn^raren* ficsr. 11
^nT^T^ft sgr gifer g**fr ^fwm I
*
*Un=*T rfTOT qOTrWK *HZf: q?3* II
" Achara is the highest pharma, declared by
the Shruti and the Smriti. Therefore let the twice-
born that knoweth the Self ever diligently engage
therein.
" Thus beholding the path of Pharma issue
from Achara, the sages embraced Achara as the
root of all Tapas.
*: ^TRSl^^^Tfr: H siJT ?T% R^RT. II
gr^TfOTTJTsir^w^r feqzv. snrr. 1
m ^^TfVlK4UH^Tf>: *T W fT% fa^PT! II
*T: **n5ftEPTT 3^: *T OT fft fr^r. II t
*108 110.Shanti Parva
Manusmriti, i,f Mahabharatam.,cic.
X Ibid, Shanti Parva, lxxxviii.
146
( 130 )
" For the well-being of all beings was Phar-
ma declared. That only which bringeth such well-
being is Pharma. This is sure.
" Because it supporteth and holdeth together
it is called Pharma. By Pharma are the people
upheld. That which upholdeth is alone Pharma.
This is sure.
"For the making harmless of beings was
Dharma declared. ThaE which secureth preserva-
tion of beings is Pharma. This is sure.
he
" He who is the friend of all beings ; who
is intent on the welfare of all with act and thought
and speech he only knoweth Pharma,Jajali."
* ^W%rOT cTJT*efts* RT^lf^: I
" He who wishes to cross beyond this intense
darkness, let him not attach himself too much to
anything, for (such attachment) is the great fru-
strator of Pharma (religion, etc.), Artha (wealth),
Kama (pleasure) and Moksha (emancipation).
" Of these (four) too, Moksha is the truly
ultimate end, for the other three are ever haunted
~by the fear of Death, the Ender."
* Vishnu Bltagarutu, IV, xxii, 34 35.
147
131
()
jft^fT ^t Jnsjf tt t*t ^nr?^?rniRr^ I*
"The wise man,best of speakers, that
knoweth the proper times, serveth Pharma, Artha
and Kfima, all three evenly, dividing his time
between them (on the Pravritti Marga, the path of
outgoing).
"
But, King, all beings desire happiness, and
Moksha (belonging to the Nivrtti Marga, the path
of return) is the highest good for them."
. .. t....
* Makdhhdratam. Vana Parva, xxxiii, 41 42.
148
CHAPTER If.
The Foundation of Ethics as given
by Religion.
WE have already seen that the first proclama-
tion of Religion is " The Self is One."
There are indeed many selves in appear-
ance, but they are 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 up&dhis are dipped into the ocean of exist-
ence, but the life that fills each is the same life.
This primary truth of religion is the foundation
of Ethics.
. We must, then, in our Ethical Science recog-
nise the unity of the Self. But this is not enough,
for in unity there is neither " I " nor "
You," and
we have seen that our science deals with relations
between " I " and " You." So we must also re-
cognise the "diversity of the Not-Self;" that
means that there are many upadhis of matter, and
in each separate upadhi there is a part, or reflection,
of the One Self. There are innumerable bodies, innu-
merable minds, and these bodies and minds come into
149
133
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relations with each other. There-can never be right
relations until each separate mind and body act to
other minds and bodies on the principle that they
are at root one, that what helps all is the only
thing that really helps each, and that what injures
one really injures all. ! In hurting another we are
really hurting ourselves. If a hand cut the foot
belonging to its own body, the blood would flow
but
from the foot, not from the hand ;presently
the hand would grow weak, for the blood circulates
in the whole body and there is only one supply for
and if
all parts of the body. So also with men ;
one man wounds another, the wounder suffers as
much as the wounded, only the suffering takes
longer in making itself felt.
This, then, is the foundation of right conduct,
as seen by the Reason. Boys have at first to take
moral precepts on the authority of great Sages and
Saints, as taught in the SMstras, because they have
not the power nor the time to think them out for
themselves. But they can, in their manhood, veri-
fy these precepts, given in the Sanatana Dharma,
by applying their Reason to them.
The One Self is in all beings ; every Jivatma
is a portion, or reflection, of the One Self. Let
this principle sink deeply into every heart, and let
10
150
134
()
each remember that he who injures another injures
"
himself. Sayeth Shri Krishna :I am the Self
I
Gudakesha, seated in the heart of all beings ; am
the beginning, the middle, and also the end of
beings."*
" One God hideth in all beings. He perva-
deth all. He is the inmost Self of all beings. He
superviseth all actions. He is the resting-place of
all beings. He is the Witness, the Consciousness,
the One above limitations and qualities."
" This one universal Inner Self of all beings be-
cometh one separate individual self for each form."
^#rife: ^: ^ft^ n*?*JT3<nFra: II
" He who seeth all beings in the Self, and the
Self irt all beings, he shrinketh no more (from any,
m dislike)."
*
Bhagavad- Oita x 20. f ShretdxhraturDpanishat, vii 2.
$ Kathopan'tshat. v 10.Itfiopanififiat, 6 7.
151
( 135)
" He in whose consciousness, full of perfected
knowledge, all beings have become the Self in
him, thus beholding the unity, there is no more
any delusion nor any sorrow."
*
*r^ *ro33j;r: II
f^T *frn3rf>TcJTT
" The self, harmonised by yoga, seeth the Self
abiding in all beings, all beings, in the Self ; every-
where he seeth the same."
*vi 29.
Bhagarad-Gita,
152
CHAPTER 111.
Right and Wrong.
two words, Right and Wrong, are in the
THESEmouth of everybody, but it is not everybody
who can tell us exactly what he means by
right and wrong. Let us try to understand.
We have seen that we have specially to do with
three worlds, the Triloki, and we know that the
- Triloki is created by Brahma, preserved by Vishnu,
and dissolved by Shiva. Let us think of a new
Triloki.* It is a going forth ; many forms ap-
pear, and grow and develop; they become more
and more different ; they involve into separate in-
dividuals ; they grow by the experiences they meet ;
they develop their bodies and minds by taking all
they; can from outside and working it up into
themselves. This is called the Pravritti Marga,
the path of going forth, on which the Jivatmii i?
building himself up into a separate individual, by
taking all he can from outside, and making a
strong intellect, a powerful "I." When this is
complete, the Jivatma has to learn that he himself
"
is only a part or reflection of a much greater I,"
the Ishvara, and that all his powers can only bring
* See pp. 63 64.
153
( 137)
"
happiness if used as a part of that greaterI.'
Then he begins to see the Unity under the
diversity, and turns away from his little separate
he tries toto all
self to realise the One Self ;give
that are weaker than he is, to share with himself
in other bodies. and minds what he has accumu-
lated in his own. This is called the Nivritti
Marga, the path of return, on which the Jivatm
is seeking to realise himself as one with all by shar-
ing all he has with all who need.
These two paths make up what is called evo-
lution, and along this road of evolution the Will of
Ishvara, in His aspect of Vishnu, is guiding His
to
universe. To work with this Will is Right ;
work against it is Wrong.
Now the world, as a whole, is at the turning
point where the Pravritti Marga changes to the
Nivritti Marga. Most people are still on the
Pravritti Marga, but their way onwards, their
higher evolution, lies along the Nivritti Marga.
Hence right conduct consists of the desires,,
thoughts and actions that help oneself and others,
to tread the Nivritti Marga, the path that leads,
to Union. We must aim at decreasing separate-
all that lessons
ness, at increasing unity ;separate-
all that in-
ness, and leads towards unity is Right ;
154
( 138)
creases separateness and leads away from unity is
"Wrong. But for animals, savages, and backward,
undeveloped Jivatmas, whose individuality is still
very weak, separateness has still to be aimed at,
and what is right or wrong for the more advanced
is not yet right or wrong for them. This is what
is meant by saying that morality is relative. It
is related to our position in evolution, to the path
we are on.
"Subtle is morality," Bhishma said to Yudhish-
thira. "I instruct thee not by the letter of the
Veda alone, but by the Veda as interpreted by
wisdom and experience. None may accomplish his
course through the world aright with the help of a
morality that is one-sided. The text of the
Scripture should be applied with careful exercise of
judgment, otherwise it faileth grievously. Ushans
spake this truth in time o old, that Scriptures
are no Scriptures if they cannot stand the test of
reason. The presence of a knowledge that is full
of doubts is no better than its absence. A morality
that is based on words, without regard to special
circumstances leads to error. In a time of long-
continued famine, the Rishi Vishvamitra took for-
bidden meat from a chandala, and compelled the
J)evas to take their customary share from that
155
139
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same meat offered in sacrifice, and thus to justify
it does
his act. Forgiveness befits the Sannyasi ;
not always befit the King. The King may forgive
injuries to himself. He may not overlook the
slightest 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 person
that should not be killed is equal to the sin of not
slaying one that deserves to be slain. The King
should ever exact with firmness, yea, severity, from
all his subjects their respective duties. If he does
not. do this, then will they prowl about unchecked,
like wolves, murdering the weaker and devouring
'
each other. It has been sung of old : She alone
is a wife that speaketh pleasantly. He alone is a
son that maketh his sire happy. He alone is a
friend who may be safely trusted. That, verily, is
the motherland wherein living is earned.' He
alone is a King who ruleth strictly without op-
pression, in whose territories the righteous have
no fear, who cherisheth the poor and punisheth
the wicked."*
The Ashramas and the Varnas were given in
order to shew people what kind of virtues they
should aim at, in the particular place and time in
*
Mahabharatam, Shanti Parva, cxxxii, and cxli cxlii.
156
140
()
which they find themselves, and thus to help on
their orderly evolution. As all men have not the
power nor the time to find out for themselves the
Will of Ishvara, the Shastras have been given to
tell us of that Will, and so to help us in distinguish-
ing between Right and Wrong. But some general
rules have also been laid down in the sacred books,
by Vy&sa and by others, for application in cases in
and there-
which the details are not clear or specific,
fore the special rules, given in the Shastras, not
easy or necessary to apply. Such are :
to
" To give joy to another is righteousness ;
give pain is sin."
" Let not any man do unto another any act
that he wisheth not done to himself by others,
knowing it to be painful to himself. And let him
also purpose for another all that he wisheth for
himself."
"Let not any one do an act that injureth an-
other, nor any that he feeleth shame to do."
" Let him not do to another what is not good
for himself."
157
141
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ftrfrT H^JTR^ ^crr^Tc^RT TO *T H*
" Of two kinds is the karma mentioned in the
Vedas, Pravritta and Nivritta, leading to joys or
leading to that (happiness) than which there is no
higher.
"Karma done under personal desire (for gain),
here or hereafter, is Pravritta Karma ; done with-
out such desire, under guidance of perfected know-
ledge (of right and duty) is Nivritta.
"
Doing Pravritta Karma man evolves into
the condition of Pevas. Performing Nivritta he
rises to beyond the five Bhutas."
" Different are the dharmas in Krita-yuga ;
different
different in Tretix and Dvapara ;again
are the dharmas of men in Kali-Yuga changing
according to the changes of the cycles."
*
Maniamriti, xxi 88, 89, 90.
f Mahalharatam, Shanti Parva, ccxxxi 27.
158
( 142 )
sri* **snff ragur: TtfTOf^afetrrai i
v rN r^~ /~s
rT^gr tTC^J T^i ^^*TT#JT ^TRcT ! I
" He from Whom is the emanation of beings,
by Whom all 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 by
his own nature incurreth not sin.
" tshvara dwelleth in the hearts of all beings,
Arjuna, moving all beings by^ his Maya, as
though mounted on a wheel.
" Flee unto Him for shelter with all thy being,
Bharata ; by His grace thou shalt obtain supreme
peace, the everlasting dwelling place.
^ lit
srren^Nc ^nj^TOTcJTsrerjn&sr
"The whole of the Veda is the source o
also the Smriti and the character of those
dharma ;
also the conduct of the
-that know the Veda ;good
*hdyavad-(/'tt(i, xviii 46, 47, 61, 62. t Manutmritt, ii 6.
159
143
()
and the satisfaction of the Self."
*#*#
****
WcTT ^TrJTjffjq4 q*qf * <t^p*t<j; 1+
[The translations of these shlokas are given
on p. 140].
*
Mahabharatam, Shanti j Jbid, cxxiv 67.
Parva, cclx 20, 21, 23. X Ydjfiaralkya Smriti, iii 65.
160
CHAPTER IV.
The Standard of Ethics.
WE have seen that the general standard by
which actions should be judged at the
present stage of evolution is Union, al-
though many Jivas are not yet arrived at this
stage. For the majority we can test each action
by asking : Does it promote union ? Does it
promote separateness ? If the answer to the first
question is "if the an-
Yes," the action is Right ;
swer to the second question is "
Yes," the action
is Wrong. 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 surround-
ings." To live in harmony is to promote union.
So also when Shri Krishna speaks of Divine
and Asuric properties, we find that he classes ad
Divine those which promote union, and as Asuric
"
those which promote separateness.Fearlessness,
cleanness of life, steadfastness in the yoga o
wisdom, alms-giving, self-restraint and sacrifice
and the study of the Shastras, austerity and
straightforwardness, harmlessness, truthfulness,
absence of wrath, renunciation, peacefnlness, absence
161
( 145 )
o crookedness, compassion to living beings,
uncovetousness, mildness, modesty, absence of
fickleness, vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity,
absence of envy and pride."* Such virtues draw
men together, and are based on the knowledge
that all selves are one. On the other hand, see
how those He marks as Asuric, the qualities which
"
drive man apart, promote divisions :
Hypocrisy,
arrogance and conceit, wrath and also harshness
and unwisdom."f And his description of the Asuric
type of man shews one who is full of ahamkara,
egoism and selfishness.!
Let the young student then grasp firmly this
distinction between Right and Wrong, and apply
it to the guidance of his conduct. In later study
he will add much to his thoughts on Right and
Wrong, will learn many details, and have to solve
but thisthis stand-
many complexities ;principle,
ard, will remain unaltered, for it is based on evolu-
tion, and is in accord with the will of fshvara.
*
Bhdgavad-Gitd, xir, 1 3.
t Ibid, 4.t Ibid. 718.
162
146
()
i
*R HRWR ^q^WTSm $^T JT5Tt II
***
" Of all 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 collected mind see in the Self
both the Real and the Unreal. Thus beholding
all in the Self, he turneth not his mind towards
adharma.
all resides in the
" The Self is all the Devas ;
Self. He who thus seeth the Self in all beings, by
his own Self, he realiseth the equality of all and
attaineth to the supreme state of Brahman."
*
Maitasmriti, xii 85, 118, 119, 125.
163
CHAPTER V.
Virtues and their foundation.
WE have already seen that mutual sacrifice,
another narre for mutual service, is enjoined
by the Sanatana Dharma, and it is easy to see that
this is Right, since it promotes union. Thus the
five daily sacrifices promote union between the
sacrificer and Rishis, Devas, Pitris, Men and
Animals. Another way in which the Sanatana
Dharma teaches us to do right is by explaining to
the debt to the
us the three debts that we owe ;
A.
Rishis, paid chiefly in the Brahmacharya Ashrama,
the debt
by study and by service of the teacher ;
to the Pit lis, the Ancestors, paid chiefly in the
Garhasthya Ashrama, by rearing a family and by
the debt to thein the
charity ;Devas, paid chiefly
Vanaprastha Ashrama, by sacrifice and meditation.
A debt is something we owe ; we have received
and should repay. This payment of debt, of what
is due, is called the discharge of duty, that which
we owe to others, which we ought to do. The dis-
the non-dis-
charge of a duty is called a virtue ;
charge of a duty is called a vice. A virtuous man
recognises his duties, his obligations, and fulfils
164
( 146)
a viciousnor fulfil
them ;man does not recognise
them.
Virtues' have also been called by Bhishma
" forms of Truth, "* because Truth is that which
"
is Real, is indeed, as Bhishma says, the eternal
Brahman. "
f Truth is the Divine Nature, and we
see this in the reflection of Brahman that we call
external Nature. Eor all the laws of Nature are
expressions of Truth, and work with perfect accu-
racy and changelessness. Now the greatest Truth
as saidtheof the Self
of all is,before,unity
amidst the diversity of the Not- Self. All other
truths and laws are such only because they are
reflections, copies, of this great unity in diversity.
And the form which this great Truth takes in
Ethical Science is that each one of us should feel
for other selves as for himself, should feel himself
to be the same as, or at least similar to, other selves j
and, so feeling, we must always tell the truth, be-
cause to tell a falsehood to another is to regard him
with distrust, to regard him as separate from, or
even opposed to oneself, to prevent him from
sharing with oneself in a common knowledge,
which should be the same for all when all are as
* MaMbMratavi, Shanti Parva clxii.
f Ibid, clxii
165
149
{)
one. From the setting up of this separation
by untruthfulness, consciously or unconsciously,
endless harm results and vices arise. This descrip-
tion of the nature of virtues as forms of Truth cor-
responds again with our standard of Ethics, for
truthfulness promotes union, while untruthfulness
increases separateness.
Truthfulness has always been a marked char-
acteristic of the noble characters described in
Hindu literature. "My lips have never uttered an
untruth," is a favourite phrase of the Heroes. Shri
Krishna promised not to carry arms on Kurukshetra,
and when He ran towards Bhishma with uplifted
whip to help Arjuna, Arjuna refused His help
because of His promise.* So also Yudhishthira,
though almost despairing of victory, would not
take His help, because of that same promise.f
On the other hand, we read that when Yudhishthira
for a moment in his utmost need forgot his truth-
fulness, and told a lie to the undoing of Drona, his
war-chariot lost the power that upraised it from
the earth and it sank to the ground.J When the
Pandavas were yet in the forest, and Shri Krishna
suggested that Yudhishthira might send an army
*Mahabharatavi , Bhishma Parva lix.flbid,
Xlbid, Drona Parva cciii.
11
166
( 150)
against the Kurus, thus breaking the spirit of the
promise that they would remain thirteen years in
exile, Yudhishthira's answer was : "The sons of
Pandu swerve not from the path of truth."* Even
when loss follows, the pledged word must be kept.
When Prahlada took the sovereignty of the three
worlds from Indra, Indra disguised himself as a
Brahmana and served him as his disciple. At
last Prahlada was so pleased with him, that he
offered to give him anything he asked for.
Indra asked for Prahlada's "Shila," character,
manner, behaviour, and Prahlada gave it, though
he feared it meant his own ruin as indeed it
did because he had pledged his word.f
And who can forget Bhishma's splendid answer,
when his step-mother Satyavati prayed him to
take the throne and marry, against his promise :
*I would renounce the three worlds, the empire of
heaven or anything that may be still greater, but
truth never will I renounce. Earth may renounce
its scent, water may renounce its moisture, light
may renounce its power of showing forms, the air
*may renounce its susceptibility to touch, the sun
may renounce his glory, fire his heat, the moon
*Vana Parva clxxxi.
Ibid,
Mahabharatam, Shanti Parva cxxiv.
167
151)
(
his cool rays, space its capacity to generate sounds,
the slayer of Vrittra his prowess, the God of
justice his impartiality, but I renounce not truth."*
Kama, the man of fire, the man of pride, the
man of headlong straightforwardness, was born,
the ancient story says, with a natural armour that
no weapons could pierce through. The Devas,
ever working that the cause of the Pandavas might
prevail, were sorely anxious lest in the predestined
combat between Karna and Arjuna, the latter
should fail because of that strong armour. It was
Karna'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 period of his
Veda-study every day, whatsoever a Brahmana
asked of him that he had to give, he would give to
him unfailingly ; and one day Indra, the King of
the Pevas, seeing no other way, took on the sem-
blance of an aged Brahmana and appeared before
Karna and said he had a boon to ask. And Karna
said that he would surely give it, if it were at all
within his power. Then Indra said : "Give me
this armour that you wear by nature on your
body." Karna replied : "I know thee now to be no
artless Brahmana, but the King of the Devas him-
*
Ibid, Adi Parva ciii.
168
( lte)
self, disguised to help the cause of the Pandavas.
But even the letter of my given word must be
respected. Take what thou askest, though in
and
giving thee thy wish I know I give my life,
what is even more than life to me, the only chance
,T
of conquering my soldier-rival, Arjuna, in battle !
And Karna hewed off that living armour piece by
piece with his own hand and sword, and gave it
all to Indra, winning thereby a longer life and a
far nobler name than if he had defeated Arjuna.*
King Dasharatha, of the Solar Race of Kings,
asked by the Devas for help against the Asuras,
battled against the latter as a Kshattriya should.
His youngest wife, Kaikeyi, drove his war-chariot,
and when the king sank into a swoon under his
wounds, she skilfully bore him away on the chariot
to a place of safety and preserved his life. For
that deed the grateful King promised her two
boons, which she put by for future need. Long
afterwards, when the King was in his old age and
wished to instal his eldest son, Rama, as the heir-
apparent, she claimed the boons, and claimed them
fearfully : Rama, eldest born and best beloved of
the aged King, noblest of men, should wander forth
into the forests as an exile, and the crown be
.-
*
Mahabharatam, Vana Parva, ccciii cccix.
169
153
()
placed on the head of Kaikeyi's son, Bharata.
Dasharatha, knowing well that it was death to him
to grant the boons, yet granted them and died.
Better far that he should die, than that the King's
word be broken, and truth slain.*
Bali, the Daitya king, had conquered Svarga
and become unchallenged ruler of the three worlds.
The rites of a great sacrifice, the sacred Ashva-
medha, were spread out at his command. Vamana,
Vishnu disguised as a dwarf, came to the sacrifice
and begged as boon as much land as He could cover
in three paces. Shukra, the preceptor of Bali, bade
him refuse to carry out his gift, since Vamana was
"
Vishnu. Bali answered : The grandson of Prah-
lada shall never speak untruth. I will give to this
Brahmana boy what I promised, even if he be
Vishnu and my enemy." And when Vamana had
covered the Triloki with two paces and demanded
a third foothold, Bali offered his own head, and
took as favour the loss of all his kingdom. And
"
for this Vishnu blessed him, declaring : His
wealth gone, his position lost, himself overpowered
and chained by enemies, forsaken by friends, reviled
and cursed by his own preceptor Bali forsook not
..truth. "f The puranas say that for such acts of
*
TiomCvjana, AyodhyftMnda. t Vishnu-BhayaKata, VIII. xv xiii. ,
170
( 1M )
truth, by the blessing of Vishnu, Bali will be the
next Indra, when the present I)eva, whose proper
name is Purandara, vacates that office (for Indra
is the title of the great office of the sovereign of
the divine kingdom, not a personal name).
As truth is Brahman, those who seek Brahman
must be truthful. Above and beyond all else,
therefore, a boy should strive for truthfulness.
" The Brtihmana, being born, is born a debtor
to the Devasto the
with three debts ;by sacrifice,
Ancestors by progeny, to the Rishis by study."
" After having discharged the three debts let
him turn his mind to Moksha. He who desireth
Moksha, without having discharged them falleth
downwards.
"
Having studied the Vedas duly, having pro-
duced offspring lawfully, having offered sacrifices
^ Veda text quoted by Kulluka in his commentary on 3fn nutmrit i ,
yit..36.f MammriH, vi. 35 36.
171
( 155 )
to the best of his power, let him turn to Moksha."
***
"Nourishing one another ye shall reap the.
supremest good.
" He who on earth doth not follow the wheel
thus revolving, sinful of life and rejoicing in the
senses, he, Partha, liveth in vain."
c*f HrfJ H^T OT: W* vwb *=RTcTT I
STrTO* *mWT ^r^T% <H!*TT *TT%: H*
*#*
ec*f strong fasroRnGrf?; rrS^ ^ I
snrrtsHf ^r^r %s ^ir%Ti%^T^T^iciT II
u Truth is ever the (oDe) dharma of the good.
Truth is the Sanatana Dharma. Bow only to the
Truth. Truth is the final way. Truth is dharma,
*11 16,
Bhagarad-Gita, ill,
t Mahdbharatam, Anushasana Parva c lxii.
172
( 1*6)
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 Unperish-
ing, Unchanging, Eternal. It is attained by the
Yoga-meditation that opposeth not any dharma.
"self-con-
Truthfulness, equality (impartiality )
trol, absence of envious emulation, forgiveness,
modesty, endurance, absence of jealousy, charity,
thoughtfulness, disinterested philanthropy, self-
possession, and unceasing and compassionate harm-
lessness these are the thirteen forms of Truth."
" The four Vedas on the one side, well studied
together with all their angas and npaflgas (are far
out- weighed by) Truth alone on the other."
swc*?c f^^^r snh snir^ro^fa lit
" Men place less trust in themselves than in
the true. Hence all wish to secure the friendship
of the true."
*I^d ccxci.
Mahdbharatam, Vana Parva 1 xiii, t
173
1^7
()
*p*fr ft **&* ?nn% ^$
^Fcfr nr%%5T^T5^^T Ararat
u The true and the good act ever according to
the Eternal Dharma. The true fail not, nor are
never fruitless is contact with the
cast down ;true;
the true feel no fear from the true. The true guide
.the true
the Sun by the power of Truth ;uphold
the Earth by the power of self-denial. The true
are the guides of the past and the future. King,
the true never suffer in the midst of the true. "
( *r<r. s*nrfa ) ster. ^nrr ^r wicrfrri
tfnRrif^r feraRsrr ^ <rei^^f ^r ( *%& ) II
***#
"Anger, lust, dejection, delusion, cynicism,
wrongful activity, greed, envy, jealousy, irritated
worry, sullen hnte or malice, scorn and fear these
thirteen (vices and forms of untruth) king, are
the powerful enemies of living creatures. "
* Ibid.t Mahabharatam, Shanti Parva, xxsiii.
174
158
()
" The Devas know not a better being in the
universe, than him of whom the all- knowing Wit-
"
ness feeleth no doubt when he speaketh.
"
Thy business is with the action only, never
so let not the fruit of action be
with its fruits ;thy
motive, nor be thou to inaction attached.
"The Supreme Brahman is the Right, is the
Truth."
*
Mannsmriti, viii 96.f Bhagavad-Gita, ii 47.
r
X Nrisimhottaratajrini-f panishat, i 6.
175
CHAPTER VI.
Bliss and Emotions.
WE have seen that Ishvara is Thought, Power
and Bliss, and man, as His child, has also
these characteristics. When the Jivatma
becomes wrapped in dense matter, the aspect of
his nature which is Bliss, is ever going outwards
in search of satisfaction, trying to realise itself by
uniting itself with the outer world. The impulses
outwards are called desires, and when they unite
the Jivatma to an object that gives him pleasure,
so that he desires to be again united to such an
object, the resulting emotion is called love, or lik-
ing. When, on the contrary, they unite the Jivatma
to an object that gives him pain, so that he desires
to avoid union with such an object again, the re-
sulting emotion is called hate, or dislike. The
first makes an attraction between the Jivatma and
the second makes a
the object ;repulsion.
The Jivatma thinks over these likes and dis-
likes, and gradually trains himself to direct his
emotions thusreason
emotions rightly ;guided by
in accordance with the will of tshvara develop in-
to Virtues, and thus the culture of the emotions
176
160
()
forms the ethical development of man. As he
cultivates the emotion called love he unites him-
self to an ever-widening circle of beings, the
family, the community, the nation, the race, loving
them as himself and this love becomes a continually
increasing expression of the Bliss aspect of his
nature, which finds satisfaction in union.
We have seen that evolution is now leading us
towards union, or, in other words, that the will of
Ishvara is guiding the separated selves towards
union with each other and with Himself. In this
therefore theand the
union is Bliss ;RightHappy
are inseparable. Over and over again the SanH-
tana Dharma leads us to this one conclusion.
" Brahman is bliss "
therefore the Jivatma, being
of the nature of Brahman, is also bliss, and unhap-
piness only arises when he goes against evolution,
against the great Will, goes, in a word, wrong.
Sach-
" All this is Brahman Sachchiddnanda ;
chidananda is this all."
*
Nritimhottarataphd-UpaniAhat, 7. ^Kathopanhhat. iv 1.
177
161
()
" The Self-born pierced the senses outwards ;
therefore (the Jiva) looketh outwards and not
(towards) the inner Self."
*tst I %*& ^yfasv ^rctfcr *rfpr &v*n sidrer
*re 5rr*rc*nFif& ?rr*^#rcr ?n**Tt5:5rrerT%
" When (the Jiva) obtaineth pleasure, then he
never doth he enter on action
engageth in action ;
without having obtained pleasure ; only when he
hath obtained pleasure doth he engage in action.
" That which is infinite, that is (the true
there is noin the
pleasure) happiness ;happiness
finite. This infinite alone is happiness.
Where (the Self) seeth not another, heareth not
another, knoweth not another (than the Self) that
is the Infinite. Where (the Self) seeth, heareth,
knoweth another (than the Self), that is the finite.
that
That which is infinite is immortal ;which is
finite is mortal."
_.,*
xxiii 11,
Chhandogyopanishat, VII, xxii I ; and xxiv
t Sarvatdropanishat .
178
( 16S)
"
Joy and consciousness, a limitless ocean of joy,
than which there is no greater happiness such is
Ananda.
" The consciousness of pleasure is the cons-
the consciousness
ciousness of an object desired ;
of pain is the consciousness of an object undesired."
all shrink
" All beings revel in pleasure ;great-
ly from pain."
%^ra^g^r scorns* ^n^r ! i
"
By the delusion of the pairs of opposites,( )
Bharata, sprung from attraction and repulsion,
slayer of foes, all beings walk this world, wholly
deluded."
v*sx a^J ^ ^^ *T^rRn*%crer ^fa-'
"Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the compound
(organism), intelligence, firmness, these, briefly
described, constitute the Field and its changes."
m *rr SEP* *r* 'csrgxirwg^: 1
1|
*
Sariasaropani-shat. f Mahdbhdratam, Shanti Parva ccxxxi. 227.
X Bhdgarad-Gitd. vii 27. Ibid, xiii.|| Ibid, iii 87.
179
( 163 )
" It is Kama (desire) and it is Krodha (anger),
"
arising out of Rajas.
" Affection and aversion for the objects of sense
let none come under the do-
abide in the senses ;
minion of these two ; they are obstructors of the
"
path.
" But the disciplined self, moving among sense
objects with senses free from attraction and
" repul-
sion, mastered by the self, goeth to peace.
5T ^ f^%^T'^fcr * Q*sf * tRT ufaK lit
" He who, having cast aside the ordinances of
the Shastras, followeth the promptings of desire,
attaineth not to perfection, nor happiness, nor the
"
highest goal.
^PJT2&TTrT *cHNIH n
*
Bhagacad-Gitd. iii 34.
t Ibid, ii 64.% ibid, xyi 23. Jathopamskat, v 12.
180
( *U)
" The One Who controlleth all, the inmost Self
of all beings, Who maketh many forms of one
form they who see That One in the Self, only to
those rulers of intelligence belongeth the Eternal
Happiness, u none else. "
181
CHAPTER VII.
Selp-regakding Virtues.
WE have seen that the Jiv&tm& is related to all
around him, and that Ethics is concerned
with making his relations with others
harmonious. But we must not forget that he is
most closely related to his own koshas, or bodies^
the parts of the Not- Self that he has most closely
united to himself, and that unless he is in harmoni-
ous relations with these, he can hardly hope to be
in harmonious relations with the bodies that are
further away from him. While he is young, these
bodies of his master him, and lead him into all sorts
as hehetoto
of trouble ;grows older,begins try
master them, and many a hard fight he has with
them, before he develops the great virtue called self-
control the control of the lower selves by the
higher Self, of the bodies by the Jivatma. Virtues
that belong to these bodies, considered by them-
selves, rather than in connection with the relations
between different Jivatmas, are called self-regarding
in modern classifications. But every one can see
that a person who has these virtues will promote
12
182
166
()
harmonious relations with others much more than
one who has them not.
Manu, the great law-giver, lays much stress on
the necessity for this self-control, and gives some
most valuable advice about it. He says that action
and that each of these
has three forces behind it,
must be mastered. " Action is born of mind,
speech and body. "'*
The mind the Manomayakosha, which includes
the emotions must be conquered. This is the
hardest task of all. For the mind runs after the
objects of desire, swayed and controlled by the
longings to possess the objects which promise to
give pleasure. The emotions are ever craving satis-
faction, and the mind seeks to gratify them, be-
coming their slave. The Jivatma must free the
mind from this slavery, and subdue it for his own
service, making it the master of the senses and the
"
sense-organs : as Manu says : In conquering this
(the mind) the two sets of five become conquer-
ed." f The "two sets of five" are the ten Indriyas,
the fiveand the five Iv.ir-
that is,Jriunendriyas
mendriyas.
Let the student, then, aim at ruling his mind ;
*ii
Loc, ti7.,xi i3t X*8. fit,,i)2.
183
( 167)
let
if it runs to evil things let him call it back ;
him 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 leads
us into endless troubles. Arjuna was often very
hasty in his speech, and so got himself into many
as in hisvow tohimself if
difficulties ;hastyslay
he did not kill Jayadratha, the slayer of his son,
before sunset, thus necessitating the interference
of Shri Krishna, who shrouded the sun prema-
turely to induce Jayadratha to come out from his
shelter.* So again in his quarrel with Yudhish-
thira, provoked by Yudhishthira's taunting
speech,f and on other occasions. Nay, his failure
to keep a hasty vow led to his death on the Great
Journey: "
Arjuna said he would consume all our
foes in a single day. Proud was he in his heroism,
but he did not what he boasted. Hence has he
fallen down. "J He who has conquered his tongue
is near to self-mastery.
Thirdly, the physical body must be controlled,
and not be allowed to hurry us into sin for its
.* Maliohhurdtam, Drona Parva. t Hid, Karria Parva. lxx ixx,
J Ibid, Mahaprasthauika Parva.
184
168
()
gratification. Says Shri Krishna: "Worship of
the Devas, the twice-born, the gurus and the wise,
purity, straightforwardness, chastity and harmless-
ness, are called the austerity of the body." Youth
is the time for conquering the body, for it is then
most easily subdued, and set in the right way. For
the body is a creature of habit and though at
first, it will oppose the will of the Jivattnft with
great energy, a little perseverance makes it give
way, and then it goes as contentedly and readily
along the new road as it did along the old.
Among the sources of evil and of sorrow that
we should strive to get rid of by this self-control
is selfish desire, for out of the insatiable desire for
material wealth and material pleasures grow many
miseries, and peace arises from the absence of
these desires and not by their continued gratifica-
tion. Thus Manki found. For, greedy of wealth,
Manki had searched for it long, but ever he
seemed doomed to disappointment. With the
last remnant of his property he bought a pair of
calves to train up for the plough. But fate ordain-
ed that the cord with which the two were tied
should get entangled with a passing camel, so that
both were killed. This last mischance opened the
Bhagarad-GUa, xvii 14.
185
( 169 )
heart of Manki, so that desire fled thence uncon-
"
fined, and Manki burst forth into song : He that
desires happiness must renounce desire. Well did
Shuka say that of these two the one who gets
all that he wishes and the one who casts off every
wish the latter, who renounces all, is surely much
superior to the former, for none can ever attain to
the end of all desires. Do thou, my soul, so
lon*< a slave to greed, taste now for once the joys
of freedom and tranquillity. Long have I slept,
I shall wake.
but I shall sleep no longer ;No more
shalt thou deceive me,Desire. Whatever object
thou didst fix my heart on, that didst thou force
me to follow, heedless, never pausing to enquire if
it were easy or impossible to gain. Thou art with-
out intelligence. Thou art a fool. Ever unsatisfied,
thou burnest like a fire, always lambent for more
like
offerings. Thou art impossible to fill,pace
itself. Thy one wish is to plunge me into sorrow*
This day we part. From this day,Desire, I live
no longer in thy company. I think no more of thee
or of thy train. I cast thee off, with all the pass-
who was harassed with des-
ions of my heart.I,
pair before, have now attained to perfect peace of
mind. In full contentment of the heart, senses at
ease, shall I live henceforth on what comes to me,
186
no
()
and labour no more for the satisfaction of thy
wishes, my foe. Casting off thee and all thy
train, I gain at once instead tranquillity and self-
restraint, forgiveness and compassion and deliver-
ance." Thus Manki lost a little, and gained all.*
Hear also the story of King Yayati, who driven
mad by wild desire, took from his own son his fair
and splendid youth to strive to fill therewith the
ever-gaping maw of Desire the insatiable. For thus
the story runs.
King Yayati, son of Nahusha, of the Lunar
Dynasty of Kings, was over-fond of the pleasures
of sense and fell into sin, which brought upon him
the wrath of his father-in-law, the great Rishi
Shukra, the priest of the Titan-Kings. Because
of that wrath, King Yay&ti was suddenly struck
with shrivelled and tottering old age in the very
midst of his glorious prime of manhood. He
propitiated the Rishi, and Shukra, 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 willingly to the exchange. Yayati asked
the fifth and
his five sons in succession ;youngest
Puru, for love and reverence of his father, gave
*
Mahabharatam, Shiinti Parva clxxvii
187
( Mft)
him his own youth and took from him his age for
the period of a thousand years. For that long
period King Yayati assiduously pursued the
pleasures of the senses, endeavouring to exhaust
the luxuries of the world of matter. But ever he
found that his craving grew, even when his senses
dulled with satiation. He longed in vain that his
longing for the world of sense should be exhausted
by fulfilment. As one spoke of a wheel running
the chase was endless.
after another spoke of it,
At 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 but
with frustration. He called Puru to him, took
back his own old age with gladness, and gave to
him his youth together with the kingdom, and
retired into the forests chanting the verse that sum-
med up all his life-experience :
" Desire may not be quenched by enjoyment of
itincreases manifold
its objects ;onlytherewith,
as fire with libations of butter. " *
Let us pause a moment on the word " harmless -
"
ness, in the above quotation of Shri Krishna's
words, p. 141. "Harmiessness is the highest Dhar-
ma, " Bhishma taught. We should injure nothing.
* Mahabharatam. Anushasana ParVa, cxvi 37.
188
"2
()
Our life should be a source of help, not of harm.
The control of the body includes this abstention
"
from injuring others. As said Brihaspati : That
man who practises the religion of universal com-
passion, achieves the highest good.... One should
never do that to another which one regards as
injurious to one's own self. This, in brief, is the
" *
rule of righteousness.
People often harm others in more thoughtless-
ness, and so bring about much trouble- When
Yudhishthira and Duryodhana and their brothers
were boys and all lived and studied together,
Bhima, who was the strongest of them all, often
indulged in practical jokes and rough horse-play,
exercising his great strength with boyish thought-
lessness upon the younger and weaker boys. When a
number of them climbed up into a tree to pluck the
fruit, he would take the trunk between his hands
and shake the tree, till the little boys tumbled down
like ripe fruits. Bhima thought it was great fun and
but some of thewerehurt
laughed ;boyshurt,
in body, and what was worse, hurt in mind. Again,
when they were out bathing and swimming in the
river that flowed beneath the walls of Hastinapura,
Bhima would swim underneath the other boys, and,
* Ibid cxiii.
189
173
()
catching hold of a number of them, would dive into
the water, and hold them there till they were almost
drowned, while his own greater lung-capacity helped
him efficiently against similar distress. He delighted
in this, but the others were agonised. What was the
consequence ? A smouldering fire of repulsion
and dislike, that later on grew into a blazing fire
of hate that consumed Kaurava and Pandava alike.
The boyish thoughtlessness of Bhima was one of the
chief causes of the Great War. It is true that un-
less the combustibles are there, the spark will not
unless the tissues arethe
kindle the fuel ;tainted,
still it is our
microbe will not develop the disease ;
duty to guard against such a destructive spark, such a
death-bringing microbe, as long and ascearfully as we
can. When thoughtless exercise of strength hurts
the weak who cannot retaliate, then the anger,
that is born but is not vented, becomes transformed
into what is contemptuously called hate and malice,
but is in reality far less to blame than the careless
spoliation of the weaker by the stronger. To the
superficial eye of one who is himself equally inclined
in his secret mind to oppression, such acts may
appear blameless or even magnificent. But to the
just eye of a true chivalry they will always appear
in their real character of meanness and tyranny.
190
( 174 )
And he who studies the Great History carefully
knows well that the P&ndavas were not all to praise,
nor the Kauravas all 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 thus
put himself into right relations with the things
nearest to him, his own emotions, mind and body,
and has thus partially acquired the virtues classified
as "" ""
self-regarding or egoistic in western ethical
books, is able to practise more effectively those
classified therein as ""
altruistic, those which arise
in relation to other living beings.
We have now to study the virtues and vices
which arise in the relations between human beings.
These are best classified under three heads :
1. The virtues and vices which arise in relation
to superiors.
2. The virtues and vices which arise in relation
to equals.
3. The virtues and vices which arise in relation
to inferiors.
In this way we shall obtain a clear and simple
classification of the virtues which make our rela-
tions with all around us harmonious, and seeing
them distinctly, we can strive to attain them. And
191
(175 )
we shall also see plainly the vices which make
disharmony and can try to avoid them. All the
virtues have their root in pure Love, and have Bliss
all the vices
for their fruit ;have their root in
personal Hate, and their fruit is Misery.
****
T^rtr fafifriT 1^1 mq^n% h 3^*ra 11
^JTTP&n^r 3 w&q <fcr: fsnsr f*ms5?ei ll*
"Karma, that bringeth good or evil fruit*
ariseth in the mind, or in speech, or in the body.
And threefold are the paths of men, according to
their karma, *****high or low or middling.
This (Jiva) reapeth good or evil, mental with
the mind, vocal with speech, and bodily even with
the theofdandaThe"body.***** speech, the danda of the
* Manusmriti. xii 3, 4, 8, 10, 11.
192
176
()
mind, the danda of the act he who has laid these
Tods (of rule; over his intelligence he is the
Yridandi.
"
Having laid these rods (of control over his
mind) with respect to all beings, and having con-
quered lust and anger, (the Jiva) attaineth perfec-
tion.
"Worship given to the Devas, to the twice-born,
to the teachers and to the wise, purity, straightfor-
wardness, continence and harmlessness are called
the austerity of the body.
"
Speech causing no annoyence, truthful and
beneficial, the practice of the study of the Scrip-
tures, are called the austerity of Speech.
" Mental happiness, equilibrium, silence, self-
control, purity of nature this is called the austeri-
ty of the mind."
Bhaiiarad-h'ita, xvii 14, 15, 16.
193
177
()
"Not by the enjoyment of the objects of desire
rather it increasethas
doth desire abate ;again,
fire with libations of butter."
" Without doubt, mighty-armed, the mind is
hard to curb and restless. But, son of Kunti, it
may be curbed by constant practice and by dispass-
ion.
" As often as the wavering and unsteady mind,
goeth forth, so often, reining it in, let him bring it
under the control of the Self."
" If also thou art not equal to constant practice
be intent on My service. Performing actions for
My sake, thou shalt attain perfection."
"
Mahabharatam, Anushasan Parva, cxvi 37.
t Bkagarad-Gita, iv, 35 26. J Ibid, xii 10
194
( 178 )
aureus qu;gqwiSd tfter-
*a*f otrt: s^TMRft srar'snqc n*
" That which is the Eternal of all eternals,
That which is the Life of all lives, That which
being One inspireth many with desires the wise
that behold that One seated within themselves, to
them alone belongs the lasting peace, unto none
else."
" The kinsman is the congenital foe such is
the view of those whose minds are blinded by the
greed of wealth. To him whose wealth is wisdom,
the world, that is filled with his elders, equals and
youngers, is (as a world of) parents, friends and
children."
a^OT?*TRfa3rfaj *r wY^r ftff*rirq% 11+
" He that, without having conquered himself,
wisheth to conquer his ministers, or that, without
*
Kathopantehad) v 13.
t Mahabharatam, Udyoga Parva, ii 17. % lb><l. cxxviii, 29 30v
195
( 179 )
having conquered his ministers, wisheth to conquer
his foes, he faileth helplessly.
" But he that conquereth himself first, as his
own foe, and thereafter conquers his ministers and
his foes, (his work) is not vain."
rrer f^ift ^^ttw ^t ^rg^r ^r*r. II
sfs^rosrsfr sr^* *K% gk^rrTonc 11
w%ff^rw^ir ^p^^t STg^ff gpr: H*
butare the branches of
"Not one (many)
dharma that have been declared by the wise, each
resting upon his own knowledge. ButDama (self-
control) is the basis of them all.
"The elders, the seers of the sure, have de-
clared that Pama leadeth to the Highest ; especially
whole of Sana-
for the Brahmana is Dama the ()
tana Dharma.
*
Jfakdbhdratam, Shtlnti Parva, clx 6, 17, 13 1*>.
196
1*0
()
"The man that is not self-controlled meeteth
andtroubles he
suffering everywhere ;many
causeth, all arising out of his own defects.
"For all the four Ashramas, Dama is the high-
est vow. I shall declare to thee the marks thereof,
the characteristics of which Dama is the source :
"Forgiveness, self-possession, harmlessness,
equability, truthfulness, straightforwardness, the
conquest of the senses, skill, gentleness, modesty,
restfulness, absence of scorn, absence of excite-
ment, sweet speech, harmlessness, and absence of
jealousy of all these is self-control the source."
"Self-possession, patience, self-control, integrity,
purity, restraint, intelligence, learning, truthfulness,
absence of anger these ten are the marks of
dharma."
<*<r *mrrfa* w ^Trj^sa^Nrg: lit
"Harmlessness, truth-speaking, refraining from
theft, control of the senses such is the essence
of the dharma that Manu declared for all the four
castes."
Mamumriti, vi 91. f Ibid, x 63.
197
181
()
"Truthfulness, absence of theft, absence of
anger, modesty, purity, intelligence, self-possession,
self-control, restraint of the senses, learning this
is declared to be the whole of dharma."
J Yajnavalki/a, iii 66.
13
198
CHAPTER VIII.
Virtues and Vices in Relation to Superiors.
LOVE which is unselfish prompts us to make
sacrifices for others, and to restrain ourselves
therefore such love is
for the common good ;
the root of virtues, of the qualities that promote
union. So also hate prompts us to take from others,
to grasp at all desirable things for our own separate
therefore
enjoyment to the injury of others ;hate
is the root of vices, of the qualities that promote
separateness. Moreover, when we make a sacrifice
for one we love, we feel happiness in making it,
and we thus learn that the deepest happiness, real
bliss, 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 looks
A man'sare
up.superiors: God, Sovereign,
Parents, Teachers, and the Aged.
Love to God shows itself as Reverence, Devotion,
Worship and Submission to His Will. We find
all lovers of God show these virtues. See how
Bhishma reverences and worships Shri Krishna,
the Avatara of Vishnu : at the Rajasuya sacrifice
199
183
()
of Yudhishthira Bhishma bids thein offer the first
arghya to Him, and Nftrada declares that " He
who approveth not the worship offered unto
Krishna, the oldest One in the universe, deserveth
neither soft words nor consideration. Those men
that will not worship Krishna, with eyes like lotus-
petals, should be regarded as dead though mov-
" * And sowhen Bhishmahe
ing.also,lay dying, "
was thinking "of Krishna in mind, word and act,
and his one thought was to receive His blessing ; f
he closed the great exhortation with the recital
of " the thousand names of Vasudeva, "
and his
last words, ere bidding all farewell, asked Shri
Krishna's permission to depart.^
In Parhlada, the son of the Paitya King Hir-
anyakashipu, we have one of the most famous ex-
amples of devotion. Despite all his teachers could
say, he steadily prayed to and praised Hari. In
vain did his father threaten him and seek to kill
the wildwho should have
him ;elephanttrampled
the rocks that should have
on him failed to injure ;
the
crushed him lay light as down on his bosom ;
sword that should have struck off his head fell
thethat should have
blunted from his neck ;poison
*
Mahdbh&ratam, Sabha Parva, xxxviii 8. t /*W| Shanti Parva
X Ibid, Anushasana Parva. cxlix.
200
( 1*4)
carried death along his veins proved harmless as
and at lasttheburst
water ;Narasimha,Avatara,
from the granite pillar, and delivered Hari's servant
*
from the tyrant who sought to slay.
Phruva, leaving his father's palace to flee from
the unkindness of his step-mother, shows such
fervour of devotion and such courage and stead-
fastness in worship, that Hari appears to him, and
gives him as throne the pole-star, on the boundary
of the Triloki, whereon he lives and reigns, f
Nothing, perhaps, is more marked in the per-
fect human character of Ramchandra, than His
unwavering submission to the Divine Will. Over
and over again during the whirl that followed His
sudden exclusion from the throne, He calms those
around Him by reminding them that all that hap-
pens is by the good law, and He Himself is utterly
unshaken by the storm, knowing the Real amid
all changing unrealities.
On the other hand, we read constantly of the
overthrow of those who do not honour the Supreme
Lord. Mighty rulers like Rftvana, who was mon-
arch in Lanka, fell because they thought them-
selves rivals of Ishvara, and set themselves against
*-
* Bee Vishnu Purdna, I, xvi xx.
t See Ibid, I, xi xii,.
201
( 185 )
His loving will for the worlds.* JarSsandha, the
King of Magadha, refusing, though bidden by Shri
Krishna, to set free the Kings he had captured
was slain by Bhima ; **Shishupala fell before the
discus of the Lord he denied ; f .Duryodhana
perished, with his friends and followers, for his
persistent rejection of Shri Krishna's counsels ; j
the list might be extended for many pages. Out
of all these shines out the warning that those who
show hate to Ishvara must perish.
Loyalty to the Head of the State is equally
insisted on in the Shastras, not only by direct
command but by example. When Yudhishthira is
King in Indraprastha, and his four brothers go out
to war, they bring to his feet all the wealth they
gained ; they fought for their King, not for them-
selves^ So when Yudhishthira was exiled after
the gambling-match, and the people came out to
follow him, leaving their allegiance to Phritarash-
tra, the loyal prince bade them return to Hastina*-
pura and obey their proper ruler, since only thus
could they secure the general prosperity. ||
This loyalty was fostered in the people by the
*
Rdniayana, Yuddhakaudam.
**
Mahdbhdratam, Shalya Parva xx.
t Ibid L X Ibid, Shalya and Saupatika Parvas and ante-
$ Jbid, Sabha Parva, xxv xxxiii, || Ibid, Vana Parva, i.
202
( 186)
devotion to duty imposed on the King, and by the
high ideal of kingship insisted on. Utatthya, of
the race of Angird, instructing the King MandMta,
son of Yuvanashva, said: " One becometh a
King in order that he may uphold righteousness,
and not that he may conduct himself capriciously.
The King is the protector of the world, Man-
dhata ! If he act righteously, he attaineth to the
honours of a veritable God upon earth. But if he
act unrighteously he sinketh into hell. All crea-
and
tures rest upon righteousness ;righteousness,
in turn, resteth upon the King. That King alone
is a true King who upholdeth righteousness. If
he fail to chastise unrighteousness, the)eva*
desert his mansions, and he incurreth obloquy
among men. " *
Patriotism, the love of one's country, and Public
Spirit, caring for the nation more than for oneself,
are virtues that are so closely akin to loyalty that
"
they should never be separated from it. King
"No
and Country are the object of true loyalty.
man should be without this love of country and the
for
g readiness to sacrifice himself for his native land ;
national greatness cannot exist without patriotism
and national greatness means, in
and public spirit,
*Parva
Mahabhfuritam, Sufmti xc.
203
187
()
the long run, family and individual prosperity : the
whole and the part cannot be separated. Public
spirit makes a man feel the successes and the
sufferings of his country as though they were his
own as indeed they are. 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 community
or to cheat it by evading what is due to it from
himself. The heroes of ancient India are constant-
ly described as " intent on the welfare of others ;"
Shri Krishna bids Arjuna see " to the protection of
"*
the masses, to "the maintenance of mankind."
The man who thinks only of himself and of his
family is short-sighted, and is really undermining
his and their future happiness.
To Parents is due ever the most complete
Obedience, and this is one of the most often-
repeated injunctions of the Sanatana pharma. See
how Ramachandra, the Great Example, obeys his
father. When )asharatha is inveigled into grant-
ing Rama's exile and the son is told by Kaikeyi
"
that His father fears to speak his will : Speak,
honoured lady, the desire of the King," is His
quick reply, "and 1 will carry it out. There is
*
Bhugavad-Uita. in, 202 5.
204
188
()
no service greater than service of the father, than
carrying out his words." And to all arguments
counselling resistance, He gives the steadfast an-
"
swer : There is no power in me to transgress my
father's orderI shall abide by my father's
orders."* And later, when His father was dead,
and Bharata, most unwilling regent, held His
crown in trust, all His answer to Bharata's passion-
ate pleadings that He should ascend the throne
was that His father had sent Him to the forest, and
each must do
had placed Bharata on the throne ;
his own task, according to the father's word :
" What My father hath commanded must not be
made untrue."t
Again we read in the Mahdbhdratam the story
of th^ 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 Brahma na to the beauti-
ful rooms in which he had housed his aged parents,
saying that his own happy state of knowledge
and peace was due to his filial piety ; having
bowed low at their feet he introduced his
"guest
and then told him : These ray parents are the
whatever is due to the )evas
idols that I worship ;
*
Ramayaiia, AyalhyakapcUm, xv xxx. t Ibid, xc.
205
( 189)
1 do to them... To me they are like the three sacred
fires mentioned by the learned ; and, Brahmana,
they seem to me to be as good as sacrifices, or the
four Veclas ..The two parents, the sacred fire, the
soul, and the guru, these five, good Br&hmana,
are worthy of the highest reverence." He then
told Kaushika that he had acted wrongly in leav-
ing his parents in his anxiety to learn the Vedas,
and that he should go back to them and console
"
them : Return to the side of thy father and
mother, and be diligent in honouring thy parents,
for I do not know if there be any virtue higher
than this." *
Who does not know how Bhlshma won the
boon, that Death should not touch him until he
himself permitted it, by resigning throne and mar-
riage to win for his father the bride for whom, in
silence, the father's heart was yearning ? King
Shantanu, of the lunar race of Kings, wished to
marry the beautiful Satyavati, but struggled
against himself for the sake of his son Bhlshma.
A step-mother, he thought, might not be kind to
his beloved son. The care born of the struggle
showed on King Shantanu's face, and Bhishma
made enquiry of the ministers and learned the
* Mahdbhdratam, Vana Parva, ccxiii ccxv.
206
( 190 )
cause. He went to the father of Satyavati and
asked that she be married to the King. The father
"
thou shalt
said : The King is aged ;shortly reign
in his stead. I would rather marry my daughter to
thee. ""
But Bhishma replied: Say not such a
thing. When my father has wished to marry her,
she is my mother already ; give her to the King."
"
Then Satyavati's father said : But I shall do so
only if her son succeeds the King in sovereignty."
Bhishma said at once : "I promise to forego my
birth-right. I shall place that younger brother of
mine upon the throne." But Satyavati's father said
again : "We know thy word once given may not
be broken. But what shall bind thy sons from
disputing their uncle's right ?" Then Bhishma said :
so there shall be
"I promise never to marry at all ;
no sons to me who may dispute their uncle's right.
Now do thou let my father have his wish." And
because of his fearful promises the Pevas cried out
with a bodiless voice : "He has been known as
he shall
Pevavrata so long ;now be known as
Bhishma the Terrible" terrible surely to himself
but most loved and most dear to all true Hindu
hearts. King Shantanu too, when he heard that
the vows had been already made and could not now
but in the
be helped, took Satyavati to wife ;
207
191
()
fulness of his father's love bestowed on Bhishma
the gift of death at his own will alone. Men that
prevail over their passions 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 Puryodhana's stub-
born insolence and disobedience to his parents that
precipitated the war which destroyed his house.f
Over and over again his father pleaded with him
to yield to the just demands of the Pandavas, and
give them a share in their ancestral property, but
Duryodhana scorned his prayers and persisted in
his own way. Even when his mother, Gandhari,
begged him in open sabha to obey his father
and to regard his duty, he treated her harshly and
disrespectfully, and so brought on his head the
doom of failure. No son can succeed who grieves
his father or mother by disobedience or by dis-
respect.
The Teacher is added to the Father and
Mother by the San&tana Pharma, as the third
great object of reverence and service, and we see
this virtue also in the ancient heroes who should
serve as examples to all Hindu boys. How deep
is the love, how unfailing the reverence, shown by
*
Mahabhdratam, Adi Parva c. t Ibid, Udyoga Parva- -cxxx.
208
192
()
the Pandavas to Bhishma, to Drona, even when
see
compelled to fight against them ; them bowing
at their teacher's feet ere the battle joins on
Kurukshetra ;* and when Dhristadyumna seized
the white locks of Prona, hear the agonised cry of
"
Arjuna : Bring the teacher alive ! do not slay
"
him ! he should not be slain ! and his heart-broken
"
sob when the crime is complete :I have sunk
into hell, overcome with shame."f
The only valid reason for disobedience to the
Guru is held to lie, in the Sanatana J)harma, in
previous promise or clear duty. Bhishma, the ex-
ample of dharma, gives a striking illustration of
this in his career. After the death of his father
Shantanu, Bhishma, in accordance with his vow,
placed his younger brother Chitrangada on the
throne, and when Chitrangada was slain in battle,
then he placed the second brother Vichitravirya on
the throne of Hastin&pura. Looking for suitable
wives for Vichitravirya, Bhishma heard that the
three daughters of the King of Kashi were about
to hold a Svayamvara, and were in all respects
worthy of marriage with his brother. He went to
Kashi, and by his sole might in battle carried them
* .Vahabfuiratam Bhishma Parva xliii.
t Hid Drona, Parva cxciii cxoiv.
209
193
()
off from the midst of the assembled candidates for
their hands. When he brought them to Hasting
pura the younger two, Ambika and Ambalika,
but
willingly consented to marry Vichitravirya ;
the eldest, Amba, said she wished to marry Shalva,
King of another country, having chosen him for
husband long before.* Bhishma sent her with all
but he sent her back
honour to King Shalva ;say-
ing she had been won in battle from him and he
Then Amba
could not take her back as a gift.
"
said to Bhishma :If Shalva will not marry me,
because you won me from him in battle, then you
must marry me yourself." Bhishma was greatly
distressed for her sake, but in view of his vow of
lifelong celibacy could not consent. Then Ainb&
was very angry and went to Bhishma's Guru
and
Parashurama ;Parahurama sided with her
and ordered Bhishma to marry Amba\ But he
declined, deeming the keeping of his vow a higher
duty than obedience to his teacher in a wrongful
order. And ultimately there was a great battle
between Parashurama and Bhishma. For many
days the single combat lasted, and many wounds
were received by both ; and more than once they
fainted with fatigue and loss of blood and shock of
* Mahabharatam. Adi Parva, cii.
210
( 194)
serious wound : but reviving again, they renewed
the fight, till on the twenty-eighth day, the aged
Parashurama acknowledged that he could do no
and Bhishma won his cause. Yet because
more ;
however unwillingly, he had brought much sorrow
upon Amba, karma decreed that she should prove
the means of his death.
Reverence to the Aged fitly closes the list of
virtues which should flower when we come into
relation wdth our superiors, and it was one of the
marked characteristics of the ancient Hindu cha-
racter. The wisdom which is the fruit of long
experience is the precious treasure in possession of
the 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 the
more necessary that care should be taken to culti-
vate it.
211
195
()
far! ^4 *reit 5tot *frng^r-
JTT Srrq-nTcJTPTWfT^^^ ft*
" There is no other path to the attainment of
Brahman, so auspicious for yogis, as devotion to-
wards the Lord who is the Atma of all.
" With his mind full of wisdom, dispassion and
devotion, he seeth Prakriti losing its power and
Purusha as stainless.
" Where the good gather, there are heard the
stories that give knowledge of My Power, and are
as nectar to the ear and heart. Listening to them,
he turneth rapidly to the path of Moksha with
faith and joy and devotion.
"from sensuous
Turning away with dispassion
sights and sounds because of devotion to Me, he
dwelleth ever in thought on (the mysteries of) My
creation, and thus, restraining his mind, essayeth
the straight paths of yoga and attaineth union.
*r
Vimu-Bhagavata. Ill xiv 18, 19, 2. ,. 21.
212
( 196)
"
Giving up the service of the attributes of Pra-
kriti, his knowledge and yoga (realisation of Unity)
blossoming with (the help of) vairagya, and his
devotion offered unto Me, he realiseth Me as the
"
Pratyagatma (the Inmost Self).
#**
<nfrRTOri tot xfrzi: *r ^nj^t <retf ^ t*<TR i
qra <jai?rf tot TC^rr^ fsr^nr W ^tOTtenr. n
qrrc* srrari^fMte H5^ **rarr%*fr 9r**3rr%*TT ** II
^rmrw^^i ^s3<wPa wrro^l g^ *rrw S^ft^r* ii
**fr sr*rf *fr fe^snfo *;rJTR. I
srrrsr ^ g^rer srirnfh II*
" From its own nature, some Sages say, others
from time arising (came the universe) ; verily from
the majesty of God revolves in this world the
Brahma-wheel.
#***
*
Shretanhvataropaniskat, vi 1, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13.
213
( 197 )
" Him of tshvaras the supreme and great ish-
vara, Him of Devas the supreme Divinity, of
Lords the Lord, the greatest of the great, God, the
adorable Ruler of the worlds, (Him) we know.
" He needeth no instrument nor hath aught to
do, nor is there any found who is equal or superior
Hisis
to Him ;supreme energyself-dependent
and manifold, Wisdom, Power and Activity.
M None in the world is His lord, nor his ruler,
nor His cause ; He is the Cause, the Ruler of the
rulers of the senses, of Him there is no source, no
sovereign.
" The one Ruler of the many actionless, He
therefore the wise
maketh manifold the seed ;who
Him withinfor them is eternal
perceivethemselves,
joy, for more others.
"Eternal of Eternals, Intelligence of Intelli-
gences, One among many, who f ulfilleth the wishes
of all having known that Cause, attained by the
Sankhya and the Yoga, (man) is freed from all
bonds.
wnsi* r% sfrajftjT^ Hsrcft fester wrat I
14
214
i 198 )
*#*
srr. ^h^ srrnf^ ^ri w& f^5*rr: n
**#
rT^rg: &NJjdl< *T3TT^ Ur4IIT3.m I
" For the protection of the whole world God
created the King, when the Kingless people were
scattered through fear.
"(He created the King) out of immortal portions
ktaen from Indra, Vayu, Yama, the San, the Fire,
Varuna, the Moon and the Lord of wealth.
****
"For him the Lord created His own son Dhar-
ma, the Protector of all beings, as the Danda
(Sceptre, or Rod of power) clothed with the
Brahma-radiance.
****
"The Dinda governeth all the people, the
*26 2d.
Ma*u*mrUi, vii, 8, 4. 14, 18,
215
1^9
()
the Danda waketh while
Panda alone protecteth ;
others sleep, the wise know the Danda as Dharma.
****
"They declare the wielder of Danda to be the
King, that speaketh the truth, acteth after deliber-
ation, is wise, and versed in Dharma, K&ma and
Artha.
"Wielding it righteously, the King increaseth
but if he beto
in all three ;given up Kama, unjust
and mean, then he himself is slain by the Danda.
"A great fire is the Danda, difficult to be borne
it
by those who have not achieved the Self;
slayeth, together with his family, the King that
strayeth from Dharma."
Tfcrera snrr: 3fr&* ^tstrt j&ssHt II*
"By the great- souled King was this world
made full of Dharma and all the people were
hence is he called the
gladdened ;King."
lf"--. -''-' --''
I -II
^Mahahharatam, SantiParva, lix 145.
216
( 200)
"The King is the inmost heart of his people,
lie is their refuge, their honour, and their highest
happiness ; relying on him, they conquer right-
eously this world and the next.
"The King also, having governed the earth
with self-control, with truth, and with the heart of
compassion, having sacrificed with many sacrifices,
attaineth to fair fame and everlasting seat in
Svarga."
s<njRr^TFrr^ sn^rnfroii ^ ftcrr i
*A
"Ten Upadhyayas doth the Acharya exceed
A
but the
and a hundred Acharyas the Father;
Mother exceedeth even a thousand Fathers in the
right to be honored."
****
*Ni ?tmW Wg*l TOT cTO -dWcf I
****
?r^ff sun sns&rer ^ spr ^rrsrirr: i
*#**
^^^-,.-. - -... . i-... . .. ...i .. .-^
*
Ibid, lxviii, 5960.t ManmnMti, ii 145.
217
( 201 )
"The Teacher, the Father, the Mother, and an
elder Brother must not be treated with disrespect,
especially by a Brahmana, though one be grievous-
ly offended (by them).
"The service of these three is declared to be
the best austerity.
3ftT&fc3le
"For they are declared to be the three worlds,
the three orders, the three Vedas, they the three
sacred fires.
****
"All duties have been fulfilled by him who
but to him
honours these three ;who honours
them not, all rites remain fruitless."
"*ccl|K 35R- cpfcl 3TPJ'. SH9T 'TOT ^9H^ llf
"The vital airs of a young man mount up-
wards to leave his body when an elder approaches ;
but by rising to meet him and saluting, he recovers
them.
*~-i-.. ---..i._, ., 1.mm
> Manusmriti, ii, 225, 229, 230, 234. t Manutmriti, ii, 120121.
218
( 202 )
"He, who habitually salutes and constantly
pays reverence to the aged, obtains an increase of
four things : length of life, knowledge, fame and
strength.
219
CHAPTER IX.
Virtues and vices in relation to equals.
WE have next to consider our relations with
the equals that surround us on every side,
and to know what virtues should be deve-
loped, 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 are of primary importance ; pure and hap-
py homes, in which family virtues are practised,
make the foundation of prosperous States, of suc-
cessful nations. We have seen the relations that
should exist between parents and children, and we
must now study those that should be found between
husband and wife, between brothers and sisters.
The Hindu books are full of stories of the love
that should bind a husband and wife together, or
Conjugal Love. "Husband and wife are the
love
same,"* says Manu ; they are one, not two ;
makes the two into one love protective, sheltering,
love
tender, on the side of the husband ;yielding,
sweet, devoted, on the side of the wife. " Let
*
Manntnuriti, ix 45,
220
( 204 )
mutual fidelity continue until death."* Rama-
chandra and Sita form an ideal husband and wife ;
they enjoy all life's happinesses together, and suffer
together all life's sorrows ; they take counsel together
in all perplexities, and share together all difficul-
ties. We see them first in unclouded bliss, Prince
and Princess, happy as the day is long ; when the
coronation of Ramachandra approaches, we see
them fasting and praying together ; when the shock
of the sentence of exile comes, Sita" accepts it care-
lessly at first caring only for her husband's pre-
sence, and she would go with him, she " whose
heart is wholly thine, knowing not another, ever
clinging to thee resclute 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. "
Rama, thy
company is heaven, thy absence hell." Only
when he pleads with her to remain behind, does
her heart fail her. And when he bids her come
she tosses gaily to her attendants all her costly
robes and priceless jewels, stripping herself of all
that women love, without a sigh, caring only for
the joyous fact that exile could not separate hus-
*Manusmriti, ix 101.
221
205
()
band and wife. Happy as a girl, she is said to be
playing in the forest glades unmindful of the lost
royal splendour, since she is, night and day, at
Rama's side. But though so blithe, she yet is wise,
and we hear her counselling her husband with
grave thoughtful words, as they wander on the out-
skirts of the forest of Dandaka. When she is
carried away by Ravana, the mighty Rakshasa,
how her husband's love breaks forth in protracted
search, in wild outbursts of lament. "Sita ! Sita !"
"
he cries in his anguish as he searches for her, art
thou hiding, art thou playing ? Oh come ! Such
sport is my death." While laments and seeks,
Sita is exposed to every temptation to be unfaith-
ful, to every terror and cruel threat. " Devoted to
one husband, I will never sin against him. With
wealth and riches thou canst not tempt me. As
the rays of the sun are his own, so am I Raghava's
alone."*
And hear the story of S&vitrl, who won her
husband from the grasp of Yama, King of Death.
King Ashvapati, of the Madra lands, obtained a
daughter by long worship of the )evas. They
called her Savitri. Fair was she as a figure of
gold, and sweet as the jessamine flower, and the
*
Ramayana paxxim.
222
( 206 )
people worshipped her as a J)evi, come to them
for their good deeds. When she came of age, her
father said to her : "Choose thou a fitting hus-
band for thyself." And she went forth asearchr
with royal retinue. When she returned, after the
lapse of many months, the Rishi Narada was stay-
ing with her father ; and in his presence she an-
nounced the choice that she had made. "King
Pyumatsena 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 : "Alas ! King ! innocent Savitri hath done
ill." "Is he not fitting mate for Savitri ? "
the
King asked Narada. "Is he weak in mind or
"body,
wanting in forgiveness or in courage ? Narada
said : "In nothing is he wanting of all this. Strong
and radiant as the sun himself is Satyav&n, gener-
ous like Rantideva, just like Shibi, magnificent
like Yayfiti, and beautiful like the moon. But all
this wealth of virtues must pass away from the
earth within a year. His span of life is very
short." With sinking heart Savitri heard the Sage's
words, yet said : "But once can a person say '/"
1 And I have said it oncegive myself
give away.: 'I
away to Satyavan.'I cannot choose again."
223
1 207 )
Narada said : "Because thy daughter wavers not,
"
and
King ! I give my blessing to the marriage ;
went away.
Swift messengers went to Pyumatsena, and he
sent back word to Ashvapati : "I once myself de-
sired alliance with thee, but saw not how to ask
for it in my fallen state. Now that the blessed
Savitri is coming to me of her own accord, I know
for sure that Lakshrni's self is coming back unto
our ancient house." So the marriage came to
pass. Joyously Savitri passed from her palaces to
the hermit's cottage. Eagerly she attended to the
least wants of her aged father-in-law and mother-
in-law, rejoicing to perform the humblest duties
of the household, and by her tender ways and
loving words enslaved the heart of her husband.
But ever underneath all this, the fire of secret agony
lighted by the words of Narada burned within her
and ever she counted theof the
soul ;dayspres-
cribed year. At last the hour appointed for the death
of Satvavan was only four days distant. Then she
resolved to seek the help of the Devas by fast and
prayer. And all the three days she fasted, taking
not a drop of water. Early she rose on the morn-
ing of the fateful day, finished the morning
rites, and touched the feet of her elders. All the
224
( 208 )
ascetics dwelling in that forest blessed her on that
day, saying that she should never know the
pangs of widowhood. And when the time came
for Satyavn to go forth with his axe upon
his shoulder into the wood for work, as usual, she
made her heart strong and followed him. He
but she said she wished to
asked in wonder why ;
and so
go with him that day ;they went, beholding
the beauties of the hills, the waters, the woods, and
the birds and beasts. Then Satyavan began his
daily labours, filled his wallet with fruit and felled
dried branches for fuel. But suddenly a faintness
came upon him and his head ached greatly, and he
said this to Savitri and lay down. Then Savitri
placed his head on her lap and sat, with breaking
heart, awaiting she knew not what. All at once
she beheld a majestic and awe-striking form, dark
yet shining, clad in red attire, standing beside her,
and gazing with fixed yet flashing eyes at Satya-
v&n. Gently she placed her husband's head on
the ground, stood up and made obeisance. And
"
the form said : The days of Satyavan are ended :
and because he is so
I am Yama, Lord of Death ;
virtuous, I have come to take him away myself,
rather than send my emissaries as usual." And
he drew the Sukshma Sharlra of Satyav&n
225
209
()
from his fleshy body, and departed with it toward*
the south. And Savitri also followed. Then Yama
said : "Desist, Savitri ! go back and perform the
funeral rites of thy lord. Thou hast discharged
thy duty, and come as far behind thy husband as
"
mortal may go." Savitri replied : Whither my
husband goeth, thither I go. This is the eternal
law for man and wife. If I have loved my lord
with undivided love, if I have served my elders
reverently, if there be any power in penances,
then be my path unchecked, out of thy favour,
Yama !" And innocently like a little child she
repeated the lessons of dharma that her loving
elders and her own gentle soul had taught her,
"
By faithful service, treading household ways, to
wisdom have I won and to religious merit. Close
not these ways,Death, depriving me of my
gathered fruits." "Wise and reasonable art thou,
Savitri, and thy words are sweet. Save thy
husband's life, I give thee any boon." " His father
lives in darkness, gracious King ; by thy favour
let his eyes once more behold the day." '-
Fairest of
earth's daughters, I grant the boon thou seekest.
And now return,weary earth-born feet, that
may not tread the gloomy path of Death." " Where
he, my husband, goes, 1 still must follow. Fruitful
226
( 810 )
is righteous company, King of Death, and sweet
is it to dwell with one like thee. Not fruitless
may such fair abiding prove." "Take then a
second boon as fruit,peerless lady, but ask not
for thy husband's soul," said Yama. " Give then,
King of mortal worlds, his kingdom to my
husband's father, his kingdom rent from him by
evil men." " He shall regain his throne," said
Yama, " and reign thereon. And now go back,
fair dame, nor follow further." But with sweet
words and honeyed praises, Savitri still 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, Savitri spoke in praise of righteous living
and of high discharge of duty, till Yama, charmed
by her eloquence and wisdom, granted her yet
another boon, and Savitri quickly claimed her
husband's life, since Yama had granted her a
hundred sons, and righteousness would be infring-
ed if other were their father save her husband.
Thus did a faithful wife win back from Death her
husband, and brought to his family prosperity,
riches, and length of days, since even Yama, King
6f Death, is weaker than a pure wife's faithful love.*
* Makabharatam, Vana Parva, ccxcii ccxcviii.
227
( 211 )
Nor can the Hindu boy forget the story of
Damayantl, the wife of Nala. Nala, son of Vira-
sena, and King of the Nishadhas, loved Damayantl,
daughter of Bhima, the King of the Vidarbhas,
and Damayantl loved Nala, though they had not
met each other, but each had only heard the other's
praises as being incomparable upon earth. Now the
Svayamvara of the princess was proclaimed, and
thereto went King Nala, and Damayantl chose him
to be her husband, although the Devas, Indra,
Agni, Varuna and Yama, were among the suitors
for her hand ; and Nala and Damayantl lived to-
gether in great love for eleven happy years, and two
children were born to them. In the twelfth year
came Pushkara, and challanged King Nala to play
him at dice, and Nala played, and lost again and
again, till at length he had lost to Pushkara his
kingdom and all his wealth, even his garments, and
went forth an exile, with only one cloth, half cover-
ing his body. Then Damayantl, 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 outskrits of
the city they wandered, hungry and athirst. To
complete their misery, Nala lost his cloth in the
attempt to catch therewith some birds for food,
228
( 212 )
and hopeless and desperate, he wished Dainayantl
to be spared the suffering of hunger, and re-
peatedly pointed out to her the road to her former
home. But Dainayanti, clung to him, weeping,
sobbing that she would not leave him, that when
he was weary she would soothe him, for in every
sorrow there was no such medicine as a loving and
faithful wife. Presently, wearied out, she lay sleep-
ing on the bare ground, and Nala argued with
himself that it would be kinder to leave her, so
that she might seek her relatives, than to keep her
wandering 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 fled
from her, mad with grief. The hopeless Damayantl
awaking, found herself alone, and bitter was her
more for Nala's loneliness than for her own
grief,
loss. 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 the
Chedis, is told at length in the Nalopdkhydna,
Meanwhile Nala had rescued a snake ringed round
with fire, and by the magic of the snake his form
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213
()
was changed and became unrecognisable, and he
wandered till he reached the city of King Ritupar-
na, whose charioteer he became. Thus were
husband and wife severed, they who loved each
other so dearly and so well. Now King Bhima
sent forth BrShmanas to search for his daughter
and for Nala, and one of them, Sudeva by name,
recognised the sad Queen as she sat in the King
of Chedis' palace, and told her piteous story to
the Queen-mother, who proved to be her mother's
sister. Then Damayantl, in spite of warmest
offers of hospitality, departed to her father's house,
and King Bhlma sent out again messengers to seek
Nala, charged to bear a message to be uttered
loudly in every gathering of men, which in veiled
allusions, intelligible to Nala only, prayed him to
return to his loving, sorrowing wife. Long they
sought, and at last found one who, after hearing
the outcried message, spoke sadly of wives whom
their husbands had deserted, and he was called
B&huka, charioteer of Rituparna, King in Ayodhy&.
Returning to Pamayanti Paruada, the messenger,
told what had been said, and her quick woman's
wit devised a way by which to bring Nala to her
"
side. " Go to King Rituparna," she said, and tell
him that pamayanti holds another Svayamvara on
15
230
( 214 )
the morrow after thy arrival in Ayodhyfi." For
she knew that none save Nala could so drive as to
reach her father's palace from Ayodhy& within so
brief a space. As she planned, so it happened,
Rituparna bade Bahuka drive him swiftly to the
city of the Vidarbhas, and B&huka, sore at heart,
chose swift steeds and drove them, as only he
could drive, reaching the city of the Vidarbhas by
that same evening, and there, by Damayantl's
tender wiles, he was led to give signs that he was
indeed Nala, as she suspected, for he wept over his
children when he saw them, and he cooked as only
then she bade them
Nala could cook ;bring
Bahuka into her presence, and husband and true
wife recognised each other, and long thereafter
lived they in wedded bliss, their kingdom regained,
and their children around them.*
Moreover, a wife who truly loves and serves
her husband gains more of inner development and
knowledge than she can gain by long austerities
and painful penances. For thus we read in the
story of the Brahmana's wife who angered Kau-
shika. Now the Brahmana Kaushika made great
tapas. One day he sat in meditation under a tree,
when a crane sitting on a branch befouled his
* Mahibharatam, Vana Parva, liii Ixxix.
231
215
()
Hehisand looked
person.openedeyesup
angrily at the crane ; and, such was the psychic
power stored in Kaushika by his tapas, that the
crane was killed by that angry glance as if struck
by lightning. Kaushika was sad at the death of
the crane, and glad also with the pride of tested
power. He went into the neighbouring town to beg
as usual for his daily meal, and asked the first
good housewife that he came across for it. As she
was fetching him some food her husband came in,
tired with his daily work, covered with dust.
Asking Kaushika to stay a while, she began to
attend to her husband. Some time elapsed and
Kaushika's impatience grew. When she came back
to him at last with the food he needed, he looked
at her with angrier eyes than he had looked with
at the crane, and asked her how she had neglected
the Br&hmana for so long. She answered gently :
u
My duty to my husband is more urgent than to
thee. Restrain thy wrath and learn forgiveness,
that will
Br&hmana ! Look not at me with anger ;
injure thee. I am no crane !" Kaushika was
thunderstruck and questioned her and she replied :
41 No penances have I performed to gather psychic
powers]; only served my husband single-mindedly.
If thou wouldst learn yet more about the virtues
232
216
()
of our simple household duties, go to the fowler
of distant Mithilft." Kaushika went, with a
humbled mind, to Mithila, and stood at the fringe
of the great crowd of customers around the fowl-
er's shop. The fowler saw Kaushika, went up to
"
him, and, bowing low to the BraJbmana, said :I
know why the faithful housewife sent thee to me,
and shall resolve thy doubts and show thee why
I can do so." Then the fowler took Kaushika to
his home, and showed him his aged parents, as we
have already seen.*
How brothers should show Brotherly Love we
read in the whole story of the Rdmdyaiia, and it
is said that Lakshmana was like Rama's life, so
dear and close the bond, nor would they sleep
apart, nor apart engage in sport ; we see him
follow R&machandra into the forest, and stand
waking on watch while Rama slept ; we see him
sharing in the search for Slta, ever wise in counsel
and
and loving in sympathy ;when Lakshmana
lies senseless, arrow-pierced, before LankS, hear
"
Rama's piteous cry : What have I to do with life
and what with war, now Lakshmana lies wounded
on the field of battle ? Why, forsaking me dost
thou wander in other worlds ? Without thee, life
Jlakabharatavi, Van* Parrs, cct,
233
217
()
and victory, nay, Sifc&'s self, are worthless."
The whole story of the Mahdbhdratam shows
how brotherly love and union lead to prosperity
for never
and fame ;do we find the P&ndavas with
warring interests, or leading separated lives. Yu-
dhishthira represents the family, and all the efforts
of the younger are directed to his enrichment and
his prosperity. For him they fight, and all the
for him
wealth they gain is gained for him ;Arjuna
seeks and wins the divine weapons, by sharp tapas
and fierce struggles and long and weary wander-
ings. And equally does Yudhishthira cherish them,
regarding their joys and sorrows as his own.
Yudhishthira has risen into Svarga, and looks
round on every side to find his brothers and his
wife. " I desire to go whither my brothers are
gone," he cries again and again, and nowhere,
among radiant Pevas and triumphant R&j&s, can
he see the faces he so dearly loves. "Ye mighty
M what isheaven to me
ones !" at last he cries,your
apart from them ? That is heaven where my
brothers are. This is not heaven for me." Then
the Pevas bade a heavenly messenger lead forth
the King, and take him to the land where now his
andtheir backs on
loved ones lived ;turningSvarga
they went out, and began to tread a path that led
234
( W )
into ever-deepening gloom. Darker and darker grew
the air, gloomier and gloomier yet the shadowy
way. Foul things of nauseous smell and horrid shape
crowded round them as they went, and beneath their
feet the ground was slippery with blood, and was
strewn with fragments of the corpses of the slain.
and
Sharp thorns and piercing leaves obstructed it,
burning sand, and iron stones white-hot. Astounded,
the King questioned his celestial guide, who told
him that he had been bidden to lead him thither,
but if he were weary, he could return. Slowly,
doubtfully, Yudhishthira turned, sure that his bro-
thers could not dwell in region so foul and evil ;
but as he turned sad cries arose on every hand, and
piteous prayers that he would stay a while. "Who
are you ?" asked the wondering King, and answers
sobbed from every side. "I am Karna." " I am
Bhlshma." " I am Arjuna." " I am Nakula." " I
am Sahadeva." " I am Draupadi." And so with
u
others, dearly loved on earth. Go back, go back
to Svarga," cried the King, wrought to anger by
"
his brothers' wrongs ; go back to those who sent
you here as guide. Not with them my place, but
here, here, where my loved ones dwell. Go thou
better with these in
back to Svarga's barren joys ;
pain than there in lonely bliss." And as he spake
235
( 219)
heaven's fragrance breathed around, and all was
balmy air and shining light and thronging Pevas,
For stronger than hell is love, and fidelity than
pain.*
Among the virtues to be shown outside the
family, Hospitality stands in the first rank, and how
highly it is to be valued may be seen in the story
of: the half-golden mongoose that attended the
great sacrifice of King Yudhishthira, where all the
arches and the stakes and sacrificial vessels were of
gold, and whereat all men took as they would of
gems and money, none forbidding them. Yet cried
the mongoose, that the sacrifice of: the wealth there
gathered was of less worth than a small measure of
powdered barley, given by a poor Brahmana to his
guest. And thus he told the tale. There was a
Br&hamana who kept the unchha vow, and daily
lived on the grains of corn he gathered, making
one frugal meal a day, he and his wife, with son
and daughter-in-law. And a terrible famine laid
waste the land and few were the grains left upon
the husking-ground by threshers, and ever thin-
ner and thinner grew he and his faimly, till they were
but as living skeletons. One day it happened that he
*and
Mahalkaratam, Mahaprasthanika Parva, iii, Svargarohaoa
Parva, i.
236
220
()
had gathered a little barley, and, having powdered
the wife divided it intothat eachhave
it,four,might
a scanty meal and joyfully they sat down to eat.
But ere yet they had touched the little heaps of
grain, a guest stood in the doorway, and quickly
rising, the Brahmana brought him in, and gave him
water and a seat, and then set before him his own
share of the scanty food. The guest ate, but still
was hungry, and the wife brought her share and
placed it in her husband's hands that he
"might put
it before the guest.Shaking art thou with weak-
"
ness, mother of my son," he said : keep thou the
food and eat, lest my home lose its sunshine." But
she pressed on him the food, that the dharma of
hospitality might not be broken, and, with a sigh,
he took and gave. Yet still the guest was fain for
more, and the son brought his meagre share, and
the brahmana, aching for his son's hunger and the
emaciation of his youthfull body, laid that third
portion before the guest. But, alas ! even then the
guest was still hungry, for each little share was as
nothing for a hungry man, and the young wife's
share was now held out to the host's shaking hands,
but he drew them back with anguish at his heart.
44 Not yours, my little one, not yours, not
"yours."
"
Father of my son's father, she said, with sweet
237
221
()
"
humility of voice and gesture, shut me not out
from sharing your good deeds. As a Deva is a
Feed him, then, from this my food, which
guest."
is as thine own flesh. Weeping he took, and then
with gentle smile laid it before his guest, who took
and ate. Then, as the guest rose up, bright light
shone out, and in the midst he stood, radiant and
forwas theathe Lord
splendid ;trulyguest Deva,
of Righteousness, Dharma, the strong and pure.
And in a few grains that he had left uneaten, the
mongoose rolled, and half his body turned to gold
by the magic of that sacrifice, so priceless is the
gracious virtue of hospitality, so transforming is
its power. *
A wicked fowler, black in skin like his own
deeds of daily murder of innocent brids and
beasts, and red in the eyes like his burning malice
against his victims, was once overtaken by a
terrible thunderstorm in the middle of a forest.
The open glades were converted into lakes and the
pathways into running streams in a moment. The
higher lands to which he tried to find a way were
invaded by bears and lions and other fierce deni-
zens of the jungle. Shivering with cold, shaking
with fear, he yet refrained not from his cruel habits.
*
Mahabhamtam, Vana Parva, iv vi.
238
22eJ
()
Espying a poor she-pigeon lying on the ground,
beaten down by the torrents of the rains and frozen
with the cold he picked her up and mercilessly
thrust her into the cage he carried. Wandering
on he shortly came to a lordly tree that stood in
the midst of the forest, and extended a benevolent
shade and shelter to' myriads of the feathered
tribe.It seemed to have been placed there on
purpose by the Creator for the good of all creatures,
like a good man for the benefit of the world.
The fowler took refuge beneath the spreading
boughs of the tree. By and by, the clouds dis-
persed, and the stars shone out. But the fowler
was too far away from his home and resolved to
pass the night under the tree. As he lay under
"
the tree he heard the he-pigeon lamenting : Alas!
thou hast not yet returned, dear wife ! What can
have happened to thee ?If that dear wife of
mine, with her bright rose-eyes, sweet coo, and
softest plumes, cometh not back to my nest, my
The house is
life shall no longer be worth living.
the wife is the home. She
not the home, in truth ;
she
eats when 1 eat, she bathes when I bathe ;rejoices
when I rejoice, and sorrows when I sorrow. Yet if I
am angry, she always speaks with sweetness only.
Lifejs empty without such a spouse. Withont
239
223
()
such, a palace is an empty wilderness. Such a
one is a trusted companion and beloved associate
in all one's acts of virtue, profit and pleasure.
The wife is the richest possession of her lord. She
is his one unfailing associate in all the concerns of
life. She is the best of medicines for all the diseases
of the mind. There is no friend like unto the
wife, no refuge better than she. "
Hearing the lament of her husband, the she-
pigeon caged by the cruel fowler said to herself :
" Unlimited is my happiness even in the midst of
agony that my husband thinketh thus of me.
She is no wife with whom her lord is not content.
But we must also think of this poor fowler, over-
taken by the cruel storm and kept away from
home. He is now our guest, having taken shelter
underneath our abode. " And she cried aloud to
her husband, explaining the plight of the fowler.
The pigeon too, with instant sympathy, forgetting
his own sorrows, addressed the fowler: "Welcome
to my house as honoured guest, and tell me what to
do. "
The fowler said : "I am stiff with cold ;
warm me if thou canst. " The bird gathered to-
gather a heap of dead and fallen leaves ; picked
up one in his beak, flew and very soon returned
with a tiny ember on it from some neighbouring
240
224
()
village. In a moment the fowler found himself
warmed by a grateful fire, and the bird asked
him again for service to be done. The fowler
asked for food this time. The bird thought : "I
have no stores wherewith to feed him ; and yet a
hungry guest may not be left unfed. " As he re-
flected deeply, a new light arose within his mind
"
and he cried to his guest :I shall gratify thee !
I have heard in former days from high-souled
JJishis, and the Devas and Pitris also that there is
great merit in honoring a guest.friend ! do
thou be kind to me and accept my humble ser-
vice !" With this he flew around the fire three
'times and then entered the flames, offereing his
body to his guest for food.
At that awful act of uttermost guest-honouring,
an unknown horror of his own past life on sin
seized on the mind of the fowler, tearing up his
evil nature by its deepest roots, and leaving him
all shattered. " Thou art my highest teacher,
high-souled bird ! Thou showest me my duty !
tFrom this day I expiate my sins, denying rosy
comfort to this sin-fed body, evaporating it with
all its crimes by daily fast and tapas, as the strong
rays of the summer sun dry up a small and dirty
pool. Taught by this example I shall practise
241
225
()
righteousness alone henceforth." He threw away
his club, his nets and traps and iron cage, and set
at liberty the widowed mate of the deceased bird.
The she-pigeon thus released, circled round the
funeral pyre of her husband, weeping : "Limited
are the gifts that the woman receiveth from her
father or her mother or her son. But the gifts
that the husband giveth to her are limitless ! He
giveth her his all and all himself ! After all these
years of happiness with thee, I cannot live alone !"
and she threw herself also into the fire.
With a new-born vision the fowler beheld the
two ascending to heaven in glorious forms ; and
the more confirmed in his resolve thereby, he took
up his abode in the forest, living a blameless life
thenceforward, till the forest-fires, kindled by
dried branches rubbing against each other in a
summer-storm, consumed his body, as the penance
had consumed his sins.*
Readiness to forgive wrongs is a sign of a truly
noble nature. "of
It is saidR&machandra that a
hundred injuries left no trace upon his memory,
while one benefit was graven there.f And listen
how Vidura forgot insult and forgave. Kind
*
IXahdbkaratam, Shanti Parra cxliii cxlix.
| Iiamayana Ayodhyakaflda.
242
( 226 )
Dhritarftshtra craved Vidura's help touching the
^vil conduct of Duryodhana, and Vidura counsel-
led his brother wisely but firmly, praying him to
enforce on Duryodhana his duty of peace with his
Pfindava cousins, and to make his supporters win
forgiveness from the wronged and exiled princes.
At this, Dhritar&shtra became much incensed,
and hotly blamed his righteous brother, accusing
him of partiality, and finally of foul disloyalty,
adding gross insult to the charge and going from
his brother's side in wrath. Then Vidura sadly
sought the P&ndavas, and told how he was sent
away with angry words, and counselled them with
wisdom, urging urbanity and gentle ways. And
after Vidura had gone, King Dhritar&shtra repent-
ed him of his harshness and injustice, and sent
"
after him to beg him to return, exclaiming : Go,
Sanjaya, and see if my brother lives, he whom I
have driven away in angry madness. Never has
he wronged me, nor committed any fault, while
1 have grievously wronged him. Seek him and
bring him hither, Sanjaya, the wise." So Sanjaya
went, wondering whether Vidura, the calm and
strong, would pardon his weaker brother's chang-
ing moods, and become again the pillar of his
throne. And going to the forest, he found Vidura,
243
( 227 )
and
highly honoured by the princes and by all,
approaching him, prayed him to return. Then
Vidura, without hesitating even for a moment,
rose and took leave of his royal nephews, and
hastened to his elder brother's presence, who
prayed forgiveness for the wrong committed.
il
Oently Vidura spoke :King, I have forgiven.
Worthy of highest reverence art thou, my elder,
my superior. Eagerly have I come, longing to see
thy face. And if I seemed to favour the sons of
Pandu, it was because a man's heart yearneth over
those who are distressed, more from emotion than
from reason. Dear are thy sons to me as they,
King, but the sorrows of the latter moved my
heart." Thus gently and magnanimously spoke
the younger brother, forgetting, as unimportant, the
insults he had received.*
Urbanity is a virtue very characteristic of the
old Hindu life. We see the most exquisite polite-
ness in language and in action, as we read how the
great ones of the epic poems, good and bad alike,
behaved towards guests and friends and foes.
Ramachandra is gentle in speech, and prefaces his
speeches with a kindly smile,f Lakshmi the Devi
*
Jfakdbhdratain, Ashvamedha Parva, xcii.
t Rdmdyana, Ayodhyakanda, i.
244
228
()
of Prosperity, speaking of the Danavas endued
with sweet speech, with friendliness and with for-
giveness, declares that She dwelt with them
because of their virtues. When they gave way to
wrath, and harshness, and unfair dealings. She left
them, attended by the Devis who abide with Her
Hope, Faith, Intelligence, Contentment, Victory,
Advancement and Forgiveness.* So N&rada is
said to be sweet-speeched, large-hearted, straight-
forward, free from wrath and greed, and therefore
everywhere regarded with respect and love.f
Again, Bhishma teaches that we should not dis-
parage others by look, word or thought nor speak
thatinjure any,
evil of any ;we should nevernor
thatpass
behave with unfriendliness ;we should
with indifference opprobrious speeches, and, even
when another seeks to anger us, should still speak
agreeably, and when slandered, we should not
slander in return. J So again Nftrada described a
N&ga, named Padma, who was walking on the
threefold path of acts, knowledge and devotion, and
spoke of him as ever hospitable, practising forgive-
He was
ness, and abstaining from inflicting injuries.
* Miihabhdratam, Shanti Parva, ccxxviii.
t Mahabharatam, Shanti Parva. ccxxx.
X AfaMbharatawt, Shanti Parva, cclxxviii.
245
229
()
truthful in word and free from malice, kind of speech
and seeking the benefit of all. A Br&hmana went to
see him, and to learn from him, but on arriving at
his house found him absent. His wife hospitably
welcomed the stranger, and after exchanging
courteous speech with her, he left her and waited
patiently on the banks of the river the return
of her husband. While waiting there, he did
not eat, and the relatives of the absent N&ga,
approaching him in great trouble of mind, urged
that they were bound to show him hospitality.
" The whole community, young and old, is being
afflicted, since this thy fast implies that we are
negligently leaving unperformed the duties of hos-
pitality." Gently replied the Brahmana that by
their kindly wishes they had fed him, but he could
not eat until the Naga chief returned. Presently
he arrived and in his conversation with his wife,
his
we see the duties of the householder ;religion
all
is in doing good to all ;who come as guests
the householder
must be hospitably entertained ;
must be gentle, free from wrath and arrogance,
must be generous and truthful.* Thus of old was
taught the duty of the citizen to those around him.
*
Mahabharatam, Shanti Parva, ccclvi cc clxi.
16
246
230
()
qsnn^fej 4^?d *jt^ era ^cU: I
*rW*rj ^ <j^?t ^gferwi'KQTT: fen: II
?T tfrer% g iW ^i% ^rfe srir^r ii
" Women must be honoured and adorned by
their fathers, brothers, husbands and brothers-in-
law, who desire welfare.
"Where women are honoured, there the Pevas
but whereare notno
are pleased ;theyhonoured,
sacred rite is fruitful.
" Where the female relatives live in grief, the
but thatin
family soon perishes utterly;family
which they are not unhappy prospers ever.
" The houses in which female relatives, not
being duly honoured, pronounce a curse, perish
completely, as if destroyed by magic."
" This is the extent of the man : his wife, him-
Br&hinanas thus declare that
self and his children ;
*
Nanusmriti, iii, 5568. t Manxumriti, ix 5.
247
( 231 )
the husband and wife are known as the same."
3Rfr*rcir5qrfhrrct *r%^nrenirfS<ra: i
this
" Let mutual fidelity continue until death ;
may be considered as the summary of the highest
law 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.'
#*#
v ^ _^S ^S
"
Grass, room, water and fourthly, a kind word;
these are never wanting in the households of the
good.
*#**
" A guest who is sent by the sun in the evening
must not be driven away by a householder ;
whether he have come at a convenient or incon-
*AW.105106.
Ibid, 101102.ti''. 101,
248
( ess)
venient time, he must not stay in the house with-
out entertainment.
" Let him (the householder) not cat any food
the
which he does not offer to his guest ;hospitable
reception of guests procures wealth, fame, long life,
and heavenly bliss."
" Let him speak the true, let him speak the
pleasing, let him not speak an unpleasing truth,
this is the
nor speak a pleasing falsehood ;.ancient
law."
*r I ^JrersirrcT Ht^ptitct q^n: li
"He whose speech and mind are pure and ever
carefully guarded, he obtains all the fruit that is
obtained by means of the Vedanta.
"Let him not, even though distressed, cut an-
nor meditate
other to the quick (by his speech) ;
let him never utter the
acts of hostility to others ;
the mind of the
malignant word that disturbs (
hearer )."
* Manvxmriti, iv 138.f Manvxmriti, ii 160 162.
249
233
()
"Let him avoid unbelief, censure of the Vedas
and slighting of the Devas, hatred, obstinacy, pride,
anger and harshness."
55^T?^cj^r??rrer *r rr^. ^ra* lit
"Let no one utter cruel words, or wound (with
let none seek to
them) the vitals (of another) ;
subdue his enemy by unfair means. Let him not
*'lbid, 163.
fMahdbhdrataia, Adi Parva, lxxxvii 8, 9, 11, 12, 13.
250
234
()
utter that inauspicious speech, belonging to the
evil worlds, whereby another is agitated.
"The man that ever wounds the vitals of others,
harsh, and sharp of speech, ever piercing other
men with the thorns of evil words, he is the man
most abandoned of (Lakshmi) fortune, and ever
beareth, bound to his mouth, an evil demon.
"They are verily arrows, these evil words that
hethem
issue from the mouth ; who is wounded by
sorroweth night and day, for they wound the vitals.
The wise man unlooseth not such (shafts) at others.
"There are no riches in the three worlds like
unto these compassion, friendliness to all beings,
charity and sweet speech.
"Therefore ever speak gently and never harsh-
honour thebut ask not."
ly ;worthy ; give,
"The man ttuit has given way to anger may
commit any sin, he may slay even his elders, or
insult those worthy of his reverence with harsh
"He may send himself to the abode of Death.
Mahahharatam, Vana Patva, xxix. 4, 6.
251
235
()
Beholding these great faults in anger, have the
wise ones conquered it."
WT^^^y^ ISRf ?T1% *Tsfcr II*
"What one thing, Brahmana (Indra asks of
his Preceptor Brihaspati), if a man shall practise
well, shall he become a standard for all beings, and
attain to fame widespread ?
"Gentleness is the one thing, Shakra, which
if a man will practise unremittingly, he shall be-
come a standard for all beings and attain to fame
widespread.
"This one thing bringeth joy to all the worlds ;
practising it towards all beings, the man becometh
dear unto all and always."
1*3 sFhar wpqw snr*rr rrftsm%I
^nfefir % foscfcfr jpb ^T^rarRk: nf
"He that with wisdom suppresseth the anger
that hath risen within him, him the learned know-
ers of truth declare to be the true Tejasvl.
, . ..
*
Ibid, Shanti Parva, lxxxiv 2, 3, 4.
f JJahabharatam, Vana Parva, xxix 17.
252
CHAPTER X.
VIRTUES AND VICES IN RELATION TO INFERIORS.
AS we go more and more into the world, we
come across many people who are much
younger than ourselves, people of the next
or of later generations, people also who are less
educated, or who are poorer, or below us in social
rank, with such people, inferior to ourselves in
some special point or generally, we enter into re-
lations, and we need to know what virtues we
should cultivate, what vices we should avoid, if our
relations with them are to be harmonious.
The first and most obvious of these relations is
that with our youngers, and the best examples of
the necessary virtues are seen in the relations of
parents to their children. Tenderness, Compassion,
Gentleness, Kindness, how strongly these virtues
shine out in loving parents, and how happy they
make the home. Father and mothers love their
children, suffer in their sufferings, are glad in their
pleasures, feel sympathy with them in everything.
This fact is beautifully brought out in an
- ancient story, the story of the sorrow of Surabhl
when her children suffer. In days of yore, Surabhl,
253
( 237)
the celestial mother of the race of cows and bulls,
once stood before the King of the Devas, shedding
"
tears. Indra asked her eagerly: Why dost thou
weep, auspicious mother of the cows ? Hath any
ill befallen thee ?" Surabhl replied : No evil
but Igrieving
hath befallen this body of mine ;am
for my offspring. See, King of the worlds, that
cruel husbandman beating my feeble son that
labours at the plough, and falls again and again in
his weakness. The stronger of the pair beareth
but the weaker beareth it with
his burthen easily ;
difficulty.. It is for him I grieve with heavy heart
"
and tearful eyes." Indra asked in Wonder : But
thousands of thy offspring are thus treated every
"
day 1" And Surabhi replied : And for each of
those thousands that suffers thus, I weep, King,
and I weep more for the one that is weaker than
for the others." Then Indra understood the love
there is in the mother's heart for her child in suf-
fering, and poured down showers on the fields of
earth, and sent comfort to man and beast alike.*
Very tenderly is shown the love of Dasharatha
for Eamachandra, his perfect son, both in his joy
over his splendid qualities and his sorrow in his
exile. Listen to his words as he addresses his
*
Mamayana, Ayodhyakapdam. lxiv.
254
238
()
princes and his nobles, when he proposes to instal
his son as his successor, to seat him on the throne.
Every sentence breathes his love and pride. And
when Kaikeyi has claimed her boons, and demands
Rama's exile to the forest, see Dasharatha falling
at her feet, declaring that though the world might
live without the sun, without Rama he could not
"
live :I lay my head at thy feet. Be merciful to
me. Have pity on me, aged and on the verge of
death."* And so true was this, that when Shrl
R&ma at last tore himself away from his father,
that father went home broken-hearted, and died
from grief for his exiled son.* And remember the
pitiful scene between R&machandra and his mother
Kaushalya when he carries her the news of his
exile. He shall not go, she cries in her anguish ;
without him she will pine away and die. Or, if
he be fixed in will to go, in loving obedience to
his father's orders, then will she also tread the
"
forest paths.Like unto a cow following its
young one, shall 1 follow thee, my darling,
wheresoever thou shalt go."*
And see the woe of Kuntt, when her five noble
sons, the P&ndavas, are driven away into exile
after the shameful gambling match in which all
* Jlumoya-im. XX xxr.
255
239
()
was lost. Kuntl bravest of women and of
mothers, who, when the hour of battle came, bade
Shri Krishna tell her sons that the time had come
for them for which a Kshattriya woman bore a son,
and that even life should be laid down for honour's
sake this Kunti wailed, broken-hearted, and could
scarce force herself away from her sons, could
scarce forbear to follow them as they went forth.*
Or again, note the agony of Arjuna over the
as he returns
death of his heroic son, Abhimanyu ;
to the camp from the field of battle, he feels unac-
customed cloud enwrap him and turns to Shri
Krishna for help, for explanation. Eagerly he
questions his brothers, who fear to answer him, and
with sad heart feels the piercing anguish of his son's
andthemust have
death ;surelyyouththought,
as his foes closed in around him, "
My father will
rescue me from this fierce storm," but his father
came not to his helping, and he fell, pierced by a
hundred wounds. Not to have been present to
protect his child that was the thought that stung
Arjuna to madness, for ever the heroic soul longs
much more then
to protect the weaker ;when the
hero is a father, and tlie weaker is a well-loved son.f
Mahdbhdratam, Sabba Parva lxxix. t Ibid, Drona Parra, lxxii.
256
240
()
This duty of Protecting the Weak is incarnated
in the righteous King, and it is the fulfilment of
this duty which awakens the loyalty of his subjects.
" To protect his subjects is the cream of kingly
duties,"* says Bhishma. " The King should always
bear himself towards his subject as a mother
towards the child of her wombas the mother,
disregarding those objects that are most cherished
by her, seeks the good of her child alone, even so,
without doubt, should Kings conduct themselves."!
So stringent is this duty of protection, that King
Sagara exiled his own eldest son, Asamanjas, be-
cause that prince, in reckless cruelty, drowned the
children of his subjects in the river. %
Many are the stories of the ways in which good
Kings defended the weak who trusted in their pro-
tection, and this sense of duty embraced the lower
animals as well as man. A dog had followed King
Yudhisthira the just from Hastinapura, through
all his weary wanderings on the last great journey,
and had crossed with him the vast desert, the only
survivor of that long travel save the King himself,
lndra has come down from heaven to fetch the
O kings to O Svarga,7 and bids him mount the car and
.
,1
*
Jbid, Shanti Parva lviii.
. | Mahabhntatam, Shanti Parva, lvi. % Ibid, lvii.
257
241
()/
speed upwards with him. The King stoops, and
gently touches the head of his faithful canine
follower: "This dog, Lord of the Past and of the
Present, is very devoted to me. He too should go.
My heart is full of compassion for this poor child
of earth." "No dog may tread the heavenly fields,'*
said lndra in reply. "Immortality and a state like
unto my own, King, far-stretching fortune, high
success and all the joys of heaven these thou hast
won to-day. Cast off then the dog, who hinders
thine ascent. Naught cruel is there in the act; earth-
bound, he dwells on earth." "0 thou of a thousand
eyes, thou of righteous living, an Aryan may not
A
commit an act unworthy of an Aryan. I care not
*
for a bliss bought by the casting off of one who is
to me devoted." "Heaven has no place for persons
followed by dogs," said lndra sternly'. "Abandon
the dog, and come. Time passes swiftly." "To
abandon the devoted is a sin, sin immeasurable, say
the wise. As black as the slaying of a Brahmana
is this sin of abandoning the week.lndra,
mighty one, not for the sake of winning happiness
will I cast away this dog." In vain does lndra com-
theremains unmoved. Nor
mand or plead ;King
can sophistry confuse his clear vision : he had
abandoned his brothers and his wife, why not his
258
( 242)
dog ? says Indra. "This is well known in all the
worlds that with the dead is neither friendship nor
When
yet quarrel.my brothers and Krishna fell
and died, no power was mine to bring them back
hence I abandoned them. I did not aban-
to life ;
don them so long as they were living. This one
lives. To terrorise the seeker for protection, to slay
a woman, to steal what belongeth to a Brahmana,
to injure a friend, to each of these crimes, methinks,
is equal the sin of abandoning one so devoted."
And then the dog vanished and Dharma, Deva of
righteousness, stood in celestial glory where had
crouched the dog, and with him and Indra, hymned
by Devas, praised by Sages, the righteous King
was carried* to the heavenly world.*
Hear yet another tale of ancient days.
King Shibi, son of Ushinara, sat in his spacious
hall, in the midst of his assembled court. All at
once, a dove flew in, and, rushing through the air,
flung itself into the broad lap of the King, panting
breathless, fainting with fatigue and fear. As the
King stroked and smoothed its ruffled feathers in a
wondering tenderness, soothing back its breath and
life with his caresses, an angry hawk dashed into
the hall also, and came to a sudden pause before the
*
Mahabhdratam, Mahaprasth&nika Parva. Hi.
259
243
()
King. In reviving terror, the dove cried out in a
human voice : "Thou art the sovereign of this land
wherein I dwell. I have a right to thy protection
too. I come to thee for refuge from my enemy."
But the hawk said also with the human voice : "I
too reside within thy sovereignty, King, and this
is my appointed food by Providence itself. If thou
deniest it to me, then surely thou refusest me my
right." The King pondered a while and said: "Ye
both are right ! Thou hast a right,dove, that I
and
protect thy innocent life from harm ;thou,
hawk, that I deprive thee not of thy just food ! But
thus shall I resolve this knot of dharma. Take
thou other food from me, hawk, till thou art
"
full ! But the hawk said : "I must have the dove
itself, none other; or if other, then flesh from thine
own body,King, of the weight of this very
dove." The angry ministers would have slain at
once the hawk that menaced thus the priceless life
of their beloved master, and cried out against the
"
petty thing. But King Shibi said : I sit here as
the sovereign, not for small or great, not for dove
or hawk, but as living embodiment of Dharma,
as example to my people. If I fail in the small,
andshall
I shall fail in the great also ; my people
fail grievously, imitating me. Bring up a pair of
260
244
()
scales !" Stricken with a great sorrow, powerless to
disobey, setting their teeth against the outwelling
groans, the ministers brought up scales. With
one gentle hand, the King placed the dove into one,
and with the other strong hand he hewed a piece
of flesh from his own limbs. But the dove was too
heavy. And the King hewed off another piece
and the dove was much too heavy still. And the
wondering King hewed off still another piece of
flesh from his body. But the dove grew ever heavi-
er. At the last, the King threw his whole body
into the scale. And behold, the hawk and the dove
disappeared, and in heir place stood Indra and
Agni, and they cried aloud : "Truly art thou a
King, and knowest well the sovereign's first duty
of protection ! We have found thee more than we
had heard. Thy body is no longer mangled.
Live thou long within the hearts of thy people."*
It is true that these stories are told of kingsr
because they are regarded as the type of the Pro-
butcan also show
tector of the weak ;boysprotec-
tion, in a smaller measure, to all who are weaker
than themselves. For these stories are told in order
that we may take example by them and copy in
* Mahdbhdrmtam, Vana Parva, cxxxic xcvi ; and Anushisana
Pan a, xxxii. The story is told of different heroic kings.
261
( 245 )
our own lives the virtues they describe.
The great type of Compassion so that his
compassion has passed into a proverb, "compassion-
ate as Rantideva" was again a King. Once he
and his dependents went fasting for eight and forty
days, and on the morning of the forty-ninth day he
received some ghi, milk, barley, and water. To
this frugal meal they sat down, when a Br&hmana
came as guest, and he fed him ere touching the
food. Then when the Brahmana had departed, he
divided what remained into equal shares, and gave
to each, reserving one portion for himself. But as
he prepared to eat, a Shudra came, and he gave him
gladly a share of that small meal. And when the
Shudra had gone, ere yet he could break his fast,
a man came with a troop of dogs, and the rest of
the food, save one drink of water, Rantideva gave
to these. These also went, and RaDtideva raised
to his parched lips the welcome drink. "Give
and
water, a little water," moaned a voice near by ;
Rantideva, turning, saw a miserable form, an out-
caste, lying on the ground, turning longing piteous
eyes at the water in his hand. Bending over him,
with sweet compassion beaming from his tender
eyes, Rantideva gently raised the outcaste's head,
and put the cool pure water to his panting dust-
17
262
( 246 )
soiled lips. "Drink, brother !" he said kindly
doubling the value of the gift with his mild gra-
ciousness. And as the outcaste drank, the loving
heart of Rantideva burst into prayer to Hari : "I do
"I
not ask for the eight Siddhis," thus he spake ;
do not ask Nirv&na. Only I ask that I may per-
vade all beings, suffering for them their miseries,
that they may live without sorrow. By giving
this water to save the life of this suffering man,
my hunger, thirst, languor, distress and giddiness
have all passed away." And this prayer has ever re-
mained the most perfect expression of compassion.*
The danger which is connected with the shewinir
out of tenderness and protection to the weaker than
ourselves is the vice of Pride. It arises from
ahamkara, that gives the sense of separateness of
"I" and "you," and thinks more of the fact that
"I am helping this weaker one," than of sharing
what is really a common store with one temporarily
shut out from it by his separate form. By letting
the mind dwell on one's own usefulness and power
to do good, pride is awakened, and quickly ruins
the good work that has been performed. None that
wears a separate body may escape the power of this
subtlest and most dangerous of foes, that is known
*
Bhdgavata Purana, IX xxi.
263
( 247)
as ahainkara. Even the very highest fall beneath
its sway in unguarded moments and unavoidably
suffer the consequences, for the Law of Karma is
inflexible, and equal for high and low alike. Many
a warning is therefore given in the Smriti against
ahamkara and pride, the great and subtle foe of the
wise and strong. Listen to some of these.
The ancient sage N&rayana speDt ages in the
severest penance, on the peak known by the name
of Badari of the Himalaya mountains. To test his
freedom from the attractions of sense objects, Indra
sent thousands of heavenly nymphs to play about
in his Tapovana, his grove of austerity, and divert
his attention away from his austerities. They did
as directed. The Kishi N&rayana saw with his
illumined eye the purpose of their coming and
smiled with confidence. By his Yoga power he
produced as many thousands of similarly shaped
forms, and sent them forth to offer hospitality to
Indra' s hosts. The latter were ashamed, and pray-
ed to the Rishi to forgive their evil purpose. He
was pleased and did so, and further offered them
a boon. And the boon they asked was that he
should be their husband and protector. Great was
his perplexity, but having said that he would give,
"
he could not say no. He repented sadly ;This
264
248
()
great trouble has arisen out of my ahainkara, with-
out a doubt. The first cause of the frustration of
all dharma is ahamkara." Then he said to the
"
maidens :It is against my vow to enter into the
household life in this birth. In another birth, as
Krishna, which I shall have to take for other work
also, I shall redeem my promise, and bear the fear-
ful weight of this huge household, marrying ye all
out of the high families into which you also shall
be born."*
Vishvamitra, King of Gadhi, belonging to a
line of Kshattriya Kings founded by Kusha, who
came direct from Brahma^ returning to his kingdom
with his armies after a great tour of conquest,
passed through the Tapovana of the Sage Vashi-
shtha. Leaving his armies at a distance, Vishva -
mitra went in reverence to the hermitage of the
Sage to make obeisance. Vashishtha received him
with all honour and kindness. As Vishvamitra
rose to depart, fearing lest his armies cause
disturbance in that place of peace, Vashishtha
offered hospitality to the King with all his
forces. Vishv&mitra declined again and again,
very unwilling to burden the ascetic's scant re-
but Vashishtha insistedand
sources ;againagain,
* Devi Bhagavata. IV, ri yii.
265
249
()
intimating that by the powers of his tapas and
with the help of his wonderful cow Nandini, he
could with ease provide all that his regal guest
could need for all his retinue. Thus in him arose
ahamk&ra. Vishv&mitra, thus over-pressed, con-
sented, and beheld the wonders of the cow. Then
greed arose in his mind, and he said : "What
need has a Br&hmana of such a cow : it is fit pos-
session only for Kings," and he asked Vashishtha
for the cow. Vashishtha then grew sad, but said :
M Take the cow, if she consents to leave me." But
and when the men of
the faithful cow would notx ;
Vishvamitra endeavoured to drag her away by
force, then she appealed in piteous terms to her
master not to abandon her. Then Vashishtha
gave way to wrath, the natural next step after
subtle ahamk&ra and pride, and a great war arose
between the Br&hmana and the Kshattriya, which
changed the whole history of the land. The cow
called forth to her aid many non-aryan tribes,
Shakas and Pahlavas, Yavanas and Barbaras, and
but
they were destroyed by Vishvamitra ;finally
the Brahmana power of Vashishtha overwhelmed
the Kshattriya prowess of Vishvamitra : and, in
vairfigya, he gave up his kingdom and practised
the severest tapas for ages, resolved to obtain the
266
( 250 )
and this he succeeded in
Brahmana power ;doing,
after long, long ages of self-denial, and peace was
made between him and Vashishtha, and Vashi-
shtha recognised him as a Brahmarshi.
To be King of the Devas is to hold a position
that may easily fill the heart with pride, and from
this cause Indra several times fell from his high
estate. Once, surrounded by his Devas, he sat on
the throne of the three worlds, and when Brihas-
pati, teacher of all the Devas, came before him,
Indra kept his seat, not rising up to receive the
great preceptor. Then Brihaspati turned and
went his ways, abandoning the Devas, whom the
Asuras then assaulted with success, driving them
and their King from Svarga. This led to many
another trouble, and to the slaying of a Brahmana
on two several occasions by Indra, so that he had
to perform much penance, ere he became puri-
fied.*
Now, while Indra was performing this long
penance, the Devas, in order that Svarga might
not suffer the evils of anarchy, elected King
Nahusha of the Lunar Dynasty of the earth's
kings, to hold the high office of the Ruler of
Heaven. None other was found fit for it. But, as
*
BMgaxata Pnrana vi, vii. viii.
267
251
\()
Nahusha ruled, and ruled with greater might than
Indra himself, pride grew in his heart from day to
day, and thoughts of sin came into his mind behind
the thoughts of pride. And he said to the Devas :
"I bear the burdens of Indra, I must have his
rights also. Let Shachl, thVwife of Indra, appear
before me." Then the Devas spoke with each
other in their distress, and thought that Nahusha
was no longer fit to rule in heaven, and felt also
sure that the time for Indra's return was nigh.
But who was strong enough to stand before
Nahusha ? The might that he had earned by past
good deeds could be defeated only if he roused the
wrath of some great Rishi by some dire offence.
And so they spoke with Shachl, anI told Nahusha
that Shachl would see him if he came to her home
on the shoulders of the Rishis. Nahusha ordered
a conveyance borne by Ptishis. And the sage
Agastya and others were asked, by order of the
King, to lift the sedan chair. And they consented
gently. But, as the procession marched, Nahusha,
in his eagerness and overflowing pride, touched
Agastya's head with his foot and angrily ordered
him to go faster. Then Agastya saw that Nahusha's
time was come, and he pronounced a curse on
him, and Nahusha fell from heaven into a huge
268
252
()
serpent's body on this earth, and suffered the pains
of a high soul confined to a low body for many,
many ages, till released therefrom by the wise
words of his descendant, Yudhishthira, the King
that had no enemy.*
Now Bali, son of Virochana, had dwelt long in
high prosperity, for the Devi Shri, or Lakshml,
abode with him as recompense for his good deeds.
But pride in his own righteousness, and in the hap-
piness it brought him, entered into his heart, and
he began to think highly of himself and ill of
others, and wrought evil to them instead of seeking
their welfare as before. Then was the Devi dis-
pleased with Bali and determined to leave him,
and to go and dwell with his enemy Indra, the
Deva King in Svarga. And vainly Bali lamented
his folly, when he saw the Devi, who had long
blessed him, living with his rival. " And this,"
said Utatthya to King Mandhata, "
is the result of
malice and pride. Be thou awakened,Man-
dhata, so that the Devi of prosperity may not in
wrath desert thee. The Shrutis declare that Un-
righteousness begot a son named Pride on the
pevi of Prosperity. This Pride,King, led
many among the Suras and the Asuras to ruin.
* Mahabh&ratanL Vana Para, clxxxi.
269
253
()
Many royal sages have also suffered destruction
on his account. Do thou therefore awaken.
King. He who succeeds in conquering him, be-
comes a King. He who, on the other hand, suffers
himself to be conquered by him becomes a slave."*
Sometimes the inferior may save his superior,
by his wise action, from falling into sin due to
wrath and pride. Thus did a son save his father,
in very ancient days. Chirakarin was the son of
Gautama, of the race of Aflgirasa, and as his
name implies for Chirakara means acting slow-
ly he thought long ere he acted, and was very
cautious and discreet. Now Gautama saw his
wife commit a sin, and being very angry, he said
"
to his son :Slay this woman !" and went away.
Then Chirakarin thought long how he should act,
being compelled on the one side by the duty of
obeying his father, and on the other side by the
duty of reverencing the sacred person of the
mother who bore him. " Obedience to a father's
commands is the highest merit. Protection of the
mother is a clear duty. How shall I, then, avoid
sin ? Son am I both of my father and mother.
All that the son has the father gives. In his
satisfaction, all the Devas are satisfied. His words
*
3ahabharatam, Vana Parva, cxc.
270
254
()
of pleasure bring blessings to the son. But the
mother ? She is the giver of the body, the pro-
tector of the child. When the son loses his
mother, the world for him is empty. Like her is
none is so dear
no shelter, no refuge, no defence ;
as she." Thus mused Chirakarin, bewildered
" by
conflicting claims. Again he thought : The
husband has his names (Bhartri, Pati) as the sup-
porter and protector of the wife. If he cease to
support and protect, how shall he remain the
husband ? And my mother is to me the object of
my highest reverence." Now Gautama, his mind
calmed by meditation, was overwhelmed with the
thought of the sin he had committed in command-
ing his son to slay his wife, and he hastened home,
weeping, blaming his own carelessness for his wife's
offence, and hoping that his son had not obeyed
him. " Rescue me," he cried, thinking of his son,
" rescue me and thy mother, and the penances I
have achieved, as also thine own self, from grave
sins." So it befell that Chirakarin, by his patience
and careful consideration, did his father's real will
though not his hasty order, and thus saved his
father from a grievous sin, inspired by pride and
wrath.*
*
Mahabharatam, Santi Parva, ccxIyi.
271
( 255)
?i* iNr wg*T ^nrr sroT3*ir OTi^^rrr lit
" Created beiDg must be instructed for their
welfare without giving them pain, and sweet and
gentle speech must be used by a (superior) who
desires (to fulfil) the sacred law."
"and
By protecting those who live as Aryans,
by removing thorns, Kings, solely intent on guard-
ing their subjects, reach heaven."
# *% ot RiirgRf H5<n*rn?rcr: I
" The King has been created to be the protec-
tor of the castes and dshramas, who, all according
to their rank, discharge their several duties."
" As the weeder plucks up the weeds and pre-
serves the corn, so let the King protect his kingdom
and destroy his foes."
-%,
*
Makabhdratam, Shanti Parva, ccxlvi. f Manusmriti, ii, 159.
% Manusmriti, is, 253.Ibid, "vii, 35. || Ibid, 110.
Ilbid, iii, 114
272
( 256 )
" Let him, without making distinctions, feed
newly-married women, young maidens, the sick,
and pregnant women, even before his guests."
mfkwt Wdftpfel ^njfr smfaxp %*n: I
"
Way should be made for a man in a carriage,
for one who is above ninety years old, for a sick
person, for one who carries a burden, for a woman,
a Sn&taka, a King, and a bridegroom."
w^Epta^ ^i^rt *?5T sfrfcr sra^ft lit
"
Compassion is the mark of the great merit of
Baints ; compassion ever secures the blessings (or
love) of the good."
*rr& sTTOSr^r^^r^Wcr: ft*Tcfr%5T*nr^<|:*err. II
*
Ibid, ii, 138. t Mahabhdratam, Anushasana Parva, v 28.
t Vishnu Bhagarata, IX,xxi 12, 13. [For translation, see P. 246.]
273
CHAPTER XI.
The Re-action of Virtues and Vices on each
other.
WE have now considered many virtues and
vices separately, and have seen, in many
illustrations, how virtues lead to happi-
ness and vices to misery. We have finally to see
how a virtue helps to produce a virtue in another,
and a vice a vice, so that we may learn how to
help others to Tightness of thought and action, and
thus promote their happiness. By showing love to
others, we awaken love in them ; by showing hate,
we awaken hate. We are apt to feel as others feel.
A man who is angry makes those around him
angry, and so quarrels arise and grow more and
more bitter. An angry word brings an angry
reply, and that brings a still more . angry retort,
and so on and on. On the other hand, gentle
words bring gentle words in reply, kindness arouses
kindness, and good deeds cause good deeds in
others.
When this is understood, we can use right emo-
tions to counteract wrong ones in others, instead of
letting ourselves run into wrong emotions when
274
258
()
these are shown to us. If a man speaks angrily to
us, and we feel inclined to answer angrily, we
should check ourselves and answer very gently,
and this gentle answer will soothe him, and make
him feel less angry. This is what is meant by
returning good for evil, and only by acting in this
way can we restore harmony when it is disturbed,
and preserve it for the happiness of all.
When Draupadi urged King Yudhishthira to
attack the Kurus, after he had been so cruelly
cheated and ruined by them, the wise King pointed
out to her that the returning of evil for evil could
only result in the continuance of misery. "The
wise man who, though persecuted, suffereth not his
wrath to be aroused, joyeth in the other world,
having passed his persecutor over with indifference.
For this reason it has been said that a wise man,
whether strong or weak, should ever forgive his
persecutor, even when the latter is in straits...If
amongst men there were not some equal to the
earth in forgiveness, there would be no peace
among men, but continued strife born of wrath.
If the injured were to return their injuries, if one
chastised by his superior were to chastise his su-
perior in return, the consequence would be the des-
truction of every creature, and sin would prevail.
275
( 259 )
If the man who hath ill speeches from another
if theman
returneth those speeches ;injured
returneth his injuries; if the chastised person chas-
then would fathersand
tises in return ;slay sons,
then would husbands
sons fathers ;slay wives,
and wives husbands; then,Krishna, how could
birth take place in a world thus filled with anger ?
For know thou that the birth of creatures is due
to peace."*
Hear how Dasharatha, the King, turned away,
by soft humility, the anger of his wife. Kaushalya,
mother of Ramachandra, rent by anguish for the
loss of that unequalled son, exiled for long years
from her fond arms, spake for the first time angry
words to Dasharatha : "Thou hast murdered thy
sinless son with thine own hands, King. Well
hast thou trodden the Ancient Path, maintained
by thy ancestors with so much toil. The husband
the son is the second
is the first refuge of woman ;;
there is no fourth.
the kinsmen the third ;Thou
I cannot leave
hast abandoned me ; Rma is gone ;
thee here to go to him. In every way thou hast
destroyed me, and destroyed the kingdom and the
people." The King heard the harsh words,
and bent lower -under that greater burden of sorrow.
*
Mahabharatam, Vana Parva, xxix, 13 25.
276
( 260 )
Hismind was all distraught, and he lost conscious-
ness. Recovering, he saw Kaushaly& still beside him.
In that moment the memory of that past sin o
his, of which this misery was the consequence,
came back to him. Burning with the double sor-
row of that sin and of the loss of R&ma, trembling
folding hands, and bending head, spoke to her r
"
Forgive me, Kaushaly&. I fold my hands to
thee. Ever wast thou tender-hearted, even unto
others. Bear with thy husband, whether he be
good or ill. I am so broken already by my sorrow.
Speak not harsh words to me, even in thy an-
guish." She heard that piteous speech of the hum-
bled King, and tears of pity rushed forth from
her eyes like new rain-water from the waterfalls.
Her anger vanished, yielding place to deep hu-
mility and remorse and fear of sin for those harsh
words. She seized the hands of the King, and
put them on her head, and in great agitation said :
"
Forgive, forgive me, King, I entreat thee with
my head upon thy feet. It is for me to ask thee
for forgiveness, not for thee to ask of me, for so
great sin would come to me. That woman is not
honoured of the wise in this or in the other
worlds, who compels her husband to propitiate her.
I know the dharma, and I know that thou, my
277
261
()
and therefore must
husband, knowest it,perform
thy promise and maintain the truth. Sorrow for
my son drove me in a weak moment to say those
words of wrong. Sorrow destroys all firmness ;
sorrow destroys all wisdom : there is no enemy
like to sorrow. It swells within m^ heart, like
rivers in the rains, when I think of my beloved
son."* Thus was Kaushalya's bitterness overcome
by Dasharatha's sweet humility and patience. If
he had answered bitterly to her bitter words, the
quarrel would have grown, and their common grief
would have driven them from each other. But he
met her pride with humility, her reproach with
meekness, her anger with tenderness, and thus
humility, meekness and tenderness were aroused
in her.
So again does Ramachandra awaken trust to-
wards Bharata' in Lakshmana's angry breast, by
showing out that trust Himself. Rama, gone forth
from Ayodhy&, with His wife and brother, to keep
His,father's word unbroken, dwelling in the forests,
heard the distant murmurs of a marching army,
and bade Lakshmana ascend a tree and look.
Lakshmana saw that it was Bharata coming into
the forest with a great throng of men. Anger at
*lx
Mamayana, Ayodhyakaqda, lxi.
18
278
( 268)
the exile forced his thought at once into the way
of suspicion against Bharata, and he came in
haste to Rama and asked him wrathfully to pre-
pare for battle, as Bharata was coming to slay
them and so make sure of his sovereignty. But
Rftma's mind was full of love to Bharata and not
"
anger. And tenderly He said :Mistrust him
'
not. I will say to him : Give all this kingdom
unto Lakshmana, ' and he will say but one word,
'Yes. ' " The wrath of Lakshmana vanished, giving
place to shame. And Bharata came and begged
and prayed of Rama that he should go back to
Ayodhya. But Rama would not break His father's
And Bharata carried
word in letter or spirit.
away the walking sandals of Rama and .placed
them on the throne as symbol of the rightful
Sovereign, and ruled Ayodhya" in His name and
as his regent, for the fourteen years of Rama's
wanderings. *
Over and over again in the dark days of their
exile, did his wife and brothers, losing heart and
patience, blame Yudhishthira for his loyal adher-
ence to his compact with the Kauravas, and his
patient endurance of wrong. Over and over again
did that noble heart, pierced and tortured by the
Rdmayana, Ayodhyakapdam xiv.
279
( 263 )
reproaches of his loved ones, win them back . by
gentleness to the path of truth and honour. Thus
Bhlma, giving way to fierce anger, bitterly upbraid-
ed his elder brother with " the trite merit of
"
sticking to a promise made to gamblers who
had over-reached him, laid the loss of kingdom
und riches at his door, reproached him with weak-
ness, with deserting the virtues of his order, with
making himself ridiculous. But Yudhishthira,
summoning all his patience and remaining silent
for a few moments, answered gently that doubtless
all Bhima's words were true: " I cannot reproach
thee for torturing me thus, piercing me with thy
for fromownalone has
arrowy words ;myfolly
this calamity fallen upon you all. I should have
controlled my mind, and not have allowed it to be
influenced by arrogance, vanity and pride. I can-
not then reproach thee, Bhima, for thy winged
words. Yet have I given my pledge, and who
may break his pledged word ? Death is easier to
bear than the gaining of a realm by a lie. What
avail, then, to speak to me thus harshly ? My
heart is broken by the sight of the sufferings I
have caused. But I may not break my word.
Wait, my brother, for the return of better days,
as the sower waits for the harvest. For know,
280
264
()
Bhima, that my promise may not be made untrue.
Virtue is better than life itself or than the joys of
heaven. Kingdom, sons, fame, wealth, all these
do not come up to one-sixteenth part of truth. "
Thus patiently did the prince bear his brother';-
angry taunts, and ever was he ready to meet harsh
blame with gentle humility, and to win by love a
yielding that his proud brothers would never have
given to wrath. *
As gentle sympathy arouses love, so does
thoughtless ridicule arouse hatred, and hatred in its
turn, gives rise to many evils. The fame of Yudhish-
thira spread far and wide, and all men praised the
splendour of his Rajasuya sacrifice. Now this praise,
bestowed on his hated rival, filled with jealousy
the heart of Duryodhana, and this evil emotion
was rendered bitterer and more active by the care-
less disregard of his feelings shown by Bhima and
by others. For one day as Yudhishthira was sitting
on his golden throne, surrounded by his brothers,
by many courtiers and Kings, Duryodhana and his
and as
brothers entered the assembly hall ;he came
he was deceived by the art of Maya, the Danava,
who had built Yudhishthira's place with skill and
craft, and taking the crystal lake as water, he drew
*
MahabhdrataiN, Vana Parva, xxxiii xxxiv.
281
265
()
up his garments to avoid wetting them, and later
fell into water which looked like solid ground.
Then Bhima laughed out boisterously and rudely,
and others followed his bad example, although
Yudhishthira reproved their lack of courtesy. And
Duryodhana, with black frown, went away ashamed,
with rage in his heart, and returned to Hastinapura,
and this was one
vowing vengeance for the insult ;
of the many causes that led at last to the gambling
match and the exile, and the fierce battle of Kuru-
kshetra, and the slaughter of Duryodhana and of his
and Yudhisthira's kinsmen. *
Evil returned with evil does but give birth to
new evil, thus lengthening the chain of misery.
Bhiigu had a son, Jamadagni, who became famous
for his great austerities and rigid life, and in his
family was born R&ma, called later Kama of the
Axe. Now Rama, though a Brahmana by birth,
was at heart a Kshattriya, and his character was, as
"
his grandfather Bhrigu had prophesied,fit for the
military order;" and in Jamadagni also lurked
hidden a seed of that fierce temper, which all his
austerities had not availed to wholly burn away.
And this caused sore trial and misery to befall this
great race. For Jamadagni, furious at heart be-
Shagacata Purana, x, lxxvAfahdbha?-atam, Sh&nti Farva xlvii.
282
( 266 )
cause of a hasty doubt of his wife's chastity, bade
but
his sons, one by one, to slay her ;none would
lift hand against the mother's sacred person save
Rfima, the youngest, who smote off her head with
an axe. Being granted a boon by his father, he
asked that his mother might be restored to life, and
then went on pilgrimage to expiate the crime of
matricide. But not thus could the evil wrought by
Jamadagni's anger be exhausted. While her sons
were absent, Renuk&, the wife of Jamadagni, left
alone, had to offer hospitality to Arjuna, son of
and he intoxicated
Kritavlrya ;with a warrior's
pride, not deeming her reception worthy of his
greatness, carried away forcibly the calf of the cow
whose milk supplied the butter for the daily
sacrifice. When Rama returned, Jamadagni told him
what had happened, and the plaintive lowing of the
cow for her young one increased the anger aroused
by the recital ; and so, losing self-control in pass-
ion, he rushed off and slew Arjuna, cutting off his
thousand arms after fierce fight. This act aroused,
in turn, fierce wrath of the kinsmen of Arjuna,
and, to return evil with evil, they rushed to the her-
mitage of Jamadagni, where he sat engaged in
meditation, and slew him with arrows, defenceless
as he was, sitting immersed in contemplation. Nor
283
267
()
yet was the tale of slaughter completed, since for-
giveness the only thing that could cut the chain
of evil was not in the heart of Rama of the Axe ;
and he, having bewailed his father and having burn-
ed his body with due rites, vowed by that funeral
pyre the slaughter of the Kshattriya caste for
thus the evil grew, ever swelling to larger and lar-
ger proportions. Then, taking up his axe, he at-
tacked and slew the kinsmen of Arjuna, and after
that warred with all Kshattriyas, exterminating
well-nigh that warrior caste.*
Even when we are treated with injustice and
unkindness, it is best to preserve sweetness and
agreeableness of behaviour, and thus win the one
who so treats us, be he superior, equal or inferior,
to show sweetness and agreeableness in return.
Once Durvasa visited Duryodhana, and proved to be
a very difficult guest to please. In vain did Dur-
yodhana and his brothers, treat him with the great-
est honour, waiting on him day and night. Some-
"
times Durvasa would say : I am hungry, King ;
give me some food quickly," And sometimes he
would go out for a bath, and Duryodhana would
have food prepared for his return, and on
"returning
Durv&sa would say : I shall not eat anything to-
Mahabharatam, Vana Parva, cxv cxvii.
284
268
()
day, as I have no appetite." Coming suddenly, he
"And another
would say : Feed me quickly."
time, rising at midnight, he would call for a meal,
and when it was brought, would carp at it and re-
fuse to touch it. Thus Durvasa, tormented Dur-
yodhana for awhile, but when he found that Dur-
yodhana never showed either anger or impatience,
"
then he became gracious to him and said : I have
power to grant thee a boon. Choose what thou
wilt. Pleased as I am with thee, thou mayest
obtain from me anything that is not opposed to
religion or morals."*
Sometimes, indeed, a man is so hard -heart ed
that no kindness can melt him, and then he goes
on unyieldingly till, at last, he perishes. Dur-
yodhana may serve as a striking illustration of
this. Having robbed his cousins of their kingdom
and riches and driven them into exile, Duryodhana
resolved to feast his eyes on their poverty and
hardships in the forest, advised by the wily
Shakuni, who told him that he would increase his
he took
own joy by seeing the misery of his rivals ;
with him his brothers and friends and the royal
ladies, that the Pandavas might suffer shame under
the contrast. His cruel plot failed, in consequence
*
MaMbhdratam, Vana Farva. cclx.
285
( 269)
of his being attacked and captured by the King
of the Gandharvas and his hosts, whom he had
insulted in his overbearing pride. Some of the
fugitives ran to King Yudhishthira and prayed his
theBhlma for his
aid ;gentle King, rebuking
cutting words of refusal, bade his brothers arm
themselves and rescue their kinsmen, remembering
that, by the seizure of Duryodhana and the ladies
of their house, the family honour was stained.
" Entreated for help in such words as, 'Oh, hasten to
my aid,' who is there that is not high-souled
enough to assist even his foe, beholding him
seeking shelter with joined hands. The bestowal
of a boon, sovereignty and the birth of a son, are
sources of great joy. But, sons of Pandu, the
liberation of a foe from distress is equal to all the
three put together." So spake the high-souled
King, and his brothers obeyed. The battle raged
for some time, and then Arjuna and the King of
the Gandharvas, who were friends, checked the
struggle, and Arjuna enquired into the reason of
the attack on Duryodhana. The celestial King
explained that he knew Duryodhana's wicked
motive in visiting the forest, and he was carrying
him for punishment to Indra. Arjuna prayed his
friend to set free the captives, at last the Gan-
286
( 270)
dharva King promised to do so, if Yudhishthira so
wished, after hearing the whole story. The
Pafidava prince listened silently to the account of
the mean and cruel outrage contemplated by
Dnryodhana, and thanking and praising the Gan-
dharvas, he set Duryodhana and his companions
free. When the Gandharvas were gone, Yudhish-
"
thira spoke lovingly to his cousin :child, never
again do thou so rash an act, for rashness lead&
never to happiness,Bharata.son of the
Kuru race, blessed be thou with all thy brothers.
Go back to thy capital as thou wilt, and be not
thou sad or cheerless." Thus kindly did the
blameless King treat his envenomed foe, the
but
earthly author of his misery ;Duryodhana,
departing, was only the more filled with grief and
thekindness became a new
anger ;veryoffence,
and he sullenly returned to Hastinapura, only
hating the more bitterly those who had returned
his evil with kindly aid.*
Fortunately such doggedness in angry feeling
is comparatively rare, for as the sun softens butter
iso does the warmth of kindly feeling soften the
angry mood.
Even when anger shown to us arouses in us a
*
JIahabhdratam, Vana Parva, ccxxxv ccl.
287
271
()
corresponding feeling of anger, we may try to
andrefuse give expression
check it,maytoitin
word, or look, or gesture. Such repression gra-
dually extinguishes the feeling, and at least we
have succeeded in not casting fuel on the flame to
increase its burning. After some practice of this
kind, we shall find that the anger of another no
longer causes any feeling of anger in ourselves,
and we shall be able to use all our strength in
sending kind feeling to meet the harsh feeling of
the other.
It is now easy for us t^> see why bad company
ifwho are
should be avoided ; we are with people
thinking unkind, or unclean, or other evil thoughts,
or who are doing wrong actions impure, intemper-
ate, gluttonous acts their feelings will work on
us, and will push us towards thinking and acting
in a similar way. Any evils of such kind as may
lie hidden in ourselves will start into more active
life under such influences, and will become strong-
er and more difficult to fight against. For these
reasons a boy who wishes to lead a pure and in-
dustrious life at school, preparing himself for a
noble and useful manhood, should avoid bad com-
pany, as much as he possibly can. And if at any
so that he cannot
time he is forced into it,escaper
288
272
()
he should keep his mind very busy with pure and
high thoughts, and thus try to affect those round
him, and to influence them for good, instead of
allowing himself to be influenced by them for evil.
In this way we may turn our knowledge to good
use, applying it to practice in our own lives, for
thus only can we make our knowledge fruitful, and
by noble living help to bring greater happiness to
the world.
" Let him not be angry again with the angry
man ; being harshly addressed, let him speak
softly."
h^rtt 3**T<rq; otot^pt zfivk ^r^rnicfi i
" Cross beyond the passes difficult to cross "
beyond wrath by forgiveness ; beyond untruth by
truth.
STTrRR =3" <TTJ3%* 3Nq% JT^cTr 5?^^ I
5fnrcnrsrRr touigflWf f%r%cH9r. lit
" He who is not angry with the angry, he is a
physician unto both. He saveth himself as well
as the others from great danger."~~
- * Mwtm.nt;. vf-48~!
t Sdvia Veda, Arayya-gAna, Arka-parva, 2 Prapathak.
\ Mahmaratumy-\^ Parva, xxix-9.
289
278
(<)
^jtt 5^T ^wr ^^t ^wr q$ ^ *m% ^ i
^m 3T. ^RF 3m% ^^5 |6 5^^ II*
"isis
Forgivenesstruth, forgiveness (source
and support of) the past and the future. Forgive-
this
ness is tapas, forgiveness is purity ;world is
upheld by forgiveness."
q^<5Tfasrr*t*t$r r^^jt q;%5 mm: i
'Ta/J j .jrx-,^ ,
q!raT**is crr^T^TfT^^ t^cstr i
^r^^WJrnir *^^ *r?3*:% fafcr^r. I
sTrsffrgrc fkk%r% ^^ ^^ m?r% u
qrq^R^sr%rT^5r5'3'Ecr^^^r^;^f?cTRc^^
fanrfofr ^cTTrSKg ^farsc if^^ra lit
M If a person deeply pierces a wise man with
barbed words, the wise man should take refuge in
patience. The man who, provoked to anger, only
smileth back gently, not yielding to anger, he
taketh away from the provoker all his merits.
"
even
Spoken to harshly, I say nothing ;when
*
Mahabhiiratam, Vana Parva 73.
f Ibid, Shanti Parva, ccc 10, 12, 1681.
290
( 274 )
assailed, I always forgive. This is the best this
that the elders have named forgiveness, and
truth, and candour, and gentleness.
"
. Addressed harshly, let him not reply harshly.
The wrath of the wrathful assailant consumeth
himself, and taketh away all his merit.
"He that addressed roughly, answereth not
roughly nor even mildly, he that being, struck con-
trolleth himself and returneth not the blow, nor
wisheth ill unto the assailant, verily the )evas
envy him.
"^
Abused, insulted, beaten, let him still forgive
(all injuries) from the low and vile, from his su-
from hisso shall he
periors,equals ;attain perfec-
tion."
" He indeed is the wise and good man who
conquereth his wrath, and showeth forgiveness
even when insulted, oppressed, and angered by a
stronger."
wftnTrffr nftrnrsr^rf*jw ^'-i
* Mahabkaratam, Vana Parva, xxix 25-18.
291
( 275 )
^grs roar. 5^rg; <pn^rr<i <r*ir pi^c I
5*3^ qcT^jt rnn: q<rH wfacrehr ^ 11
**$ *#$f*Rf 3rr% 5t?jt ^^ * fesrt 11
[See p. 248.]
srik ^^JT^rrcrn's *ni: *rgk 5^3:3
^ *rar ^2c ^iflr gr
"
May all cross beyond the places hard to cross ;
may all behold good things ; may all attain to
happiness ; may all rejoice everywhere."
" Aum ! Tell the Truth. Act the
"Right.
Truth alone prevaileth, not Untruth. Aum !"
PEACE TO ALL BEINGS.
292
J*?!?*!*?!}
293
INDEX.
Abhimanyu, death of, 239.
Action, three forces behind, 166, three stages of. 45.
Agastya, 251.
Age, respect for, 194 ff.
Aged, reverence to the, 194, treasures of the, 194.
Agni (the Element Fire), 22, Deva, 24.
Ahamkara (Egoism), the principle of separation, 22, 246.
Air. pure, 90.
Akasha (Ether), 22.
Alcohol, 89.
Alcoholic emanations, 91.
ALL, the, not an object of worship, 10 1.
Ancesters, debt due to, 96, 97.
Anger, to be checked, 271
Animals, creation of, 25.
Annamayakosha (Food sheath), 67, destruction of, 83.
Ar.naprasana (the first feeding with solid food), the 6th Sams-
kara, 80,
Apa (Water), 22.
Arjuna, 116, ageny of, 239, death of 167, grief of, at Drona's
death, 192, hasty vow of, 167, quarrels with Yudhish-
thira, 167.
Arjuna, son of Kritavirya, 260.
Aryan, an act unworthy of an, 241, race, the eldest-born family
of the, 107.
Aryavarta, 1.
294
(ii)
Ashramas (lit resting: places), 107-108, 139, the four, 106 ff,
must, not be mixed up, 108, names of the four, 108.
Ashuchi, 92.
Asura, 24.
Atharva Veda, 3.
Atma, 13.
Atoms, 88.
Attraction and repulsion, 159.
Avataras (special manifestations of Vishnu), the ten, 26 ff.
Bad company, 92, 271.
Bali, 153-154, 252, the next Indra, 154.
Bathing, 90.
Bhang, 90.
Bharata, 188, carries away the sandals of Rama, 262.
Bhima, 172, disregaids Duryodhana's feelings 264265,
thoughtlessness of, 173.
and his
Bhishma, 148, and Amba, 192 ff,father, 1S9-190,
and Satyavati 1 50-1 51 and Yudhishthira, 138, asks Shri
Krishna's permission to depart, 183, disobeys his Guru,
192 ff, dying, 183, on the duties of Kings, 240, on gentle-
ness, 228, on harmlessness, 171, reverences Shri Krishna,
182-183, tDe vow ff I 9-
Bhur loka (the physical world), 67.
Bhutadi (Elements), creation of, 22.
Bhuvarloka (the world of becoming), 67.
Bliss, 159 ff, real, is in giving, 182, union is, 160.
Bodies, (or Koshas), Jivatma tries to master the, 165, t see also
Koshas) .
Body, a creature of habit, 168.
Brahma (the Creator), 21, day of 66, finishes his task of the
universe, 25.
295
(iii )
Brahmacharya (complete celibacy), 80.
Brahman, 11, is bliss, 160, Nirguna, 12, Saguna, i2,Saguna,
an object of worship, 10 1.
Brfthmana, and caste confusion 1 1 9, story of the poor, 219,
virtues of the, 119.
Brahmana, (a portion of the Vedas), 4.
Brahmanda (the egg of Brahma), 21.
Brihaspati, 172, 250.
Buddha, 9th Avatara, 29.
Burning the dead body contrasted with burying, 83-84.
Castes, the four, 1 1 6 ff.
Caste-confusion, reasons for, 119.
Celibacy,. of mind and body, no, (see also Brahmacharya).
Ceremonies, 77 ff., gestures used in, 78, objects used in, 77,
postures used in, 78, sounds used in, 78, used of, 77, (see
also Samskaras).
Children, and parents, 236 ff.
Chiraknrin, 253 ff.
Chivalry, true, 173.,
Chudakarana, 7th Samskara, 80.
Compassion, 236, 245, the most perfect expression of, 246.
Conduct, foundation of rigjlit 133, right, 137, science of, 127.
Control, of body, 167-168, of body includes harmlessness, 172,
of mind, 166-167, the triple, 174.
Creation, of Elements, 22, of Indriyas 22, a sacrifice, 56.
Dadhichi, 58-59.
Daiviprakriti, 15.
Damayanti, and Nala, 2 1 1 ff.
Dasharatha, and Kaikeyi, 152-153, and Kaushalya, 259-260,
humility and patience of, 261, love of for Rama, 237-238.
296
( iv)
Death, King- of, weaker than wife's love, 210, spiritual, 56,
what happens at, 70 ff.
Debt, payment of, 147, to the Devas, 147, Pitris, 147, to the
Rishis, 147.
Debts, the three, 147.
Desire, 45 ff, control, 49, the rope to bind the Jivatma, 3S.
selfish, 168.
Devas, creation of the hosts of, 23, creation of these connected
with the senses, 23, different from the Supreme Ishvara,
23, distributing- karma, 24, the Five Rulers of the, 24,.
King of the, 250, ministers of Ishvara, 23.
Devis, who abid? with Lakshmi, 228.
Devotion, .182.
Dharma, Sanatana, iff.
Dhruva, 184.
Dirty person, a public danger, 91.
Disintegration, 89.
Disobedience, to the Guru, a valid reason for, 192.
Divine, and Asuric properties, 144, properties, list of, 144-145.
Draupadi and Yudhishthira, 258-259.
Durvasa and Duryodhana, 267-268.
Duryodhana, 185, 268 ff, disobeys his parents, 191.
Dvija (twice-born), 80.*
Emotions, 159 ff, culture of, 159-160, develop into virtues,
159, enslave the mind, 166.
Equals, relations with, 203 ff.
Equilibrium, 106.
Ethics, 127, 165, foundation of, 132, standard of, 144 ff, (see
also Morality).
Evil, returned for evil, 265 ff.
Evolution, 26, 35, higher, of people, 137, read of, 137.
297
( v)
Existence, the One 1 1 ff.
Flesh, 89.
Fee, the subtlest, 246.
Food, rules of, 88, stale, 89,
Forgive, readiness to, 225.
Forgiveness could cut the chain of evil, 267.
Form, evolution of, 36-37, not worshipped, 102.
Fruits, 89.
Fowler, the, and Kaushika, 188-189, f Mithila, 216, the
wicked and the pigeons, 2 2 1 ff.
Gandhari, 191.
Garlic, 91..
Garments, must be washed, 90-91.
Gayatri, 80.
Gentleness, 236.
Good, for evil, 258.
Grains, 89.
Grihastha (householder), 80.
Guest, a, is as a Deva, 221.
Gunas (the Qualities), 15, domination of the, 23.
Hard-hearted, man, at last perishes, 268.
Harmlessness, 1 71-172.
Harmony, 144.
Hate, 182.
Heroes, favourite phrase of, 149, of ancient India, 187.
Hindu nation, the characteristic of the, 106.
Homa, 96.
Home, in.
Hospitality, 219, a sacrifice, 97.
Household-stage, the, no, is the most important, no.
Householder, duties of a, 229, qualities of a good, in.
298
( vi)
Human life, stages of, 107.
Husband and wife, are one not two, 203.
Impurity, pouring into the Koshas, 92.
Individual, is not isolated, 98.
Indra, and Vrittra, 58, and the youths 111, connected with
the other, 24, fall of, 250.
Indraloka, 67.
Indriya (organ of sense), the eleventh, 23, the sixth, 23.
Indriyas, ten centres of the senses and of action, 22, " two
sets of five," 166.
Inferior, people, 236.
Inner Ruler, the, 106.
Integration, the higher, 89.
Ishtadeva, the, 102.
Ishvara, 12, conscious relations with, 100, co-worker with,
72, the King, 23, rivals of, 184, third aspect of, 25, those
who hate towards, 185, the three Aspects of. 21, the
Universal Parent, 61, the Will of, 137, worshipped under
many forms, 101.
Itihasa (History), 6.
Jajali, 50 ff.
Jamadagni, son of Bhrigu, 265 ff.
Janaka, 49 ff.
Jarasandha, 185.
Jayadratha, 167.
Jiva (the Soul), 13, in the animal kingdom, 36, in the mineral
kingdom, 35, in the vegetable kingdom, 35-36, is Brah-
man, 34, the triple. 25.
Jivatma (the separated Self), 13, the Bliss aspect of his
nature, 159, directs the emotions, 159, the joy of, 159-160,
must free the mind, 160, related to all, 165, unfolding,
107, the young, 165.
299
( vii )
Jnanendriyas (organs of knowledge) the centres of the, 70.
Journey, the great, of the Pandavas, 167.
Kalki, 10th Avatara, 29.
Karma, 44 fF., in one sentence, 47, man not hopelessly bound
by, 47, the twisted cord of, 45./
Karmendriyas (organs of action), the true, 69.
Kama and Indra, 151-152.
Kauravas, not all to blame, 74. .
Kaushalya, 238.
Kaushika, and the Brahmana's wife, 214 ff.
Kindness, 236, to lower creatures is a sacrifice, 97.
King, devotion to duty imposed on the, 186, the righteous, 240.
Kings, the Great, 38.
Kingship, the high ideal of, 186.
Koshas (Sheaths), 13, comparative table of the, 69, of the Jiva
in the three worlds, 67.
Krishna, 8th Avatara, 29, (see also Shri Krishna).
Kshattriyas, the virtues of the, 1 18- n 9.
Kubera, connected with the Earth, 24.
Kunti, 238-239.
Kurma (the Tortoise), 2nd Avatara, 27.
Lakshmana, 216.
Lakshmi Devi, 227-228.
Life, the Law of, 57, view of, in the Vedas, 106.
Liquids, 89.
Lokas (the Worlds), the four other great 66, subdivisions of
the three, 67, the three, 66 fF.
Longings, of a truly religious man, 100.
Love, brotherly, 216 IF, conjugal, 203 ff, of country, 186, of
God, 182 ff, stronger than Hell, 219, unselfish, 182. of
Loyalty, 185, the object of true, 186, of subjects awake-
ned, 240.
300
viii
()
Magnetic currents, affect the Pranamaya Kosha, 91.
Mahabharata, 7, 217.
Mahadeva, pouring out his life, 25.
Maharloka, 69.
Mahat-buddhi (Pure Reason), 22.
Man, his relations to those around, 97, in relation to others
round him, 60, the truly religious, 100, a vicious, 148,3
virtuous, 147.
Manas (the Mind), creation of, 23.
Manava Dharma Shastra, see Manusmriti.
Mandhata, King, 186.
Manki, 168, song of; 169.
Manomayakosha (Mind-sheath), 68.
Mantra, 3, defined, 78, effects of, 78, silent repetition of, 79,
why cannot be translated, 78 79.
Manu, 5, 166.
Manus, other, 5.
Manusmriti, 5.
Manvantara, 5.
Marriage, thrust into student life, 80.
Material, wealth and pleasures, 168.
Matsya (the Fish), 1st Avatara, 26-27.
Matter (see Prakriti), 13, dead, does not exist, 87-88.
Maya, 13, Lord of, 15.
Meditation, 103.
Men, creation of, 25, noblest of, 110-ni.
Milk, 89.
Mimamsas, system of philosophy, 9.
Mind, made master of Indriyas, 166, must be conquered, 166,
swayed by desires, 166.
Minerals, creation of, 25.
301
()
Mongoose, half-golden, 219 ff.
Morality, is relative, 138, is subtle, 138, object of, 127.
Mukta (free Jiva), 38.
Mulaprakriti, 12
Nahusha, 250, son of, see Yayati.
Nala, see Damayanti.
Nalopakhyana, 212.
Nandini, the cow, 249.
Narada, 100, 1S3, and Savitri, 206, loved everywhere, 228.
Narasimha (the Man-lion), 4th Avatara, 27-28, 184.
Narayana, the Sage, 247 ff.
National greatness, 186.
Nations, characteristics of, 106.
Nature, Divine, 148, external is a reflection of Brahman. 148,
Laws of, 87, Laws of, are expressions of Truth, 148.
Nivrittimarga (Path of Return), 137.
Not-Self, diversity of the, 152, parts of the, 165.
Nyaya, system of philosophy, 8.
Obedience, to Parents, 187.
Onion, 91.
Opposites, the great pair of, 1 3
Order, imposed by Ishvara, 107.
Padma, a Naga, 228.
Pandavas, brotherly love of the, 2173", not all to praise, 1 74,
revere Bhishma and Drona, 192.
Parashara-smriti, 5.
Parashurama (Rama of the axe), 6th Avatara, 28, Guru of
Bhishma, 193 ff, (see also Rama of the axe).
Paths, the two, 137.
Patriotism, akin to loyalty, 186.
Peace, the birth of creation due to, 259, source of, 168.
302
( x)
Persevereice, 168.
Pilgrimage of the Jiva, 35 ff, recurring stages in, 71.
Pitri. 71.
Pitriloka, 67, 71.
Plants, creation of, 25.
Pole-star, 184.
Prahlada, 183-184, and Indra, 150.
Prakriti, 12.
Prana, (life-energy), 68.
Pranamaya-kosha, 68, dispersal of, 83, of others, 91.
Pravritti marga (path of going forth), 136-137.
Preta, 70.
Pretakriya, 83.
Pretaloka, 67, 70.
Pride, 2^6, son of Unrighteousness and Prosperity, 252.
Prithivi(the Earth), 22.
Public spirit, 187, akin to loyalty, 186.
Puja, 102.
Puranas, 6.
Puru, son of Yayati, 170.
Purusha Sukta, 56.
Purushottama, 12.
Quotations :
Angira, 81.
Bhagavad-Gita, (ii.13,) 39.
(ii 18-22) 39.
(ii. 27-28) 72.
("3) 39-
(ii.47) 158.
(ii.48) 106.
(ii-64) 163.
303
XI
()
(Hi. 10-15) 61-62.
(iii.11) 155.
(iii.16) 155.
(Hi. 34) 163.
(iii.34) 162.
(iv7-8) 33-
(iv.11) 105.
(iv.12) 63.
(iv.14-15) 53.
(iv. 19-23) 53.
(iv.26) 64.
(iv.31) 64.
v 8
(i 3 ) 93
(v. 10-12) 41.
(v.18-21) 41-42.
(v.24-26) 42-43.
(vi.i) 115.
(vi.29) 135.
(vi.31) 49.
(vi- 35-36) 177.
(vii.4-5) *9-
vi
( -5) i5- s
(vii.19) 74.
(vii.2i) 105.
(vii.27) 162.
(viii.17-18) 72-73.
(ix. 20-21) 73.
(ix 27-28) 65.
(ix. 30-31) 93.
(x.20) 17, 134.
(xi.15) 30.
304
( Kti)
(xi.22) 30
(xii.3-7) 103-104.
(xiii.6) 162.
(xiii.io) 177.
(nit 12-17) 15-16.
(xiii.27) 19.
(xiii.30) 19.
(xiii.33) 19.
(xiv 5) 20.
(xiv.9-13) ^2.
(xiv. 17-18) 32.
ixv 7) 18.
(xv 16-18) 18.
(xvi.1-3) 145.
(xvi.4) 145.
(xvi.23) 163.
(xvii. 14) 168, 176.
(xvii.15-16) 176.
(xviii 46-47) 141-142.
(xviii. 61-62) 104, 142.
Brabmanda Purana, 84.
Brihadaranyakopanishad,
(I.v.16) 72.
(Il.iii.i) 12.
(IV.iv.4) 40.
(IV.iv.5-6) 52.
Chhandogyopanishad,
1
(III. xiv. 1 ) 1, 52.
(Vl.ii.i) 11.
(Vll.xxii.i) 161.
(Vll.xxiii. 1 ) 161.
305
( *&)
(Vll.xxiv.i) 161,
Garuda Purana,
dl.v.36) 84.
(II.xvi.6-7) 85.
(II.xvi.20) 85,
Ishopanishad,
(6-7) 134-
Kathopanishad,(i 3-7) 54-
(iv. 1) 160.
(v.iOi 134.
(v. 12) 163.
(v.13) 177-178.
(vi-M) 54-
Mahabharata,
Adi Parva,
(lxxxvii.8-9) 233.
(lxxxvii. 1 1- 1 3) 233.
Anushasana Parva,
(v.28) 256.
(lxii.-) 155.
c-) 155-
(civ.-) 128.
(cxiii.-) 172.
(cxvi.37) 171, 177.
Mahaprasthanika Parva, 157.
Sabha Parva, (xxxviii.8) 183.
Santi Parva,(xxxiii.-) 157.
(lvi.-) 240.
(lvii -) 240.
(lix.145) x 99-
(lxviii. 59-60).
306
( xtv)
1 99-200.
(lxxxiv.2-4) 235.
(lxxxviii-) 129.
(xc-) 186.
(civ.-) 129.
(cxxiv 67) 147.
(clx.6-7) 179.
(clx. 13-16) 179.
(clxxiii.-) 50.
(ccxxxl. 27) 141.
(ccxxxl.227) 162.
(ccxcvi.-) 255.
(cdx.20-2l) 143.
(CCIX.23) 143.
(ccc. 10) 273.
(ccc. 12) 273.
(ccc. 16-18) 273.
Udyoga Parva, (ii.17) 178.
(cxxviii. 29-30) 178.
Vana Parva,(xxix.4) 234.
(xxrx.6) 234.
(xxix.9) 272
(xxix.13-25) 258-259, 274-275.
(xxix 17) 235.
(xxix.-) 274.
(xxix.73) 273.
(xxxiii.41) 131.
(lxiii.-) 156.
(clxXX.2l) 122.
(dxxX,25-26) 122.
(ccxiii.-) 188-189.
307
*v
()
(ccxv.-) 189.
(ccxci.-) 156-157.
(cccxiii.108) 122.
Manu Smriti,(L5-7) 17.
(i.87-91): 20 1 2 1.
(i.io8-iTo) 129.
(ii.6) 142.
81.
(ii.26)
( 53) 93-
(ii.92) 166.
120-12 201.
(ii.1)
(ii 158) 256.
(ii.145) 200.
(ii-i59) 2 55-
(ii. 160) 232.
(ii. 162) 232.
(ii.163) 233.;
(ii. 177-180) 114.
(ii.191) 114.
(ii.222) 92.
(ii.225) 200.
(ii.229) 200.
(ii.230) 200.
(ii.234) 201.
(iii.2) 113.
("i-55-5 8) 23-
(iii.70) 98.
("'75) 99-
(iii.77) 115.
(iii. 80-81)98.
("i- 89-90) H5
308
XVI
()
(ui.ioi) 231.
(iii.105) 231.
(iii.106) 231.
11
(Hi. 4) 255.
(iii.203) 84.
(1V.13S) 232.
(iv.151) 93.
(v. 105) 93.
(v. 109) 93.
(vi.2) 113.
(vi-33) IX 3-
(vi. 35-36) 154.
(vi.37) 113.
(vi.43) 272.
(vi.87).ii2.
(vi.92) 180.
Cvi.151) 92.
(vii.3-4) 197-198.
(vii.14) 197-198.
(vii. 18} 197-198.
(vii.26-28) 197-198.
(vii.35) 255.
(vii.no) 255.
(viii.96) 158.
(ix.45) 203, 230.
(ix. :oi) 203-204.
(ix.101-102) 231.
(ix.253) 45.
(x.63) 180.
(xi. 13) 166.
(xii.3-4) 175-
309
( xvii )
(xii.8) 175.
(xii.io-n) 175.
(xii.16-17) 85.
(xii.20) 85..
; (xii.85) 145.
(xii.88-90) 140-14 1.
(xii. 118-119) 146.
(xii.119) 30.
(xii. 1 24) 31:
(xii. 1 25) 146.
Mundakopanishad,(I.ii.5-6) 63-64.
(II.Li) 31.
(II.i.17) 31.
Nrisimhottaropanishad,
(i.6) 158.
160
(i.7)
Panini Shiksha,(52) 81.
Patanjali Mahabhashya,
(VI.i.84) 81.
Ramayana, 238.
Rig-veda,(I.clxiv.46) 30.
(Vll.lxxxiv. 4-5) 63.
(X.xc. 12) 120.
Sama-veda, 272.
Sarvasaropanishad, 16 1, 162.
Shvetashvataropanishad,
(vi.i) 196.
(vi.7-9) 196.
(vi.12-13) 196.
(vii.2) 134.
Vasishtha Smriti,(VI. 3-4) 123.
310
( xviii )
Veda text (quoted by Kulluka), 154.
Vishnu Bhagavata,(l.v.12) 103.
(III. xxv. 18-19) I 94-1 9S
(III.xxv.25) 194-195.
(III.xxv.27) 194-195.
(IV.xxii.34-35)*i30.
(VII.ix.35) 122.
(IX.xxi.12 13) 256.
Vyasa Smriti, 82,
Yajnavalkya Smriti,
(iii.65) 143.
(iii,G6) 181.
Rajasik, defined, 23.
Rama, [or Ramachandra], 7th Avatara, 28.
Ramachandra, 184, 187, and Sita, 204-205, awakens trust
towards Bharata, 261-262, gentle in speech, 227, memory
of, for injuries, 225.
Rama, of the Axe, 265 ff., [see also Parashurama].
Ramayana 6, 216, of Tulsi Das, 28, of Valmiki, 28.
Rantideva, King, 245 ff., prayer of, to Hari, 246.
Ravana, 184, ^04.
Rebirth, 34.
References,
Advanced Text Book of Hindu Religion and Ethics,
26.
Aitareya Aranyaka, 26.
Bhagavat-Gita,
III, 187.
VIII, 3.
XIV, 23 (footnote)
XVI, 145.
311
( xix )
XVII, 23 (footnote)
XVIII, 23 (footnote).
Bhagavata Purana, VI, 250.
VII, 250.
VIII, 250.
IX, 246.
X, 265.
Devi Bhagavata,
IV, 248.
VI, 248.
VII, 248.
Mahabharata,
Adi Parva, 151, 191.
Anushasana Parva, 183, 244.
Ashvamedha Parva, 227.
Bhishma Parva, 149, 192.
Drona Parva, 149, 167, 192, 239.
Kama Parva, 167.
Mahaprasthanika Parva, 217, 247.
Sabha Parva, 185, 239.
Sauptika Parva, 185.
Shalya Parva, 185.
Shanti Parva, 50, 52, 112, 139, 148, 150, 170, 183,
225, 228, 229, 254, 265.
Svargarohana Parva, 219.
Udyoga Parva, 191.
Vana Parva, 59, 150, 152, 185, 210, 214, 216, 221,
244, 252, 253, 264, 267, 268, 270.
Manu Smriti, III, 96, no.
VI, 108.
Ramayana, 203-204.
312
xx
()
Ayodhyakanda, 153, 188, 225, 227, 237, 261, 262.
Yuddhakanda, 185.
Shvetashvataropanishad, 35.
Vishnu Bhagavata, 100, 153
Vishnu Purana, 184.
Re-incarnation, see Rebirth.
Religion, first proclamation of, 132.
Religions, quarrels of the, 102.
Renuka, wife of Jamadagni, 266.
Reverence, 182.
Return, of the Jiva to Earth, 71.
Rich, the, are the stewards of the poor, 97.
Ridicule, arouses hate, 264.
Right and wrong, 136 ff, another definition, 137-138, defined,
137, some general rules of, 140, test of, 144.
Righteousness, 172.
Rig-Veda, 3.
Rishis, the, 38.
Sacrifice, 56 ff, becomes a delight, 60, growth of the practice
of habitual, 59, has outer form and inner meaning, 94,
Law of, 57, 94, meaning of, 56, mutual 147, the primary,
56, to Bhutas, inner 97, to Bhutas, outer, 97, to Devas,
inner, 96, to Devas, outer, 96, to Ishvara every action,
61, to men, inner, 97, to men outer, 97, to the Pitris,
inner, 96, to the Pitris, outer, 96, to Rishis and Vedas,
inner, 96, to Rishis and Vedas, outer, 94, true remnants
of, 112.
Sacrifices, the daily, 60, the five daily, 94 ff, the five daily,
promote union, 147, the "
Great," 94.
Sagara, and Asamanjasa, 240.
Samavartanam (returning home), 9th Samskara, 80.
313
I xxi)
Samhita, 3.
Samaveda, 3.
Samsara (World-evolution or World-process), 25.
theofthe
Samskaras, 77 ff,seven,childhood, 79,ten, 79.
Sandhya, Vaidik and Tantrik, 10.
Sankhya system of philosophy, 9.
Sapindikarana, 84.
Sattvik, defined, 23.
Satyavan, 206.
Savitri and Yama, 204 ff.
Science, defined, 127, ethical, meaning of, 127, (see also
Ethics).
SELF, the, 12, (see also Brahman),
1
Self, unity of the, 132.
Self-control, defined, 165, first part of, 167, Manu on, 166.
Selves, many in appearance, 132, younger to be helped, 61.
Serving, humanity, 97.
Shadangani, 7.
Shaddarshana, 8.
Shakti (Divine Energy) 15.
Shakuni, 268.
Shankhalikhita Smriti, 5.
Sharira (the Physical body), 13.
Shastras, the, tell us of the will of Ishvara, 140.
Shaucham, 87, ff.
Shibi, King, 242 ff.
Shishupala, 145.
Shiva, 31.
no need of in
Shraddha, 83 ff.,Svar, 84*.
Shri Krishna, and Arjuna, 149, and Jayadratha, 167, and the
Pandavas, 149-150, and Yudhishthira, 149, advises
314
( xxii )
Arjuna, 187.
Shruti, 2.
Shudra, duties of the, 1 1 7.
Shuka, son of Vyasa, 50.
Shukra, Rishi, 170.
Sin, is poison, 128.
Smriti, 2, 3, 5, (see also Dharma-Shastra).
Speech, control of, 167, hasty, 167.
Spirit, the 13, (see also Atma).
Sthula-sharira (solid body), 68, 69.
Strength, thoughtless exercise of, 173.
Submission, to God's will, 182.
Sukshma-sharira (subtle body), 68, 78.
Superiors, man's, 182.
Sura, 24, (see Devas also).
Surabhi, 236ff.
Suryaloka, 67.
Svargaloka (the Heaven world), 67.
Sweetness, of behaviour, 267.
Tamasik, defined, 23.
Tantra, 4, (see also Upaveda),
Tarpana, 96.
Tattvas (the Elements), the seven, 21.
Tea, etc., 89.
Teacher, third great object of reverence, 1 9 1 ff.
Teaching, a sacrifice, 96.
Tenderness, 236.
Test, of each action, 144.
Thought, 45-46, use off in checking desire, 48.
Thoughtlessness, causes harm, 172.
Titan Kings, 1 70 .
315
( xxiii )
Transmigration, see Rebirth.
Triloka (the three worlds), 66 ff.
Triloki, 136.
Trimurti, 21.
Truth, 148, the great, in ethical science, 148, the greatest, 148,
is Brahman, 154.
Truthfulness, in Hindu literature, 149, promotes union, 149.
Tuladhara, the Vaishya, 49, 51 ff.
Tyranny, 173.
Unhappiness, 160.
Union, the path that leads to, 137, promoting, 144.
Upadhi, 13.
Upanayana, or second "birth, the 8th Samskara, 80, 109.
Upanishad, 4.
Upasana, 103.
Upaveda, 4.
Urbanity, 227 ff.
Utatthya, 186.
Vaisheshika system of Philosophy, 8.
Vaishya, virtues of the, 118.
Vamana (the Dwarf), 5th Avatara, 28, 153.
Varaha (the Boar), 3rd Avatara, 27.
Varnas (colours or castes,) 116, 139, compared to the
Ashramas, 107-108.
Varnasankara (caste-confusion), 116.
Varuna, connected with water, 24.
Vasishtha, and vishvamitra, 248 ff.
Vasudeva, the thousand names of, 183.
Vayu, Deva, connected with air, 24, the element Air, 23.
Vedanta system of Philosophy, 9.
Vedas, the four, 3, parts of, 3.
316
( xxiv )
Vice, fruit of, 175, produces vice, 257, root of 175.
Vidura, 225 ff.
Vijnanamayakosha (knowledge-sheath), 68.
Virtues, 147 ff, altruistic, 174, and vices defined, 147,
and vices in relation to equals, 203 ff, and vices in
relation to inferiors, 236 ff., and vices in relation to supe-
riors, 182 ff, and vices and their reaction on each other,
257 ff, characteristic of each caste, 120, Egoistic (or
" forms of Truth "
self-regarding), 174 ff, family, 203 ff,
148, fruit of, 175, in relations with others, classification,
174, of a student, 109, produce virtues, 257, root of, 175,
self-regarding, see egoistic virtues, self-regarding defined,
165.
work
Vishnu, 21 1of, 25.
Vishvamitra, King of Gadhi, 248 ff., Rishi and the Chandala,
188, (see also Vasishtha).
Vivaha (Marriage), 10th Samskara, 80.
Vyasa, 100.
Washing, the hands etc., 90.
Water, 89.
Weak, protecting the, 240.
Wife, the, who truly loves, 214.
Wisdom, the treasure of the aged, 194.
the
World, the outer, is a symbol of the inner, 9 1 ,present
position of, in evolution, 137.
Worship, 100 ff, 182, attributed needed for, 10 1, defined,
100, forms of, 10 1.
Wrath, next step after Ahamkara, 249-
Yajnavalkya, 50, Smriti, 5-6.
Yajur-veda, 3.
sum of the life experiences of 171.
Yayati, 170 ff,
317
XXV)
(
Yoga system of Philosophy, 9.
Youth, the time of conquering the body, 168.
Youths, story of the Brahmana, III.
and his brothers, 185,
Yudhishthira, and the dog, 240 ff,
blamed by his wife and brothers, 262 ff, forgot truthful-
ness, 149, in Svarga, 217-218, the loyal prince, 185,
Rajasuya Sacrifice of, 182-183, releases Nahusha, 252,
rescues Duryodhana, 269, taunting speech of. 167.
319
V
320
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