Dharmashastra, The Jewel in India’s Casket

Other living beings like birds and beasts are concerned with the world only. But, man is different. He can master the inner and outer instruments of knowledge, the senses, the emotions, the thought proces­ses etc and, thereby, acquire the awareness of the basic mystery of creation; this gives him the realisation of the Truth, and with it, his native Bliss. Man can practise and attain the five virtues, called Panchasila: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (Honesty) Asteya (Non-theft) Saucham (Purity), Brahmacharyam (Celibacy)—and by these means, his inner consciousness becomes cleansed enough to reflect Truth.

There are certain other matters which every man has to practise in his life. They are the Four Purushar­thas; the Four Goals of Human Endeavour. The First Three, Dharma, Artha and Kama are ephemeral, when compared with the Fourth, viz. Moksha. But, yet, they correct the behaviour of man and lead him along moral lines. As the feet, waist, stomach and head are to the human frame, so, these four are parts of the complete Duty of Man. Dharma is the Feet, Artha is the Waist, Kama is the Stomach and Moksha the Head. Of these, the Feet, which are the basis and the Head, which directs, are the most important. The other two are useless without these two.

Without Dharma, the Feet and Moksha, the Head, what can the waist and the stomach do? Only a corpse can consist of those two only. Those two alone, second and third, Artha and Kama, will make a man a corpse, a Shivam into a Shavam. Endeavour to become _Shivam_—that is the road to elation, eternal elation. Endea­vour to become _Shavam_—that is the road to cremation.

The Shruti says, "Napunaraavartate"; "It does not repeat again", speaking of the stage of "No birth and death". Moksha means the cessation of the wheel's revolution, the wheel of birth and death; Dharma, Artha and Kama are to be pursued as comple­mentary to the chief goal, which is Moksha. Moksha such as this, is the final event in the career of every human being. The cessation happens when the individual comes to know of Brahmam.

To acquire this knowledge of Brahmam, two methods are laid down by the ancient scriptures. Each has its own technique, its own code of discipline, mental and intellectual.

The first is the assertive method: defining Brahmam as Satyam Jnanam Anantam, and declaring Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma, that all this is certainly Brahmam. Contemplation on these glories of Brahmam along the lines laid down by the guru or by those who have experienced the truth leads one to realisation.

The second is the negating method: defining Brahmam as indefinable, declaring that one can only experience it as "not this", "not this", "not the other thing" and so on, with reference to the objective world, the sensory ephemeral world. This will lead to the realisation that the "I" which sees, hears, experiences, argues, feels, imagines, thinks—that I is the only entity and that I is all this and nothing else.

Either of these methods can succeed in helping realisation of the truth, only if man is purified and clarified by _Dharma_-directed Artha and Kama. This is the message of Bharat. This is the teaching of this land, for all who strive and struggle. That is the reason why it is called Karmabhumi, the Holy land of Karma, where man is directed in his activity by great sages who have the welfare of the whole world in view and who knew how to apply the principles of the highest Dharma to the practice of daily avocations. During the centu­ries, this high ideal got tarnished; it declined; and whenever such a dire contingency arises, the Lord Him­self comes as Man to restore the path and lead mankind along to self-realisation, by realising Him.

The secret of successful activity is known best to Indians. The difference between other cultures and Indian culture lies exactly in this: we accept the intimate relationship between Karma and Janma, whereas' others ignore it. The sages of this land discovered the cause-and-effect relationship between Karma and Janma. He who indulges in activity must needs suffer the consequences; there is no escape. It has to be undergone either immediately or at a later time. In order to go through the consequence, it may be necessary even to be born again and live. The place, the condition of life, etc all are in proportion or in relation to the karma. Good acts produce merit, and to go through the consequences, birth in a good family with chances of a happy life is needed. Bad acts produce sin, and to suffer the effects, birth in a miserable family with no chance of enjoying happiness has to be imposed.

I am not advising you to follow blindly all that the ancient Rishis said, believing blindly all that they declared. Inquire into the correctness or otherwise of what they lay down. Then believe, if you can, the fundamental principles they emphasise. This is the inesca­pable responsibility of every person born in this land as the child of Bharatmata.

You can know whether a statement is correct or not, only when you put it into practice. Truth can never change or waver or falter. It does not depend on space, time or condition. Truth is as necessary to cross the ocean of life as the ship is necessary to cross the deep blue sea.

Satya or Truth has to be pleasant also. But just to make it pleasant, you should not add falsehood into Truth. "Satyam bruyat, priyam bruyat (Speak truth, speak pleasantly) nabruyat Satyamapriyam (if a truth is unpleasant, be careful in revealing it) priyam tu nanrutam bruyat (simply because it is pleasant, do not utter falsehood)". People ordinari­ly mean by 'truth', saying what exactly you heard or saw with your own eyes without any modification or addition. But, it is much more than that; Truth is the Form of God. Honour it like that. It is the only means by which the mysterious secrets underlying the ancient Vedantic doctrines and beliefs can be grasped by man.

Again, everything must be true to itself; how is this possible? A thing is true to itself if it has the Dharma of that particular thing. Heat is the native Dharma of fire; fire without heat is false. If water is not a liquid, it is not water. If it does not draw iron to itself, how can it be a magnet?

It is the Dharma of the magnet to attract towards itself only iron. It is the Dharma of salt to be saltish in taste and of pepper to have the hot burning taste. Man has to be human, humane; beasts have to behave like beasts. Each has to evince its special quality, power, or aptitude that distinguishes it from the rest. When that unique differential is absent, then it is Adharma, unmoral, on the wrong track.

The Swarupa and the Swabhava must be in agreement; that is to say, if a being has the Swarupa­ (Form) of a man and the Swabhava (Character) of a beast, it is 'false', 'untrue'. In other words, conduct must be in consonance with claims. That is why the Shruti declares, "Be true; there is no Dharma higher than that". "Satyaannaasti paro dharmah". Decide your Dharma with buddhi; ask what do I claim to be, what is the special quality by which that claim is esta­blished. Then, bend the mind to the performance of the duties which will demonstrate and develop that quality.

There are four groups of people among those who try to bring these two—the buddhi and the manas—­under control. The first is "egocentric": when man seeks but to fill his belly, satisfy his desires, regardless of others. He does not care for his children or for the parents who reared him or the wife whom he wedded or the kith and kin amidst whom he grew; he is unconcer­ned about their welfare; he is after his own joy, his own happiness. It is appropriate to call such men human beasts.

The second group is "self-cum-other-serving": where man assures himself of his own happiness, but, thereafter, he is eager to serve the interest of his kith and kin as well as the community where he grew up. These are the step higher than the first group.

The third group is “service-above-self”: when man is prepared to suffer in order to save others from suffering. He considers the happiness of others as his own happiness, and the grief of others as his own. He seeks to live joyfully by making others joyful. He has both viveka and upkara buddhi (discrimination and the spirit of service).

There is a fourth group too: “selfless”…when, through spiritual discipline, the self and its promptings have been fully conquered. Such people can confer only good upon others; whatever they do, they have the good of the world at heart. They are untainted by ego, and so there is no greed or envy in them. Theirs is the highest dharma.

While considering dharma, there are two ideals that have to be kept in view as touchstones to test all the various actions that are recommended. They are Satya and Dharma. All the rest are subsumed under these two. Those who have stuck to these are “great”; their stories are really conducive to progress. They reveal how to apply Satya and Dharma. in practical life; they provide the best examples of the spiritual life lived according to Satya and Dharma.

“_Yato abhyudya nissreyasa siddhih sa dharmah_” it is said. Dharma makes one attain not only earthly happiness, but it also confers spiritual salvation. So, the true test of dharma is this—what confers happiness and liberation hereafter, true happiness and lasting liberation. Everything that stands in the way of Dharma is Adharma.

Which acts confer this double benefit? There are three that do so. They are called Yajna, Dana and Tapas. Yajna again is of three kinds: Karmayajna, Upsanayajna and jnanayajna. So too, Dana or charity, has three types which can be differentiated: Abhayadana, Brahmadana, Arthdana. Tapas has three forms: saririka, manasika, and vachika, that is to say, physical, mental and vocal.

Tapas means burning desire for achieving God. The usual meaning that is given is asceticism, but the word for this is titiksha, which implies suffering the dual blows of good fortune and bad, heat and cold, loss and profit.

Charity or Danam: This word does not mean only the giving of things that you have, when you find others needing them, without refusing to part with them; it also means right appraisement of the needs and capa­city of the recipients, their qualifications and merits. If these are not looked into, charity may lead to cala­mity. A child may ask for a diamond; a madman may ask for a knife. If you give them these because you feel you should not refuse, then you are causing trouble to all. Hence, when charity is practised, attention has to be paid to the capacity of the giver and, what is more important, the capabilities of the recipient. Gifts made in due consideration of these are really the best.

- From an Article written for the Mandalothsava Sanchika, Sanathana Vedanta Sabha (Published in Sanathana Sarathi, July 1966)