Yaksha Prashnam - 2

By Chitra Devraj

Namaskar Mahatmas!

All our good values have come because of our elders at home, their way of living, their way of solving problems and their easy way of forgiving and forgetting.With the grace of the Guru and with your blessings and love, I am here with the second part of yaksha prashnam. I am awaiting your feedback and comments.

Last week's discourse had Yudhishthira's answers to the following questions by the yaksha:

1. What makes the Sun rise? Whom has he for companion? Who is the cause for the setting of the Sun? In whom is the Sun established?

2. What makes one learned? How a man attains to what is great?

We shall continue with the third question from the yaksha today.

3. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A MAN ALWAYS TO HAVE A SECOND COMPANION?

Steady Intelligence serves man as a helpful companion always. (It is intelligence – the Buddhi which makes a man different from an animal. The animals lead a life of senses whereas a man is blessed with this sixth sense to discriminate between what is good and bad. Steady Intelligence is the ‘vyavasaatmika buddhi’ explained in the second chapter of Bhagavad Gita. One pointed buddhi is said to be steady. If it is scattered in different directions, it becomes mind and sense dominated life. This single pointed Buddhi makes a man wise and is the helpful companion. This Buddhi when it focuses on the Lord, He becomes a Charioteer of our life like Krishna for Arjuna).

THIS INTELLIGENCE YOU SPEAK OF HOW IS IT TO BE ACQUIRED?

Serving the old makes one rich in wisdom. (In the past, Elders held the knowledge, history, ceremonies, songs, dances and cultural background for the nation. They passed this knowledge down from generation to generation. Elders were knowledgeable about Mother Earth. They knew the medicines and the culture. The elderly always deserve respect; therefore, one must always respect anyone who is older. It is a common belief that if Elders are to be sought as advisors about life they need to follow the "walk their talk" which indicates a strong spiritual and balanced life.

Many of our good values have not come because of our reading. All our good values have come because of our elders at home, their way of living, their way of solving problems and their easy way of forgiving and forgetting.

The Pandavas were guided by mother Kunti with her devotion to Lord Krishna. They were guided by the elders in the family and the great rishis and Lord Krishna Himself. Both Dhrithrashtra and Gandhari were looked after by the Pandavas as their own parents after the war even though they did injustice to them many times. Serving old doesn’t mean only the physical service. It is the love we shower on them unconditionally.

Once there was a lady who lived in a village. She is very much devoted to her old parents and was lovingly doing service to them. In the nearby forest there was a rishi who was performing tapas. When he was on meditation, a crow dirtied the head of the rishi and the rishi in anger burnt the crow just by looking at it. That rishi came to the village for the biksha. He stood at the door steps of this pious lady’s house and asked for the food. As she was feeding the parents, she asked the rishi to wait. The rishi got angry and wanted to burn her like the crow. When the lady came out after some time with the food, she told the rishi that she is not the crow to be burnt into ashes. The rishi was shocked to hear this. What power the rishi has got by doing the tapas, the lady had got it by doing service to the parents. Wisdom comes out of love.

Prahalada was tortured by the father Hiranyakashipu to a great extent. But he never lost the love and respect for the father. The first boon he asked from the Lord is to forgive his father.

One who has developed the awareness of the Lord everywhere, serves everyone with love. It is by giving love one get set in wisdom.

The old (also refers to experience) also means the person who is rich in knowledge and experience (Guru). By serving him in all ways, one comes to know the dharma and the practice leads a man to wisdom.

4. HOW ARE BRAHMINS RANKED WITH DIVINE BEINGS? WHY?

They are considered divine because they study the Vedas. (All those who study Vedas cannot become divine. All pujaris who chant mantras are not divine because of their eye on the dakshina. Brahmins are people who are in the path of truth – Brahmapada. A mere reading of Vedas is just a bookish knowledge. A person who lives as per Vedas and our scriptures is divine. One who acts unselfish in life without expecting anything from the world is considered divine. Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that ‘I am the strength and buddhi of one who is unselfish’. In such persons, the Lord Himself is acting through them. The divine take less from the world and give more to the world).

WHAT IS IT THEY PRACTISE WHICH MAKES THEM PIOUS?

Their asceticism makes them behave as they do and so they are pious. (Asceticism is the practice of austere self-discipline voluntarily undertaken in order to achieve a higher spiritual ideal. A pious man is one who is saatvik (pure, untouched by desires) in nature and whose thought flow towards Lord all the time. All the voluntary practice taken is to experience the divinity within oneself. Bhagavad Gita says that if we pray for our desires, then it is not Raja Vidhya. Lord says that ‘A man who loves Lord for the sake of Lord, I dwell in them and he too dwells in Me’. All the sacrifices make a man very loving towards every creature of the creation and also very humble. He sees the Lord in everything around him. The practice makes one pious and not by taking bath in Ganges or by doing pujas. Inner purity reflected in one’s actions makes him pious. One hour puja or meditation should be reflected in our thoughts and actions in the next 23 hours of the day).

THE BRAHMINS ARE RANKED WITH DIVINE BEINGS. HOWARE THEY THEN DIFFERENT FROM DIVINE BEINGS?

Brahmins are mortal and divine beings are not. It is this liability to die that makes them not quite divine. (In the previous question Yudishthira answered that the Brahmins are equated to the divine because of the study of the Vedas. The Brahmins can be compared to the Divine but they cannot be actually divine. The things which are born need to die. It is the nature’s law. The one who is in the path of truth also need to leave the body one day or the other. This is on a comparative view with the divine beings. When we compare our life with that of ant, it seems that the life of ant is nothing before us or for ants we are mortals. Similarly when our life span is compared to that of the divine beings or the Devas, we are mortals. The divine beings created by Brahmaji during creation act without any choice. Few examples are the rain, fire, wind, sun act all through the time. When the pralaya comes they also go back to their source. The divine are not bound by the karma while the human being comes to this world with the karma to be burnt. As soon as it is over, the death hugs the man. A man who attains the highest knowledge while living in this body, is a jivanmukta. Gods feel jealous of human beings because that is the gate to the realization. Vidura has explained in great detail this aspect of life as ‘everlasting’ in the Vidura Neethi).


CONCLUSION:

I remember the quote of Mother Teresa which is a great message for us.

To parents: It is very important that children learn from their fathers and mothers how to love one another--not in the school, not from the teacher, but from you. It is very important that you share with your children the joy of that smile. There will be misunderstandings; every family has its cross, its suffering. Always be the first to forgive with a smile. Be cheerful, be happy

Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there? Let us know the poor in our own families first. We have old people: they are put in institutions and they are never visited; with less and less time even to smile at each other, with less and less time to be together. Love begins at home, if we can only make our own homes temples of love.

It is the Love inside which makes a man closer to God and not the rituals. Love grows more and more when one leaves the ego. Wherever there is ‘I’, there cannot be love.

LET US NOT LOVE WITH WORDS ALONE. LET US LOVE EACH OTHER TILL IT HURTS!

We will continue in the next week. HARI OM !