By Chitra Devraj
Imagine the naughtiest monkey that is also drunk and gets stung by a scorpion! We can imagine how restless it would be! The mind is even worse than that.WHAT IS FLEETER THAN THE WIND? WHAT IS MORE NUMEROUS THAN GRASS?
THE MIND IS FLEETER THAN THE WIND. THE THOUGHTS THAT ARISE IN THE MIND OF MAN ARE MORE NUMEROUS THAN GRASS. (The mind is very subtle which we cannot locate as we locate our other sense organs in our body. It is everywhere inside the body and also outside the body. If I am in Sharjah, the one thought about my mother is enough for my mind to take off from here to India. It just flies from one thought to another thought. If we watch our conversation also, most of the times the starting point and ending point are not connected. When we look at the Badam sweet in a supermarket, the next thought that comes to our mind is ‘when I had the Badam sweet last time’, where and who made it, and the thoughts regarding that person and place take over us.
Ramana Maharishi always compares the mind to a monkey because it is so naughty and restless. Imagine the naughtiest monkey that is also drunk and gets stung by a scorpion! We can imagine how restless it would be! The mind is even worse than that.
The best time to watch our mind is when we meditate. At other times we are not aware of what our mind is doing. If we start noting down the thoughts which comes to our mind in solitude, we will see that they are totally unconnected, illogical, irresponsible and unrelated. Each movement of the body leads to so many thoughts and the mind is the bundle of thoughts. No two thoughts are responsible for the others existence or disappearance. Like the wind which carries sweet fragrance of the flower when it crosses the garden and a foul smell when it crosses ditches, the mind carries positive and negative thoughts according to the places we move around in the day.
There is no need for a seed for the grass to grow. Likewise the flow of thoughts is the nature of mind which grows in plenty every second.
Arjuna says to Krishna in the 6th chapter of Gita – ‘the mind is fickle, turbulent, powerful and unyielding. To control it, I think, is as difficult as controlling the wind itself’. How many resolutions we have taken in our lives?! How many we have truly followed it?!!! The mind is so powerful that it just drags us along in its direction like that of wind.
We feel so blissful during sleep. Then the mind is not at work. It is possible to attain that stillness of mind even while we are awake – if we can learn to control the mind and think only what we want to think. The innumerable thoughts are because we don’t filter anything which comes our way. We are like mobile dustbins with infinite capacity carrying all kinds of thoughts – be it ours or others. Reiki principle says that as we clean our dustbins every day, we need to clean up the thoughts for that day.
Guruji often says to end the day with this sloka - ‘kaayena vaacha manasindriyair…’’- whatever I have done with this body, mind and senses, I offer it at your feet Narayana! When we offer everything at the feet of the Lord, we go empty mind to sleep and the next day is a fresh day, the Prasad of the Lord.
In Thirupaavai, Andal places the responsibility on the Lord Himself, knowing the nature of mind as unsteady like that of wind, to remove all desires from our mind. The desires make us dance, run here and there in life. If we look into our past life, we know this statement is true. The Lord creates vairagya in the mind of one who surrenders and makes him completely engrossed in His thoughts. Controlling the mind is an important spiritual sadhana. Otherwise all good we got from satsangh and scriptures will be blown away by our desires and undisciplined life.
When Arjuna said that it is difficult to control the mind, Lord too accepted that statement. But Lord said that it is possible with ABHYAASA (PRACTICE) AND VAIRAGYA (DISPASSION).
WHAT IS THE HIGHEST REFUGE OF VIRTUE?
LIBERALITY IS THE HIGHEST REFUGE OF VIRTUE. (This answer reflects one of the most important facets of Hinduism, which is acceptance of and tolerance towards other view points. The piece of gold has all the qualities of the bar of gold. All moving and unmoving are born from only one source, the Lord. The last part of the Sathyanarayana Katha tells us how we should behave with respect to other people’s puja, worship and religion. In that story, the king refused to take the Prasad which the cowherd boys offered to him because of his pride. Acceptance is the great quality of a bhaktha. The wise avoid arguments as it is an action of ego. By accepting we grow and not by rejecting. The more one accepts, he grows wider in heart. If our own child stamps our feet, how would we take it!!!!! Similarly other views may be wrong as per our scriptures but bearing it and accepting them as a part of us make one dear to Lord. How our Guru accept us with all our faults! That compassion alone makes one love the Lord as Guru Himself is the prathyaksha Daivam. It is the virtue by itself. Tolerance without accepting will increase the feeling of anger and many negative feelings. They both go hand in hand with each other. Love is the only common language and others are only external practices.
Vidura explains this liberality in beautiful words in the conversation with Dhrithrashtra. Observing true religion, one should learn to regard both the agreeable and the disagreeable like his own self. One should not return the slanders or reproaches of others. Strange to say, when a silent man suffers these reproaches, it is the slanderer that is consumed and the virtues, if any, of the slanderer find a home in the other man.).
WHAT IS THE HIGHEST REFUGE OF FAME?
GIFT IS THE HIGHEST REFUGE OF FAME(One of the eight things which glorifies a man is gift given with discrimination. Vidura tells that sacrifice, study, asceticism, GIFT, truth, forgiveness, mercy and contentment are eight different paths of righteousness. He also added that the first four of these may be practiced from motives of pride but the later four can exist only in them who are truly great. Gifts should be given out of compassion to the right person and not out of pride. If given with the big ego, then it cannot be taken as a righteous action. In the book ‘don’t sweat the small stuff and it is all small stuff’, the author asks every one of us to give something to the needy and not to tell others about it. He promises that it gives us more happiness than sharing it with others. Our Guruji painted and renovated a school in Manipal and the school wanted him to be the chief guest for the opening ceremony. But he didn’t go for the function. Anything we give without expecting anything in return is only the great action. That brings fame. The other kind of fame which comes by big advertisements is temporary.
The greatest giver we remember even today is Karna. The proverb ‘be like Parjanya in giving’ was changed to ‘be like Karna in giving’, because of his sacrifice of Kavacha and Kundala which was his very life. He had never said ‘no’ to anyone in his life. He sacrificed his own life for the sake of his dharma.
Gifts cannot be rated as higher or lower. The giving by itself is a great virtue. Gift can be anything but the highest gift is the knowledge. Through this knowledge alone one performs righteous action. In present days also we give gifts. We wait for the cameraman to focus on us and with a great show we give. What is given without any expectation be it return gift or name or fame, is the real gift. But very rarely people know the true meaning of gift.
When Karna gave the Kavacha and Kundala, Indra spoke great words of praise. ‘Whether you win the war or lose it is a minor matter. You have won everlasting fame. You will be remembered by posterity as the greatest giver. You will be known in the world of men as the man who could defy fate and carve a name for himself in the scrolls of time. It is not given to everyone to be a personage like you, who will be remembered for ever and forever’.
WHAT IS THE HIGHEST REFUGE OF HEAVEN?
TRUTH IS THE HIGHEST REFUGE OF HEAVEN. (Truth is the duty of every human being. It is an eternal duty. Truth is the highest refuge of heaven. Truth is the greatest penance. Truth is the highest yoga and truth is the Eternal Brahman. It is the sacrifice which is greater than all other sacrifices. All the three worlds rest on Truth and nothing else. Truth is immutable, eternal and unchangeable. Pitamaha Bheeshma explains to Yudishthira that the Truth is of thirteen kinds namely impartiality, self-control, forgiveness, modesty, endurance, goodness, renunciation, contemplation, dignity, fortitude, compassion and abstinence from injury. When we hear the word Truth two wise people come to our minds. Harichandra and Mahatma Gandhi performed the tapas of truth. They faced lots of difficulties in their lives but never missed to practice. Our Guru is leading all of us with this virtue).
WHAT IS THE HIGHEST REFUGE OF HAPPINESS?
GOOD BEHAVIOUR IS THE HIGHEST REFUGE OF HAPPINESS (Swami Chinmayananda writes in a letter to children that the quality of our behavior will depend upon the respect that we have got for the association, the institution to which we belong – may be caste, creed, religion, a nation or community. For this sense of belonging, one must know who their parents are and what they have done. Do they deserve my respect? Have they made any sacrifice for me? If we don’t know that, then I am an orphan. If we don’t know our father and have no respect for the mother, we will feel lonely in the world and feel unhappy. We have no moral values to compare whether what he is doing is morally right or wrong.
Character in good part is conduct. We behave as we are. We cannot behave better for any length of time unless we are better. Our scriptures have given great guidelines about how our conduct, behavior should be. This is complete self effort. Nobody forced Harichandra to speak truth, Yudishthira to stand on Dharma, Draupadi to forgive Ashvattaama. It comes out of reasoning between the true and the untrue. One concentrates on love and tenacity on truth. These people still stand in our hearts because of their great qualities and because of their delicate fragrance of the blossomed flower. It is what spontaneously emanates from within the person who has done this home work for bringing himself up, under no outer compulsion, but by propulsion of his own self-chosen ideals of his life.
Good behavior towards others begets good behavior from others. It creates an atmosphere of congeniality in which happiness thrives. Good behavior includes all the good qualities mentioned above by Yudishthira like truth, kindness, being humble, polite, liberality, gift, sacrifice, etc. We can see the Pandavas behaving good in all circumstances which has come as a result of the support and strength of the great mother Kunti and guidance from great saints. Good behavior settles in a man by obeying parents, elders, Guru and to the inner self.
Yudhistira is a personification of dharma. But when Krishna asked Beeshma to instruct Yudishtira about the ways of ruling the kingdom, Yudishtira remained a humble student. A man with a good behavior remain humble learners all through their lives and keep their minds open to all authentic teachings, no matter whence they come.
It is the ego which is the cause of the bad behavior. As Bhagavad Gita says, attachment leads to desire, unfulfilled desire leads to anger, anger leads to delusion, delusion leads to buddhi naasham, buddhi nasham leads to loss of memory and loss of memory leads to one’s destruction of life itself. Even the person may be rich, has great name and fame but feel unhappy as long as his actions are driven by ego.
CONCLUSION:
To control the mind, we need to live a life of discipline. We have around us great people, who are living with the golden values and every moment of life is a tapas for them not to move an inch from these values. This is what the Lord says as practice which controls the mind not to wave here and there. To have this we need to leave certain things of the world. Like to attend sathsang, we need to leave the weekend parties.
Let us lovingly develop the qualities of truth, compassion, sacrifice etc (Gita mentions these qualities in chapter 16 as divine qualities) into our day to day life. Our Guruji always used to say that if we take efforts to develop one of these qualities, the other qualities automatically step into us.
Let us practice here and now. Let us not wait for a new year to begin or any other auspicious day.
HARI OM!
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YAKSHA PRASHNAM – SATHSANG PART 4
By Chitra Devraj
‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ which means ‘to have the bhaavah that our guest is the Lord Himself’. Atithi generally means surprise guest. Whoever comes at unexpected time should be given food and love.THERE IS FOUND A PERSON WHO ENJOYS ALL THE OBJECTS OF THE SENSES. HE IS INTELLIGENT. THE WORLD HOLDS HIM IN ESTEEM AND HE IS QUITE POPULAR. AND YET, THOUGH THIS MAN BREATHS, IT IS SAID THAT HE DOES NOT LIVE. WHY?
A man, though he breathes, is considered to be not alive if he does not offer anything to Gods, guests, servants and the pithris. (This answer underlines the fact that a selfish person even though lives, he is considered as dead. The whole creation operates on the value of sacrifice. Lord Krishna says in Bhagawad Gita that a person who enjoys other people’s efforts and doesn’t contribute anything to the world is considered as a thief. Every day is the Prasad of the Lord.
Our scriptures explain in great detail that each sense organ is presided over by a deity. For example, the presiding deity of the eye is Agni, the presiding deity of ears is Vaayu. What can be the best offering to the Gods? If we use the sense organs to think about the Lord, to hear about the Lord, to see, touch, smell the Lord that can only be the best of the offerings.
Our Vedas say ‘Ateeti Devo Bhavah’ which means ‘to have the bhavah that our guest is the Lord Himself’. Ateeti generally means surprise guest. Ateeti is not a guest whom we invite at our convenient time and day. Whoever comes at unexpected time should be given food and love. We may arrange big parties, but that can never be considered as a selfless action. It will become like the story of Kubera who called Lord Shiva for a dinner just to show off his wealth. The Lord never comes with a notice.
We always give what is unwanted to the servants working at home, for example three days old food, last decoction coffee. We eat before them but never offer anything to them. These actions show our arrogance and pride. The Lord who is in us is in them also. People generally pay the servants less and get more work done through them. We should not understand that the servants should be treated as angels but they should be treated with compassion and love.
Shraardham is the word which has born out of Shraddha. It is an offering we make for our father and forefathers for all the blessings they had showered on us. Swami Parmaarthananda says that even if they had not given us big riches, they have given us this body through which we are enjoying this world. Offering to Pithris is a thanks giving ceremony and it makes one humble in life.
As long as we have desires we cannot be a part of sacrifice in the creation. The desires make us selfish in life. We breathe in and breathe out only thinking about us and who are attached to us. A person may be well educated and hold a great post in the world. But Bhagavad Gita tells they are zero in the eyes of the Lord, if they work centered in the thought ‘I am the body’. As long as we don’t have the mind to give others, share with others, we live a dead man’s life. A dead man is useless to anyone around. Similarly we become useless to the world if we are self-centered).
WHAT IS WEIGHTER THAN THE EARTH ITSELF?
The mother has more weight than the earth. (Weight generally means the capacity to take burdens. Weightier is used in the sense of bearing a heavier burden and the mother bears the burden of bringing up the family, usually with insufficient resources. The Pandavas mother Kunti is a great example for this. In all the difficulties, she has brought up her children in a great way. The strength of the mind of Kunti ma was so great that the Pandavas faced all difficulties with courage and they could live happily even in the forest (Our children are unhappy when they move away from Gulf).Her devotion and love for Krishna had been passed on to the children too. They had been guided by Krishna all through their life.
The child is shaped as per the nature and temperament of the mother. Her virtuous behavior makes the child brilliant. The great God had created this whole universe. Innumerable kinds and varieties of living beings are existing in this world. All are well acquainted with the traits and characteristics of their temperaments and natural tendencies. But no living being possesses the highest esteemable quality or virtue of compassion and affection which only the mother possesses for all. When Lord Krishna left the world, the Mother Earth was crying that who will relieve her from the evil effects of Kali. In any circumstances in life, a mother never thinks of getting rid of the children or husband irrespective of they are good or bad.
Because of these virtues in her the Vedas have offered great admiration and respect in their very beginning by quoting “Maatru devo bhava”. “Always hold mother as God”. This great respect is offered by the Vedas because woman is the mine of the most precious human-diamonds.
We have Mother Teresa, Mata Amritanandamayee who has great capacity to listen to people, cry for them, show them great love and care. We see the nature of mother in them. They are mother to the world because of their unconditional love.
WHAT IS HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS?
The father is higher than the heavens. (Heaven is the place of happiness. The father is the head of the family, the figure that the family looks up to for the guidance in every way. Listening and following the guidance of the father, a man gets happiness here and now. The respect and love we carry for the parents will give us all higher things we seek in life here and now.
Man gives importance to the reality that actually is noticed by him. But woman is an image of cautiousness and pity. If these two temperaments of man and woman holding the above said virtues come together, the earth will become ‘vaikunta’ (the abode of Lord Vishnu)
CONCLUSION:
One comes out of delusion only by understanding the Vibhuthi of the Lord in everyone and in everything we see in our day to day life. Tenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita says that one who knows the Lord as beginningless, unborn and Lord of all worlds is undeluded (assamudah). It is not by taking man grows. It is only by giving man grows. Let us be the first persons to give love. Let us go beyond finding faults with others. Let us live the life of divinity and not the life of a dead man.
Every practice starts at home. If we cannot love and respect our parents, we cannot love people outside. All great spiritual knowledge and worldly degrees are useless if we don’t thank them for what they had given for us. They need our love and care especially at their old age. Everybody long for mother’s love because it is the purest and divine by itself. Bhagavad Gita says ‘yad yad acharathi shreshta tat tad eve taro janah’ which means whatever great people do, the others follow. Our parents have guided us in a great way. Similarly our actions will be followed by our children because for them we are great. Let us live in the line of dharma in every way.
HARI OM!
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‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ which means ‘to have the bhaavah that our guest is the Lord Himself’. Atithi generally means surprise guest. Whoever comes at unexpected time should be given food and love.THERE IS FOUND A PERSON WHO ENJOYS ALL THE OBJECTS OF THE SENSES. HE IS INTELLIGENT. THE WORLD HOLDS HIM IN ESTEEM AND HE IS QUITE POPULAR. AND YET, THOUGH THIS MAN BREATHS, IT IS SAID THAT HE DOES NOT LIVE. WHY?
A man, though he breathes, is considered to be not alive if he does not offer anything to Gods, guests, servants and the pithris. (This answer underlines the fact that a selfish person even though lives, he is considered as dead. The whole creation operates on the value of sacrifice. Lord Krishna says in Bhagawad Gita that a person who enjoys other people’s efforts and doesn’t contribute anything to the world is considered as a thief. Every day is the Prasad of the Lord.
Our scriptures explain in great detail that each sense organ is presided over by a deity. For example, the presiding deity of the eye is Agni, the presiding deity of ears is Vaayu. What can be the best offering to the Gods? If we use the sense organs to think about the Lord, to hear about the Lord, to see, touch, smell the Lord that can only be the best of the offerings.
Our Vedas say ‘Ateeti Devo Bhavah’ which means ‘to have the bhavah that our guest is the Lord Himself’. Ateeti generally means surprise guest. Ateeti is not a guest whom we invite at our convenient time and day. Whoever comes at unexpected time should be given food and love. We may arrange big parties, but that can never be considered as a selfless action. It will become like the story of Kubera who called Lord Shiva for a dinner just to show off his wealth. The Lord never comes with a notice.
We always give what is unwanted to the servants working at home, for example three days old food, last decoction coffee. We eat before them but never offer anything to them. These actions show our arrogance and pride. The Lord who is in us is in them also. People generally pay the servants less and get more work done through them. We should not understand that the servants should be treated as angels but they should be treated with compassion and love.
Shraardham is the word which has born out of Shraddha. It is an offering we make for our father and forefathers for all the blessings they had showered on us. Swami Parmaarthananda says that even if they had not given us big riches, they have given us this body through which we are enjoying this world. Offering to Pithris is a thanks giving ceremony and it makes one humble in life.
As long as we have desires we cannot be a part of sacrifice in the creation. The desires make us selfish in life. We breathe in and breathe out only thinking about us and who are attached to us. A person may be well educated and hold a great post in the world. But Bhagavad Gita tells they are zero in the eyes of the Lord, if they work centered in the thought ‘I am the body’. As long as we don’t have the mind to give others, share with others, we live a dead man’s life. A dead man is useless to anyone around. Similarly we become useless to the world if we are self-centered).
WHAT IS WEIGHTER THAN THE EARTH ITSELF?
The mother has more weight than the earth. (Weight generally means the capacity to take burdens. Weightier is used in the sense of bearing a heavier burden and the mother bears the burden of bringing up the family, usually with insufficient resources. The Pandavas mother Kunti is a great example for this. In all the difficulties, she has brought up her children in a great way. The strength of the mind of Kunti ma was so great that the Pandavas faced all difficulties with courage and they could live happily even in the forest (Our children are unhappy when they move away from Gulf).Her devotion and love for Krishna had been passed on to the children too. They had been guided by Krishna all through their life.
The child is shaped as per the nature and temperament of the mother. Her virtuous behavior makes the child brilliant. The great God had created this whole universe. Innumerable kinds and varieties of living beings are existing in this world. All are well acquainted with the traits and characteristics of their temperaments and natural tendencies. But no living being possesses the highest esteemable quality or virtue of compassion and affection which only the mother possesses for all. When Lord Krishna left the world, the Mother Earth was crying that who will relieve her from the evil effects of Kali. In any circumstances in life, a mother never thinks of getting rid of the children or husband irrespective of they are good or bad.
Because of these virtues in her the Vedas have offered great admiration and respect in their very beginning by quoting “Maatru devo bhava”. “Always hold mother as God”. This great respect is offered by the Vedas because woman is the mine of the most precious human-diamonds.
We have Mother Teresa, Mata Amritanandamayee who has great capacity to listen to people, cry for them, show them great love and care. We see the nature of mother in them. They are mother to the world because of their unconditional love.
WHAT IS HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS?
The father is higher than the heavens. (Heaven is the place of happiness. The father is the head of the family, the figure that the family looks up to for the guidance in every way. Listening and following the guidance of the father, a man gets happiness here and now. The respect and love we carry for the parents will give us all higher things we seek in life here and now.
Man gives importance to the reality that actually is noticed by him. But woman is an image of cautiousness and pity. If these two temperaments of man and woman holding the above said virtues come together, the earth will become ‘vaikunta’ (the abode of Lord Vishnu)
CONCLUSION:
One comes out of delusion only by understanding the Vibhuthi of the Lord in everyone and in everything we see in our day to day life. Tenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita says that one who knows the Lord as beginningless, unborn and Lord of all worlds is undeluded (assamudah). It is not by taking man grows. It is only by giving man grows. Let us be the first persons to give love. Let us go beyond finding faults with others. Let us live the life of divinity and not the life of a dead man.
Every practice starts at home. If we cannot love and respect our parents, we cannot love people outside. All great spiritual knowledge and worldly degrees are useless if we don’t thank them for what they had given for us. They need our love and care especially at their old age. Everybody long for mother’s love because it is the purest and divine by itself. Bhagavad Gita says ‘yad yad acharathi shreshta tat tad eve taro janah’ which means whatever great people do, the others follow. Our parents have guided us in a great way. Similarly our actions will be followed by our children because for them we are great. Let us live in the line of dharma in every way.
HARI OM!
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Yaksha Prashnam - 3
By Chitra Devraj
With the grace of our Guruji and the blessings of all great Mahatmas, I am before you with the next part of Yaksha Prashna sathsang.
INTRODUCTION TO KSHATRIYAS:
The four varnas (not castes) – Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Shudra play a very important role in the picture of the World/creation. The varnas are assigned as per the Gunas and Karmas (actions) and not by birth.When Brahmaji was involved in the job of procreation, due to toil and perspiration, a negative energy emanated from him. This negative energy took the form of two asuras Madhu and Kaitabha. They were evil and inhuman souls. They tortured Brahmaji. Brahmaji appealed to Lord Vishnu who immediately appeared and destroyed the two asuras. He explained to Brahmaji that when the positive energy is utilized, the negative energy also emanates and that a special race of humans should be created to protect the entire human race. Brahmaji meditated on it and at the end of the fourth day, different forms of energy for the human race were formed out of Brahma’s body. The Kshatriyas were formed from the arms of Brahma’s body. The Kshatriyas are the warriors, ruling class with two primary duties 1) to govern the land and 2) to wage war. They follow the rules written in our scriputres (Dharma-raja), with the main duties to protect his subjects and livestock.
How colors play a beautiful role in a picture, the four varnas (not castes) – Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Shudra play a very important role in the picture of the World/creation. The varnas are assigned as per the Gunas and Karmas (actions) and not by birth (Bhagavad Gita says that it is ‘guna karma vibhagasah’).
WHAT OF KSHATRIYAS? WHEREIN LAYS THEIR DIVINITY?
It lies in the arrows and weapons. (Divinity is always related to the purity of mind. Purity of mind is the result of doing one’s duty with total love and dedication. The duty of a Kshatriya is to protect the country and the people. It is not only applicable to the kings but also to the present set up of ruling class of ministers. We know how many of our soldiers have keen vigilance in the borders, day and night to protect us. The weapons in the hands of Kshatriyas/soldiers make them divine because they use it to protect the lives of good people. Recent act of terrorism in Bombay is unforgettable to us. How our soldiers came forward to protect the innocent people taking the risk of losing their own lives! The soldiers (Karkare, Unnikrishnan) had given their lives in the act of protecting people. That is a divine action. The same weapon in the hands of terrorists is sinful because it was used for the destruction, motivated by selfish desire and anger).
WHAT IS THEIR PRACTICE WHICH MAKES THEM PIOUS?
They perform sacrifices and that makes them pious. (Sacrifice is not giving up what we don’t like. Sacrifice is giving up things for the good of others at the right place and at the right time and also what is important to us. The whole life of the ruling class or the soldiers is a sacrifice. They sacrifice their hunger, time, sleep and even the very life itself. All the sacrifices are not for the good of their families or their own self, but for the good of many people. This is the ideal state of Kshatriyas given in our dharma.
Bheeshma in his talks on ‘Dharma of a king’ says: ‘The worship of mother, father and preceptor are the most important duties. These three should be worshipped and their commands should be obeyed implicitly. They are like three fires that have to be worshipped daily. Serving them one crosses this world of misery and attains to happiness’.
A Kshatriya is employed in the deed of fierceness. In his case, sacrifice and giving gifts becomes cleansing agents for him. The kings part with their wealth and other valuables by conducting yajnas lead by great rishis and Brahmanas. The yajnams are conducted for the good of the kingdom and the people. The truthfulness and selflessness of the king and the respect he has for the devotees in the kingdom makes him pious. He offers himself as a sacrifice in the act of ruling).
LIABILITY TO DEATH MAKES BRAHMINS LESS DIVINE. WHAT OF KSHATRIYAS?
In their case it is liability to fear. (Fear is not the quality of a Kshatriya. One who is strong and brave only can protect himself and also others. A Kshatriya is a man of action. When Arjuna saw his own relatives, gurus, friends and brothers arrayed in the opposite side, told Krishna that he did not want to fight. Lord Krishna explains in many slokas that the duty of a Kshatriya is to fight. He says to Arjuna that ‘War is the open gate to heaven. If you win, you have the heavenly kingdom here. If you die, it becomes ‘veera swargam’. And every Kshatriya waits for such an opportunity to fight for Dharma. If our soldiers have feared to enter Taj hotel or Narimann House, what would have happened? The fear makes one not to perform one’s duty with love. Whenever the selfish thought demands attention, we fall down from our divinity).
TELL ME ABOUT SACRIFICES. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE SAMA IN A SACRIFICE? AND YAJUS? THERE IS SOMETHING WHICH IS THE REFUGE OF SACRIFICE. WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR SACRIFICE?
Life is the Sama and mind is the Yajus. (The Sama Veda concerns the knowledge of chants. Sama means ‘melody’. This Veda is based on the Rik Veda. The hymns are addressed to Soma(moon), Agni(fire) and Indra(the God of Heaven). The life has emerged from that ultimate reality, the one source of many. If the senses(Indra) are in control, the fire(knowledge) which is already inside us makes our life complete(moon). We are in harmony with the creation, which consists of Nature and the Divine Agencies, the Devas, who control the forces of nature,when we are not behind the senses (when we are not selfish). Life becomes a wonderful, pleasant music by itself.
Yajur Veda is the sacrificial formula + veda knowledge. It talks in great detail about the sacrifices. The best sacrifice is the offering of one’s mind at the feet of the Lord. The renouncing of doership and the enjoyership is the highest of all sacrifices which takes one to the light of knowledge. The mind is the one which takes one towards attachment, when we don’t give up anything in life and the same mind becomes the cause of liberation, if it is offered to God.
Rik is the refuge of sacrifice. It is Rik which is essential for sacrifice.(The Rik veda is the foremost of all Sruti literature. One of the most important ideas that came out of the Rik Veda is the cosmic order named Rta. Rta means “cosmic and sacred order”, an ultimate and harmonic structure of reality. This is named now as Sanatana Dharma or ‘righteousness forever’.
It deals in great detail about the ‘Atma Jnanam’. Everyone’s action is a contribution to the world. When we don’t contribute, we disturb the harmony of the surroundings. Whatever we are enjoying today is somebody’s sacrifice, it may be a known or unknown source. This Veda makes one realize the greatness of sacrifice and makes one live with the truth. It is only by giving up man grows and not by holding on to things).
CONCLUSION
Sacrifice is highlighted in all the answers of Yudishtira. Bhagavad Gita says “Parasparam bhavayantah shreya param avaapsyatha” - Mutually cherishing, you shall attain to highest good. It is the success formula in any stage of life. Let us always think of good for others in all our actions. The Lord is said to be the ‘Yajna Purusha’. The whole of the cosmos is His body or His expression. Whatever action we do should be the best as we do offer the best fruit or a best flower to the Lord. It is through selfless attitude and love we can purify our mind and in that purified mind alone the Lord can express Himself the best. Let us make ourselves the best instrument in the Hands of the Lord.
Hari Om!
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With the grace of our Guruji and the blessings of all great Mahatmas, I am before you with the next part of Yaksha Prashna sathsang.
INTRODUCTION TO KSHATRIYAS:
The four varnas (not castes) – Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Shudra play a very important role in the picture of the World/creation. The varnas are assigned as per the Gunas and Karmas (actions) and not by birth.When Brahmaji was involved in the job of procreation, due to toil and perspiration, a negative energy emanated from him. This negative energy took the form of two asuras Madhu and Kaitabha. They were evil and inhuman souls. They tortured Brahmaji. Brahmaji appealed to Lord Vishnu who immediately appeared and destroyed the two asuras. He explained to Brahmaji that when the positive energy is utilized, the negative energy also emanates and that a special race of humans should be created to protect the entire human race. Brahmaji meditated on it and at the end of the fourth day, different forms of energy for the human race were formed out of Brahma’s body. The Kshatriyas were formed from the arms of Brahma’s body. The Kshatriyas are the warriors, ruling class with two primary duties 1) to govern the land and 2) to wage war. They follow the rules written in our scriputres (Dharma-raja), with the main duties to protect his subjects and livestock.
How colors play a beautiful role in a picture, the four varnas (not castes) – Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Shudra play a very important role in the picture of the World/creation. The varnas are assigned as per the Gunas and Karmas (actions) and not by birth (Bhagavad Gita says that it is ‘guna karma vibhagasah’).
WHAT OF KSHATRIYAS? WHEREIN LAYS THEIR DIVINITY?
It lies in the arrows and weapons. (Divinity is always related to the purity of mind. Purity of mind is the result of doing one’s duty with total love and dedication. The duty of a Kshatriya is to protect the country and the people. It is not only applicable to the kings but also to the present set up of ruling class of ministers. We know how many of our soldiers have keen vigilance in the borders, day and night to protect us. The weapons in the hands of Kshatriyas/soldiers make them divine because they use it to protect the lives of good people. Recent act of terrorism in Bombay is unforgettable to us. How our soldiers came forward to protect the innocent people taking the risk of losing their own lives! The soldiers (Karkare, Unnikrishnan) had given their lives in the act of protecting people. That is a divine action. The same weapon in the hands of terrorists is sinful because it was used for the destruction, motivated by selfish desire and anger).
WHAT IS THEIR PRACTICE WHICH MAKES THEM PIOUS?
They perform sacrifices and that makes them pious. (Sacrifice is not giving up what we don’t like. Sacrifice is giving up things for the good of others at the right place and at the right time and also what is important to us. The whole life of the ruling class or the soldiers is a sacrifice. They sacrifice their hunger, time, sleep and even the very life itself. All the sacrifices are not for the good of their families or their own self, but for the good of many people. This is the ideal state of Kshatriyas given in our dharma.
Bheeshma in his talks on ‘Dharma of a king’ says: ‘The worship of mother, father and preceptor are the most important duties. These three should be worshipped and their commands should be obeyed implicitly. They are like three fires that have to be worshipped daily. Serving them one crosses this world of misery and attains to happiness’.
A Kshatriya is employed in the deed of fierceness. In his case, sacrifice and giving gifts becomes cleansing agents for him. The kings part with their wealth and other valuables by conducting yajnas lead by great rishis and Brahmanas. The yajnams are conducted for the good of the kingdom and the people. The truthfulness and selflessness of the king and the respect he has for the devotees in the kingdom makes him pious. He offers himself as a sacrifice in the act of ruling).
LIABILITY TO DEATH MAKES BRAHMINS LESS DIVINE. WHAT OF KSHATRIYAS?
In their case it is liability to fear. (Fear is not the quality of a Kshatriya. One who is strong and brave only can protect himself and also others. A Kshatriya is a man of action. When Arjuna saw his own relatives, gurus, friends and brothers arrayed in the opposite side, told Krishna that he did not want to fight. Lord Krishna explains in many slokas that the duty of a Kshatriya is to fight. He says to Arjuna that ‘War is the open gate to heaven. If you win, you have the heavenly kingdom here. If you die, it becomes ‘veera swargam’. And every Kshatriya waits for such an opportunity to fight for Dharma. If our soldiers have feared to enter Taj hotel or Narimann House, what would have happened? The fear makes one not to perform one’s duty with love. Whenever the selfish thought demands attention, we fall down from our divinity).
TELL ME ABOUT SACRIFICES. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE SAMA IN A SACRIFICE? AND YAJUS? THERE IS SOMETHING WHICH IS THE REFUGE OF SACRIFICE. WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR SACRIFICE?
Life is the Sama and mind is the Yajus. (The Sama Veda concerns the knowledge of chants. Sama means ‘melody’. This Veda is based on the Rik Veda. The hymns are addressed to Soma(moon), Agni(fire) and Indra(the God of Heaven). The life has emerged from that ultimate reality, the one source of many. If the senses(Indra) are in control, the fire(knowledge) which is already inside us makes our life complete(moon). We are in harmony with the creation, which consists of Nature and the Divine Agencies, the Devas, who control the forces of nature,when we are not behind the senses (when we are not selfish). Life becomes a wonderful, pleasant music by itself.
Yajur Veda is the sacrificial formula + veda knowledge. It talks in great detail about the sacrifices. The best sacrifice is the offering of one’s mind at the feet of the Lord. The renouncing of doership and the enjoyership is the highest of all sacrifices which takes one to the light of knowledge. The mind is the one which takes one towards attachment, when we don’t give up anything in life and the same mind becomes the cause of liberation, if it is offered to God.
Rik is the refuge of sacrifice. It is Rik which is essential for sacrifice.(The Rik veda is the foremost of all Sruti literature. One of the most important ideas that came out of the Rik Veda is the cosmic order named Rta. Rta means “cosmic and sacred order”, an ultimate and harmonic structure of reality. This is named now as Sanatana Dharma or ‘righteousness forever’.
It deals in great detail about the ‘Atma Jnanam’. Everyone’s action is a contribution to the world. When we don’t contribute, we disturb the harmony of the surroundings. Whatever we are enjoying today is somebody’s sacrifice, it may be a known or unknown source. This Veda makes one realize the greatness of sacrifice and makes one live with the truth. It is only by giving up man grows and not by holding on to things).
CONCLUSION
Sacrifice is highlighted in all the answers of Yudishtira. Bhagavad Gita says “Parasparam bhavayantah shreya param avaapsyatha” - Mutually cherishing, you shall attain to highest good. It is the success formula in any stage of life. Let us always think of good for others in all our actions. The Lord is said to be the ‘Yajna Purusha’. The whole of the cosmos is His body or His expression. Whatever action we do should be the best as we do offer the best fruit or a best flower to the Lord. It is through selfless attitude and love we can purify our mind and in that purified mind alone the Lord can express Himself the best. Let us make ourselves the best instrument in the Hands of the Lord.
Hari Om!
...Read more!
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