HINDU DHARMA - THE UNIVERSAL WAY OF LIFE - THE SAGE OF KANCHI

2015-13  Hindu Dharma - The Universal Way of LIfe - The Sage of Kanchi

Hindu Dharma - The Universal Way of Life - The Sage of Kanchi

To deal with Hindu Dharma or more correctly Veda Dharma or Sanatana Dharma, within the compass of a book, is like containing an ocean in a jar. 

It is a task which can be accomplished only by a Great Master like Pujyasri Chandra Sekarendra Saraswati Swami [1894-1994], the Sage of Kanchi.

In this book, the Jagadguru discusses the basic texts of the Veda Dharma -- the four Vedas, the six Vedangas, Meemamsa, Nyaya, Puranas and Dharma Sastra and make them part of one unified vision that is Hinduism. 

This book comprises the discourses originally delivered in Tamil by the Jagadguru and included in volumes 1 & 2 of Deivatthin Kural compiled by Ra. Ganapathi.

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We shall see here briefly the section 22 on Dharmas Common to All

"Why do we keep sinning?" is a problem that always worries us. "Why do we get angry? And why do we desire this and that? Can't we remain always happy without sinning, without anger and desire?" We do not seem to know the answers to these questions.

Step-step by step, a man must become wholly sweet like a mellow fruit and free himself happily from the tree of samsara, the cycle of births and deaths. Desire, anger, and so on, are necessary stages in our development like bitterness, astringency, sourness and sweetness in the growth of a fruit.

When we are subject to urges like desire and anger we will not be to free ourselves fully from them but we must keep asking ourselves why we become subject to these urges and passions. We must constantly wonder whether they serve any purpose. If we do not remain vigilant about them we will become victims of their deception.

There must be astringency when it is time for astringency and sourness when it is time for sourness. But neither astringency nor sourness must remain a permanent state. Just as a tender fruit becomes mellow, we too must become mellow and sweet. If we do so there is no need to seek liberation on our own. If we are as we should be in the different stages of our life, liberation shall come in the natural process. 

Let us adhere to the dharma prescribed by the Vedas. If we do so, we will proceed gradually to the supreme jnana. Now we are aware only of outward matters. So let us start with the outward rites of our religion and the outward symbols and signs. By degrees then let us go to the inner reality through the different stages from that of the tender fruit to the fruit that is mellow and sweet.

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How to Control the Mind

What is the obstacle to one-pointed meditation? The answer is the unstill mind. All problems are caused by the mind, by the desires arising in it. It is not easy to control the mind and keep it away effectively from desire. If we ask the mind to think of an object, it seems to obey us for a moment, but soon it takes its own course, wandering off. 

First we must train our mind not to keep wandering. One way of doing it is to apply it to good activities. It must be accustomed to think of noble and exalted objects like the Lord. Eventually, the very act of "thinking" will cease and we will dissolve in Isvara to become Isvara. Yoga is controlling the mind in this manner.

Who needs medicine? The sick. We suffer from mano-vyadhi, mental sickness. So we must take the medicine that cures it. There are two different ways of mastering the mind - the first is outward and the second is inward. We must have recourse to both. By employing both the outward and inward means, the mind must first be applied to good things one-pointedly and eventually lead to a state in which it does not think of anything at all.

The outward means consists, for example, of sandhyavandana, sacrifices, charity and so on. The best inward means is meditation. There are five means to aid meditation. They are 1] ahimsa (nonviolence), 2] satya (truthfulness), 3] asteyam (non-stealing), 4] sauca (cleanliness) and 5] indriya-nigraha [subduing the senses. 

To practise ahimsa is to imbue the mind with love for all and not even think of harming others. Asteyam means not coveting other people's goods. For satya, or truthfulness, to be complete one's entire being, including body, mind and speech*, must be involved in its practice. Sauca is hygiene, observing cleanliness by bathing, maintaining ritual purity, etc. Indriyanigraha implies limits placed on sensual enjoyment.

"The eyes must not see certain things, the ears must not hear certain things and the mouth must not eat certain things" - restrictions with regard to what you can see, listen to, eat and do with your body. The body is meant for sadhana, for Atmic discipline. The senses must be "fed" only to the extent necessary to keep the body alive. These five dharmas are to be practiced by all.

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Rta, Satya and Dharma:

* The word "dharma" is derived from "dhr" to uphold, sustain or nourish. The seers often use it in close association with "rta" and "satya". Sri Vidyaranya defines rta as the mental perception and realization of God. The Taittriya Upanishad uses it with "satya" and "dharma". It exhorts students to speak the truth and practise dharma ["satyam vada"; "dharmam chara"]. According to Sri Sankara, satya means speaking the truth and dharma means translating it [satya] into action.

"An analysis of the significance of these three words [ ऋत,  सत्य, धर्मं  rta, satya and dharma] brings out clearly to us the fundamental basis of dharma as the ideal for an individual. While rta denotes the mental perception and realization of truth and satya denotes the expression in words of truth as perceived by the mind, dharma is the observance of truth, in the conduct of life. 

In fact, dharma is the way of life which translates into action the truth perceived by the man of insight as expressed by him truly. In short, rta is truth in thought, satya is truth in words and dharma is truth in deed."

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For the full text of HINDU DHARMA in pdf -- Click Here or on Picture

For the full text of DEIVATTHIN KURAL in pdf -- Click Here or on Picture

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