In our culture, the life of an individual is
to be governed by the teaching of the Vedas. Vedas are otherwise known as
Shruti and therefore, an individual life should be in keeping with the Shruti
just as a musician’s music should be in keeping with Shruti. If the Shruti is
behind and if the musician is aware of the Shruti then his music will be
enjoyable. Not only he himself enjoys but in the process he gives enjoyment to
others also. If the support of Shruti is not there and if the music becomes
Apashruti, it is not only a problem for him but it is terrible for other people
also. In the same way, if our life is governed by the teaching of Shruti our
life will be like music.
The Vedas or
Shruti has no origin. It has been coming down in the form of a Parampara -
Anādi Parampara, the author is unknown. That is why they say it is Shruti - it
is heard. From where it was heard, nobody knows. Therefore we say it is
Apourushēyam. It is not created by human being or we say that it is a gift from
the Lord himself.
We classify
this Shruti teaching into two parts. The first part of the Shruti or the Veda
deals with our common problems in life. Every human being, while living, is
going to face lot of situations in life which create lot of mental problem,
emotional strains, worries, and depression. We only have to ask an individual
how he is. Then the stories will come. My son is like this, my daughter is like
this, or daughter-in-law, sonin-law or husband or family etc.
This
emotional problem is unique to human beings. Animals don’t face this problem.
They don’t feel the separation from their children. They happily grow up and
happily get separated. You don’t see a cow crying because the daughter or the
child goes somewhere else. So the first part of the Veda deals with the mental
problems of a human being.
If you analyze, all our mental
problems can be reduced to one basic problem. The problem is that we are not able to accept some of the situations
that we are facing. If you take hatred, you will find I hate a person
because I am not able to accept his behavior, his character, his way of life.
Take anger or irritation - again you
analyze that it can be reduced to one problem; I am not able to accept my son’s
behavior therefore I am angry. Take jealousy problem - again we traced down to
one thing that I am not able to accept my neighbor’s prosperity, I am not able
to accept my neighbor son’s first rank my son getting the second or third. Thus
you take jealousy you take hatred, you take fear. What
is fear? I am not able to accept the future that may come to me. Thus,
you can see that all our emotional problems can be traced to one fundamental
problem. What is that? I am not able to
accept certain situations in life, certain people in life, and certain things
in life.
Now Veda tries to give lot of
Parihārams for the situation. In fact varieties of rituals are prescribed,
varieties of Pujas, Japa, Tapa, pilgrimage because Veda believes that many of
the situations can be changed, cured - remedy is possible.
But Veda
itself accepts one thing. It is that for many
situations, remedies are there but there are many other situations for which
remedy is not there. That is why we divide our Vidhi or Prārabdha into
two types - Durbala Prārabdha, Prabala Prārabdha.
Durbala Prārabdha means a weaker
problem, a weaker situation over which I have control. I can use my free will;
I can work out a solution. But there are certain types of Prārabdhas or Karmas
which we call Prabalam wherein you will find that there is no solution.
You do Puja,
you do pilgrimage, you do charity, try astrology method, palmistry method,
Pakshi Josyam, including back magic but nothing provides a remedy. Now Veda
accepts that there are certain Aparihārya Artha; To use Krishna’s expression -
tasmad aparihārye arthe.
Aparihārya
means there is simply no remedy. It is a simple common sense that what
cannot be cured, should be endured, and accepted. You don’t require a great
logic for that. We know that we have to accept but we resist.
We know that all doors are closed and
we have no other way out, we have to accept. The intellect tells me to accept.
But my mind refuses to accept. So herein we find that the mind is incapable of
facing the situation. It refuses to accept some situations in life.
So when such
an emotion pain, depression, frustration etc. come. What is the logic behind
it? Let me give you an example: Imagine a father who has fixed the son’s or
daughter’s going abroad. He has fixed for higher studies and he is crying when
they go away.
I ask him
why do you cry and he says it is because the son is going away or daughter is
going away. Then I say you yourself have fixed it; then don’t send them. Then
he says no, I want them to study. So you only have planned, you know that is
good for the son or daughter and then why do you cry?
He says,
what to do I have to cry. So we find a situation where whatever logical
argument we give, those arguments do not seem to be meaningful. The mind continues to have depression, suspicion etc where
intellect fails in addressing the emotional problem.
When there is
such an emotional problem, mind is not able to face even when intellect tells
that there is no other way other than acceptance. Then, what can be done? If
the situation cannot be changed, then the only way to peace is the change the
mind by accepting the situation.
But I know
mind has to accept but I am not able to accept. Then, we say that if the mind
is not able to accept what it has to accept, it only means the mind is weaker. All emotional problems are not an indication of a weak
intellect. Intellect is wonderful, brilliant, sharp, and capable of
analyzing even Vedanta in depression.
He is so
depressed but still he analyses Vedanta. That means that intellect is not weak
but the mind is not strong enough to face what it has to face. Then what to do?
The only remedy is mind has to be strengthened. And, ONLY you can strengthen
your mind and no one else.
The best
method is to gather strength from a source where the strength is available. This alone is called Sharanāgati, surrender, devotion to the
Lord. Don’t ask me what the logic is. When the emotional problem is
illogical, I need not give you any logic for the solution.
For faith
there is no logic because for emotional non-acceptance there is no logic. In
the case of faith also there is no logic. Even though it is illogical,
emotional problem is there. Similarly, even though there is no logic in faith,
faith works. So for a non-logical problem the solution
is also non-logical.
Karmanyē vādhi kāraste mā
phalēshu kadāchana mā karma-phala-heturbhūr mā tesangostva karmani
Mayi sarvāni karmāni
sansayādhyātma chētasa nirāsīr nirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigata jvaraha
There is only one remedy and that is
surrender to the Lord who is infinite source of strength. “O lord give me the
strength to face what cannot be changed. O lord give the strength to accept or
face what cannot be changed”.
This is not
to solve our intellectual problem. This is only to solve our emotional weakness
and it is only to strengthen our emotional personality. And this is the entire
Karma Kānda or the first portion of the Veda which deals with religion. Religion helps to solve some of the problems and religion
helps to accept the unsolvable problem.
Religion
gives method of solving what can be solved. Religion gives the strength to
accept what cannot be solved. And once a person has gathered sufficient
emotional strength he is able to accept or receive the impact, the onslaught of
lot of emotional strain.
And once the
emotional problem has been reduced to some extent then intellectual problems
begin to raise its foot. Because when a particular situation comes, the mind
asks the question why should I get this problem?
Yesterday
there was an item in the newspaper. There is a tennis player called Tracy
Austin. She was the youngest player to win the US Open championship at age16
year. She won the championship twice and she was having a wonderful future and
at that time she suffers a big accident. She had some knee injury and her
future is totally wiped out. Now she is not able to play but she can only do
commentary. The media interviewed Tracy who said: Even
though it was a terrible accident, I was unlucky to lose my knee but I was
lucky enough to survive.
Any other
person would have spent a lot of time thinking why me? Why should it happen to
me? What is this all about? Why should that person die? He is all the time
singing about Lords glory, devotee of Swamiji and why should it happen to that
person? What happens to Karma? What will happen to rebirth? What will be this?
What will be that? Then they themselves answer saying it is all KARMA.
If a person
has got sufficient intellect, he will ask the question, how did that Karma
come? Because I have not done any Pāpa, I have been a nice person, a devotee
going to temple, every Guru Poornima I don’t miss. Why should I get? Then the
answer is that it is all because of Pūrva Janma Karma.
Then he asks
the question, how did the Pūrva Karma come? - It is because of the last birth.
How did the last birth come? – It is because of its last birth. How did that
last birth come? It is because of its last birth. Then how did all this happen?
Slowly the mind becomes philosophical.
Once
the emotional problems are solved to some extent, the intellectual or
philosophical problems begin to occupy. I am not able to accept everything is
predetermined. When everybody says that everything is predetermined, I ask the
question, predetermined by whom? Somebody says it is predetermined by God.
Then I get a
doubt. God determines that a musician should die in an accident? God determines
that an innocent person should be killed by a terrorist? God determines that
there should be a famine in Africa? God determines all the things? Why should I
worship that God?
A sadistic
terrible God who kills all the people, who creates terrorists why should I
worship that God? Therefore, either you
raise the questions about God, or you raise question about the world, or you
begin to raise question about your very life.
If
everything is predetermined, my effort has no meaning. Then why should I work?
Why should I study? - Because whether I will get a job or not is predetermined.
Why should I marry and why should I get children? - Because the future is going
to be determined by some destiny.
Therefore,
we get into a philosophical problem of why live at all. And the entire struggle
to ultimately to die? All unions are meant for separation. Why union at all?
All growth will only lead to death so why put any efforts for growth at all?
Initially,
what questions? - Emotional problems. And you ask a question who created the
world? He will give you one slap. So when emotional
problems are there, philosophical problems do not appear large. But once
you are able to deal with emotional problems to some extent then fundamental
questions come. To answer these philosophical questions: Why live? What is
destination? What should I achieve? Is there any meaning in all achievements?
For such questions, the second part of the Veda, the philosophical portions of
the Veda come and they solve all intellectual quests for the fundamental
questions.
Thus,
the religion helps to solve or face emotional problems (religion means faith in
God) and philosophy helps in solving the intellectual philosophical questions. And once we
have tackled both of them, the intellect subsides with satisfaction. The mind
also placated with a solution or acceptance. And then our life becomes smooth.
This is in
short the content of the Shruti or Veda. But even though Veda contains this
wonderful treasure to solve the emotional and intellectual or philosophical
problems, Veda teaches not in direct method. Veda uses peculiar method; A
method which cannot be directly understood.
Therefore,
we require a key to open the Veda, and get its teaching. It is just like the
person in the following experience - once we went to beach with someone, and he
had brought some nice dinner dishes. Then, one of the persons does not like the
regular side dish. Therefore, he bought the tomato sauce. There was no opener.
He had to keep it, look at it and eat. You have a side dish but you cannot use
that. Similarly, Veda has got wonderful solution for emotional and intellectual
problem but unless we have a key there is no use.
That key is
called Sāmpradaya, method of teaching, method of unfolding. This key also has been
coming down in the form of Anādi Parampara. Just as the Veda itself has been
Anādi, the key to the Veda has been coming down.
Just as there are some books which contain the
questions and a key in the backside similarly, the key for Veda also has been
coming down. That alone we call as Mīmāmsa. Pūrvamīmāmsa is the key to the
first portion of the Veda. The Uttara Mīmāmsa is the key to the final portion
of the Veda.
Mīmāmsa
(Sāmpradaya) is the method of bringing out the teaching. And this key has been maintained in the form of Guru-Sishya
Parampara, which alone we said - nārāyanam padmabhuvam vasishtam
shakthim cha tat putra parāsaram cha vyāsam sukham gouda padam mahāntham etc. -
The Guru-Sishya Parampara.
Thus,
Nārayana is the author of both - not only the Veda but also the opener. The
food is Veda and the opener is Mīmāmsa. Even though it has been coming down in
the form of the traditional teaching, the credit of putting both the Veda and
the Mīmāmsa in written form goes to Vyāsāchārya.
Even though,
Guru-Sishya Parampara started from Nārāyanam padmabhuvam vasishtam etc,
Vyāsāchārya gets the glory of being a pioneer in which he has unfolded the
Pūrva Mīmāmsa portion in the form of Dharma Shāstra which is there in all the
Purānās and also in his Vyāsa Smruti etc. He has brought out the Pūrva Bhāga of
the Vedas.
Vyāsāchārya
has contributed to the Pūrva Mīmāmsa or the Dharma Shāstra. He has equally
contributed to the second part in the form of his Brahma Sūtras. It is called
Uttara Mīmāmsa Sūtrāni or Vyāsa Sūtrāni, or Bādarāyana Sūtrāni. They deal with
the deeper philosophical problems, intellectual problems.
When a
person is emotionally depressed, we don’t tell him the Brahma Sūtras - athātho
brahma jignyāsā, janmā dyasya yataha. This person has lost money in business.
You have to give some Parihāra. You will find that Sanyāsis will have two
things - when a person comes with depression they give Vibhūti. What is the
logic? No logic, but it works.
There is no
logical solution to emotional problem. But the very same person has come with
intellectual quest and he is ready, emotionally cool then, I will start with
sādhana chatushtaya sampannādhikārinām, I start Ēsāvāsyamidam sarvam. Thus
Vyāsa has contributed to the solution of emotional problem, to the solution of
philosophical, intellectual problem.
Therefore,
Vyasa is considered as our Mukhya Guru. Even though Bhagavān is the original
Guru, Ādi Guru but Vyāsāchārya has given the teaching in a form that we can
understand through the Purānās, through the Brahma Sūtras etc. After
Vyāsāchārya alone, Sankarāchārya has further elaborated and then we have got
this tradition.
Therefore,
when the Sanyāsis start their Chārturmāsya Vratam - Chārturmāsya Vratam is a
Vratam which Sanyāsis generally follow beginning from today onwards.
Chārturmāsya Vratam means four months they don’t go anywhere which means that
the other eight months they should be moving around. In this time they stay in
one place, do Swādhyāya and do Pravachana and propagate this teaching.
This
Chārturmāsya Vratam of Sanyāsis begins today, and today they start their Vratam
with Vyāsa Pūja. That is why it is called Vyāsa Pournami or Guru Poornima or
Guru Pournami etc. We not only offer to Pūja to Vyāsa, we offer Pūja to all
Guru’s up to our immediate guru. sadāsiva samārambhām sankarāchārya madhyamām
etc.
And we
choose Vyāsa and not Sankarāchārya because Sankarāchārya is not accepted by all
the people. Visishtādvaiti will talk about Ramānujachārya, Dvaitis will talk
about Madhvāchārya. Therefore, there is a controversy. But all the people
whether they are Visishtādvaitis, or Dvaitis or Advaitis, all the different
systems of philosophy, agree upon one person as their Achārya and that is
Vyāsa.
Therefore by
consensus, we decide to worship Vyāsāchārya and that is done today. Thereafter
wards, we are supposed to study our Shāstra learning. Therefore, on this day we
pray to the Guru Parampara so that we will be able to study the scriptures and
also strengthen ourselves emotionally so that I will have a shock absorber to
face any situation. On this auspicious day, we will also pray to the Lord as
well as Vyāsāchārya and Guru-Sishya Parampara for us to get strength and
knowledge.
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