Kala Dharma

[Anand Hudli]

  Gummuluru Murthy wrote:

>On Fri, 2 May 1997, Pawan Kumar wrote:

>> Namaskaram,
>>
>>         Is there any rule that "Brahmins should follow kaladharma"
>>         (I am referring out whether a Brahmin can forget some things
>>          like Upanayanam) because for his earnnings and comforts
>>          he may not get time to do it. Can anyone tell me more on
>>         Kaladharma in this context.
>>


>I think it depends on the attitude of the individual. If you think there
>is kaaladharma, there is; if you think there is not, there is not.

>In my view, there is no kaaladharma. Personally, I feel that dharma does
>not change with time. Irrespective of time and place, there is the
>individual that has to perform duties. What the duties are and why one
>has to perform them are set by the individual him/herself. There is no
^^^^^^
>one else setting the rules. It is you who are setting the rules for
>yourself.

>Living with oneSELF and answering to the SELF is the only answer one has
>to give. YourSELF is the highest judge. That SELF is with you all the
>time. You cannot run away from it. My father advised me when I left
>India: "You follow your conscience all the time and answer to your
>conscience".
>I think that is the best advice anyone can give.

  Many things may be perfectly fine with our conscience but still we do not do
  those things. For example, it may be perfectly acceptable and honorable to
  consume alcoholic beverages as far as the society in general is concerned. So
  drinking alcohol may be acceptable to the conscience. But it may be against
  one's dharma. Therefore, following dharma is not the same as following one's
  conscience.

  To help us understand what our dharma is, we need to look at four things.

   1) Vedas or Shruti
   2) Smriti, dharma shastras
   3) Tradition as followed by our ancestors
   4) Conscience

   So Conscience is NOT the only factor that determines dharma.

   First in the list is Vedas or shruti. Whatever the Vedas say is
   infallible; it can never be wrong at any time or at any place.
   If there is something that is not touched upon by the Vedas, we need
   to consult Smriti. Usually, Smriti is based on the Vedas, but in case
   there is a conflict between Smriti and shruti, we have to decide in
   favor of shruti. Tradition is also important in many matters, such as
   marriage, for example. Lastly, if the previous three cannot help us
   decide our dharma in some matter, we may rely on our conscience. But
   again, whatever decision we take must not be in contradiction with the
   Vedas.

   As far as upanayana is concerned, it is an extremely important samskaara
   from the point of view of Vedic study. The term upanyana itself which
   means "taking (a son) near", denotes the process of taking a son
   to a Guru for the upadesha (instruction) of the Gaayatrii mantra.
   Upanayana is like being born again. The first birth is, of course, from
   the biological mother. This second birth is from the Vedas. The Guru
   is the father of the second birth. That is why one becomes a dvija
   after the upanayana, a twice-born one. The samskaaras, such as upanayana,
   are dealt with in the suutras related to each Vedic shaakhaa.

   Coming to the question of whether upanayana may be skipped, the answer is
   a clear no. If economic or other constraints are great, there is always
   some way to circumvent them. For example, upanayana does not have to be
   done as an elaborate ceremony, inviting a large number of relatives and
   and friends. It is performed as an elaborate and expensive ceremony by
   many families, but it does not have to be done this way. A simple ceremony
   in a temple, even with no invitees, will suffice. In fact, my own upanayana
   was  performed this way in the temple of our family deity, although not
   entirely due to financial constraints. Having a simple ceremony also
   cuts down the time spent on the ceremony, quite naturally.

    Anand