Practical Vedanta

[Ashish Chandra]

Namaste All,

I wholeheartedly agree with Shri MM Sudan's views. However, it is not the
case the evil did not exist in the times of Shri Ram or Shri Krishna.
Manthara was the evil and Kaikeyi was the jealous mind. Dashratha was the
father and the husband who could not follow Dharma too. After all, when one
knows that as a King, it is one's duty to anoint a successor, should one
stick to one's personal boons or worry about the whole Kingdom that seeks a
new King ? These are the priceless teachings present in our scriptures. So
evil has always existed, and will always exist. What is the role of an
individual then ? Without doubt, it is to follow Dharma. Even though very
few are able to put this thought into practice, one must realize that every
time Dharma is sidetracked, we sink deeper into Kaliyuga. It is only by
this(following Dharma) that society can turn itself around; small
compromises in self interest that seek to sidestep the morality/ethics that
Dharma imposes finally turn into this huge monster that we call the
crassness of materialistic culture.

As for leadership, learn to serve first. Leadership will come of its own
due. I know that the name of Swami Vivekananda evokes controversy here but
one should nevertheless know that his Guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa had
himself chided Swamiji for seeking his own Enlightenment. After allowing
Swamiji to remain in a state of Nirvikalpa Samaadhi for a few days, Sri
Ramakrishna had said that now he (Swamiji) must go and work. He (Sri
Ramakrishna) was keeping the key to Nirvikalpa Samaadhi and would only
release the lock when the Work has been successfully completed. While this
may be true of one individual, for most of us, simply following the
Aashrams should suffice in resolving what our duty is at each point in our
lives. Sannyas comes after one has served the society. It should remain the
final stage.

These are my thoughts in this regard.
Ashish

nanda chandran <vpcnk at HOTMAIL.COM>
wrote
>>From your posting it appeared to me that you placed more importance on
>service to the society than Self-realization.

very right. the more I think and more I am getting convinced to it. That
Religious order i.e Maths, temples,organisations etc. the religious
peoples,
as a
class are either not involved or less concerned  on certain
aspects of our Physical, Social and Moral  life which is going to be, at
the
end of the day,
very harmful.

Let us have of look. what type of physical, Social and Moral life existed
through the
ages?

Think of the age of Lord Rama. The life was simple and honest. The earth,
the
air, the water, the fire, the Akash is pure. we find threat to religious
life. the Rishi & Munis living in forests are troubled by Raksasas. Lord
Rama
is fighting Raksasas to establish order to have peaceful religious and
social
life.

The Age of Krishna. there are no Raksasas. The earth, the air, the water,
the
fire, the Akash is pureThe enemies are emerging from within one's own self.
Duryoodhana represents that class. what to talk of five villages he is not
prepared to give a needle head of land to Pandavas. We have Lord Krishna
clearly   giving a message  and there is Dharmayudha to establish order to
have peaceful religious and social life. But still there is problem on
moral
aspects. Look at
what  Maharishi Vyas, at the end of Mahabharata, says in few words Known as
"Bharatasavitri" I quote " with raised hand, I cry aloud, nobody hears me.
By
Dharma not only Moksha is achieved,  It
is from Dharma that Artha and Kama arise. Why Dharma is not followed? "

The Present age. The enemies within self are supreme and ruling the
society.The Social and moral life is in shatters. Every thing is being
measured by
Money. The relationships are guided by money. The corruption is at the
supreme. The honest and moral man feels suffocated. Even if you try it is
difficult to live hundred percent honest living.
when I sit down to have Pranayama. The  mother earth on which I sit is
polluted. The food I eat is produced with chemicals or genetically
engineered. The Air which I breath is polluted. The water I drink is
polluted. The Akash, there are holes in sky the Ozone layer is
depleted. the fire, of course it can not be polluted, But fire is misused.
There are  Nuclear Bombs etc.

What is happening at religious level? what our modern Rishi, Munis doing?
There is degradation in this order. We not only have Chandraswami at top,
down the line upto street level society is full of small
Chandraswamies.There
is couplet
in Tulsi Ramayan that in Kaliyug what type of sanyasin we will have. " the
wife is dead, wealth is lost, shave your head and be a sanyasi"  Each
Temple, Ashram or Math is only interested in collection of money whatever
its
colour, white or black. Just tell me how many religious persons are there
who
will loudly refuse to accept as Dana(Donation) any money earned through
illegal means. I am yet to see even one religious organisation which is not
troubled by the clash of egos and infight of persons at helms of affair,
(which we here term as playing politics). The ruffians in the streets are
the
custodians of moral order extracting  money in the name of organising
religious
functions like Bhagwati Jagarns etc. I am only listing few examples the
list
may be endless. The whole religious order itself seems to be in disorder.
This change has not happened in one day or year. It is happening over the
centuries and what will be  the shape of few centuries ahead one can
imagine.

Who is to take the lead to set whole thing right?
Is it the job of government, social and voluntary organisation,
individuals or the religious order has some role to play? What is my
supreme
Dharma?
What is the supreme Dharma of the religious order? Moksha first or
Preservation of
Mother Earth,Social and Moral order first? I am in search of answers.

It is in the above context I initiated the discussion by using word "
Practical Vedanta" I have been
benefited by the various view. In absolute strict interpretation/sense
'Rama'
may be right but 'Sunder'
has also put it practically to mean practice Vedanta. 'Anand' has
beautifully
'put the nail
on the head'  by saying Let us  follow sAmAnya-dharma or
sAdhAraNa-dharma . But what is the sAmAnya Dharama of today?Do we or Don't
we
need to
interpret ancient texts to find new idioms suitable to to Present Physical,
Social and Moral environment?

M.M.SUDAN
.

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End of ADVAITA-L Digest - 14 May 1999 to 15 May 1999 (#1999-25)
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