foreign travel by a sanyasin (forwarded message)

[Ashish Chandra]

>From: Rajesh Venkataraman <rajesh_venk at YAHOO.COM>
>--- Ashish Chandra <ramkisno at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >
> > The injunction is to do Dharmaprachaar in the place
> > where the Saaranga deer
> > roams freely *and* where Varnaashrama Dharma is
> > followed. So that should
> > take care of grihasthas.
> >
>
>Thanks Ashish, for the informative mail. But when it
>is said that "Dharmaprachaar can be done in a place
>where the Saaranga deer roams freely *and* where
>Varnaashrama Dharma is followed" does it not mean that
>both the conditions have to be taken care of?
>Otherwise it could have been a *or* instead of the
>*and*. And I don't know of a place where *both* the
>conditions are met. Even if there are some, the places
>must be very few. And does it mean that one can live
>only in those places?
>

Refer to the quotes from Manu Smriti that I had provided in an earlier email
in this thread. The areas where Varnaashrama dharma (henceforth dharma) is
followed i.e. Brahmavarta, Aryavarta etc. are described as being suitable
for residence of those who follow this dharma. The *and* I provided was an
"also" condition. I did not mean Saranga deer AND the areas mentioned for
dharma. Also refer to Kartik's quote from Vishnu Purana describing the area
of Bharat Varsha where the dharma is followed and where the cycle of yugas
takes place.

>I am asking all these questions because if we feel
>that the Shastras have to be followed verbatim, come
>what may, not giving scope for a difference in
>interpretation due to prevailing circumstances and
>worldly order, do we not have to take care of "the
>Saaranga deer" condition *also*?
>

Shastras cannot exist in vacuum. As Vidyasankar pointed out a few days back,
we must look at the conduct of men who are versed in the Shastras. But it is
rare that the conduct of such men is contrary to the position of the
Shastras. After all, the traditional education one would obtain in the
Shastras would be at the hands of a person well versed in the same.

>--- elmec <elmec at GIASBG01.VSNL.NET.IN> wrote:
> > That term " where the Saaranga deer wanders freely "
> > taken in a broader
> > sense  means the land where " Ahimsa " is
> > considered a parama dharma and where each and every
> > animal is looked
> > upon as a manifestation of Brahman and not as a
> > piece of meat to be
> > consumed. The elaborate answer supplied by Sri
> > Aashish is very educative and interesting. Thanks.
> >
>
>If we can interpret it this way here then why should
>not the interpretation differ elsewhere depending of
>what the mahatmas say etc.?
>

There have been mahatmas like Ramkrishna Paramhamsa and Shri Yukteshwar Giri
who have sent their shishyas abroad against the injunction of the Shastras.
I would like one of the learned members in this list to please comment on
that.


>And also I think that other than the Brahmins, the
>others used to eat meat in the olden days. Also there
>is an opinion that the Brahmins themselves in the
>vedic age might not have been averse to eating meat.
>There was a big discussion on vegetarianism in the
>list just about 15 days back!
>

According to the late Paramaachaarya of Kanchi, in his book Hindu Dharma, he
writes that other jatis (besides Brahmins) were allowed to eat meat.
Kshatriyas, for example, were traditionally non-vegetarians. According to
the late Paramaachaarya, the sway vegetarianism has taken is because of the
conduct of the priestly class. Ditto for the tradition of vratas and other
fasts. People engaged in physically exertive activities are in fact exempt
from these body-taxing fasts. However, observing the conduct of Brahmins,
people took to these traditions. Someone also pointed out here that even
after sacrifices wherein an animal was sacrificed, the priests traditionally
swallowed a tiny piece of the animal for prasad purposes.

However, I have read in a few places that the Lokayatas (materialistic
school in Hindu philosophy) used to accuse the Brahmins of "salivating at
the prospect of animal sacrifices" as that was the only way they could eat
meat. I don't know how much truth is there to such accusations but we might
as well concede that there might have been (some truth).

ashish
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>From  Thu Feb 10 07:25:58 2000
Message-Id: <THU.10.FEB.2000.072558.0600.>
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2000 07:25:58 -0600
Reply-To: miinalochanii at yahoo.com
To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
From: Ravi Mayavaram <miinalochanii at YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: foreign travel by a sanyasin (forwarded message)
Comments: To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at braincells.com>
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Ashish Chandra wrote:

>
>
> There have been mahatmas like Ramkrishna Paramhamsa and Shri Yukteshwar Giri
> who have sent their shishyas abroad against the injunction of the Shastras.
> I would like one of the learned members in this list to please comment on
> that.
>

"I met Paramahansa Yogananda in Calcutta in 1935. I have been
following the accounts of his activities ever since. As a bright light
shining in the midst of darkness, so was Yogananda's presence in this
world. Such a great soul comes on earth only rarely, When there is a
real need among men"
                shrI chandrasekharendra sarasvati (kAnchi periyavar)






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--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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