[Advaita-l] Jagadguru Speaks: Understand the Essence of Moral Values

[S Jayanarayanan]

Happy Deepavali!
 
(Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted
on the Chaturamnaya list : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )
 
 
http://www.tattvaloka.com/uploads/jagadguruSpeech/pdf/1246232831JSpeaks -- NOV. 2021.pdf
 
 
Every man intends to live well and progress in life. This is
precisely what our Sastras also intend. That is why the
Sastras offer detailed advice on the kind of actions (karma)
that must be performed, how to perform them, actions to
avoid and how the result of each action manifests. 
 
  ayaM dharmo.ayamadharma iti shAstrameva viGYAne kAraNam.h .
 
Our forefathers have thoroughly analysed what is right
and wrong, punya and papa, dharma and adharma and have
instructed future generations. However, it is not easy to
study all the Sastras and related granthas (texts) and attain
liberation. Many obstacles are likely to arise. Family
responsibilities and other challenges of the material world
are likely to come up repeatedly. 
 
Therefore, a viveki (person endowed with the sense of
discrimination) must not view epics like the Ramayana and
Mahabharata as mere stories. He must reflect how different
personalities (in the epics) acted according to dharma under
varying circumstances, and strive to bring the same into
practice in his life. 
 
  aNubhyashcha mahadbhyashcha shAstrebhyaH kushalo naraH .
  sarvataH sAramAdadyAtpuShpebhya iva ShaTpadaH ..
 
It means: Just as honey bees collect nectar from both big
and small flowers, intelligent men should assimilate the
essence (important purport) of Sastraic texts, whether
they are long or short. In other words, man must
understand the morals contained in the Sastras and live
his life in accordance therewith. 
 
Our blessings for everyone to understand this well and
progress in life.