CHAPTER V.
Virtues and their foundation.
WE have already seen that mutual sacrifice, another narre for mutual service, is enjoined by the Sanatana Dharma, and it is easy to see that this is Right, since it promotes union. Thus the five daily sacrifices promote union between the sacrificer and Rishis, Devas, Pitris, Men and Animals. Another way in which the Sanatana Dharma teaches us to do right is by explaining to us the three debts that we owe ; the debt to the A. Rishis, paid chiefly in the Brahmacharya Ashrama, by study and by service of the teacher ; the debt to the Pit lis, the Ancestors, paid chiefly in the Garhasthya Ashrama, by rearing a family and by charity ; the debt to the Devas, paid chiefly in the Vanaprastha Ashrama, by sacrifice and meditation.
A debt is something we owe ; we have received and should repay. This payment of debt, of what is due, is called the discharge of duty, that which we owe to others, which we ought to do. The discharge of a duty is called a virtue ; the nondischarge of a duty is called a vice. A virtuous man recognises his duties, his obligations, and fulfils them; a vicious man dose not recognise nor fulfil them.
Virtues' have also been called by Bhishma " forms of Truth, "* because Truth is that which is Real, is indeed, as Bhishma says, " the eternal Brahman. " Truth is the Divine Nature, and we see this in the reflection of Brahman that we call external Nature. Eor all the laws of Nature are expressions of Truth, and work with perfect accuracy and changelessness. ([Mahabharatavi , Bhishma Parva lix. flbid,Xlbid]
Now the greatest Truth of all is, as said before, the unity of the Self amidst the diversity of the Not- Self. All other truths and laws are such only because they are reflections, copies, of this great unity in diversity. And the form which this great Truth takes in Ethical Science is that each one of us should feel for other selves as for himself, should feel himself to be the same as, or at least similar to, other selves and, so feeling, we must always tell the truth, be- cause to tell a falsehood to another is to regard him with distrust, to regard him as separate from, or even opposed to oneself, to prevent him from sharing with oneself in a common knowledge, which should be the same for all when all are as one. From the setting up of this separation by untruthfulness, consciously or unconsciously, endless harm results and vices arise. This description of the nature of virtues as forms of Truth corresponds again with our standard of Ethics, for truthfulness promotes union, while untruthfulness increases separateness.
Truthfulness has always been a marked characteristic of the noble characters described in Hindu literature. "My lips have never uttered an untruth," is a favourite phrase of the Heroes. Shri Krishna promised not to carry arms on Kurukshetra, and when He ran towards Bhishma with uplifted whip to help Arjuna, Arjuna refused His help because of His promise.* (Mahabharata) So also Yudhishthira, though almost despairing of victory, would not take His help, because of that same promise.
On the other hand, we read that when Yudhishthira for a moment in his utmost need forgot his truthfulness, and told a lie to the undoing of Drona, his war -chariot lost the power that upraised it from the earth and it sank to the ground.J When the Pandavas were yet in the forest, and Shri Krishna suggested that Yudhishthira might send an army against the Kurus, thus breaking the spirit of the promise that they would remain thirteen years in exile, Yudhishthira's answer was : "The sons of Pandu swerve not from the path of truth."* (Mahabharata -Drona Parva cciii.)Even when loss follows, the pledged word must be kept.
When Prahlada took the sovereignty of the three worlds from Indra, Indra disguised himself as a Brahmana and served him as his disciple. At last Prahlada was so pleased with him, that he offered to give him anything he asked for. Indra asked for Prahlada's "Shila," character, manner, behaviour, and Prahlada gave it, though he feared it meant his own ruin as indeed it did because he had pledged his word.f
And who can forget Bhishma's splendid answer, when his step-mother Satyavati prayed him to take the throne and marry, against his promise :*(Ibid, Vana Parva clxxxi. Mahabharatam, Shanti Parva cxxiv.) I would renounce the three worlds, the empire of heaven or anything that may be still greater, but truth never will I renounce. Earth may renounce its scent, water may renounce its moisture, light may renounce its power of showing forms, the air may renounce its susceptibility to touch , the Sun may renounce his glory , fire his heat, the moon his cool rays, space its capacity to generate sounds, the slayer of Vrittra his prowess, the God of justice his impartiality, but I renounce not truth."*(Mahabharatam, Adi Parva ciii. cxxiv.)
Karna, the man of fire, the man of pride, the man of headlong straightforwardness, was born, the ancient story says, with a natural armour that no weapons could pierce through. The Devas, ever working that the cause of the Pandavas might prevail, were sorely anxious lest in the predestined combat between Karna and Arjuna, the latter should fail because of that strong armour. It was Karna's rule that he sat facing the east every day, studying the Vedas, till the sun turned the zenith, and he had vowed that during that period of his Veda-study every day, whatsoever a Brahmana asked of him that he had to give, he would give to him unfailingly ; and one day Indra, the King of the Devas, seeing no other way, took on the semblance of an aged Brahmana and appeared before Karna and said he had a boon to ask. And Karna said that he would surely give it, if it were at all within his power. Then Indra said : "Give me this armour that you wear by nature on your body." Karna replied : "I know thee now to be no artless Brahmana, but the King of the Devas himself, disguised to help the cause of the Pandavas. But even the letter of my given word must be respected. Take what thou askest, though in giving thee thy wish I know I give my life, and what is even more than life to me, the only chance of conquering my soldier-rival, Arjuna, in battle ! , And Karna hewed off that living armour piece by piece with his own hand and sword, and gave it all to Indra, winning thereby a longer life and a far nobler name than if he had defeated Arjuna.*(*Mahabharatam, Vana Parva, ccciii cccix.)
King Dasharatha, of the Solar Race of Kings, asked by the Devas for help against the Asuras, battled against the latter as a Kshattriya should. His youngest wife, Kaikeyi, drove his war-chariot, and when the king sank into a swoon under his wounds, she skilfully bore him away on the chariot to a place of safety and preserved his life. For that deed the grateful King promised her two boons, which she put by for future need. Long afterwards, when the King was in his old age and wished to instal his eldest son, Rama, as the heir-apparent, she claimed the boons, and claimed them fearfully : Rama, eldest born and best beloved of the aged King, noblest of men, should wander forth into the forests as an exile, and the crown be placed on the head of Kaikeyi's son, Bharata. Dasharatha, knowing well that it was death to him to grant the boons, yet granted them and died.Better far that he should die, than that the King's word be broken, and truth slain.* (* Ramayna, Ayodhy Kanda )
Bali, the Daitya king, had conquered Svarga nd become unchallenged ruler of the three worlds. The rites of a great sacrifice, the sacred Ashva-medha, were spread out at his command. Vamana,Vishnu disguised as a dwarf, came to the sacrifice and begged as boon as much land as He could cover in three paces. Shukra, the preceptor of Bali, bade him refuse to carry out his gift, since Vamana was Vishnu. Bali answered : " The grandson of Prahlada shall never speak untruth. I will give to this Brahmana boy what I promised, even if he be Vishnu and my enemy." And when Vamana had covered the Triloki with two paces and demanded a third foothold, Bali offered his own head, and took as favour the loss of all his kingdom. And for this Vishnu blessed him, declaring : " His wealth gone, his position lost, himself overpowered and chained by enemies, forsaken by friends, reviled and cursed by his own preceptor Bali forsook not..truth. "f (Vishnu-Bhagawata , VIII. xv xiii.)
The puranas say that for such acts of truth, by the blessing of Vishnu, Bali will be the next Indra, when the present Deva, whose proper name is Purandara, vacates that office (for Indra is the title of the great office of the sovereign of the divine kingdom, not a personal name).As truth is Brahman, those who seek Brahman must be truthful. Above and beyond all else, therefore, a boy should strive for truthfulness.
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जायमानो ब्राह्मणस्त्रिभिऋणैऋणवाञ्जायते यज्ञेन देवेभ्यः प्रजया पितृभ्यः स्वाध्यायेन ऋषिभ्यः।
" The Brahmana, being born, is born a debtor with three debts ; to the Devas by sacrifice, to the Ancestors by progeny, to the Rishis by study."
ऋणानि त्रीण्यपाकृत्य मनो मोक्षे निवेशयेत् ।
अनपाकृत्य मोक्षं तु सेवमानो व्रजत्यधः।
कोई टिप्पणी नहीं:
एक टिप्पणी भेजें