tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442555339667770589.post4345596933268832290..comments2024-03-18T22:56:06.696+05:30Comments on Jayasree Saranathan: Dharma, karma and dilemma!Jayasree Saranathan http://www.blogger.com/profile/01048252011566427834noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442555339667770589.post-43889788675832624502010-10-20T15:36:31.291+05:302010-10-20T15:36:31.291+05:30I dont know how the Enge Brahmnan series part-2 en...I dont know how the Enge Brahmnan series part-2 ended. But it would do justice to the role of Ashok alias Vasishta to marry the incarnation of Arundhathi. <br /><br />Vasishta is remembered for ever for Arundhathi connection. She never leaves Vasishta. She always tows behind Vasishta. If Vasishata is born she will also be born and will marry him in due course. That is how the story must be shaped. It does not do justice to the character of Vasishta to live long and remain unmarried, leaving Arudhathi alone in deva loka.Jayasree Saranathan https://www.blogger.com/profile/01048252011566427834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442555339667770589.post-68989626280356215332010-03-06T13:37:45.320+05:302010-03-06T13:37:45.320+05:30Ms Vasundhara,
As you said Ashok's is an extre...Ms Vasundhara,<br />As you said Ashok's is an extreme case. He is a writer's creation. Let the writer decide what to do with him.<br /><br />In reality, persons of such mentality had existed in olden days where there didn't exist a clash of values between parents and wards.<br /><br />Today's situation is different. If you have any specific question in mind of the present day dilemma, please feel free to ask. I will try to explain to the best of my ability.Jayasree Saranathan https://www.blogger.com/profile/01048252011566427834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442555339667770589.post-28034136263278139152010-03-05T18:02:43.967+05:302010-03-05T18:02:43.967+05:30Thank you Mami for your detailed reply.
I think i...Thank you Mami for your detailed reply.<br /><br />I think in that serial Ashok wants to learn and teach Vedas, whereas his parents feel it is a dead profession. From one episode that I saw (correct me if I am wrong), he hasn't taken sanyas. It is his Swadharma to get into Vedic lifestyle. His parents, just like many in ours and previous generation feel that Vedic lifestyle will not serve any purpose in the modern world. <br /><br />Following the Vedic lifestyle of doing the pancha yagnas, learning and teaching vedas etc is what is swadharma, ashrama dharma as well as shreyas in case of Ashok (let us assume he is married). But, he is still earning lot of ill-will from his own parents for being like this. Now pls tell me what is the best in his situation - this is the dilemma of our generation - Ashok may be an extreme case, but well it exists in different proportions! :)appalam vadaamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15719211310330160453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442555339667770589.post-12094327570599468502010-03-03T12:14:36.313+05:302010-03-03T12:14:36.313+05:30Dear Ms Vasundhara
(cont'd)
>>>How...Dear Ms Vasundhara <br /><br />(cont'd)<br /><br />>>>How do you explain the lead character of Enge brahmanan (I know it is fictional, unlike Ramayana and Mahabharatha). He goes against his parents (again conflicting with pithru dharma).<br />It appears preyas to others. Is his case similar to Bharatha?<br /><br />If he were to choose preyas and his father's business AND not the Swadharma + Shreyas combination, then, his will be a life full of conflict!<<<<br /><br />(Re) <br /><br />I am not seeing the 2nd episode of Enge Brahmana. The few episodes that I saw did not convince me that the episode is doing justice to some concepts.<br /><br />From what you say I guess the storyline and reply as follows:<br /><br />Ashrama dharma is fore most.<br />Pithru karya is the foremost cause for embracing grahstha ashrama dharma.<br />Arjuna’s ultimate concern for not wanting to go on war was on the prospect of loss of ‘pindoka – kriya’ when more and more would be killed in war. <br /><br />When his parents have no other issues, it is the duty of the only child to see that the lineage is taken further. On no occasion, one can become the cause of breaking the lineage. A pura nanuru verse on Pal yaaga shaalai Mudukudumi Peru vazhuthi who ruled the sunken Kuamri with his Capital near river Pahruli, lists down those who must not be touched or killed in a war (a dharmic war). Among the well known entities such as cows, women, children, Brahmins etc, it mentions that the persons who have not yet got sons to do pithru karma must be spared. By killing them, the killer breaks the lineage of those persons and that attracts worst karma for the killer.<br /><br />Even Rishis have not violated this duty to the lineage. This is enshrined in the dictum told by Krishna when he says that creation must be taken further on and on. <br /><br />Let the one who is on the path of siddhi, finish his duty to lineage and take up sanyasa.<br />Renouncement has some meaning only then. <br /><br />Here the conflict is there between preyas of Ashok (wishing to be sanyasi – I don’t know if this is what is projected in the episode as I am not seeing it) and the shreyas of the family. The actual shreyas of the family is to continue the thread of lineage.<br /><br />****<br /><br />>>>What are the astrological indicators that a person can or will choose shreyas/preyas - or one can expect harmony in family relations - so that one does swadharma + shreyas and is not doing preyas in short or long term? <<<br /><br />(Re) <br /><br />A difficult question. It can be analysed only on case by case basis. <br />But Jupiter and its position indicates how one adheres by Dharma in a given situation.<br />A retro Jupiter in friendly, own and exalted houses will show one crossing the norms of shreyas. Jupiter rendered useless in the 12th will make the person be a helpless watcher of Dharma getting strained in front of his eyes. But these are all general statements. We have to see by other features of the horoscope.Jayasree Saranathan https://www.blogger.com/profile/01048252011566427834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442555339667770589.post-52248490667850885992010-03-03T12:14:00.505+05:302010-03-03T12:14:00.505+05:30Dear Ms Vasundhara.
>>>>> Thank yo...Dear Ms Vasundhara.<br /><br />>>>>> Thank you for all your articles - very very insightful.<<<<<br /><br />(Re)<br /><br />I am very happy to receive a response to this article because this issue is too dear to me which in my opinion is one of the main themes of Bhagawad Gita and helps us to identify what constitutes Dharma in a given situation.<br /><br />*****<br /><br />>>>>You have indicated beautifully about the Swadharma and Shreyas of Bharatha. <br /><br />Most often we are in situations where our Swadharma and Shreyas do not match. In that case, you have said choose Shreyas. <br /><br />But if Swadharma and Shreyas are one and the same and what is in reality Preyas for the family appears as shreyas in the short-term, what should one do?<<<<br /><br />(Re)<br /><br />This must be assessed from the situation. From what you say, the shreyas of a person differs from preyas of the family. We must ascertain if what you call as preyas of the family can indeed be identified as preyas. <br /><br />In any situation the popular adage to remember is – for the sake of a country, a village can be lost, for the sake of a village a family can be lost (or sacrificed) and for the sake of a family, the individual can be lost. This is the greater virtue, greater dharma and shreyas too. <br /><br />The Pithru vaakya paripaalanam is the greater virtue of a family. Any one of the brothers can be crowned. But if father’s integrity and honour can be safeguarded only by your act of renouncing the crown, do it, as no one else can safeguard that integrity of the father at that time. So Rama considered Pithru vakya paripaalan scoring over the wishes of people. <br /><br />Contrasting is the situation faced by Bharatha. By honouring his mother’s wishes, he is not doing good to her integrity and name. That is why I said that if only Bharatha has had any inkling of Kaikeyi’s intentions beforehand, he would have nipped them in the bud.<br /><br />*****<br />(contd)Jayasree Saranathan https://www.blogger.com/profile/01048252011566427834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442555339667770589.post-25297738599501564982010-03-03T00:48:17.704+05:302010-03-03T00:48:17.704+05:30Jayasree Mami,
Thank you for all your articles - ...Jayasree Mami,<br /><br />Thank you for all your articles - very very insightful.<br /><br />You have indicated beautifully about the Swadharma and Shreyas of Bharatha. <br /><br />Most often we are in situations where our Swadharma and Shreyas do not match. In that case, you have said choose Shreyas. <br /><br />But if Swadharma and Shreyas are one and the same and what is in reality Preyas for the family appears as shreyas in the short-term, what should one do?<br /><br />How do you explain the lead character of Enge brahmanan (I know it is fictional, unlike Ramayana and Mahabharatha). He goes against his parents (again conflicting with pithru dharma).<br />It appears preyas to others. Is his case similar to Bharatha?<br /><br />If he were to choose preyas and his father's business AND not the Swadharma + Shreyas combination, then, his will be a life full of conflict!<br /><br />What are the astrological indicators that a person can or will choose shreyas/preyas - or one can expect harmony in family relations - so that one does swadharma + shreyas and is not doing preyas in short or long term? <br /><br />Thank you again.appalam vadaamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15719211310330160453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442555339667770589.post-65245788302172876082009-02-14T15:56:00.000+05:302009-02-14T15:56:00.000+05:30Fromhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/vedic-wisdom/mes...From<BR/><BR/>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vedic-wisdom/message/437<BR/><BR/><BR/>What is Dharma ?<BR/><BR/>by PV Narasimh Rao.<BR/><BR/><BR/>As Vimalananda says, dharma is indeed personal. Krishna clearly says in<BR/>Bhagavad Geeta "Follow your own dharma. It is dangerous to follow someone<BR/>else's dharma".<BR/><BR/>Following the path of dharma basically means engaging in the right<BR/>action/duty. Right action varies from person to person, from time to time<BR/>and from place to place. It is dependent on what nature expects from you,<BR/>which in turn is based on who you have been in the past, what actions you<BR/>did in the past while identifying with the action, who you affected in the<BR/>past (and how) with the actions that you identified with, what debts you<BR/>created in the process, and what mental tendencies you accumulated until<BR/>now.<BR/><BR/>If, based on one's mental tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person<BR/>to kill evil persons, that becomes one's dharma. If, based on one's mental<BR/>tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person to spread the message of<BR/>uniformity of all religions, that becomes one's dharma. If, based on one's<BR/>mental tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person to spread the<BR/>ritual of homam in the world, that becomes one's dharma. If, based on one's<BR/>mental tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person to make a lot of<BR/>money and construct a temple, that becomes one's dharma.<BR/><BR/>* * *<BR/><BR/>The dharma of a being may change from one life to another.<BR/><BR/>At the time of Mahabharata war, it was Arjuna's dharma to kill his gurus,<BR/>elders and relatives. The time then was such that there was too much weight<BR/>on earth and nature wanted earth to be relieved of some weight. Tremendous<BR/>destruction was to take place and civilization destroyed to a great extent,<BR/>to welcome Kali yuga and set the tone for it. Arjuna being a great warrior,<BR/>it was his dharma to facilitate that. Some people he deeply loved and<BR/>respected were on the other side and it was his dharma to kill them.<BR/><BR/>When the same Arjuna was born again in the 19th century as one of<BR/>Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's sishyas (Swami Yogananda had been Arjuna in a<BR/>previous life, according to Ramakrishna), his dharma was different in this<BR/>new time and place. He was born to renounce material life despite his<BR/>aristocratic upbringing and live the simple life of a monk and inspire<BR/>generations to embrace a simple life of mental detachment and service to<BR/>others. When he is born again (which he has to, as per what Ramakrishna<BR/>said), his dharma based on the time and place may be something else.<BR/><BR/>* * *<BR/><BR/>The tricky question is: How does one decide what is one's dharma?<BR/><BR/>Some people have interpreted Krishna's words saying "follow your own dharma<BR/>and not someone else's dharma" in the light of castism. Though the concept<BR/>of caste (varna) has been there in Hinduism for a long time, the concept of<BR/>caste mobility was very much there. Valmiki was a shudra who lived by<BR/>killing birds. He became a brahmana and a maharshi later. Vishwamitra was a<BR/>kshatrita and a powerful king. He became a brahmana and and a maharshi<BR/>later. Basically varna shows one's aptitude. One starts off with the varna<BR/>of father, because that is what one is exposed to in childhood. As one<BR/>develops in life, one gets one's own varna based on what one does.<BR/><BR/>Thus, the misinterpretation of Krishna's words which tells you to know your<BR/>dharma from your caste is wrong. Moreover, there are not just 4 dharmas in<BR/>the world. Each person has individual dharma.<BR/><BR/>Knowing what one's dharma is is very very very difficult. If one is pure<BR/>enough, one will *know* one's dharma. In fact, all of us have a part of our<BR/>mind that tells us what our dharma is, but it is surrounded by a lot of<BR/>noise from other parts of our minds which tell other things. Thus, we get<BR/>confused.<BR/><BR/>We should make the best judgment combining discrimination and intuition and<BR/>decide what is our dharma and follow it sincerely. We may be err, but doing<BR/>the best we can is all that we can do!<BR/><BR/>More than following dharma, what is of utmost importance is to engage in<BR/>actions without identification. *That* alone ensures that we are not<BR/>accumulating new karmas, i.e. not increasing the load. We should not build<BR/>too much attachment to what we are doing. We should engage in the best<BR/>possible actions (based on our best judgment on what our dharma in the given<BR/>situation is), with as little attachment and self-identification with the<BR/>action as possible. When the action is finished, we should leave the result<BR/>to god. We should not think "I did it", "what will happen now", "will it<BR/>work" etc. Such adherence of nishkama karma yoga (unfication through<BR/>untached action) will simplify our ego and purify our consciousness slowly.<BR/>As we become purer, our mind will work sharper and tell our dharma clearer.<BR/>There is a positive feedback here. This will slowly enable us to see our<BR/>dharma clearly and follow it without incurring new karmas. This is not easy,<BR/>but not as difficult as people think.<BR/><BR/>The bottomline is: Even if one is not following one's dharma, one's sense of<BR/>"this is my dharma" gets refined with time if one engages in action with<BR/>little attachment.<BR/><BR/>* * *<BR/><BR/>In deciding one's dharma, one's intellect and intuition are the inputs.<BR/>Another external input is the words of scriptures and learned men. One can<BR/>derive one's dharma from them. A special place is given to one's spiritual<BR/>master. If one surrenders to a spiritual master, one can take the words of<BR/>the master to determine one's dharma and follow it sincerely.<BR/><BR/>When Arjuna was confused about what his dharma was and thought killing gurus<BR/>and relatives was not dharma, he had a guru in Krishna who clarified his<BR/>dharma. When Narendranath (Swami Vivekananda) was confused about his dharma<BR/>and wanted to renounce the world and go to a secluded place to do sadhana,<BR/>Ramakrishna Paramahamsa cried and prevailed upon him to stay in the material<BR/>world and do the work of Mother for him.<BR/><BR/>One who is not in tune with nature and does not know who one is, what one's<BR/>debts are and what nature expects from one can err in the judgment of what<BR/>one's dharma is. If one's guru is an elevated soul with a clear insight into<BR/>one's inner core, such a guru can give perfect guidance.<BR/><BR/>* * *<BR/><BR/>Bottomline is that I (or anybody) cannot outline a set of principles and<BR/>declare that as the dharma. No, dharma changes from person to person, from<BR/>time to time and from place to place. Also, there are no thumbrules to find<BR/>out what one's dharma is. But, one can refine one's understanding of one's<BR/>dharma by increasing internal purity. By doing various kinds of spiritual<BR/>sadhana (like homam, japam etc) and engaging in actions without much<BR/>attachment, one can slowly purify oneself and refine one's understanding of<BR/>one's individual dharma.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com