Dear Parents,
Harih Om!
The following material was taught to your child on Sunday, January 24, 2021
- Geeta chanting verses 1 through 18 Chapter 2
- Geeta Dhyanam: till verse 6
- We discussed the meaning of Dharma through the eyes of the Mahabharatha:
Yato Dharamah tato Jayah: Where there is Dharma there is victory. The word Dharma is derived from the Samskrtam word "Dhri" which means to uphold or that which supports. Dharma is the cornerstone of our religion. The essential nature of anything is called Dharma. For example, the essential Dharma of sugar is "sweetness." All of us human beings have an essential nature that upholds/supports our existence separate from the rest of creation. We Hindus believe that the ability of becoming divine is what sets us apart from everything else in this world. And the important thing to realize is that divinity is already within each one of us. According to Swami Sivananda, "there is no proper equivalent in English for the Sanskrit term 'Dharma'. It is generally rendered as 'duty', 'righteousness'. Any action that is best calculated to bring Sreyas (liberation) and Abhyudaya (exaltation) is Dharma. That which brings well-being to human beings is Dharma. By Dharma people are upheld. As it supports and holds together it is called Dharma. That which secures preservation of being is Dharma."
God, Religion and Dharma are inseparable. Each of us evolves through the practice of Dharma according to his order of life. Eventually, this leads to self-realization which is the goal of life. This will bring untold bliss, supreme happiness, infinite bliss, supreme peace, unbroken joy, highest knowledge, eternal satisfaction, and immortality.
To understand this concept let us look further. Everything in this world has two essential qualities: essential and non-essential qualities. Anything can exist if it's essential qualities are present even if the non-essential qualities are absent! For example, the color, length, and the width of tongues of flame are its non-essential qualities while heat is its essential quality. A flame is considered a flame because of its ability to provide heat and not by its size, color etc.
Now, let us extrapolate the same concept to human beings. The non-essential qualities of a human being are color of skin, height, education, the conditions and capacity of the body, mind, and intellect. However, consciousness is the essential quality of man and this is also referred to as Atman.
Having understood this, Dharma refers to following all ethical and moral rules of society. Our responsibilities towards our family, our parents, society, our friends, our work, charity, our well wishes, etc. all are an expression of Dharma. Through these actions whether it is mental, physical, or intellectual, man can express his true divine nature. The reason we do not see the divinity within ourselves or in others is that we are transacting in this world through our non-essential qualities (body, mind, and intellect) and not through our essential quality (our consciousness). Imagine an antique hand carved mirror from many centuries ago buried in grime and dust in the attic of your home. You discover this one day, dust it and clean the mirror with a mild cleaner and warm water, wipe it dry and lo and behold discover the treasure! Similarly, we need to withdraw from our false identification with body mind and intellect. Unfortunately, we cling to these non-essential qualities and we dance to the tune of our intellect's ideas and suggestions. The disappointments, pain, passion etc. that we experience on a day-to-day basis is due to us living through our non-essential qualities. We need instead to clear all the debris and remove all the dust that has covered our essential quality, our consciousness and seek the divinity within.
What makes one personality different from another is the texture of thoughts entertained by him/her. The quality of thoughts entertained by a person are in turn determined by the vaasanas (patterns of thinking) from the past.
Every human being is unique because each person is born with certain innate talents, traits, and capacities. Swadharma means practicing one's own dharma which includes the individual`s unique duties, responsibilities and being righteous. This also means acting according to the Gunas or qualities born of the nature of man.
To act against one's own gunas and act according to someone else's gunas is called Paradharma and this is filled with danger. Dronacharya in the Mahabharatha exemplifies this case. He was born a brahmin. And a Brahmin`s Swadharma is to impart knowledge and education to mankind without any personal gain and interest. However, he chose training in archery and then taught the Pandavas and Kauravas this skill. We later learn that he had an ulterior motive in doing this.
To live according to one's Svadharma and exhaust one's vaasanas is the method of reaching our Divine nature and this is called ParamDharma.
According to Manu Smriti, Dharma is defined as that through which an individual evolves and advances without comprising on one's values. The mark of Dharma is Achara (good conduct). It is believed higher than all the teachings, is Achara. Achara is the ability to have the discrimination whether our actions are in accordance with moral values. A person who has detailed knowledge of the scriptures, does rituals but conducts himself/herself improperly then all his/her learning is in vain. In the Ramayana, Ravana is an example of such a person. He was a learned man, extremely scholarly, generous, and performed elaborate rituals all the time. But Ravana was a man of poor character and morals. If we are a person of good conduct, then the seed for Dharma is created. By Achara man attains fame, power, and strength in this life and forever. Achara is the highest Dharma. Dharma enhances the quality of life. In fact, Dharma is the first amongst all the four Purusharthas, viz., Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Dharma gives wealth, satisfaction of desires and liberation in the end.
Unfortunately, most of us keep repeating what we have heard from learned souls or what we read from scriptures. Dharma must be lived and not just learned!
4.Yaksha Prashnas:
a) What is the characteristic of tapas? The characteristic of tapas (austerity) is to abide by Dharma. The Dharma of a scorpion is to sting and that of Brahmin is to be kind and forgiving. Each abides should abide in their Dharma. As a student, even though your aunt/uncle are staying at your home as guests, and everybody else is laughing and chatting. But you have an exam tomorrow, and you work through the problems in the study guide the teacher has provided, constitutes tapas (austerity).
b) What is Damah? Damah means self-discipline. According to Sage Shankaracharya, Samah is defined as control of mind and Damah is defined as control of external sense organs like eyes, ears etc. When one has control over their mind, then it stops being overwhelmed with emotional triggers and one is said to have achieved Samah. If our thoughts are controlled, then automatically the actions are appropriate. Instead, most of us get overwhelmed by the mind and its suggestions when the mind is not under our control.
c)What is Kshamaa? Kshamaa means forgiveness. If we are unable to forgive someone, we do not have the power of giving love.
d)What is Lajja (Shame)? It is shameful to avoid our duties. If we run away from our responsibilities, we run away from Dharma. We want victory in life and that can be achieved if we live by Dharma. If we live by Dharma, we lead a life of honor and Lord Krishna will always be by our side.
Thank you!
Sitaram Kuchibhotla
and
Mekhala Girish (Balavihar teachers 8th Grade A.M. Sunday)
