EIGHT QUALITIES BY KANCHI MAHASWAMIGAL

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The Eight Qualities

(HinduDharma: The Forty Samskaras)

 

The eight gunas or qualities are : daya, ksanti, anasuya, sauca,

anayasa, mangala, akarpanya, asprha.

 

" Daya " implies love for all creatures, such love being the very

fulfilment of life. There is indeed no greater happiness than that

derived by loving others. Daya is the backbone of all qualities.

 

" Ksanti " is patience. One kind of ksanti is patiently suffering

disease, poverty, misfortune and so on. The second is forgiveness and

it implies loving a a person even if he causes us pain and trouble.

 

" Anasuya " you know is the name of the sage Atri's wife. She was

utterly free from jealousy : that is how she got the name which means

non-jealousy. Heart-burning caused by another man's prosperity or

status is jealousy. We ought to have love and compassion for all and

ought to be patient and forgiving even towards those who do us wrong.

We must not envy people their higher status even if they be less

deserving of it than we are and, at the same time, must be mature

enough to regard their better position as the reward they earned by

doing good in their previous life.

 

"Sauca" is derived from "suci", meaning cleanliness. Purity is to be

maintained in all matters such as bathing, dress, food. There is a

saying often quoted even by the unlettered: "Cleanliness makes you

happy and it even appeases your hunger". To see a clean person is to

feel ourselves clean.

 

In Manu's listing of dharmas that are applicable to all, ahimsa or

non-violence comes first, followed by satya (truthfulness), asteya

(non-convetousness; non-stealing is the direct meaning), sauca

(cleanliness) and indriya-nigraha (subduing the senses or even

obliterating them).

 

The fifth Atmaguna is "anayasa". It is the opposite of "ayasa" which

denotes effort, exertion, etc. Anayasa means to have a feeling of

lightness, to take things easy. One must not keep a long face, wear a

scowl or keep lamenting one's hardships. If you lose your cool you

will be a burden to yourself as well as to others. Anayasa is a great

virtue. In many of our rituals there is much bodily exertion. When we

perform a sraddha we have to remain without food until 2 or 3 in the

afternoon. There is no end to the physical effort we have to put in

to conduct a sacrifice. Here anayasa means not to feel any mental

strain. Obstacles, inevitable to any work or enterprise, must not

cause you any mental strain. You must not feel any duty to be a

burden and must develop the attitude that everything happens

according to the will of the Lord. What do we mean when we remark

that the musician we listened to yesterday touched the "tara-sthayi"

so effortlessly? Does it mean that he performed a difficult musical

exercise with ease? Similarly, we must learn to make light of all the

hardships that we encounter in life.

 

What is "mangala", the sixth guna? Well, "mangala" is mangala. There

is mangala or an auspicious air about happiness that is characterised

by dignity and purity. One must be cheerful all the time and not keep

growling at people on the slightest pretext. This itself is extremely

helpful, to radiate happiness wherever we go and exude

auspiciousness. It is better than making lavish gifts and throwing

money about.

 

To do a job with a feeling of lightness is anayasa. To be light

ourselves, creating joy wherever we go, is mangala. We must be like a

lamp spreading light and should never give cause for people to

say, "Oh! he has come to find fault with everything". Wherever we go

we must create a sense of happiness. We must live auspiciously and

make sure that there is happiness brimming over everywhere.

 

"Akarpanya" is the next guna. Miserliness is the quality of krpana or

miser. "Akarpanya" is the opposite of miserliness. We must give

generously and whole-heartedly. At Kuruksetra Arjuna felt dejected

and refused to wage war with his own kin. In doing so, according to

the Gita, he was the guilty of "karpanya dosa". It means,

contextually, that he abased himself to a woeful state, he

became "miserly" about himself. Akarpanya is the quality of a

courageous and zestful person who can face problems determinedly.

 

"Asprha" is the last of the eight qualities. "Sprha" means desire; a

grasping nature. "Asprha" is the opposite, being without desire.

Desire is at the root of all trouble, all evil and, all through the

ages, it has been the cause if misfortunes. But to eradicate it from

the mind of men seems an almost impossible task. By performing rites

again and again and by constantly endeavouring to acquire the Atmic

qualities one will evenyually become desireless. Says Valluvar:

 

Parruga parrarran parrinai apparrai

 

parruga parru vidarku

 

Tirumular goes a step further. "It is not enough, " he says, "to be

attached to Isvara who is without attachment and be free from other

attachments. You must be able to sever yourself from the attachment

to Isvara himself".

 

Asai arumingal, asai arumingal

 

Isanodayinum asai arumingal

 

The Buddha calls desire thirst. Intense desire for an object

is "trsna". ( The Buddha calls it "tanha" in Prakrt). His chief

teaching is the conquest of desire.

 

Desirelessness is the last of the eight qualities. The first one,

daya, is the life-breath of Christianity. Each religion lays emphasis

on a particular quality, though all qualities are included in the

teachings of Buddha, Jesus Christ, the Prophet Mohammed, Guru Nanak,

Zoroaster, Confucius and the founders of all other religions. Even if

these qualities may not have been pointedly mentioned in their

teachings, it is certain that none of them would regard people

lacking them with approval.