Morality

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Shree Raama,

I posted this question to the list once before but i did not recieve

many replies so i presumed it was due to some problem on my end. My

question to all of you bhagavathas is what role does morality play in

our lives and our faith? In terms of morality i mean like drinking

alcohol, pre-martial sex and so on. I kind of think this question is

important especially today and for us younger generation kids. From my

understanding if the idea of good and evil are only relative while one

is in samsara then how does a absolute idea of morality fit in. Is not

morality a personal thing? I have a belief that though morality is in a

sense relative through it one can cultivate very spiritual practices and

attitude if done in the correct mind set, ie not so much as it is the

right thing to do but more so in the view that one must try and remain

pure and treat one's body as a temple of the Lord Narayana.

 

My second question comes in this form. How liberal or universal is

our Shree Vaishnava faith? I am asking this question because i have

this faith that our shree vaishnavite beliefs are universal and are the

eternal vedic truths but sometimes some very conservative beliefs creep

up and sadden me. Thank you for your time and please excuse any of my

mistakes or wrongdoings.

Shree Raama

Shree Ramanujaya Namah

-Mukunda Vijaya Raghavan

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

Dear Sri Mukunda Vijayaraghavan,

 

Your questions are good and thought provoking. They are in all our minds.

Let me add little of what I perceive.

 

Being KooratthAzhwAn's Thirunakshathram today, I would like to take AzhwAn

as an examaple for first question with regard to morality.

 

1. Can there be any of us, who is so learned and intelligent as AzhwAn? He

had read the whole Brahma soothram commentary in three four days time, on

the way (that too when Ramanuja did not even notice- may be when he slept-

means how many hours could he have read!) and re wrote the whole.

 

2. Can any of us could be as wealthy as AzhwAn? (having such a wealth that

he closes the dorr of his home at 2 a.m - annadaanam finishes at that time..

till then BhAgawathAs kept coming in..)

 

3. Can we be better kulam that he was in?

 

In spite of all that he rembered himself as simply "Ramanujar's Thiruvadi.."

vanja mukkuRumbaam kuzhiyaik kadakkum KooratthAzhwAn.."

 

He alone is our example, role model. If we can attempt to achive one

fraction of what he was, did.. it is superb..

 

For children (and oursleves) not to go to drinks, etc.., we need to be

pious, religious and be example to them.. If we start walking in half

trousers, (with no vEshti, leave alone pancha kaccham), smoke, drink in

parties, in their presence, forget doing sandhis.. how do we expect our

chidren to follow...? We are at least having this semblance of these thought

thanks to our parents' strict adherence to our traditions. We ned to pass

down to future generations.

 

If we are young, and yet to be married, have the Vairgayam.. of Swamy

Desikan, AzhwAn.. I know there are temptations. Think of our gloriuos

religion, philosophy. Think of decaying (beastial- ) marriages of west.

India is the only country - where (I hope) marraige is still considered

sacred ;

 

2. Is our religion narrow minded or universal?

 

The best thing again is Vedas- It is authorless, and our religion is based

on that. If it is on an individual's sermons, there is a possibility of

bias, prejudice.

 

Alavandhar's sthOthra Rathanm solves all our doubts. If one belives in

Vedas, he will belive everything of Sri Ramanuja. There is no question or

looking at someone, and convincing him, if one does not belive in Vedas, and

is interested inone particluar individual's concocted opinion as Vedha

vaakku..

 

Hope it does not confound your confusion.

 

Regards

 

Narayana Narayana

adiyEn

 

 

 

----Original Message Follows----

Jayanthi Raghavan <shree1

bhakti

Morality

Tue, 25 Jan 2000 00:05:44 -0800

 

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[Guest guest]

Om Namo Narayanaya

Dear Mukunda Vijaya Raghavan,

Read your queries on morality. Sri Madhavakannan had more than answered

them.

This is the story which suddenly cropped up as soon as I read your posting.

Please take time to read it fully:

There was a time when Sage Vashista & his wife were living on one bank of

river Gauthami performing tapas. Sage Agastya was on the other bank

performing tapas. Sage Agastya had taken the vow of not-eating.

But Vashistar regularly sent food to Agatsyar through his wife & Agastyar

used to regularly partake the food brought to him by the rishi pattini. This

went on for a few days.

One day, the river Gauthami was in spate and the rishi pattini could not

cross the river. So she went back to her husband with her problem. Vashistar

immediately asked her to pray to the river thus:

"Mother Gauthami, please give me passage as I am carrying out the orders of

my husband, the Eternal brahmachari"

she followed it & wonder of wonders - the river parted to give her passage.

So she completed her task of feeding Agastyar & came back to see that the

floods had not subsided.

She went back to Agastyar & told him her problem. She also told him how she

got passage earlier that day. Immediately Agastyar replied,

"Dont hesitate mother, pray to river Gauthami that you are returning after

feeding one on eternal fast."

Its no wonder that this time also she got safe passage. She went back to her

huband with her confusion, "why lord, this morning you told me to pray to

the river gauthami in a manner that made one believe that you were a

bramachari while we have lived a long life together & have begotten more

than 100 children. But the river however gave a passage. Then Agastyar says

that he is on eternal fast while everyday he has been eating at at my own

hand. I am bewildered, do enlighten me."

The good sage replied, " One who lives with his wife & seeks her company

only for the sake of begetting children on prescribed days only, though he

is a grihasta he is a bramachari. And one who does not go in search of food

7 eats whatever comes his way to sustain his life only - he though eating is

a NIRHARi ( a non-eater ). "

Such were the great seers who have become the salt of our nation & seeds of

our religion.

 

So I stand to conclude, whatever food is essential to sustain life so that

we can perform our Kainkariyam to the Lord Sriman Narayanan, that food alone

is good food. It is for you to determine if drinks are something essential.

 

About your second query :

No narrow minded religion will ever preach tolerance. I once had the fortune

of reading the preachings of Kanchi periyavar. He said, " I respect all

religions but this respect is born from my faith in mine."

Let us all bow down to our own Sri Vaishavam, the only purpose of which was

to dispell internal darkness in each jivatma.

Nowhere else will we find a culture in which, for every man every woman

except his wife is his mother and for every woman, every man except her

husband is her son.

Sarvam Krishnarpanam.

Ramia P

 

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[Guest guest]

--- Jayanthi Raghavan <shree1 wrote:

My> question to all of you bhagavathas is what role

does> morality play in> our lives and our faith? In

terms of morality i> mean like drinking> alcohol,

pre-martial sex and so on. I kind of think> this

question is> important especially today and for us

younger> generation kids. From my> understanding if

the idea of good and evil are only> relative while

one> is in samsara then how does a absolute idea of>

morality fit in. Is not> morality a personal thing?

 

Dear SriMukunda Vijayaraghvan,

Adiyen holds morality is not "a personal thing".

 

If man lived alone, he could live as he pleased. But

man doesn't live alone; he lives in society. And every

society lays down a set of minimum standards of

behaviour every member must comply with. Such "minimum

standards" constitute morality or civilised behaviour.

It's the only way civilization can survive and grow.

No morality, no civilization.

 

In Vedic societies, the concept of "dharma" determines

what is "civilized behaviour" or "moral conduct". What

is "dharma" is described in "smriti", "purANa" and

"dharma-sAstra".

 

Is morality "relative"? Yes.

 

The "minimum standards of behavior" society imposes

can vary from time to time, from place to place, from

culture to culture, from people to people. (e.g.

Monogamy is virtue in some countries; polyandry is

perfectly acceptable in some other societies. The

monogamy of Sita in the "trEta-yuga" was celebrated as

highest "dharma" in one "purANa", the Ramayana. The

polyandry of Draupadi in another "purANa" of the

"dvApara-yuga" i.e. the Mahabharatha, was regarded no

less virtuous than Sita's. Similarly, in the olden

days, Vedic morality remained neutral towards "sati"

or "sahagamana"; but in modern Indian society, "sati"

is considered to have no Vedic sanction at all.)

> My second question comes in this form. How

> liberal or universal is> our Shree Vaishnava faith?

I am asking this> question because i have> this faith

that our shree vaishnavite beliefs are> universal and

are the> eternal vedic truths but sometimes some very>

conservative beliefs creep> up and sadden me. Thank

you for your time and> please excuse any of my>

mistakes or wrongdoings.

> -Mukunda Vijaya Raghavan

 

"Liberal" and "universal" are very difficult, very

loose phrases to define. They mean different things to

different people. If you can elaborate exactly what

the words mean to you, then perhaps answers to your

questions can be attempted.

 

Regards,

dAsan,

Sampathkumaran

 

 

 

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