Hindu Article-Practical wisdom for life

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Practical wisdom for life

 

 

CHENNAI NOV.10 . An individual can have in-depth

knowledge of only the subjects in which he has

expertise and formal education endows him with a

specific skill to pursue a career. But this is

insufficient to handle life situations and hence one

needs general knowledge and wisdom to handle them with

poise. One must also know how to lead a proper and

productive life in the world and it is towards this

end that the sages composed a second line of

scriptures, expounding the teachings of the Vedas,

embodying guidelines and ethics. The Puranas and the

epics belong to this genre of scriptures and the sages

intended them for the benefit of one and all.

 

In his discourse, Sri Goda Venketeswara Sastri said

spiritual knowledge was meant for everyone and hence

must be taught according to the capacity of the

individual to understand it. The Vedas, which are the

primary scriptural texts, are eternal in nature and

were revealed at the time of creation. They are the

sum total of all knowledge. The Puranas explain the

Vedic wisdom through stories because they make it

possible for man to identify with the characters

portrayed in them.

 

The very term for the epics "Itihasa" means "that

which happened" and hence they are accounts written by

the sages, Valmiki (Ramayana) and Vyasa (Mahabharata),

as they witnessed them during the lifetime of the

characters portrayed by them. That these texts are

integral to daily life and have been in practice can

be seen in an observation of Sage Vasishta in his

Smriti, which is a digest on Dharma. After elaborating

all its salient features, the sage has observed that

one can get doubts cleared from elders. In practice,

even great Vedic scholars clarify their doubts from

elders who practised these principles in life.

 

The Valmiki Ramayana describes Rama as the very

epitome of Dharma who upheld its directives and Sita

as His spouse who espoused the same and thus an ideal

couple for others to emulate. An incident in their

life is sufficient to highlight their commitment to

righteousness. When the sages complained to Rama about

the atrocities of the demons by obstructing the

performance of their sacrifices, He promised to kill

them. Sita who was listening to this exchange pointed

out a subtlety of Dharma by saying that He should not

have promised the sage without first ascertaining it

for Himself as any punishment cannot be meted out

without hearing the opposite party or checking the

facts.

 

copy right:The Hindu-daily

 

 

 

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