types of dharmam

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Many a sri vaishNavaas in the lists of may well be aware that in

sri vishNu sahasra naamam there is a slOkam which reads

 

Sree vaisampaayana uvaacha -

sruthvaa dharmaan asEshENa pavanaani cha sarvasa: |

yudhishtira: saanthanavam puna: Eva abhyabhaashatha: ||

 

This slOkam will on anvayam - putting in prose order - read as

 

yudhishtira: Eva dharmaan cha pavanaani sarvasa: asEshENa sruthvaa, saanthanavam

puna: abhyabhaashtha: ||

 

Meaning: sree vaisampaayana said - having listened to a complete ennobling and

purifying ethical principles, yudhishtira spoke to bheeshma the son of santhanu

again.

 

This means that even after listening quite a lot about dharmam from bheeshma,

still yudhishtira had some more doubts and as such wants to continue the

conversation. Yes. That is what all 'saanthi parva' and 'anusaasana parva' the

12th and 13th parvaas of mahaa bhaaratha talk about.

 

On the above slOkam sri parasara bhattar, in his 'bhagavath guNa dharpaNam', the

commentary on 'sree vishNu sahasra naama', on the word "dharmaan" comments as

 

dharmaan - this comprehensively embraces

1. raaja dharma [duty of the kings]

2. mOksha dharma [the code for attainment of salvation]

3. dhaana dharma [the principles underlying the dispensation of charity]

in accordance with the decrees and injunctions enjoined by sruthi and smrithi

conferring material benefits here and in yonder worlds.

 

[Please note the word dharma is translated here as ethical principles. In other

place it was done as religion, by another author. Further here itself three

kinds of dharma are brought out].

 

By way of continuing his talk with his grandfather bheesham, the questions what

yudhishtira asked are also well known [which we recite daily in sree vishNu

sahasra naamam] -

1. lOkE kim Ekam dhaivatham?

2. Ekam kim paraayaNam?

3. sthuvantha: kam?

4. maanavaa: subham praapnuyur kam archantha:?

5. sarva dharmaaNam bavatha kO dharma: parama: matha ?

6. janthu: samsaara bhandhanaath kim japan muchyathE ?

 

[For those not familiar with above Sanskrit anvayam done to the slokam - please

refer next slokam of above quoted one "sree vaisampaayana uvaacha"]

 

We, in this write up, are interested to study the answer to the 5th question

only, which is bhavatha sarva dharmaaNaam ka: parama dharma: matha?

 

Meaning: "Amongst all dharmam, which is the supreme dharmam in your opinion"

asks yudhishtira to bheeshma his grand father.

 

The answer given by bheeshma is simple and great - or is it simply great?

 

Esha mE sarva dharmaaNaam dharma: adhika thamO matha |

yath bhakthyaa pundareekaaksham sthavai: archEth nara: sadhaa ||

 

When anvayam is done - then it will read - nara: yath bhakthyaa pundareekaaksham

sadhaa sthavai:, sadhaa archEth, [thath] sarva dharmaaNaam adhikathamo dharma:,

Esha mE matha |

 

Meaning: bheeshma said or replied "This I consider the highest ethical act among

all where a person incessantly and devoutly adores with hymns the lord who has

eyes like lotus".

 

[MGV - please note the word sadhaa - normally translated as 'always' is put here

as 'incessantly']

 

On this reply slokam of bheeshma, sri bhattar comments on the word "dharmaaNaam

adhikathama dharma:" by elaborating on the classification of dharma as

 

- dharma is four fold - viz.

1. Dharma performed for material benefits viz. cattle children and other

benefits

2. Dharmam performed for obtaining celestial pleasures such as svarga [the

world of gods]

3. Dharmam for attainment of salvation, which consists of realization of time

knowledge by purification of self, by sacrifice, by charitable acts without

desire for fruits.

4. Dharmam of Meditation, singing in praise, prostration before the lord with

love and affection.

And the fourth is the best of all as indicated by the superlative suffix thama:

 

[MGV adds not simply thama: which itself is superlative, but adhika thama:]

 

Dear readers, perhaps, now you will ask why all these, when these two slokams

are well known, or on things are already known. The highlight or emphasis, I

want to present before you all, is on the types of dharmam -

 

The dharmam in this world is predominantly

- performed for material benefits

- for obtaining celestial pleasures

- for attaining salvation

- done with love and affection.

 

Perhaps we can say, again, this classification is from the very famous bhagavth

geethaa slOkam -

 

chathur-vidha bhajanthE mam jana: sukrithinO 'rjuna |

arthO jijnasu: arthaarthee jnaani cha bharatharshabha || 7-16

 

meaning: O best among the Bhaarathaas, four kinds of pious men begin to render

devotional service unto Me -

1. the distressed,

2. the desirer of wealth,

3. the inquisitive,

4. who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute."

 

Further if we analyse why persons do render devotional service to the lord - for

- the distressed need material benefits here and now in this world

- the desirer of wealth - may need wealth for doing dharma here as well in the

other world by way of dhaanam, yagnaas etc

- inquisitive - by repeated questioning wants to attain salvation

- searching for knowledge of the absolute simply out of love and affection - by

enjoying his guNaas as in sahasra naama.

 

Also as bhagavaan himself says in his next slOkam

 

thEshaam jnaani nithya-yuktha Eka-bhakthir visishyathE |

priyO hi jnaaninO 'thyartham aham sa cha mama priya: || 7-17

 

meaning: Of these, the one who is in full knowledge and who is always engaged in

pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear

to Me".

 

Both, the lord as well the devotee have mutual love for each other. This is what

bheeshmaa also said in his elaboration - dharma adhika thama --- yath bhakthyaa

puNdareekaaksham ----'.

 

Perhaps what the lord said is echoed by bheeshmaa since there was also a small

time lapse in between the dates of geethaa [the first day of war] and bheeshmaa

uttering sahsra naamam [after 18 days of war].

 

Comments on the above lines are welcome.

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Post 4

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer and sukumar swamin,

 

Sri Sukumar wrote in response to the post on types of dharma: -- Quote:

The 3rd point is somewhat contradictory in as far as desire is concerned. You

have briefed the procedure for attaining salvation and listed 'without desire

for fruits' also one of them, but the very act of obtaining salvation

presupposes that the 'desire for salvation' is obvious. In fact, dharma of

meditation involving an urge to praise Lord is also a desire.

 

Vedas (Mundaka Up) says 'sa yo ha vai tat paramam brahma veda brahmaiva bhavati'

Whoever knows that Supreme Brahman becomes Brahman indeed. Attaining vaikunta is

attaining Parabrahman himself there is no diff. between vaikunta (one of the

namas of Vishnu in VSN) and Parabrahman. Are they? So is there any difference

between the desire - to attain Vaikunta / Brahman - to praise Vaikunta/Brahman

 

Is not the sadhaka following 3rd dharma, desires salvation is akin to desiring

Vaikunta? Is not the sadhaka while praising Vaikunta is liberated from loukika

thoughts / actions? The very act of praising, following 4th dharma presupposes

that he is liberated from all materialistic dust at that very moment. Isn't so?

If we bring about difference between vaikunta & vishnu then we can arrive at

difference between 3rd and 4th dharmas. Regards sukumar -- Unquote:

 

In deference to this, first we saw the difference between the naamaas

'vaikunThaaya nama:' and 'vishNavE nama:' as 'He is the remover of sins, and so

He is called vaikunTha', and 'One who surrounds everything' respectively. So

both are somewhat different when considered with their deep meaning. On the

surface level both are same - vaikunTha and vishNu.

 

Now taking point by point on what sukumar writes -- The 3rd point is somewhat

contradictory in ---- an urge to praise Lord is also a desire.

 

MGV: the third point - yes. Desire is a desire whether good or bad. But to what

it leads has to be taken into account while analyzing the desire as to what is

the cause and effect. Here comes that famous geethaa slokam "karmaNi eva

adhikaarasthE maa palEshu kadhaachana" - desire to do work without desire for

fruits of these works - do it as a duty - do it as a dharma.

 

Duty is what one's dharma in 3rd stage - one's dharma in doing sandhya vandhanam

also - as a simple duty without anticipating any fruits - without anticipating a

fruit like long life as stated by bheeshma - for sandhya is also a yagnam -

leads to realization on time, realization on knowledge - without aspiring for

any fruits. That is the duty - dharmam - for this level of people. When third

type dharmam is being done whether it is vaikunTha or vishNu - sins are

automatically removed by his grace for he surrounds this dharma observer also -

means the doer of dharma realizes vaikunTha and vishNu here and now.

 

For others who are in first and second level or type as stated in post 1 - to

make them do sandhya or any other dharma - an incentive is offered - hey you

will have long life if you do - you will have material benefits etc - once the

doing taste sets in - evolution takes place within - vaikunTha sets himself in -

removes all sins due to which this realization is obstructed - then it becomes a

yagna without desire for fruits. They reach third and fourth levels or do third

and fourth types dharmam..

 

[i am just not touching the time scale aspect for this evolution - please study

geethaa on that aspect of how much time and how much evolution - lord describes

those aspects so beautifully]

 

Fourth type - for those who are in that level - see what saint annamacharya

says in his krithi on sandhyaa vandhanam -- Raagam saamantham

 

Pallavi:

sahaja vaishNava aachaara varthanula sahavaasamE maa sandhyaa ||

 

meaning: Living in the company of the Vaishnavas who live a life consistent with

their nature [sree vaishNava dharmam] is my sandhyaa vandhanam.

 

[MGV: please note the point saint says the very company is his sandhyaa - not

even following or adopting himself into that fold or converting himself into

that vaishNava dharmam to be a fit member]

 

CharaNam 1:

athisayamagu sree hari sankeerthana sathathambunu maa sandhyaa |

mathi raamaanuja mathamE maakunu chathuratha merasina sandhyaa ||

 

meaning: Excelling in singing the praise of Sree hari always, is my sandhyaa.

Accepting the religion of raamaanuja, is my clever, right, intelligent and wise

sandhyaa.

 

[MGV: is not clearly the fourth type of dharmam spelt here or identified by

annamacharya - singing out of love?

 

CharaNam 2

parama bhagavatha paadha sEvanayE saravi nenna maa sandhyaa |

sirivaru mahimalu cheluvondhaga vEsaaraka vinuthE maa sandhyaa ||

 

meaning: Servitude to the feet of parama bhaagavathaas, is my sandhyaa. Untiring

listening to the glory of the lover of Sri with pleasure, is my sandhyaa.

 

[MGV: confirmation once more on the fourth type - that too with pleasure. Is it

not?]

 

CharaNam 3:

mamthukekka thirumanthra paThanamE santhathamunu maa sandhyaa |

kanthugurudu vEnkaTagiri raayani santharpaNamE maa sandhyaa ||

 

meaning: Studying thiru manthra always, is my sandhyaa. Completely satisfying

the father of kaantha by offering to him (samyak tharpaNam) (kaantha is

manmatha), the King of vEnkatagiri, is my sandhyaa.

 

[MGV: 1. paThanam - studying or reading - just recall what paarvathi asks siva -

kEna upaayEna laghuna paTyathE paNdithai: in vishNu sahasra naamam - similar

paThanam.

 

2. here in that santharpaNamE - though my telugu expert and exponent gave the

meaning as samyak tharpaNamE, I have a slight doubt and has this feeling. If

this is santhathamu arpaNamE - 'offering always' - instead of santharpaNamE, it

means better.

Since the lyric is what is available and being sung also, I cannot but accept

the above version - readers who are experts can comment.]

 

Again since length of post puts a brake, we will see some more in next post.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER:

This Message and its contents is intended solely for the addressee and is

proprietary.Information in this mail is for L&T Business Usage only. Any Use to

other than the addressee is misuse and infringement to Proprietorship of L&T

ECC.If you are not the addressee please return the mail to the sender.L&T ECC

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