Katho:panishad - III

[Guest guest]

Je:yar Thiruvadigale: Sharanam.

Priya Bhakthas,

My humble and respectful Pranamams. Jai Sri:manna:ra:yana.

Desires cloud our real knowledge. In other words, desire to enjoy apart from

Lord Sri:manna:ra:yana is the origin of sin. In this mail, H.H. wonderfully

gives an account of the dangers involved and the resulting consequences of

working with fruitive mentality.

Vajasravas : A great donor

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In the last mail we discussed the wonderful qualities of Nachiketha, a wise and

grasping son of Vajasravas.

Here is a description of Vajasravas, his father.

" Ushanhavai Va:jasravasah

Sarva Veda sandadau

Thasya Nachiketha: Na:ma puthra a:sa"

Vajasravas was widely known for his charity work. He was especially very expert

in distributing food as charity in the society.

Though he was such an extraordinary donor, he harboured a desire to become more

famous and recognized than what he is now. In other words, behind his charitable

disposition, lying hidden was this intense longing to become more and more

famous and reputed in the society.

"Sarvasva Dakshina:kam"

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Vajasravas being taken over by the desire to increase his fame, started

observing "Sarvasva Dakshina:kam" sacrifice. The rule of the sacrifice is, one

who observes it should donate all that one can call his own. His wealth, land,

money, clothes, food, assets...etc.

The bahaviour of children seeks the lowest behaviour of elders. They keenly

observe what elders do and repeat the same. Nachiketha, being very much

interested in Vedic activities, started carefully observing his father's

programme at home.

"Pe:tho:daka:h, Jagdha Thruna:h

Dughdha Doha:h Nirindriya:h"

This Shloka describes the kind of cows being distributed as part of the

sacrifice. They had drunk all the water they could, they had grazed all the

grass they could, they had given all the milk they could and they were

impotent, sterile. In other words, they were simply awaiting death, incapable

of doing any work.

Can one give such things as charity? When one is keen in enjoying the results

of the sacrifice, one should be very careful in the proper performance of the

sacrifice. Otherwise, as the consequence of such improper charity work, one's

soul will have to undergo severe hellish punishments.

Vajasravas, apparently should be knowing this, but his desire covered his

knowledge, he couldn't sense that he was accumulating great sin in the name of

charity. All that he wanted was fame, not the welfare of people to whom he was

distributing the cows.

Nachikethas precisely caught this defect in the sacrifice and wanted to help

his father in this regard.

What did he do? We shall see in the next mail.

Kindly forgive adiye:n's ignorance,

Jai Srimannarayana,

Adiye:n.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

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1. How does Lord regard the charity given by Vajasravas? Will it please Lord?

Discuss Lord's opinions on such charity programmes in general. (Clue: B.G.

16.17, 17.20-22 etc.)

2. Should charity always be based on physical needs? Carefully nurturing the

plant of bhakthi in each other's hearts by providing "bha:gavatha: association"

is not charity? Think.

3. Vajsravas performed "Sarvasva Dakshina:kam" in ----------- (Clue: B.G. 17.21 & 22)

(i) Sattvaguna (ii) Rajo:guna (iii) Tamo:guna (iv) ii and iii (v) can't tell

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