Basic ethics for a godly life

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Basic ethics for godly life

 

The veda-s, smriti-s and the purana-s have laid down clearly various

edicts that serve as guidelines for us to lead our life on earth. When we

follow their instructions, the Lord is pleased and showers His grace on us.

When we disregard or neglect their directives, we earn the displeasure of

the Lord. Worldly life then becomes a trail of numerous sorrows and

difficulties.

 

The crucial endeavour, therefore, is to earn the Lord's grace and

love. POYGAI AZHVAR elucidates the way to become recipients of the boundless

blessings of the Lord, in verse 64 of his MUDAL TIRUVANDADI.

 

* I will not covet what belongs to others.

I will not associate with the evil-minded

I shall always seek the company of the wise and the virtuous

I will praise and worship no celestial other that Sriman Narayana

No evil will ever befall me"

 

Surrendering of the Soul

 

The azhvar, through this verse, teaches us that we should never

crave for possessions, positions or covet spouses and children of others.

Such desires impel us to perform acts which are immoral, anti-social and

illegal and drag us to into a maze of endless sins. But most of us are

virtuous and may never perform such acts in life. Yet all of us are guilty

of stealing a valuable possession that belongs to the Lord. This priceless

possession is the soul (atma). This jivatma is like the precious KAUSTUBJA

gem and it should adorn the Lord. Unlike all other objects in the universe,

the atma alone is immortal, indestructible, pure, joyous and luminous. We

should realize that the physical body and the subtle soul are intrinsically

different and surrender the soul at the feet of the Lord. All those who do

not perform this atma samarpana (saranagati-surrender) are thieves who hold

on to the Lord's wealth and call it their own.

 

The soul belongs to the Lord

 

In the above verse the word pirar used by the azhvar refers to

SRIMAN NARAYANA, the Primordial Creator Who is distinctly different from

everything else in His Creation. The Lord is the Creator and every other

form of life or substance, big or small, is a part of His Creation. When a

person steals an object, the punishment pronounced will depend on the value

of the object stolen. The punishment obviously cannot be the same in the

case of theft of a sack of hay and a precious gem. If the owner of the

property is a king or a powerful nobleman, the theft will definitely invite

swift and severe penalty. When we call this atma our own, we are stealing

the most precious possession from the Almighty Himself. There is no bigger

crime than this.

 

Swami PERIYAVACCHAN PILLAI explains this with an analogy from SRIMAD

RAMAYANAM. All of us who call this atma as ' I '. ' Me ', and ' Mine ' are

like the evil RAVANA who carried away SITA, who belonged to SRI RAMA. SITA

here represents the atma which is very dear to the Lord. We should not, like

RAVANA, be instrumental in separating the jivatma from the paramatma. This

jivatma, in its natural state, is not independent and is the Lord's servant.

 

God, the sole refuge

 

To attain this realization, one must shun the company of those who

revel in worldly affairs and remain preoccupied in meaningless pursuits.

Such associates lead us astray from our goal. We are all guided by the

company of noble souls and devotees who lead exemplary lives and are

steadfast in their devotion to SRIMAN NARAYANA. Devotion is like marriage

where the central principle is to remain faithful to the spouse. A sincere

devotee remains wedded to the Lord and will never praise or pray to any

other celestial. The Lord grants to such devotees, all pleasures on this

earth and the ultimate bliss of attaining His holy feet.