Notes for a Summer Diary (2006): satAbhishEkam- Part 3

[Guest guest]

Dear members/friends of the Tiruvenkatam Group,

 

Far too many of us are led habitually to equating

"sannyAsa" with the wearing of saffron robes

("kAshaaya-vastra") and the severing of all physical

ties with family and the world. Such an ingrained

habitual view of 'sannyAsa' is of course in keeping

with the Vedic milieu, no doubt, but there is also the

reasonable and much more contemporary view of

"sannyAsa" being more a state of mind than any

particular style or mode of living.

The Bhagavath-Gita, itself in fact, affirms such a

view: the highest 'sannyAsa' is, says Lord Krishna,

that of the inner, not that of the outer life, and in

which a man, who is completely detached and

indifferent to the world, mingles in the life of men

for their own benefit and upliftment:

 

anAsritah: karma-phalam kAryam

karma karOti yah: I

sa sanyAsI cha yOgI cha

na nirar-aggnir na chAkriyah: II

(Bhagavath-gita VI.1)

 

" He who performs actions in life as his duty,

independently of the fruit of action,

He is a sanyAsi and yogi, indeed,

Though without fire and rite he may be!"

 

The "samskArA" of "sathAbhishEkam" can be regarded as

marking that particular moment in a man's life when he

naturally and gracefully turns to finally and fully

embracing the mental state of the true "sannyAsin" --

i.e. even in our time going forth to assuming that

mental state without any outward appearances of ochre

robe, staff-stick or formal renunciation of worldly

ties. Such a man may not physically go away into a

forest ("vana"), but he does actually do so in spirit

and, in a far more real or substantive manner, enters

into a "mental forest" in which he is enabled (in the

words of the Gita above) to "perform actions in life

as his duty, independently of the fruit of action".

 

The Manu-smriti, in one of its finest and most

memorable passage ever, beautifully describes indeed

how such a man of "samskAra", who has entered into

this great 'AsrAma' in life may expect to live a life

--- a life full of dignity, serenity and fufillment.

None of us who reads this particular passage of Manu

will ever thereafter want to fail in our duty to

perform the due "samskAras" of "sathAbhishEkam" for

our fathers and deny them of its hallowed fruits:

 

(1) "nAbhinandEtha maraNam nAbhinandEtha jeevitam I

kAlamEva prateekshEta nirdEsham BruthakO yaThA II

 

"Let him not wish for death, let him not wish for

life,

Let him wait for the time, as a servant does for the

order of his Master;"

 

(2) "drushtipootham nyasEth pAdam vasrapootham jalam

pibate I

sathyapootham vadEth vAcham manah:pootham samAcharEth"

II

 

"May his feet tread paths illumined by pure light, May

the water he drinks be pure, May his speech be full of

words purified by truth, May his deeds be purified by

pure reason;

 

(3) "athivAdAm-sthithi-kshEtha nAvamannyEta kanchana I

na chEmam dEhamAsrithya vairam kUrveetha kEnachit"II

 

"May he endure any harsh language encountered, May he

never insult anyone; nor, may he in the haste of

bodily passion, make an enemy of anyone in the world;"

 

(4) "kruDhyantam na prati-kruDhyE-dhAkrushtah:

kushalam vadEth I

saptha-dvArAvakIrNAm cha na vAchamanrutAm vadEth" II

 

"May he not return anger for anger, May he return

blessing for curse; and driven by the Seven senses,

may he not utter untruthful words for selfish gain;

 

(5) "aDhyAtmaratirA-seenO nirapEkshO nirAmishah: I

Atmanaiva sahAyEna suKhArThi vicharEdiha" II

 

(Manu-smriti VI. 45-49)

 

"May he rest still and serene, rejoicing in the

Supreme Self, refraining from sensual delight;

May he befriend the greater Himself within; May he be

pleased to wander here on earth freely in search of

his great liberation".

 

In the light of all said above, we would be blind

indeed if we did not appreciate what a grave and

essential duty it is for us therefore to duly observe

the great "samskAra" of "sathAbhishEkam" for the sake

of ensuring the well-being of all elders in our

family.

 

***************

 

In yet another remarkable passage in the Manu-smriti

we come across great pronouncements on why it is

important to perform due honors (such as

"sathAbhishEkam") to our elders. Here they are with

relevant translations:

 

(1) "yam mAtA-pitarou klEsham sahEtE sambhavE nruNAm I

na tasya nishkrutihi: shakyA kartUm varshatairapi II

 

"The suffering which the mother and father endure in

the birth and upbringing of children cannot be

compensated, even in a hundred years;

 

(2) "tayOrnityam priyam kUryAdAchAryasya cha sarvadA I

tEshvEva trishu tUshTEshu tapah: sarvam samApyatE II

 

Let him, the son, do always what is pleasant to these

two, and to the AchArya too; in the satisfaction of

these three, all the fruits of austerity is verily

obtained;

 

(3) "tEshAm trayANAm shUshrUshA paramam tapa UchyatE I

na taira-naBhyanugnyAthO dharma-manyam samAcharEth II

 

The service of these three is called the highest

austerity, without the permission of these three let

him not perform other duties;

 

(4) "ta Eva hi trayO lOkAstha Eva traya AsramAh:

ta Eva hi trayO vEdAstha EvOkthAstrayOgnayah:

 

For verily, these three are the three worlds and the

three ashramas; these are also the three Vedas and the

three fires;

 

(5) "trishvapra-mAdhyannE-tEshu treegUm-lOkAn vijayEdh

gruhee

deepyamAnaha: sva-vapushA dEva-vEdh divi mOdatE II

 

The householder who neglects not the three, will

conquer the three worlds and in a shining body he will

rejoice as a deva, in heaven

 

(6) "sarvE tasyAdruthA dharmA yasyyai-thE traya

aadruthAha:

anAdruthAsthu yasyyai-thE sarvAs-tasyA-phalAha:

kriyAh:

yAvath trayastE jeevEyushthAvannAnyam samAcharEth

tEshvEva nityam shUsh-rUshAm kUryAth priyahitE rathah:

 

All duties are honoured and fulfilled by he who

honours these three; for him who does not honour these

three all other rites are fruitless;

 

As long as these three live, so long let him not do

aught else; let him ever do service unto them, intent

on what is pleasant and beneficial to them;

 

(7) "trish-vEthEsh-viti-krutyam hi purUshasya

samApyatE

Esha dharmah: parah: sAkshAth-upadharmO-anya uchyatE

 

(Manu smriti - 227-237)

 

In honoring these three, all that should be done in

life by man is achieved; this is plainly the highest

duty; all other is called a lesser duty".

 

*************

 

I have already described above in an earlier posting

of how the hundreds of guests who graced the occasion

of my father's "sathAbhishEkam" simply clamoured to

offer their prostrations at his feet and avidly sought

his blessings. It made me wonder why they were all so

eager and bent upon (pun unintended!) performing such

an act.

 

Again, it was in the ancient Manu-smriti that I found

the needed answers fully explained to my satisfaction:

 

 

(1) "abhivAdana-sheelasya nityam vruddhOpasEvinaha:

chathvAri tasya varDhanta aayUhu: pragnyA yashO

balam"

(MS II 121)

 

He who ever salutes and shows reverence to the aged,

obtains an increase of 4 things: life, intelligence,

fame and strength.

 

(2) "abhivAdayEdh vruddAmscha dadhyA-cchaivAsanam

svakam I

krutAnjali-rUpAseeth gacchatha: prushtathOn-viyAth

 

(MS IV.154)

 

Let him salute the aged, let him give them his own

seat, let him sit by them with folded hands, let him

walk behind when they leave".

 

***************

 

There is also a near-scientific reason why in the

Vedic faith it is believed that prostrations

("abhivandanam") at the feet of the elderly fetches

beneficient results for both parties. It is well and

truly explained by none other than Madam Annie Besant

in her wonderful book written in 1854, "Sanatana

Dharma", wherein she explains as follows:

 

(QUOTE): "That obeisance to the aged is even

physically beneficial to the young man is hinted in

the second "shlOka" (of Manu) above.

 

"By one of the laws of nature there is always a

tendency towards equilibrium: as heat radiates from

the warmer to the cooler, so strength and vitality go

out from the stronger to the weaker. It has been

proved by medical science that invalids draw vitality

from the presence of the vigorous, the feeble draw

life from the healthier and stronger, and a large

portion of the cures effected my magnetism

(magneto-therapy) is due to this fact.

 

IN accordance with this law, the "prANA-s" of the

young move out towards the old and feeble; but then

too, when the young man rises and makes obeisance he

at once creates in the mind of the elder the mood of

benevolence and of an overwhelming desire in the heart

for wanting to give instead of taking, and this mood

sends back those very "prAnAs" a hundred times

multiplied back to the younger man"." (UNQUOTE)

 

Where else than in the event of a "sathAbhishEkam" for

a family elder like a father can one expect to perform

"sAsthAnga abhivandanam" and thus derive the spiritual

benefits as explained by Manu in the ancient text as

well as by Annie Besant in more recent historical

times?

 

****************

 

In matters concerning the due observance of ceremony

or "samskArA" such as "sathAbhishEkam" in honor of

one's father, no one can ignore the lofty examples of

the Srimadh Valmiki Ramayana and of its great hero

"dasaratha-puthra", Sri Ramachandra.

 

That Sri Rama is virtually synonymous with

"pitr-bhakti" (devotion to father and to elders in

general) is made amply clear by Sage Valmiki in

several episodes of the Ramayana. But the one most

appealing to me personally and one which I could not

but recall on the most joyous occasion of my father's

"sathAbhishEkam" is one that follows. I shall describe

it before finally concluding this posting of mine:

 

The scene that we must evoke in our minds is from the

Ayodhya Kandam where Bharatha and his retinue of

courtiers and sages from Ayodhya are doing their very

best to persuade Rama to return to Ayodhya and ascend

the throne. Rama is adamant and will not renege on the

word he earlier gave his father, Dasaratha, to go into

exile for 14 years. IN spite of clever arguments and

sophistry, threat and emotional blackmail, Bharatha

fails, and so does everyone else, to change Rama's

heart.

 

Then it is Sage VasishtA's turn to make Rama change

his mind.

 

To describe this graphic scene of the encounter

between "AchArya" and "sishyA", one must go to Sri

Srinivasa Sastry's brilliant portrayal in his

"Lectures on the Ramayana".

 

(Quote):

 

"Then Vasishta thinking that Rama was a perfectly

docile "sishya" and would take everything quietly if

commanded by him, pushes his advantage a little. He

says to Rama, "You want to obey your father? I tell

you, he is an old man. I am your guru, greater than

your father. Obey me and return to AYodhya".

 

But Sri Rama puts him in his place:

 

"yan mAthA pitarou vruttam tanayE kUrUtah: sadA I

na supratikaram tatthu mAtrA pitrA cha yathkruttam" II

(Ramayana II.111.9)

 

He says, "No son can ever adequately repay what he

takes from his father and from his mother. Don't tell

me that the guru is greater than a parent. I won't

take it especially from someone like you, Sir!".

 

"yathA shakthi pradAnEna snApanA-cchAdanEna cha I

nityam cha priyavAdEna tathA sarva dhanEna cha II"

 

(ibid. II.111.10)

" A hundred things the father and mother do for the

son, as the English poet says, "little nameless

unremembered acts of kindness and love". Who can

really tell, who can actually measure, who can ever

describe fully, who can ever repay the million kindly

acts received from one's father and mother?"

 

**************

 

IN the performance of a duty towards his father, we

see how Sri Rama dared even his own "AchArya".

 

Why then, I ask myself, should it be a matter of any

hesitation for us of the present generations to defy

prevailing custom, or defy the thinking of the present

times, that might one way or the other, and under one

pretext or the other, inhibit us from doing what

surely is our duty to our fathers and elders --- viz.

the duty to perform one of the most poignant and

meaningful 'samskAras' designed by the Vedas to honor

and cherish the very blessed presence of the venerable

aged living amongst us?

 

(concluded)

 

****************

 

IN the next posting, I will share with you all my

experiences on my visit to the Sri Sarada Ashram,

UllundUrpet.

 

Regards,

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

Sudarshan Madabushi

Chief Financial Officer & Vice-President

KGL Ports International

Plot A-21, Kuwait Free Trade Zone.

PO BOx 24565, Safat 13106,

Kuwait.

Ph: (965)- 4827804/5 Ext 212

Fax: 4827806

mob: 7063337

email: mksudarshan2002 (AT) (DOT) co.in

 

 

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