Divine qualities-aarjavam

[Guest guest]

Dandavat pranams to all!!!

 

 

At the conclusion of the first verse is the quality of aarjavam, meaning straightforwardness. The person who is devoid of the illusion of "I and mine" cannot be anything but straightforward, having relinquished any desire for the fruits of actions. Thus all actions are grounded in honesty and integrity, without the blemish of selfishness or ulterior motives. There is no hidden agenda...

 

Sri Bhagavaan Uvaacha: Abhayam sattwasamshuddhih jnaanayogavyavasthitih; Daanam damashcha yajnashcha swaadhyaayastapa aarjavam. (BG 16.1)

 

[Declaring the first attributes of the list of the divine qualities, ] The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in Yoga and knowledge, alms-giving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness,

 

 

Swami Gambirandaarjavam defines arjavam as rectitude (moral uprightness or correctness in judgment) , straightforwardness at all times Swami Chinmayanda provided the following words:

 

"UPRIGHTNESS (Arjavam) --- Crookedness in thought, emotion and general conduct has a self-destructive influence upon the personality. Actions belying one's own true intentions and motives, convictions and aspirations, realisation and discrimination will result in the crookedness of one's personality. He who is indulging in this way-of-life will thereby develop in himself a split personality and will soon lose the glow of efficiency and be impoverished in the powers of personal grit. In short, in this very opening stanza of the chapter, while enumerating the qualities of a "Divinely good" man, we find a definite scientific connection among them. Ethical values and moral beauties described in Hinduism are not arbitrary declarations of an imaginative Saint or a melancholy prophet. They are built on the rocky foundations of reason and experience. Sincerely pursued and consciously lived, they contribute to a better expression of the diviner possibilities in man which generally lie dormant. Ethics in India are not, by themselves, a passport to heaven, but are a preparation for a fuller unfoldment of the divine contents in the bosom of man."

 

Shri Krishna invokes the importance of aarjavam as a divine qulaity elsewhere in the Gita, in 13.8 and 18.42. We will also see it again in the next chapter, Chapter 17 in the discourse on tapas.

 

Devadwijagurupraajna poojanam shauchamaarjavam;Brahmacharyamahimsaa cha shaareeram tapa uchyate.Worship of the gods, the twice-born, the teachers and the wise, purity,straightforwardness, celibacy and non-injury—these are called the austerities of the body. (BG 17.14)

Does this aarjavam mean saying whatever comes to mind without first examining one' s motives for doing so? Not so. In fact, if there is a prerequisite to aarjavam in dealing with others, it certainly should start with oneself. Taking a few moments to examine the reasons behind one's thoughts before they turn into words is always a wise exercise in aarjavam. This quality of straighforwardness is "qualified" in the next verse, where the Lord cautions us to remember the verse from the Manu Smriti (4.138) below (my annual New Year's Resolution!):

satyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyampriyam ca nanrutam bruyat esha dharmah sanatanah

Speak truth in such a way that it should be pleasing to others. Never speak truth, which is unpleasant to others. Never speak untruth, which might be pleasant. This is the path of eternal morality, sanatana dharma. (Manu Smriti 4.138)

Translation from http://sanskritvoice.com/2007/02/20/how-to-express-the-truth/

And so, in advising Arjuna on tapas or austerity and how we should act in this world, the Lord says:

Anudwegakaram vaakyam satyam priyahitam cha yat;Swaadhyaayaabhyasanam chaiva vaangmayam tapa uchyate.Speech which causes no excitement and is truthful, pleasant and beneficial, the practice of the study of the Vedas, are called austerity of speech. (BG 17.15)

Of course our speech reflects our thoughts and our thoughts lead to our actions. If the line of our thoughts is straightforward, so too will be our actions. The story below exemplifies aarjavam in Prahlada's judgment involving an assessment of his own son, even though it could have cost his son's life:

CONVERSATION BETWEEN SUTHANVA AND VIROCHANAOnce there was a princess called Kesini. The king arranged for a swayamvara for her. Many princes from various kingdoms came for the swayamvaram. Among them there was a brahmana called Suthanva and an asura king called ‘Virochana’. Kesini came to know about both of them. When they came to meet the princess, there was a golden seat in the hall and Virochana tried to sit on that. At that time, Kesini put a question to Virochana – “Virochana! Who is greater, the brahmanas or the asuras? Why not the brahmana Suthanva sit on that seat?”Vircohana:”We are the sons of Kashyapa. So we are greater sadhus than others. All worlds belong to us. Nobody be it a deva or a brahmana is greater than us.Kesini: “Virochana! We will meet in the same place tomorrow morning. At that time we will decide who is greater, you or that brahamana!”Next morning, all of them assembled as planned. Virochana was sitting on the golden seat. Suthanva entered the hall. Kesini immediately got up from her seat and offered the brahmana arghyam and paadhyam. Virochana did not show any sign of respect. He offered a small place in same seat itself for Suthanva to sit.Suthanva: “A father and a son can share a seat. Two kings can share a seat. Two brahmanas can share a seat. But a Kshathriya and a Brahmana cannot share the same seat”.Virochana: (spoke sarcastically) “It is true! You cannot sit with me. You need to sit on a wooden plank or on the Dharbhaasan. You are not qualified to sit in this high respectable seat”.Suthanva: “Virochana! You don’t know anything. Even your father will sit down when I sit on a seat. That is the respect a Brahmana gets!”Virochana: ”Let us not argue here. Let us go to knowledgeable ones to decide who is greater. I pledge all my properties on this. If they decide that you are greater than me, I will give all my properties to you.”Suthanva: “Let us keep our lives itself as a pledge as property is of no use to me”.Both of them decided to keep Prahalada (father of Virochana) himself as the judge. Suthanva told Prahalada after accepting his respect, that a father can give things to the son to show his affection to the son. But when it comes to an argument, it is wise to speak only the truth.Prahalada remembered the instruction got from Hamsa (which accompanied the sun god) why one should speak the truth. By telling a lie for the sake of human beings, one loses all goodness in the next 1000 generations and one who tells a lie for the sake of land, loses everything in this life and hereafter.Meditating on this, Prahalada told Virochana “Virochana! Angiras is the father of Suthanva who is greater than me. Suthanva by himself is greater in many aspects when compared to you. Suthanva’s mother is greater than your mother. So he is greater to you in all aspects. Now your life is in the hands of Suthanva”Suthanva was very happy about the judgement of Prahalada. He didn’t lose his balance of mind because of his affection for his son. So Suthanva left Virochana free and also asked him to marry Kesini. http://sabsatsangh.blogspot.com/2008/11/vidura-neeti-8.html

 

On this day of the celebration of Holi, I could not help but make a comparison to the legend of Prahlada's father, Hiranyakashipu and his aunt, Holika, whose behaviors were founded in duplicity and arrogance. Prahlada had always been known to possess divine qualities and was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu had performed many austerities to obtain boons and had become so arrogant that he ordered his kingdom to worship him as the lord. Even though his father ordered him to worship him instead of Lord Vishnu, Prahlada refused. In this case, his aarjavam was in the form of straightforwardness in his devotion to the Lord and his open refusal to abide by his father's wishes to abandon Him. Prahlada would not do so, at the risk of his life at the hands of his father, who tried to have him killed more than once to no avail.

 

Finally, the king enlisted the help of his sister, Holika, who had the boon of immunity to fire, in the form of a shawl which she had earned from God as a result of penance and other austerities. Together the king and Holika planned Prahlada's death by fire. The king arranged for a pyre to be lit and Holika sat in it with Prahlada on her lap. But at the last moment, a great wind arose and whipped the shawl from Holika, falling upon Prahlada, burning her and saving him.

 

On the surface, Holika and the king performed many austerities and received boons as a result. But underneath the show, ulterior motives ruled and arrogance won over humility and devotion. Prahlada, in his innocent and pure love for the Lord, remained unscathed. The story and the festival is a simple one of good over evil, divinity over demoniac. Holi can mean both fire and sacrifice. May we light the sacrifical fires of Holi in our hearts and burn the demonic qualities leaving the pure divine qualities untouched by its flames!

 

Hare Krishna!!!

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hari Om,Arjavam (Straight forwardness) can be practiced in two aspects:1. While dealing with myself.2. While dealing with others.I remember's Swami Chinmayananda's quote "In

life to handle yourself, use your head, but to handle others, use your heart." So while dealing with others "Priyam" should also equally emphasized in actions/speech amongst, "Satyam, Priyam, Hitam". I have seen instances, especially in spiritual path, where a straight-forward teacher is usually labeled as "Strict and Insensitive" by the students. That labeling, in turn causes students to miss the message that teacher is conveying, because it does not sound palatable. For the students, "Satyam and Hitam" are backed by Shraddha: a belief that teacher is telling truth and beneficial for me. But "Priyam" is not backed by Shraddha alone, but also by immediate experience. So when dealing with others, if "Priyam" aspect is missed, then the message may not make it to the intended-receiver because the immediate experience may deflect the message. Once the message is missed, students cannot ponder on "Satyam and Hitam" aspects.

So Bhagawan Krishna and many others emphasize that Priyam be used as well in delivering the message.regards,NageshRadhe <shaantihadvaitin Sent: Sun, February 28, 2010 3:13:26 PM Divine qualities-aarjavam

 

 

 

 

 

Dandavat pranams to all!!!

 

 

At the conclusion of the first verse is the quality of aarjavam, meaning straightforwardness . The person who is devoid of the illusion of "I and mine" cannot be anything but straightforward, having relinquished any desire for the fruits of actions. Thus all actions are grounded in honesty and integrity, without the blemish of selfishness or ulterior motives. There is no hidden agenda...

 

Sri Bhagavaan Uvaacha: Abhayam sattwasamshuddhih jnaanayogavyavasthi tih; Daanam damashcha yajnashcha swaadhyaayastapa aarjavam. (BG 16.1)

 

[Declaring the first attributes of the list of the divine qualities, ] The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in Yoga and knowledge, alms-giving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness ,

 

 

Swami Gambirandaarjavam defines arjavam as rectitude (moral uprightness or correctness in judgment) , straightforwardness at all times Swami Chinmayanda provided the following words:

 

"UPRIGHTNESS (Arjavam) --- Crookedness in thought, emotion and general conduct has a self-destructive influence upon the personality. Actions belying one's own true intentions and motives, convictions and aspirations, realisation and discrimination will result in the crookedness of one's personality. He who is indulging in this way-of-life will thereby develop in himself a split personality and will soon lose the glow of efficiency and be impoverished in the powers of personal grit. In short, in this very opening stanza of the chapter, while enumerating the qualities of a "Divinely good" man, we find a definite scientific connection among them. Ethical values and moral beauties described in Hinduism are not arbitrary declarations of an imaginative Saint or a melancholy prophet. They are built on the rocky foundations of reason and experience. Sincerely pursued and consciously lived, they contribute to a better expression of the diviner possibilities in man which generally lie dormant. Ethics in India are not, by themselves, a passport to heaven, but are a preparation for a fuller unfoldment of the divine contents in the bosom of man."

 

Shri Krishna invokes the importance of aarjavam as a divine qulaity elsewhere in the Gita, in 13.8 and 18.42. We will also see it again in the next chapter, Chapter 17 in the discourse on tapas.

 

Devadwijagurupraajn a poojanam shauchamaarjavam;Brahmacharyamahimsa a cha shaareeram tapa uchyate.Worship of the gods, the twice-born, the teachers and the wise, purity,straightforwardness , celibacy and non-injury—these are called the austerities of the body. (BG 17.14)

Does this aarjavam mean saying whatever comes to mind without first examining one' s motives for doing so? Not so. In fact, if there is a prerequisite to aarjavam in dealing with others, it certainly should start with oneself. Taking a few moments to examine the reasons behind one's thoughts before they turn into words is always a wise exercise in aarjavam. This quality of straighforwardness is "qualified" in the next verse, where the Lord cautions us to remember the verse from the Manu Smriti (4.138) below (my annual New Year's Resolution!) :

satyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyampriyam ca nanrutam bruyat esha dharmah sanatanah

Speak truth in such a way that it should be pleasing to others. Never speak truth, which is unpleasant to others. Never speak untruth, which might be pleasant. This is the path of eternal morality, sanatana dharma. (Manu Smriti 4.138)

Translation from http://sanskritvoice.com/2007/02/20/how-to-express-the-truth/

And so, in advising Arjuna on tapas or austerity and how we should act in this world, the Lord says:

Anudwegakaram vaakyam satyam priyahitam cha yat;Swaadhyaayaabhyasan am chaiva vaangmayam tapa uchyate.Speech which causes no excitement and is truthful, pleasant and beneficial, the practice of the study of the Vedas, are called austerity of speech. (BG 17.15)

Of course our speech reflects our thoughts and our thoughts lead to our actions. If the line of our thoughts is straightforward, so too will be our actions. The story below exemplifies aarjavam in Prahlada's judgment involving an assessment of his own son, even though it could have cost his son's life:

CONVERSATION BETWEEN SUTHANVA AND VIROCHANAOnce there was a princess called Kesini. The king arranged for a swayamvara for her. Many princes from various kingdoms came for the swayamvaram. Among them there was a brahmana called Suthanva and an asura king called ‘Virochana’. Kesini came to know about both of them. When they came to meet the princess, there was a golden seat in the hall and Virochana tried to sit on that. At that time, Kesini put a question to Virochana – “Virochana! Who is greater, the brahmanas or the asuras? Why not the brahmana Suthanva sit on that seat?â€Vircohana:â€We are the sons of Kashyapa. So we are greater sadhus than others. All worlds belong to us. Nobody be it a deva or a brahmana is greater than us.Kesini: “Virochana! We will meet in the same place tomorrow morning. At that time we will decide who is greater, you or that brahamana!â€Next morning, all of them assembled as planned. Virochana was sitting on the golden seat. Suthanva entered the hall. Kesini immediately got up from her seat and offered the brahmana arghyam and paadhyam. Virochana did not show any sign of respect. He offered a small place in same seat itself for Suthanva to sit.Suthanva: “A father and a son can share a seat. Two kings can share a seat. Two brahmanas can share a seat. But a Kshathriya and a Brahmana cannot share the same seatâ€.Virochana: (spoke sarcastically) “It is true! You cannot sit with me. You need to sit on a wooden plank or on the Dharbhaasan. You are not qualified to sit in this high respectable seatâ€.Suthanva: “Virochana! You don’t know anything. Even your father will sit down when I sit on a seat. That is the respect a Brahmana gets!â€Virochana: â€Let us not argue here. Let us go to knowledgeable ones to decide who is greater. I pledge all my properties on this. If they decide that you are greater than me, I will give all my properties to you.â€Suthanva: “Let us keep our lives itself as a pledge as property is of no use to meâ€.Both of them decided to keep Prahalada (father of Virochana) himself as the judge. Suthanva told Prahalada after accepting his respect, that a father can give things to the son to show his affection to the son. But when it comes to an argument, it is wise to speak only the truth.Prahalada remembered the instruction got from Hamsa (which accompanied the sun god) why one should speak the truth. By telling a lie for the sake of human beings, one loses all goodness in the next 1000 generations and one who tells a lie for the sake of land, loses everything in this life and hereafter.Meditating on this, Prahalada told Virochana “Virochana! Angiras is the father of Suthanva who is greater than me. Suthanva by himself is greater in many aspects when compared to you. Suthanva’s mother is greater than your mother. So he is greater to you in all aspects. Now your life is in the hands of Suthanvaâ€Suthanva was very happy about the judgement of Prahalada. He didn’t lose his balance of mind because of his affection for his son. So Suthanva left Virochana free and also asked him to marry Kesini. http://sabsatsangh. blogspot. com/2008/ 11/vidura- neeti-8.html

 

On this day of the celebration of Holi, I could not help but make a comparison to the legend of Prahlada's father, Hiranyakashipu and his aunt, Holika, whose behaviors were founded in duplicity and arrogance. Prahlada had always been known to possess divine qualities and was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu had performed many austerities to obtain boons and had become so arrogant that he ordered his kingdom to worship him as the lord. Even though his father ordered him to worship him instead of Lord Vishnu, Prahlada refused. In this case, his aarjavam was in the form of straightforwardness in his devotion to the Lord and his open refusal to abide by his father's wishes to abandon Him. Prahlada would not do so, at the risk of his life at the hands of his father, who tried to have him killed more than once to no avail.

 

Finally, the king enlisted the help of his sister, Holika, who had the boon of immunity to fire, in the form of a shawl which she had earned from God as a result of penance and other austerities. Together the king and Holika planned Prahlada's death by fire. The king arranged for a pyre to be lit and Holika sat in it with Prahlada on her lap. But at the last moment, a great wind arose and whipped the shawl from Holika, falling upon Prahlada, burning her and saving him.

 

On the surface, Holika and the king performed many austerities and received boons as a result. But underneath the show, ulterior motives ruled and arrogance won over humility and devotion. Prahlada, in his innocent and pure love for the Lord, remained unscathed. The story and the festival is a simple one of good over evil, divinity over demoniac. Holi can mean both fire and sacrifice. May we light the sacrifical fires of Holi in our hearts and burn the demonic qualities leaving the pure divine qualities untouched by its flames!

 

Hare Krishna!!!