Divine Qualities-ahimsa

[Guest guest]

Dandavat pranams to all!!!

 

We have completed the enunciation of the qualities delineated in the first verse of Chapter 16 of the Holy Gita. The Lord begins the second verse of Chapter 16 with the quality of ahimsa. Ahimsa means (a) non (himsa) violence or harm...non-violence in actions, non-violence in words and non-violence in thoughts as well. Since actions and words are reflective of our thoughts, then behavior naturally reflects the thoughts in the mind. It is there that one must cultivate an attitude of love towards all creatures, humans and animals and other living beings. But it is from the heart that this love flows to the mind to set its course. If the innate purity of the heart is unfettered, so too the mind will be pure.

 

Ahimsaa satyamakrodhas tyaagah shaantirapaishunam; Dayaa bhooteshvaloluptwam maardavam hreerachaapalam. 2. Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion towards beings, uncovetousness, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness, In Swami Gambirananda's translation and commentary (Sankara Bhashya), ahimsa is specifically defined as non-injury, abstaining from giving pain to creatures.

 

Swami Chinmayananda also defines it as follows:

 

"HARMLESSNESS (Ahimsa) --- It does not consist so much in not causing bodily injury to beings in the physical world, as in not harming any living creature in the world around from the realm of thought. Physical ahimsa is simply impossible. To continue living, some kind of physical harm or the other has to be brought about; it is unavoidable. But even while bringing about unavoidable disturbances around ourselves, if our motives are pure and clean, the harm so wrought is not regarded as causing injury."

 

 

There is a very nicely written article on ahimsa by Swami Sivananda at this link:

http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/ahimsa.htm

 

Swami Sivananda points out that ahimsa is not just a negative perspective of non-injury, but a positive assertion of the power of love as the basis for ahimsa. Ahimsa itself is sacrifice of the lower tendencies at the altar of love and understanding. When one has abandoned all sense of "I and mine" and sees everything around him in this world as manifestations of the One, there is no other way to be but to practice ahimsa. This applies to thoughts, words, and actions, in how we approach others and how we react to them. Of course, this is a challenge to most of us in day to day life, whether it be our children, our spouse, our co-workers, or a stranger on the street. There is not a one of them who does not test our patience in some way! The challenge is to realize this and be thankful for each test of our equanimity, seeing it as a gift of Grace. Each time you stop yourself and return the "gift" with kindness and understanding, you have been victorious in your effort to treat others with ahimsa. And those times you do not stop yourself in time are lessons as well, to stop and assess what happened, repent your bad behavior, and to forgive yourself and move on. Ahimsa begins with one's very own self.

 

 

Swamiji points out the difficulty in everyday life of avoiding himsa (harm) to other creatures. Even the simple act of walking down the street is likely to cause death to any insects or other small creatures on the ground on which we tread. As Shri Shyamji pointed out to me in some exchanges on this list a few months back, even the vegetarian has to consider the limited scope of his practice in the overall desire to practice ahimsa in light of other factors which contribute to violence in the obtaining of some vegetarian food. advaitin/message/47199 Unintentional harm is unavoidable. Each person has to stop and make decisions about how to eat and how to act in their efforts to observe ahimsa as a practice. However, the continuum is one which varies as much as the persons seeking to avoid harm. Ahimsa is a quality which receives an entire spectrum of interpretations as to what it really means and how one should behave. From the Jain who wears a facial mask so as not to inhale and injure the innocent flying insects to the person who performs the sacrifice of animals according to his interpretation of vedic rites, we find a continuum that only each of us as individuals can decide which is the right approach for us in a given moment.

 

Yet Swami Chinmayanandaji and the recent post of Shri Sastriji both reinforce the concept that it is what is in the mind of the person that counts, not the result as much as the intent. If our motives are pure and clean as Swamiji suggests, then there is no violence, as King Janaka states. advaitin/message/47698 (It should be noted here that there is also disagreement amongst scholars as to what the vedas actually prescribe in regard to sacrifice of animals. Swami Dayananda Saraswathi [1824-1883] holds a different view of the meaning of the of these yajnas, in that they are symbolic in their meaning, not to be taken in a literal sense. Satyarth Prakash (1875) From this standpoint, it is seen that the interpretation is also a function of the intent of the interpreter and that an argument can be made for any position.)

 

When ahimsa is firmly established, then it will flow in all of our actions towards others. We have all been in a situation where someone is just being mean and nasty for no apparant reason. The key to understanding is "no apparant reason." There is always a reason, even though it may not be obvious to others. If we can reach out to that person with kindness, perhaps that is all they needed at the moment. I can remember an incident while shopping for the holidays. There was a woman next to me at the other register, who was giving all sorts of grief to the clerk over her efforts to return a coat without her receipt. As her voice rose along with her pitch, other customers began to turn and look her way. I admit that because of her "noise" I was unable to focus on what the clerk was telling me as I attempted to compare prices on two items such that I was ready to take them upstairs to another register on my way out! Her behavior was disruptive to say the least.

 

She began to chide the clerk for talking to her in a "condescending" fashion as they tried to calm her down so they could help her. After all, she was a psychologist! Then for some reason, I felt compassion towards her, knowing that during my life I myself have had my own moments of frustration, which have reflected in outward behavior having nothing to do with the apparant catalyst operating within. I felt a rush of pity towards her. I took a chance and turned to her, put my hand on her shoulder, and pointed out to her that it seemed that her anger was not about this exchange, but some other things and that she as a psychologist should realize that and step back, as the clerks were just trying to help her. Immediately, her entire countenance changed, and she began to tell me all of the bad things which had happened to her in the past few months...she injured her leg last week and was having trouble getting around, several close friends had died in the last year, and she felt alone. All of these things, combined with the stress of the holiday season, had taken their toll on her. While other customers waited, watching our exchange with keen interest and smiles on their faces, she thanked me, the clerks fixed her problem and we all went on our way. If only I could always maintain such equanimity in the face of such behaviors!

 

Swami Sivananda also talks about the importance of fearlessness (abhayam) in ahimsa. When we can see the Divinity in all we meet, then fear of them or what they might do to us will fade away, anger at what they have done to us will recede into a pool of gratitude for the lesson we have been taught, and the desire for revenge will melt into surrender to the inevibility of each moment. Ahimsa is the manifest power of Divinity, the guiding light of knowledge of the Self in all beings.

 

 

Hare Krishna!!!

 

 

[Guest guest]

PranAms Radheji, as you have pointed out, ahimsa is about the quality of our thoughts. It brought to my mind this passage, which I think, is relevant here: " The Yoga Sutra II.34 teaches the method thus: 'Everything we do, say, or think, or even indirectly cause or passively sanction, will inevitably produce consequences – good, bad, or composite – and these consequences will react in some measure upon ourselves. Our most secret ill-wishes toward others, our remotest permission of evil done to others, can only end by hurting us by increasing our own ignorance and pain. This is an absolute law of nature. If we could remember it always, we should learn to control our tongues and our thoughts. "

This passage is in a beautiful compilation on 'vairagyam' by Subbuji. http://www.advaitin.net/Subrahmanian/ Thank you Subbuji.

On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 4:11 PM, Radhe <shaantih wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dandavat pranams to all!!!

 

We have completed the enunciation of the qualities delineated in the first verse of Chapter 16 of the Holy Gita. The Lord begins the second verse of Chapter 16 with the quality of ahimsa.  Ahimsa means (a) non (himsa) violence or harm...non-violence in actions, non-violence in words and non-violence in thoughts as well.  Since actions and words are reflective of our thoughts, then behavior naturally reflects the thoughts in the mind.  It is there that one must cultivate an attitude of love towards all creatures, humans and animals and other living beings. But it is from the heart that this love flows to the mind to set its course. If the innate purity of the heart is unfettered, so too the mind will be pure.

 

Ahimsaa satyamakrodhas tyaagah shaantirapaishunam; Dayaa bhooteshvaloluptwam maardavam hreerachaapalam. -- Sarvam ShreeKrishnaayaSamarpayami.Om Namo Narayanaya...!!

[Guest guest]

Namaste Radheji and other Satsanghis:

 

Radheji has beautifully explained the verse #2 of Chapter 16 (the continuation

of Gita Satsangh) which describes the divine virtues.

 

Ahimsaa satyamakrodhas tyaagah shaantirapaishunam;

Dayaa bhooteshvaloluptwam maardavam hreerachaapalam.

 

2. Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of

crookedness, compassion towards beings, uncovetousness, gentleness, modesty,

absence of fickleness,

 

Ahimsa (non-violence) is a very useful weapon of self-defense employed in both

religious and political contexts. The message of this verse is quite subtle and

illustrates how to deal with the day to day life challenges. Those who are

attached to the Atman free themselves from all types of harms suffered through

the body-mind and intellect! Also those who are attached to the Atman

(identification with the SELF) possess the True Divine Nature and Divine

Virtues. Those who are attached to Body-Mind-Intellect (BMI) unnecessarily

experience harms/sufferings to their possessions. As Radheji (also Sastriji in

a recent postings) pointed out that the mind with the incorrect understanding of

" Who Am I? " suffers. Lord Krishna in chapter 2 through verses 20 to 28 explains

why the Atman is always free from Himsaa. In Vedantic terms our incorrect

attachment (to Body/Mind/Intellect) and inappropriate identification our True

Nature as BMI became responsible for our own sufferings and injecting harms to

others. Essentially in Chapter 16 Lord Krishna wants us to understand the

distinction between the Divine and Devilish Virtues:

 

Divine Nature - One who understands one's True Divine Nature – Identification

with the Brahman (Atman)

Devilish Nature – One who fails to recognize one's True Divine Nature due to

Ignorance and due to false identification of the self with the

Body/Mind/Intellect.

 

But in the real world, Ahimsa becomes a goal of life and to achieve it, one has

to prepare the body/mind/intellect with discipline. In this context, Hinduism,

Jainism and Buddhism encourage the followers to practice the following virtues:

 

Avoid injuring all living beings (both physical and verbal)

Avert pain and suffering to others including plants and animals.

Show compassion towards all living creatures

Abstain from animal and human sacrifices

Cultivate forgiveness, universal love and friendliness

Abandon violent thoughts, words and actions

Abstain killing animal for meat eating

Give up hunting, games and practices which cause pains to animals

 

Mahatma Gandhi added a new dimension to Ahimsa when he applied its principles

into a viable and effective weapon of political will against British Occupation

in India. Martin Luther King in USA and Nelson Mandela in more recent times

have adopted the principle of non-violence to fight against racism. Here are

Gandhi's thoughts on Ahimsa in his own words:

 

" I am an irrepressible optimist. My optimism rests on my belief in the infinite

possibilities of the individual to develop non-violence. The more you develop it

in your own being, the more infectious it becomes till it over-whelms your

surroundings and by and by might over sweep the world.

 

I have known from early youth that non-violence is not a cloistered virtue to be

practiced by the individual for his peace and final salvation, but it is a rule

of conduct for society if it is to live consistently with human dignity and make

progress towards the attainment of peace for which it has been yearning for ages

past. " (The Mind of Mahatma, compiled and edited by R. K. Prabhu & U. R. Rao,

1943)

 

With my warm regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

 

 

advaitin , " Radhe " <shaantih wrote:

>

> Dandavat pranams to all!!!

>