Sri UpakAra Sangraham Part - 46

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srI:

SrI upakAra sangraham – 46

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adikAram – 1

poorva upakAra paramparai

(The Foremost Series of Favours)

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SECTION – 5 (11)

(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for

MOKSHAM)

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In the last sub-section, SwAmi Desikan showed us how

the Lord helps a jIva having a very tiny spot of

goodness and makes him to take birth with a human

body, that too, in a lineage of sAttvik persons. In

this birth the jIva gets a body and sense organs of

virtuous nature at the time of birth.

The Lord does not stop with that. A child who has

started his or her life which may extend to a number

of decades, even 10 or 12, that is, he or she can live

up to 100 or 120 years. But he or she has to be

ensured that he or she does not go astray leaving the

virtuous path in which the Lord has helped him or her

to begin the life-journey.

It is a common sight how a person who is in the

initial stage of study, is being carried away by

different theories which may appear convincing to him,

but actually they may without authoritative support.

For a sincere person who has developed virtuous

qualities by the grace of the Lord, He Himself

intervenes through our AchAryAs in order to save the

person from going astray.

 

This is another favour done by the Lord, says SwAmi

Desikan in this sub-section:

 

(11)

cArvAka-bauddha-Arhata-vaishEShika-sAnkhya-pashupatAdi-bahuvida-bAhya-kudruShti-\

matangkaLal

kalangkAtapdi paNNinatuvum;

 

The Lord, by His compassion, ensures hat the person

who has taken the first step towards Him, does not be

carried away by such cleverly launched religions.

SwAmi Desikan has named the relevant religions

specifically. We shall just see what are they and how

our AchAryas have exposed their hollowness.

Before going into the detail discussion, we must note

a general picture about the concept of religious

philosophy.

The Indian philosophical systems are categorized into

two major divisions – those systems which do not

to the authority of the Vedas, and those

which have accepted the authority of the Vedas. The

first group is mentioned as “bAhya matangkaL”, that

is, outside the Vedic tradition. Even among the

religious theories based on the authority of the

Vedas, there are some which have twisted the Vedic

concepts for their own purpose. They are being

described by SwAmi Desikan as “kudruShti-matangkaL”.

“kudruShti” means, according to the Apte dictionary,

“weak sight, an evil eye, sinister eye, an opinion or

doctrine opposed to the Vedas, heterodox doctrines”.

All these meanings are applicable to such religious

theories denoted by SwAmi Desikan by the term,

“kudruShti-matangkaL”.

The philosophical systems which do not accept the

authority of the Vedas are being referred to by SwAmi

Desiakn here are: “cArvAka-bauddha-Arhata matangkaL”.

Those philosophical systems which are supposed to be

based on the Vedas, but unfortunately not on the

proper way, referred to by SwAmi as

“kudruShti-matangkaL”, are:

“vaishEShika-sAnkhya-pashupatA matangkaL”.

Generally, the systems which deny the authority of

the Vedas, which are the great primary scriptures, are

pronounced as nAstika, that is, unorthodox and those

which accept the authority of the Vedas are called

Astika, orthodox. There is also a view that those

systems which believe in the existence after death and

in the existence of God are Astika and those which do

not believe in the existence of soul or God, are known

as nAstika.

Here is a brief note on each of these religious

theories followed by the arguments against it. This is

not intended to despise them but only to explain how

they fall outside the basic Vedic concepts and to keep

those who are sincerely following the religious

concepts based on the correct Vedic tenets.

 

1) The first one taken up by SwAmi Desikan is cArvAka

religious theory:

 

The cArvAka theory is attributed to

a philosopher named, cArvAka. It is also called

“lOkAyata” system. cArvAka literally means sweet word.

It is probably because his was a philosophy of

sensualism. It was a simple theory of skepticism.

According to this theory, direct perception is alone

the authority, neither, inference nor shabda, (Vedas).

Whatever known through the sense organs, namely, eyes,

ears, nose, tongue and skin are real. Material things

(artha) and pleasure (kAmam) are alone the goal of

human beings (puruShArta). There is nothing beyond

this world. The theories that denounce worldly

prosperity and sensual pleasure, such as the nIti

(ethical) scriptures, and the kAma shAstras (those

advocating sensual pleasures), are only to be

followed. Vedas are not an authority. Hence, dharma,

puNya, pApa (sin) and God are not at all true. These

are being taught only for livelihood. The Ruler of the

country is the only God. Everyone’s body is the jIva.

The physique is constituted by the elements of earth,

water, fire and wind.

Question: Then how does the body get the faculty of

knowing, that is, consciousness?

cArvAka: When these four elements mix together,

automatically the body gets ‘Caitanyam’,

consciousness. If, for example, the barks and the

roots of different plants are powdered, mixed in water

and the mixture is boiled, the solution acquires

intoxicant nature. Similarly, in the case of the human

body which is a mixture of the four elements, it gets

the power of knowing, that is, consciousness. The

sensual pleasure is the ultimate goal for a human

being.

 

When Bharata met SrI rAma in Chitrakoota and urged

Him to return to ayOdhya and assume the ruler-ship,

those who accompanied him included a sage, JAbAli by

name. He tried to persuade SrI rAma to accept the

throne by advocating the theory of the nAstikas

similar to the cArvAka materialistic theory, in order

in arouse in Him the lust for sovereignty. The sage

told SrI rAma, “There is nothing beyond this visible

universe. Believe in that which appears to the senses

and discard that which is outside the ken of your

senses.”

As He was with a strong conviction opposed to

jAbAli’s point of view, SrI rAma gives the sage a very

bold reply without hesitation. The Lord sets an

example for all of us as how to hold on to our

conviction in the concept of righteousness as outlined

by the Vedas and the related scriptures taught by our

AchAryas. He says:

 

“nirmaryAdastu puruShah pApAcAra samanvitah /

mAnam ca labhatE satsu bhinnacAritradarshanah // ”

(ayOdhyAkANda, 109-3)

 

(A man who has transgressed the bounds of propriety

and is characterized by a sinful conduct, and who is

wedded to a moral philosophy different from the

established ethical doctrines does not get recognition

among the wise.)

“kuleenam akuleenam vA veeram puruShamAninam /

cAritramEva vyAkhyAti shucim vA yadi vA ashucim //”

(ayOdhyAkANda,109-4)

 

(Conduct alone proclaims a man to be well-born or

otherwise, gallant or only fancying himself to be

gallant, honest or dishonest.)

 

SrI rAma further says, “One following the way of life

propounded by you will be ignoble, though appearing to

be noble, will be accepted as clean, though devoid of

cleanliness, would pass for one endowed with

auspicious bodily marks, though lacking in such marks,

will appear as possessed of an amiable disposition,

though ill-mannered.(109-5) What any sensible man

capable of discerning what ought to be done and what

ought not to be done, would hold Me in high esteem in

the world, knowing me to be vile of conduct and

corruptor of the people? Conducting Myself according

to the mode of life recommended by you in which My vow

of remaining in exile in the forest for fourteen years

has to be abandoned, whose way of life shall I follow

so that I may attain heaven since you tell me my

father was none to Me? By following your advice I will

act according to My own inclination, disregarding the

authority of the shAstras and following my example,

this whole world too is likely to turn licentious; for

people follow the same way of life as kings do.

Truthfulness alone, which is divorced from cruelty, is

the eternal way of life prescribed for kings.

Therefore, truthfulness is the soul of a kingdom; the

world itself is founded on truth. The seers of Vedic

Mantras as well as gods have respected truthfulness

alone. Indeed a veracious man in this world attains

the highest realm, which knows no decay. People turn

away in fear from a man telling lies in the same way

as they do from a serpent. Virtue has its culmination

in truthfulness; it is also declared to be the root of

all. Truth alone is God in the world, piety ever

hinges on truth. All have their root in truth; there

is no goal higher than truth. Charity, sacrificial

performances, as well as offering oblations into the

sacred fore, and the austerities actually practiced

and the Vedas studied have their foundation on truth.

Hence, one should remain devoted to truth.(109-7 to

14)

 

“It has been heard by us that neither gods nor even

manes accept the offerings of a man who is not true to

his promise, and has thus deviated from the truth and

is of irresolute mind. I recognize this virtue in the

form of truthfulness as binding on all embodied beings

and as the foremost. The burden in the form of matted

locks has been made much of by good men; hence, it is

welcomed by Me. I shall certainly renounce the duty of

a kShtriya which consists mostly of unrighteousness,

though attended with an iota of virtue and which is

followed by petty, cruel and greedy men and those of

sinful deeds. (109-17 to 20).

 

“Indra was able to attain the sovereignty of heaven

only after performing a hundred sacrifices. The

eminent seers of Vedic Mantras too ascended to the

eternal regions, even higher than heaven, after

practicing rigorous austerities only.(109 – 29)

 

“The sages speak of truthfulness and piety and valour

and compassion for created beings and polite speech

and worship of BrAhmanas, gods and unexpected guests

as a road to heaven. Scrupulously and duly practicing

virtue in all its aspects, having in the first

instance correctly understood its meaning through

learning from a sage and reached complete unanimity on

the point, brAhmaNas seek to attain realms of their

choice. I denounce the way you described the action of

my father, who picked up as his counselor-priest, you,

a staunch unbeliever, who has not only strayed away

from the path of righteousness but whose mind is set

on a wrong path opposed to the Vedic path; who is

moving about in the world with such an ideology,

conforming to the doctrine of the atheistic cArvAka,

who believes only in the world of senses as has been

set forth in your speech.” (109- 31 to33)

 

Thus the Lord prevented the virtuous persons from

being diverted by superficial wise theories but in

reality against the dharmic tenets. One among such

theories is cAravAka doctrine, mentioned by SwAmi

Desikan.

 

It may noted that SwAmi Desikan has left us another

voluminous work, “Paramata-bhangam” in which he has

dealt in detail about this theory of cArvAka.

 

[books Consulted:

Shrimad VAlmIki rAmAyaNa -- Text with English

translation. Published by Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Spritual Heritage of India, by SwAmi PrabhavAnada.

Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai.]

 

(To continue)

dAsan

Anbil S.SrInivAsan

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