“yo bhōtham cha bhavyam cha sarvam ashchātħithishŧathi.
Atharva ved 10/8/1.
svaryasya cha kevalam thasmai jyeshŧāya brahmane namaha”.
Whatever has happened, whatever will happen, the one who reigns over all by his power, the one who is blissful by his form, I bow to that Supreme Lord.
Dear Nijanand followers and fellow lovers of truth and righteousness! We shall discuss here what righteousness is (dħarm) and why we should assimilate righteousness. Don’t modern technological and scientific advancements provide enough contentment and comfort to us that there is a need to take refuge in righteousness? We see huge crowds in temples, a huge surge of people at the Kumbh festival, huge crowds in mosques, and huge gatherings at Sikh shrines (Gurudwaras). We also see many followers attend the functions or ceremonies of may it be Jain, Budħist or any other sect. The question is, are all these people possessed of spiritual righteousness or would just observing particular ritualistic practices alone constitute righteousness? When a fire offering ceremony (havan) is held, many people gather there. Wherever there are discussions and discourses, lakhs of people assemble there too.
All sects have their specific attires and adornments. There are more than 1000 spiritual sects in the Hindu faith alone, and all adorn different types of attires and adornments. All religious groups like Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Budħism and all other faiths and sects have their characteristic style of clothing and decorations. Most people claim that they are spiritual or righteous (dħārmic). But the question is, what is meant by righteousness? It is a very abstruse topic.
The great sage Vyāsji says, ‘ I tell with both arms raised that righteousness alone upholds the entire universe, but none is ready to listen to me. I say that comprehension, action and salvation are all possible due to righteousness only, but the world is unwilling to listen to me. Why the need for righteousness? This is a deeply secretive aspect. We should remember that righteousness was there when there was no creation and will be there even when the creation ceases to exist. Any form of worship or ritualism does not represent righteousness. One does not become righteous by wearing some form of attire and adornments.
Scriptures talk of ten definitive signs/indications of righteousness. The first sign is patience/forbearance [which is an equanimous/balanced state (dhrti)], the second is forgiveness (kshma), the third is restraint (dham) over pleasures of senses, the fourth one is not to steal (asteya), the fifth one is purity [(shouch) external and internal], the sixth sign is control over senses (indriya nigrah), seventh is pure intellect or wisdom (dhi), eighth is knowledge (vidya), ninth is truth [(satyam) to be truthful in thought, words and deeds and the tenth is not to get angry (akrodho). This is what is said in Manusmruti:
“dħrtihi kshamā dhamo’astheyam shocham, indriya nigrahaha.
Manusmruti 6/92.
dħīha vidħyā satyam krodħo dashakam dħarm lakshanam”.
One should exhibit all these attributes to be called righteous. One cannot be considered righteous if one does not have these attributes or have patience/forbearance. Who shall be considered as equanimous? It is considered equanimous when something or someone is in the same state. The sun rises in red, and the sun sets in red. It never happens that while rising, it is of some colour, and while setting, it is of some other colour. It always remains the same.
“samaha shathrou cha mithre cha thatħā māna apamānayoha”.
Gita 12/18.
One who remains equanimous or composed in any state or condition irrespective of happiness or unhappiness, gain or loss, victory or defeat, is patient or forbearing. The noble divinity of lofty ideals, Ram was told that his coronation would take place the next morning, but instead, on the said morning, he was told that there would be no coronation and that he had been ordered to live in the forests for 14 years. There was no mark of jubilation on his face when told of his coronation, nor was there any trace of worry when told to take to the forests instead of coronation. This is what is called the state of equanimity. All living things are experiencers of happiness and unhappiness or pleasures and pains. Any person who feels highly elated and gets carried away by happiness or good tidings, forgetting the Almighty’s sovereign power, is bereft of equanimity or forbearance. And one who succumbs to worries and sorrows and feels sad and frustrated is also said to be bereft of equanimity. Whoever has the attribute of stability knows or realizes there is night after day and day after night. Such one is said to possess equanimity or patience/forbearance.
The second attribute is forgiveness. Just see, the earth produces grains, we consume them; fruits are produced, we consume them, and what do we give back in return? We give back nothing in return but excrement and urine. How forgivable is the earth? How forgivable are the trees! You use some bad words against someone and see what happens. They will remember it for life. We throw stones at trees, and what do they provide us still? Sweet fruits. This teaches the unforgiving humans what righteousness is. One who does not possess the quality of forgiveness can never be great.
The Almighty Supreme Lord is so merciful. If good rainfall and good farm yield lead to profit, the farmer would say, ‘How nice is the Supreme Lord?’ and if there were a shortage of rain and bad farm yield leading to losses, he would say, ‘What a Supreme Lord, he has spoiled our yield’. The Supreme Lord is all-powerful, yet He doesn’t react or say, ‘O’ my subservient! You are alive because of my mercy, and you are bad-mouthing me only? I shall make you pay for it. But He doesn’t do so; He is an ocean of mercy. He is an ocean of forgiveness. If any human has a similar quality of forgiveness, he becomes eligible to be called righteous.
The third attribute is restraint. The predominating influence of the senses is the main cause of all the problems and worries in the world. There is a person who cannot exercise restraint over his senses. What will be the consequence? He amasses a huge amount of wealth. A neighbour is dying of hunger while 56 varieties of food are being cooked in his house. Even then, his cravings are not getting subdued. We get enchanted and attracted by the beautiful form we see with our eyes. Hearing sounds with our ears captivates us. Smelling fragrance with our nostrils, we are delighted. We get enamoured by the touch of beautiful skin. We get thrilled by the taste of things provided by our tongues. We think that we are righteous, but it is not so. We are pushing ourselves into the jaws of death.
Fishes get lured and killed by the allure of tasty food in the trap hooks. The elephant goes mad for the touch of a she elephant. What do hunters do to capture an elephant? They dig a hole, make the cut out of a she elephant on black paper/cardboard, and place it there. From a distance, the elephant feels as though she elephant is standing. The male elephant rushes to embrace her, falls into the pit, and hands himself to the hunter.
This is the result of being overpowered by the urge to touch. A deer becomes overpowered by its ears. When a hunter makes an enticing, sweet sound, the deer loses all its senses and gets caught easily. Moths and other insects die of attraction to light. The moment a lamp is lit or a bulb is switched on, it rushes onto it, losing all its senses and meets with its end. By being enamoured and overpowered by any of the senses, these animals push themselves into the jaws of death or get bound or entrapped. Humans are given to the enjoyment of all the five senses. It is so said in Upanishad.
“parānchi khāni vyathrnatsvayambhūstasmātparād pashyati’nāntharātman.
Kaŧop Upanishad 4/1.
kasch’hidħīraha-prathyag’ātmā’na’yai kshadhāvrt’chakshuramr’tatvamic’chan”.
The Lord has created five senses. Only a few equanimous and balanced-minded people do not fall prey to the senses. Only equanimous persons desirous of elixir alone want to attain that Supreme Truth. They don’t run after the external pleasures of the five senses. Those who have overpowered their senses know that the pleasures of the senses are transient. Put clarified butter into a fire and pour a spoon of petrol into it; what will happen? Fire would not be extinguished, but it would get further inflamed.
The more we enjoy the pleasures of the senses, the more would be the craving. Ask people who are fond of eating meat. A person who had eaten meat all his life was dying. He was asked, ‘What is your last wish? He replied, as such, I am going to die now, so give me some meat to eat. We eat meat throughout life, but the desire for meat will never end. And this craving and desire alone are responsible for the sufferings to be undergone by 8.4 million classes of birth. If you cannot overpower the senses’ cravings, you are not eligible to be called righteous (dħārmic), whatever your attire and adornments are. You may be wearing saffron clothing, you may have applied vermillion or sandalwood marks on your forehead, you may be adorning many rosaries around your neck, you may be performing various modes of worship and devotional acts, or you may even know scriptures, all these are of no use as they are covert or external acts. The real form of righteousness can only be known to a scarce few. It is the contention of scriptures:
“dħarmasya thathvam nihitam guhāyām”
Mahabharat, Bhishma Parv.
The supreme principle of righteousness is situated in a cave. What is this cave? It is nothing but wherein beholding of the Lord is possible.
You must have seen the mythological pictures of Godhead Shiv. What is he shown seated on? He is shown seated on a bull. What does the bull represent? It is a representation of righteousness. Bulls have four legs. The bull is on its four legs, and Godhead Shiv is shown sitting on top of it. Now, what is Shiv? Shiv stands for welfare. So Shiv is essentially the form of the Supreme Lord representing the welfare and prosperity of the entire creation. What is that tabor (small hourglass-shaped drum-like instrument) he is shown to hold? It represents the tri-attributed nature. The tri-attribute represents the three attributes of purity (satv), action (raj) and ignorance (tam). He has a trident, and tied to the trident is the tabor, and from the tabor, a sound comes out. It is a mythological belief that the tabor of Shiv originated from the eight chapters of fourteen formulas from which all grammar appeared.
That means the ‘maht tatva’ (total material energy for one creation) that manifests from nature gives rise to the entire creation. All types of knowledge (non-science and science) arise from that only. The above narration about Shiv is all figurative. So don’t think you people all move around in cars, and the Lord is left to ride around seated on a bull! What would people think if someone roamed around seated on a bull nowadays? It will be thought that some illiterate forest dweller is moving around. The Lord does not sit on a bull but is seated on a righteous form of bull. It has four feet, and what are its four feet?
“shrutihi smritihi sadhāchāraha svasya cha priyamātmanah |
Manusmuti 2/12.
Aethad chaturvidħam prāhuh sākshādh dħarmasya lakshnam” ‖
There is contention from scripture, memory or recollection, virtuous behaviour, and the voice of inner conscience. With these four, righteousness and unrighteousness are tested. So, we have been discussing about the attributes of righteousness.
The fourth attribute is not to steal. What does any new government that comes in say? We will remove poverty, and we will remove poverty. And why are they not able to remove poverty? It is because the ones who vouch to remove and the ones whose poverty removal is being discussed are both thieves. Whether it be an officer, a leader, an ordinary man, a vegetable vendor, a milk seller, or an autorickshaw driver, they are all given to stealing. Yog Darshan contends that:
“astheya prathishŧāyām sarvaratnopastħānam”
2/39.
If humans could abandon the act of stealing, they would automatically be eligible to receive all the jewels. The people of India, Pakistan and Indonesia are all corrupt, as these nations appear in the list of most corrupt nations. The day the people of these countries stop stealing, there will automatically be no poverty in these countries. There is a need for righteousness, as any living entity lacking in righteousness can never be happy. I shall illustrate this with an ordinary example.
The war of Mahabharat occurred, and in these 18 ‘aksauhini’ soldiers were killed. Eighteen aksauhini consists of 4.7 million 23 thousand 920 soldiers. Only three were left in the Kaurava army – Aswathāma, Kripāchāry and Kritvarma. In the army of Pandavas, only Shri Krishna and the 5 Pandavas were left; all others were killed. After all, why did the war of Mahabharat take place? It took place because of the transgression of righteousness. This is greed, akin to stealing. This terrible war would not have occurred had Duryodan agreed to give five villages.
We learn about righteousness’s greatness only when we reach the brink of destruction. Ordinarily, people think, why is there a need for righteousness? This is the mistake of all. Without righteousness, one cannot be a human and will become a victim of animal deeds.
Imagine what would happen if everyone stole, told lies, and lost their composure. Will the creation survive? When there was still no creation, there was righteousness, and when the creation exists, there will be righteousness. Truth is timeless, the Supreme Lord is timeless, and righteousness is also timeless. Righteousness is not said of any form of worship or devotion.
Why was the war of Mahabharat waged? It happened because of the transgression of all righteousness. The truth is that the fatherly figure, Bhishm, also did not uphold the principles of righteousness. Had he upheld the loftiness of righteousness and told in clear terms that there would be no gambling game at any cost, Pandavas would not have had to go into exile; there would have been no humiliating attempt to disrobe Draupati. Had he stood up against it, had Dronachary also stood up with him, had Vidhur stood up, and had Kripacharya stood up, what could Duryodan have done? What could Dritarashtr have done? In the process, 4.7 million 23 thousand 920 people were killed. Why? This unwanted slaughter occurred because these great persons transgressed the principles of righteousness.
Dronacharya did not uphold the ideals of righteousness. He could have told that under no circumstances would disrobing of Draupati be permitted. Since he was the teacher of both Pandavas and Kauravs, he could have said that he would not permit the game of gambling. Had he commanded so, war could probably have been stopped. Even Kripacharya could have told the same thing. To a certain extent, even the great yogic master, Shri Krishn, was also at fault because while, on the one hand, he became the chariot driver of Arjun, he gave his Narayani army to Duryodan. After all, what was the need to gift his Narayani army to a wicked person like Duryodan? When Arjun could be hypnotized by using his spiritual prowess and sermon him, why not also hypnotize Duryodan? He could also have been shown his form. If he could lift his weapon of the wheel against the fatherly figure of Bhishm, why did he not lift it to annihilate Duryodan, who was highly wicked? Had Duryodan been killed that day itself, the war of Mahabharat probably would not have happened.
Even Kunti had erred because the Great War would probably not have happened had she accepted Karn as her son. Arjun would have embraced Karn, and the war of Mahabharat would never have happened in that situation. Small errors and mistakes happened on the part of all great personalities. There was transgression on the part of Kunti, Bhishm, Kripachary, and Dridarshtr, as his son’s love blinded him. The flouting of the principles of righteousness by each of these personalities resulted in the slaughter of millions of people.
This keeps happening in the whole world at all times. Newer and newer disputes and ‘isms’ keep happening, maybe Stalinism or Leninism. In their attempt to propagate their views and ideas, millions of people have been massacred. In the name of holy war, too, even now, many people are getting killed. The act of terrorism that is being spread is nothing but an infringement or violation of the tenets of righteousness. Anyone who becomes aware of the real meaning of righteousness will never harm or inflict pain on any creature by thought, words or deeds.
Where there is righteousness, happiness and peace shall be prevalent. There should never be war in the name of righteousness. There could be war between differing faiths or opinions, and there may also be a war between isms, but there is no question of a war in the name of righteousness. When we visit any temple and find some distortion, we say this is not righteousness but unrighteousness.
But the question is, how come distortions appeared at places of worship? Religious centres where worship and devotion take place and adoration of the Supreme Lord takes place, how come distortions are seen there? The truth is that religious rites and rituals are carried out there without observance of righteousness. Righteousness is something that is to be upheld.
“yato’abhyudhayaha nihashreyasaha sid’dħihi sa dħarmaha”
Vaisheshik Darshan 1/1/2.
Dħarm (righteousness) is said of what or which? That which ensures the welfare of all subjects and ultimately helps achieve salvation is said as Dħarm. We were in the process of explaining the ten attributes of righteousness.
The fifth attribute is purity, both internal and external. You may clean the body fully and many times, but what is the use of this if there is no purity of mind? Bulleshah, a Muslim mendicant, sang a very good stanza.
“makhā gaye gal mukhti nāhin, jo sau sau jumme paŧ āyiye,
ganga gaye gal mukhti nāhin, jo sau sau dubki lagāyiye,
gaya gaye gal mukhti nāhin, jo sau sau pind padāyiye”
What will happen even if you go to Meccaand perform namāz there if your heart is not pure? What will you get even if you go and bathe in the Ganges? The body can be cleansed, but not the heart (inner self). It is so said in the scriptures:
“adhbhirgātrāni shud’dħayanti, manaha satyena shud’dħayati.
Manusmruti.
vidhyā tapobhyām bhūthātmā, bud’dħirjnānena shud’dħayati”.
Water can cleanse the body. Truthful conduct purifies the mind. Spiritual knowledge and spiritual endeavours make the soul pure. Through spiritual wisdom, the intellect becomes pure.
If you are unaware of the Supreme Lord in your inner conscience, you may keep bathing in rivers but will never be able to attain salvation. What happens when the fair of Kumbh takes place? A previous Kumbh fair was held at Haridwār for 12 years, and you all know how many people were killed! Hundreds were killed. What was the cause of the skirmish and fight? It happened to decide who or which group would take the first dip. A day gets declared auspicious, and it is said that whoever takes a bath on that day shall attain salvation.
If bathing in a river alone can fetch salvation, where was the need for the manifestation of Vedic literature; where is the need for learning and other practices? What is the need to undertake meditational practices and attain meditational trance? If taking a dip in a river alone can fetch salvation, the fish and all other animals inhabiting the river should be eligible for salvation. Then again, all those saints and sages who have or have undertaken meditation for years should be foolish for doing so. There would have been no significance or importance of sages and saints. So, in reality, this is distorted misrepresentation and not righteousness (Dħarm). Nobody will likely get salvation without bathing in the Ganges of spiritual knowledge and wisdom.
“rte jnānāth na mukhtihi”
(Vedant)
Without gaining awareness of the Lord, without beholding the Lord, none will transgress the ocean of existence; this is the clear contention of Vedānth. Therefore, there is a need for inner cleansing and inner purity. It is the import of all world scriptures that the final objective of Dħarm (righteousness) is achieving mental (inner) control. Until you exercise inner control and purify your inner self, the Supreme Lord Almighty will not enthrone Himself in your mental throne. You may undertake any amount or degree of ritualism but would be of no avail; may you even rotate hundreds of rosary beads.
“sau sau mālā vāo gale m’e, dwādas karo dus ber.
Kirantan 14/5.
jo lo’n pi’u na upaje pi’u so’n, tho lo’n ma’n na cħode pher”
Meaning: you might put around your neck not one but ten garlands of the bead and apply marks of vermillion or sandal paste not on one but twelve parts of the body ten times a day, but still, your mind will remain stuck in the quicksand of illusion without feeling the yearning love for the beloved Supreme Lord.
This is what can be found in the world today. A large number of people can be found at Dħārmic places. But the question is, ‘Have they taken their mind to that level of inner purity that the beloved Supreme Lord can enthrone Himself?’
I am seated on this stage. I am just an ordinary human, but you have placed heavy mattresses below and spread beautiful sheets on them. If in your mind burns the fire of passion, anger, greed, desire, pride, and ego, how can the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord fall in that filth and so, the need for cleanliness, the attribute of righteousness meaning, inner purity?
So, returning to the context of our discussion, this happened at that Kumbh fair. In the name of taking a dip in the Ganges, there was a confrontation between the naked saints and the police. Because of the uncontrollable behaviour of the naked saints, police had to open fire, and the naked saints, in retaliation, killed many police officers and threw them in the water. What is this? Is this what is called Dħarm? You could have bathed even after a day, but we have to bathe now. Is this what our Dħarm says? This cannot be called Dħarm; this is called dubious faith, this is called distortion, and this is not the command of Dħarm. Pilgrimage is said of what?
“janāha yaiha taranti tāni tīrtħāni”
The auspicious deeds by which humans transgress the ocean of existence (bhavsāgar) are called pilgrimage. To tell the truth, is a pilgrimage, to observe/practice righteous codes is a pilgrimage, self-studying spiritual facts is a pilgrimage, and meditating on the Supreme Lord is a pilgrimage. You believe that bathing in some water or circumambulating around some mountain is Dħarm or righteousness! This in itself is the greatest folly.
The sixth attribute of Dħarm is control over the senses. Control and suppression are two different things, though they complement each other. One person decided that he would not eat sweets. He placed the sweets in one room. Sitting in another room, he thinks, “In that room, my sweets are there; should I eat or not”? I have already told everybody that I won’t eat sweets. He kept thinking about it the whole day and night. What would be the result? When he sees no one in the house, he quietly eats the sweets and tells everybody he doesn’t.
If you suppress your anger, one day, it will break out and erupt like a volcano. Exactly like the fire that is trapped under the earth erupts out from weaker areas as a volcano and kills many people and causes damage. Similarly, even the expression of suppressed desires is very dangerous. Moral philosophers contend that desires be not suppressed. Don’t suppress but control. Control with awareness and understanding is called control of the senses. The question is, how is it possible? It becomes possible by reasoning, wisdom, and rational thinking. It is the contention of moral philosophers that don’t suppress passions but control them by concentrating on the source of passions.
“kāmasya bījaha sankalpaha sadkalpādeva jāyathe”
(Chanakya Sutra)
What is the seed of passion? Resolve or will. Humans are what they are by their resolves or will. How can one be possessed of any passions whose mind is purified and not given to any perversions? You have kept sweets in one room, and you are sitting in another room. But, when your rational /reasoning power is awakened, you will think, ‘What is there in it’? There is a bit of clarified butter, sugar and other taste-enhancing things in it. Why should I break my resolution for a taste of transient nature? If you have so much purified your thoughts with the power of rationality, then, even if someone keeps a heap of sweets in front, you will never feel like putting it on the tongue.
Look at a sweetmeat vendor; he makes sweets all day, yet his tongue doesn’t get tempted; why? He understood by his awakened rationality that he had spent his whole life making these sweets, but the craving for them would never end completely. This is the error of commission that mostly happens with people; he thinks, ‘Let me eat today, and tomorrow, I won’t eat. ‘ Next day, he again thinks ‘, Let me eat today once more, and tomorrow I won’t’. Again, the day after, he thinks, ‘Let me taste it just for today’. Unfortunately, ‘just for today’ never ends because he has not controlled/gained control over his senses.
From where can the control over senses be exercised? From the mind. From where does the control over the mind occur? Obviously, from the conscience. From where does control over conscience occur? From the intellect and the power of rationality. Now, how could control over intellect be exercised? Obviously, control can be brought about by illuminating wisdom and the power of rationality. If there is the illumination of wisdom within you, the intellect would tell the conscience, O’ conscience! You become one of the good values. The bad values/impressions of conscience would automatically get buried. If there is the attribute of negativity and ignorance (tamogun) within intellect, bad values/impressions would gain prominence, and the good impressions would get suppressed. The mind’s thoughts would automatically be in keeping with the impressions of the conscience, and the mind is, after all, the King of senses. Whoever has won over the mind has won over the senses. And such one will never even know where one is! I want to explain it with a small example. It would become clear from it what all the purity of mind can make one do. There is a mythological belief.
It is said that once Arjun was taken to heaven (swarg). There, Urvashi performed a very enthralling dance. She comes at night to Arjun and seeks love. Arjun says O’ mother! My salutations at your feet. Hearing this, Urvashi becomes angry and says, O’ Arjun! I have come to seek your love, and you are addressing me as a mother? Arjun replies yes, mother, you are the mother of our ‘kuru’ lineage, and so you are a mother to me. Urvashi now asks Arjun, but why did you look at me intently when I was dancing? Arjun says, O’ mother! I was looking at you and thinking that if Kunti had been as beautiful as you, I would have been beautiful. I was only looking at you in that sense.
Shivaji also said the same thing. In response, Gaur Bano, with tears, said O’ Shiva! You have won over your mind’s weaknesses, so one day, you will gain victory over all your enemies. This is the purity of mind. If our mind is pure, then we are pure as a whole. This is purity, both internal and external, an attribute of righteousness. Ahead of this is control over the senses. If you have won over your mind, there is no need to win over the senses.
One ascetic passed through a street and saw a sweetmeat vendor frying jalebis. He tried to control his mind quite a bit, saying O’ mind! Don’t get tempted. But the mind did not listen to it. Ultimately, he put his mouth; he did not lift jalebis with his hands but put his mouth in the basket of jalebis. The vendor got angry and hit the ascetic many times with the big handled spoon he was using for frying. Passers-by saw and said that he seems to be a very detached ascetic and O’ vendor! You ought not have been beating him so mercilessly. The ascetic said, “No, what he is doing to me is correct only. I have been in the forest for years, performing spiritual endeavours and meditation. But still, even now, my mind has gone mad for the jalebis, and I had put my mouth in this basket purposely so that my mind would get the punishment it deserved. Imagine that the conscience is loaded with the impression of the taste and need for jalebis, and when this impression gets stronger, and its fire blazes forth in the mind, what can the poor tongue do? If the mind is under the control of the power of rationality and good impressions are at play in the conscience, you may sit in the sweet shop day and night, and the basket of jalebis may be with you. Still, you will never put even a small piece of jalebi on your tongue. This is the attribute of Dħarm, control over senses.
The next attribute is intellect. What is intellect? What is the difference between human and animal disposition? Humans are capable of knowing ‘who I am’? A human takes birth and opens his eyes, and when he grows and becomes big, a bit of the power of reasoning/rationality develops, and a question starts taking shape in his/her mind.
“kutaha āgato’asmi”
Vivek chudāmani, verse 51.
From where have I come?
“ku tra ghamishyāmi”
Where will I go?
“ko nāma bandħaha”
From where have I got this bondage that I was in the womb of my mother for many months? I don’t even know which classes of life I have been wandering through in my past so many births. Sometimes I was a cow, sometimes a bull, sometimes an elephant and sometimes a monkey! As a human, sometimes I was a king, sometimes a pauper, sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, but who am I ultimately? This cannot be thought by any creature, neither by cattle or birds nor by trees or plants. This is the characteristic of intellect, and that, too, is one with the intellect to grasp the truth. If that intellect is not there, then it is certain that you cannot tread the path of righteousness.
“jānāmi dħarme na chame pravrt’thihi, jānāmyadħarme na cha me nivrt’thihi. Sanskār mātrena hrdhi stħithen, yatħā niyukto’asmi thatħā karomi”.
Mahābhārat
Duryodan says I know what Dħarm is and what Adħarm (unrighteousness) is. But when I try to practice righteousness, my intellect refuses to help me; my mind becomes so distorted that I cannot practice righteousness even if I want to. Ask a meat eater, ask a person who is indulgent in all types of pleasure and lust or ask a person with an opium use disorder, O’ brother! Why do you consume opium? He will say, yes, it is bad. Then why do you consume? He would say, Brother, what can I do? It is not under my control. What is the reason for this? His intellect is no longer under the control of conscience. No sooner has the control gone out of conscience, the mind comes under the influence of misplaced intellect, and the senses become indulgent. And this craving/desire alone keeps the soul wandering in 8.4 million life classes; this is intellect for you.
The next attribute of righteousness is knowledge. What is meant by knowledge? Go to any village or street in India, and you will find temples built everywhere, but there is no dissipation of Supreme Wisdom (Brahm Jyan) anywhere. It may be found here and there, but just about 5 per cent, if at all. Very palatial temples are made, and worshippers would go there and make some offerings, and their devotion/worship is over. What sort of worship is this? It is more of a business deal. If I have made fifty rupees worth of offering, God has to do a particular job of mine; otherwise, no offer would be made next time. What type of worship is this?
Just as a bribe is offered in offices, God’s temples are also made as centres of bribe. We don’t fear committing sins and think that if we go and take a bath in the Ganges, our sins will be washed away. This is not the sign of Dħarm.
Once, Naradji saw that there was always a huge crowd on the banks of the Ganges and thought, what will happen to poor Ganges? What will poor Ganges do with all the sins of so many people? In this age of doom’s day (Kaliyug), people are drunkards, meat eaters, usurpers of other’s property, thieves and plunderers. Poor Ganges, in trying to wash away the sins of all people, will herself become very dirty. With these thoughts, Naradji went running to the Ganges. He asked, O’ Ganges! You wash the sins of so many people, and do you see what the consequence would be?
All these people will be cleansed of their sins, but then, what will happen to you; you will be carrying the sins of all the people. Ganges says, O’Narad! Why should I keep with me all the sins? I go to the sea and leave all the sins there. Hearing this, Naradji went running to the sea. He asked the sea: O’ sea! What do you do with all the sins? Ganges throws onto you all the sins of people that she washes! The sea says, why should I keep with me all the sins? When the sun shines during the day, and my water evaporates and forms clouds, all the sins reach the cloud. Now Naradji went to the cloud and asked what you do with all the sins? The cloud said, why should I keep with me all the sins? The sins of whoever comes from wherever reach back when I pour down as rain.
So if the sins get washed away by bathing in the Ganges, spiritual endeavours, relinquishment, knowledge, meditation, and scriptures would not be important. All the noble principles of creation would be finished. It is the greatest folly of the Hindu community to think that we shall be freed off of all our sins by taking a bath on a particular (so-called) auspicious date in the Ganges or the meeting point of three rivers (Triveni Sangam) or during the Kumbh ceremony, but it is not so. Without taking a bath in the Ganges form of knowledge, the Supreme Knowledge (Brahm Jyan) or, without taking a bath in the stream of elixir of Supreme Wisdom, no individual becomes eligible to be called righteous (Dħārmic), may one even sit for days and nights in the cold or remain immersed in cold water. I would also like to tell you one more thing about unrighteousness. There are about 7 million masters from various sects in the Hindu community today. They should have been the carriers and dissipaters of knowledge, the Supreme Knowledge, but why are they bereft of Supreme wisdom? They do not possess the Supreme Wisdom. Righteousness is only there when every human possesses Supreme Knowledge and can discriminate between truth and untruth. One should not consider gross/insentient things as sentient. Insentient is insentient and sentient is sentient. One should not consider eternal or permanent as transient or ephemeral and also not consider transient or ephemeral as permanent or eternal. One should not consider happiness as unhappiness and unhappiness as happiness; this rational understanding alone is called righteous knowledge.
“anityāshuchiduha khānātmasu nityashuchisukhātma khyātiravidħyā”
(Yogdarshan).
To take transient as permanent, to think of sentient as insentient, and to feel unhappiness in happiness are all ignorance, and whoever becomes free of this becomes eligible for righteous knowledge. Knowledge is said of what?
“sa vidħyā yā vimukthaye”
Knowledge leads to emancipation from the ocean of existence (Bhavsāgar). Specifically, this is the knowledge that we do not have with us. Knowledge in the present context does not mean material or worldly knowledge. You might have acquired knowledge by which you might be earning lakhs of rupees every month, but that is not the knowledge we are referring to here. You cannot be considered righteous if you do not have that knowledge (dħārmic). You may have grown matted hair, adorned saffron clothes, or even any other apparel, but you have no right whatsoever to be called righteous.
The ninth sign/attribute of righteousness is truth. Now, what is truth? The truth is that which drives the entire cosmos. Imagine what would happen if the wife and husband lie to each other, the mother and son have a relationship of lies if the father and son tell lies, and the master and disciple lie to each other. Do you think this world would run smoothly? It is doubtless that it is an invitation to disaster. What is the difference between an animal and a human? Animals do eat, drink and sleep. Even humans also eat, drink, and sleep. The speciality of humans is that they can think rationally about whether they possess the attributes of righteousness. Nowadays, people have developed the habit of saying that nothing can be done without the help of lies. This is a delusion. The day all the living entities of this world start practising truthful ways of living, solutions to their problems will automatically be found. Untruth or lie forms the basis of all problems. Now imagine how many lies must be told to hide the one initial lie. And then follows a lifelong chain of lies as a habit. Whoever practises truthfulness in thought, words, and action can never be unhappy. Therefore, truth alone is the objective or goal of righteousness.
A thief had heard somewhere that one should only speak or tell the truth. He decided that he would only tell the truth, come what may. When he went to a king’s palace, the gatekeepers asked him, ‘Who are you, and where are you going’? He answered in return that he was a thief. The gatekeepers started laughing, asking if a thief would ever say he was a thief! Then they asked him, ‘What are you going to do’? He said that I was going to steal. The gatekeepers let him go as he seemed to be a funny guy and was joking. Will a thief ever say that he has come for stealing? So the thief moved around the palace carefree and unhindered. He stole the golden necklace of the queen as the King had also trusted him; whenever anyone asked him who he was, he promptly replied that he was a thief. So nobody believed what he said because a thief would never say that he is a thief and has come to steal.
Ultimately, the King started an investigation for the missing chain. It was located with a goldsmith to whom it was sold. When summoned at the court of the King, he said it was given to him by a particular person. Then, that person was summoned. At the King’s court, when the King asked him whether he had stolen the chain, he said yes, I have told on the first day that I am a thief and have come to steal. And even now, I am telling you that I am the one who stole the queen’s necklace. The King started laughing and said very well. He said that no doubt he has the blemish of stealing, but he also has a good quality of telling the truth. The King ordered him to be included in his council of ministers. This is the power of truth.
At the end of the battle of Mahabharat, when the father figure of Bhishma was about to die, he called Yudishtir and said, “O’ Yudishtir! On one side were people standing for untruth with an army of 11 aksauhini (2.8 million 86 thousand 840), and on the other side were people standing for truth with an army of only seven aksauhini (1.8 million 37 thousand 80), but you emerged triumphant because:
“yato dħarmaha tato jayaha”
Mahabharat.
Where there is righteousness, there is victory. So, people should not cultivate the delusion that lies or untruth alone can fetch benefits in this era of darkness (kaliyug). You will be positively taken forward only by truth.
“satyameva jayate, nānrtam satyena pantħā vitatho devayānaha”.
Mundakop Upa. 3/1/6.
Truth alone triumphs and is not untruth.
The Supreme Lord is truth; truthfulness must be practised to attain Him or behold Him. That is why the Revealed Wisdom of Shri Ji says:
“sānchā rī saheb sānch so’n pā’e’ye, sānch so sānch hai pyārā”.
He is truth; to attain Him, you must practice truth in thoughts, words and deeds.
The tenth sign of righteousness is not to get angry. Anger is the enemy of all creatures. One loses the power of rational thinking by giving in and being under the control of anger. Such one fails to discriminate between even what is right and what is wrong. Anger harms one from all three aspects: physical, mental, and spiritual. So much mental poison is generated by being angry even once that if it could be extracted in an injectable form, it could prove fatal to the one into whom it is injected.
Anger can not only be a cause but even an aggravator of many diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart attack. Anger casts so much negative influence on the mind, conscience, intellect and ego that looking at an angry man, you cannot believe he is the same person who was so sweetly and divinely a moment back.
Without foregoing anger, it is impossible to think of higher spiritual attainment. The great sage Vasisht did not address Vishwamitr as supreme sage till he did not conquer his anger.
Anger is the source of many senseless acts. It is, therefore, the teaching of moral ethics that in a state of anger, one should neither eat a meal nor write a letter. The food that one eats in a state of anger increases greatly the poisonous negativity within. As a result, the body gets afflicted by many physical and mental disorders.
This is why God Shri Krishna equated one of hell’s three doors to anger.
“thrividħam narakasyedham dwāram nāshanamātmanah |
Gita 16/21.
kāmah krodħasthatħā lobhasth’asmādhethath thrayam thyajeth ||”
Meaning: Lust, anger and avriceness are like the doors of hell which take a soul to the depths of degradation. Therefore, it is essential to renounce all these three.
You are doing lots of recitation, veneration, and devotion while keeping your eyes closed, yet you say that anger comes. What do you do? This is not the attribute of righteousness. Righteousness says that we need to win over anger, win over untruth, and consider someone else’s wealth like dust. What does Indian culture say?
“mātrvat paradhareshu paradhrayeshu loshŧavath, ātmavath sarvabhūtheshu yaha pashyathi saha pandithaha”
One who sees every woman as a mother and sees other’s wealth as equal to dust can be definitively called righteous. Why do wars take place in the world? Imagine if the third world war breaks out; what would it be due to? Obviously, this is due to disobedience of the principles of righteousness. The First World War happened, and a second world war also happened; due to what? Because of the violation/infringement of the principles of righteousness. Lakhs of lives were lost during the Second World War. If the third world war happens, nobody knows whether anyone would be left to tell about it or not; only the Supreme Lord knows. The greed and desire of humans alone are becoming the cause of human destruction, which in itself is the transgression of the principles of righteousness. Ordinary beings are not able to understand the value of righteousness. If anything is keeping humanity safe, it is righteousness. The meaning of righteousness is not about building bigger and bigger temples, building bigger and bigger mosques, building bigger and bigger churches or making big gurudwaras; these are not the signs of righteousness. There should be righteousness in the hearts of humans. The signs of righteousness should be reflected in people’s hearts, and they should practice it in day-to-day life and obey the principles of righteousness; only then does one become eligible to be called righteous. If by adorning specific decorative clothing, adopting a specific mode of worship/devotion, or becoming a follower of a specific sect/faith, one thinks of oneself as righteous and others as unrighteous, no doubt they are groping in the dark.
Imagine a country attacking another country; what for? To usurp the wealth of that country and demonstrate one’s might. There are some desires like ‘worldly standing’ (lokeshna)– a desire for status or prestige in the world, ‘wealthiness’ (vit’teshna)– craving for wealth, and ‘worldly attachments’ (dāreshna)– the desire for family and relations. For the fulfilment of these desires/cravings only, fights and skirmishes occur in the world. Fights/quarrels have happened, may it be for the sake of some princess, may it be for usurping the wealth of someone, may it be for one’s standing or prestige, may it be to demonstrate one’s might/power, the demon hidden within humans manifest and it sheds the blood of innocent people.
What happens in riots? Even young children are not spared. And that poor innocent child does not even know what righteousness is. But man becomes the slayer of man for what? Behind this act lurk the uncontrollable cravings/desires. Does some creature drink the blood of another one? Why? Because of craving/desire. Why do humans eat meat? Just to satisfy the taste buds of tongue momentarily, it never gets satisfied. It has never been satisfied, nor will it ever be satisfied. There is no taste as such in meat, but then visit a slaughterhouse and see how mercilessly animals are killed! Who hears the cry of pain and distress from them except the Almighty?
Even if a small thorn pricks our body, we cry out in pain and distress and apply medicine. But on the other hand, the throats of those speechless innocent animals are slit, and they are cut to pieces, coated with a paste of spices, fried, roasted or cooked and then eaten with relish; ultimately, the bones are sucked, turning the human stomachs into graveyards. What for? Just for the sake of crave satisfaction. This is not dħarm. This is a blot in the name of dħarm. The fourth attribute of righteousness, if you remember, was testimony of the inner self or conscience.
“swasya cha priyamātmanaha”
Manusmruti 2/12.
What we expect from others, the same behaviour should be shown by us towards others. This is the sign of righteousness. If we expect love from others, we must also show love towards others. If we expect respect from others, we must learn the language of respect. Righteousness is that by which we take everyone by thoughts, words and deeds towards truth. If our actions cause pain to any creature, it is not righteousness. There is a very bad tendency in vogue in the world today, and that is to say, let all other belief systems be finished, and only our belief system should be there. This is a very big mistake. Everyone would say only one if asked how many Almighties (Supreme Lords) are there. How many truths are here? All will say one. How many types of righteousness are there? All would say one. If there is only one righteousness, how could one talk about destroying all others? Sects can disappear, and schools of thought can disappear. Now, what is a school of thought? It is a thought process that a great master gives. A group of followers of that thought process forms, and over time, the group grows big and assumes the form of a school of thought. The followers of that school of thought may be forced to change by forceor inducements, but the form of righteousness cannot be destroyed. Righteousness is eternal, righteousness is timeless, righteousness is the truth of truth even and truth itself is the divine form of the Almighty. Therefore, only a few know the form of righteousness or what is righteousness.
From here, start the beautiful footprints that lead to true spiritualism without climbing, making awakening our inner self impossible. Who are we? From where have we started off our bindings? These can be realized only by treading the path of righteousness. The biggest folly of recent times is the consideration of unrighteousness itself as righteousness. If you go to any temple or the place of any sect, you will be asked why you have not adorned a particular type of vermillion mark on the head. Are you dħārmic or not? You have not worn a rosary of beads around your neck; that means you are not dħārmic. Whoever wears a rosary of beads will keep showing around, saying that they are dħārmic. This alone is the greatest folly. If by colouring the head one can attain Vaikunŧ, then what will be attained by colouring the whole body? If by adorning one rosary of beads one can attain heaven or Vaikunŧ, then by adorning the whole body with rosaries and bearing their weight will fetch what?
In which scripture is it written? These colourful attires and adornments have no importance; the importance is only of the ten attributes of righteousness. We should try to gain awareness of self and the whereabouts of that beloved Supreme Lord of our souls. Where is He, and what is His form? This binding of illusory aspect (māya) that has enveloped us, when will it fade away? When we employ that process that helps us disperse the envelopes of binding illusory aspects, our souls start getting the fragrance of spiritualism from then on. Only by the aesthetic relishment can our souls transgress this ocean of existence. And our souls ultimately attain that beloved Supreme Lord.
Whoever knows the real form of righteousness, may it be a Hindu, may it be a Muslim or may it be a Christian, will never adopt the path of attachment and malice. Because they know that the Supreme Lord of all is one. Truth is ever one. The Supreme Lord cannot be different for different people. Why do fights and quarrels occur today, and for what? Quarrels and fights occur only in the name of rituals.
Hindus, Muslims and even other faiths have different attires and adornments, and even amongst Hindus, different sects have their variations. Once, a quarrel erupted amongst the followers of the sect of Vallabāchārya. The topic of the dispute was whether the crown of the peacock feather worn by Shri Krishna is tilted to the right or left. Even firearms were used in this quarrel amongst the followers of the same sect. The judge was an English man who started laughing while hearing the case. He said, O’ guys! Whether your God’s crown is tilted to the right or left, what difference does it make? I decided that it is neither tilted to the right nor left; it is in the middle, and you all must accept that. What harm is there if God’s crown is tilted to the right, and what harm is there if it is tilted to the left?
Entry into the temple is barred by saying that someone is untouchable. Don’t allow this person to go inside the temple. If your God becomes impure by the coming of a so-called untouchable into the temple, then who would make the whole world pure? The task of soap is to remove dirt. If the soap starts saying that it would get dirty, then it is sure that the darkness of ignorance is pervading here; this is not righteousness; this is not truth. Therefore, we will have to know righteousness in the light of illuminated knowledge: What is righteousness, and what are the signs/attributes of righteousness? Only by accepting righteousness can human life become happy and prosperous.
Forsaking of righteousness is the death knell of all humanity. Bereft of righteousness, one can never be an animal, human, or divinity. As soon as a cow gives birth to a calf, it starts licking it; this is its inherent quality. She has affection and fondness within her. Similarly, even a tree fulfils its responsibility. So, inanimate objects like the sun and moon also discharge their responsibilities. Humans must learn from these objects of nature. Even though inanimate, what rich and good presents do they give us? Within us, we have the bit of that consciousness that can try to know ‘who I am, from where have I come? Where will I go after leaving this body and this world? If done, it is sure that it will attain divinity. Even beyond, it will attain the Supreme divinity state (Brahmi avastħa). It will reach that state, just as the case of a piece of iron that, when heated on fire, does not remain iron but becomes red hot, assuming the form of fire. By following righteousness, it enshrines within its inner temple that all-powerful embodiment of all virtues, the Supreme Lord of truth, consciousness and bliss. It distances itself from the illusory aspect (māya) and reaches that destination from where it can say, as said in Yog Darshan, “yadh prāpanīyam thatprāptam, yadha dhrashtavyam thadh dhrashtam’mayā. “‘I have attained what I had wanted to, I have seen whatever I had wanted to, I don’t need anything now, and I am in that ocean of bliss, even a drop of which if fallen on this universe will take it to blissful divine contentment’.
Righteousness helps meet with the Supreme Truth. Righteousness does not make man fight against man. Yes, schools of thought can make people fight, and sects of opinion can make people fight. Till now, how many living beings have been killed in the name of spreading righteousness by those cloaked in the attire of righteousness? The river Ganges may not have as much water as man has spilt the blood of other humans in the name of righteousness. The act of forcing others to accept one’s belief system is a blot on the dignity of righteousness.
What is required in the present context is for every human to understand righteousness. Who we are? What is our original form? And, the one we want to worship, the one at whose feet we expect eternal bliss, where is that Supreme Lord, and what is His divine form?
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