Dhrtih kshamaa damo’astheyam shaucham indriyanigraha । Dhiirvidhyaa satyam akrodho dashakam dharmalakshanam।।
Manusmriti says that those who follow and practice these ten principles are worthy of being called righteous. The ten principles are:
- Dhairy (Steadfastness or resoluteness)- The general meaning of dhairy is courage or bravery, but it doesn’t exactly mean that here. Here, it means the courage of forebearance or remaining cool even in adverse situations. This is a characteristic of steadfastness or resoluteness to situations that can make one seeth with anger and make one remain calm and sensible even in upsetting situations.
The wheel of happiness and unhappiness keeps running and changing, like day and night. Generally, ordinary people get elated in happy situations and get restless, impatient and testy under situations of sorrow and suffering. An individual who is established in righteousness remains equanimous under both situations. For example, the colour is always red whether the sun is rising from the east or the sun is setting in the west. So are the great men of wisdom or the great ascetics who remain in the same equanimous state irrespective of pleasant or unpleasant situations.
- Kshama (forgiveness) – Forgiveness is a sublime quality and is the adornment of great personalities. Weak persons cannot tread the path of forgiveness. The highly merciful Supreme Lord is an abundant source of forgiveness.
The Cowherd angrily shouted at Mahavir Swamy, “You hypocrite, are you deaf or what? Don’t you hear what I am asking? Mahavir still did not respond. The Cowherd got irritated and said, it seems both your ears are useless; wait, let me give them proper treatment.
This is an interesting story about Mahavir Swami. Once, he arrived outside a village of Chhammani and stood still in meditation. It was dusk, and a cowherd was returning home from his farm. The Cowherd told Mahavir Swami, “O, Ascetic, please look after my oxen. I will return in a few minutes”. Saying so, the Cowherd left the place.
The Cowherd returned a little later and did not find his oxen as they had wandered away grazing. Not finding his oxen, the Cowherd asked, “O, Ascetic, where are my oxen?”. Being in deep meditation, Mahavir was unaware of the Cowherd, his words and the oxen.
The Cowherd asked Mahavir again about his oxen and, not receiving any answer, got infuriated.
Saying so, he searched around, picked two nail-like thorns from a nearby shrub, and pierced Mahavir’s ears deeply by hammering them in. Even the excruciating pain did not deter Mahavir from his meditation. Neither did it arouse any feeling of anger or aversion in him. Completing his mediation, he went to the village in search of alms. Two good Samaritans saw the thorns in Mahavir Swami’s ears and pulled them out.
This is an exemplary quality of forgiveness in Mahvir Swami.
- Dham (Freeing oneself of all negative qualities) – meaning subduing, subduing the mind and all the senses of their illusory longings. As long as the senses are indulgent in their illusory pursuits, the consciousness is involved in contemplating the sense pleasures, and the mind is involved in their rumination. To stop them is known as subduing the mind and the senses.
Katha Upanishad contends that the Creator God has designed the five senses (eyes, ears, nose, taste and touch), which are always directed towards outer sense objects. Even one of them can cause the death knell, like the moth getting lured to a flame or fire (eyes), an elephant getting enticed by the she-elephant (touch), the deer getting enticed by the sweet notes of a flute (ears), the bee getting attracted by the sweet aromatic smell of flowers (nose), and the fish getting baited by a piece of flesh (taste), what about indulgent humans who get lured by all senses? Only a steadfast and patient individual seeking freedom from the cycles of birth and death will seek inwards rather than outwards.
- Asteya (not to steal) – Not seeking others’ wealth, property, or belongings means asteyam.
‘astheya-pratiṣṭtaayaaṃ sarva-ratna-upasthaanam’.
Yog Sutr (2/37)
It is so said in Patanjali’s Yog Sutr (2/37). Meaning: On being firmly established in non-stealing by thought, word or deed, all wealth comes to such one. The wealth of others is like dust to a righteous person.
- Shouch (Inner purity) – Outer and inner purity are the prime components of righteousness. Outer purity references the gross body, while inner purity refers to inner psychic cleanliness. It is true that without cleansing the inner self, one cannot attain a spiritual destination.
‘adhbhirgaatraani shuddhyanthi manah satyena shuddhyathi. Vidhyaathpobhyaam bhuuthaathaa budhddhirjnaanena shuiddhyathi.
(Manusmriti, 5/109).
The body is cleansed by water, the mind is purified by truthfulness, the individual soul by sacred learning and austerities, and the intellect by (true) knowledge.
Water is the only medium to clean the body, while there are four tools to clean the inner self and the soul: Truth, knowledge or wisdom, austerities, and spiritual knowledge toward the Ultimate Truth.
In actuality, this is the true form of ‘shauch’.
- Indriya nigraha (Not to succumb to objects of pleasure of the senses) – To disentangle the senses trapped in objects of pleasure and desires alone is Indriya nigraha. The mind can never find peace despite enjoying multiple illusory pleasures and indulging in unsatiating desires. Ironically, cravings keep increasing every moment. One should not adopt the path of forceful suppression to achieve it. One can take away the senses from illusory indulgence only by making mind and intellect pure by taking fresh, nourishing food with physical activity and practising spiritual austerities and meditation.
- Buddhi (Intellect) – Through intellect only one can acquire knowledge and wisdom. The expectation of attaining spiritual heights is futile for the nitwitted ignorant people who neither indulge in scriptural self-study nor attend spiritual discourses. In fact, acquiring pure intellect is also a sign of righteousness. To acquire pure intellect, what is needed is fresh, nourishing food, pure knowledge and meditation.
Rtambhara Prajna is the person who attains true consciousness of knowledge and wisdom in meditational trance. All the I-am-ness or false ego falls away in this state, such as I am a male, a female, an Indian, 45 years old, etc. In this state, one becomes a pure spiritual being with spiritual senses. This state facilitates easy attainment of God-Realization. With the purification of intellect, consciousness and mind also get purified. In this state, there is a negligible chance of any mental defilement taking shape.
- Viddhya (Scholarly knowledge) – There are two types of knowledge: Spiritual (para) and material (apara). One can come to know of the imperishable Brahm by spiritual knowledge, and by material knowledge, one can attain worldly pleasures and happiness. Both have their usefulness in making human lives happy. Only through the Brahmavani or Kulzam Swaroop can one come to know of the form of the Supreme Lord and have self-realization, and then, through undivided love-filled devotion, Supreme realization becomes possible.
- Saty (Truth) – Truth alone is the Supreme Lord, truth alone is life, and truth alone is the basis of righteousness. There is no greater righteousness than truth in the three worlds and no greater sin than falsity or lie. Kabirji says, “There is no sacrifice bigger than truth, and no crime bigger than a lie. God resides in the hearts of those who speak or follow the path of truth” (“Saanch baraabar tap nahin, jhoott baraabar paap. Jaake hirde saanch hai, thaake hirde aap”). Howsoever a lie or falsity may appear to succeed in the present, truth only will always win in the end. Yog Darshan 2/26 says, ‘Satya pratisthaayaam kriyaa phalaasrayatvam’, meaning when one is established in truthfulness by mind, speech and action, his words become so potent that whatever he says will come true. The practice of truthfulness is in itself the paver of the way towards salvation.
- Akrodh (Angerlessness) – It is said in the scriptures that there is no greater enemy of man than anger because it nullifies all good qualities like patience or forbearance, knowledge or wisdom and others. Anger closes the door to the highest physical, mental and spiritual attainments. A spiritual person should never succumb to anger, even in one’s dream.
A detailed elaboration on these ten signs of righteousness can be seen in another blog.
