Philosophical Perspectives-IV

Hinduism is indeed a unique religion,as it preaches non violence of the highest kind,but its scriptures speak of the glory of warfare and project warriors are heroes.This is because,one cannot afford to be non-violent at all points of time in one's life.When a warrior takes up arms,he does so not to hurt or injure others but to protect Dharma. One need not take to violence for the sake of one's selfish gains.But if it has to be done for the sake of the overall well-being of the society and the sustenance of Dharma, it is considered to be a warrior's duty to do so. It is a warrior's duty to protect the weak,the poor and the helpless from exploitation.God himself is said to have taken various incarnations to save humanity from the evil designs of powerful brutes.

But,violence should never be resorted to,for the sake of personal gains.

This is wonderfully demonstrated in the Ramayana,wherein Rama submissively retires to the forest in order to fufill the word given by his father Dashrath to Kaikeyi,his step-mother.

These are the words of Rama,

"Immediately, I shall go to live in forest of Dandaka for fourteen years, without reflecting on whether my father's words are right or wrong.There is not indeed anything of greater performance of duty than doing service to father or than doing what he commands.If I have to do whatever action is dearer to my revered father, that action is just done in all respects even by renouncing my life."

The Tamil poet Kamban,quotes Rama as saying,

"En pinnavan petra selvam adiyanein petra dhandro??"

("What is the difference between bharatha ruling the kingdom and me ruling the kingdom.His wealth is my wealth".)

Rama even argues that while Bharatha is going to rule over the people of Ayodhya,he is going to rule over the animals of the forest and live happily.

 Rama accepts everything passively in order to fulfill the words of his father.

But when his wife,Seetha is abducted by the demon Ravana,he threatens to destroy the entire world,if he is not able to recover Sita.
("Nasayaami jagat sarvam")

This is because,inspite of her faultlessness,Sita has been unfairly abducted by a demon.The very same Rama who passively accepted to retire to the forest threatens to destroy the enitre world by the might of the arrows for the sake of his wife.

The sage Valmiki describes Rama by  these words,

"His anger is like that of forest fire. His patience is like that of the Earth".

Hinduism preaches forbearance only when it is something concerned with his own welfare and not the welfare of his near and dear one's.Even that forbearance is recommended only when a greater virtue is at stake.In Rama's case,it was Truth.He endured the pains of the forest in order to fulfill the words of his father and for nothing else.

The poet Subrahmanya Bharathiyar proclaimed
"Thani oruvanukku unavillai yenil ijjagathinai azhithiduvein"

"If there is not sufficient food for a single person on this Earth,I'll destroy the entire universe".

That was because he could not tolerate the sight of rich people feasting and poor people dying out of starvation. Even in the Mahabharatha,Krishna asks Arjuna to fight for Dharma and not for land.The dharma of a warrior is to fight against adharma and so he must fight.

It is noteworthy that Buddha renounced the kingdom and preached non-violence while the King Ashoka did it even while being the ruler of the land.He was fortunate that he did not have powerful kings during his time,otherwise he would have known how foolish it is for a king to preach non-vioelnce.

As Chanakya says,
"War is to make way for peace and peace is to prepare for war".

This has been the eternal dharma of Hindus-to fight for the protection of their dharma,by even sacrificing their lives.

As Vyasa says in the Mahabharatha,
"Dharmam na thyajeth jeevithasyaapi hetho ho"

"Dont give up your Dharma even for the sake of your lives".

As Hindus,it is our duty to practise and protect our Dharma as it Dharma is essential for the sustenance of life on Earth.And this Dharma includes destroying the preachers of adharma as well.

P.S:This post is a bit sketchy,as am blogging after a long time.My apologies for the same.Hopefully,I will be able to update frequently from here on.Thank you ! Keep visiting ! :)

(To be continued..........)

Philosophical perspectives-III

Differential Calculus is a branch of mathematics which is concerned with the study of the rates at which quantities change.Often,it is very useful to calculate the rate of change of quantities with respect to time. Differential calculus finds applications in commerce,topology,physics etc.This field of mathematics finds so many real time applications due to the simple fact that things always keep changing in this world with respect to a reference.And when time is taken as a reference, there’s nothing which remains static.

Curiously,the entire edifice of philosophy is also built on this simple observation that everything keeps changing in this world of ours.As all objects around us are subject to changes,if one were to base one's happiness on such external objects which are subject to changes with respect to time and position,obviously there can be no guarantee regarding the happiness we might derive from those objects. As the objects are by their very nature are subject to changes and limited by external factors, the pleasures derived from them are also temporary.

This is why the Hindu scriptures ask us to stay true to our dharma,rather than going after pleasure.Since pleasure is always temporal and fleeting,the scriptures advocate an approach which is centered on dharma rather than pleasure. Dharma,as pointed out in India under siege-III, refers to a beings' natural tendency.Just as all animals have a natural tendency to stay true to their nature,human beings also have a natural human tendency,which differentiates them from other animals.Since human beings have been endowed with the 6th sense,they've to differentiate between right and wrong.Unless they use this discriminating faculty,there is no difference between humans and other animals.

Dharma of human beings is to work for other humans and all living beings in general.This approach is advocated because,even if our actions donot lead to expected results,one can at least rest take consolation from the fact that one's intentions were good and others would have gained benefit from our actions.

"Paropakaarartham idham shareeram".

"This body is for the purpose of doing service to others".

The order of the world itself is so complex that it is very difficult to define what is good and what is bad.One man's food is another man's poison.A victory for a patient in the event of a disease means death for bacteria and viruses.With this being the case,it is very difficult to even define what is good and what is bad.The only solution is to aim for the maximum good to the maximum number of people and always strive to maintain order and discipline in the society. If one were to do one's actions based on the objective of achieving the greater good, irrespective of the results obtained, one can rest in peace.

"Remember, if a time may come when we have to choose between what is right and what is easy".
These are words which Professor Dumbledore addresses to the gathering in the Great Hall in the Harry Potter series.

It is animal nature to go for what is easy,but dharma to go in for what is right.The Ramayana is a story,based on the life of the illustrious warrior prince Rama.In the Ramayana,Rama relinquishes the throne to fulfil the word given by his father (Dasharath) to Kaikeyi,Dasharath’s wife.He is exiled to the forest for 14 years. As he goes to the forest, the citizens of Ayodhya plead with him to stay back.

Rama’s brother Lakshmana also accompanies him to the forest.Lakshmana’s mother Sumitra says these words to Lakshmana,
“Lakshmana,it is your duty to guard and serve Rama.Always stand in vigilant watch by Rama’s side in the forest.Your elder brother is to you both preceptor and king.This is the dharma of our race.”

Sumitra knows very well that her son will face difficulties in the forest.There is no rational reason for Lakshmana going to the forest,as he is not bound by Kaikeyi’s boon. Still he goes to the forest along with his brother,the illustrious Rama.This is dharma,unique to the land of India.

Sumitra continues,”Go with my blessing Lakshmana.In the forest look upon Rama as your father and Sita (Rama’s wife) as myself and the forest will be to you as Ayodhya.”

In the forest,Bharatha also comes and pleads with Rama to accept the throne.The sages of the court also try to persuade Rama to rule Ayodhya,as Dashrath has passed away due to grief in Rama’s absence.

Once again,Rama refuses to do so, telling them that truth and dharma are to be upheld at all costs.He points out that ruling a land itself is for the protection and propagation of dharma and not for enjoying pleasures.He even argues that just as Bharatha is going to rule the city of Ayodhya,he is going to rule the forest,with the animals and birds as his subjects.This balanced outlook on life and the regard for truth and justice is what differentiates the great from the ordinary.

This has been the character of Indians,through the ages………….
The celebrated historian Max Muller,noted in the year 1882,
“It is surely extremely strange that whenever,either in Greek,or in Chinese,or in Persian,or in Arab writings,we meet with any attempts at describing the distinguishing features in the national character of the Indians, regard for truth and justice should always be regarded first.”

Rama is said to have ruled Ayodhya for 11,000 years.But it is the 14 years of exile which forms the Ramayana. Fourteen years of unbearable sorrow and suffering ,in which he stood for truth and justice.

At one juncture, Rama actually asks the Sita to consider the river Mandakni as her friend and asks her not to feel lonely in the forest.In the very same Ramayana,the sage Vishwamithra considers the sky to be his father and the land to be his mother.He considers a river running nearby to be his sister and names her Kousiki. While the reader may be tempted to laugh at this at first,the point to be noted is how broad minded the ancients were regarding nature and its inhabitants.

Bhartrihari ends Vairagya Satakam with these words,

“Oh Earth,my mother…. Oh Wind , my father,Oh fire,my friend,Oh water,my good relative,Oh Sky,my brother !here is my last salutation to you with clasped hands!Having cast away infatuation,with its powerful power,by means of an amplitude of pure knowledge resplendent with merits developed through my association with you all, I now merge in the Supreme Brahman.”

This is how the ancient Orients viewed nature.It is the West that viewed nature as some thing to be exploited to achieve one’s own materialistic ends.And it doesn’t stop with nature. It extends to human beings of other races as well!!Again,a little introspection will show that one cannot be happy always and life is full of ups and downs, irrespective of how much ever rich one may be.

The Hindu scriptures donot preach poverty.Rather,they preach equanimity of the mind.Rama,was probably enjoying all the comforts of the kingdom with all happiness,before suddenly he was banished to the forest.Still,he was able to see the fleeting nature of life and accepted hardships as they came in his way,for the sake of fulfilling his father’s word.

So, is hindu philosophy all about being passive and accepting things,as they come?Is it wrong to resist hardship and yearn for happiness?What happens when treachery is being committed against us?

Let us try to answer these questions,in the forth coming posts……………. 

(To be continued...............)