Thought 163: Part 2 – Artha

It is but natural for every person to have a desire for wealth, success, security and power. People are not going to stop pursuing these desires - even if the religion were to prohibit them. The craving for money and security and power is a fundamental urge in every person, which needs to be satisfied.

Every person wants to earn money; a lot of money indeed. Money unlocks the gates for any kind of worldly enjoyment and worldly power. It is for this reason that the Hindu Saastras have recognized Artha (wealth, power and security) as a legitimate Purushaardha (goal of life). Hindu religion accepts that one can earn as much wealth and power as he likes, by Dharmic means (righteous means), of course - and not by foul means. Swami Vivekananda also says, “If your goal is Artha, go ahead and earn as much money and power as you can. Satisfy your urge for Artha completely, become strong - and then, give up everything”.

The next thought is about Purushaardhas (Continued), Part 3 - Kaama

Purushaardhas (Continued)

Thought 163: Part 1 – Dharma (continued)

Isvara (God) created along with the Creation (Srishti), the concept and the laws of Dharma (and Karma), which govern the administration of this amazingly complex and infinite universe. This Dharma is an Order (a command structure intended for guidance of human beings) - the Universal Ecological and Moral Order (created by Isvara), which, if followed by all living beings in Creation, ensures harmony, ecological balance, moral standards (applicable for the human kind only), which, in turn, ensure the well being of all life in creation. This concept of Dharma is for the human kind only. Animals follow their Dharma automatically – they have been programmed and sent down here and they lead a choiceless life. Therefore, there is no question of the animals violating Dharma.

Human beings have a choice and therefore, there could be abuse – occasionally or even frequently. Because of the faculty of choice, human beings may perform wrong actions – actions, which violate Dharma. Behind every wrong action, there is a person, who is either frightened or greedy. He is greedy, because he feels small. He is frightened, because he is overwhelmed by the world. Of course, all this is because of ignorance. With the advent of self-knowledge, when that ignorant person is gone, where is the necessity to violate Dharma? Dharma becomes natural for a person, who is free from ignorance. (Swami Dayananda)

In any given situation, there is something to be done, which is appropriate for that situation; everything else is inappropriate for that situation. Swami Dayananda says that action, which is appropriate for a given situation, which we all commonly sense, is our duty; it is our Dharma.

Frequently, we find ourselves placed in situations by Isvara, which are not to our liking; we do not court them. But all the same, we often find ourselves in those problematic and difficult situations in the same way that Arjuna found himself on the battlefield against his will.

The appropriate action in all such situations is highly visible to every intelligent person, who is endowed with some discrimination. He really has no choice here - it is already chosen for him by the given circumstance. He has choice only when he wants to avoid what he has to do in that situation. Thus, in the modern world, doing exactly what is appropriate in any given situation is one’s duty (Dharma). (Swami Dayananda)

Thus, in any given situation, there is a certain response required on your part in terms of action and this becomes your duty. Duty is not something that has to be told by someone to you – much less by the Saastras. It becomes evident as you look at the situation that you are in - and understand it as it is. In this way, what is to be done becomes obvious to you.

In this set of four Purushaardhas (goals), Dharma is the very first goal. You are required to follow your Dharma - while pursuing the next two goals, which are Artha and Kaama.

The next thought is also about Purushaardhas (Continued), Part 2 – Artha

Thought 163: Part 1 – Dharma

Dharma, which is enjoined duty, is a Vedic concept. In the Vedic times, everyone was expected to perform his/her Dharma. Dharma constituted the very fabric of the Hindu religion; it underscored the very essence of Hinduism. Every person in this world has a number of roles to play – such as father, husband, teacher (Guru), son, daughter, wife, mother, friend, etc. Hindu Saastras have enjoined certain duties for all these roles. And for the Hindus, anything enjoined by the Saastras (Scriptures) is sacrosanct. The modern Hindu, however, is out of touch with the Hindu Saastras (Hindu scriptures).

In general, we may say that it is very difficult now to preserve and justify these ancient models of duty in the modern societies. There are several reasons for this. In the olden days (Vedic times), life was relatively simple, leisurely and very much less complex. In the modern India, however, life has become very difficult and complex - especially in the urban India. The long and agonizing commute every day on the narrow and crowded city streets, to and from the place of work, is a typical example of the complexity of the modern urban life. The need to earn a living by both husband and wife in these days has further compounded this complexity by several orders - and therefore, people find it very difficult to conform to the blueprints of our ancient Saastras.

Hence, most Hindus do not follow the scriptural injunctions now. Their life styles do not leave much scope and time to read the scriptures and conduct their lives in accordance with the rules stipulated in them. They are the victims of the circumstances, which unfortunately make them, either to remain ignorant of the scriptural injunctions, and if they are known, to ignore them.

Thus, in modern India, people do not know what are enjoined duties; and therefore, they do not recognize the ancient notion of Dharma any more. Such ancient religious mandates do not seem to be compatible with the prevailing urbanized, busy culture of today. Even then, a good proportion of the Hindus in India and abroad, worship a god; they do the Puuja (worship), without getting overly concerned about what the scriptures say or do not say about such worship. They do the Puuja based on a tradition – by seeing how others in their family or in their community do or in whatever manner the priest/Guru advises them. These people may or may not follow all the scriptural injunctions completely or meticulously, but they have faith in worshiping a god – and also in the religion.

We are now living in times in which changes are happening – very rapidly. Those, who do not notice these changes and adapt themselves quickly to those changes as they happen, will find themselves left behind. The ancient scriptural models of Dharma, therefore, need revision, if duty (Dharma) is to be taken seriously. Current needs of the society should dictate the nature of Dharma (Duty) for every individual. This makes it important to reinterpret or redefine Dharma to suit the needs of the fast changing modern society.

The interpretation of Dharma may change with time but the concept and importance of Dharma itself does not change – ever, for the Hindus. For them, Dharma is eternal. All Hindus have to perform their Dharma because our religion itself is Sanaatana Dharma (eternal Dharma).

Thought 162: About Purushaardhas

It is pointless to undertake any important activity without a goal. Therefore, Hindu Saastras have prescribed four goals for every Hindu and these goals are called Purushaardhas. They are:

• Dharma: enjoined duty or obligatory duty
• Artha: Wealth (and power and security)
• Kaama: Sensual pleasure and enjoyment
• Moksha: Liberation from the cycle of birth-death and rebirth

The next thought is about Purushaardhas (Continued), Part 1 – Dharma

Thought 161: Bhagavad Gita says that performing your duty is your Dharma

Bhagavd Gita is believed to include all the wisdom contained in the Upanishads. This teaching puts utmost emphasis on duty (Dharma). Every one must perform his duty (Dharma); people should never shy away from performing their duty for any reason what so ever. The soldier has duties, which he should perform even at the cost of his own life. The policeman has duties; he should, for instance, apprehend the criminal and put him behind bars, no matter how wealthy or powerful the culprit is. It is the duty of the parent to correct a child when the child is tending to go on the wrong path. The child may resent the correction but this should not deter the parent from doing his duty as a parent. It is the duty of the teacher to teach and make sure that the students are benefiting from his teaching. It is the duty of the husband to protect his wife and it is the duty of the wife to support her husband under all circumstances. Every one should perform his/her duty sincerely – and should never neglect his/her duty no matter for what reasons or no matter how compelling these reasons are.

Arjuna wanted to withdraw from the battlefield – when he saw all his Gurus and close relatives lined up on the battlefield, whom he would have to kill. This vision was most abhorrent to him. Then, Bhagavaan Krishna says, “Arjuna, you are a hero to all ordinary persons. You stand out in history as one of those outstanding characters, not only renowned for your prowess on the battlefield, but also known for your uprightness, manliness, valour, courage, character, devotion and commitment to your duty, and compassion for the weak. Whatever you do, is exactly what others are going to do. If you champion the cause of duty, many of your fans would undoubtedly follow your example - and harmony and stability would flourish in the society for generations”.

“Arjuna, you are a Kshatriya (warrior) – whose duty is to fight in support of Dharma (righteousness). You have come to the battlefield to fight in support of Dharma. If you should abandon the war and retreat from the battle field now, for whatever reason, you would be setting a very bad example. They say, “Yadhaa Raajah, Tathaa Prajah”. The Prajah (people), observing their Raajah (king and leader) running away from his duty on the battlefield, would also abandon their own respective duties. If the role model neglects his obligatory duties, it is noticed. The Praajah also would neglect their obligatory duties”.

“Thus, if you abandon the war now and turn away from the battle field, you would not only be responsible for your own down fall, but you would also be responsible for the spread of “Adharma” in your Prajah. Remember, the mission of Arjuna, the great hero, is eradication of “Adharma” - not promoting “Adharma””.

By asking Arjuna to do what is required to be done in the battlefield situation, Bhagavaan Krishna was telling Arjuna to perform his “Dharma” (his obligatory duty). As`a Kshatrya, it is his obligatory duty to wage the war against Adharma – no matter what the consequences are. He had come to the battle field to fight - and fight he should.

In life, every one has roles that must be fulfilled. Situations do not happen randomly. They happen because Isvara wants them to happen. Because there is something to be done by you, you are placed in a particular situation. This is the law of Karma. This is “Isvarechcha” (desire of God). You cannot run away from what you should be doing. (Swami Dayananda)

The next thought is “About Purushaardhas”

Thought 160: Performing one’s duty is very important

One’s attitude to work and duty is determined by his character and values. When power and money are the criteria, your whole attitude to work and duty is dictated by those criteria only; that is, duty is valued in terms of what it can get you. Whereas, when ethical and moral living is the main objective, duty becomes sacred. In this concept of duty, there is no demand whatsoever - there are no rewards for duty, other than self-fulfillment.

In ethical and moral living, there is no competition - you do not have to prove that you are better. What job you do signifies nothing; but how well you do it, signifies a lot. And because you bring a certain attitude to it, you love doing the job that is yours to do. What you need is maturity of mind and by performing what is to be done, you would gain it.

In the ancient Hindu society, every one had duties – and performing one’s duty is his Dharma (obligatory duty). Every concept needs a champion. Dharma also needs a champion. The champion becomes the role-model for others in his group or family. A man of truth and integrity, who always goes by his values is unquestionably a leader - he is respected and admired in any society. They hold him in high esteem and he influences the standards of behavior of the society - at all levels.

The role model has followers - who follow him implicitly. Because his followers want to emulate him, he constantly comes under the microscope. He should be aware of this fact and should never do anything that would be wrongly interpreted by his admirers.

At the family level, the parents set the tone of behaviour of their children. If they live a life of high moral values, every one else in the family also lives a life of exemplary values. If the parents are observed to exploit others through lies for self gain, the children also emulate them and tell lies for selfish gains. If the children perceive that the parents are selfish, look after their own pleasures, do not pay attention to the needs of their children, the children also grow up selfishly and neglect the proper upbringing of their own children too. On the other hand, if the parents always sacrifice their own interests and put the interests of the children first and foremost, the children grow up selflessly and the society around them rests on a strong foundation of selflessness and spirit of sacrifice.

A school teacher is a leader to his students. He has a unique opportunity to influence the students at a tender and impressionable age. The children get programmed permanently and it is this program that directs their behaviour in later life. If the teacher is selfish, ignorant and fails to instill proper values and discipline in his students, the students conclude that selflessness, learning, values and discipline need not become priorities in their later lives.

In the work place, a supervisor is the boss to his group of workers. Several such bosses report to a boss at a higher level and this is how the hierarchy is usually organized. A boss is the leader for his group. He sets the tone of the discipline, motivation, dedication, quality and productivity of the workers in his group. If the workers perceive that the boss is highly dedicated to his job, invariably gives higher priority to the work objectives and is genuinely interested in the well being of the workers, the workers also dedicate themselves with equal sincerity to their work. It is truly said that there are no bad soldiers - only bad Generals.

When political leaders scrupulously follow high moral and ethical standards, they develop charisma. Charismatic leaders always galvanize the entire society to uphold high moral and ethical values. They can make ordinary people do extraordinary things. The Mahatma Gandhi, with his emphasis on honesty, sincerity and moral values, galvanized the entire Indian nation to rise against the mighty British rulers. Churchill similarly galvanized the entire United Kingdom to extraordinary war efforts during the world war II.

On the other hand, if the political leaders become selfish and follow questionable morals and unethical standards, the society collapses and the nation degenerates rapidly. The dishonest leaders, who have no scruples, ethics and morals, try to make fortunes by foul means. Since the masses always emulate their leaders, people think that the way to succeed in life is through dishonesty, chicanery and selfishness. If leaders do not perform their duty selflessly, ordinary persons will not also see any real virtue in performing their duties honestly.

There is, of course, no universal standard for duties. They differ from time to time and from society to society. However, in every society, at every point in time, whatever, the man of wisdom does, by precept and practice, becomes the standard for the common man.

Standards for duty may change from time to time and from society to society, but the concept of duty does not. It is universal and everlasting. Duty has no rewards. If there is a reward, it is not a duty.

The next thought is about “Bhagavad Gita says that performing your duty is your Dharma”

Thought 159: How you allow a crisis to build

When you become alive to events only after they have taken place, you are running your life - you are not managing it. You have lost control. You cannot prevent events happening, when you come to know them only after they have taken place. It is said that some people make things happen, some others watch things happening and the rest ask, "what happened?"

It is known as common sense when you think and act. If you have common sense you do not have to bite your nails every moment of your life. When you think, you begin to own your mistakes, learn from them - and that is the beginning of managing your life on proper lines. Unfortunately, common sense is the most uncommon thing in many human lives.

People allow a problem to build progressively to a level, when they get frightened by the immensity of the problem - and they become stunned into inaction. Thus, you allow a crisis to build up and then, feel overwhelmed by it. Human endeavor seems constantly involved in either committing a mistake or correcting a mistake. This is because people are either scared to think or they are plain lazy.

The next thought is “Performing one’s duty is very important”