तवैव कार्यार्थं इह
उपजाता:
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The purpose of Bharat is to help humanity to evolve
Since
the Vedic times, we see that the Rishis of Bharat had the well being of the
whole world at their heart and that is why the prayers in Vedas are not
individualistic but are always for the good of all and about what we are
supposed to do for the good of the whole world. So whether it is the celebrated
Gayatri Mantra where it is said that ‘let our intellect be awakened (धीयो यो नः प्रचोदयात्) to see that One which is effulgent and pervading
everywhere’. Or the Vedic prayer, which talks about going together, working
together, having unity of purpose, having hearts together to work for the good
of all. Or whether the celebrated Vedic prayer लोका: समस्ता: सुखिनो भवन्तु... where it is said that let all the worlds be happy,
means not only the human world but even the animals, the plants, the inanimate
or even the worlds beyond our comprehension be happy and let all be healthy.
All the prayers were in the interest of whole world. No one was derided or
condemned to hell.
In
Bharat, in any pooja, a sankalpa is done wherein, the space and time is located
starting from the beginning to the present and then the reason for doing that
Pooja is told. Whatever is the reason for the pooja, before pronouncing it,
always, in sankalpa it is mentioned that it is for Ishvara –
Ishwaraprityartham. When the Prana Pratishtha of Sri Ramlala was done in the
temple rebuilt at Ram Janmabhoomi, first it was mentioned Ishvara Prityartham,
Sri Rama Prityartham. So anything that is done is basically for Ishvara because
we are born to do His work. We are born to realise our divine nature and at the
same time to align our life in the service of the creation of Ishvara so that
the creation goes on unhindered and is well maintained and man evolves. The
call – ‘कृण्वन्तु
विश्वं आर्यम् Let us make the whole world
Arya’, given by the Rishis, underlines the important purpose of our life. Arya
does not denote the race as some persons would like us to believe. In Vedas,
Ramayana, Mahabharat, puranas wherever Arya word is mentioned, it is always in the
sense of a noble, cultured person. So whether it is Mandodari who addresses her
husband Ravan as Arya, Or Sita who also calls her husband Srirama as Arya;
whether in North a mother is calling her child as Aryaputra or whether it is in
the south that the mother addresses her child as Aryaputra, every time the word
Arya meant noble. Therefore, कृण्वन्तु
विश्वं आर्यम्। means, let us make the
whole world noble.
Oneness is the basis of nobility of character
How
will the whole world become noble? Nobility can not be achieved if people
resort to exploitation of nature, and weaker sections of the society or the
simple people. Or when religions influenced by fanatic thoughts resort to
conversion by force or fraud. Or if people are so selfish as to not to care for
their own family members, society or the nation and are involved in exploiting
society and nature towards their selfish interests. Or if people are totally
insensitive to the caring nature like earth which nourishes, rivers which
perennially flow for the good of all, the trees which give fruits or the air on
which our life depends. Nobility springs from feeling of Oneness and
understanding the interconnectedness of the whole existence. If a man feels for
the family, for the society, for the nation then he will sacrifice his selfish
interests. If a person feels for the nature, the environment, he would take
care of it and not exploit it. He, even, would feel happy to be with the river,
the earth, the trees, the plants, the birds, the animals. The nobility of heart
and actions are rooted in Oneness. India always insisted upon and developed the
way of life based on Oneness so that Vedant – philosophy of Oneness did not
remain as a mere philosophy but could be practiced in life.
Even
if it is over the centuries and many lives, man has to evolve; the humanity has
to evolve to acknowledge the higher values in human life and nobler intentions
towards non-human world. This is ordained or it has to happen. The providence
has chosen Bharat to fullfil this role of evolution of human being. Therefore,
since the Vedic times, the vision of Oneness, the values that spring from
vision of Oneness and various life systems which are necessary to inculcate
this Oneness and values, were evolved and nurtured in India. Swami Vivekananda
reminded Indians that it is their duty to work towards it. He said, ‘Each
Nation has a message to deliver, a destiny to fulfil and a mission to
accomplish.’ Ishvara has nurtured Bharat to contribute towards making man and
Arya, that is a man with evolved consciousness. The problems afflicting the
humanity can be solved only if man is rooted in the vision of Oneness. He would
therefore be less selfish and more caring for all. Thus, the Ishvari Karya is
to work in the interest of the humanity for the regeneration of India rooted in
her culture.
Dharma is the
life center of India
Swami Vivekananda
had said, ‘Here in India, it is Dharma that forms the very core of the national
heart. It is the backbone, the bed-rock, the foundation upon which the national
edifice has been built. Politics, power, and even intellect form a secondary
consideration here. Dharma, therefore, is the one consideration in India.’
Thus, for rebuilding of our nation we have to work to establish Dharma. The
very fact we are born in India, indicates that we are born to work for Dharma.
In Kendra Prarthana it is said तवैव कार्यार्थं इह
उपजाता: We are born here ( that is in
India) to do Your (Ishvara’s) work only.
What
is the Ishwari karya or the work of Ishwara? It is three fold – for establishment
of Dharma धर्म
संस्थापनार्थाय, for protection of the
simple and spiritual people परित्राणाय
साधूनाम् and the third is specially
destroying those thoughts, ideologies which provoke man to do cruel and
destructive actions विनाशाय
च दुष्कृताम्. Naturally, the question is
what is Dharma? For easy understanding, we can say that Dharma has four
components.
First component of Dharma is to behave with others with feeling of
Oneness;
it
means behave with others as you would like others to behave with you. As the
entire existence is interconnected, interrelated and interdependent, how a
person behaves with others comes back to him. Generally, we do not like others
to lie, cheat, hurt, humiliate, or ignore us. Therefore, we too should not lie,
cheat, hurt, humiliate or ignore others. If others speak to us kindly,
respectfully, truthfully and are considerate and helpful to us, we like it.
Thus, we should also be kind, respectful, truthful, considerate and helpful to
others. Why? Because what we do to others is actually, we are doing to
ourselves and in real sense it comes back to us at some point of time. The
first component of Dharma is therefore, the interactions with others and nature
based on feeling of Oneness, empathy or compassion. There are none as ‘others’.
What we regard as ‘others’ are extended forms of one’s own self. How I behave
with others is in reality how I behave with myself. If I cheat others, I cheat
myself. If I hurt others, I hurt myself. We all know in our heart what is
right. But if we behave otherwise, then we get disturbed first.For example,
suppose we abuse someone, then we are disturbed deep down. We know we should
not have done that. Therefore, we try to justify that wrong action in our mind.
After telling some wrong words to our own person we feel bad deep down. To
overcome, it we keep saying to ourselves, ‘What I have done is correct.
At
least at some time, he should know what he is. Why should only I listen?’ etc.
etc. But when we behave rightly, we do not need to justify that, so there is no
grinding going on in the mind. Mind is peaceful. A person’s behaviour with
others creates his adrishtam – the unseen factor, Daivam, or ‘luck or fate’. It
will at some point of time come back to him because he is not separate from
others. Dharma is primary. If man follows Dharma, his Artha and Kaama also will
be successful in due course. Additionally, the practice of Dharma which is
difficult also matures a person, cleanses his Chitta and thus gradually
prepares him for Moksha. Therefore, man should behave with others with
compassion, love, Oneness.
Second component of Dharma is performing one’s Duty towards Samashti.
An
individual is an ever-expanding consciousness that encompasses the whole
existence. The expanding form of an individual is family; the expanding form of
the family is society; the expanding form of the society is nation; and the
expanding form of the nation is the whole existence. Collectives like family,
community, organisation, society, nation and creation are the expanded forms of
an individual. The second component of Dharma is fulfilling our duty towards
each collective so as to maintain the harmony in these collectives. Dharma is
not just duty. It is something higher than duty. Suppose you are travelling in
the train; someone is sick. In the strictest sense, it is not your duty to help
him unless asked. But your Dharma is, you feel the difficulty of the person and
help him in all possible ways.
The
basis of Dharma is ‘Aatmiyata’, Oneness. It is because of the sense of Oneness,
of love, that one takes care of his parents. Parents take care of their
children because parents love their children. We sacrifice ourselves for our
country because we love our nation. Distant relatives are taken care of, the
concern for anyone suffering, known or a stranger is expressed in help. This
sort of Oneness makes one perform one’s duties easily, happily. We have words
like Pitru Dharma, Matru Dharma, Putra Dharma, Putri Dharma, Sharira Dharma,
Raashtra Dharma. The basis of all these aspects of Dharma is duty born out of
love, ‘Aatmiyata’. If more emphasis is given on rights then it fragments the
families, societies and other collectives. Thus, in Indian culture, there
hardly was a discourse on rights of a person but always on Dharma of a person. In
the practice of Dharma, the right of other persons is taken care of. For
example, if a husband takes care of his Dharma, then the rights of his wife are
taken care of.
If
the employer takes care of his Dharma, then the rights of the employees are
taken care of. On the other hand, if wives agitate for their rights, they may
get their rights but the relationship between the couples would get strained,
families may disintegrate. If each follows his or her Dharma then there is no
need for anyone to fight for his or her rights. The rights are taken care of
and at the same time the harmony, love, Oneness are nurtured in the
collectives. The simple and spiritual persons also get protection when
Dharma prevails परित्राणाय
साधूनाम्। May be in the West for want of
any better cultural practice like Dharma, they had to take recourse to the path
of demanding their rights but, we should not imitate them when we have such
higher view and aspiration for life.
The third component of Dharma is, that, in the need to choose between
two duties, the interest of the bigger collective takes precedence.
One
has a duty towards the collectives like family, society, nation and nature,
which are the bigger identities of an individual. But if there is a clash of
interest say for example between the duty towards family and the duty towards
nation, or clash of interest between personal well-being and the well-being of
the family, then what should be done?
It
happened in the life of Rama. He was unjustly asked to go to the forest for 14
years. Lakshman said, “How can they ask you to go to the forest? I will fight
with father. I will imprison him. I will imprison Kaikeyi. I will make you the
king. You are the most deserving of all four of us and you are the eldest also.
It is the tradition of our family that the deserving eldest son becomes the
king. So, you should become the king.” Dasharatha himself pleaded with Rama, ‘I
know I am doing injustice. You can imprison me and become the king. Though I
have to order you to go to the forest, you can disobey me.’ There was a clash
of interest. Rama’s individual advancement was at cross purposes with the
family values and Oneness of the family. Sri Rama did not think of his personal
interest. He went to the forest to keep the family intact. Had Rama imprisoned
Dasharatha and Kaikeyi to become the king, the whole family would have been
shattered. May be some misgivings would have entered even in Bharat’s mind. In
order to keep the family together, in order to keep the mind of the family
members together, with due respect to the entire family, Rama took the decision
to go to the forest.
Bharat
realizes that if he becomes a king, Rama would never come back and the family
would never come together. Not only that, he knew that his mother had taken a
wrong decision. The whole family was getting shattered and separated because of
that decision. Bharat decides not to become a king. He kept aside his personal
interest. He could easily have become the king. That is what was promised by
Dasharatha to Kaikeyi’s father a long time ago. So, it was his birth-right to
become a king. Bharata sacrificed his personal interest for the sake of the
family. He decided to do that in the interest of the family, the larger form of
an individual. Thus, Sri Rama obeys his parents and Bharat does not, but both
are called Dharmaatma as their decisions were in the interest of the family at
the cost of their personal interest.
Why is it so?
Dharma
is always followed or practiced in a context. Dharma is not a set of
injunctions and dogmas or norms to be followed forever. When a part does not
follow the norms of the whole and becomes a threat to the very existence of the
whole, then removing that part is also Dharma. For example, a patient with
diabetes has to consent for the amputation of the gangrenous toe; otherwise,
the whole body is in danger of infection. Thus, in a society if any group or
any ideology is bent upon destroying the whole society, then it is Dharma to
contain them. Ignoring them or treating them with compassion or tolerating
their aggression or appeasing them is Adharma. Thus another essential part of
Dharma is विनाशाय च
दुष्कृताम्।
It
is applicable in history too. The military strength of Chatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj was less than that of the Muslim rulers including the Moghuls, yet he
won. All the persons with him were imbued with the vision of ‘Hindavi Swarajya’
and श्रींची इच्छा – the desire of Ishvara. They kept aside their own
interest. Tanaji goes with the marriage invitation of his son. Shivaji says,
“Oh! Your son’s marriage is settled. We were thinking, we should get that
Kondhana fort as early as possible.’ Tanaji says, “My son’s marriage can wait.”
Tanaji goes and dies in the battle but he wins the fort. It was due to the
sacrifice of such warriors who kept aside their personal interest, that Shivaji
won several battles, won the war with the Muslim rulers and founded Hindavi
Swarajya—the rule of the Hindus. Family’s larger identity is society. Society’s
larger form is the nation. When there is a clash between the interests of two
identities or two forms, the interest of the bigger identity –Samashti is
chosen. Nation can be rebuilt and rise to glory when there are many persons and
communities who give primary importance to the needs of nation.
The fourth Component of Dharma is sacrifice, Tyaga.
Dharma
cannot be practiced maintaining one’s comfort levels, one has to sacrifice a
lot. To perform one’s duties one has to take out time for it. Even the
nurturing of the families has to be rooted in our culture, in our vision and
values. Our family should become the place where our Sanatan Dharma also called
as Amrita Dharma in Bhagavad Gita is nurtured and thus our families should
become Amrit parivar. Fortunately in India we do take care of our family, we
sacrifice for it but what is required today is we have to take out or say
sacrifice our adequate time and energy for serving our nation, for enabling our
nation to guide the world. That is Ishwari Karya. And we are born in India to
do this and cannot lag behind in sacrifice.Swami Vivekananda said while
stressing the importance of sacrifice, ‘Giving up the senses makes a nation
survive. As a proof of this, here is history today telling us of mushroom
nations rising and falling almost every century —
Starting
up from nothingness, making vicious play for a few days, and then melting. This
big, gigantic race which had to grapple with some of the greatest problems of
misfortunes, dangers, and vicissitudes such as never fell upon the head of any
other nation of the world, survives because it has taken the side of
renunciation; for without renunciation how can there be Dharma?’
All
the four components of Dharma are linked with each other. They are not one
after other or one in itself. All four are to be practiced simultaneously. Tyaga
is inherent in all the components. We need to sacrifice or give adequate time
and energy to fulfil our duty towards family, organisation, society, nation and
the whole creation.
Nivedita R. Bhide
Vice-President
Vivekananda Kendra