Averting the dangers of pleasure-driven actions

“एतज्ज्ञेयं नित्यमेवात्मसंस्थं नातः परं वेदितव्यं हि किञ्चित् । भोक्ता भोग्यं प्रेरितारं च मत्वा सर्वं प्रोक्तं त्रिविधं ब्रह्ममेतत् ॥

This is to be known as eternally existing in one’s own Self. Truly there is nothing higher than that to be known. When one recognizes the enjoyed, the object of enjoyment, and the dispenser or the supreme Ruler, all has been said. This is a threefold Brahman.”

~ Shvetasvatara 1.12

Not knowing oneself is the most incredible ignorance, and it is this ignorance that drives us toward desire-fulfilling actions. The greatest ignorance is only overcome by the greatest knowledge. Knowing the self as Ātma with a body and not vice-versa is the first step in removing the veil of ignorance.

Understanding the perfection, limitlessness, brilliance, timelessness, and indestructibility of the Ātma brings the understanding that the Self is infinite and complete within the Self. Knowing the Ātma as (part of) Brahman brings the knowledge that there is no lack.

“एवमेव खलु सोम्येमाः सर्वाः प्रजाः सत आगम्य न विदुः सत आगच्छामह इति त इह व्याघ्रो वा सिंहो वा

वृको वा वराहो वा कीटो वा पतङ्गो वा दंशो वा मशको वा यद्यद्भवन्ति तदाभवन्ति ॥

In the same way, O Somya, all these beings, having come from Sat [Brahman], never know this. They never think, ‘We have come from Sat.’ Whatever they were before in this world—whether a tiger or lion or leopard or boar or bug or insect or flea, or mosquito—they are born again according to their karma. They never know that they came from Sat.”

~Chandogya 6.10.2

When there is no lack, when there is completeness, the pursuit of anything becomes unnecessary.

Desire develops when there is a need, the need arises when there is the perception of scarcity, and scarcity appears when there is incompleteness. That I am full, satisfied, and complete means that nothing external is necessary.

When food satisfies hunger, that is transient enjoyment. When a drink quenches thirst, that is passing pleasure. While both are necessary for survival, neither is sufficient for long-term ānanda (bliss). When there is no deficit and no need to be fulfilled, this is contentment which brings long-term gratification beyond the fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress.

“प्रणो ह्येष यः सर्वभूतैर्विभाति विजानन् विद्वान् भवते नातिवादी ।
आत्मक्रीड आत्मरतिः क्रियावा- नेष ब्रह्मविदां वरिष्ठः ॥

Truly it is the life that shines forth in all beings. Knowing him, the wise man does not talk of anything else. Sporting in the self, delighting in the self.”

~ Mundaka Upaniṣad 3.1.4

That I am complete within myself means there is no desire. Therefore, there is no expectation or disappointment. That my happiness is not dependent on other things but is instead in me means that my constant pleasure-seeking actions can end. This leads to natural tranquility and peace. Therefore, the first danger is averted as the external world loses its ability to frustrate me.

Understanding the limited nature of the jagat and śarira (which are time bound and subject to change) and the simultaneous limitlessness of the Ātma and Brahman (which are timeless and constant) nurtures a non-reliance on the external world for happiness. The result is vairāgya or detachment. Vairāgya is the beginning of the end of one’s entrapment in samsāra. As the futility of a thing is understood—that neither happiness nor sorrow can genuinely be derived from it—vairāgya grows.

Happiness comes from realizing that the colossal Brahman exists within the Self, and as such, I am already in bliss. Through this knowledge, the fulfillment of Śreyas also means the automatic achievement of Preyas. Therefore, there is no need to pursue joy or avert sorrow, as I am already all that I seek.

“तं दुर्दर्शं गूढमनुप्रविष्टं गुहाहितं गह्वरेष्ठं पुराणम् ।
अध्यात्मयोगाधिगमेन देवं मत्वा धीरो हर्षशोकौ जहाति ॥

Raising through self-contemplation that primal god, difficult to be seen, deeply hidden, set in the cave (of the heart) dwelling in the deep, the wise man leaves both joy and sorrow.”

~ Kathopanishad 1.2.12

Does niṣkāmakarma mean I should not act, or I may act carelessly?

Since I am already complete and require nothing, and since my actions should be performed without desire, why should I act? If I should not be attached to the fruit of karma or concerned about its consequences, then does desireless action mean that I can act irresponsibly without thinking about the effects of those actions? Vedānta teaches that one must not forget the reason behind all actions.

The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad states that nothing is higher than Dharma. The Sanskrit word “dharma”: is rooted in the Sanskrit “dhṛ,” meaning to hold or support.

“धर्मः तस्माद्धर्मात् परं नास्त्य् अथो अबलीयान् बलीयाँसमाशँसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवम् ।

यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत् तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर् धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तँ सत्यं वदतीत्य् एतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ।।

Nothing is higher than dharma. The weak overcome the stronger by dharma, as over a king. Truly that dharma is the Truth (Satya); Therefore, when a man speaks the Truth, they say, “He speaks the Dharma,”; and if he speaks Dharma, they say, “He speaks the Truth!” For both are one.”

~ Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, 1.4.xiv

Man must act in accordance with Dharma. In his introduction to his Bhāṣya for the Bhagavad Gītā, Ādi Śankaracarya states that the jagat was created, and then Dharma was conveyed to humankind for its (the jagat’s) stability.

“Having created the cosmos and seeking to ensure its existence, the Lord brought forth in the beginning the Prajaapatis [progenitors], Marici and the rest. Then He imparted to them the Vedic law of works… The law of righteousness [Dharma] is what directly promotes the prosperity and emancipation of living beings. It is cultivated in the pursuit of progress by classes of men, set in different stations of life.”

Therefore, the principle of niṣkāmakarma does not advocate that one may forsake his duty within the jagat but must act according to varnāśrāmadharma. What changes is not the quality or quantity of the action. What changes is the mindset—that one has neither control nor attachment to the outcome.

When one develops this mindset and achieves the consequent freedom, the status of jīvanmukta is achieved while embodied, and moksha after the Ātma drops the body.

“यदा सर्वे प्रभिद्यन्ते हृदयस्येह ग्रन्थयः ।
अथ मर्त्योऽमृतो भवत्येतावद्ध्यनुशासनम् ॥

When all the knots of the heart are destroyed even while a man is alive, then a mortal becomes immortal. This much alone is the instruction.”

~ Kathopaniṣad 2.3.15

Action cannot be avoided. Therefore, niṣkāmakarma is the answer.

Whether consciously or not, karma is performed as long as we are embodied within the world. Does that mean that our actions should not be purposeful? We must differentiate between acting with intention versus acting with attachment. Working with purpose within Dharma and as an act of service to Īśvara and His creation does not bind.

The results of our actions depend on the desire or detachment with which those actions are performed. As selfish desires, they can entrap us as kāmakarma. As actions of service without attachment to the results, they free us as niṣkāmakarma.

The differentiation is the mindset with which the action is performed. The thought that I am the body and the doer keeps me trapped in samsāra.

Illustration 2 – Attachment to fruits of kāmakarma keeps one trapped in samsāra.

The proper understanding of the Self, as already complete, limitless, and without lack, frees me from the frustrations of attachment to desires in this life and the cycle of transmigration thereafter.

Illustration 3 – Niṣkāmakarma frees one from samsāra.

Niṣkāmakarma, therefore, is the result of parāvidya and a prerequisite for mokśa. It brings mental peace and contentment while on earth and freedom from the dangers of rebirth thereafter.

“कामान् यः कामयते मन्यमानः स कामभिर्जायते तत्र तत्र ।
पर्याप्तकामस्य कृतात्मनस्तु इहैव सर्वे प्रविलीयन्ति कामाः ॥ २॥

He who entertains desires, thinking of them, is born (again) here and there on account of his desires. But of him who is fully satisfied, who is a perfected soul, all his desires vanish even here (on earth).”

~ Mundaka Upaniṣad (3.2.2)

The post Niṣkāmakarma – Part 2 appeared first on Hindu University of America.

The post Niṣkāmakarma appeared first on Hindu University of America.

 Śri Rāma – Vigrahavān Dharma

Celebrating Ayodhya – A Symbol of Sanātana Dharma

The Personal Connection

My parents named me Kalyanaraman, hoping and praying that some small fraction of Bhagavān Śri Rāma’s qualities and character may manifest in me. However, before I could fully understand the significance of that name, during my first visit to the USA, I changed it to better suit the Western tastes. Similar aspirations as my parents’ were perhaps held by those of notable individuals such as E. V. Ramasami Naickar, Ramachandra Guha, N. Ram, Jairam Ramesh, Sitaram Yechury, and Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who may have also desired a glimpse of Rama in their sons. It is important to acknowledge that not all prayers are answered, and in hindsight, in some of these cases, the answer was a resounding “No.” Nevertheless, our history has also witnessed the presence of illustrious figures like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharishi, Ram Swaroop, Sitaram Goel, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and C.V. Raman, where the answer to their parents’ prayers was a “Yes”, even if it is a partial Yes.

The Clash of Two Ideas

In the present times, there exists a clash between India and Bharat, each representing two dominant and distinct ideas of India, being played out in the grand stage of India’s political battleground – its modern-day Kurukshetra. On the one hand, there is the idea that the entire civilizational heritage of India, encompassing its spirituality, religion, culture, and traditional wisdom, indeed its Sanātana Dharma (eternal law) is an unnecessary burden, irrelevant and detrimental to India’s progress. A natural corollary of this idea is the notion that India is better off forgetting its past, and must focus on modernizing and westernizing as quickly as possible. A consistent and deliberate effort, to engineer this “forgetting of the past”, has been made as a critical political project for many decades now; with the disconnection of the people from their language, Sanskrit, serving as one of the significant pillars. As individuals became increasingly alienated from their own culture and heritage, they developed an indifference, and even disdain, and grew to look down at their past, their parents, and ancestors. This disdain soon came to be considered a precondition for progress. This was the idea of India that I imbibed through my education at school and college, during my time as a student in India.

On the other side is the idea, which propounds that the country’s future cannot be de-linked from its civilizational past, and rely solely and entirely on imitating the latest Western fashions and fads. That its future must be rooted in a meaningful recovery of the wisdom embedded in its ancient culture, its traditions, and civilizational heritage. Recognizing and embracing that such a meaningful revival of India’s civilizational past—its “Dharma” or law which is “Sanātana” or eternal—as necessary for its own self-respect, sense of identity and destiny, is the alternate idea of Bharat. This perspective unfolded for me only gradually. The realization that this recovery of the past and restoration of Bharat’s Hindu heritage is not antithetical to its progress and does not constitute a regression, was not easy for me. I did not arrive at this understanding in one dramatic moment of explosive illumination, but rather the idea grew on me over time. Many Gurus and Acharyas contributed to this gradual understanding – Swami Dayananda Saraswati of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam being a central figure in that journey from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge. Just as the “forgetting” of India’s past was meticulously orchestrated, over many decades and perhaps even centuries, the “remembering” of India’s culture, wisdom, and civilizational heritage must also be consciously and diligently engineered. It cannot be left to the happenstance of accident, good fortune, or fate. And we all have a role to play here. To arrive at this understanding, I had to unlearn the previous idea of India that I had already deeply assimilated.

The Watershed Event and Pivotal Turning Point

In late 1992, I was a student at Ohio State University when the Babri Masjid was brought down. Like many poorly informed Hindus, I too was upset, and felt deeply disappointed with my fellow Hindus for having brought down the Babri Masjid. “It is not in our Hindu ethos or character to tear down a religious site of another religion, even if they had done it to us many times over”, I reasoned. I was filled with questions – “Why can’t we construct a Ram Mandir at a nearby site instead?” “Why do we have to claim that exact site for the Ram Mandir?” “Why do we need to stoke this controversy? Why can’t we be secular and work extra hard to get along with the Muslims?”

However, my perspective shifted after I came across the books Hindu Temples – What Happened to Them – Volume 1 and Volume 2. These books changed my thinking. I hold my encounter with these two “Rams” i.e., authors Śrī Sita Ram Goel, and his mentor Śrī Ram Swaroop, to be pivotal moments in my intellectual journey. I then went on to read another book by Śrī Sita Ram Goel titled How I Became a Hindu and one by Śrī Ram Swaroop titled On Hinduism – Reviews and Reflections. Until then, I had never heard about these two “Rams.” Their works left a profound impact on me and after this encounter, I couldn’t stop reading them. I highly recommend reading their books, and for those who have not read them, I have shared their links here. We must note with gratitude that the parents of both these authors had named them after the Bhagavān Śri Rāma.

The Symbiotic Juxtaposition

Vikās (development) and Virāsat (heritage) had always been pitched against one another in the old Idea of India. The current Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi, changed the rules of the game and showed us that Vikās (Development) does not have to be antithetical to Virāsat (Heritage). He taught us, and is still teaching, this invaluable and unforgettable lesson, through his ideas, his actions, and his accomplishments. It is unclear which of these he is more passionate about – Vikās or Virāsat. I must say here, that it was not entirely clear to me that this integration of Vikās and Virāsat was even possible. I often used to wonder, if a commitment to restore and recover our civilizational past, also invariably meant that we sacrifice a little in the realm of material progress i.e., in the general direction of modernization and westernization.

108 ft tall Statue of Oneness at Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh

Hi-Tech Vande Bharat Trains

However, the events that have unfolded in Bharat in the last ten years have shown otherwise. One day, Bharat inaugurates yet another of its latest Vande Bharat Railway Trains; and a few days later, it consecrates a newly created Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Corridor. One day, Bharat lands its Lunar mission Chandrayaan on the moon at a location where it has never been done before; a few days later, it inaugurates a newly refurbished Mahakaleshwar Temple Corridor. One day, Bharat celebrates completing nine billion Digital Payment transactions in one month; and a few days later it unveils a 108-foot Statue of Adi Shankaracharya at Omkareshwar. One day Bharat throws open its longest over-sea trans-harbor bridge from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai; and a few days later, the same Bharat is set to consecrate its Ram Lalla Mandir after a five-hundred-year wait in Ayodhya. We can go on with the examples. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is changing the grammar and structure of the democratic politics of India as we speak. He has moved it beyond family, caste, corruption, and appeasement, and created a new possibility – ‘Vikās with Virāsat’. He has overturned the Nehruvian idea that Vikās can come only at the expense of Virāsat and vice-versa. And the Nehruvians are in a state of shock now.

Chandrayaan III – The only Lunar Mission to land on the dark said of moon

Atal Setu – India’s Longest Sea Bridge

Ayodhya – A Testament

Ayodhya is a testament to this unique synthesis of Vikās and Virāsat. The whole city is re-emerging from a state of longstanding destruction, neglect, and abandonment. The Mandir is rising again, and is bringing in its wake a brand new airport, a new railway station, new trains, new facilities, and in time, new hotels, and other infrastructure will also emerge. The whole economy of the region is awaiting an impending transformation. When Rama returned to Ayodhya after his 14-year exile and numerous travails, the whole of Ayodhya lit up in joy. Now, when the Ram Lalla Mandir rises again in Ayodhya after its 500-year symbolic exile, Ayodhya will light up once more with unspeakable joy.

The proposed uplift of Ayodhya Railway Station underway

Interiors of the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya

A Civilization is waking up from its slumber. Dharma is awakening. This potential for rebirth, for re-emergence, is what makes it ‘Sanātana’ or eternal. Rāma is simultaneously eternal and undying in his Ādhyātmika dimension; He is the Avatāra of Viṣnu in his Ādidaivika dimension as a Vigrahavān Dharma; He is a great example for us all to emulate, as a human Hero in his Ādibhautika dimension. It is the Spirit of Sanātana Dharma that is re-emerging once more in Ayodhya.

We at Hindu University of America stand with Prime Minister Modi and the billion-plus Hindus all over the world, those who believe and stand ready to rejoice, and those who are confused and don’t know what to do about this phenomenon, to celebrate with gratitude this ceremony consecrating the Rām Lallā deity in this newly built Rām Mandir, on January 22, 2024.

May it be a day when we Hindus remember our past once more with both joy and pride and contemplate our future with confidence and clarity.

Jai Śrī Rāma!

The post Celebrating Ayodhya – A Symbol of Sanātana Dharma appeared first on Hindu University of America.