Sadhana Panchakam - Post 16

     

“Washing Away the Hoards of Sins”

 

Paridhooyataam: This strong term is used here with deliberate intention. It means “shake off violently”. The scars from old wrong deeds have to be shaken off in very much the same way as a dog shakes off water from its body by giving itself a vigorous shake!

 

The learning from Karma session (also the blog posts on KARMA theme) helps in fulfilling this instruction to a great extent.

 

Through Sadhana, through Purushartha, through exercising viveka , through not listening to the dictates of ahankara and chitta (MBCA session), one continues to collect white arrows (good results of action) and clears out the remaining red  arrows ( results of sinful actions of the past) through one’s prarabdha karma.

 

“Wash away” is a very strong and direct way of describing the above process. One cannot eliminate, one cannot erase, one cannot by pass, one cannot ignore, one cannot over power the effects of past sins. They can only be washed away, where, the detergent and the water used for washing away the effects of all past sins are Purushartha and surrender.

 

Also, there is a way to wash away through expiatory actions called Prayaschitta Karma when an aspirant is in early stage of spiritual sadhana and is not clear about various aspects of Karma, about various aspects of antahkarana, about the very purpose of his birth.

 

Prayaschitta is like the road tolls we pay. On the highway, traffic causes wear and tear of the road surface, and toll fees are needed to repair the road. In life, too, we have to pay with Prayaschitta in order to continue our journey. Hindu Dharma devotes considerable attention to this Karma as it plays a key role in reducing Karma.

 

Practical Aspects of Prayaschitta Karma (at the beginning of Spiritual sadhana) 

 

1. The Lord’s Name is the most common form of Prayaschitta Karma. It is a medicine that works wonders. All the saints are unanimous in their advice on the glory of the Lord’s Name. There is no escape from this Prayaschitta.

 

2. Devotional acts of service are a key part of Prayaschitta. The Lord in turn does His bit for us. He lifts the burden of the past and removes the stains of Karma. He also removes the tendency to do the same wrong again. How?? By rendering our heart purer when we are devoted to the Lord.

 

3. Apology and forgiveness work hand in hand as a pair. Apology draws forth forgiveness from the other party. Apology is the horse which pulls the cart of forgiveness.

 

4. Fasting, pilgrimage and penance – these are common forms of Prayaschitta in which one deliberately puts oneself through hardships. Traditional pilgrimage or Yatra is done without luxury and comfort.

 

5. A resolution should always follow Prayaschitta Karma – “I shall never do it again.”

 

Swami Sivananda fills our heart with great hopes when he describes “SIN”, thus:-

 

“The ignorant man only says: "I am a great sinner." This is a serious mistake. Never for a moment think that you are a sinner. You are the most holy one, you are the ever-pure Atman. Sin cannot touch you. You are above vice and virtue, Dharma and Adharma. Punya and Papa are mental creations only. Sins are mistakes only. 

An ignorant Jiva commits these mistakes during the course of his journey in this world on account of Avidya or ignorance. Through mistakes he gains experiences and marches forward in his path of spirituality. Every mistake is your best teacher. One has to evolve through sins and mistakes. These mistakes are inevitable. Some people become a prey to thoughts of sin. They ever brood: "We are great sinners. We have committed many crimes." This is a great blunder. 

Whenever thoughts of this nature worry you, you should think: 'I am doing Japa of Om. This will burn all old sinful actions. This will purify my mind. I am doing Tapas, fasting and charity. These are all great purifiers. 

I am becoming purer and purer. Nothing can affect me now. I am like the effulgent fire. I have become a holy person.' Assert, whenever such negative thoughts of sin trouble you: 'I am the Nitya Suddha, ever-pure Atman.' 

 

Hear the words of assurance of Lord Krishna in the Gita:

"Even if thou art the most sinful of all sinners, yet shall thou cross over all sin by the raft of wisdom. As the burning fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so doth the fire of wisdom reduce all action to ashes. Verily, there is no purifier in this world like wisdom; he that is perfected in Yoga finds it in the Self in due season." Ch. IV-36, 37, 38.

"Even if the most sinful worships Me with undivided heart, he too must be accounted righteous, for he hath rightly resolved. Speedily he becometh dutiful and goeth to eternal peace. O Kaunteya, know thou for certain that My devotee perisheth never. 

 

They who take refuge in Me, O Partha, though of the womb of sin, women, Vaishyas, even Sudras, they also tread the highest path. How much more easily, then, the holy Brahmins and devoted royal saints (attain the goal); having obtained this impermanent and unhappy world, do thou worship Me. 

 

Fix thy mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice unto Me, bow down to Me, having thus united thy whole self in Me, taking Me as the supreme goal, thou shalt come to Me." Ch. IX-30

 

Continued….

 

Love.

 

 

Swami Rama

 

In the path of sadhana no effort is in vain; all sincere efforts bear their fruits in the unconscious mind according to the inevitable law of karma. 

 

Even a little sadhana practiced with sincere effort leaves deep imprints in the unconscious mind. Those impressions help and guide the sadhaka whenever he goes off the path. 

 

The conscious part of the mind is but a small part of the whole. It is helpful in communicating with the external world but has very little use on the inward journey. 

 

If the conscious part of the mind is trained not to create further barriers, then sadhana is useful. 

Swami Rama

 

 

Sadhana Panchakam - Post 15

As per the earlier instructions, the Brahmachari (student) has been equipped with secular knowledge and life skills, and spiritual devotion and renunciation. 

 

The path towards success in both lies ahead of him. He has had the character building training deemed necessary by the Indian sages.

 

Now comes the real test of all that he has learnt and imbibed at the Gurukula. The most productive period of his life lies ahead, and it would take him from age 20 to age 55, the grahastha ashrama.

 

The object of entering the householder’s life is to achieve Chitta Shuddhi or “mental purity”.

 

How is this to be achieved? Mental purity comes from reduction of desires. Herein lies our ultimate spiritual good. This stage can be utilized for the gradual thinning out of desires as taught in the Brahmacharya Ashrama. 

 

While we would get into each instruction in this sacred panchakam of Sankara, let us get more into this Grahastha Ashram as given in the Brahma Sutras, the highest treatise!!

 

 

Swami Krishnananda says,

 

Kṛtsnabhāvāttu gṛhiṅopasaṁhāraḥ 

(B.S. 3.4.48).

 

The meaning of this sutra is, the life of a householder is integral. 

The general idea is that the life of a householder is one of attachment to family, property, etc. Then what does this mean? 

 

How is the life of a householder integral? 

 

The word ‘householder’ has a unique meaning in India. There are four gradational achievements, or attainments, for the development of the person, which were arranged in ancient times in India. 

 

The duties of a householder are interesting to know. It is not attachment to family; that is far from the truth. In Indian culture, attachment is never allowed. Duty is necessary. The fulfilment of the needs of personal and social relations is the duty of a householder. In the early days of a Brahmachari, he is concerned only with himself. But it is not possible to live only by oneself. There is also society outside. 

 

There are impulses of self-restraint, there are impulses of social relations, there are impulses of acquiring wealth, there are impulses of seeing beauty, and there are impulses of being charitable to people. This is why the Brahma Sutra says the householder’s life is integral. 

 

The householder is a highly respected person not because he has a family, but because he is doing his duty without attachment. Such a person is difficult to find. Everybody is attached. But the principle is not at fault merely because it is not followed due to the insistence of the lower instincts. "

 

Aitareya Upanishad describes 3 births in life of a human being.

 

First birth

 

At the time of physical union with one’s spouse, man creates himself inside the foetus of his spouse, or, the father creates himself inside the foetus of the (future) mother. This is his first birth. 

 

Here, the Upanishads beckons the husband to hold his wife at the highest esteem, as she is actually holding/ nurturing her husband within her foetus.

 

Second birth

 

While the mother protects the unborn child in her womb, the father takes care of the child after delivery till it gets fully grown up and becomes a sound person in the society. 

 

This act on his part is for maintaining the continuity of the race. This coming out of the womb and taking birth as a child is his second birth. 

 

Third birth

 

The father himself becomes the son as it is clear in the above 2 exposition. When the son comes of age, the father entrusts him with all the family duties and responsibilities and feels free from parental debt. 

 

After this, the life span of the father gets shortened and he departs from the earth. Then according to his karma he is reborn again somewhere else in another womb. This is his third birth. 

 

This way the chain of birth and death continues so long as the man does not consider this chain as a bondage and torture and till he does not make effort to get released from it during his birth in the human form. 

 

While the second chapter in this Upanishad gives the essence and instruction for a man to get released from all the three births, it is wonderful to also take home the lesson, after understanding the 3 births, as to how,

 

-  A man must nurture/ respect his spouse for carrying himself within her when she conceives and how a woman must nurture and respect her husband for having given himself to her in the process.

 

-  How, both together, as father and mother, must bring up their children who/which is nothing but they themselves. 

 

When and if at all one can enter this sacred grahastha ashrama with such grand revelations, the attitude, the dimension with which  the man and the woman approach and revere each other brings out the beauty of this most sacred relationship where, each one acts as a true spiritual companion to the other.

 

And, the beauty of this sacred relation gets manifested in all its  grandeur in this most significant conversation between Yagnavalkya and Maitreyi, when Yagnavalkya sets forth for Sanyasa Asrama and is about to leave his wife maitreyi to take care of his kingdom.

 

“Yajnavalkya: ‘Maitreyi, I am resolved to give up the world and begin the life of renunciation. I wish therefore to divide my property between you and my other wife, Katyayani.’

 

Maitreyi: ‘My lord, if this whole earth belonged to me, with all its wealth, should I through its possession attain immortality?’ 

 

Yajnavalkya: ‘No. Your life would be like that of the rich. None can possibly hope to attain immortality through wealth.’

 

Maitreyi : ‘Then what need have I of wealth? Please, my lord, tell me what you know about the way to immortality.’

 

Yajnavalkya: ‘Dear, to me, have you always been, Maitreyi, and now you ask to learn of that truth which is nearest to my heart. Come, sit by me. I will explain it to you. Meditate on what I say.’” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2:4:1-4).

 

(Yajnavalkya calls Maitreyi priya, which means dear, beloved, and pleasing. He does not mean it in the small-minded egocentric way we are so inured to.)

 

Yagnavalkya’s reply, which is one of the greatest revelations in Upanishad.

 

“It is not for the sake of the husband, my beloved, that the husband is dear, but for the sake of the Self.

“It is not for the sake of the wife, my beloved, that the wife is dear, but for the sake of the Self.

“It is not for the sake of the children, my beloved, that the children are dear, but for the sake of the Self.

“It is not for the sake of wealth, my beloved, that wealth is dear, but for the sake of the Self.

“It is not for the sake of the Brahmins, my beloved, that the Brahmins are held in reverence, but for the sake of the Self.

“It is not for the sake of the Kshatriyas, my beloved, that the Kshatriyas are held in honor, but for the sake of the Self.

“It is not for the sake of the higher worlds, my beloved, that the higher worlds are desired, but for the sake of the Self.

“It is not for the sake of the gods, my beloved, that the gods are worshipped, but for the sake of the Self.

“It is not for the sake of the creatures, my beloved, that the creatures are prized, but for the sake of the Self.

“It is not for the sake of itself, my beloved, that anything whatever is esteemed, but for the sake of the Self.

“The Self, Maitreyi, is to be known. Hear about it, reflect upon it, meditate upon it. By knowing the Self, my beloved, through hearing, reflection, and meditation, one comes to know all things” .

 

(A very profound, rather 2 or 3 sessions were given to smaller group of sadhakas on the above grand revelation which takes the entire relationship between a husband and wife to the quest for self or rather, the reverence of SELF itself)

 

Love.