dkspost_2021 Posts 31 to 40

7/08/2021 Post 31

Let us see some laws of karma

Karma is not fate. Karma makes one to improve his life and even make fate insignificant. Many confuse karma with fate. As we see further, you can see karma helps us.

Karma implies free will.you have the option to do what you want. Whatever you do , do it with purpose and sincerity, and dedication. Don’t harm people. Do good. You can choose jnana marga, bhakti marga or a mix or a pure karma marga. Do your duty properly.

The karma law of responsibility: “You are the product of the choices you make.” own your actions. Don’t give excuses. Accept your mistakes . In today’s professional life owning a job and taking responsibility for actions is routine and leads to better collaboration and coordination

 Karma is a philosophy of how to live our lives so we can truly become the best version of ourselves and live the most fulfilling life we desire”

Karma allows one to move to a higher purpose in life – constant improvement with spiritual help.

Bhagavad Gita focuses a lot on karma going upto renunciation. It says:

1.don’t worry about results: this is the normal state.

“कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन। मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥

Meaning- Your right is to perform your work, but never to the results. Never be motivated by the results of your actions, nor should you be attached to not performing your prescribed duties.”

2.Next Saranagathi  : this state is at the next level of devoutness.

“One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water.”

3.No attachment . This is spiritual state

“The yogīs, abandoning attachment, act with body, mind, intelligence and even with the senses, only for the purpose of purification.”

4. Renunciation is the state of bliss.

“If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind

More in next post.

Mr Jayashankar has a comment on rebirth:

“While talking about rebirth it is correct it will happen as per the karna.

But nobody knows when the rebirth will take place.

In Geetha ( chapter 6 slokam 40, 41) question of Arjuna is answered.

A : what happens if a man tries to get Atmadarisanam and could not go the supreme end and leave it half the way

K: If a man attempts to get Atmadarshan left in half way, his efforts will not go in vain.If he  treats every body- good ,bad, animal, insects, trees etc

as equa, he will attain punyalokam and get a rebirth after living many years happily there and finally reborn in a pious and wealthy family to continue his yoga to get Atmadarshan.This one reveals that whatever good karma we do will not go in vain and persons are benefitted to the extent of their good deeds.

NJ”

Chanakya Neeti

Chanakya says that along with keeping the body clean, cleanliness of teeth and clothes is also necessary. Those who wear dirty clothes regularly and do not take bath, the grace of Maa Lakshmi is never showered on them. Most of their money is spent on diseases.

7/10/2021 Post 32 & 33

Let us continue further. There are three types of karmas

Sanchitta

This is accumulated past actions or karmas waiting to come to fruition. Sanchitta is the storehouse of every action you have ever done, in all the lifetimes you have ever lived. These are all of the unresolved past actions waiting to reach resolution.

2. Parabda ( Prarabda)

This is the present action: what you are doing now, in this lifetime and its result.

3. Agami

Future actions that result from your present actions are called agami karma. As you attempt to resolve past karma, you unavoidably create new karmas that you may or may not be able to resolve in your present life. If you don’t resolve them now, they will go into the storehouse to be resolved in a future life

‘It is the coward and the fool who says this is fate,’ goes the Sanskrit proverb,” said Swami Vivekananda.

“But it is the strong man who stands up and says, ‘I will make my fate”.

And since the future isn’t set in stone, we can change the path of our life by the choices, thoughts, and deeds we choose right now. This is against fate theory .

Another classification is sakama  karma and nishkama karma.

The opposite of Sakam Karma (Attached Involvement) or actions done with results in mind,Nishkam Karma has been variously explained as ‘Duty for duty’s sake’  and as ‘Detached Involvement’, which is neither negative attitude or indifference; and has today found many advocates in the modern business area where the emphasis has shifted to ethical business practices adhering to intrinsic human values and reducing stress at the workplace.

More to come in next posts.

Chanakya Neeti

यो ध्रुवाणि परित्यज्य ह्मध्रुवं परिसेवते।

ध्रुवाणि तस्य नश्चयन्ति चाध्रुवं नष्टमेव हि ।। 214 ।।

Yo Dhruvaani Parityajjya Hyadhruvam Parisevate.

 Dhruvaani Tassya Mashyanti Chaadhruvam Nashtamev Hi.

He who forgoes the certain for the uncertain has his certain also destroyed. The uncertain even otherwise would be destroyed on its own.

Remember the saying: a bird in hand is worth two in bushes.

Sorry this is post 32 not 33. Mistake on my part.

7/12/2021 Post 34

Prof Mahendra Babu has a comment.

“DKS, Thank you for the well described Karmic theory.

One clarification: Why do Brahmakumaris differ in some aspects of rebirth.?

Brahmakumaris: The concept of Karma is there slightly modified. They have begun with Bhagavath Githa. We see the effect, but we do not see the cause.

They have about 9000 centres throughout the world. Everyday “Murali” in Hindi will be explained in native language. Almost every 10 km there will be a centre  to listen to “Murali” on a daily basis and do meditation. We had a chance to visit their HQ at Mount Abu for 5 days.

IN Yelahanka where we live, we have a centre about 2 km from our apartment.

A human will be reborn only as human. The reason given is only humans have the capacity to think and go higher towards MUKTHI. I am not satisfied with their answer.

If you come across in some scriptures of Santana Dharma on this topic, I will appreciate some write up on this.”

My response

Hinduism can be looked at as a tree in structure. It took time to grow. The Vedas are roots on which the whole tree stands. As I said the four principles- Brahman, Atman, rebirth, jnana/ bhakti / karma margas  – were part of them. The Brahmanas ,Aranyakas and Upanishads , called vedangas, form the trunk of the tree which support the total structure. These form the strutis. These were explained by many later on also. Brahmasutra is a  highly condensed exposure of Vedic knowledge. We need Bhashyams- to understand the cryptic verses.

Branches came up giving us first six darshanas – philosophies – , many smritis -. Darshanas were developed over many years by many scholars.   Nyaya branched into Navya nyaya. Panini built a comprehensive understanding of Sanskrit. More sub branches appeared with Ithihasa, and puranas, many sastras like Astronomy, geometry , number systems, etc. ,  and many interpretations by Acharyas  like Advaita, Dwaita, Vishishtadvaita and Saiva Siddhanta. Agamas , niyamas were built by many.  But all accepted the common core concepts and diverged on implementation.

This analogy is similar to the evolution of engineering. Newton’s laws built motion , machines , energy ,fuels, locomotion etc leading to a complete discipline of mechanical engineering. Similarly Faraday’s theory of electromagnetism and Maxwell’s laws built the whole electrical engineering.

So it depends on which part of the tree you are in or believe in.

Brahmakumaris took the sruti route. At that level, it is not clear about soul existing in animals and insects. I may be wrong. If there is evidence, kindly share it to us. Even transmigration was explained by many in different scriptures.

But puranas believed that animals and insects have souls . Gajendra , kamadenu are good examples. Gajendra knew gods. Similarly birds can understand. Panchatantra assumes intelligence in animals. These may be visualisations or symbolisms. Genetic transfer of information for survival by animals and birds  is known.

So if you believe in puranas , soul can go anywhere. A lot of people believe in bhagavatam.  So they feel soul can go to a worm .

 But   If you strictly go by Vedas which are applicable to humanity, then soul goes from one person to another person in a definite sense.

Subhashitam

Character makes good looks prettier,

a clan’s reputation is made higher by conduct,

 (theoretical) learning is enhanced by practical accomplishments

 and money’s worth is enhanced by spending it.

7/14/2021 Post 35

Let us continue our   explanation  further particularly to find reasons as to  why Vedas and Upanishads concentrate on nirguna Brahman whereas puranas have built saguna gods. The reply will have two parts one on mental involvement followed by calming the mind by focusing on god. We will discuss both.

Let us start with visualising what is an action. Actions are initiated to meet some basic and normal requirements like education, food, shelter etc or to handle emergency situations like health or medical , draught, floods, accidents, etc or natural disasters or to help others  or social or professional activities.  So there is an input requirement. The execution of actions gives a set  of direct or indirect results or impacts. Agriculture leads to food supply but pesticides affects water and nature.  If actions consume lots of resources like water and energy,  it will affect others or nature. It may even affect one’s health. Unfair actions like failing a student by a teacher or dismissing an employee – both done without due diligence and understanding- affects the life of other people. Financial actions leading to losses and high loans etc will affect a family. Some impacts take time to be effective. There are also cumulative effects due to a sequence of actions. Actions involve decisions like – in the case of education, where to study ,what to study and what is the cost, can I afford etc-. So action has two components – physical and mental. Mental involves planning, gathering knowledge, awareness, analysis etc. Mental activities associated with an action are equally important to get correct and ethical results. So we need mental involvement in karma.

Mental involvement :

Actions as I explained are not purely physical . Even a simple act of eating ,say , a sweet needs to be done after thinking. It means that “one should realise it is not good  for health ;Don’t overeat;Exercise afterwards. ” Praying before eating is a good practice.  When we take up bigger tasks we can’t just execute it.   so planning and analysis are essential.  You sometimes create a complete set of steps to be done. These are mental activities.  Hence for karma to be followed effectively ,we need to know the effects of our actions on others and on nature. So mental involvement in actions is necessary.These  mental involvements  need a clear thinking and reasoning and that requires a  good , clear and calm mind . Many find their minds wandering and many are a bundle of emotions. We need first to calm our mind. Definitely yoga helps  . yoga tells us calmness of mind is important to understand and appreciate the need, effects and impacts of our actions.

But we see many doing yoga asanas physically and mechanically without mental involvement. The effect of such mechanical activity is marginal. Body generates a lot of enzymes like adrenaline, serotonin, etc.  We will see more on these later.  These are chemicals which control emotions. Adrenaline pumps up energy and one gets agitated. Adrenaline was useful during hunter gatherer days to run away from wild animals. Your pulse rate goes up and can quickstart running or attacking. But now it strains the heart. We need to know how to calm the mind. It is a tough job not easy , needs a lot of training and will power. Some find this difficult to achieve calm mind. First step is focusing the mind so that it does not think of many subjects. To help us  to concentrate on one aspect , we need to focus on that one aspect only or focus on god.

Let us look at calming mind in the next post.

Chanakya Neeti

Relationships

Truth and honesty in relationships

It is not an easy task for any person to remain dear to everyone. But that doesn’t mean at all that you will resort to lies. Vaccine relationships do not last long on the basis of lies. Sometimes a person has to face embarrassment too. Therefore, the foundation of relationships should always be truth and honesty.

keep humility

According to Acharya Chanakya, a person who has humility and sweetness in his language, that lesson is dear to the heart. People with sweet voice can change the heart of any person. Always speak sweet, such people are always respected in life.

don’t let the ego lead you

Arrogance is not good for any person. Because of this, relationships get sour. The ego works to break a strong relationship. According to Acharya Chanakya, the ego of any person should not be so much that your relationship gets spoiled.

maintain dignity in relationships

In any relationship, it is very important to have respect for each other. It is very important to have dignity in every relationship. One should never hurt anyone in anger or anger. If a person has a feeling of love and respect towards others by abandoning ego or anger. Such people always get support and love.

7/16/2021 Post 36

What we are seeing is jnana and action – karma- together.it shows that jnana is required for correct and good actions. Ignorance is definitely not an excuse . We saw mental actions. We need a calm mind to focus on any mental activity. Let us look at  these aspects now.

Focusing

Let us look at how to focus. We are good at visualisation. Before learning a language, Small children learn and understand by visual means. They map scenes in mind and use them. I saw my grandson at two plus years identifying types of cars just by shape. He can’t read, though he can speak. So our mind has a strong natural visual association; children have good knowledge of shapes. language based understanding  came later and it is acquired.

So in order to focus, the first step is to see a picture , and try to look at it for some time and close eyes. Now we should visualise the picture. The picture should be simple with a few features not many. This will help in creating the image in mind and seeing it. Your focus will be seeing the simple image. If the image is seen by you every day, then your focusing is easier still. The image will be subconscious.

What is the best image we see regularly – it is the image of your favourite god.

We can’t visualise an image of nirguna Brahman. I think that  is the reason why Itihasa and puranas started with saguna gods which can be visualised without effort . So puranas provided features for gods and gave them names like Vishnu, shiva, shakti, kumara – skanda- etc. This led to construction of temples and prayers and pujas. If one starts praying daily ,the habit will help in focusing. Prayer needs to be focused. So we find a way of easy focusing .. So we start the visualisation for a minute initially and slowly extend the time. This will also help in calming the mind and lead us towards better concentration. We see musicians and painters  need and obtain a lot of focusing and concentration.  Their mind has to be calm. Music and sounds like aum or gayatri japa will also help us  in calming the mind and help us in concentration. Visualisation is found to be very effective for meditation. There are many other possibilities and  alternatives available but I think this visual approach is easy for many. Hence I explained this. It also fits in with the ideas of prayer , temples, and saguna gods. 

This also leads us to a very important question – what should children be taught first? Our system starts with alphabets,and simple words and writing. This is not a good approach. Start with teaching proper breathing practices. Then go for good visualization exercises and calming the mind. Teach meditation and then concentration. Both good health and concentration are essential for children to learn . These create the correct base for learning. This will make them better learners.  The question in the minds of many is -When will we change the system of education? When will we ignite the cognition of children. We will see the approaches of Upanishads for good cognitive learning. They lead us with examples.

Subhashitam

का वरते पं माता वं पता ौतमु ।्

बावाः कुलम इ् माम इतर् े जनाः ॥ ॥

( When a girl gets married )

The girl is interested in the man’s looks; the mother in how wealthy he is; the father in his qualifications the relatives in his family status, the other guests merely in the feast.

7/18/2021 Post 37

Let us look at other tools needed to learn and decide on problems we encounter in life so that our Karma becomes good.

We saw that we need mental involvement for any action. This implies calmness of mind and focus.

Upanishads discuss and explain many aspects of life, nature, cosmos, creation, rebirth,truth, knowledge, immortality,  god etc. But we, as teachers, can also learn from the manner in which many Upanishads are written. It is good advice to teachers and learners  Let us look at other essentials for good problem solving as guided by Upanishads.

Upanishads say that before starting any action, we should have a calm mind and good concentration as well as focus on the task. The second aspect Upanishads say is that the best way to get clarity on various aspects of a problem  is through asking a series of questions and finding or getting answers. Both kathopanishad and brihadaranyaka upanishad have been written as discussions between people through questions and answers.  In kathopanishad , Nachiketas learns about death and soul by persistent questioning of Yama and Yama replies to them. It means a student or learner has to have some knowledge and can think and ask many questions. Asking relevant questions needs good knowledge. Research students should write down 20 to 30 questions on their topic and then start looking for answers. Brihadaranyaka upanishad has a conference mode of questions and answers. Large number of scholars throw a volley of questions at him and challenge him. Yajnavalkya answers all questions to the satisfaction of the large assembly. This has occupied more than hundred pages in Sankaracharya’s commentary of that upanishad. This also shows us as to how to analyse a highly complex problem from various angles. Serious philosophical issues are discussed through questions and answers. Sankaracharya , in his detailed discussions on Gita and Upanishads , goes one step further. He raises objections and by explanations over rules them. This creates a larger view for understanding – a 360  view – and clarity on a subject or topic.

This also means that there are many answers to a question.

There is a conviction in Hindu philosophy  that there are always many answers to any question.

The third aspect is motivation , interest and persistence. This is seen from Nachiketas going to god of death and waiting for three days without food. It can be seen in Maitreyi asking lots of questions to Yajnavalkya.

Fourth aspect of effective learning is the creation of a correct sequence of events pertaining to a problem and building a proper sequencing of events and analysing each entry of the sequence. This is shown and explained in Aitareya Upanishad which explains creation of the different lokas and creatures like cow,horse, people,and body parts and mind through a sequence of events. When we do computer simulation, we follow this approach of events.

Let us look at Aithreya Upanishad later.

7/20/2021 Post 38

Dr C Subramanian, CEO,  HAL BA, has sent a good forward which shows our ignorance and stupidity.

“The first school in England opened in 1811 . At that time India had 732000 Gurukuls.

Find out how our Gurukuls got closed. How did Gurukul learning end.

First will tell you what disciplines were taught in Gurukul culture (in the Sanatan culture) ! 

Most Gurukuls taught the following subjects.

  • 01 Agni Vidya (Metallurgy)
  • 02 Vayu Vidya (Wind)
  • 03 Jal Vidya (Water)
  • 04 Antriksh Vidya (Space Science)
  • 05 Prithvi Vidya (Environment)
  • 06 Surya Vidya (Solar Study)
  • 07 Chandra and Lok Vidya (Lunar Study)
  • 08 Megh Vidya (Weather Forecast)
  • 09 Dhaatu Urja Vidya (Battery energy)
  • 10 Din aur Raat Vidya.
  • 12 Srishti Vidya (Space Research)
  • 13 Khagol Vigyan (Astronomy)
  • 14 Bhugol Vidya (Geography)
  • 15 Kaal Vidya (Time studies)
  • 16 Bhoogarbh Vidya (Geology & Mining)
  • 17 Gemstones and Metals (Gems & Metals)
  • 18 Aakarshan Vidya (Gravity)
  • 19 Prakash Vidya (Energy)
  • 20 Sanchaar Vidya (Communication)
  • 21 Vimaan Vidya (Plane)
  • 22 Jalayan Vidya (Water Vessels)
  • 23 Agneya Astra Vidya (Arms & Ammunition)
  • 24 Jeevavigyaan Vidya (Biology, Zoology, Botany)
  • 25 Yagna Vidya (Material Sic)
  • * This is the talk of scientific education. Now let’s talk about professional and technical disciplines that were covered!*
  • 26 Vyapaar Vidya (Commerce)
  • 27 Krishi Vidya (Agriculture)
  • 28 Pashu Paalan Vidya (Animal Husbandry)
  • 29 Pakshi Paalan (Bird Keeping)
  • 30 Yaan Vidya (Mechanics)
  • 32 Vehicle Designing
  • 33 Ratankar (Gems & Jewellery Designing)
  • 36 Kumhaar vidya (Pottery)
  • 37 Laghu (Metallurgy & Blacksmith)
  • 38 Takkas
  • 39 Rang Vidya (Dyeing)
  • 40 Khatwakar
  • 41 Rajjukar (Logistics)
  • 42 Vaastukaar Vidya (Architecture)
  • 43 Khaana Banane ki Vidya (Cooking)
  • 44 Vaahan Vidya (Driving)
  • 45 Waterways Management
  • 46 Indicators (Data Entry)
  • 47 Gaushala Manager (Animal Husbandry)
  • 48 Baagvaani (Horticulture)
  • 49 Vann Vidya (Forestry)
  • 50 Sahyogee (Covering Paramedics)

All this education was taught in Gurukul, but with time, when Gurukul disappeared, this knowledge was made to disappear by the British! It started with Macaulay. Today, the future of the youth of our country is being destroyed by the Macaulay method.

How did Gurukul culture end in India?

The introduction of Convent education ruined Gurukuls. Indian Education Act was formed in 1835 (revised in 1858). It was drafted by ‘Lord Macaulay’.

Macaulay conducted a survey of education system here while many Britishers had given their reports about India’s education system. One of the British officer was G.W. Luther and the other was Thomas Munro! Both of them had surveyed different areas at different times. Luther, who surveyed North India (Uttar Bhaarat), wrote that there is 97 % literacy here and Munro, who surveyed South India (Dakshin Bhaarat), wrote that here there is 100% literacy.

Macaulay had clearly said that if India (Bhaarat) is to be enslaved forever, its ′′indigenous and cultural education system ′′ must be completely demolished and replaced with ′′ English education system ′′ and only then will Indians be physically Indians, but  mentally become English.  When they leave the convent schools or English universities, they will work in the interest of British.

Macaulay is using an idiom – ′′ Just as a farm is thoroughly ploughed before a crop is planted, so must it be ploughed and brought in the English education system. ′′ That’s why he first declared Gurukuls illegal. Then he declared Sanskrit illegal and set the Gurukuls on fire, beat the teachers in it and put them in jail.

Till 1850 there were ‘ 7 lakh 32 thousand ‘ Gurukuls & 7,50,000 villages in India. Meaning almost every village had a Gurukul and all these Gurukuls used to be ‘Higher Learning Institutes’ in today’s language. 18 subjects were taught in all of them and these people of Gurukul Samaj used to run these together, not by the king.

Education was imparted free.

Gurukuls were abolished and English education was legalized and the first convent school opened in Calcutta. That time it was called ‘free school’. Under this law, Calcutta University, Bombay University & Madras  University were created. These three slavery-era universities are still in the country!

Macaulay had written a letter to his father. It is a very famous letter, in it he writes: ′′ These convent schools will bring out children who look like Indians but are English by brain and they don’t know anything about their country. They won’t know anything about their culture, they won’t have any idea about their traditions, they will not know their idioms, when such children are there in this country, even if the British go away, English will not leave this country.′′ The truth of the letter written at that time is clearly visible in our country even today. See the misery created by this  act. We feel inferior of ourselves who are ashamed to speak our own language & recognise our own culture.

A society that is cut off from its mother tongue never flourishes and this was Macaulay’s strategy! Today’s youth here knows more about Europe than India. Considers Indian culture not so cool, but imitates Western country.

What a pity. It’s high time we all awaken & reclaim our great culture & heritage.”

My response

True mostly. Kanchi mahaperiya had talked about it a lot and written also.  I saw gaja shastra book running to hundreds of pages at Mysore.  Most of our shastraic writings in palm leaves have been destroyed. We lost treasures of knowledge. Will we learn from this . Tragedy.

Subhashitam

शरद न वषत , गजत , वषत वाषास ु नःनः मघःे । नचः वदत, न कुत,े वदत न साधःु करोत एव ॥ ॥

In the autumn, the clouds thunder but yield no rain; during the season, they rain without the thunder. The inferior man talks but does not perform whereas the great man simply performs without talking.

7/22/2021 Post 39

Prof Bharathi has commented on the Gurukula.

“What ever technology we are using were thought at that time only”

Mr Karthik Nott has also commented:

“I had no idea that so much was taught in local gurukkala. Given the breadth and depth of knowledge needed in such a diverse set of subjects how was this expertise managed locally.”

“What you say is so true. Many people particularly abroad prefer to talk im english even if the other person speaks in Indian local language. Happens to me all the time.”

There is a third comment from my friend Mr Mani:

“Sir, Greetings! What I have heard about Gurukuls, that they only admitted the students belonging to  some previliged community. It did not admit all the students irrespective of their own communities. Social Equality was not considered and not followed. Ekalyva and his right hand thumb offering as Guru kaanikkai is a good example.”

My response

We look at education with current scenario in mind- everyone getting same education. This is not true .

Gurukul system took care of each person and provided skills for him. True it excluded women mostly. When we say Gurukula ,it means not just study of vedas.How did we construct huge temples? We needed hundreds of sculpters , designers, masons ,carpenters etc. Every sculpture architect taught many persons. If you see the channakeshava temple at Belur or temples at Halebid or Lukkundi, they tell us that  we needed hundreds of sculpters. The architects name is Jakkannachari. He could not have done it alone  So there were several gurukulams  teaching stone sculpting skills.consider the need for swords and shields and spears and many others. It needed many skilled blacksmiths to make thousands of swords and repair thousands. So workshops and training centres in large numbers should have been existing in each kingdom. Iron and steel is an old science. There is an iron pillar in Qutb Minar which has not rusted till now . That shows the manufacturing and furnaces required  are well understood by early Indians  . Indians learnt metallurgy and heat transfer to melt and mix metals to make brass and bronze. Many  Statues were made from bronze .

Masonry and carpentry were age old skills. Most children of masons and carpenters were trained from childhood. I was told children who were about five years old would do carpentry work efficiently with the heavy and dangerous tools.  So more gurukulams. Animal husbandry is also a very old activity. Remember Chanakya in third century BCE used to travel from Kanishka – north West Frontier – to pataliputra, present Patna – thousands of miles distant. How did he do it? By horses and there were roads and horse stations where one can exchange horses also. Similarly, cows , elephants, camels are nourished. It means thousands working as vets and animal care takers. So this science is taught in many places.  Bullock carts need making and maintenance. People were trained in wood work, wheel making and maintenance. Ship building – chola period saw people travelling to Malaya, to Indonesia and definitely to Ceylon , the current srilanka -needs skills to be learnt. Gems is another specialist activity as well as goldsmithy. There are many other sastras like mathematics ,astronomy ,logic, philosophy etc and their knowledge was given to restricted people. Same is true in learning Vedas and scriptures. You don’t get money in doing these. Further learning Vedas and chanting needs tens of years of intense learning. You need to learn Sanskrit, then learn chandas , then learn Vedas and practice. To what purpose – to preserve and  take it to  next generation.Only highly motivated will do this. That number is small.Since there is no financial benefits, others were not interested. Remember, living was tough for all – even for those belonging to the previlaged class. Only kings , his officers and merchants were rich. U V Swaminatha Iyer in his autobiography describes difficulties of even frugal living. He also describes his multiple Gurukula life. It starts in the early morning and goes on. He found a great teacher Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai to learn classic Tamil.  How many learnt and learn Nannool and tholkappiam ? Agattiam vanished due to disinterest.

So many took the better path and got appropriate education and skills to meet the requirements of their frugal life. Hope this clarifies the fact that opportunities were distributed to a large class of people and most people were financially poor.

Subhashitam

अलस कुतः वा अव कुतः धनम ।् अधन कुतः मम अम् कुतः सखमु ॥् ॥

How can a lazy one get educated, how can an uneducated man earn wealth, how can a penniless man have friends, and how can anyone be happy without friends ?

7/24/2021 Post 40

Comments from Mr A Srinivasan, Indian Bank, on Ekalavya  are given below

“Ekalyvan:

I share below what I have read on Ekalyvan and the cause of Acharya Drona asking his right thumb as Guru dakshina

Acharya Drona as the , Guru to teach Dhanur sastram had promised Bhishma to make Pandavas unparalleled in dhanur vidya. Arjuna excelled than others in focused learning and had won the heart of guru Dronacharya by his absorbing skill and implicit obedience.

When they confronted their dog that returned with seven arrows in its tongue, Arjuna was perplexed about the skill of the person who subjected the dog with seven arrows before it could close it’s mouth, it led them to Ekalvya, who prostrated his maanasika guru Drona (who teaches only to royals). To keep his promise to Bhishmacharya, he demanded that thumb as dakshina. Allowing Ekalavyan would defeat the purpose of making the royals indefeatable.

Also only with express consent of a guru and in Gurukulam one is to learn vidya.

Thus ill-will is not attributable to Acharya Dronas action.”

My response

Mahabharatha is not a simple single story. It is not a direct moral book  It talks about life as it existed in those days. It has a complex web of hundreds of stories in it. There is a lot of good , bad and evil in it. So we can’t derive ethics from every instance ,nor justify. The Ekalavya story may look like ok for Dronacharya, a man,  but it is not fair or just for a guru and it looks cruel for others. We also have stories in Mahabharata  of Satyavathi , Vidhura , and others who are not Kshatriyas . Vidhura lived a humble and simple life and was a wise person. Satyavathi was a great manager of her household and Vyasa is her son from Parashara and he wrote Mahabharata. So caste is not important .

We need to analyse from several perspectives The Mahabharata stories. Not an easy job to glean values from it . It needs effort to know how to derive values and look at information dispassionately.

Whereas Ramayana is mostly linear focussed on sri Rama. Its moral logic is simpler.

Subhashitam

This one belongs to my group, the other one is an outsider -This is the thought of petty people; for the magnanimous, broadminded person, the whole world is family.