"Satyam vada Dharmam chara"

June 1979, Summer Course in Indian Culture and Spirituality, Auditorium (Brindavan College), Brindavan, KA

Published English.

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The trees give shelter to all, irrespective of caste and creed, and proclaim that all men are equal. The plants teach us not to be overfond of the body; and the birds, that are content with the food they get for the day, tell us not to worry about the morrow. In their death, too, the birds give us a lesson about the transience of the world. Mother Nature exhorts us to discard attachment to ourselves and our earthly possessions. Verily, Nature is the school where man, taught by the greatest , God, can acquire divine wisdom.

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Culture is the lifeblood of a community. It is the backbone of a country. The of yore, who attained freedom from selfishness and rose above worldly desires, illuminating society with the lambent light of their spirituality, bear testimony to the sanctity of our culture. Our culture has been giving us sacred norms of behaviour that are best honoured by being put into practice in our daily lives.

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The sacred relationship between the (teacher) and the (pupil) has been idealized in Bharat as in no other country. It has come down to us over the aeons as a cherished tradition. The words of the preceptor, at the time the pupils left the (school in which live with their , serving him and learning from him) for their homes, were vibrant with meaning. “Worship your mother and father as God. Regard your teacher as God and receive your guest as God Himself”, (, , , ), the would say.

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“, ” (speak the truth and practice ). This is also one of the important aphorisms enunciated by the ancient of India. It emphasizes the importance of and . is the eternal, absolute and unchanging truth. is often translated as righteousness, but it is much more than that. is a power-packed term epitomizing an entire philosophy and a way of life. It is the summum bonum of Indian ethics. A or disciple is one who has grasped the content of and by constant or spiritual practice. and sum up the code of conduct and scale of values explicated in the immortal scriptures of India.

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If you want to grow paddy, you have to take a good deal of trouble. You have to plough the land and enrich it with manure and fertilizers. You have to use good seeds for sowing. You must put up a fence around your land to protect the plants from men and cattle. You should also remove the weeds periodically and irrigate the land properly. You must take all these steps to grow paddy. But, for growing grass you need not make any special effort. Harmful weeds grow by themselves. In a similar manner, or unrighteousness grows like poisonous weeds without any special effort. But, the delicate plant of or righteousness should be carefully tended and looked after for its survival among the wild and poisonous weeds of or unrighteousness.

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Special and concentrated efforts are essential for the establishment and protection of . We should constantly remind ourselves of the sacred statement: “” ( protects those who protect ). We should, however, also bear in mind a corollary of the foregoing statement: “” ( destroys those who try to destroy ). Thus, is not only a metaphysical concept but also a powerful moral force to be reckoned with. One who deviates from the path of will have to pay a price for it in the long run.

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protects the world (). is permanent and everlasting. The sun rises and sets causing day and night, we say. But in reality, the sun neither rises nor sets. The sun is always there, eternally effulgent. Similarly, is eternal, immutable, and imperishable. In the “...”, the word is used in relation to . means attenuation, atrophy, and decline. is never really subject to or decline. It is only the practice of that suffers from . emerges as an for the revival of the practice of and not for its protection, because it is eternal and absolute. It is only the practice of that needs a renaissance.

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The proclaims, “” ( is the embodiment of ). As God Himself is , the dereliction of is tantamount to the neglect of God. We often worship God through a picture or an idol. Some may worship a tree as God. There are, however, some atheists, agnostics, rationalists, and humanists, who adore itself and treat it on par with God. Such people cannot be regarded as atheists for their apparent atheism is really theism in disguise. is their God and they worship as God, who, in fact, is an embodiment of . This deification of is itself theism. On the other hand, there are many who pray to God but ignore in practice. Such people are not really God-fearing theists.

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There are many people in this world who profess to be theists, devotees, , and ascetics. But it is doubtful how many of them have really understood the fact that is the essence of divinity. A large number of pious people go on a pilgrimage to visit sacred places and bathe in holy rivers. There is no use in going on pilgrimages, however, if character does not improve. Instead of wasting time and money in visiting holy places, people should try and purify their minds and apprehend the divinity that exists in humanity. The youth should also constantly remember that physical strength, money, and popularity do not last forever. Strength of character is always superior to the power of pelf which is the most ephemeral thing in the world.

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did penance and acquired stupendous powers. Blinded by the powers of his austerities, challenged and suffered defeat and humiliation. The who were terribly proud of their power and wealth, waged a war against the righteous but were annihilated completely. Their dynasty came to an ignominious end because they followed the path of and fought against the virtuous . also had acquired prodigious powers by doing penance. He, however, became tyrannical and immoral and ultimately destroyed himself. The , the and the contain stories of great heroes who died in tragic circumstances on account of their immoral behavior and unrighteous conduct.

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That is why every individual must grasp the meaning of and follow the path of . During youth, when a person is physically strong and mentally alert, he should conquer the six vices of (desire), (anger), (avarice), (attachment), (pride) and (envy). Above all, a young person should acquire self-confidence. Faith creates love. Love creates tolerance and compassion, and God reveals Himself to those with tolerance and compassion. Thus, faith in yourself is of primary importance. Students should be full of love and compassion, and thereby acquire great moral and spiritual strength.

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The ideal of should inspire students to participate in social service activities. They should become the harbingers of the renaissance of in the modern world. They should put an end to the unrest in society and re-establish the dharmic order. This tremendous program of moral rearmament should be regarded as a . It is a crusade against evil and injustice.

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The cataract in a person’s eyes does not come from the outside. It is a growth from the inside. A red-hot piece of burning wood or coal is covered by a layer of embers. This layer of ashes does not come from the outside. The embers are produced by the burning wood itself. The moss growing in water covers the surface. The sun changes the water on earth into water vapor, which rises up into the sky forming clouds. Thus, the clouds formed by the sun cover the sun. Likewise, the ignorance which arises in man’s mind clouds his discrimination and leads him to grief. The cataract in the eyes will have to be removed by a surgical operation. Wisdom is the surgical instrument that removes the malignant growth of ignorance. The weapon of wisdom enables the to conquer ignorance and attain enlightenment. The attainment of spiritual enlightenment by the instrument of wisdom is known as , which is facilitated by constant practice and ceremonial ritual. Students should try and put into practice at least a few of the immortal aphorisms of the , though they may not be able to follow the elaborate ritualism of the scriptures.

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