45. न्यायमार्गानुसारी Nyāya-mārgānusārī

One who followed the path of justice and law

Nyāya-mārga, the path of justice and law of the land, serves to regulate the actions of its citizens as well as the functions and powers of institutions; it

128 45. Nyāya-mārgānusārī stipulates both their duties and rights, and penalties for violations. All are expected to act in accordance with the law to ensure that law and order, justice, peace, harmony and prosperity reign.

His Holiness, an anusārin, One who acted in accordance with, the nyāya-mārga, scrupulously acted in accordance with the law, never ever faltered from the path of justice and inspired others in the same direction.

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A person had donated a stretch of land to the Maṭha. As years went by, an adjacent portion too came into the possession of the Maṭha. The heir of the donor wanted to retake that ungiven land. The then administrator of the Maṭha declined the claim and the matter went to court. Legal opinion was in favour of the Maṭha winning the case by virtue of adverse possession.

At this juncture, the claimant wrote directly to His Holiness seeking His intervention. His Holiness examined the facts and remarked, “Withdraw the case. Give back what was not donated to the Maṭha.”

The fact that the Maṭha had already spent thousands on the case and was likely to get a favourable verdict did not deter Him from taking this decision. In the meantime, the person concerned wrote a letter expressing his willingness to pay a sum of Rs. 12,000 to effect an out-of-court settlement. It was also learnt that the Maṭha’s lawyer was negotiating the offer. His Holiness instructed that not a single paisa should be collected and that the disputed land should be returned forthwith. His instruction was complied with.

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His Holiness was consistently apolitical. He held and expressed the view that whoever was genuinely committed to the welfare of the nation deserved the support of the people. In the course of a discourse in Kannada in Bengaluru, He stated, “People ask me to which pakṣa (party) I belong. I am niṣpakṣa (neutral). Whoever works for the welfare of the people at large deserves our support. Violent agitations and repeated moves to disrupt the proper functioning of a duly elected Government must be eschewed.”

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At a time when communal harmony was challenged over reports of conversions in southern Tamil Nadu, His Holiness issued the following message.

1. No one must act in such a way as to harm another.

2. The Śāstras do not recognise conversion of a Hindu to another religion. As such, those who have ‘changed’ their religion, if they are remorseful, may be treated as if no change has occurred.

3. None should impose restrictions on the use of wells, places of prayer, etc., that are meant for the use of common people. People imposing restrictions as to who should use these may be penalised.

The Śāstra says: “Dharma protects one who protects it,”¹²¹ and “There is higher good in performing one’s own dharma.”¹²² These precepts should be borne in mind and acted upon accordingly.

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On another occasion, when His message to the nation was sought during an outbreak of communal disharmony, He said, “All Indians must owe allegiance to the Constitution of India, which we have given ourselves. We have set procedures to legislate through our elected representatives. We have the judiciary to adjudicate as per the law of the land. Attempts at settling disputes between communities, sects or regions by taking recourse to unlawful means are totally unacceptable.”

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With regard to the diversity in religious and social practices, He said, “Whatever practices one may wish to have in private is left to the individual, so long as they do not infringe on the others. One must abstain from fermenting quarrels with and creating trouble for other individuals or communities. Verily, everybody has a right to happiness. The prayer our ancients have taught us is: ‘May all beings be happy.’¹²³

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