A deity can either be God or god or both

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Nithin Sridhar 
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(A shorter version of the article has been published in July 2013 issue of Hinduism Today Magazine under the title "God's the Answer".)

The basic philosophy of any religion (1) relies on the acceptance of the existence of God and that of atheism on the rejection of such existence. Among theists, there have been lengthy debates, arguments and fights regarding what this God constitutes if it exists? Whether God is one or many? Whether it is God or it is god (Upper case and lower case "G")?

In an Indian scenario, we have on one extreme Monotheists claiming presence of one absolute God separate from world and on the other we have polytheists believing in presence of multiple gods, goddess and demi-gods. And apart from this, we also have Monists who claim the presence of "Only God" (denying even an existence for world separate from God). But Hindu religion as a whole has always been consistently assimilating all these apparently divergent streams of thought into a coherent and all-embracing philosophy of life. This has been possible because there is an inherent awareness in the society that every person is on the same path seeking same goal, some ahead and some behind. This truth is best illustrated in the words of ancient Rishis of Rigveda. While speaking about the “Vishwadevas” (all the gods and goddess), they boldly proclaim-

“They call him (God) Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutmān.
To what is One, sages call by many names like Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan” (2).

In modern times, a similar message was given to mankind by Swami Vivekananda. According to him, "Man is not travelling from error to truth, but climbing up from truth to truth; from truth that is lower to truth that is higher (3).”  The realization of this simple truth among people has been best expressed in the concept of deity and its worship.

Our scriptures say that God (Brahman) which is formless manifests itself into infinite number of forms. And each such form represents a specific aspect of the Brahman. A deity is a specific aspect of Brahman which has a rupa-form and Shakti-power associated with that aspect. For example, If Brahman/Para-Shakti is divided into 10 aspects, we get the ten Mahavidhyas. If the Para-Shakti is divided into 64 parts, we get the Yoginis. In other words deities are the personification of the various forces that drive the Cosmos. Also they are personifications of the various phenomenon’s that happen throughout the universe.

For example, when the Brahman manifests the Universe, He becomes Shiva-Gowri. When the Brahman absorbs back the Universe, he becomes MahaKaLa-MahaKaLi. Shiva is personification of the sum total of all manifestation and Gowri is that aspect of Shakti which causes the manifestation/projection of the Universe. Shiva and Gowri are White as white represents Purity and the manifestation/Cosmos. Shakti takes the form of KaLi when the projection is drawn back into Brahman. KaLi causes Laya/absorption of manifestation back into Brahman. KaLi is black which represents her ability to absorb everything into herself.

From the view-point of society, we have Grama Devatas, Kula Devatas, Gruha Devatas and Ista Devatas. Grama Devatas are basically the guardian deities of the villages. Kula Devatas are the guardian deities of a clan, lineage or a bloodline. The Gruha Devatas refers to the guardian deities of the family. Finally the Ista Devata refers to the deity a person choose based on his personal inclination. A person may take any one among the Grama, Kula and Gruha devatas as his own Ista or he can also choose some other deity which attracts him most.

The concept of deity, especially the “Ista devata” can be considered in many senses as a unique contribution of Hindu religion to whole world not only in terms of its theological and spiritual value but also in terms of promoting world harmony. In simple words, any person can connect with God/Cosmos (4) in the way he feels inclined to or is comfortable with. This world view will completely remove any cause for troubles and intolerances because the conception of a deity is completely dependent upon the devotee who worships it. And no two people ever conceptualize or approach a deity in an exactly same manner.

Some people may conceptualize their deity to be Nirguna-Nirakara Brahman (Formless and Attributeless God). For some other the deity may be one of the manifestations of the formless God which does have a roopa-form and guna-attributes. For some, the deity may be only a maintainer (Vishnu-god) or a destroyer (Shiva-god) of Universe. For others the same deity may be the ultimate God whom they call as “Narayana/Sada-Shiva”. For some the deities may be just the forces of nature like fire-Agni or wind-Vayu. And for some other’s they may be mind-manas or soul-atman. A deity can either be God or a god or at times both and at times neither depending upon what a devotee seeks.

The deity-devotee relationship is an intimate connection that heavily depends on the spiritual clarity and mental earnestness of the devotee. The more is the longing and Bhakti-love a devotee has, closer he is to the deity and clearer will be his understanding of Universe. Every devotee perceives his deity according to his tastes and inclinations. Hence, this perception would be very limited. The devotee then projects this limited perception on the the limitless God. Hence, the God projects to the devotee as a deity with limitations. The closer a devotee gets to the deity, the purer his mind will become and his perception will start losing limitations. The only way this is possible is through Sadhana.

Sadhana in general may refer to any action put to achieve a desirable goal. Swami Chidananda of Divine Life society defines sadhana as “the active effort to obtain that which is possible of being obtained through effort (5)”.  And this goal for which Sadhana is done defines the nature of relationship between the Sadhak and the Deity. A person may desire to have unlimited wealth, health, prosperity, offspring etc and he will do sadhana just to obtain them. This is called Kamya Sadhana. Such a person will invoke and worship a specific god who could fulfill their desires. A deity is a god for these people. For example, a Lakshmi-Kubera Homa is done only for purpose of getting wealth. A Mahamrityunjay Homa is done to ward of diseases and deliver long life to a person.

Further, even among the people who desire only for God Realization, most cannot contemplate on Formless one. Hence, they perfect their sadhana of a particular deity who will in-turn lead them to the Ultimate Formless one. In Tantras they say, first worship the Mother, reach her; then, she will lead you to Father. Such sadhaks worship Deity as God with form. It may be Ganesha or Durga, Shiva or Tara, they worship it as Saguna Brahman itself.

Take the example of Lord Ganesha. From the puranic stories we come to know that, Ganesha is the son of Parvati and Shiva. Further, he is the leader of Ganas (the fierce followers of Shiva, hence the name Ganesha) and that he is the remover of obstacles. Most people would love to worship Ganesha in his child form who loves to eat sweet food. They worship the deity with above mentioned attributes and pray to him to solve their problems. For them, Ganesha is only a “god” with limited attributes and power. Hence, by their worship, they are connecting with the limited aspect of this Cosmos/God who has the power to remove obstacles in their path.

Then, there are sadhaks (Spiritual practitioners) who worship “Ganesha” as the lord of Muladhara chakra (located at the perenium) who governs “Bhu” loka (The Physical/Material realm of existence). For them, worship of Ganapathi is the key to awaken Kundalini and to make her rise through the Sushumna Nadi (Channel). Hence, they connect with the God/cosmos through their worship and gain power-Shakti to raise their Kundalini. For these Sadhak’s too Ganesha is only a “god”.

Further, there are also those people who worship Ganesha as the Nirakara-Nirguna Brahman. They recognize Ganesha as God, the Ultimate truth, the whole Cosmos. For them, Ganesha is the creator, Maintainer and destroyer of Universe. This view about Ganesha can be found beautifully expressed in the following lines from Ganapathi Atharva shirsha-

Twameva Pratyksham Tatvamasi | (You are the Only Truth)
Twameva Kevalam Kartasi | (You are the creator of the Universe)
Twameva Kevalam Dhartasi |(You are the maintainer of the Universe)
Twameva Kevalam Hartasi |(You are the destroyer of the Universe)
Twameva Sarvam Khalvidam Brahmasi | (You are the Brahman/God who exists everywhere)
Twam Sakashadatamasi Nityam (You are the eternal soul present inside everyone).

It further says-

Twam Gunatrayatitaha | (You are beyond the three gunas-Tamas, Rajas and Sattva)
Twam Dehatrayatitaha | (You are beyond the three bodies- Sthula, Sukshma and Karana)
Twam Kalatrayatitaha | (You are beyond the three time periods- past, present and future)
Twam Brahmastvam, Twam Vishnustvam Rudrastvam Indrastvam Agnistvam
Vayastvam Suryastvam Chandramastvam Brahmabhurbhurvaswarome||
(You are Brahma, You are Vishnu, You are Rudra, You are Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya, Chandra, You are the Brahman/God who exists in everywhere)

Next comes the category of people who neither worship God nor worship any god. For them, a deity is just Shakti (Energy/Power). They are the Aghoris- the Shakti Sadhakas, people who do sadhana to gain powers. They occupy themselves in understanding different aspects of the working of the cosmos and gaining power to control them. They dive deep in the darkness to reach light. Each deity represents a specific aspect of Para-Shakti. They do sadhana of the said deity to achieve that Shakti. In case of Ganesha, many use the sadhana of him to understand the workings of Bhu-Loka (Physical realmn) and control it. There are also a small section of tantriks who does indulge in Shat Kriyas like Vashikarana (Controlling) and Marana (Killing) and use these Shakti’s wrongly. But, others use their Shakti’s to ultimately merge with the Cosmos/Para-Shakti.

Few people like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa exist, who even after having experiencing the Brahman in Nirvikalpa Samadhi (The highest state of Samadhi), continued to worship his Ista Devi KaLi Bhavatarini. For him, KaLi was both the God and the god. She was both with form and without form.
Hence, a devotee who may at first see Ganesha as just a remover of obstacles, with spiritual growth will come to realize that Ganesha is also the Lord of Physical realm. If the devotee keeps walking on the path of sadhana, he will realize that Ganesha is not a god with limitations and attributes, but Formless Omnipotent God. Deeper if he proceed, the devotee will realize that Ganesha is both the God and the god. That the formlessness and the forms are both his own manifestation and hence equally real.

Another simple example that illustrate this phenomenon could be that of Sandhya Vandana-The worship of Sun. The Sandhya worship at its outset appears like a prayer to the Sun who gives the warmth and Light to earth. This appears as a show of gratitude towards nature. If one digs deeper, one will understand that the Sandhya worship is not just a prayer to the external sun which is the center of our solar system and emitting the heat and light using nuclear fusion. But the worship also entails an understanding and a prayer towards this whole cosmos which is at every moment keeps changing, evolving and dissolving. On a deeper level, it is a prayer towards the whole existence, the multiple cosmos that exist and the source, the energy that manifests the Whole. Ultimately, it is worship towards the Innerself, The atman which is the very “Whole” present inside the each of its particle.

In both cases, one can see how a devotee proceeds from his “Limited” understanding of God into “Direct experience of Limitless truth”; how his understanding of deity changed from being limited god to being Omnipotent God who existed as formless and yet manifested infinite number of forms. This spiritual insight about the nature of Cosmic truth (Satya) and its infinite ways of expression has been the very foundation of the “all-embracing and tolerant way of life” that Hindu Dharma propounds. This truth has been imbibed into every Shastras-scriptures that were composed, every rituals that were codified, into every art forms that found its expression. It manifested into every aspect of life making Hindu society, a most diverse yet relatively harmonious one in whole world.

Footnotes-
(1)The term "religion" here used specifically in the sense of "theistic religions" and it does not refer to atheistic systems like Buddhism and Jainism.
(2)इन्द्रं मित्रं वरुणमग्निमाहुरथो दिव्यः स सुपर्णो गरुत्मान | एकं सद विप्रा बहुधा वदन्त्यग्निं यमं मातरिश्वानमाहुः || - Rigveda 1.164.46.
(3)Sister Nivedita, “Our Master and his Message”, Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, http://www.advaitaashrama.org/cw/content.php
(4)According to Hindu Philosophy, God is sum total of All existence. He is the whole existence. Hence, God and Cosmos are not different.“Isa vasyam Idam Sarvam” (Ishopanishad)
(5)Swami Chidananda, “Special Insights Into Sadhana No-1”, http://www.dlshq.org/download/insight_sadhana1.htm

Revival of Hindu Dharma

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Nithin Sridhar
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 Mā Bhārati by Pratyasha Nithin

Often, it is heard that Hinduism is suffering from image-crisis and that Hindus should embark on aggressive marketing of their religion. Is Hinduism really suffering from image-crisis? The answer is yes. But is this the disease itself? No, it is only a symptom of a deeper disease. Hence, it cannot be solved by any "aggressive marketing".

India is facing a spiritual crisis and it is this crisis that has manifested as social, political, economic and cultural crisis. For, someone to teach about religion, teach about Dharma, he should first KNOW it and must have implemented it? How many of us even care to study religion? How many of us even care to understand the traditions that have passed down to us?

Largely, there are four kinds of people in our society. The first is the English educated 'secular' kind, that looks down upon everything that is remotely connected to Hinduism. For them, Hinduism is nothing more than a combination of superstition, vodoo, sex, violence, untouchability etc etc. These people are not only ignorant about Hindu tradition, culture and philosophy; they also DO NOT have any interest to know them. Then, there is the second kind, which takes pride in everything remotely connected to Hindu name. They neither understand Dharma nor understand Tradition. They are as ignorant as the 'secular' kind, but they have this misplaced understanding that "they know Hinduism, this and this is our culture etc etc". And these people are harming our religion more than the 'secular' folk. These people know nothing but abusing people or using violence in name of religion. They have only interest with the "Political Identity" of Hindu and not with religion of Hinduism. Hence, they are ignorant of Dharma too and have no interest in it too.

Then, there is the third kind, the followers of modern self-claimed gurus and satsang, who think that singing bhajans or listening to lectures on weekends is religion and Dharma. They are blinded by their own kind of superstitions and never move beyond them. They are actually not interested in Dharma, they are only interested in fulfillment of their self-fish desires. Now, coming to the fourth kind, this is the silent majority which does not belong to any of the above group completely but may join them at some point of time. These are the people that are brought up in so called traditional families, but are never taught about tradition or practices. They do the rituals, do the ceremonies mechanically and only think of their personal lives and careers. These are the silent Hindus, whose knowledge of religion is restricted to doing ceremonies and celebrating festivals without ever understanding the meaning and symbolism behind them. These are Apolitical Hindus, who are religious only with respect to external exhibitionism and not internal implementation.

This is the malaise that has afflicted our society. When people do not follow the basic Dharma, what is called as "Samanya Dharma" like Satya, Asteya, etc in their life, what more can we expect from them? What will we advertise? the rot that has set it? People either think Sex is taboo, a filthy sin or call it pornography, when our scriptures, call us to treat Sex as just sex. They call us, to even turn the sexual pleasure into a spiritual bliss. And what the present society has made it to be? On one hand we have a person like M.F.Hussain who exhibits his perversion by painting Sita in suggestive positions on Hanuman, when any such incident is not at all mentioned in scriptures. On the other hand, we have people who deliberately want an idol or image of KaLi to be covered up in saree or ornament, when the scriptures explicitly call her "Digambari". People compare, Hindu sculptures to pornography on one hand, and others find excuses to explain it. Is it so difficult to understand that Sex is a part of life and Hinduism stands on 4 Purusharthas? And hence, such a depiction of Sex on temple walls is completely proper?.On one hand we have, people who insult Hinduism by calling us the worshippers of Shiva's genitals and on the other hand we have Hindus who take offense at such an ignorant insult and try their best to prove that Linga does not mean "Phallus". When the fact is, Linga does mean "Phallus" among other meanings like mark, pillar etc. And all of the meanings are equally valid. Shiva does represent the cosmic male principle and Shakti the cosmic female and their union creates the Universe, and on a physical level it is portrayed in the act of Sex. Yatha Pinde, tatha Brahmande.

But, for people this is very difficult to understand. No one wants to know the Truth. People just want to live with their delusions and superstitions. So, what should we teach and to whom should we teach? Do we know anything to teach in first place? The best we can do is to learn it ourselves. One should be open minded and examine the teachings, understand them and finally implement them. One must perform Sadhana; one must first discover his/her Life's purpose and then work towards it. But, today people are not interested in Sadhana. They don’t have time for any rituals or meditation. For them it is useless. This mind-set should change. People should start living their life according to the Dharmic values, performing all their duties with an attitude of Truth and Surrender. They should spend their time in the study of scriptures. Whatever little they could read, they must internalize the message and implement it. They should spend little of their time in a performing regular sadhana- it may be jap, homam, meditation or bhajan. They should surrender themselves to God and develop qualities like Satya, Asteya, Nishkaama Dasha, etc. It is these qualities that form the foundation of our religion. We do not need any aggressive advertising. All we need is to the Hindus to give up superstitions and narrow mindsets and start living their life according to Dharma, practicing all their duties, making the very life into a Sadhana. One must develop Shraddha/faith in our religion and in our scriptures. We must understand them and then put to them to practice in life.

The present condition is bad, but by our efforts, the future can be made better. It is indeed possible to revive the Sanatana Dharma. I am very optimistic that in the years to come, things will change. The change has already started. For, the divine mother, nothing is impossible. The time has come, when India, our motherland will rise again and the flag of Dharma will be hoisted again.

Jai Maa KaLi, Jai Maa Bharati

Nature of Brahman (God)

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Nithin Sridhar
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In the scriptures, we often encounter the description of the Nature of Brahman as "Nirakara/formless", "ekam/one", "Nirguna" "Anejat/unmoving" etc. People have debated over centuries about these descriptions. Some claiming Nirguna to be higher than Saguna and some claiming Saguna as being higher to Nirguna.But all such debates are meaningless as they are based on a faulty understanding of the scriptures.The whole confusion arises due to ignorance of the difference between the Paramarthika Dasha and the Vyavaharika dasha.

Vyavaharika Dasha refers to the state of duality, state of manifestation. Paramarthika dasha refers to the absolute state, a state of no duality. The Paramarthika satya is beyond describable or logical comprehension. Hence, all the descriptions we find in the scriptures are mere pointers about the Paramarthika satya explained in relation to the vyavaharika dasha. All descriptions in the shastras aim at teaching one thing- in Paramartika Dasha, in absolute reality, Brahman "just is". Brahman alone is. Brahman "Exists". It is called as "Sat"-existance.No descriptions can be given about Brahman because he is beyond all words, all thoughts, all descriptions, all duality.

The manifested world contains both the forms and the formless.It is all that could be known. The Unmanifested prakriti, the Source/Mula which is unknown contains the whole manifestation in it in the unmanifested state.

The word "Nirakara-formlessness" does not refer to the formless entity present in the manifestation distinct from the forms, nor does it refer to the formfullness of Mula prakriti which contains the whole of manifestation inside it. Even the formless entities in a sense has a form, even though that form ever keeps changing. Th term "nirakara/Without form" instead refers to Brahman as being distinct from both the forms and the formless, both the manifested forms and the unmanifested formfullness.

Then why the world "Niraakara/without-form" has been used? "aakara" or "form" denotes an entity, something which is subjected to space-time principles. This whole jagat is in universal movement-from potential state (Mula) to birth, growth, decay and death. And hence all the entities are subjected to "space time principle". But Brahman is beyond the Space-time principle". He is the source of the space-time principle, but himself not subjected to it.

Hence, Brahman being defined as "Nirakara" refers to the absence of the duality of form and formlessness, absence of limitation of space principle. Similarly, the term "anejat/unmoving" refers to the absence ofc"Universal Movement" that is subjected space-time principle. The whole universe is in a "Movement" as explained before.This universal Movement, includes both the temporary state of motion and that of rest. The term "Unmoving" does not refer to the temporary state of rest, instead it refers to Brahman being distinct from both state of motion and that of rest. Brahman in Paramarthika dasha has no "Movement".

Now, the term "Nirguna". Nirguna refers to Brahman in Paramarthika Dasha, one without the 3 Gunas. Saguna Brahman refers to the Brahman in Vyvaharika dasha. But are the two Brahman different? Nope. The Same Brahman who is Nirguna, manifests the cosmos by his Maya Shakti. In this state of manifestation, he is called as "Saguna Brahman".

As long as a person stays inside the Vyavaharika dasha, he is subjected to time and space and can experience only few aspects of Brahman. He may experience the various forms of Brahman or may experience Brahman as light or fire or such formlessness, he may get absorbed into the formfullness void of Prakriti. But, only when a person moves beyond the Vyavaharika state, beyond duality, he will be able to realize the Paramarthika Satya. This is called "Atma Jnana/Atma Sakshatkara".

Such a Jnani, who as realized the Paramarthika satya, realizes Brahman both as Nirguna and as Saguna. He see Brahman alone, everywhere. A Jnani then may renounce his body(Videha Mukta) or keep his body, keep his individuality (Jivanmukta) for some cosmic purpose or to practice Vijnana.

Rape and Society

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Pratyasha Gupta
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“Rape”-Though a small word with four letters, it conveys a meaning of a very horrible experience a woman undergoes. It destroys the life of its victim both social and psychological which results in her committing suicide or living the entire life with the feeling of shame, guilt, isolation and apathy that society imposes on her. I don’t know which one is worse-the death of the body or the torture of the soul. Rape and other sexual assaults are the only crime, the only atrocity in which, the victim is seen as the culprit and the real culprit, those men who are sexual offenders go without any criticism. No one in society in general, thinks or cares about the torture the victims face and willingly turn a blind eye about the fact that the torture and suffering experienced by the rape victims are more psychological than physical. In case of physical suffering it is right to blame only the rapist as the culprit, but in case of psychological suffering, the whole society, especially the people in immediate surroundings in which the victim lives after the incident share the blame. And it’s not just one or two cases in a month; it’s been like a ritual. From past few years, not a day goes by without a news report about someone or the other being raped or sexually assaulted.

Whenever a rape case catches the fancy of the media and the society at large, people react saying punish the guilty, but the question is- Who is the guilty? Who is the real culprit? Is it just the one person who commits the act, the one who thinks that every woman in the country is made for his pleasure, to fulfill his fantasy? Or the whole society, which has no idea about how many of such maniacs are hiding inside it due to the society being blind towards the offender and instead showing apathy and condemnation towards the victim?

It doesn’t mean I am not in favor to punish the guilty. He must definitely be punished, as whomever he is or whatever may be his past, under whatever circumstances he may have been raised, he always had a choice to do the right or to do the easy. Yes, it must have been very easy and definitely very enjoyable for him to pick a girl, rape her, kill/abandon her and run away but it was not right at all. I am a Woman and if you ask me, I will tell you that I am not able to forget a single incident of molestation I had faced in my life. And there is not a single woman I have come across who has not faced at least one incident of eve-teasing or molestation during their life time. Sometimes it may be your own collogues at offices or someone whom you recognize from your neighborhood and at other times, it may be some random guy on street. All the incidents might not be brutal but they hurt the victim very deeply. It is something that the victim can never forget.

If this is the state of women who have faced molestation, then is it even possible to imagine the condition of the women who have been brutally raped? As time passes by the rapist may forget the incident, but how will she, the victim (if by any chance she lives, after this horrible incident) forget the experience ever? And as a ‘responsible’ society what do we do? How do “We”, the people of the society react? We make a gossip out of it. We tell it to others with colorful phrases like “Oh that poor girl, she has been raped” or “You know what so-and-so has been raped” showing fake sympathy. Or we react by completely ending any relationship we or anybody we know had with that victim. This is a shameful reaction. These people often forget that, the raped woman could have been their spouse, their daughter or sister. The phrase “could have been a part of our own family” has become pretty popular these days but have achieved nothing. It only goes to show that these are nothing but empty words without any genuine concern or care towards the victim. Then of course there is also the fear in many household of getting shunned and abandoned by society if they are seen as remotely sympathetic or helping the victim. So ultimately, the result is,  a woman who has been raped but who wishes to start life all over again by forgetting the horrible incident, is forced by the society to re-live the experience again and again without being ever able to over-come them, forget them. This means, that after being victimized once by a person or a group of people, she becomes the victim for the life-time because of us, the society.

There are few cases where, a girl has been kidnapped, raped, then been sold, again raped, and it continued for days and sometimes months. I find myself going blank when I think about such incidents; I don’t know what to write. The pain of the victim here is beyond my imagination. I don’t understand how a person, a ‘man’ can be so sick to involve in such a heinous act. Does he really deserve to be called a “man”? And knowing that this kind of people are living among us, gives me shrills.

Every other day we get to hear from one or the other politicians, educationists or even the common men and women of the neighborhood give out flimsy reasons for sexual crimes like women are at fault because they wear revealing clothes or that the girl who was raped was of questionable character etc. I have few simple questions for such people. What about villages? Are they free from rapes? Women at villages mostly wear either sarees or salwar suits.Why do  they also face the same assaults as Urban women? And what about kids and older women, what revealing clothes they may wear to get raped?  Do small children understand anything about sex? What about some of the Muslim women who wear Hijab and Burqa, all their life and still get raped? Therefore, there is no guarantee that if the woman is all covered up, she wouldn’t be raped. Women will continue to face sexual assaults till the time society keeps forwarding such excuses, till the time, they are going to be blamed for it. As long as society does not stand with the woman, who is a victim, support her, support her fight to retain her honor, I do not think there is any solution at all. All the laws passed and implemented will become useless, if a change in society’s attitude towards women is not brought.  Until the time, society does not consider women are its integral part, and honor their freedom, their dignity, until every person both men and women understand their duties and perform it, the issue of sexual assaults or any other kind of crime will not end.

Recently as many cases of rapes came to light, bizarre commentaries of our leaders began to catch the headlines as well. One was “lowering marriage age can stop rapes”. Basically the idea behind this was to provide every guy, a girl, as soon as possible so that instead of him picking up a girl from outside, he will have one as his own property to rape and assault whenever he wish for and there will be no complaints as everything will happen within the ambit of ‘marriage’. Firstly, the very idea of sexual abuse in the name of marriage is disgusting to say the least. Secondly, even if for arguments sake we accept the proposition that marriage is solution to rape, we need to ask ourselves- Whether all the men who committed rape were unmarried? Whether the women who faced the abuse were all unmarried? The answer is a straight “NO”. Marriages and Rapes have no co-relation.

Another statement by a politician that made headlines was by Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal who said “Rapes happening because men and women are interacting more freely”. The statement makes no sense at all. She is a woman and she is a politician. Nobody can survive in public life without interacting with other people both men and women. Not all interaction between opposite sexes is about sex. People interact for number of reasons both personal and professional. It is very immature to suggest that free interaction leads to sexual crimes. Are our leaders suggesting that our society be talibanized, where all personal rights and liberty of women are violated? Because it is horrible if we expect our girls not to interact with people or cover themselves from head to toe or get married in their teenage.

There are many more such commentaries passed by our leaders every other day. But all these statements prove one thing for sure that this is the real face of our society as these people in power are selected by us and not by some foreigners. We came to know about their opinions because these people are well known personalities. Their opinions in a sense reflect the mindset of the entire society. It is the society which has supported and sustained these leaders and their prejudiced, immature and highly disturbing mentality. And as long as this mindset of looking down on womenfolk, blaming them for every issue, trying to control them and exploit them prevails in the society, nothing no law, no sermons, no protests can stop the rapes and other sexual crimes from happening. 

The next issue I would like to write about is the kind of movies & songs the Bollywood is producing. I am not against the movie industry as a whole, but only to its increasing portrayal of women as Sexual objects.  The songs with a vulgar lyrics and an actress dancing to that surrounded by 20 to 30 people lurking for her has become very common in the recently produced movies. This portrayal of women is not only offending to women but also encourages such views and opinions that already exist in the society. No accountability and moral responsibility is exhibited in the movies that are made. I believe that, Bollywood is leading the society in a wrong direction just for the sake of business. Why I said leading is because there are lot many people who are inspired from these movies, their actors and actresses.  Many of them try to ape the things that they see in the movies. Further, the Bollywood’s portrayal of women as a sexual object in a sense justifies and reinforces the perversions of many people who view women as nothing but objects to be used for pleasure and for producing kids.

It’s not totally the mistake of Bollywood as such because they are making and selling such movies because people at large are buying it. But should the movie-making be reduced to pure business taking art, creativity and moral responsibility out of the equation? Who is making sex look uglier day by day? Who is presenting sex as the one and only purpose of life? Visual mediums do leave a deeper imprint on the viewer’s mind. Should there be no accountability and responsibility attached to those who produce the movies?

After the Delhi bus rape case, lots of questions are rising in my mind; the most striking one is “what if I was one of them who saw her unconscious in the need of help, would I have helped her?” It’s very easy to say a yes but the truth is I just don’t know the answer. But one thing is for sure that I don’t want to see any girl in such a horrible state ever. And if I do, I don’t want to back off. Just giving a rape victim names like “Damini, nirbhaya, jagruti, amanat” or lighting candles to protest is not going to solve the problem. Helping her when she is in need is a must. I wonder what the people might be thinking after knowing that the girl that night they avoided was tortured and was in need of help and now is dead. Are they able to live a normal life? Don’t they feel guilty? Don’t they fear that one day one of their family members may suffer in the same way? 

As a girl my only request to the society is that when you find a girl who has been raped, try not to make judgement about her character, there is no girl on earth who would like to be treated as the girl in the “Delhi Bus rape case” has been treated. Even the very thought of such incident scares the hell out of a girl. She is not responsible if some people are thinking filthy about her; it is such people who always find an excuse to sexual harass some girl or defend somebody who does it. The only thing any woman will expect from the society is for them to understand that even she wants to live freely without any fear of any kind and it’s the society’s responsibility to make the world safe for her. Even if she is a prostitute, one has no right to mistreat her. She is a part of society and she deserves your respect. It is my sincere request to every person of the society both men and women alike- if you know some girl who has been raped, then stop treating her as if she is diseased, try to help her in rebuilding her life, inspire her to move on, if possible help in punishing the rapist and make sure that your son or brother doesn’t become one. And if you know someone who is mistreating any girl, take a stand about it? Hiding your girls inside some cabinet wouldn’t save them, if you really wish to save them, help them in living a life as normally as you do. If you do only this much I believe you can change the society at least a little bit. After all “We Are The Society”.

The Two Aspects of Creation- Maya and Lila

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Nithin Sridhar
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One of the questions that seekers, philosophers, scientists and theologian’s world over have involved themselves from time immemorial is about the origin of the universe. The views vary from our Universe coming out of Big Bang to creationist views of world being created one fine day by God. It is only in Hindu religion that one finds a comprehensive analysis and explanation of various aspects and realms of Cosmos and its origin.

To understanding about the Creation/Origin of the Universe, it is important to understand the relationship between World and God according to Hindu philosophy. God and World, the Creator and the Created are not two distinct entities but only they appear to be so. In the Vyavahrika plane(1) (the Mundane/Relative), the Man, World and the God appear and function as distinct from one another, but in Paramarthika plane (The Absolute plane) there is only One, call it God or Brahman or Atman. In other words, God is the sum total of all existence.

Chandogya Upanishad proclaims “Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma(2)” meaning “Everything is Brahman/God”. All the existence, the entire cosmos, everything that ever existed is nothing but Brahman. The same has been more explicitly mentioned in Taittiriya Upanishad-

“yatO vA imAni bhUtAni jAyantE
yEna jATAni jIvanti
yat prayant-yabhi-sam-vishanti
tadvijigyasasva tad brahmeti” (3)

“From which all the creatures (bhUta) are born, being born by which they sustain and into which they merge back, Know that as Brahman”.

The world/cosmos with all its multiplicities are not separate from God but have their origin in him and they sustain in him and merge back into him. Brahman is both the material and intelligent cause for this universe. To accomplish any work (Karya) - For example creating a pot, a base material (Soil) called as “Upadana” in scriptures and a person (the potter) who accomplishes the task called as “Karta” is needed.

Shastras term this as “Upadana Karana/material cause” and “Nimmita Karana/Intelligent or Efficient cause”. In case of the Universe, Brahman is both the Upadana Karana and the Nimmita Karana. That is, God does not create any universe separate from it but only has manifested it out of his own-self in other-words God has himself become Cosmos.

To the question, “How exactly does Brahman manifest Universe?” The Shastras explain two ways in which an already existing entity (Karana/Cause) has become another entity (Karya/Effect) - The Parinama Vada and the Vivarta Vada. “Parinama vada(4)” refers to a real transformation of an object into another object, Ex: Milk turning in Curd, mud becoming pot etc. “Vivarta vada” refers to an apparent transformation of one object into another, Ex: a rope being mistaken for snake, a mirage in a desert etc.

In the case of Universe, the “Parinama vada” does not hold. If God has indeed undergone complete and real transformation and become Cosmos, the way milk becomes curd, then there would have been no difference between God and World in Vyavaharika state. Then in Vyvaharika State, there would not have been any God instead only sensory world. Just as once Milk turns into Curd, it ceases to be milk and cannot turn back into milk, so also God will cease to exist once it transforms completely into Universe.But such a materialistic view is not supported by Hindu Shastras which proclaim Brahman as being- “Nithya(Eternal), Nishkalam(Without parts/divisions), Nishkriyam (without action) Shantham(Calm), Niravadhyam (Flawless), Niranjanam(Stainless)”. Instead, Vedanta Philosophy explains that the Brahman manifests Universe, just as rope appears snake (Vivarta vada). That is, there is only an apparent transformation of God into Universe. In case of snake, rope was the Upadana Karana/Material cause and in case of universe, Brahman is the Upadana Karana. This phenomenon of Apparent Manifestation is termed as “Maya” and the Power of Brahman to achieve it is termed as “Maya Shakti”. Adi Shankaracharya in Maya Panchakam says-

“nirupama nithya niramshakeepyakhande
mayi chiti sarva nikalpanaadishunye |
ghatayati jagadeesha-jeeva-bhedam
tvaghatita ghatanaapatiiyasi maaya ||”(5)

In Brahman who is Unique, Eternal, without parts, Absolute, It is Maya which creates the distinctions of Man, World and God. There is nothing impossible for Maya.

Hence, it is Brahman who creates/manifests this universe using his power of Maya. Hence, Lord Krishna was described as Mayapati- Lord of Maya.  In Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna says-

“ajo ’pi sann avyayatma
bhutanam isvaro ’pi san |
prakritim svam adhisthaya
sambhavamy atma-mayaya ||”(6)

Though I am birthless, undecaying by nature, and the Lord of beings, (still) by subjugating My Prakriti, I take birth by means of My own Maya.

Lord Krishna, an Avatara of God himself is proclaiming that he creates the whole universe by his power of Maya. But now a question arises, why did Brahman need to manifest this Apparent Universe? To achieve what goal?

The Shastras say that for God, the whole manifestation is just Lila/ a Divine play. It is a spontaneous manifestation for Brahman. This manifestation is not an activity/kartattva as in Paramarthika state, there is no duality of Karta and Karya. Brahman himself is Karta-doer, Karana-cause and the Karya-activity. Hence, the whole manifestation of Universe has been described as Lila- a spontaneous play. Further, because it is a Lila and not a Karya, there is no end goal or results to achieve because Brahman intends to achieve nothing as he is everything. It is Brahman’s very Svabhava/nature to continuously manifest and dissolve and re-manifest the cosmos. Hence, God is also called as “Lalita” meaning “She who plays” by Shaktas stressing the fact that playing Lila is God’s very own Svabhava.

Many people have this misconception that Maya and Lila are different and at times contradictory. But it is not so. They both refer to same phenomenon but only stressing on two different aspect of it. Whereas the term “Maya” stresses that Brahman is the Upadana Karana of this Universe, the term “Lila” stresses that Brahman is the “Nimitta Karana” of the Universe. “Maya” answers the question “How the Universe was created” and “Lila” answers the question “Why the Universe was created”.

References-

1.For detailed explanation of Vyavaharika and Paramartika states, refer my article “The Two Realities”.
2.Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1.
3.Taittiriya Upanishad 3.1.3.
4.There is one more doctrine called “Arambavada/Asat-Karya-vada” which says that, an object which was non-existant before was newly created. This view about Universe is held by Nyaya School which propounds that Universe was created by Ishwara by using Anu/atoms. Here, Anu is the upadana karana and Ishwara is nimitta karana. But, Vedanta Shastras and Upanishads does not accept this doctrine. According to the Shastras, World existed in potential/sukshma form in Brahman from before.  Hence, Brahman only manifests Universe and does not actually create it.
5.Maya Panchakam Verse 1
6.Bhagvad Gita 4.6

Jainism In Karnataka

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Nithin Sridhar

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(This article was published in esamskriti.com in June, 2010)

Jainism has been a small, but one of the most influential religious tradition in India. It has been a major cultural, philosophical, social, and political force since dawn of civilization in India. Jainism is often referred to as Jain Dharma or Shraman Dharma or the religion of Nirgantha by ancient texts. It is one of the oldest Shramana traditions, that is Ascetic tradition still surviving in India. Today, with 4 million population (2001 census), Jains are spread throughout India. They are present prominently in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Karnataka, Madya Pradesh and Bundelkhand have considerable population of Jains.

 In the Rig -Veda there are clear references to Rishabhdev, the 1st Tirthankar, and to Aristanemi, the 22nd Tirthankar. The Yajur-veda also mentions the names of three Tirthankars, viz. Rishabhdev, Ajitanath and Aristanemi. Rishabha has also been mentioned in Bhagavata-Puran (1). Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankar, is the earliest Jain leader who can be reliably dated. According to scholars, he probably lived in the 9th Century BC. This pervasive influence of Jain culture and philosophy in ancient Bihar may have given rise to Buddhism. It has been said that, when Siddharta Gautama, left his home, he went into forest for penance, and he moved above naked and he plucked his own hairs and lived like Jaina Niggantha(2).

The beginning of Jainism in Karnataka has been a matter of speculation. Legend has it that Mahavira visited Karnataka and initiated King Jivandhara of Hemanagada country of the Kuntala (Karnataka) region and this probably accounts for the early beginnings of Jainism in Karnataka.

 The advent of Jainism in Karnataka is assigned to 4^th century BC by a well-known Jaina tradition. It states that, Badrabhahu, of the line of pontiffs started by Mahavira and his royal disciple Chandragupta Maurya, migrated to South along with many followers due to famine in north and settled in Shravana-Belagola and breath their last in Chandragiri, by Sallekhana(Death by Fasting).

Chandragupta Basadi at Shravana-Belagola though a latter day structure, bears its connections with the tradition. But, unfortunately no epigraphic or literary evidence is available to corroborate this Bhadrabahu-Chandragupta tradition. The first mention of this tradition is found in Shravana-Belagola epigraph of 7^th century. “Brhatkhosha” of Harisena of 931 AD also mentions of this tradition. Narasimhachar, who has examined the sources in detail, believes that, this tradition has some basis to stand. (3)

Historically, Jainism received huge patronage at hands of Karnataka Kings, royal families, merchants and even common men. Large number of monuments present throughout the state is the visible examples of Jain influence. A large number of epigraphical references also exist mentioning about patronage and grants received from Kings and Queens to Jain faith. Apart from this, contribution of Jains for Kannada literature too is immense.

Political position of Jainism under Karnataka Kings:

Beginning from time of Kadambas of Banavasi, until Vijayanagara period, Jainism received generous grants from Kannada monarchs.

Kadambas of Banavasi (345-525CE): The earliest grant from Kadambas comes from the time of Mrigesavarman(his fourth regnal year)(4). The copper plate mentions the grant of an entire village for the benefits of Jain Gods (Bhagavat, Arhat and Mahajinendra). He also gave thirty-three Nivartanas of land (in modern Halsi in Belguam) to Yapaniyas (Jainas) (5). The same copper plate also states that, Jaina ascetics must be fed during rainy seasons. Kadambas have to their credit of inaugurating the tradition of grants to Jainas.

The Gangas of Talkad (350-1000 CE): Tradition connects origin of Gangas to a Jaina teacher Simhanandi. Shripurusha gave Devanahalli grant to Jinalaya and Narasimharajapura grant to a Jaina Caityalaya.(6) Prithvipati I^st’s Billur grant records the gift of twelve villages on the banks of Lakshmanathirtha to Satyavakya Jinaalaya at Pannekadanga.(7)

There are many inscriptions showing huge grants made by Rachamalla IV, and his minister Chavundaraaya.

Chalukyas of Badami(6^th century): In spite of being staunch Hindus, they extended patronage to Jainas. The existence pf a Jaina cave by side of Vaishnava cave at Badami, is the best example of tolerance of Chalukyas. During the period of Kirthivarma II, Kaliyamma built a Jinalaya at Annigeri. (8) Sendraka Durgasakti donated lands to Sankha-Jinalaya at Puligere(9). Vijayaditya gave away village Seribaluru near Laksmeshwar.

The Rashtrakutas(8^th century) and Chalukyas of Kalyana(12^th century):

Altekar characterizes the age of Rashtrakutas as the most flourishing period in history of Jainism in Deccan. Amoghavarsha I was more a Jaina than a Hindu (10). Many of officers of Rashtrakutas were Jainas. The Rattas of Saundatti were staunch supporters of Jainism. Altekar estimates that at least one third of total populations of Deccan during this period were Jainas(11).

Chalukyas of Kalyana patronized all religions. Taila, the founder of Chalukya dynasty was patron of great poet Ranna(who was a Jaina). Satyashraya has a Jaina teacher as Rajguru. Attimabbe constructed many basadis. King gave golden Kalasha to one such basadi at Lokkigundi (12). Shantinatha, a minister of Someshwara II built Mallikamoda Shantinatha basadi at Baligrama (13)

The Hoysalas(10^th-14^th century): Hoysalas are traditionally connected with Jainism since origin. Sala, himself was a Jain. Ereyanga is said to have made many grants at Belagola. Vinayaditya II built large number of Jaina shrines. According to Belur inscription, Vishnuvardhana received prasadam of God Vijaya Parshwa from Jinalaya and made provision for performance of ceromonies of Vijaya Parshwa and 24 Thirthankaras. His wife Shantaladevi is described as jewel of Jainism (14). Many of his generals including Mariyane Dandanayaka, Punisa and Boppa were all Jains. These disprove the allegation that Vishnuvardhana after his conversion to Vaishnavism ignored Jainas. Narasimha I though a Vaishnavite made grants to Sravanabelagola. Ballala II built Nagara Jinalaya at Dorasamudra. Patronage to Jainism continued in the days of Narasimha and Ramanatha.

Vijayanagara Period (1336-1646 CE): With establishment of Vijayanagara kingdom, emphasis was more on Hinduism and Jainism received great setback. Yet, Jainas received some grants. Harihara II patronized Jaina ministers. He also constructed Kuntha Jinaalaya at Vijayanagara (15). Shravanabelagola inscription of 1442 mentions grants for Gommateshwara.

These shows that Jainas enjoyed patronage from Kings and were a dominant political force in Karnataka.

Jainism and Veerashaivism:

A cursory look into the philosophies of Jainas and Veerashaivas (their scriptures, Agamas,mythology etc) shows the commona concepts like Avidya, Acharanga, Karmikamala, Dyana, Paapa-Punya, Doctrines of Karma etc. Veerashaivas use Lingam as external symbol and Jainas wear Upasakasutra as external symbol.

For example, Jinasenacharya declares in Mahapurana- “Ahimsa Paramo Dharmaha, Ahimsa Lakshanam Dharmam”(Ahimsa is highest Dharma, and Ahimsa is indicative of Dharma). Similarly, Basava says in one of his vachanas “Dayavillada Dharmadavudidayya”(No Dharma without Compassion).

Vattakeracharya recommends Himsaviratti(Non-violence), Brahmacharya(celibacy), Amrashavada(good speech), Asteya(non-stealing) in his book Mulachara.

Similarly, Veerashaiva vachanas say “Kala Beda, Kolabeda, Husiya Nudiya beda”(Don’t steal, Don’t kill, Don’t lie).

Further, Jaina concepts of Samyagdharshana, Jnana and Chariya are the Samayagdharshanas of Veerashaivas also. The Veerashaiva Pancha Acharas viz., Shivachara, Gaachara etc agree with Jaina Pancha acharas viz., Darshanachara, Jnanachara etc (16).  These illustrate the commonality between different indigenous philosophical streams.

Kannada Literature:

Kannada literature is often classified into Jaina, Vaishnava and Veerashaiva literatures recognizing the prominence of these three faiths in giving form to, and fostering, classical expression of the language (17). Starting with the Kavirajamarga (c. 850), and until the middle of the 12th century, literature in Kannada was almost exclusively composed by the Jains, who found eager patrons in the Chalukya, Ganga, Rashtrakuta and Hoysala kings (18). Jainas dominated Kannada literature till 12^th century.

The earliest existing prose piece in old Kannada is a Jain text Vaddaradhane ("Worship of Elders", 9th century) by Shivakotiacharya(19).Jain writers Adikavi Pampa, Sri Ponna and Ranna, collectively called the "three gems of Kannada literature", Pampa wrote “Adi Purana” in 941 AD, which narrates the life history of Rishabdev, the first Thirthankar of Jainism. Ponna wrote “Shantipurana”, a biography of the 16th Jain Tirthankar Shantinatha. Ranna's poetic writings reached their zenith with “Sahasa Bhima Vijaya”.

These clearly show the strong influence of Jainas in Kannada literature.

Architecture:

Jain contribution to Architecture is immense. The monolith statue of 60 feet, the famous Gomateshwara statue, in Shravanabelagola is the living example of Jain contribution to architecture and scupture. Shravanabelagola, Chandragiri, Indragiri, Moodabidiri, Karkala, Dharmasthala, Venur, Gerosoppa, Hadolli, Bilgi, Lakkundi,  are some of the important centers of Jain monuments in Karnataka.

The earliest references to Jaina monuments are found in Halasi and Devagiri inscriptions of Kadamba period. According to Gudnapur inscription Kadamba King Ravivarma built a temple, kamajinalaya for Manmatha. Ganga minister and commander Chamundaraya in honour of Lord Bahubali built it. Badami Chalukyas built a cave temple dedicated to Adinatha Thirthankara. Another Jaina cave is in Aihole. Structural temples built by them include-Meguti Jinalaya at Aihole and the jinalaya built by Kumkuma Mahadevi at Lakshmesvar.

The Jaina monuments of the Rashtrakutas period are found at Pattadakal, Malkhed, Lakshmeshwar, Koppal and Bankura, of North Karnataka. The Neminatha basadi at Malkhed, the capital of the Rashtrakutas belongs to ninth century A. D. Jaina temple at Naregal is the biggest Rashtrakuta temple in Karnataka. It was built during the period of Krishna III, by Padmabbarasi, the queen of Ganga Permadi Bhutayya in 950 A.D. Similarly many Jinalayas were built by Kalyani Chalukyas too including Brahma Jinalaya at Lakkundi and Sankha Jinalya at Lakshmeshwar. Chaturmukha basadi, Neminatha basadi, Vardhamana basadi and two Parsvanatha basadis located at Gerusoppa are important jain monuments built During Vijayanagara period.

These show, the enormous contribution of Jainas in every aspect of life of Karnataka people.

References-

1-The Bhāgavata says: “In the womb of Merudevi, wife of Nabhi, Rishaba had his eighth avatara. He showed himself in a form that is to be worshipped by all Shramanas.”

2-Majjima Nikaya: Maha Siha Nada Sutta, mentioned in “Buddha and Mahavira: A Philosophical Perspective” by Dr.T.G. Kalghatgi

3-Epigraphia Carnatica, Sacred Books.

4-Indian Antiquary, Vol. 7, mentioned in Karnaraka Kings and Jainism, Dr. A.V.Narasumha Murthy

5-Ibid,

6-Ibid, Vol. 2, mentioned in Karnaraka Kings and Jainism, Dr. A.V.Narasumha Murthy

7-Epigraphia Carnatica, Vol. 1

8-Epigraphia Indica, Vol.32

9-Karnaraka Kings and Jainism, Dr. A.V.Narasumha Murthy

10-Ibid

11-Ibid

12-South Indian Inscriptions, Vol.11

13-Shikripur 136, mentioned in Karnaraka Kings and Jainism, Dr. A.V.Narasumha Murthy

14-Soraba inscriptions.

15-South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. 9

16-Jainism and Veerashaivism, Dr.G.Marulasiddaiah

17-Narasimhacharya (1934)

18-Ibid

19-Sastri (1955)

The Two Ways of Performing Action

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Nithin Sridhar

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“Karma” or “Action” is the very foundation of our existence. A second does not go by without anybody performing any action. People are continuously involved in performing one or the other tasks- eating, drinking, talking, driving etc. But action does not refer to physical activity alone. Every word, every thought that arise in the mind represents an action being performed. The whole universe works on the principle action and reaction.

The Hindu Shastras/Scriptures call this phenomenon which forms the very basic functioning principle of the cosmos as “Karma”. Every situation, good or bad a person faces in his life is the fruits of his past actions (Karma Phala). Every person or animal, a person encounters or comes in contact with, is result of some Karmic bond (called in scriptures as “Rina Bandha”) present between them. Many people often understand this negatively to mean “Destiny” or “No-free Will”. But, that is only a misconception. On the other hand, Karmic Law is based on complete Free-Will a person has to make choices, to take decisions in every situation he faces. The Karma Phala (Fruits of action) one gets is entirely depended on the Karmas one performs. As the saying goes, “As you sow, so you reap” the whole Universe is based on this Karmic law of action and its fruits.

The Shastras speak of the two ways a person can perform the Karmas- Sakaama and Nishkaama. “Sakaama” refers to performing an action with an eye towards the fruits that action will bore. Such action may lead a person to temporary happiness/Sukha or to temporary sorrow/dukka depending upon whether the Karmic fruit was as per the expectation of the person or not. On the other hand, the Karmas performed in Nishkaama way, i.e performing an action with the sense of duty without expecting any result, such a person will find inner contentment irrespective of the Karmic fruits.

“Sakaama Karmas” increases attachment to the sensory world. As there is no end to the desires of the person, he will be eternally pursuing one desire after another performing countless number of Karmas. He will be ever-struck in this Karmic cycle of Sukha-Dukka. Brahmavaivartha Purana (1) says thus-

Avashyam eva bhoktavyam krutakarma shubha ashubam |

Naa bhuktam kshiyate karma kalpa-koti-shaitairapi ||

A person will definitely enjoy the fruits of his action; it may be good or bad; for without giving the results, an action does not die out even after billions of years.

Hence, these karmas are also called as “Bandhaka Karmas”, actions that increases the bondage to the sensory world. If the same Karmas that cause Bandhana/Bondage are performed in Nishkama way, surrendering the fruits of action to God, giving up one’s sense of doership of action, such Karmas will become “Mochaka”-a way to Liberation from this karmic cycle of birth and death. Shastras say-

Krutena Karmana | Akrutena Mokshaha ||

Performing action leads to Karma, Performing Actionless action leads to Moksha.

“Krutena” means “performing action”. Any activity performed with the sense of identification with doing it, will invariably lead to the bondage of Karmic cycle. Even though literally “Akrutena” means “Not performing Action”, the real meaning is not “Inaction” but what can be described as “action-less action”, i.e performing an action without Ahamkara-sense of I-ness of performing it. In other words, surrendering to God the Action, its fruits and the sense of doership of it.

In Bhagvad Gita, Sri Krishna describes this Nishkaama Karma as “Yogah karmasu kausalam(2)”- Yoga is the action perfected. Further he explains what he means by Yoga as thus-

yoga-sthah kuru karmani sangam tyaktva dhananjaya |

siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva samatvam yoga ucyate ||(3)

O Arjuna, abandon all attachment to success or failure and perform your duty by being steadfast in yoga. Such evenness of mind is called yoga.

“Samatvam Yoga Uchyate” means “performing action in a detached manner”. Krishna is asking Arjuna to become a “Stitahprajna”- one who is not affected by external factors. This yoga is called as “Nishkaama Karma” or “Actionless action”. No spiritual progress is possible for a person without him giving up his Ahamkara(I-ness) and Mamahkaara (mine-ness) and learning to perform Nishkaama karma with the sense of Dharma (Duty) and Tyaga (sacrifice).

“Moksha”or Final Liberation is not possible without attaining “Atma Sakshatkara”. But this cannot be attained without the Karmas. Sage Agastya in “YogaVashishta” lucidly explains this thus-

ubhabhyam eva paksabhyam yatah khe paksinam gatih |

tathai va jnana karmabhyam jayate paramam padam ||(4)

Just as a bird flies with its two wings, so also an enquirer flies to goal of Self-Realization through the co-ordination of two wings of Jnana and Karma.

Whatever may be the path, a spiritual seeker takes but he must develop Samabhavatva (treating everything in same manner without likes and dislikes) and perform Nishkaama Karmas. Only when a person performs the Karmas prescribed in Shastras (vihita karmas) in such a Nishkaama way, will he achieve Chitta Shuddhi-purification of mind and be able to develop the competencies necessary for Jnana Sadhana.

Shastras classify Karmas into four categories- Nithya, Naimitta, Kamya and Nishiddha. Nithya Karmas refer to daily activities that a person is supposed to follow like Sandhyavandana. Naimmitta refers to Karmas performed on specific occasions. Kamya refers to Karmas done to fulfill specific desires. Nishiddha refers to Karmas that are prohibited like Killing etc. A person must first practice Apara/Bhedha bhakti (5) by implementing the Karmas prescribed in the Shastras in a Nishkaama way and by avoiding the Karmas prohibited by the Shastras. Only such a practice will make him develop the surrendering required to be able to give up his Ahamkara and Mamah-Kaara. This results in Chitta-Shuddhi. Without performing Nishkaama Karma, Chitta Shuddhi is not possible.

A person who has thus purified his mind will develop qualities like Viveka(spiritual discrimination), Vairagya(dispassion), Titaksha(forbearance)(6) etc. Only such a person is eligible for practicing Jnana Sadhana. He should then approach a Sadguru and practice the Sravana Chatushtaya (the four fold spiritual practice)- Sravana ,Manana , Nidhidhyasa  and Atma-Sakshatkara.

Sravana and Manana refers to listening and internalizing the teachings imparted by one’s Guru. A shishya is expected to do further reading of the Shastras on the said subject and get cleared of the doubts that arises in his mind. The Guru will guide the disciple slowly towards Jnana by clearing one by one all the doubts that arise inside the disciple. After intellectually understanding the Guru’s words the shishya must practice Nidhidhyasa- Meditation and Contemplation as instructed by his Guru. By sincerely practicing the Sadhana’s instructed by the Guru, the Shishya will attain Atma-Shakshatkara.

Many people have this misconception that performing rituals alone (Karma Anushtana) can lead a seeker to Moksha and practice of Jnana Sadhana is not needed. But it is not so. In Vivekachudamni, Adi Shankara clears this doubt thus (7)-

Cittasya shuddhaye karma na tu vastupalabdhaye |

vastusiddhirvicharena na kincit-karma-kotibihi ||

Actions cause purification of the mind but they do not, by themselves, cause the attainment of Reality. The Self-Realization is brought about only by Self-Enquiry/Jnana Sadhana and not in the least by even ten million acts (alone).

Hence the Karma Anushtana of the rituals and practices done in a Sakaama way does not lead to Moksha but instead it will increase the bondage to the material world. But if these Karmas are done in Nishkaama way, it will lead to the purification of the mind of the sadhaka who will attain the qualities like Viveka etc. And these competencies will enable him to perform Jnana Sadhana Anushtana and achieve Atma Sakshatkara and hence Moksha.

Footnotes-

1. Brahmavaivartha Purana 1.44.74

2. Bhagvad Gita 2.50

3. Bhagvad Gita 2.48

4. Yoga Vashista 1.1.7.8

5. For more information about classification of Bhakti, refer the article “The Two Stages of Devotion”.

6. For more information on Sadhana Chatushtaya-Four Competencies, refer the article “The Two Paths of Life”.

7. Vivekachoodamani, Verse 11