MahaaPurush

गङ्गा पापं शशी तापं दैन्यं कल्पतरुस्तथा    |
पापं तापं च दैन्यं च घ्नन्ति सन्तो महाशया: ||

Gangaa paapam shashee taapam dainyam kalpatarustathaa
Paapam taapam cha dainyam cha ghnanti santo mahaashayaa-haa

Meaning: The (river) Ganga washes away all sins; the moon (shashee) removes all the heat (with its coolness), and the Kalpataru tree removes all poverty (by granting all wishes). But the noble simultaneously eliminate (all three)—sins, heat & poverty.

This shloka tells us the importance of the noble & the saintly. While the river Ganga, the moon and the Kalpataru only remove 1 hardship each, noblemen remove all three and any other.

It tells us the importance of being associated with noblemen or mahaa-purush. We should first be able to recognize a mahaa-purush, and then get associated with him or her. This association would bring great benefits to us in terms of overall development. Poverty doesn't just connote financial poverty, but the poverty of life. Such saintly association would remove all the problems or hardships from our life, and get us moving on the path of happiness.

This being the first step, the shloka also hints at the other side of it. Not only should we associate with mahaa-purush, but we should also try to become one, or like one. We should be such that people feel peace, love, and warmth, just by being with us. They should feel like becoming virtuous due to association with us. If they feel like ceasing bad deeds or sins, then that is equivalent to cleansing of sins. They should feel the sheetaltaa or coolness of the moon upon meeting us. They should be able to confide in us, share with us and feel that we are there—for them & with them. That will remove more than half of their problems & get them working.

In the 12th chapter of Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta, the Lord tells us about the quality of ana-udvigna. At a very peripheral level, it means one who is approachable, or one whom people won't be hesitant to approach or meet. We have to be ana-udvigna. Everyone should want to meet us, and be with us. There is a difference between ana-udvigna & popular. Ana-udvigna means people should not know why, but they still want to be with you. It's due to our pure & virtuous character whereas popularity is generally due to external personality.

This is a very important requirement for anyone who wants to do constructive & cultural work at whatever level. We have to be such, that people not only look up to us, but also feel comfortable with, and also feel a bond with. For people to be able to feel comfortable with us, we have to be of such character. Someone who simply carries out instructions or enforces principles is a manager, while someone with whom people connect on their own, is the person, this shloka wants us to be. Such a person can make people live on the principles desired out of mankind rather than simply follow them. We have to be such, so as to carry out any kind of constructive work effectively. The onus is always ours.

Pastime

काव्यशास्त्रविनोदेन कालो गच्छति धीमताम्
व्यसनेन तु मूर्खाणां निद्रया कलहेन वा
- हितोपदेश

Kaavya-shaastra-vinodena kaalo gachchhati dheemataam
vyasanena tu moorkhaaNaam nidrayaa kalahena vaa
- Hitopadesha

Meaning: The intelligent (dheemataam) spend their time (kaala) in studying literature (kaavya) and scriptures (shaastra) for their amusement (vinoda), while fools by (indulging in) bad habits (vyasana), sleeping (nidraa) or quarreling (kalahena).

Our hobbies, our pastimes tell us about our personalities. Intelligent people always have hobbies which enrich their minds, which add value to their lives, which take them further in life. Whereas foolish people indulge into unproductive activities like vices, too much sleeping, and having tussles and quarrels with others.

What are we spending our time on?
What do we do, when we have nothing else to do?
What do we want to do, if we had more time?
These are the questions being asked by the subhaashitkaar. If the answers contain productive activities where our mind is involved positively, even during amusement, then we are among the intelligent.

Time is of great essence, and every moment if not used productively, is causing losses to us in the business of life. We should know what we are doing at any moment, and why we are doing what we are doing. If that is well-defined, even an hour spent watching the rains or the birds, or even sleeping is well-spent. It all depends upon whether you know what you are doing, and whether there is a well-defined productive reason for what you are doing. Reading books may not be always be productive, and sleeping may not be always unproductive. They may well be vice versa. It all depends upon the 'why' behind the action. Know your whys in life and you are good to go !

Knowledge vs Pleasure

सुखार्थी त्यजते विद्यां विद्यार्थी त्यजते सुखम् |
सुखार्थिनः कुतो विद्या कुतो विद्यार्थिनः सुखम् |

Sukhaarthi tyajate vidyaam vidyaarthee tyajate sukham
Sukhaarthina-ha kuto vidyaa kuto vidyaarthina-ha sukham

Meaning: One who craves pleasure (sukha) relinquishes (tyajate) attaining knowledge (vidyaa). And one who craves knowledge relinquishes obtaining pleasure.
What is knowledge to a pleasure-seeker? What is pleasure to a vidyaarthee? (it's of no value).

Our Indian culture has structured our life in such a beautiful way that if we follow it properly, then we get the best out of life at every stage of life. The 1st quarter of our life is our Brahmachaarya Ashram wherein the main focus is pursuit of knowledge. During this student stage of life, it is very strongly emphasized to have a minimum of luxuries so as to remove any and every distraction which can shift our focus from our studies. Complimentarily, it is good to have obstacles, troubles and challenges to make us stretch much more than our capacity.

We see the exact opposite nowadays in society. My revered Dada often says that, whenever someone is checking out hostels for their son or daughter, the first thing that they look out, is whether the food is good, and whether the room is comfortable. They want to see their child in a comfortable situation, so that the child can devote maximum time to studies. But that very comfort is a hindrance to their focus at that time. Cozy, cushioned mattresses make us sleep more. Lovely hot water not only arouses our senses but also make us spend more time in the bathroom. Electronic gadgets like cell phones, computers & music players keeps us distracted from our reading & writing. The worst effect is that we are never alone with ourselves, which gives us no time to contemplate, analyze, collect, and organize our thoughts.

One of my most respected teachers, Dr. Nigal once told us, "Jo log subah ki gulaabi thanDi ko chhod dete hain, unhe aage jaakar duniya gulaab deti hai."

And this shloka applies not just in student life, but all through our lives. Knowledge is an ever-lasting process, not limited to bookish knowledge or a certain age. Knowledge as we have seen earlier, extends to change and growth in our life. Knowledge is not a function of the brain, but a function of our mind - it's a matter of being. If we want growth, we need challenges; we need roadblocks, hurdles & obstacles - of the body, of the mind, and of the heart! Seeking pleasures & comforts at this time would hinder the very process of knowledge. In fact, a true knowledge-seeker would relish troubles more than pleasures.

Doctor

वैद्यराज नमस्तुभ्यम् यमराज सहोदर: |
यमस्तु हरति प्राणान् वैद्य: प्राणान् धनानि च ||

Vaidyaraaja namastubhyam yamaraaja sahodara-ha
Yamastu harati praaNaan vaidya-ha praaNaan dhanaani cha

Meaning: Salutations to you, O Doctor (vaidya-raaj), the brother (sahodar) of Yamraaj (God of death). Yamaraj only takes life (praaNa), whereas the doctor takes life as well as money (dhana)!

Ha ha! I guess, our Rishis had a pretty good sense of humour. This shloka points out the long-standing wisdom of our sages as well as the sorry situation of the medical field—then and now. The doctor—once a noble profession, has turned into a business, and a very profitable one. This profession has the maximum opportunity to understand the wonderful mysteries of life and its Creator; but the same is used for such mundane purposes that the only feeling that comes to my mind is pity, or may be sympathy.

Anyways, next time you meet a doctor, do share this shloka, and have a hearty laugh. Who knows... he might have come for you !!!!

Guru

यथा खनन् खनित्रेण नरो वार्यधिगच्छति |
तथा गुरुगतं विद्यां शुश्रूषुरधिगच्छति ||

Yathaa khanan khanitreNa naro vaaryadhi-gachchhati
tathaa Gurugatam vidyaam shushrushuradhi-gachchhati

Meaning: Just as a person gets water by digging the earth with a spade, so also does a student get knowledge, who serves his Guru.

Though we should be remembering our Guru at all times, Guru Poornima is one festival where we should always remember our Guru. Knowledge, as understood in Indian culture, is not jut acquiring information or understanding concepts. It is far more encompassing. Knowledge as in Vidyaa, connotes a realization which enhances and elevates our life to a higher state of being. Knowledge is not knowledge unless it makes a positive, qualitative difference in our current state of living. Information is what we acquire, and knowledge is what we become. To quote my favorite Morpheus: "Don't think you are, know you are!"

With this perspective in mind, this subhaashit emphasizes the importance of a Guru in our lives. A Guru is one who not only has endless knowledge, but also endless love for you. Guru is one who knows what's best for you, and works hard for the best of you to come out. He is one to whom you can go at any time with any of your problems, academic or otherwise. He has the discipline of our father and the love of our mother. That's why Acharya comes right after Maata & Pitaa in our Bodh Vachan. 

With all his love for us, the Guru never imparts knowledge on his own. He creates hunger in us & then educates when we have the ability and eagerness to consume. That is why, knowledge has to be extracted from the Guru, just as water has to be dug out from the earth. The water is there... in abundance... but we can not acquire it without our own toil.

Today, there is a growing support to the teacher-less teaching methodologies, especially due to the advent of the Internet and video-conferencing. These are definitely very good mediums of imparting information. But knowledge is a different ballgame. In fact, in Indian traditions, students went to stay at the Gurukuls not to study but to serve the Guru. It was in the process of serving the Guru that all knowledge was gained. Sure, they had classroom studies, but that was just one part of it. The education of life & the building of character lay outside the classroom.It was through the demonstrative life of the Guru that students learned the lessons of life. It was through the conversations with the Guru that the students learned. It was the spirit of surrendering our self to the Guru through which the students learned. And the knowledge gained thus, was true Vidyaa.

A glorious modern-day example of such a life-oriented institution is Tattvagnana Vidyapeeth, situated in Thane, Maharashtra in India. Their students are true vidyaarthees; they are seekers, spending 2 years of their precious time, searching the questions of life, under the guidance of their Guru.

True knowledge lies in finding our Guru, and surrendering our full selves to our Guru for life.

Food for progeny

दीपो भक्षयते द्वान्तं कज्जलञ्च प्रसूयते |
यदन्नं भक्षयेन्नित्यं जायते तादृशी प्रजा  ||

Deepo bhakShayate dvaantam kajjalaincha prasooyate
yadannam bhakShayennityam jaayate taaddashee prajaa

Meaning: The lamp devours darkness and emits (dark) smoke. (Similarly), whatever food is consumed regularly, such progeny is born.

This shloka brings out the importance of giving sanskar to our children right when they are in the womb. Sanskar is different from education. Sanskars are the imprints on the mind that define our character. Education caters to the intellect while sanskars build character. Therefore, Indian culture focuses very strongly on Garbha Sanskar. In fact, the first 3 of the 16 sanskars are done before the child is born.
 
In Mahabharat, not only did Abhimanyu learn the Chakra Vyuha in the womb, but more importantly, valor and courage were instilled into him which led him to fearlessly take the decision of fighting out all the Kauravas all alone. The Chakra Vyuha was just the technique but it was his mother's sanskars that made him fight valiantly till the end.

What we consume has a very strong effect on our psyche. Our mind takes the shape of the food we eat. Thus, what we eat, when we eat, with what thoughts do we eat- all these factors have a very strong say in defining our character. Food can be sattvik, taamasik or raajasik. We become what we eat.
 
An other aspect to this idea, is that food is not limited to the physical food that we eat. Food is whatever we consume through all our senses.

• What we read, what we see on TV, what we see when we see other humans, is all food.
• The kind of music we hear, the gossip that we hear, and all other sounds, is also food.
• What we speak - to ourselves, to God, to people, about people, is all food for our mind.
• The kind of thoughts we get when we touch others, is also food.
• The different odours we smell, also contribute in building the environment of our mind.

So it's very important to make sure that we are giving the right kind of food to our mind through our 5 senses. The nature of our food will determine our character, and that will have very strong, intrinsic imprints on our children. And these imprints are much more emphatic than all the education given later on in life. The later education may color the outside of the child to some extent, but the basic character has already been defined to quite a large extent by the intrinsic values that the child inherits from his/her parents.

That is probably why in our Indian culture, when we look for a prospective bride or bridegroom, we have the convention of first checking on how the parents are, how the family is. We can get a very fair idea about the boy or girl by knowing the nature and character of the parents. That custom makes so much more sense now. We also apply the same convention while choosing or evaluating friends of our children.

Our rishis rock ! Cheers !

Acquiring knowledge

अनेकशास्त्रं बहुवेदितव्यम् अल्पश्च कालो बहवश्च विघ्नाः |
यत् सारभूतं तदुपासितव्यं हंसो यथा क्षिरमिवाम्भुमध्यात् || 

Aneka-shaastram bahuveditavyam alpashcha kaalo bahavashcha vighnaa-haayat saarbhootam tadupaasitavyam hanso yathaa kshiramivaambhu-madhyaat

Meaning: There are many shastras (bodies of knowledge/doctrines) and abundance of knowledge. But we have limited time (alpa kaala) and a lot of obstacles (bahu vighna).
As a swan (hansa) extracts milk (kshira) from a mixture of milk and water, one should study the essence (saarabhuta) of the shastras (rather than studying each and every shastra to great details).

There is a lot of knowledge scattered all across the world in various forms. But we do not have the time and luxury of studying everything in detail, due to our day to day responsibilities. And, its not even important to know each detail of everything. More important is to extract the cream which is going to be useful to us in life. More important is to understand the fundamental principles being propounded by any body of knowledge, rather than its intricate details. If we understand the fundamentals, then we would easily be able to intelligently deduce its details, if necessary.

For example, if a computer programmer tries to learn & use each and every programming language existent in the world, he would have to give so much time that he won't have any other life. But instead, if he knows the basic programming principles, then he can easily write programs in any current or new language by simple deduction. Same with doctors, or engineers or any other profession. We should definitely have detailed knowledge of our field, but if we try to go in details of everything, then we would be nowhere.

The swan has the capability to distinguish and extract milk from a mixture of milk and water. We also should have such a discriminatory power of determining what is important for us  and what is not; and then concentrating only on the significant aspects of anything. This applies equally to students, pundits, researchers, seekers of knowledge as well as common mortals like me or you. The essence of any knowledge is the real reason why we study that body of knowledge. Knowledge or gnyaan is supposed to improve our quality of life, enhance our meaning of life; that would happen only when we go beyond the written word and grab the substance beneath.

Today there are so many villages in India where illiterate villagers (men & women) nonchalantly speak of Shankaracharya or Socrates or Karl Marx. Neither have they read, nor do they know each and every concept in the Advaita Vedanta Darshan of Shankaracharya. But they know the basic principle of 'universality of one God' propounded by Shankara, and the efforts he undertook to establish that in the very blood of India. They do not know the detailed philosophy of Socrates, but they know Socrates' fight for truth. They have not read books of Marx or Lenin, but they know communism, and have created a much more egalitarian society than was envisioned by communism. Not just egalitarian, but a harmonious and progressive society ! They know the essence and are leading joyous, blissful lives by implementing the core philosophical principles in their own lives & of others.

This is a live example of this subhaashit. Cheers!