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Sree Guru Charitra
Index
Chapter 14
Namadharaka asked Siddha, ‘Holy one, after having expounded the
supreme doctrine of Gnana Yoga which is the highest
means to attain liberation, why did Sree Guru again proceed to
explain the intricacies of Karma Yoga at length? This has
raised a doubt in my mind: Karma or action is born of
nescience. How then can it be employed to annihilate the
nescience? Pray, clear my doubt’.
Siddha replied: Namadharaka, just as the crab, at its birth, is
said to break open the womb which has conceived it, so too,
karma which is born of ignorance can be employed as the means
to destroy it own source. Again, a brass vessel which is used for
cooking, gathers soot. Later, when it is rubbed with dust gathered
from elsewhere and the vessel is dipped in running water, the soot
is cleared off; its original metallic sheen is revealed. So too,
the performance of karma without attachment for its fruits,
and later, by renouncing action itself and passively accepting the
experiences of life, a man becomes the repository of such virtues
like perfect control over his senses, mind and body. Only such a
one can attain perfection I the final, true, renunciation of
karma. In fact, no one can at any time remain free from
action. For life it self, like all other phenomena, is the dynamic
function of the three modes of Gunas of nature. The
ignorant man will get attached to it through desire for its fruit,
while the enlightened one remains detached to its results,
employing it just as a means of perfecting his faculties. The
perfect gnani continues to perform karma yoga
in order to teach the world by setting up an example. ‘I am aware
that people follow the path I tread and so I perform all actions
meticulously’ so said the Guru once. Now listen to the miraculous
acts of the Lord pertaining to karma yoga. By
listening to them, the fetters of nescience will be broken and
liberation accrues.
In those days, one of the neighbouring states was ruled by a
Muslim king who was cruel and who was particularly hostile to
Brahmins. He used to summon learned Brahmins, force them to recite
the Vedas in his court, contrary to Hindu Law, on promise of gift
of money. Tempted by the offer, some Brahmins gathered about him
and did as he wished. He used to listen to the merely literal
exposition of the Vedic mantras and then he used to vilify
the sacred Vedas and the pious Brahmins who were esteemed for
their proficiency in the Vedas. He thought that the principles of
righteous living contained in the Vedas were false. Once, two
despicable but learned Brahmins, who were puffed with the pride of
their learning visited the king and said: “We are well-versed in
Vedas and Sastras. We challenge you to present before us
any pundit who is as learned as we, in your court, for a
metaphysical debate.” The king summoned all the learned Brahmins
of that place, but none of them dared to accept the challenge,
being over awed by their claims of scholarship. So, with the
consent of the court and the court-scholars, the king honoured the
visitors by parading them around the city on an elephant in a
grand procession, and later bestowed on them valuable gifts. Such,
indeed, is the fate of false Vedic scholars who are entangled in
the lure of pomp, wealth and luxuries and who are unconcerned with
the moral fall implied in such a conduct. At last, the visitors
said: ‘Oh king, without frequent learned debates, the fruit of our
learning goes in vain. Please grant us the royal permission to
challenge and defeat all the scholars of the land in public
debates and secure written testimonies of the same’. The king
acceded to that request in vicious glee. At once the visitors
extracted the written testimonies of their victory from the royal
priest and went away in search of further conquests and glory.
In the course of their travels round the country, the two scholars
approached the learned sannyasi, Trivikrama Bharati, and said, ‘If
you are indeed a knower of the Vedas faces us in a public debate,
or else give us in writing that we are the victors!’ The sannyasi
replied, ‘Scholars like you are indeed worthy of worship. I am no
such. Further, I am a sannyasi and so victory and defeat are the
same to me. What if I win or loose in the debate?’ Then they
produced the testimonials of the victories they had won earlier
and demanded, ‘Either you commence the debate, or issue a
testimonial of our victory’. So Trivikrama wanted them to follow
him to the presence of Sree Guru where it can be decided whether
he would participate in the debate straight away, or issue a
testimonial. As Trivikrama, in all his humility, proceeded on
foot, the proud visitors proceeded in well decorated palanquins.
Trivikrama entered the monastery of Sree Guru and addressed him:
‘Supreme Lord, just as the owl cannot witness the glory of the
sun, these pundits who are blinded by nescience cannot know you
for what you are. Pray, free me from the vexation of these fellows
who are incensed with pride and self-glorification.’
Sree Guru summoned the scholars into his presence and said to
them, ‘What do you hope to achieve by such a demand, revered
Sirs?’ They said: ‘We are scholars par excellence.
We have been traveling about this land to defeat all fellow
scholars in public debate, with the royal permission. Your
disciple has brought us to you. Do you know the Vedas?’
Sree Guru said, ‘My dear ones, you know how many were the demons (Raakshasas)
that were undone by their own pride. Indeed, there is no one who
knows the whole of the Vedas which are without beginning and end.
In ancient times, sage Bharadwaja did tapas in order to
master the whole of the Vedas and vowed himself to a life of
celibacy. Pleased with his austerities, god Brahma granted him
ever longer spans of life time, during which the sage mastered
prodigious parts of the scripture. Yet, much more remained to be
mastered, till at last Brahma showed him the glowing mountain of
Vedic knowledge that remained to be learned! Sage Bharadwaja
wondered how long it would take to master it all and whether he
could ever hope to do so in all eternity. Lord Brahma then gave
him a few handfuls of that Vedic lore. Till now, sage Bharadwaja
has been learning it and has not yet finished it.
Later, Sage Paila of yore studied the Rigveda;
Vaisampaayana studied the Yajurveda; Jaimini studied the
Saamaveda; Sumanta studied the Atharvanaveda, Sage
Vedavyasa was their guru. In the previous cycles of existence,
those endowed with very long life studied all the existing
portions of the Veda. But in this dark age of Kali, people are
dull witted and are content with learning a few branches (Saakhas)
of each of the Vedas and yet they proudly claim to have mastered
them in Toto. Indeed, they are slaves to wealth, delicious food
and women. Hence, they do not attain spiritual perfection despite
all their life of learning.
Once sage Vyaasa enumerated the branches (Saakhas) and
‘limbs’ of Vedas (Vedaangas). Ayurveda is the secondary
branch of knowledge related to the Rigveda; it is bright as gold;
it belongs to Atri Gotra and has the Gayatri metre (Chandas).
It has Brahma as its presiding deity and is two forearms in
length. It has wide and long eyes and a vividly built neck. It has
four branches in it, viz., Saakala, Bhaashkala, Saamkhyaayani,
Aswalaayani and Maandukya Saakhas. It has eight other
branches called Jata, Maala, Sikha, Lekha, Dhwaja, Danda, Radha
and Ghana. It has six limbs of learning called Niruktha,
Vyaakarana, Jyotisha, Chandas, Sikha and Suutra. Who
can ever hope to master the whole of the Rigveda which is
so vast?
Now about Yajurveda: It is bright like the sun and is five
forearms high. It bears a skull. It is lean and tall.
Dhanurveda is its secondary Veda; it has the Trishtup
metre (Chandas). It belongs to the Bharadwaja Gotra.
Its presiding deity is Lord Vishnu. It has eighty six branches. At
present, only eighteen of them are extant. It has six limbs. Who
can thoroughly master this Veda which is so extensive?
Saamaveda
is self-restrained (Daanta), pure and is decked with
flower-garlands. It wears skin as raiment and bears a staff. It is
six fore-arms in height. Gaandharva or the knowledge of
music is its secondary Veda. Lord Rudra (or Shiva) is its
presiding deity. Jagati is its metre. It belongs to
Kaasyapa Gotra. It has seventeen branches and six limbs.
Now, only nine of its branches are extant. Who can ever hope to
master it all?
Atharvanaveda
is mighty and turbulent in nature, white in complexion and is of
the form of desire. It is auspicious and is well-contented with
its own spouse. Yantraveda or knowledge of mechanics is its
secondary Veda. Anushtup is its metre. Lord Indra is its
presiding deity. It has nine branches and five Kalpas. Who
has ever known it through?
In this Indian subcontinent, during this dark age of Kali,
Brahmins are reciting Vedas in the presence of the unworthy. That
is why they lack sattwaguna (pure longing for true Being).
The Vedic mantras are kept safe from popular idle curiosity by
such ritual initiations as Utsarjana and Upaakarma.
When truly learned, they are capable of bestowing everything
worthy on its knower, like the mythical wish-granting cow (Kaamadhenu).
The whole of the creation is under the control of the deities; the
deities are under the power of mantras; the mantras are in the
possession of pious Brahmins. Such Brahmins are worthy to be
worshipped even by Lord Vishnu. During the Krita (fourth) age
(i.e., the age of wisdom and truth), Brahmins refused to accept
any prize or possession, even if someone offered them kingdoms and
all. Hence, they were spiritually very powerful. Even deities were
under their command. Still, they were not proud of it at all. On
the other hand, they were rich in humility. Such proud ones like
you had only become brahmaraakshasas (wicked spirits
endowed with magical powers) in the past’.
The impatient scholars interrupted Sree Guru, saying, ‘Holy sir,
why tell us all this? Either face our challenge if you dare, or
else tender your testimony of our victory in learning.’ Then Sree
Guru beckoned to a low born man who was passing that away, drew
eight lines on his body with sacred ash and said, ‘Tell me who you
were!’ The man at once attained knowledge of his existence seven
lives earlier and said: ‘Lord, in the first of these lives, I was
a Hillman named Maatanga. In the second, I was a hunter named
Ravana. In the third, I was named Gaangeya. In the fourth, I was a
farmer. In the fifth, I was a caste-merchant named Somadatta. In
the sixth life, I was a Kshatriya named Govardhana Varma. In the
seventh, I was a Brahmin and I had thoroughly learned the Vedas
and Sastras’. Then Sree Guru sprinkled ash on his body and said,
‘If you indeed were a Vedic scholar, may you vanquish these
Brahmins in a scholarly debate!’
The visitors were amazed at and scared by this miracle and the
power of the Master that could work it in a wink. They submitted
to Sree Guru, sought his refuge and craved to be spiritually
uplifted. Now it is was Sree Guru’s turn to admonish them. He
said, ‘You have recited the Vedas in the presence of a hostile and
an alien (i.e., the Muslim king). You have scorned sannyasins and
pious Brahmins. In consequence of such sins, you will be become
brahmaraakshasas. If you repent for your sins, live on in
peace for twelve years, reciting the Vedas with devotion, then you
shall be liberated.’ The Brahmins then proceeded to the holy
Sangama, took a holy dip, left off their mortal bodies, took birth
as demons and stayed there. At the end of twelve years, once they
saw a pious Brahmin who forgot one of the mantras he was obliged
to chant on the occasion. They taught him the same and thereby
they were liberated.
In this manner, those who are infatuated with pride and thereby
swerve from the path of righteousness and those who scorn pious
Brahmins and sannyasins will be born as Brahmaraakshasas in
wild forests. Only through true repentance for their misdeeds will
they become pure again.”
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