It is the time when the protagonists of history are treated
as mere characters of stories. Stories read and heard either through the words
uttered from an elderly mouth or on an occasion termed as auspicious marked on
a religious calendar lying inside a closed room filled with pictures and idols
partly covered under the fog coming from a burning incense stick. This is the
time when the traits of those heroes are long forgotten, but the small
negativities although happened for a reason are been seen through a magnifying
glass to judge the character of that divine soul.
The person who spent years leading
an ascetic life away from a wonder land full of luxuries has given a message to
the people who think they are leading a luxurious life but falling under a deep
abyss of spiritual misery. The message which he calls as Dharma which looks as
strict as a military training schedule but builds a wonderful character inwards
in every being. Dharma is a mystical fruit which has an abrasive outline but
beautiful, meaningful and result oriented inside. The relationship between a
teacher and a student, the bonding between a father and a son, the
understanding between a husband and a wife are well nurtured in the ambience of
Dharma. The start of the day from the time we first wake up from siesta and
touch the floor underneath our bed with our bare foot to the time when our eyes
become heavy with the thoughts called dreams compelling us to drop our bodies
flat on the bed can be well structured by following the rules of Dharma.
We as
human beings have a special ability called intelligence this ability can yield you
fruits called success or even may push you into a train whose destination is
nevertheless the irreversible failure. The one to choose primarily depends not
solely on your intelligence but through the intelligence guided on the lines of
Dharma. Dharma is not a laymen language which could be easily understood. It
requires a structured learning to understand and a more stubborn and fearless
way of actually implementing what we have learnt. Dharma is quite different
from Satya (Truth). Satya is always the same in every age, gender, time and
place but dharma on the other hand transforms in various ways depending on where,
when and who is using it. For instance patting on the back may sound encouraging
to the people living in India but the same may be treated offensive in other
countries. As you train yourselves and learn how to act, communicate or behave
when you travel to different countries in the similar fashion you need to
decide which is Dharma and which one in Adharma depending on the situation you
are in to.
The determination or classification of actions into the two
categories can be done through 4 ways namely Sruti, Smriti, Shistachara, aatma
parisheelana. Sruti is a techniques through which a person goes through
religious books called Vedas and would decide his / her actions based on the
rules mentioned in the Vedas. This approach may sound difficult as Vedas are religious
writings written in non-native language called Sanskrit and might even be a bit
confusing to comprehend the message hidden under the teachings. Smriti on the other
hand are stories of people who strictly practiced dharma and adhered to right
practices. These are examples of the rules of dharma portrayed in Sruti i.e.
the Vedas. The practice of Smriti is easy to comprehend and sometimes allow us
to imagine us being in their shoes to experience how the life of a person would
be who followed dharma in every walk of his life. Shistachara is a practice to
serve the learned who upon his grace may teach some of the rules of Dharma
which he learnt from Vedas. The last in hierarchy is Aatma pariseelana which
means to Judge based on our intuitions. This practice may not yield right
results because the intuitions are primarily based on our thoughts which may or
may not be positive always.
( to be continued.........)
( to be continued.........)
