TRIPLE STREAM

 

OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE - THE IDEALS OF

SELFLESSNESS AND SACRIFICE

 

I. V. Chalapati Rao

 

            All religions are allies engaged in a common cause or purposed namely, the moral and spiritual transformation of man who may otherwise remain self-centred, mean and greedy. All the great religions are upward paths to God (goodness) - not to different Gods but to the self-same God under different names. How many are the values which they all accept! Sri Krishna, the divine author of the Bhagavat Gita said: “Howsoever men approach me, even so do I accept them; for, on all sides, whatever path they may choose is mine, O Arjuna”.

 

            Civilisation and culture are influenced by religion. Each civilisation has its genius for some particular aspect of life - Greece for art, Rome for politics and India for spirituality. The standard-bearers of India’s culture are not military heroes or politicians but good and self­sacrificing men like Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Ramana Maharshi and Sri Aurobindo.

 

            A religion or culture or a nation’s habits of thought and life are not to be judged by the behaviour of the majority of its contemporary followers. That way no religion passes the test. What really matters is the standard of behaviour/conduct set before the people and maintained steadily by the enlightened among them and the inspiring characters in the immortal epics and scriptures. Such a standard placed before the people and accepted by their collective conscience should be regarded as the yard-stick to measure and judge a religion.

 

            The concept/spirit of sacrifice is the foundation principle of Hinduism. The object of the Itihasas (the well-known epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata) is to propagate among the people the principles of the Veda by means of the noble deeds of the great national heroes. We gain essential knowledge of our religion from these studies which illustrate ethical principles. The ideal characters like Rama, Sita and Yudhistira that we find in them firmly establish Dharma (which is a code of conduct) in our minds. Truth, nobility, self-control, tolerance, charity, self-­sacrifice, detachment and other heroic qualities displayed by these characters make Hinduism look like a social code or civilising agency rather than a dogmatic creed.

 

            In Bhagvat Gita which forms the focus and fulcrum of the whole epic of the Mahabharata with its special significance arising from its context as well as its contents, Krishna teaches the philosophy of action to Arjuna and through him to the whole world. Krishna is a queer combination of the Yogin and the Commissar - the man of contemplation and the man of action. He is a practical, mystic with his mind in yogic meditation, his hands in society and his heart everywhere. The cardinal virtues of Hinduism are found in the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Puranas. Central characters of these timeless works are identified as plug-­points through which these values are injected into humanity. Some of these virtues are perhaps common to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism and to other religions. Buddhism and Jainism were never considered in India as separate from Hinduism. These two were regarded more or less as the dissident sects of Hinduism which is more a way of life or code of conduct.

 

            The most important of the principles of Gita are stead-fastness of mind and self-control which consists of a whole group of virtues including self-sacrifice, self-effacement, humility, patience, forbearance and modesty. All these not only discourage self-centered desire which is the root of all evil but also promote a spirit of sacrifice which produces social good. Harischandra, Yudhistira and Dasaratha made great sacrifices in keeping the promises they made. They suffered untold misery, innumerable difficulties, humiliations and the pangs of separation for the sake of Truth. A single lie would have saved Harischandra from all the suffering. Had Dasaratha gone back on his word given to his wife Kaikeyi, the story of the Ramayana would have taken a different turn. When Draupadi asked Yudhisthira why he persisted in following Dharma which caused pain and suffering to him and to his brothers, he said: “I love the grandeur of the mighty Himalaya because it is so majestic although it has nothing to give me”. The scriptures teach us that the pursuit of truth, wherever it may lead and whatever sacrifices it may involve, is essential for the progress of man and welfare of society.

 

            The various stories in our epics and puranas place emphasis on the spirit of sacrifice. They teach that the way of virtue is not a primrose path of dalliance but one strewn with sharp stones and thorns. They say that those who are morally advanced have to face all kinds of privations and hardships of life and endure the calamities which over-take them. We are taught that all our hardships and sacrifices are not only the results of our past lives but also opportunities for building up a brighter future. Just as dumb-bells and bull-worker are used to strengthen our muscles of the body these hardships and sacrifices are to be used to strengthening the moral fibre of our souls. What an ingenious explanation to encourage people to rise above their petty personal interests and attempt something grand for the welfare of the world! In fact, that seems to be the very purpose for which the existence of evil is accepted, and justified in God’s creation. Self-centred desire is sin. Selflessness is a virtue.

 

            In the Gita Lord Krishna says: “O best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live happily on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?......All these different types of sacrifice are approved by the Vedas, and all of them are born of different types of work. Knowing them as such you will become liberated....The sacrifice of knowledge is, greater than the sacrifice of the material possessions. The sacrifice of work culminates in transcendental knowledge” (Ch. IV Text 34. - 31,32,33).

 

            In Chapter (16), 1-3 Krishna mentions sacrifice as one of the “transcendental qualities, born of the godly atmosphere”, as distinguished from demoniac qualities. Its elevating influence has been discussed again and again, pointing out the beneficial effects on society and the individual. But sacrifice should not be with a feeling of pride or with an eye on publicity. The Lord Condemns this kind of sacrifice in Chapter (17) 11 and 12 when he says: “The performance of sacrifice in terms of the directions of the scriptures, as a matter of duty and with no desire for material results, is said to be in the mode of goodness. Any sacrifice performed with pride and for some material benefit, O Chief of the Bharatas, should be known to be in the mode of passion”.

 

            Lord Krishna, while discussing the higher philosophy of renunciation, refers to the difference of opinion that prevails among great men: “There are learned men who say that all kinds of fruitive activities should be given up, whereas, other sages say that Sacrifice, Charity and Penance should never be given up”. Although He refers to the difference of opinion in this matter. He gives His judgement and final opinion which clinches the issue: “Sacrifice, Charity and Penance are never to be given up; they must be performed by all intelligent men. They are purifying even for the great souls. All these activities should be performed as a matter of duty, O son of Pridha. That is My final opinion”. Well nothing more can be said about the value of sacrifice which is expression of selflessness in its highest form.

 

            Although results of noble activities like of Sacrifice and Charity are not desired, they flow imperceptibly as day follows night. According to Hinduism, the Law of Karma (action) is a moral law corresponding to the physical law of causation. As man sows, so he reaps. Every thought, every word and every deed are weighed in the scales of divine justice which can be neither tricked nor tilted by Machevellian manipulations and manouvrings.

 

            Just as nature is subject to its laws, so is our moral nature. The inequalities of life are partly due to ourselves. Our present is a continuation of the past. We lie on the bed we have made, as others do. But we are wrapped in the love of God which protects us against its discomforts. Man should discharge his duties in a spirit of self-sacrifice and with no personal desire in a spirit of self-sacrifice and with no reward. Apasthamba, the great sage, said “one must not perform the ordained duties with a worldly end in view. But as a mango is planted to bear fruit but shade and fragrance also result concurrently, eyen so the ordained duty that is performed is attended by material gain”. Thus sacrifice will not be in vain. It may produce unlooked-for benefits, spiritual as well as material. The mills of God grind slow but pretty fine.

 

            Chandogya Upanishad says: “The Sacrifice which one performs with knowledge, faith and contemplation becomes more powerful”. Speaking at a meeting in Madras in 1897, Swamy Vivekananda felt sorry that our Universities had not produced a single original man. He said: “The idea of the sacrifice for the common weal is not yet developed in our nation. (Vol. V, page 224 ‘The Complete Works of Vivekananda’). He proclaimed the message of sacrifice when he said “Sacrifice in the past has been the Law, it will be, also, for ages to come. The earth’s bravest and the best will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of the many, for the welfare of all”. (Vol. VII-498).

 

            “The good live for others alone. The wise man should sacrifice himself for others” (Vol. VI. 317). Swamiji even went to the extent of saying: “Go to Hell yourself to buy salvation for others....when death is so certain, it is better to die for a good cause” (Vol. VI 265-67). This greatest interpreter of Hinduism preached nothing but the gospel of sacrifice. He roared like a lion when he conveyed the quintessence of Hinduism by saying “Throughout the history of the world, you find greatmen make great sacrifices and the mass of mankind enjoy the benefit. If you want to give up everything for your own salvation it is nothing. Do you want to forego your own salvation for the good of the world? You are God, think of that”. (Vol. VII. 280).

 

            Swamy Vivekananda is the most dynamic and the truest exponent of Hinduism and his own life was an inspiring record of sacrifice. He sounded the trumpet of self-less and self­denying action. “The martial spirit is not self-­assertion, but self-sacrifice. One must be ready to advance and lay down one’s life at the word of command, sacrifice himself first”. (Vol. VII. 270). Let me quote him for the last time: “Great men are those who build, highways for others with their heart’s blood”. (Vol. VI 273-74). “Let all the sins of the world fall on me and let the world be saved” said Kumarila in ‘Tantra Vartika’. This is undoubtedly the noblest concept of sacrifice when the individual stands completely identified with the entire mankind and totally committed to the welfare of the world. Commenting on the Mundaka Upanishad Sankaracharya said: “He who has reached the all-penetrating Atman enters into all”.

 

            Swamy Rama Tirtha said: “Unselfish work leaves God under debt and God is bound to pay back with interest.....Yajna implies realising inactive practice my neighbour to be my own self, feeling myself as one or identical with all, losing my little self to become the Self of all. This is crucifixion of the selfishness, and resurrection of the All Self”.

 

            Let us now take up some models of excellence presented by the epics. The world view of the authors of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata (Valmiki and Vyasa) who have a truly religious out-look, may possess greater humanitarian value and appeal to the masses than what is preached by the founders and propagators of the various schools of religious philosophy. Sita is the soul of the Ramayana. She is the embodiment of sacrifice. We cannot but admire the suffering she courted in following her husband to the forests, the separation she endured when she lived in Valmiki’s hermitage and the ordeal of fire she, faced when her fair name was injured by residence in the palace of Ravana. Rama left, Ayodhya and the attractions of the kingdom and endured separation from his beloved wife because he firmly believed that a king must be willing to make any sacrifice for the good of his subjects. We know what Sita meant to him. Once he said to Lakshmana “I did not even put a garland round my Sita’s neck for fear of the barrier it will become between us”. Bharata, Lakshmana and Satrughna were all exemplary characters displaying selflessness and a spirit of sacrifice. Comparisons may be invidious and sacriligious but in my opinion Sita is greater than Sri Rama.

 

            In the Mahabharata we have great heroes like the Pandavas who stood for values and courted untold misery and great hardships for the sake of Dharma. Yudhisthira is the central figure in a great saga of suffering and sacrifice. Let us take two examples from his life. His four brothers, who were sent by him one after another to fetch water from the pond, fell dead when they failed to answer the questions of the invisible Yaksha. Yudhisthira answered the questions. The Yaksha said: “O king, one of your dead brothers can now be revived. Whom do you want to be restored to life?” Yudhisthira thought for a moment and then replied “May the cloud-complexioned, lotus-eyed, broad-­chested and long-armed Nakula, lying like a fallen ebony tree, arise”. The Yaksha wanted to know why he chose his step-brother but not Bhima or Arjuna. Yudhisthira said “If Dharma is set at naught, man will be ruined. Kunti and Madri were the two wives of my father. I am surviving, a son of Kunti, and so she is not completely bereaved. In order that the scales of justice may be even, I ask that Madri’s son (Nakula) revive”.

 

            Later, Indra called on Yudhisthira to abandon a dog that followed him faithfully and mount a chariot that would take him to heaven. He refused the offer and thus sacrificed heavenly bliss by saying:

 

            “Never let me be joined to that glory for whose sake a loyal dependent must be abandoned”.

 

            I consider Karna as the true hero of the MAHABHARATA. His flaws and failings only prove that he was a human being - not a card­board figure. Karna’s sacrifice was of no mean order. He gave away his “Kavacha” and “Kundalas” cheerfully without hesitation when crafty Indra begged him in the guise of a Brahmin, in spite of his being fore-warned by Surya (the Sun God). Later he refused to forsake his friend Duryodhana when Sri Krishna advised and his mother Kunti revealed the secret of their relationship.

 

            There is the story of Emperor Bali who inspite of Sukracharya’s advise did not go back on his word when diminutive Vamana distended his body and pressed his foot on his head to push him down into the bowels of the earth, although he had an inkling of what was going to happen. There is the wonderful sacrifice of Sibi who cut out the flesh of his body when the demi-gods appeared before him in the forms of dove and falcon. Jeemuta Vahana offers himself as food to Garutmanta to save the life of Sankha Guru! Instances like these are galore in scriptures and literature. All these prove that great heroes were willing to make any sacrifice for the sake of a principle or social welfare. This is the message of Hinduism to inspire great deeds from mankind. This is the jewelled crozier with which the sheep (humanity) are led to the uplands of thought and action.

 

 

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