Duty of the Learned Man

Meaning: According to the Rigved 6/10/7 — "It is the duty of learned men that they should carry out excellent deeds and make others do the same. By such deeds, bad tendencies get eradicated and there is an increase in strength, intelligence, learning and longevity."

Message: Whom can we call a learned person? Those who have the knowledge of physical matter and creation, those who keep themselves in formed about the human society, those who understand the principles of life and are familiar with spiritual knowledge, they are called the learned ones. Knowledge means to know and understand anything in its proper form.

The learned person knows the difference between knowledge and ignorance. 'Avidya' or ignorance means to understand that the world and body and similar temporary matter as permanent, to understand meaningless, worthless talk, stealing etc as refinement, to understand the sorrowful activity such as indulging the desires as bringing joy and to understand the physical body and similar physical matter as live. The opposite of it i.e. the knowledge of reality and proper knowledge of the fundamentals means proper learning or 'vidya'.

Learning and knowledge is commonly expressed as social and scientific subjects and languages. Especially, it refers to spiritual knowledge, which includes the knowledge of God as well as the soul and regarding the physical matter (or jad) and chetan (which means the vitality or spark of life). Knowledge is also expressed in the axioms which salvage a fallen person or which awaken an ignorant soul. Only the wealth of learning is the best among all the wealth. Only a man completes with such learning and knowledge is called a learned person. Austerity destroys our sins and with learning we achieve nectarine bliss.

With the contact of such knowledgeable and learned persons, there is constant increase in the willingness to donate for charity and good causes, in the sentiment of non-violence, and in acquiring the knowledge. With 'satsang' (keeping the company of truth, i.e. truthful saintly persons and God) there is always salvation. With 'satsang' terribly depraved men also have realized themselves from the mire of a depraved life and attained heavenly bliss. The change of the lives of the killer-dacoit Angulimaal and the dancer Amrapali after meeting Lord Buddha are already a part of religious lore in Nepal. Maharshi Balmiki, who was the terrible dacoit was changed by a chance meeting with the sage Narad and became a Maharshi so much so that when Ram wanted a safe place for his wife Sita to stay in the jungle, he chose the hermitage of Maharshi Balmiki.

It is the duty of excellent and knowledgeable men that they should not use their acquired knowledge only for self, but give its benefit to everyone coming in their contact. By imparting knowledge, it never diminishes but increases. With the destruction of bad tendencies and increase in good qualities, people's discretionary powers are awakened, and men, doing 'satkarma' (good deeds) achieves longevity.

Those men, who are miserly in giving the benefit of their knowledge and experience to others, are like beasts. Their accumulated knowledge is not useful even to them and gradually their profundity is lost. It is man's duty to give the benefit of his knowledge to the entire society. They only are 'vidwan' (learned) in the true sense.

This is the only duty of knowledgeable men with character.

Divine Sentiment is the Part of Our Character

Meaning: According to the line of Yajurved 38/21 has given us instruction about the formation of character, that can be explain as — "O men, just as Good protects and nurtures everyone by being everywhere, similarly you protect and nourish all the living beings by achieving excellence."

Message: The desire for progress and the fulfillment of one's material desires are two entirely different matters. The common forms of both appear similar, but on minute observation, the vast difference as between the sky and the earth, can be seen. Progress is the name for that need in life which illuminates the individuality, unfolds the personality and increases the worthiness. It means the development of those capabilities which can make the body, mind, nature and the deeds clean and will developed. This itself is realistic progress. Only such an evolved individuality is capable of taking courageous steps and achieving miraculous powers.

The condition of a man involved in satisfying material desires is like an intoxicated man's. Mostly, the man keeps uncontrollable desires of achieving heaven and earth without having any assessment of his own situation, worth and means. These desires are never fulfilled; on the contrary they make him restless and unhappy. If someone does achieve something, then such undeserving person, because of his unsuitability, causes harm to himself and others by the suddenly gained wealth.

The real meaning of progress is to achieve progress in the creation of a well developed personality based on a clean body and pure mind. Only with progress do brightness and excellence arise in man and he shines like deities, complete with divine qualities.

The scriptures mention three classes, viz, devata, manav and danav. Danavs (or demons) are inferior or lowly, manav or man is in the middle category and devata or deity or divine man is in the superior category. Today man is heading towards 'danavta' (or demonism). He is badly trapped in the sole desire for more and more money, for the welfare of his progeny (children), and achieving fame at any cost. He is ready to do anything for his selfish ends, and does not care at all for what is proper or improper. Every type of bad tendency and wicked action is becoming an inseparable part of his character and despite knowing it; he does not want to give up any of them. Such a man, trapped in demoniac activity, goes on destroying himself.

On the other hand, deities are complete with all the qualities. They have extraordinary capacity and brightness of intelligence. They are full of supremacy, enthusiasm, and wealth (of various types such as knowledge, wisdom, discretion and so on). A man replete with such divine qualities is called 'nara-ratna' (or gems among men). Just like the deities, such a man, wishes always to protect and nourish all, seeing in them al the same soul as is in him. All the great men in the world have seen the peaceful light of God, the Supreme Father in all the living beings and opened up the path of uplift and progress for all.

If this divine sentiment becomes a part of our character, we too can go unto the highest step of progress.

The Thirst of Fame

Generally everything in life comes in pairs. Not in terms of opposites but in terms of ensuring balance inexistence. Like rights come with duty, freedom comes with responsibility and so on. The secret is to identify the pairs. Some of them are visible and taken for granted. For some others, you have to play something like a memory game..... You have to search out the pair. When any concept is understood along with its pair then it becomes firmly rooted and gives more results than when it is tackled or pursued in isolation.

One such single which is hunting for its pair is fame. Most people seek fame. Some want international recognition and work towards that some want national acclaim and yet others are happy being the leader in the family circle or the colony community. Again the reason for the fame and the talent being showcased can be as varied as flowers in a garden. To celebrate the idea of fame we also have many record books that document the different fields.

Our quest for fame is perhaps only younger than our quest for truth. Psychologists say that every human being seeks immortality and therefore seeks fame..... So that they live beyond their calendar years at least in name. And that is why there is the obsession to 'become'.

Fame brings immediate power. Sometimes the power of fame may not bring any wealth. But it brings honor and respect. What makes the fame lasting? What pairs with fame? Much too often fame is confused with the riches it might bring it is believed that if money is made, dignity and respect will naturally accrue. That is not entirely untrue. Money does buy many things..... But that which is bought, also sells is it not? As the market decides the price for such things, the halo of fame remains, but the substances that makes it, in terms of adulation and trust that the famous inspire, gets whittled down.

On looking a little closer one finds that, since the power wielded by fame is derived from it, lasting fame will accrue only when you recognize from whom you have derived that power and invest it back in them or that. Sacred books live eternally because they invest the reader with the power of divine blessing. Leaders derive their power from the people, parents from their children, a cook from the people who scour his food, a designer from his craftsmen and so it goes, in every field of life.

The pair of fame is thus service, which is to be useful. When there is service, fame comes automatically and this fame is rooted in a noble activity. To remember this is the path to the kind of fame that lives after you is what makes you immortal. That is why a good teacher is remembered at all times and is 'famous' among students of the school and their families.

The Sanskrit tradition identified long ago that the eternal quality of fame and the dignity it inspires is oft-smudged by the grime of life. What remains and dominated all actions is the desire for fame. So it is said humorously in a subhashitani (a couplet which has an inherent lesson in it) that break a pot, tear your clothes and ride a donkey, if you may, but make sure you become famous - at any cost! But surely, not at the cost of crossing the thin line that divides fame from notoriety?

The Soul is Immortal and the Body is Mortal

Meaning: According to the line of Rigved 1/164/38 and Athervaved 9/10/16 – the scripture has explained that our soul is immortal and the body is mortal. The soul is the master of all the activities of the body, because the body can function only as long as there is soul in the body. Even highly learned men and highly intelligent men do not know about the soul. The goal of life is to know the soul

Message: Almost all men are ignorant or have false ideas about the mysterious relationship between the soul and the body. From where the soul enters the body and where it goes after the body’s death has always been a matter of debate. The Gita very clearly states that the soul cannot be cut or pierced, no fire can burn it. Nor water wet it nor can the wind dry it. Thus it is clear that the body does die, but despite its death the soul does not die. The soul is immortal, always exists and is eternal. Despite the death of the body, the soul remains as it is.

Although the soul and the body are different in nature, they stay together. The sage tells us in the scripture ‘kathopanishad’ that the body is like a chariot with horses harnessed to it. The reins of the horses are in the grip of the charioteer, and the drives them although his boss is sitting behind. The charioteer drives the chariot according to the order of his boss. The body is the chariot, the senses are the horses, the mind is the harness and the intelligence is the driver or the charioteer. The soul is the lord and master of this chariot and hence the intelligence has to do whatever the soul orders. The mind and the senses have then to act accordingly. As long as this process is followed, the chariot teaches the destination i.e. achieves spiritual uplift and salvation, otherwise one knows in which species the soul will have to migrate in the vicious circle of births and deaths.

There is a paradox of immortality of the soul and mortality of the body, and yet there is an unbreakable relationship between the tow. As long as the body is alive, the soul does not leave it despite whatever disregards man shows for his soul. For practical living, both spiritualism and materialism are necessary. There should be simultaneously an attempt must be made for the uplift of the soul. We should review every moment our deeds and go on purifying our attitudes. Self restraint should be made regular feature. Attention must be given to mental health along with physical health also. Pure thoughts are born only when both remain healthy.

The usefulness of the body lies in deeply imbibing this truth deep within the heart and bringing it in one’s conduct.

The jewel of the soul is priceless and yet is being squandered like this, in exchange for a mere shell.

One has to try to develop one’s inner feelings, which can be done simply by training one’s mind. This is a priceless human asset and one you don’t have to pay income tax on.

Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today

Purpose of the Mind

To bring a sense of purpose and better quality into our lives we must look at the nature and working of our very mind itself. The mind is meant to absorb information, transform it into knowledge and lead it into action. Action and speech determined the quality of our life and these comes from the mind itself.

First let us understand the nature of absorption of the mind. Wise man who have delved into the truth of this have said that most people’s minds are as hard as a rock. Just as a rock is impervious to water, information that falls on a hard mind bounces off without a trace. A hard mind offers immense resistance to previously absorbed information that prevents the flow of knowledge and action.

Our mind must be as soft as a sponge for maximum absorption. Just as water can be easily absorbed by the sponge and squeezed out, a soft mind easily absorbs information and allows free flow of knowledge into action. The two processes are reversible –a soft or open mind can be easily hardened and a hard or closed mind can be easily softened.

What makes our mind hard or closed? Ancient sages have said that this is an automatic, front-line defense mechanism for the protection of our belief systems based on our state of ego. If we encounter an idea or a situation that is not in line with our thinking, we immediately closed our mind by putting up a block against it. Ego creates mindset. Mindset is a protective mechanism of self-defense because we are scared of what others think about our notions and beliefs. This mindset is self-destructive. For example, a simple discussion develops into an argument and leads to a verbal or physical fight.

Mere gathering of information by our mind is useless. We must transform this into knowledge. Our mind must be extremely pure to be able to perform this conversion efficiently. The results of an impure mind will rebound while the work of a pure mind will reach out for common welfare.

A pure, soft mind is gateway to divine living. Thinking positive isn’t enough, you need to think divine. Only then can we soften and purify our mind. We should review the working of our mind at least three times a day. Was my mind aggressive or calm? Did my words and actions hurt or bring joy to people? An object that slips out of our hand can be recovered, but an inappropriate word that slips out of our tongue cannot be erased. Self-review will free our mind of all obstruction. Ideas and inspiration flash freely in a pure mind to transform information to knowledge.

Three basic steps can be followed: First, allow others the freedom to be as they are, without imposing your mindset of thoughts and ideas. Second, have faith and belief that God is in you. Third, spend some time quietly everyday thinking about your inner self and chanting the name of God. This way our mind which seeks information can be changed into a mind meant for the transformation of our very life itself from human to Divine.

The light that comes from the sun illuminates the whole world, and that which is in the moon, and in the fire; know that light to be Mine.  - Bhagavad Gita 15:12

There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond the highest, the very highest heavens. This is the light that shines in your heart-Chandogya Upanishad

Proper Food Including exercise

Meaning: The line of Rigved 4/40/5 says us that – our diet should be such as to contribute to the constant growth of our intelligence, longevity and strength.

Message: Life is not possible without food. Every man must pay more attention to his diet. It will be health-giving in proportion to its cleanliness, and simplicity. It has been clearly said in Geeta that simple or ‘saatvik’ foods are those which increase longevity, intelligence, strength, health, happiness and love, which are viscous and juicy, which remain stable and by nature are pleasing to the mind. We should always take ‘saatvik’ and balanced food. Instead of gorging ourselves we should eat frugally. Gautam Buddha also advises that, “ A person who takes one meal a day is a mahatma (great soul), one who eats twice with restraint is intelligent and one who eats more than that is unfortunate, a great fool and is like an animal”. That is why there is a saying that one who eats once a day is a yogi, twice a day is a bhogi, (i.e. a man of the material world) and three times a day is a rogi (i.e. a diseased person). Control over the tongue is extremely necessary. One should decide one’s diet by careful attention to what is proper and improper, what should be eaten and what should not be eaten. That increases ‘saatvikata’ (moral simplicity), forbearance and spirituality, and all other sense-organs remain under control.

One very great and easy means of diet-control is ‘asvaad vrat’ i.e. a vow to eat only boiled food without salt, sugar ands condiments. It implies that we should not become slaves of taste. It does not mean that we do not eat all the food worth eating in this world and lose the natural power (of taste) of our tongue. The meaning of this vow is that we do not neglect adopting the foods that are necessary for the nutrition, health and protection of the body, and always keep the tongue under control. For cultivating that habit we should eat boiled food without salt and sugar and also eat fruits.

By taking ‘saatvik’ and limited food, there is no loss in any way neither bodily, economic nor societal; on the contrary there is benefit only. Whereas the simplicity in food habits is necessary, regularity is very important from the viewpoint of health. Going to bed, getting up in the morning, taking bath and similar daily routine must be punctually done. Disorganization in daily routine spoils the health. Some people are very lazy and do not maintain any schedule of daily routine. They are haphazard; they have no fixed time for eating and do not keep any fixed time for bathing, sleeping, toilet etc. Everything in their lives is topsy-turvy. The body’s energy bears this misconduct for some time and in the flush of youth, nothing is visible. But by the time the body is middle-aged i.e. 35-40 years, the body becomes a house of disease and in some cases hardly has the age of youth started, when old age takes over.

Only by proper food and daily routine including exercise does the life become interesting which in turn contributes to our longevity by increasing intelligence, and bodily and spiritual strength.

You have no control over what the other guy does. You only have control over what you do

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation

Performing Good Deeds

Meaning: As stated in the Atharvaved 7/30/1 – Man should perform such good deeds as will give him the love of his mother, father and spiritual teachers.

Message: The cornerstone of man’s stability and progress is his responsibility to his duty. If we give up our responsibilities and ignore the prescribed duties, then such obstacles will also be created that life as a human being will also become impossible, leave alone progress. Every achievement of life depends only on responsible accountability. The stability and protection of every achievement depends only on dedication to duty. We have been granted the invaluable body. It can be made healthy, strong and long-lived only when bathing, cleanliness, work and exercise, punctuality, disciplined diet and restraint on pleasures of the senses are observed. The mind becomes powerful and capable when it is saved from worry, grief, disappointment, anger, excitement etc and fortified with enthusiasm, joy, daring, contentment, balance, patience, confidence, concentration or engrossment and similar qualities.

A person gets many facilities and a proper organization through the family. But these facilities are available only to those who fulfill their duties towards other family members with full eagerness, care and honesty. A wife is not obtained only for service. It is also one of the duties to fulfill all the needs for her development comforts, contentment and health. A cow gives milk only when the owner feeds her sufficient hay. Only he will get the joy of married life, who will win his wife’s heart by doing his duties. Also the children of only those persons will be cultured and well developed, who give them their love, time and cooperation and are always eager for their development and culture. And only they will receive the love and blessings of parents and spiritual teachers who will look after their comforts and honor them. Only they should hope for receiving the overwhelming love and cooperation of their brothers and sisters who are willing to sacrifice their lives for them and give them plenty of love. Only the people dedicated to their duties, can get the joy of family-life. Contrary to this, those who only claim their rights for facilities but forget the condition of doing their duty, for them there will be no difference between home and hell. The atmosphere of the home will be poisonous because of malice and quarrels. Neither will the wife be a life-companion nor will the children be obedient. The discontent of the parents and jealousy from the brothers and sisters will make the home like a crematorium

For those who are ready to carry out their duties at every step and bear with the defects of other family members, the home is like heaven. But, for those who have big expectations from family members and are themselves negligent towards their own duties, home is like hell.

Our responsibility is towards self as well as God. Our existence is also for God. It is also necessary that we listen to the voice of conscience and go on striving for making the human life meaningful by doing our duty for the tasks ordained by God.

Only by such good deeds do we receive everyone’s love and family-life becomes heavenly.