WHY SHOULD ONE PERFORM KARMANUSHTHANA AND FOLLOW THE WORDS OF RISHIS AND GURUS?

Based on one’s inherent vAsanas and TriguNas, one chooses his path of seeking the truth. Each path has its own intricacies. One can go by karma yoga, jnAna yoga, dhyAna yoga or bhakti yoga or by a combination of these. But in view of the complexities in comprehending and following the Scriptures, we require one physical person as Guru for proper guidance from time to time. The jagatguru of all , of course, is BhagavAn and that is why he is addressed as “ krishNam vande jagat gurum.”

Yo yo yAm Yam tanum bhaktah SraddhayArcitumicchati !
Tasya tasyAcalAm SraddhAm tAm eva vidadhAmyaham !!

Whichever Deity one person worships with faith, BhagavAn makes their faith steadfast in that Deity


sa tayA SraddhayA yuktas tasyArAdhanamIhate !
labhate ca tatah kAmAn mayaiva vihitAn hitAn !!

Though the person worships that Deity of his choice and fulfils his desires, the benefits are bestowed by BhagavAn alone.


antavattu phalam tesham bhavatyalpa medhasAm !
devan deva yajo yAnti mad bhaktA yanti mAmapi !!

Men of limited intellect worship demi-Gods with limited benefits. Those people reach the demi-Gods while those who worship BhagavAn go to Him.

BhagavAn also declares one should not give up yajna, dAna and tapas irrespective of his attainments as they purify a person .

yajna dAna tapah karma na tyAjyam karyameva tat !
yajno dAnam tapscaiva pAvanAni manishinAm !!

Though a person is morally upright, ethically good and spiritually inclined, he should also do the ordained karmAnushthAna to the extent possible till his very end.

The fruit of action has to be dedicated to BhagavAn. He advises that every one should do his specific karma and that karma phala tyAga ( giving up fruit of action) is better than karma tyAga (giving up action). This is what the dharma SAstras declare.

Whatever is said in the SAstras which are Rishi proktam are not mere commandments but are to be construed as gentle advice for one’s own long-term benefit.

Esha AdeSah ! Esha upadeSah !

WHETHER ONE CAN TOTALLY OVERLOOK SMRUTIS AND GO ONLY BY SRUTI ?

In order to understand the Sruti in the proper perspective, one requires the guidance of smruti. Interpreting the original Vedic Mantras on our own accord is dangerous in the modern environment.

For each Mantra, there is a Rishi, a Chandas and the devatA. One cannot overlook the Rishi and chant any Mantra including GAyatrI MahA Mantra. As Rishis are the Seers of Vedic Mantras and the authors of smrutis, we hold them in high esteem. Rishi TarpaNam is offered to them. KAnda Rishi TarpaNam is also there. All the Srauta, grihya and smArtha PrayogAs are done even today based on the statements of great Rishis like Apastamba, BodhAyana, ASvalAya, Jaimini, LAtyAyana, KAtyAyana and so on. In addition, we have sanakAdi Rishis, Sapta Rishis , NArada, BharadvAja, Veda VyAsa and so many others.

Each BrAhmaNa (however materially he may be rich) is born only as a debtor with triple debts. He is indebted to the Rishis, DevAs and Pitrus. The Rishi debt is discharged through brahmacarya, Deva debt through performance of yajnas and Pitru debt through progeny.

JAyamAno ha vai brAhmaNah tribhir rNa vA jAyate !
brahmacaryena rishibhyah !
yajnena devebhyah!
prajayA pitrubhyah!

The Rishis including Rishi Patnis are to be respectfully worshipped. Without them, the Vedas would have disappeared. The smrutis, which are Rishi Proktam are therefore equally valid like Sruti.

namah parama Rishibhyo namah parama Rishibhyah !

WHETHER SMRUTIS CONSTITUTE VALID PRAMANA?

Both Sruti and smrutis constitute valid pramANas.We have to keep in view that smrutis have only Sruti as the base.

One cannot properly understand the intended and intrinsic meaning of Vedas. As Vedas are complex and innumerable, the Rishis through their great tapas composed the Smrutis which define what is dharma for a particular Yuga.

Whatever one feels like doing according to his mental make-up does not constitute dharma. That is why in Bhagavad GItA , Bhagavan advises all to follow dharma as ordained in the Scriptures :


tasmacchAstram pramAnam te karYAkArya vyavasthitau!
jnAtvA SAstra vidhinoktam karma kartum ihArhasi !!
-----Bhagavad gItA ! 16.24
One who does not follow SAstras gains not Sukham or Siddhi or parama gati.
yah Sastra vidhim utsrijya vartate KAma kAratah !
na sa siddhim avApnoti na sukham na parAm gatim !!
---Bhagavad gItA 16.23


Learned sees through the eye of SAstras
" ----kavibhih SAstra cakshushA ---"
---- SrImad BhAgavatam x-84-36
Sruti smruti mamaivAjnA yad tad ullanghya vartate !
AjnAcchedhe mama drOhi mat bhaktOpi na vaishNava !!
--- VishNu
vedamUlAh smrutayah !
---- Sankha
durbodhA vaidikASSabdAh prakIrNatvacca ye khilAh !
tatraita eva drushtArthAh smruti tantrai pratishthitAh !!
---- MarIci
Srutim paSyanti munayah smaranti ca tathA smrutim !
tasmAt pramANamubhayam pramANaih pramitam bhuvi !!
---- Manu
Accoring to Angiras, those who are learned in pramANas should duly take care of them. Otherwise, authentic pramANas would get destroyed by baseless pramANas.
pramANAni pramANajnaih paripAlyAni yatnatah !
sIdanti pramANAni pramANairavyavasthitaih !!
--------Angiras

WHETHER WOMEN CAN HAVE UPANAYANAM AS PER DHARMA SASTRAS?

As per HArIta, there were two types of women, BrahmavAdinI, sadyovadhu. For Brahmavadinis, there was upanayanam, agnikAryam, vedAdhyayanam and bhikshAcaraNam in one's own house. Similarly, according to Yama, upanayanam, vedadhyayanam and gayatrI japam were allowed for women . However, this practice of previous kalpa is forbidden in this kalpa.

According to Manu, for women Marriage is prescribed in lieu of upanayanam, serving the husband is gurukula vAsam, doing domestic duties is agnikAryam.

vaivAhiko vidhih strINAm aupanAyikah smritah !
pati sevA gurau vAso gruhArthogni parikriye!

Thus based on the dharma SAstras, as part of present kali yuga dharma, the upanayana samskAra is forbidden for women.

WHO ARE ALL GET SATISFIED BY PERFORMANCE OF SRADDHAM ?

Seven types of persons get satisfied by performance of SrAddham:
(1) Devas by homa done in agni
(2) Pitrus in svarga by brAhmaNa bhojanam
(3) Pitrus in pitruloka by pInda DAnam
(4) People by anna DAnam
(5) PiSachAs by ucchishtha
(6) Those in naraka by vikira annam
(7) Unknown relatives by vAyasa piNda.


agnau hutena devAsca svargasthA vipra bhojanAh !
yamasthAh piNda dAnena mAnushA bhUri bhojanAt !!
ucchishThena piSacAdyAh nArakAh vikireNa tu !
ajnAtAh kAkapiNdena SrAddhe trupyanti saptadhA !!

WHETHER SRADDHAM HAS TO BE PERFORMED?

SrAddhAt parataram nAnyat SreyaskaramudAhrutam !
tasmAt sarvaprayatnena SrAddham kuryAtvicakshaNah!!
----- sumantu

There is no karma which yields goodness other than SrAddham. Therefore, by making all efforts a knower shall perform SrAddham.


na tatra vIrA jAyante nArogo naSatAyushah !
na ca Sreyodhi gacchati yatra SrAddham vivarjitam !!

------ hArIta
Where SrAddham is not done , there no Son is born, men do not get freed from disease, do not live long and do not get any goodness.

WHETHER ONE CAN REACT IN SELF-DEFENCE?

There is something known as Apaddharma . In self-defence in order to save one's life, one may react causing some injury to others. This is acceptable by SAstras under certain circumstances.

In MahAbhAratam, when the kauravas violate dharma yuddha, one can see glimpses of adharma yudhha on the part of PANdavas as well in some cases.

But there are a few great Sages who are GuNAtItas who only do good even for others who harm them. They truly deserve to be worshipped by all.

upakArishu yah sAdhuh sAdhutve tasya ko guNah !

apakArishu yah sAdhuh sa sAdhuh sadbhirucyate !!

Ordinary mortals are always driven by their VAsanas and triguNas.