Path of Justice Means Not Doing Injustice in Practice

Shri P V N M Sharma asked: If we worship God, past sins are destroyed directly. When the direct way is available, why should we reform our minds and follow non-repetition of sin to destroy past sins?

Swami replied: Worship of God is expected to purify and reform the soul. Reformation means non-repetition of sin in practical sense. If you say that you are fully reformed but you are repeating the sin now and then, it is absurd. It only means that you have not attained full reformation of the soul. Reformation is theoretical and non-repetition of sin is a practical step. Doing something is practical and also not doing a specific action is also a practical step. Even though you are expected to do something and if you are not doing that thing, it shows your practical resistance to do that thing. This resistance to do a practical thing is also a proof in practice and hence should be treated as practical. Theory is the source of practical and mere theory can’t be a proof for the full resistance to do a practical sin. If the practical sin is not observed (non-repetition of sin), then only we can say that the theoretical reformation is real and full.

Now, you are saying that the theoretical reformation and non-repetition of sin are not at all necessary. Even if the sin is repeated, there is no harm since every time, the repeated sin is burnt by the worship of God directly. This is totally wrong. The worship of God is expected to bring full and real reformation of the soul to burn the past sins. This is correct way. If this way is not accepted by saying that the worship of God need not bring reformation and non-repetition of sin, the second way is that the worship of God itself burns sins directly without the intermediate steps of reformation and non-repetition of sin. This second way is not correct even though the priests doing such worships claim that the worship burns the sin directly. These priests are twisting the truth for the sake of their earnings by doing worships. In the Gita, it is said very clearly that the devotion to God brings reformation of soul and non-repetition of sin in practice and both these steps are the meanings of the word person of justice (kshipram bhvati dharmaatmaa). Here, God says that the devotion will lead the soul to the path of justice, which means non-repetition of injustice in practice. Totally this means that devotion develops reformation of soul, which is leading to the path of justice. Path of justice means not doing injustice in practice. God never said that devotion will burn the sins directly. The extreme devotion of Ravana didn’t bring excuse for stealing Sita. Of course, when the non-repetition of injustice is attained, all the past sins are burnt because there is no need of punishment after the reformation since the aim of punishment is only reformation and not vengeance as tit for tat. If the devotion in the worship is unable to bring the reformation, a good fruit is sanctioned for the worship separately and the punishment for the repetition of injustice in practice. If a student achieved a gold medal for his hard work and simultaneously was allotted a punishment for a crime, he can’t argue saying that the gold medal and the punishment be cancelled mutually and that the punishment should be withdrawn since gold medal is sacrificed! Hanuman tells the same to Ravana in Sundarakanda of Valmiki Ramayanam that Ravana is already granted the fruit of his devotion to God Shiva, which is the Lordship of golden Lanka city. Since the devotion couldn’t bring reformation in him leading to non-repetition of sin by returning Sita, the punishment of the sin will be granted separately in the near future (Praaptam dharmaphalam taavat bhavataa naatra samshayah, adharmasyaapiha phalam kshipram bhokshyasi Raavana).

How do you expect the devotion to bring reformation leading to non-repetition of sin? It is quite expected due to: a) the knowledge of God that He likes justice and dislikes injustice itself should make one to follow justice and leave injustice and b) the concept that theory is the mother of practice should result in the devotion leading to practical step of practical non-repetition of sin. Here, devotion also means knowledge because knowledge is the source of practice. Devotion helps the knowledge to turn in to practice. Hence, devotion means the knowledge assisted by devotion (since you can call the associating item, knowledge, by the associated item, devotion). Shankara also concluded that devotion means knowledge also since God told in the Gita that the top most soul liked by Him is the person having knowledge (Jnaani sacha mama priyah) or the person having devotion (bhaktaastetiva me priyaah). There can be only one superlative degree and hence both devotion and knowledge are one and the same. Devotion is the force of transformation and knowledge is the material to be transformed in to practice. Devotion can’t be isolated from knowledge.

Therefore, it is concluded that the devotion transforms the knowledge into practice, which means the practical non-repetition of sin. The firm decision about such practice is called as the reformation of the soul. A soul taking such decision is called as reformed soul. The process of transformation of knowledge in to practice can also be taken as the process of reformation. Knowledge as theory can’t destroy the fruit of sin-action. Only knowledge as practice can destroy the fruit of sin-action. Since the sin is action, its fruit is also action to be implemented on the soul like frying the soul in fire etc. Such action can’t be cut by theory. Action can be cut only by action like a diamond is cut by another diamond only. Of course, action is inert and is under the control of awareness or knowledge, which is the reformation. Hence, theory alone generates action. The capability of theory to generate action is the force of transformation or devotion. Knowledge and devotion belong to theory, which are non-inert being the items of awareness. The final fruit of these two that is useful in practice is action only. The three divine preachers, Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva concentrated on these three concepts of knowledge, devotion and action respectively.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★