26 Apr 2015
Dr. Nikhil asked “A friend says that ethical concept (Dharma) is not constant and changes as the time proceeds. I also feel that the entire ethics change from time to time except fundamental ethics like speaking truth etc., which are constant in all the times. Please give your opinion”.
Swami replied: Your friend and yourself are perfectly correct in the statements given above. There is nothing to contradict here. I can only elaborate this. Speaking truth also need not be constant in all the contexts at any time. In a context, speaking truth also becomes sin. A good person was running with his own money and robbers were running after him. The person somehow made himself hidden in a bush. A sage observed all this, who had the principle of speaking truth only. The robbers came and asked the sage about the person running. The sage told that the person hid himself in the bush there. The thieves captured the person in the bush, killed him and took away the money from him. The sage went to hell after death. The sage asked Lord Yama for the reason of his entry into the hell since he did not do any sin and more over pleaded that he never told any lie in his lifetime. Lord Yama told him that speaking truth in a specific context only brought him to the hell. The context of robbers etc., was explained to him as the greatest sin since the life of a good person was taken away. Killing any living being is the greatest sin. The highest justice is only not killing any living being for any purpose at any time except the case of demons, who kill every living being. Buddha and Mahavira, who were the two human incarnations of God, came to this earth to stress on this single aspect only. Some incarnations of God followed the habit of non-vegetarian food because they have to first mingle with the non-vegetarians as friends and slowly preach them the concept of non-violence. Therefore, violence in killing and killing itself are the highest injustice. Little violence is inevitable as in the context of directing the children to right path and little more violence is inevitable in the case of punishment of sinners to control them. Of course, hanging a person to death is also inevitable in the case of extreme sin. Killing the wild animals, which kill the human being, is also inevitable. Except such rare occasions, the life of any living being is precious, which is the gift given by God. Therefore, this highest justice should be always taken care of by every believer of God. A non-vegetarian may not directly kill the living being, but, has to share the sin since the living being is killed because the non-vegetarian purchases the flesh. Eating any dead living being is not sin at all since the components of vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods are one and the same. Even there, vegetarian food is better than the non-vegetarian food as per the advice from medical science. Other ethics like not stealing the money of a good person (Artha), not violating the ethics of sexual life (Kama) etc., are also constant ethics. Dharma means not killing any living being. If you follow these three (Dharma, Artha and Kama) called as ‘Trivarga’, the fourth category (Purushartha), salvation (Moksha) is inevitable gift from God. The other traditions regarding the dress, styles of life etc., are not much important as long as the health grounds are not disturbed.
Smt. Devi (wife of Dr. Nikhil) asked “You say that the devotee should serve God without aspiring any fruit in return just like the parents serve their children. But, the parents also serve their children expecting the fruit in return, which is the expected service from them in the old age”.
Swami replied: The parents always serve their children without expecting any fruit in return. There is no trace of doubt in this concept. The mother gives milk to her child due to her excess of love to it. Does the mother give milk to her child expecting that the child will return all the milk by giving a cup of milk everyday to her in old age? Hence, during the time of service to their children, the parents are selfless completely. In the old age, when their grown up child gives milk to his wife and children without offering even a drop of milk to them, the parents are seriously hurt due to human jealousy and start scolding their son. Of course, the son is also sinful. Such reaction from the parents is based on the selfish behaviour of the son, who becomes ungrateful to the parents. The reaction of the parents is based on the nature of such unjust behaviour of the son in that specific context. The reaction of the parents is not based on the concept that the milk given by them to him in the childhood was not returned to them. In the place of their son, if there is some outsider, the parents will fight with him even in the absence of such specific context because the reaction here is based on concept of collecting back the loan given by them to the outsider. Therefore, the concept given by Me in the case of parents is perfectly correct and should not be misunderstood with respect to their reaction based on a specific context. If the son remains unmarried and serves the parents without giving milk to them, they will not scold him for not giving the milk. In fact, in such context, they will give milk to their son continuously.
The service is constituted by two parts. One is sacrifice of the fruit of work (Karmaphala tyaga) and the other is the sacrifice of work (Karma Samnyasa). The Lord stressed on these two concepts in the Gita. He received the butter, curd and milk from the shepherd ladies (Gopikas), which is the best example of Karmaphala tyaga. The butter etc., are the fruits of their work done to the cows. He received sacrifice of work, which is fighting with evil people, from Arjuna and this is Karma Samnyasa. The father is the best example for Karmaphala tyaga, who does strenuous work to earn the wealth, which is sacrificed to his children without expecting any fruit in return. The mother stands as best example for karma Samnyasa, who does lot of work in the form service to the child from its birth. Of course, in the present time, the ladies are also employed and can come into the first part of service also. In any case, work and fruit of work are one and the same. Work is the form of energy and fruit of work is the matter. Both energy and matter are inter-convertible. If you sacrifice the work, you have sacrificed the fruit of work also. If you sacrificed the fruit of work, you have sacrificed the work also. In the case of God, people are certainly sacrificing some work and some fruit of work. But, the whole defect is that in both cases, the fruit in return is expected at least in the mind if not in the words. This single defect is spoiling the whole service like a pot of milk getting spoiled by a drop of poison.
People expect the fruit in return in two ways. One is the fruits in this life on this earth itself. The second is the fruit expected in the upper world after death like protection from hell. Shankara says that both should be totally dropped out (Ihaamutra Phala Viraagah). It is very difficult to drop both these expectations in single stage. Therefore, you can drop the first set of fruits concerned to this world by the following logic: The fruits in this world can be obtained by our sincere work also. Even an atheist gets the fruits in this way. When we go to the upper world, which is a place of enjoyment (Bhoga loka) only and not the place of doing any work (karma loka), really the favour of God is needed without any other option in the upper world only. In this way, you can succeed 50% by dropping the expectation of worldly benefits here from God. After succeeding in the first part, you can slowly try for the second part also by the following logic: you should enjoy the fruits of your actions done by you in the upper world and you should not expect there also any favour from God. God is the impartial judge and is always watched by several divine sages constantly. If God does any favour to you in the upper world, the impression of sages is damaged. As a devotee, do you wish that God should be blamed and blacked in this way for your selfishness? If you are a true devotee, you will not certainly expect this. The final result is that you are serving God in both the ways or at least in one way based on your convenience and His requirement. You must not forget that the service is done only to living beings and not to inert forms. Either human incarnation of God or the best devotee of God should be the target of your service since both these are the two address of God. Service to inert forms is also allowed in the case of beginners, who cannot overcome their ego and jealousy towards a co-human form, but, mind that as a beginner you are in the training period only and not in the actual job or sadhana.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★