Thus Spake the Divine - Is It The Shastra Or The Conscience?

Thus Spake the Divine

Is It The Shastra Or The Conscience?

In this chapter, Poojyasri Maha Periyava explains the five steps, which must be followed for adhering to the Codes of Vedas and Dharma.

Following the Dharma is for wellbeing of the entire world. Sages and saints have written various books and Shastras on Dharma, keeping in mind the absolute wellbeing of all living beings in the world. Dharma Shastras are the ones that determine what Dharma is at a particular point in time. As eyes act as the witness of the image that one sees and ears record the sound that one hears, one’s act must be as per the Rules of Dharma as recorded in the Shastras of Dharma.

What do Dharma Shastras contain? The source of all Dharma is Vedas. Vedas can be understood through several ways. One is “Shruti”, which means Vedas have to be absorbed by an individual by listening to the teacher’s oral recitation and not by writing and reading. Second is “Smriti”, which means memorising what has been heard through detailed notes containing the concepts of Vedas. Then comes the conduct of scholars and learned men, which we get to know from our epics and Puranas. Then comes the conduct of disciples, which is known as “Sishtacharam”.

The conduct of all disciples cannot form the evidence of stipulated norms. It is only those disciples who have staunch faith in Shastras, who adhere to the Codes of Dharma in letter and spirit, and who are liberated from lust and anger, can form the evidence for exhibiting good conduct. Then comes our own “conscience”. How our heart and mind become purified forms an evidence of adherence to the rules of Shastras.

Now, what are the steps to follow while adhering to Codes of Vedas and Dharma? Poojyashree Maha Periyava explains the five steps, which have to be considered the most while adhering to the codes of Veda and Dharma.

First and foremost position the Vedas on a pedestal, where the Codes of Religion and Spiritualism find top most priority. Then, observe the Codes of Dharma as prescribed in the Vedas. Third, observe the conduct of saints and sages as a prelude to following the codes. As the fourth step, take into consideration the conduct of disciples based on which codes have to be adhered to. Lastly, keep one’s conscience as the base for adhering to Codes of Dharma.

Periyava feels sad about the current state of affairs. In the present days, the entire scenario is upside down when it comes to adhering to Vedic rules. First, people keep their conscience on the top and decide whether to follow the said rules or not. Only as the last option do they consider Vedas and take a decision. They feel only if there is no other justifiable way should one listen to the conscience and follow the rules. The synonym of “conscience” in Tamil is Manasatchi (Manam – Mind and Satchi – Witness), where the mind acts as a witness in times of a conflict. So, Periyava states that the mind can act only as a witness and it is never competent to take the position of a judge.

When a person makes some evidential statement, it may go wrong and hence it cannot be claimed to be a concrete evidence. But the mind cannot lie and it knows the truth by itself. Hence, it can be used as a witness. But nowadays, people place the conscience in the position of a judge. The mind can only say what has happened. However, it does not have the competence to decide whether what happened is right or wrong. The conscience will always try to substantiate its own stand and establish that only what it says is correct. In that case, how can it be justifiable? So, if someone says “I am acting as per my conscience”, it is absolutely not correct.

One should not place the conscience in the position of a judge. May be he can ask his conscience to give its views having witnessed whatever has happened. The mind belongs to an individual and hence we cannot be sure how far it would keep itself unbiased and speak the truth. More so, one must not at all give priority to the conscience in matters involving adherence to religious rules and regulations. What acts as absolute evidence with regard to adherence to Rules of Dharma is the point of view and opinions illustrated by sages and saints alone.

This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.

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