Varnashrama Dharma : Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati
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Thursday 11 May, 2023. 19:30.
Dharma and Brahman :
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The Vedas talk about dharma and Brahman and following this dharma leads us to Brahman. If we follow our own connotations of dharma we will not reach Brahman. It is like the path to Mount Everest. On making inquiries we discover the route to the top, but if we don’t follow the map we will not reach the peak.
The earlier portion of the Vedas is known as karmakanda and the later portion is jnanakanda. To arrive at the doorstep of jnanakanda, one has to follow the path of karma. Dharma means what we should do and what we should not do – vidhinishedh, based on what the scriptures say. By following its dictates we are taken slowly and steadily towards Brahman.
The dharma conveyed in the Vedas is based on two points – varna and ashrama – together called varnashrama dharma. In the Bhagvad-gita also, Bhagavan refers to varna and ashram. Varna lists four types of people. The four categories mentioned - brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra - are based on the qualities (gunas) of an individual. Every jiva is a combination and permutation of these gunas. All of us are divided into four groups and should perform actions based on the ashram and the gunas we have.
The four ashramas are – brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyas. Each life is divided into four stages, of which the final stage is of sannyas, when one renounces everything and reaches the state of enlightenment. The master plan of the Vedas is to take us to Brahman. The knowledge of Brahman is given in four stages to the four types of people we find. Dharma depends on and is decided by the varna and ashrama of the person. If followed sincerely, it leads us to purity of the mind (chittashuddhi) and we gain the four qualifications of – discrimination (viveka), dispassion (vairagya), control over mind and sense organs (shamdamadi shat sampatti) and the desire for freedom (mumukshutwam). With the gain of these four we are qualified to follow the path of Brahman.
When it comes to following the path of Brahman there is no division of varna (brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra) or ashram (brahmacharya, grahastha, vanaprastha, sannyasi). All can follow the path of Brahman. Only purity of mind is required to gain this knowledge. Other qualifications are required to perform action. The world is full of different types of people and so naturally everyone does not do the same thing. Even if there is freedom to do anything, each one will do only what they are capable of doing.
The rules and regulations of the four varnas and ashramas should be followed while performing action. Otherwise there will be chaos. Even at the level of the individual body we find that, thinking is done by the intellect. If the intellect suddenly decides to leave thinking to the mind and decides instead to act and feel, then there will be big problem. Thinking should be left to the intellect. The mind and senses are not capable of deciding. The intellect alone is capable of taking decisions.
At an intersection, of the two roads, one road will take you to your destination. To leave the decision to the eyes would be a grave error. The eyes may take the road that looks good to them, which may be the wrong road. To perform an action certain qualifications are required. One of the reasons for chaos in society is that unqualified people are given the job. It is called anadhikar cheshta. Regardless of whether they are qualified - an actor’s son becomes an actor; a politician’s son, a politician. To perform action the appropriate qualifications based on varna and ashrama should be followed, otherwise there will be avyavastha.
Varna is a scientific analysis of the body, mind and intellect, based on gender and stage in life. What one is fit to do and can do without break. The scriptures talk about nitya karma and naimittik karma. Nitya karmas are actions which have to be performed every day. The physical body does not prevent us from doing these, though often the scriptures prescribe different actions for men and women.
Naimittik karma are occasional karmas. Kamya karmas are desire oriented activities. Nishiddha karma are forbidden activities. Prayashchit karma are activities undertaken to negate sinful activities. Understanding varna and ashrama is important order to determine the type of activities we can perform. Actions prescribed for brahmacharis, grihasthis and vanaprasthis are all distinct. A vanprasthi is not qualified to untake the actions of brahmacharis, because the body does not support it and the mind is different. Brahmacharis should not be given the jobs of a grahasthi or vanaprasthi and vice versa.
These divisions are very scientific but people misunderstand their very basis and create confusion by not following them. Unfortunately we have not understood our own scriptures properly and are swayed by the interpretations of foreigners. The division of varna and ashrama is only for karma, not for Brahman. With the qualifications of viveka, vairagya, shamdamadi shat sampatti and mumukshutvam we are fit to walk the path of Brahman. We may be fit for Brahman though not for karma, but to qualify for Brahman, we have to pass through karma.
The four ashramas are brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. In the first stage of brahmacharya, the child receives samskaras, meant to purify the mind. After the Upanayan ceremony the child was supposed to study the Vedas with the teacher for 12 years and learn to lead a dharmic, righteous, proper life.
After completing his education the youth would marry and follow the path of grihasthashrama, implementing the path of dharma learnt in the brhamacharyashram. The responsibilities of grihasthashrama are completed with the marriage of his children. Baby-sitting the grandchildren is not a responsibility. Till this stage he does not know about Brahman. Then the man enters the stage of vanaprastha, where he is duty bound to study (shravana and mananam) Brahmavidya – the later portion of the Vedas. Listening to and contemplating on the scriptures is prescribed for the vanaprasthashram.
Shravana of the dharma portion of the Vedas is done in the brahmacharyashram. It is practiced in grihasthashram. The study of the Brahman portion or the Upanishads is reserved for vanaprasthashram. The practice of niddhidhyasana should be followed in sannyasashrama, the final stage of this balanced and harmonious system.
Meditation needs to be done alone. It is path of the alone to the Alone. One has to renounce the body and understand that, ‘I am not the body’. This is the state of Enlightenment, with which comes the knowledge – ‘I am that pure Self not this body. I am different from the body.’ This is sannyasashrama. It has got nothing to do with the traditional ochre robes worn by the sannyasi. The main directive of sannyasa is to drop the identification with body, mind and intellect and with full conviction gain abidance in Brahman.
Follow the path shown in the Vedas. Starting with dharma it will take us to our destination - Brahman. We only need to make the right choice and allow the rest to happen!
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Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati
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