* Customs and practices forbidden in kaliyuga. * Special Niyam of Acharya among Grihasthas.
Customs and practices forbidden in kaliyuga.
Shri Narayan Muni said:-
The duties of men and women belonging to different caste (Varnas) and in different stages of life (Ashramas) have been extensively and repeatedly described in the Dharmashastras. 1.
Among them only those canons are to be followed which are keeping with the times (yuga). In this regard, Bhishma has said the following to Yudhishthira in the Mahabharata: 2.
In the Kritayuga, Tretayuga, Dvaparayuga and the Kaliyuga the duties of men, are different. They (the rules) have been made, keeping in mind the capacity of human beings in different yugas. 3.
I shall explain to you certain customs and practices which are to be discarded under any circumstances in the Kaliyuga; they have been forbidden in the Puranas and the Smritis. 4.
Sacrifices in which cows, humans and horses are offered as victims and the consumption of liquor and other intoxicants are said to be forbidden in the Kaliyuga. 5.
One should not smell liquor even from the Sautramani sacrifice nor should he slaughter an animal for the sake of a deity, a guest or a bride-groom. 6.
One should never offer meat to the manes (dead) on the occasion of shraddha; in the same way, one should not accept (the responsibility of) Agnihotra or take Sanyaas (renunciate’s order) in the Kaliyuga. 7.
Re-marriage of a widowed Brahmin girl should never be done in the Kaliyuga even if they happen to be virgins. 8.
One should not use an earthen pot (kamandalu) for drinking water. Even for the sake of procreation, a younger brother (of the deceased person) should not sleep with his sister-in-law. 9.
One who does not possess the capacity to observe celibacy as per the tenets of the scriptures should not remain unmarried for long, in any case. 10.
In the Kaliyuga, one should avoid that kind of expiation (Prayaschitta) which may result in death. In the same way, for older members, living a solitary life in forest (Vanaprastha- ashrama) is to be discarded. 11.
Even in a justly fought war (dharma-yuddha), one should not kill a Brahmin even if he is a criminal (Atatayin). In addition, one should desist from performing a sacrifice in which animal- slaughter is involved. 12.
Even for the sake of attaining heaven, men and women in their old age should never set themselves on fire or throw themselves down a mountain ridge. 13.
One should never breathe one’s last in the Himalayas nor abandon one’s own body in the stream of the Ganga. 14.
In case one commits a grievous sin secretly, one should undergo a purification exercise by such means of muttering the God’s name (Japa). Suicide would never be the way out in such matters. 15.
If one has to face unbearable calumny, a respectable person should stay under cover or in exile but never destroy himself. 16-17
In the Kaliyuga, no person should resort to theft even if he has to pass three days without getting food grains. 18.
One should never marry his father’s sister’s daughter or their mother’s brother’s daughter; in the same way one should never marry the daughter of a man from a different Varna (caste). 19.
A Brahmin should never accept food cooked in ghee or milk or in a pan (Kandu - kataha) from a Shudra even if he is of saintly disposition. 20.
A disciple should never behave with the wife of the guru in the manner the Guru does. Sanyaasis (ascetics) should never go to people of the four castes to seek alms. 21.
One should give Dakshina (fee) to the guru as per one’s capacity and not as demanded by him; one should never perform Achamana (rite of sipping water) with the water that was left behind by cows after drinking. 22.
Mitigation of the impurity (days of defilement) resulting from the death (of a relative) should not be done (in the kaliyuga) if the affected person is a Vedic scholar (& worshiper of the scared fire, etc.). He should never be touched after the collection of bones (of cremated person). 23.
These and others are the practices and customs that are to be discarded in the Kaliyuga as directed (by Dharmashastra). If these are recommended (Vidhivakya) in religious texts, they are certainly applicable to other Yugas (not kaliyuga). 24.
O great Brahmin!, Agnihotra and Sanyas are recommended (in the kaliyuga) only for those Brahmins who are pious, perfect in renunciation and capable. 25.
The scriptures have opined that as long as, the division of the castes and the (learning of) Vedas prevail on this earth, these two (namely Agnihotra and sanyas) will be there in Kaliyuga. 26.
But the great sages have absolutely forbidden these for one who does not possess the highest strength for observing piety and renunciation. 27.
These are all duties of the householders that I have explained in brief. ‘O great Brahmin, these are to be strictly observed . 28.
Special Niyam of Acharya among Grihasthas.
Now to the general duties of those Brahmins who are born in the family of Dharma and are functioning as gurus, even if they are householders. Their duties are also as explained above. 29.
I shall now explain to you their special obligations. They shall never consume anything that is not (first) offered to Krishna. 30.
They shall never talk to, touch or preach to those married women who are not their relatives. Avoiding contact with widows is the general rule. It is to be specially observed by those born in Dharma’s family, O great Brahmin! 31 -32.
I shall hereby explain to you all the specific duties binding on Kings who are householders. Following these rules, a king attains fame and happiness in this and the next world. 33.
Thus ends the twenty first chapter entitled, ‘narration of actions to be avoided in Kaliyug’ in the fifth Prakaran of Satsangi jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra (the rules of the code of conduct). 21