Bhagwan Shree Hari briefly preaches the Dharma of householders.
Bhagwan Shree Hari briefly preaches the Dharma of householders.
Narayan muni said:-
On another occasion house-holder men too, should observe certain restrictions; for instance, they should avoid contact with women other than relative outside their family in to, if they wish to be happy in this life and hereafter. 1.
And women of the house-holder too, especially those of a marriageable age must avoid all contact with unrelated men. 2.
So also, house-holders should abstain fully from consumption of flesh, onion, garlic, liqueur and other intoxicating addictive drugs leading to stupor. 3.
Next, O devotees! people belonging to any of the four castes should never partake of food from the plate of another, even of the same caste, except for dry-baked items like popped grains. 4.
My followers, moreover should never consume tobacco in any of three forms, opium, hashish, heroine, brown sugar. 5.
Like reduces, even householders must keep away from away, anger pride and violence, i.e. harm to others. They should not kill live beings even for rites to propitiate, either the manes or some god. Nor should they ever commit suicide in holy places etc. for attaining heaven, even if so advised by someone. 6-7.
Moreover, clarified butter, milk or water should never be consumed without filteration. One who drinks such water for just one day, incurs a sin equal to that of catching fish for six months; because, there is the possibility of swallowing tiny fish through unfiltered water, hence that act is listed as sinful in ancient texts. 8-9.
Also one should not get attached to worldly matters like a confounded food. Rather, a house holder harbor-special too towards saintly persons. Because it is said that saints can salvage even those fastened firmly with worldly fetters that cannot be pierced by any weapon. 10-11.
Therefore, householders aspiring for liberation should listen to tales of Krishna from others of the same faith or better still, from genuine recluses, not from fake ones who accept wealth or conversation with women. If he happens to hear a sermon from such an imposter, he should perform the expiatory rite called Chandrayana vrata. 12-13.
In the absence of a temple in a village, people should collect at the house of a man advance in religious practice and listen from him the Lord’s tales or recite His names in the evenings. 14.
As far as possible, all house-holders should make it a daily routine to chant a certain number of Krishna-mantras, with help of rosaries, and meditate on him, sitting in solitude. Performance of his mental worship in that manner can remove mental impurities. 15-16.
Besides all this, Brahmins should perform with devotion the sixfold duties enjoined for their caste by the scripture. The Muni then turned to the topic of atonements. 17.
Upon failing in one’s duty or in case of committing a sin due to some contingency, my adherents should undertake corrective measure. 18.
For a sinful act committed just once unknowingly or unintentionally, the procedure of expiation prescribed by Manu and other earlier authors of code-books is as follows: 19.
A man who wishes to make an atonement for a sin or failure in duty should first take a bath and then stand with folded hands before a Parishad. 20.
A Parishad (religious committee) is said to consist of 19,7,5 or 3 gentlemen who are truthful, sincerely religious and experts in spirituality. In rare cases, 3 or just a learned man can comprise the Parishad. It is knowledge that qualifies one for membership of a Parishd, and not wealth, good looks, youth or merely an advance age. Nor can fools, greedy partisan men or those arguing against religious norms, even one lakh in number, comprise a religious committee Parishad. 21- 23.
A man well-versed in scriptures, faithful, self-controlled, calm and constantly engaged in religious activities is the one who deserves to be a member of Parishad. Although young in age, or twice-born man is to be considered as elderly and fit to become a Parishad-member, provided he knows Dharma, i.e. can correctly distinguish between right and wrong. Those fools who have become grey-haired in vain, without acquiring the requisite knowledge and wisdom, do not qualify for the same. For, indeed, Dharma resides where is truth; elsewhere, it is Adharma that prevails, it is Dharma that wins, not Adharma; truth emerges as victorious, and not untruth. 24-26.
And in deciding Dharma or Adharma, the verdict of a Parishad should be accepted as final, be it concerning a social deal or an atonement on the prescription of a vow. 27.
By acting according to prescriptions of a Parishad, a wrong gets purified; but if the prescription itself is wrong, the Parishad stands to blame for it. Because any one person or group prescribing a solution without fully knowing and properly considering all the pros and cons of the astrology, social dealing, expiation or medical treatment, would become a great sinner. 28-29.
Therefore, Dharma alone should be dictated by Brahmin members of the committee impending sin upon a wrong verdict; and resorting to truth, they should prescribe only what is most appropriate, not anything at all. 30.
Also, they should show favour or leniency towards women, young children, elderly persons, those physically weak on handicapped due to some accident, disease, whatever. 31.
Leniency should also be shown to those incapable of fasting, considering their age, time, season, region, etc. 32.
Those Parishad-members who give such concessions out of greed, friendship, fear of retaliation or ignorance, they will turn out to be fools and will surely go to suffer in hells called Raurava etc. 33.
It was righteous men of ancient times like Manu etc., who had full knowledge of propriety, and no other that have laid down norms of Dharma in their code-books called Smritis. Therefore a verdict should be pronounced by a religious committee only due consideration of all the above-said points. 34.
Besides the above points, the Parishad should also know and consider the social norms prevalent in the region, village and family of the person concerned, while prescribing the scriptural code of conduct; it should never do so in a hurry. 35.
The wrong-doer must observe the expiatory vow in the manner prescribed by the Parishad; only then will he be purified. Otherwise, he may go to hell. 36.
As an exception to the above public procedure, a wise knowledgeable man committed a secret sin, could himself look up the scripture and undertake the prescribed atonement. Another could do so after consulting another knower of Dharma than himself. 37.
Those who are fit and unfit to perform expiations. No sin accrues to a child before his sixth year of age. Hence, there is no need of royal punishment or expiation for him. 38.
For one aged five to ten years, expiation should be undertaken by his father, elder brother or the preceptor himself. 39.
For a child between his eleventh and 1sixteenth year of age, a diseased or old man and a woman, the atonement should be half of that to be made by normal adult male. 40.
Only a man or a woman making atonement for a sin can attain to a good status in the after-life. One not doing so will go to one of the hells or to the lower species. 41.
Sin accrues even to those in contact with a person not undertaking expiation after committing an offence. Therefore all contact with him should be avoided. 42.
Like house-holder men and women, recluses too should atone for their offence appropriately, observing the prescribed vows strictly. 43.
Means for cherishing affection towards Bhagawan. All my adherent should avoid getting attached to flimsy joys of the world and constantly take interest in Lord Krishna, the son of Vasudeva. 44.
That interest will grow through sixteen ways : (a) faith in him, (b) desire to understand his greatness, (c) constant observance of one’s duties and vows, (d) practice of spiritual Yoga, (e) company of his devotees, (f) listening to his tales (g,h,i) avoiding company of those attached to women, wealth and palate, (j) non-violence, (k) non-censure (of others), (l-m) observance of all yamas and Niyamas, (n) disinterest in worldly matters, (o) uncomplaining tolerance of deeds like pleasure and pain (p) recounting his names and worshipping him.45 - 48.
Only through unswerving devotion towards Lord Hari, a man can develop total detachment; attain spiritual knowledge and finally cessation of transmigration. 49.
The Lord can be pleased by no other means except total devotion. Hence all of you must serve him with dedication free from any pretence. 50.
Said Suvrata after all this:-
O King, having thus instructed his adherents about devotion and religious practice, Muni Narayana, the offspring of Bhakti felt contented with himself. He then urged the hosts of mendicants to sing the glories of Lord Vishnu and the public took every word reverentially. 51.
Thus ends the sixty second chapter entitled, ‘Narration of depiction of atonement procedures,’ in the third prakaran of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra. (the rules of the code of conduct). 62