Vedic Literature | Ekamsat | Uddhava-Gita | Varnashrama: Brahmacharin and Grihastha
3-4. True, in ages past, in Thy incarnation as the Swan, Thou, Oh Madhava, Thou Lord of all, didst reveal to Brahma the dharma, which is the pathway to salvation. The passage of time has, however, dimmed it in the minds of men.
5. Oh Achyuta! Even in the following of Brahma, where all the arts and sciences are present in embodied forms to present their teachings, Thou art the only one competent authority to expound, put into practice and protect dharma.
6. Oh Madhusudana! When Thou, who art the promulgator, the protector and the teacher of dharma, have left the world at the close of Thy divine play as the Incarnate, who will be there to revive this dharma when it is lost by disuse?
7. So, Oh knower of dharma in all its aspects! Deign to speak to me about dharma
that will augment devotion to Thee, to whom this dharma is ordained, and how
they are to practise it.
Sri Suka said:
8. Being thus questioned by His servant, Sri Hari expounded dharma as follows,
with great joy for the benefit of all mankind.
Sri Bhagawan said:
9. Oh Uddhava! Your question pertaining to dharma will be very beneficial to the followers of varnashrama-dharma as also to other righteous men, as it will help to promote their spiritual evolution.
10. In the first Krita-yuga after the beginning of the kalpa, there was only one varna known as hamsa. That yuga was called Krita, because all men then were naturally kritakrityas – self-fulfilled and perfect.
11. In that primeval age, the Veda was pranava (AUM) alone, and I manifested as dharma with its four aspects intact. The worshippers then were pure and sinless, and their worship took the form of meditation.
12. In the Treta-yuga, the Veda emerged from My heart with prana as the medium. Thus I appeared as the Yajna with its three divisions represented by three priestly functionaries – Hota, Adhvaryu and Udgata.
13. From the face, hands, thighs and feet of the Virat-purusa, Me in My cosmic form, were born the four varnas, the brahamana, kshatriya, vaisya and sudra respectively. They have their specific duties naturally laid down for them.
14. The ashrama of the house-holder sprang from my hip; of the brahmacharin from My heart; of the forest-dweller (vanaprastha) from My chest; and of the sannyasin from My head.
15. The nature of the members of the varnas and the ashramas was determined by the place of their origin in the Virat. Those who were born of the higher regions were endowed with nobler nature and those who originated from lower parts were of lower nature.
16. The brahmanas are characterized by control of mind and senses, purity - internal and external, contemplation, contentment, forbearance, integrity, devotion to Me, kindliness and truthfulness.
17. Impressiveness, strength, self-control, courage, endurance, generosity, enterprise, firmness, reverence for holy men and commanding power are the inborn characteristics of a kshatriya.
18. Faith in God and the Veda, charity, absence of arrogance, service of holy men and insatiable acquisitiveness are the natural traits of a vaisya.
19. The spirit of sincere service of the holy men and those of all other varnas, the cows, etc, satisfaction with what he receives for his services are the inborn traits of a sudra.
20. Impurity, duplicity, thieving, lack of belief in God and Veda, wanton quarrelsomeness, lust, anger and greed are the characteristics of people outside the varnashrama-dharma.
21. It is the common dharma (sadharana-dharma) of persons belonging to all varnas to be free from cruelty, dishonesty, thieving, lust, anger and greed as also to do what is good and pleasing to all creatures.
22. A dvija or a member of the first three varnas should have undergone all the prenatal and postnatal purificatory rites and attained his second birth with the upanayana, with the investiture of the sacred thread, which makes him eligible for study of the Veda and performance of the rites enshrined therein. He should then live in the house-hold of the guru, a highly disciplined life, studying the Veda from the guru.
Brahmacharins are of two classes – upakurvanas and naishthikas. The duties stated above relate to the former.
23. Dressed in deer skin, wearing a grass girdle and a sacred thread, having matted locks, holding in hand a staff, stringed beads of japa, a water pot and some kusa grass, a brahmacharin should live without bestowing much attention on his physical appearance, dress, fashions and personal comforts.
24. He should observe silence while bathing, taking food, evacuating, performing sacrificial rites and making japa. He should not pare his nails or shave off his hair, including those under the arm pits and the private parts.
25. A student who has taken the vow of a brahmacharin should never consciously allow the ejaculation of his semen to take place. If it were to take place naturally by itself, he should, immediately thereafter, bathe, perform pranayama and utter the Gayatri mantra.
26. Observing purity of body and mind and bestowing deep attention, he should do service to the fire, sun, teacher, cow, holy men, elders, old people, Devas, etc. At sunrise and sunset he should sit in silence and repeat the Gayatri.
27. He should look upon the guru to be Me, and not as a mere man. He should never insult him or revolt against him. For, the guru is the embodiment of all divinities.
28. The brahmacharin should, morning and evening, go about bhiksha, and present whatever food material or other things he has collected as offerings to the guru. Restraining his own impulse to eat, he should take only such of those things as the guru permits him to eat.
29. He should serve the guru like a servant, going behind him wherever he goes, sleeping near where he sleeps, massaging his feet when he rests, and standing with joined palms nearby when he sits.
30. Until his education is over, he should live in this way at the guru’s house, avoiding luxury, following a code of austere disciplines, and observing the vow of celibacy without compromise.
31. If the brahmacharin aspires to attain to Brahma-loka, he should make his vow of being celibate lifelong, and dedicate himself to the guru with a view to utilizing his whole life for the study of the Veda. Such a lifelong celibate is called a naishthika brahmacharin (in contrast to the upakurvana brahmacharin described earlier).
32. A life-long brahmacharin, with his spiritual splendor augmented by Vedic study and a pure life, should meditate on Me as manifesting in the fire, in the guru, in himself and in all beings, in an attitude of non-separateness.
33. Excepting the house-holder, the others should not indulge in sexually motivated behaviour towards women like viewing, touching, holding homely conversations, joking, etc. They should also avoid the sight of animals and birds copulating.
34-35. The naishthika brahmacharin should, along with members of all other ashramas, practise the following universal disciplines: cleanliness, sipping water ceremonially (achamana), bathing, performing sandhya-vandana, being straightforward, visiting holy places, doing japa, avoiding contacts, food and associations that are degrading, habituating to feel My presence in everyone, and control of mind, speech and action, etc.
36. A naishthika brahmacharin, who follows this intensely austere way of life, will shine like fire; his mind with all its tendencies will be purified in the fire of knowledge. He will consequently develop intense devotion to Me.
37. After having studied the Veda with its meaning, one desirous of entering the life of the house-holder should make adequate parting presents to the learned teacher of the Veda, and with the blessings of the teacher, perform the ceremonial bath of samavartana, indicating the conclusion of Vedic study and of the period of brahmacharya.
38. He is now free to become a house-holder or a forest-dwelling ascetic (vanaprastha) – the former, if he seeks enjoyment, and the later, if he seeks purification of the mind. But if he is an aspirant of the highest order, he can become a sannyasin directly. According to his choice (and fitness), he can pass from one ashrama to a superior ashrama. But a devotee of Me should never do the reverse, nor should he remain without adopting any ashrama.
39. He who enters the house-holder’s ashrama should marry a girl younger than him in age, unblemished in respect of family traditions and auspiciousness, and well-matched to him in all respects. She must be of his own varna and, if absolutely necessary, girls from lower varnas may be taken as wives, in their succeeding order.
40. Performance of Yajna, learning the Veda and making gifts form the duty of all the dvijas (twice-born). But receiving gifts, teaching the Veda and conducting yajnas is the exclusive right of the brahmanas.
41. If one thinks that acceptance of gifts is detrimental to austerity, spirituality and good name, one may live by the other two occupations of teaching Veda and conducting yajnas (sacrifices). If one finds even these defective, one may subsist on fallen grains gathered from the fields after harvest.
42. The body of the brahmana is not meant for indulgence in vulgar enjoyment. It is meant for a life of hardship and austerity here and for eternal bliss hereafter.
43. One, who thus lives on stray grains collected from fields and home-steads, who is content with what one has, and who follows the lofty ideals of a desireless life dedicated to dharma, with his mind wholly resigned to Me and free from attachments, will attain liberation even while remaining a house-holder.
44. I will save anyone who renders help in difficulties to such a holy man who is entirely dedicated to Me, when he is himself in difficulties, as a boat saves a drowning one from the ocean.
45. A king should protect his subjects from all dangers as a father does his children. As an elephant saves itself and its herd, so should a king be a saviour of all.
46. Such a king will overcome all his sins here itself, and he will hereafter reside with Indra in a mansion resplendent like the sun, and enjoy heavenly delights.
47. If a brahmana is in a dangerous situation which upsets his way of life, he may take to trading like a vaisya until he gets over the difficulties. If difficulties overwhelm him there also, he may take to the sword like a kshatriya. But he should never descend to the livelihood of a dog, serving a mean master.
48. A kshatriya, too, when he is in danger, can take to trading or to hunting for his livelihood, or even to the duty of a brahmana, but he should never descend to the life of a dog, serving a mean master.
49. If a vaisya falls into a dangerous situation, he can follow the duty of a sudra, and if a sudra is in difficulty, he can take to a carpenter’s or mat-maker’s work for livelihood. When one is free from the difficulties, one should not continue to live by inferior professions.
50. Feeling My presence in them, a house-holder should daily adore Devas, rishis, pitris, men and lower creations with offerings in the forms of homas, Vedic study, sraaddhas, festive feeding and edibles respectively.
This is called the panchamahayajna, incumbent on a house-holder.
51. With wealth that has come to one unexpectedly or what one has earned by honest means, one may perform other yajnas also without causing any discomfort to one’s dependants and servants.
52. Even though one has a family, one should not get too much attached to its members. Without any slackness, one should be vigilant in regard to the true nature of life. One must bear in mind that all the enjoyments expected in the after-life are as perishable as those of this life.
53. The association with sons, wives, dear friends and relatives is no better than the chance-gathering of a group of travelers in a caravanserai. Just as dream relatives change in the recurring dream-states that follow sleep, so do those of the waking state change in repeated embodiments.
54. A person will not get attached to the home, if he reflects on this truth, and lives in the home like a guest, without any feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, with regard to anything or anybody in life.
55. One who is devoted to Me can continue to live in the home itself till one’s end, performing all the duties related to the home as offerings to Me. Or one can become a forest-dweller, living the life of an ascetic in the forest. Or, entrusting all house-hold affairs to one’s son, one can become a sannyasin, a holy wanderer in the world with no fixed residence.
56. He, whose mind is extremely attached to the home, ever worried with thoughts of his children, wealth and luxuries, and is pitiably petty-minded and grossly ignorant of spiritual matters, is strongly fastened with the chain of ’I’ and ‘mine’.
57. He will be given to such thoughts as this: ‘Alas! Sorrow-stricken by my death, how will my old parents and my wife with orphaned children get on in this world without me!’
58. Attracted in this way by the insatiable attachment to home, the ignorant man ruminates again and again over the experiences and enjoyment of home-life until death overtakes him. Birth in lower level, dominated by the blinding darkness of ignorance, awaits him thereafter.