90. DO SAINTS HELP?

90. DO SAINTS HELP ?

Faith in Saints is a universal phenomenon. People in all societies at all times have believed in Saints. They have looked up to Saints for help to tide over troubles and to attract good tidings. Curiously, even those who don't believe in God venerate Saints. Looking at the continued faith people display, there must be substance in the claim on the efficacy of prayer to Saints. 

Saints in Christianity and others

Among Christians, it is mainly Catholics who believe in Saints. They believe that Saints have the power to intercede with God or Christ on our behalf. They also have Saints for specific functions and purposes; they have a system of patron Saints for each nation. Protestants do not believe in Saints, though individually they may honour them. Muslims have their equivalent of Saints in the holy men buried in their Dargahs and some of them attract huge crowds of even non-Muslims in India.

Indians (Hindus ) have implicit faith in all holy men and they have a tendency to call anyone appearing holy as a Sant or Saint. They in fact venerate all holy men, regardless of faith.

With the spread of secular education, people have other heroes among movie stars, sports stars and politicians. Saints have been replaced by supermen. In more simple times, common people had implicit faith in Saints and turned to them in prayer in difficulties. 

Even a romantic poet like Coleridge expressed this sentiment in Christabel:

Saints will aid if men will call
For the blue sky bends over all.

Catholics v.Protestants

The cult of Saints was actively promoted by the Catholic Church. It is an important string to their bow. It is still at it, periodically adding to its army  of Saints and its array of their pictures/statues. But other Christians never shared this fascination for saints. Protestants believe that each Christian can directly read the Bible and approach Christ and that they do not need any intermediaries. In fact, for them, each (true) Christian is a Saint!

 George Herbert, the metaphysical poet of the 17th century [ whose influence is felt on such diverse modern poets as Coleridge, Emily Dickinson, Emerson, G.M Hopkins,T.S.Eliot, W.H.Auden, Robert Frost ] went so far as to characterise Pope himself as the Antichrist. As the article in Poetry Foundation notes:

Herbert seems to align himself with the apocalyptic Protestant militants of late-sixteenth- and early-seventeenth-century England as he energetically and somewhat venomously satirizes the pope as Antichrist, Rome as "Western Babylon," the Jesuits as the Devil's army, priests as crafty wizards, and Roman Catholicism in general as a religion of shameless glory rather than grace. And England is by no means a secure fortress: reformed though it is, the British church is all but ready to succumb to the darkness that has afflicted all previous churches. 

The situation was so bad, felt Herbert, that he wrote a poem saying the true Church was ready to leave England and flee to America!

Religion Westward Bent

By George Herbert (1593–1633)

RELIGION stands on tip-toe in our land, Readie to passe to the American strand. When height of malice, and prodigious lusts, Impudent sinning, witchcrafts, and distrusts, (The marks of future bane,) shall fill our cup         5 Unto the brimme, and make our measure up; When Sein shall swallow Tiber, and the Thames By letting in them both, pollutes her streams: When Italie of us shall have her will, And all her calender of sinnes fulfill;         10 Whereby one may foretell, what sinnes next years Shall both in France and England domineer: Then shall Religion to America flee: They have their times of Gospel, ev’n as we. My God, thou dost prepare for them a way,         15 By carrying first their gold from them away: For gold and grace did never yet agree: Religion alwaies sides with povertie. We think we rob them, but we think amisse: We are more poore, and they more rich by this.         20 Thou wilt revenge their quarrell, making grace To pay our debts, and leave our ancient place To go to them, while that, which now their nation But lends to us, shall be our desolation.

May  be this was prescient, as we saw in the last article that religion is more alive in the US than in the UK today!

Can Saints help nations?

This raises a question: do saints help nations, as they seem to help individuals? If they can save people, why not their nations? After all, each nation has a Patron saint!

This is difficult to answer. Historically, the so called Christian nations have fought among themselves, even as the Christian sects savagely fought one another. The two world wars were fought mainly by Christian nations and there were followers of saints  among both winners and losers!

AS for India, we can say that for all our faith in the Saints, we as a nation have done very badly. There was a time when the South was full of roaming saints- Alwars and Nayanmars , who  inspired the Bhakti movement and the Bhagavata Purana. However, for the last 1000 years, foreigners have dominated and ruled over us. Alien religions  and anti-religious [ mainly anti-Hindu] rhetoric are making steady inroads here. 

Yet we can definitely point to several saints who protected the people. At the height of Muslim invasions, we had a succession of saints who spread the Bhakti movement among the people. They simplified our lofty (and at times knotty) philosophy and sang in the regional tongues,thus bringing the common man solace and comfort. 




We had two saints who were instrumental in creating the two last great Hindu kingdoms and stalled the march of the Muslim hordes for over  three centuries.

Vidyaranya  was instrumental in creating the Vijayanagar Kingdom.

 Samartha Ramdas  inspired Shivaji Maharaj and his Swaraj of the Hindus.





 
Modern Indian experience


But when the British came, none could help us, it seems.

Calcutta was the British capital in India, till 1931 . But Calcutta was also the Capital of Hindu renaissance and resistance! Few Indians realise this today. Bengalis had deep Hindu fervour and the three major sects- Shakta, Vaishnava and Shaiva worship flourished there, even under the Muslim nawabs. The British were more subtle: they left the work of  direct conversion to the  Christian missionaries but slowly poisoned our minds through an educational system introduced in 1836.

Ramakrishna stops Christian onslaught

 But soon thereafter, Sri Ramakrishna appeared there. He taught Hindus how their religion was eternal [Sanatana], how the teachings it contained were all true and valid still. Though not educated formally, and not knowing English, Sri Ramakrishna attracted many educated youngsters and commanded respect from the educated sections of Bengali society! He had tremendous impact on English educated Bengalis who had felt attracted to European ways.

Vivekananda and Hindu Nationalism

 His English-educated chief disciple Vivekananda went to America and in the Parliament of Religions there at Chicago he preached in the name of the most ancient religion of the World- Hinduism. This was on 11 September 1893. This electrified and rejuvenated the whole country and Hindus everywhere.


This inaugurated and inspired the saga of modern Hindu nationalism. Earlier, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee had captured our minds and hearts with the song Bande Mataram. Swami Vivekananda reminded us that religion/spirituality constituted the very essence of Indian life and national existence and if we gave up our religion and spirituality and took to social reform , India would fall within three generations.

Nationalism as Political Agenda

Sri Aurobindo, Sept.1907

But real Nationalism in its political spirit started with the trio of Lal-Pal- Bal. However its true authors were Tilak and Sri Aurobindo. It was, above all,  Sri Aurobindo who furnished us with a philosophy of nationalism, clearly declaring that "Sanatana Dharma- that is nationalism for us" ( Uttarpara speech-  May 1909 ) He said that if India was rising, it was for the sake of Sanatana Dharma. The country was reverberating with the cries of Vande Mataram.

Brutal British Suppression

But the British brutally suppressed the movement . Tilak was imprisoned in Mandalay, where he languished for six years, and Sri Aurobindo himself was in solitary confinement in Alipore jail for a year, implicated in a false case. The British magistrate acquitted him but soon he left politics and took to spiritual sadhana, settling at Pondicherry, then French territory.

Gandhi's Kichdi

About a decade after this Gandhi entered the scene. He took up too many things and failed in everything, leading to the partition of the country. His chosen heir, Jawaharlal Nehru mauled our economy in the name of socialism. He gave a decidedly anti-Hindu slant to his policies in the name of secularism, and the Hindu springs of our nationalist movement were forgotten/ deliberately suppressed. Today, in the name of Secularism, India is not even a Hindu country, though 95 crore Hindus live here and have it as their Motherland. If we simply repeat the words of Sri Aurobindo now, we would be called fundamentalists!

Pre-Gandhian leaders obliterated

The rulers of Independent India have completely obliterated the  Hindu spiritual fervor of the earlier nationalists and perpetuated dynastic rule, favouring minorities, thus acting as the Trojan horses for Islam and Christian interests! The textbooks followed in the govt controlled educational system are written by leftists who do not cover the pre-Gandhi-Nehru era adequately or appropriately. Even Subhas Bose is sidelined. Thus most of our youngsters have no chance to learn about the true origins and foundations of Indian nationalism.

In the circumstances,  may we  say that Saints have failed to protect Hindus collectively, or promote the cause of Hindu nationalism? Without these  : Sri Ramakrishna-Vivekananda-Sri Aurobindo - India would not be India; yet they are not even widely known except in closed, limited circles. They have become just cult figures, not national heroes in Independent India. We have failed to honour them as the Founders of true Indian nationalism.

Nasty games in the South

In the South [ especially Tamil Nad ] we have a different stream. Here, the so called Dravidian forces gathered strength on a wave of anti-Brahmin hatred, initially based on the false Aryan-invasion theory and the apprehension that if India became free, the influence of Brahmins would rise, as the educated Brahmins were in the forefront of the freedom movement under Gandhi. The movement had thus a double edge: anti -freedom and anti- Hindu. The anti-freedom idea lost force once they tasted power, and they have been controlling the reigns of power for half a century now!  Like the Central govt. at Delhi, they too have effectively blacked out the founders of Indian nationalism. But the anti-Hindu stance has not lost its vigour, first in the guise of anti-Brahminism and now in the name of secularism! 

Mahaswami of Kanchi

Amidst all this turmoil, there was the Jagadguru of Kanchi, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, we all simply call Mahaswami or Paramacharya, standing like a rock. He adorned the Mutt for 87 years [1907- 1994]. He set a personal example in austerity, tapas, simplicity and wisdom. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, an internationally reputed Muslim scholar and Vice-Chancellor of Teheran University said after  meeting Mahaswami in 1970:

To behold the presence of His Holiness the Jagadguru, and to be blessed by the privileges of the fresh breeze which flows from him and which extinguishes the very fire that separates man from God, is to realise that the divine freedom manifests itself where it wills. In Kanchipuram one feels the proximity of the Light which as a Muslim , I have experienced near Muslim saints.In the eyes of the Jagadguru, the silence of the Eternity of India which is immutable and eternal like the peak of the Himalayas, shines and penetrates into the very heart where presides the throne of God. Through his glance, the heart becomes suddenly transmuted alchemically from a piece of flesh into a jewel that reflects Inner Light and Illuminates the whole from within.

The Mahaswami stressed the necessity of revival of Vedic learning, adherence to Dharma, and adoption of a life of simplicity and service.

The Swami's message to politicians/legislators


 On India attaining Independence, some legislators and politicians approached him for a message. He gave them two- one in general terms, and one specifically on what the govt ought and ought not to do in the matter of religion. The politicians suppressed the second message. It saw the light of the day after 50 years, in 1997, three years after the Mahaswami had passed away! In these fifty years all that the swami said should not be done had been done! The result is that the so called independent secular Indian government is even more inimical to Hindus than the British ever were! Thus though thousands have benefited by blessings from the Mahaswami,  Hindu nation as such has not derived any benefit or protection.

photo: thanks, Sage of Kanchi.

[The Swami's message can be read in Tamil in the 7th volume of the Publication, "Deivaththin Kural " ( The Voice of Divinity )]

I therefore feel that for some reason, saints do not seem to affect the fate of nations, in the short run, or directly, anyway! In any case, as we would like them to do!

[ Care: Coleridge says Saints will aid if men will call! We do turn to saints in personal distress; do we invoke them when we have a national problem or collective need? Do Hindus even have a collective consciousness?  We have no system of congregational prayers! So, may be, we can't fault the Saints, after all!]

35.BASIC READING LIST FOR HINDUS -1

35. BASIC READING LIST FOR HINDUS -1

Some friends ask for a list of books which would give one a proper idea of our religion. So many books are published that it is difficult to make a selection. So many authors, Indian and foreign, traditional and modern, representing  so many sects and branches of philosophy, that it is so confusing. As the friends are mainly Smartha, representing the Sankara tradition,  I make the following recommendations.

I have read hundreds of books over the last 50 years and have faced the same problem. Most writers just complicate matters to show their learning! 

Before studying anything, we should be clear why we want to study. One may read just for the pleasure of it. But the real aim should be to read as an aid to proper understanding and sadhana. I offer these views accordingly. 

1.The basic book which every Smartha should study- not just read- is the 7 volume compilation of the talks of Paramacharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt. This is called Deivattin Kural  தெய்வத்தின் குரல் or the Voice of Divinity in Tamil. 

English translations of parts of this are available with the following titles:

1. Hindu Dharma
2.The Guru Tradition
3.The Vedas
4.Saundarya Lahari
5.Adi Shankara and His Times.

All these are published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai.

The last title is a translation by Dr.T.M.P Mahadevan of the talks of the Paramacharya given in 1932 in Madras.Some may find the style old-fashioned.  More extensive coverage  is  available Deivattin Kural, vol.5

  This and other talks given in 1932 and 1957 in the original Tamil are published by Kalaimagal Kariyalayam, Chennai-4.

Reading other books/authors without reading these may be useless/ even harmful. Reading others after these may be superfluous.

2.We are not supposed to read the Veda from books. But there are no other sources for us to learn about the Veda at all.We come to read many things "about" the Veda, but not much of Veda itself. 

There is a compilation of some hymns of the Veda with their English translation with the title "The Call of the Vedas" by A.C Bose. This is more than 50 years old, but still good. The attitude is reverential, and the English quite good. This is published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai. Recent edition is available.

All traditional/orthodox views of the Veda are based on the commentary of Sayanacharya. He regarded the Veda as mainly ritual manual. This view has been challenged by Sri Aurobindo, who has shown the Veda to be  embodying the record of the Mystical-Intuitive wisdom of the Rishis, which is deliberately clothed in the symbol of ritual, to keep the Wisdom safe from the uninitiated.[In the Veda, life is compared to a battle, a yajna and a pilgrimage/journey. All these symbols have been taken literally and misinterpreted, both deliberately and due to ignorance.] His views written in superb English, better than any Englishman wrote or could ever write, are in two volumes:

- The Secret of the Veda
- Hymns to the Mystic Fire.

The orthodox Mutts may not agree, but every Hindu should read these. Only then he will be free and safe from the muck spread in the name of Veda by modern scholars and even some traditional writers.

3. The foundation of orthodox Vedantic thought is the Prastanatraya: Upanishads, Brahmasutra, Bhagavad Geeta.

All these are subject to sectarian interpretation. The following suggestions are for South Indian Smarthas:

1. For the Upanishads, there is no entirely satisfactory translation in English, yet. In Tamil, the translation of the Principal Upanishads by Anna N. Subramania Iyer is the best, not compromising with tradition. (Published by Ramakrishna Math Chennai. But these are not attractively printed.)

Please do not read the Tamil translation/ commentary by any so called Swami by the same or any other Mutt. 

In English, one may have to be content with the two-volume edition of Eight Upanishads , being translation of Sankara Bashya by Swami Gambhirananda. Chandogya Upanishad  and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad by Swami Madhavananda are what we have as acceptable editions, also based on Sankara Bashya.  All these are published by Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata. The translations  of some Upanishads by Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh are authentic traditional interpretations.

For a view differing from Sankara, and yet faithful to the Hindu spirit, one should read the translations and commentaries by Sri Aurobindo. Our study of the Upanishads will be incomplete and imperfect without reading Sri Aurobindo.

2. Brahmasutra: It is a tough nut to crack, and in my view, not worth cracking, unless one wants to study Vedanta  seriously, and become a vain scholar.

3. Bhagavad Geeta. This is the fundamental scripture for all Hindus. There are any number of translations and commentaries.
Again, this is subject to sectarian interpretation by Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhva.  We may venerate the Acharyas, but we need not accept their commentaries of the Geeta.


Since we are having Smarthas in mind, I state my view that Sankara's commentary on the Geeta is unsatisfactory and  does not faithfully reflect its spirit. In a nutshell, the problem is this:

In the Geeta, Bhagavan Krishna says that in the olden days he revealed two disciplines ( dwividha nishta pura prokta ).They were Jnana and Karma. But due to passage of long time (mahata kalena) they were lost. So, Bhagavan again revealed the dharma to Arjuna, because he was "ishtosi, priyosi", endowed with daiva sampat, he was sinless-anagha, etc.He asked Arjuna to relinquish all dharmas and surrender to Him. This is stated in unmistakable, clear terms in 18. 65,66. Bhakti is the new path shown by Krishna. Yet, Sankara does not recognise this at all as the ultimate path shown by Krishna. See the comments of Sankara immediately following this verse. He again reverts to the claims of Jnana versus Karma! Sankara does not clearly or readily accept Bhakti as an exclusive path to Liberation.

The following are the books I recommend on the Geeta:

- Tattva Vivechani: translation and commentary by Jayadayal Goyandka.
- Sadhaka Sanjivani: translation and commentary by Swami Ram Sukh Das.
Both published by Gita Press, Gorakhpur.Available in English and Tamil. ( I only hope that they have not diluted the  original Tamil translation by Swaminatha Atreyan in recent editions!) These are superb and incomparable works. I say this after reading over 40 commentaries/translations, wasting my time.
- Translation and commentary by Anna Subramania Iyer, Ramakrishan Math, Chennai.
-Essays on the Gita by Sri Aurobindo.

For a simple, direct, non-sectarian translation , please see:
- Translation by Swami Swarupananda, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta.
-Translation by Winthrop Sargeant, (Aleph Book Co,New Delhi)

3. We then have the Itihasas - Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Best orthodox translations in English of Valmiki Ramayana are by the Gita Press, and Lifco, Chennai. For Tamil. there is also a Lifco edition, and an edition with word for word meaning by Rama Nama Bank, Chennai,600033. But it is poorly printed. There is a shortened Edition- Valmiki Ramayana Saram- by Anna Subramania Iyer  published by RK Math, Chennai.

There is no acceptable edition of complete translation of the Mahabharata in English or Tamil.  There is also the orthodox view that Mahabharata should not be read at home! My mother would not let me read it at home. So, I read  Rajaji's translation in a library!

Chaturvedi Badrinath's book 'The Mahabharata' is a compendium of the important verses on Dharma, original verses with translation and commentary. It is an excellent book and is published by Orient Longman, Hyderabad. Tamil readers may see the book/volumes by Sri Kripananda Variar.

The Tamil Upanyasam of Sengalipuram Anantarama Dikshitar is now available in CDs!

Among the Puranas, the Bhagavatam is very important. The best available English translation is by the Gita Press, Gorakhpur. The edition by ISKCON is excellent, but it is sectarian. The best Tamil translation is by Kadalangudi Natesa Sastrigal, but the language may be tough for the present generation. It is superb. But the printing quality is very poor. The next best is the word for word translation by Rama Nama Bank, Chennai.

Narayaneeyam is an excellent retelling of the Bhagavatam. The best Tamil translation/commentary is by Sengalipuram Anantarama Dikshitar. In English, we have the translation by Swami Tapasyananda of the RK Math, Chennai.

The Vishnu Puranam is important as it complements the Mahabharata and Bhagavatam and Harivamsam in respect of the story of Krishna and also contains other important matters. But a satisfactory translation /condensation is not available in any language.

The Vishnu Sahasranamam is a perennial favourite. The best translation/commentary in Tamil is by S.V.Radhakrishna Sastrigal, published by Agastiyar Book Depot. Trichy. The next best are the ones by Anna Subramania Iyer and Lifco.

4. The main problem before a serious  and eager Hindu today it how to reconcile the tradition with the so called modern trends and way of life. 

Superficially, it may appear that Hinduism has remained stagnant and unchanging. But no living system can be stagnant. Hinduism too has been changing. For a proper appreciation of this, we have to be acquainted with the work of modern Masters. I suggest the following.

1. Sri Ramakrishna.

He saved Hinduism in the 19th century from the onslaught of Christians, modern reformers and the English-educated breed. "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna", being a record of his life and teachings during the last 4 years of his life, recorded by "M" (Mahendranath Gupta) is the only authentic source. It explains the essence of our religion from many angles and it shows what is relevant and possible in the new age. This must be read by every Hindu.

 We remain Hindus still because of this one person.

2.Swami Vivekananda.

He restated the principles of Hinduism in modern, scientific language. He spoke mainly to the West, but it applies to us too. His work comprises of 9 volumes in English. If you know English, do not read any translation. Do not jump to any conclusion, till you complete reading all the volumes. Do not rely on any condensed volumes or edited compilations.  Do not read what others say of Vivekananda. Especially do not go by what Swamis of the RK Maths say or write. Almost every one misrepresents him, due to vested interest. Study yourself, take notes and understand yourself. 

3. Sri Aurobindo.

His is an original approach to the eternal dharma!. 

His complete works run into 35 volumes. He wrote in  superb, excellent English . Fortunately, no one could condense his writings! 

His writings appear tough, but it is not so. The method is to read a little at a time, give time for the idea to sink in, and then proceed. 


His writings have 'mantric' power. So, read the original, with attention.
The following works must be read, apart from what is already indicated:
-Uttarpara Speech
- The Life Divine.
-The Synthesis of Yoga.
-The Renaissance in India (Formerly, Foundations of Indian Culture)
-Valmiki and Vyasa.

4. Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

He is the most authentic and complete representative of our Hindu  tradition. He wrote only in Tamil. The title "Complete Works " may sound forbidding, but this is a modest volume of about 300 pages in Tamil in the latest edition! 

His teaching is an original exposition of the nature of the  Reality, and the ways to attain that- மெய்யின் இயல்பும் அதை மேவும் திறனும்.. It is entirely oriented towards practice, and does not feed idle curiosity. The best English exposition of this is by Arthur Osborne, no one else. Competent translation is also available by Arthur Osborne. 'Talks", being the record of some questions raised by visitors and Bhagavan's answers  would help in understanding his works. But his words are profound and require close study and deep reflection. 

Tamil knowing devotees are lucky to have the writings of Muruganar and Sadhu Om. Now, nice annotated English translations are available. All these books are available from Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai.

Care: These four Masters represent different approaches. While Sri Ramakrishna and Ramana Maharshi were interested only in practice, and theory is incidental to them, Vivekananda spoke much and Sri Aurobindo wrote much more , most of which are theoretical! Again, Sri Ramakrishna and Ramana appear to be two sides of the same coin- both maintaining that Jnana and Bhakti are one at the highest levels! They both do not talk of karma or public charity or social work.  Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga is a tough path and he himself said that only those who had the call could take it up! Thus, though it is necessary /desirable to learn what they said or wrote, there are differences in their approaches to the spiritual life, and there is simply no question of following them all at the same time! 

This in short is a sort of guide to the perplexed in the matter of understanding Hinduism. It will take many years to study all this. But we can understand better and faster, if we have a proper guide.

The following care has to be taken.

1.Avoid books written by 'academic scholars'. Do not go by reputation or the titles or degrees. They know next to nothing personal about our religion. Their sources are second or third hand; they do not know or read the original sources. They have almost no personal experience. Most of them are not even serious practitioners of our religion. 

2 Avoid books by foreign authors. Not only do they not know about our religion, they have neither true understanding nor love or sympathy for Hindu religion and philosophy. There are exceptions , but few.

3. Avoid books published by commercial publishers. Buy books published by those who specialise in books on Hinduism. Even then, be selective with publishers like Motilal Banarasidass, or Munshiram Manoharlal etc.- so called Indological publishers. Their publications may not always reflect the  authentic Hindu point of view. Some of their publications are inimical to Hindu interests.

4. When buying books on Hinduism, buy books with the original Sanskrit version with the translation, in English or any other language. Only then we can check the source to see whether the translation is correct.
5. Avoid reading too much about philosophy- Vedanta or anything else. It is all verbal jungle. Sri Ramakrishna and Ramana Maharshi have explained the essence. 
6. Avoid books on Tantra, Kundalini, Yoga, Siddhas, etc. These are not straight paths, but merely lanes and bylanes. They can be dangerous without a genuine guru. 

Above all, there are two requirements.

1. We need association with the wise. We need a mentor from the orthodox fold. We also need a proper teacher and Guru. Hinduism is preserved by the transmission of the spirit of the teaching, along with the formal words. This is only done by someone who has himself reached that level. Many learned people can be eloquent in speech or prolific in writing,but may not be truly religious.. Genuine teachers do not brag, exhibit or seek crowds and publicity. We each need a Guru. Remember SriTyagaraja said: Guru lega etuvanti gunigi deliyaga bodu. Anyone may recite the words. It is only the Guru who can convey the spirit behind the words. And that spirit is the essence of religion.

2. We need some sadhana- ie  we have to practise some religious discipline, along with our study of books ! It may be anything recommended by the guru- puja, japa. In fact, even reading is taken up as a ceremonial exercise- ie parayana! It certainly produces vibrations which promote true understanding. It is by divine grace that we get true understanding.

Listening to discourses by competent persons can be helpful.We absorb lot of things by listening. In the 50s and 60s, (even up to 80s) we had masters like Sengalipuram Anantarama Dikshitar, Embar Vijayaraghavachariar, Sri Kripananda Variar, T.S.Balakrishna Sastrigal and others. They combined traditional scholarship with personal sadhana. So their words had force. Now, mainly scholarship parades. One has to choose.

If we have a genuine Guru, so much reading is not necessary. We should always remember that mere book reading will not really avail us. It is mostly a burden. Grace of Guru and God is what we need!

NOTE:
Book covers are shown here only for educational purposes. There is no commercial motive or intention.

21. ITIHASA AND EPIC

WITH  THE  GREAT

Route taken by Rama and the places associated.
Jijithnr at English Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons via Wikimedia commons.

21.  ITIHASA  AND EPIC

 Unique among the ancient literature of the world,, Ramayana is preserved intact for thousands of years. For it has been considered a religious text, and used for daily personal  devotions and  periodical group recitation and exposition, for millennia. And unlike other religions, Hinduism did not destroy anything. Nor was there a Pope or Emperor to change the calendar or refix the dates, or dictate what should be included or kept out!

Adi  kavya- the chronology

Valmiki's Ramayana is called Adi Kavya- the first or original. It is a straightforward story, narrated simply. It deals with how a prince was exiled from his kingdom for fourteen years, how his wife was kidnapped, how he travelled tracing his wife and how he recovered her. All the places, rivers, hills mentioned still exist and the route can be traced today, after thousands of years. Please see the map provided above. The religious unity of India has preserved the landmarks, no matter who ruled where. People have been coming to Rameshwaram for ages. The temple there belongs to Hindus of India, not to any non-believing secular govt.

The dates of the events have also been fixed by our scholars.  Anna Subrahmanya Iyer has given a detailed chronology of Rama's life, based on Valmiki Ramayana.This is printed as Appendix 1 to his edition of a summary version of the Valmiki Ramayana (Srimad Valmiki Ramayana Saram.)The main events took place as under:

1.Bala Kandam: 
Rama's age: up to 12 years.
On completion of 12th year, Rama and Lakshmana proceed with Vishwamitra.  On the 29th day, Rama marries Sita. On the 33rd day, they return to Ayodhya.

2. Ayodhya Kandam:
Rama's age : 13 to 25 years.
Rama proceeds on vanavasa  on Shukla Panchami in the month of Mesha.
Reaches Chitrakoota on Shukla Trayodasi in the month of Vrashaba.

3.Aranya Kandam.

Rama leaves Chitrakoot on Shukla Panchami in the month of Kataka.
For about 10 years, up to his 35th year, Rama lives in Dandakaranya.

At the end of the 10th year, reaches Panchavati, as directed by Agastya. It is on Krishna Panchami in the month of Vrishaba. Rama spends over 2 years and 10 months there.In the 14th year, on Shukla  Panchami in the month of  Mesha, Sita is kidnapped.

12thcentury stone sculpture of Agastya, Bihar.
By Wikipedia Loves Art participant "team a" CC BY-SA 2.5 creativecommons via Wikimedia commons.


4. Kishkinda Kandam.
  
14th year of Vanavas.
Rama's age :  39+

In the month of Vrischika, vanaras start in search of Sita.

5.Sundara Kanda:  

14th year, month of  Meena.
Hanuman flies over the sea on Shukla Ekadasi.Meets Sita on the next day. Returns on the Paurnami.

6.Yuddha   Kandam.

After the vanara armies arrive, building the Sethu from Krishna Chaturthi. Ashtami- crossing into Lanka.
War starts on Navami. Ravana is killed on Amavasya.

Month of Mesha:
Starting from Lanka by Pushpaka Vimana on Shukla Tritiyai.Reaching Nandigrama on Sashti, and joining Bharata at the end of the 14th year.
Rama Pattabhishekam on Saptami.

7, Uttara Kandam. 
Rama's age:  40 to 110.
Sita goes to the forest in the month of Meena.

41st year of Rama: Shatrughna sent to Mathupuri
53rd year : Shatrughna returns and listens to the recital of Lava-Kusa on the way.
53rd Year: Rajasuya yajna. Sita is absorbed by Earth.

 Rama lives up to110 years. He enthrones Lava in Ayodhya and Kusa in Uttara. Rama reaches His Paramapada.

(The names of the months are given as per the standard Panchangams followed in Tamil Nadu.)

It is said that Rama ruled for 11,000 years. What is this nonsense?
This is no nonsense. 11,000 is  10x 1000+ 10x100. According to Siddha Sankhet, this amounts to 10x4+ 10x3 = 70.
As Rama was crowned in his 40th year, it means he ruled for 70 years, up to his 110th year.
Remember India invented the Decimal system too!

(This book is published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.  1 Edition: 1987.)

I have given these details because even the so called Astikas are not aware of the dates of the various events. We need not bother about the non-believers. Light will always cast its shadow. The believers should know the facts. Valmiki has furnished the specifics. He has given astronomical (not astrological) indications.These can be , and have been, verified. There is nothing extraordinary or unusual here, because it is how we reckoned, and orthodox people still reckon, the events. This is how our religious events are still celebrated. No one has altered the birthdays of Rama and Krishna all these thousands of years.

Historical understanding- distorted by colonial and Christian elements

Our present idea of history and methods of studying it are of recent and western origin. One complication here has been that wherever western nations established colonies, they destroyed the old civilisations without trying to understand them (as the Spaniards or Portuguese did in America). Or they tried to misinterpret them, as the British did in India. Another factor has been the Christian interest to promote their view, and suppress and discredit  others. In India, the missionary and colonial motives blended well and effectively. While the East India company commissioned a Max Muller, who did not understand spoken Sanskrit, to translate with the deliberate intent to misinterpret our sacred scriptures which were mainly sruti (ie to be heard), the educational system of Macaulay effectively propagated the views through the govt controlled educational system as the truth. Most Indian scholars, aspiring after govt. patronage and position, and taking everything western as the standard, have tended to follow the line uncritically. This has continued even after Independence. Most of us, including some orthodox elements, have been taken in by this development. We do not realise that history can be different from what the white skinner (வெள்ளைக்காரன்) says it is!

India is not Greece!

Indian civilisation is a living civilisation. Our religion is still practised. The Greek and Roman , Celtic or other civilisations are dead- they are not practised.The old Greek or Roman gods are only names now, not living realities. But our Varuna and Agni are still invoked! So the Greek and Roman material can be conveniently "studied" through artefacts or other material in the museums. But the same method cannot apply to a living civilisation. This has to be "lived" to be understood, not 'studied'. Those Westerners who sincerely tried to understand it have practised and understood-  like Sir John Woodroffe or Krishna Prem (Ronald Nixon).Indian religion and philosophy are not arm-chair stuff, meant for academic idlers. The old Greek or Roman philosophical ideas are only of academic interest now- they are not practised. But our different philosophical systems are still practised! So, when the worship of Rama or Krishna has persisted through millennia, there must be something to it.

There are certainly interpolations in our Itihas. Additions have surely been made from time to time. This happens in any living tradition- it lives because it grows.But in both Ramayana and Mahabharata, the main story can be clearly delineated. And it would stand even if the so called mythological portions are removed. 

During the time of Gandhi, there were attempts by some artists like Kothamangalam Subbu and others to present his life in folk form- like Villu Pattu, with simple lyrics in half-colloquial language and local tunes. But because of the growing attractions of cinema and the waning interest in Gandhi, such efforts did not succeed and stay. Those who talk of Ramayana and Mahabharata as mere stories should pause and think whether there has been any parallel to them in the whole world, and whether they could have spread and stayed through millennia, without any central authority to enforce, unless they had some inner truth in it? 

Epic in the Western tradition

Those secular, rationalistic and leftist elements who criticise Ramayana as being an imaginary story are so short of sense that one is aghast at their crass stupidity. In the Western tradition, they don't have 'Itihas', but a category called 'Epic'. M.H.Abrams, a highly respected scholar states about the epic:

......the epic or heroic poem...meets at least the following criteria: it is a long verse narrative on a serious subject,told in a formal and elevated style, and centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe,a nation, or the human race.

There is a standard distinction between traditional and literary epics. "Traditional epics" were written versions of what had  originally been oral poems about a tribal or national hero during a warlike age.

An epic poem is a ceremonial performance, and is narrated in a ceremonial style which is deliberately distanced from ordinary speech . 

From: A Glossary of Literary Terms.Wadsworth.

From:publishingperspectives.com.



We get these comments from another authoritative source about epic which is also called heroic poetry:

......heroic poetry- a long ,narrative celebration of a military ethos, and of courageous individuals who risk life and limb to protect both their own honour and that of their people..

..heroic literature was a living tradition for Normans as well as for Anglo-Saxons, and its heroes offered immediate ethical models.

 Late heroic poetry, historical chronicle, and early English romance overlap variously. Chronicle was connected to the mathematical art of  computing years and setting dates for moveable feasts.

.. an age in which the very elements were called on to "witness' to the guilt or innocence of a person through the ordeals by fire and water.

 These affirmations of manly prowess connect directly to the question of good rulership. A king must be as brave as the best of his men, yet also be something more, the repository of justice, administrator of law,mediator between warring factions and peace-maker, despite his fighting renown...

..poetic composition was a spontaneous, communal production, and poetic performance frequent...... 

What made the...verse so easy to extemporise was its alliterative quality, with its formulaic phrases, compound- words and circumlocutions- all flexible units of thought, capable of endless variation, which the poet recited from memory..repetition through alternative epithets, adaptable line-length with its unfixed syllabic count, and unalliterated last stress, which gives a conversational quality- all such made poetry come 'naturally' to an essentially  oral community; and in each recitation the poem changed subtly, an endlessly mobile expression of the mood of the moment.

From: English Literature in Context. Ed. Paul Poplawski. Cambridge University Press,2008. Chap 1.

What any intelligent and reasonable gent will understand from this is that celebrating its heroes in song, poetry and dance, and art has been a universal trait of mankind everywhere.The events celebrated in the epics may be exaggerated, but not entirely imaginary. The epic hero is always a real person, magnified and divinised may be, but not wholly invented. No poet could make a hero out of a straw.  So called progress has brought about a change in our 'psychic topography' and intellectual (?) perception, and we are no more able to understand or appreciate those sentiments, actions,characters. For that matter, how many can believe today that a Gandhi lived and did what he did? Our youngsters today cannot remember their school lessons beyond the semester test, and the grown-ups cannot remember  a day's headlines the next day. How can they ever know how thousands of these lines were committed to memory and recited at will?  That the Ramayana and other Hindu works have survived so long in the oral tradition is a tribute to the vitality of the culture.

Ramayana and Mahabharata have remained with us because people can learn and relive those truths, live with those characters and experience them in life now! It is this renewed personal experience which is the basis of their power and persistence. Every Saint singer of India has sung about them and employed those themes and characters in their works. If Arunagirinatha has sung about them, it is because he has experienced those truths in his own life. 

Valmiki and Vyasa- unparallelled.

The Kavi or Vates, poet and seer, is not the manīṣī; he is not the logical thinker, scientific analyser or metaphysical reasoner; his knowledge is one not with his thought, but with his being; he has not arrived at it but has it in himself by virtue of his power to become one with all that is around him. By some form of spiritual, vital and emotional oneness he is what he sees; he is the hero thundering in the forefront of the battle, the mother weeping over her dead, the tree trembling violently in the storm, the flower warmly penetrated with the sunshine. And because he is these things, therefore he knows them; because he knows thus, spiritually and not rationally, he can write of them. He feels their delight and pain, he shares their virtue and sin, he enjoys their reward or bears their punishment. It is for this reason that poetry written out of the intellect is so inferior to poetry written out of the soul, is, — even as poetical thinking, — so inferior to the thought that comes formed by inscrutable means out of the soul. For this reason, too, poets of otherwise great faculty have failed to give us living men and women or really to show to our inner vision even the things of which they write eloquently 
or sweetly because they are content to write about them after having seen them with the mind only, and have not been able or have not taken care first to be the things of which they would write and then not so much write about them as let them pour out in speech¹ that is an image of the soul.

Sri Aurobindo in The Harmony of Virtue.

'His (Valmiki's) picture of an ideal imperialism is sound and noble and the spirit of the Koshalan Ikshwakus that monarchy must be broad-based on the people's will and yet broad-based on justice, truth and good government is admirably developed as an undertone of the poem.' 

unlike Vyasa for whom in Mahabharata good government is the 'uppermost and weightiest drift'. He (Valmiki) is a poet who makes occasional use of public affairs as part of his wide human subject' (Sri Aurobindo).     

  - See more at: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=3919#sthash.Y0XyjIqE.dpuf

This is how Sri Aurobindo expresses it! Valmiki saw what he wrote about. Vyasa too had that inner vision. Our terms for it may vary- in fact, the modern academic moron has no word for it. He has not experienced it-therefore he does not know it. Therefore he cannot understand if others have experienced it.

Is Sangam poetry historical?

The Tamil Sangam literature belongs to such a heroic age, but much later. While some kings are mentioned by name, many others remain in the background.While some events are contemporary, many others are much older, ancient. And many other lesser heroes and events are celebrated. Yet none of these characters or events have been or can be established "historically". How can we ever prove historically that Adhiyaman gave the unique Amla fruit to Avvai? How can we prove that Paari gave his chariot to a jasmine creeper? Or Began gave his shawl to a shivering peacock? Purely rationalist view would consider them to be wild imagination, or utterly silly! Yet, the literary record is the only evidence. If it was not extraordinary, why should a poet sing about it?

Truth about historical figures

Kamban and Tulsidas recreated Rama as an Avatar. But for Valmiki, he was an ideal man and king. Rama that we now know is certainly a far greater figure than the historical Rama. For that matter, which historical figure today is known as he exactly was- Gandhi, Kennedy, Churchill, or  Alexander, Caesar, or Napoleon, ?  So called admirers and detractors have always differed; devotees and academics have differed. No two commentators or biographers have chosen the same facts for comment, or agreed in their comments. Every one has indulged in selective projection or selective suppression. As new archival material becomes available, our views of even recent historical figures have to be revised. Yet, who and how many have mastered them all? What then can we say of those who lived thousands of years ago?

In respect of our itihasic figures (in contrast to puranic characters), we have exact astronomical clues. This is something unique about us.  Christmas is celebrated on December 25, but this is not the birthday of Christ- which they all know! No one knows when Christ was born-if at all! But why should we question their belief if they want to commemorate something which gives them peace of mind? Has the academic, historian or scientist anything better to offer? The date of Rama's birth and the constellation of the planets on that day are given.(See my previous posts.)They actually relate to definite dates in the past.No critic has so far disproved it- though they have blindly disputed it.


NOTE: 

Kalidasa and other poets have also composed fine poetry on the themes covered by Ramayana and Mahabharata. But they are not accorded the status of Itihas. Indians knew what was what.

The modern age, for all its claims to the scientific spirit and temper, is still puerile in its attitude to heroes! It still celebrates its heroes- a football or cine star, a pop singer, a novelist, a wily politician who can manage things, while real scholars and savants, or statesmen, who 'scorn delights and live laborious days' to advance our knowledge and promote understanding go unsung. We create heroes of convenience, and as easily dethrone them. How can we appreciate heroes who endure through millennia?