Swamiji - The Person

Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Profound thinker, philosopher, teacher and writer. From humble beginnings in Manjakkudi, a village on the Kaveri delta, in 1930, to a world renowned spiritual leader is in itself no small achievement. Compound that with taking centre stage at the United Nations, ordaining over 200 disciples dedicated to teaching Vedanta, founding Arsha Vidya Gurukulams in India and the US, and students spread across the world, from Australia to South America, from Canada and the US to the Reunion Islands, and the list would by no means be exhaustive. 

A sweeping look at his contribution to spiritual civilisation as a whole – continuing the teaching tradition of Vedanta, creating an official voice of Hindu consciousness – striving for mutual respect, equality and freedom for all religions through dialogues at the international level, as understanding of cultures is the key to global peace – creating avenues to reach help to people in need – initiating projects to strengthen Vedic dharma / culture – brings us to a master, whose concern and vision encompass the individual, the nation, and the world.

He does not seek praise nor does he encourage his disciples and devotees in that direction. Averse to publicity to the point of self-effacement, never does Swami Dayananda the person, intrude. He works behind the scenes like true leaders do, encouraging the talents and skills of people who come into contact with him. He always finds ways to help, reaching out to those in need, no matter how slight or serious their problem. His approach is “how to address their problems, and not how to answer their questions or turn them away.” 

If compassion, intellect, erudition, wisdom and quiet self-assurance, imbued with humbleness, were to take a human form, then it would certainly be Swami Dayananda Saraswati. He travels extensively spreading the message of the ancient rishis of this country, convinced that the Vedic vision is as essential and valid today as it was thousands of years ago.

Link: Swami Dayananda - The Person (www.swamidayananda.com)

The Order of Karma, The Order of Dharma - Swami Dayananda

The order of karma includes the karma that we do here in this life and the karma we brought along with us. The karma that we brought along with us is the result of karma that we did before; it need not be in the previous life.

The human life which includes parentage, place of birth, the contemporary society, in general the whole humanity, at this period of time - internet humanity. Babies are born with the hand near the ear (for mobile).  So, it is an entirely different kind of society. I have seen all this changes in my whole life time. To be born now is entirely different. It is all karma. It is a combination of karma to be born in an internet society.

The relationship with father, mother, siblings - I don’t know whether it is the same as it was before. Why do I say this? Because to be born now,  needs a special karma,. So, that is the gati of karma. Gahana karmano gatih, not easy to track, to trace the karma for what we have.

So, this karma flows as though into this life, setting up this life and continues to be the one which sets up situations, because it is a life-time karma. Karma for your life-time, for  your  life. The karma for your life is going to be unfolding situations for you to face. Not only the past karma unfolds, the present karma also joins in this unfolding of old karma. So old karma can pull down the present karma, can enhance the present karma, can completely silence the present karma; power. The old karma is too powerful. The present karma can be overwhelmed, overpowered.

We use the word karma for karmaphala (result of karma) also. The effect is also called by the cause. Like a shirt is called as cotton, it is cotton. A chain is called gold.

So when you say it is my karma, it is karmaphala, the result of karma, punya and papa. Punya helps you to be at the right place at the right time. And papa accounts for what is unpleasant. This punya-papa we create by our own karma, in this life also. We cannot say what unfolds in the present moment, is on account of which punya or which papa.

The interconnection, the people you hang out with, all this is past karma,  present karma. Past, present, past, present. They go together. That is why we can create antibodies to unpleasant karmas, by doing good karma, by prayer. In spite of that something happens in the present means the karma was powerful.

There are a lot of other things involved in karma. Like sancita karma (accumulated), agami karma (karmaphala generated in this life). The karma standing in your account, is over  beginningless time. The  jiva has no beginning and therefore it is a cycle.

We are in svetavaraha kalpa. And the kalpa consists of manvantaras, and out of them our manvantara is vavaisvata. A manvantara consists on yugas, and among the four yugas our yuga is kali yuga. Kali yuga consists of four quarters, four padas. We are in d in the first quarter, the segment of the period of time blessed by Buddha avatara.

Kalpa is one cycle. We have karma since  kalpa after kalpa after kalpa. In every kalpa even if you have one human birth you have limitless karma. Atma is eternal, this jiva also is as though eternal. Jiva is atma, therefore eternal. Being centred on atma is  eternal. If you understand it is eternal, if you don’t understand it is eternal. So the jiva who has been around from beginingless time has enough karma to assume any body. So when you take a given body like a human body, it is not one karma. Means what you experience now. It is a group of karmas. Therefore all these karmas, among them, one is called sancita. What is waiting for expression.

Karma phala is definitely going to fructify. It has got a certainty, it will definitely fructify. That is called sancita karma.

The group of karma that has fructified is prarabdha karma, the fructification takes place in time; in time. In hundred years; in seventy years; fifty years, in a span of life time fructification takes place. That means the karma goes along with the span of life.

How  is the span determined? By reckoning your breathing. It is not a calendar. You breath in, breath out, the life span time clock ticks. That is the count down. You have that much span of breaths, and prarabdha unfolds in that span. So, tick. If you do pranayama, tick……tick…….tick……..you can slow down. And if you dont care ….Tick.tick. tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. That is calld udana, the time clock is called udana. The time clock is the karma clock. Karma works in tandem with time, with praṇa. This is called prak arabdha karma, prakarshena arabdha karma, well begun karma.

Then we have karma called agami. In this life we pick certain karma whose result cannot be fulfilled in this life.  They require a special body, a special time and place. May be a human body, but at a special time and place. Or after leaving this body, assuming another body should be in special time and place, with special parentage. All the specifications for what is going to come in future. Agami is the name for what is going to come in the future.

So these are the three-fold karma. These three fold karma is all within the order of karma.

Nitya karma, naimittika karma, all within the order of karma. Vaidika karma, in the order of karma. Karma order is huge. It is not easy. Sending a satellite up to a rocket is all karma. But generally we don’t include them, but anything that produces punya-papa, as well as laukika (worldly)karmas are included. In fact laulika karmas produce punyam and papam.

So this order  of karma is gahana, too vast and too intervened with the karma of others. And therefore the Gitāasays gahana karmano gatih, the ways of karma are too deep, too vast to unravel.

The order of dharma is not a different topic. In the Gita we repeat every day the verse. “sarva dharman parityajya, mamekam sharanam vraja…..”. We repeat this at lunch time.

Parityajya means giving up; sarvadhaman means all dharmas; mamekam sharanam vraja, bhagavan says please surrender to me, take my refuge in me alone. That means give up all dharmas and come. There dharma is karma.

You cannot do dharma. Can you do dharma?

You cannot do dharma. You can only do karma, which is dharma, which can produce punyam and papam. That is also dharma. Therefore dharman parityajya Bhashyakara translates dharma as sarva karmani. Dharma becomes karma.

When we talk about order of dharma, it includes the order of karma and itself as a matrix of values, motivating the person to do proper karma. And those karmas are samanya and vishesha. Samanya values, universal values, like ahimsa, universal values. Based upon ahimsa there are other derived values, they are also universal. I don’t hurt because I don’t want to get hurt. Samanya. And from this universal value of ahimsa it follows :- I don’t want to be robbed; I don’t want to be cheated; I don’t want to be in any way hurt. All the values are derivatives. In other words I don’t want to get hurt in any manner and I know that others also don’t want to get hurt.

 This order of dharma is the order of universal values. They are meant to guide one while doing karma. What is to be done, what is not to be done.  A life of karma is guided by and  based upon dharma.

Then we have vishesa dharma. That is also the order of dharma. What I have to do as a student. What I have to do as a married man, house holder. The house holder is a funny translation of grihastha. House-holder, nice. But grihastha doesn’t say that. Grihastha also if you translate is funny, -grihe tishtati the one who sits at home. She works, he sits at home, cooks. That is grihastha. There is a root ‘ stha’ and the ‘stha’ doesn’t permit you to move this way or that way. Then we have to go for the rudhi meaning. Vyutpati here doesn’t work. So the one who makes the home, both the man and woman, they make home. That is grihastha ashrama dharma.

What is to be done as a grihastha, what is to be done as one prepares oneself for sannyasa, so vanaprastha, they are all laid out. As the time changes, so this dharma ashrama, dharma also undergoes change. These are all anitya rules.

In grammar you have anitya rules. They change themselves, they adapt themselves to the time. The influence of other cultures brings about changes. But the core basis for making these dharmas, that doesn’t change.  Playing as a role, as a son; as father; as mother; as husband; as wife, these are all roles one has to play in life. And every role has a script and the script is dharma. It is called vishesha dharmas.  They are endless … All under the order of dharma which we all sense.

The human beings have to conform to this order, samanya dharma and vishesha dharma. This conforming is in terms of karma always.

Thus the  order of karma, the order of dharma is important. They are Ishvara. When you live in harmony with this dharma order, you are in harmony with Ishvara.

...adapted from Talks at AVG Annikatti 2015

Modern Vedanta and Intellectual honesty – Swami Dayananda Saraswati

We say Modern Vedanta though there is no modern Vedanta. We say Modern Vedanta because there are a lot of these people, who teach Vedanta proclaiming themselves as teachers of Vedanta. And there is a certain truth about the teaching, and they teach Upanishads, they teach Gita, but say that ultimately it is to be experienced.

If it is ultimately to be experienced why should one study for so many years. They say ‘learn and then experience’. “You have to eliminate all thoughts, no thoughts should come”. After eliminating what will you get? This is modern Vedanta.

All over the spiritual world we have modern Vedanta which declares “You realize the self” – some kind of kriya yoga. The difference is obvious, they talk about experience and we (traditional Vedanta) say that every experience is Brahman. Brahman is not a matter of experiencing, it is a matter of knowing. All experiences are Brahman. If you want to experience Brahman like you experience a mango, Brahman becomes an object!!

In this, one must have intellectual honesty, when you find that what you have been thinking of as valid knowledge, is dismissed by this Swami. You had already invested emotionally, time wise, in a person and in his her teaching.  It is difficult to come out of that, because of investment. You may have had a great involvement in the projects of that person. That person may be having his own publications, propagations. So it is difficult for one to give up, unless one has intellectual honesty. It is very difficult to give up. That must be right, we have got a mechanism of making it right. How it can be wrong? That must be right.

When there is no intellectual honesty, you find you cannot give up. Within the organization you have got a name, you have got a power. So for name’s sake, for power’s sake, you belittle this knowledge.You side line this knowledge, you belittle it, you turn away, you show a “Nelson’s eye”.  That is what people do. That is what I didn’t to. Therefore I am here.

Intellectual honesty is so important. In purushartha nishcaya – ascertainment of the goal of life, intellectual honesty is important. Then you change certain things, your priorities change. It is all born of intellectual honesty. Priorities undergo change. For all of you priorities have undergone a change, that is why you are here.

Adapted from excerpts from Talks in AVG Annaikatti 2015

Vedanta is a Pramana - Swami Dayananda

This question “Who am I” comes because of the Vedic statement of atma, the self, being what is not construed to be. Being the opposite. I think I am a mortal, I am incomplete, imperfect. I am just an individual and the whole world is different from me. This is my opinion about myself.

The Veda has a vision about myself. And the vision is, I am the opposite of what I think myself to be. I am mortal. I was born at a given time, and will die. I am time bound. The Veda says you are not.

I think I am insecure; you are not, you are the security, you are the meaning of security.

I think I am incomplete. Always a sense of incompleteness. I always feel dissatisfied. Dissatisfied with the world. The people. With myself. Except those moments I laugh for a slapstick joke, or whatever.Veda says you are purṇa, you are the whole. The meaning of satisfaction.

So the vision of the Veda about myself is just the opposite. How will you arrive at that? That is spiritual. “I am just an individual”.  No, you are the cause of the world.

How are you going to arrive at that on your own?

First, we have to understand the position of the Veda with reference to the subject matter it unfolds. All other means  of knowledge that we use do not have access to the subject matter of the Veda, so they cannot handle it.  The Veda talks about it in the Upanishad which are a part of the Veda. 

It talks about me. I cannot look at myself any more than what I know. The whole question is common to many people, it is not one’s person’s question. Many people have the same question. Let us understand it.

Any knowledge of the self anywhere in the world, is Vedanta if it says you are the whole. But nobody teaches Vedanta except the Upanishad. The Upanishad teaches this. No scripture, no mystic, teaches this. This vision has gone abroad. It has no national boundaries.

Some mystics experience the oneness. Experience is as good as your interpretation of it. Interpretation is as good as you know. If you don’t know, you don’t know how to interpret and without interpretation, the experience came and went. Some people tell me, “Swamiji the day before yesterday, I experienced oneness. Today it is gone”. So you have to know.

What “is” is you. The stars are you. The space is you. Time is you. This is the vision of the Veda, the vision of the Upanishad. Veda is a pramana  a means of knowledge in the form of words - shabda. Veda is called shabda; shabda is a pramaṇa.  Upanishad belongs to the Veda, it is a pramana.

All over the Veda this vision is there. It is not only in the Upanishad; in the Upanishad it is taught. There is a Svetaketu, there is Uddalaka, it is taught. There is a dialogue - a teaching dialogue, a samvada - a teacher student dialogue.

“Shri Krishna-arjuna samvade, prathamo’dhyaya”, then will come dvitiyo’dhyaya.

Vada can be a discussion or a dialogue. Samvada is a teacher student dialogue.Uddlaka Shvetaketu samvada is presenting the subject matter as a samvada - a subject matter to be learned from a teacher.

There is no other way of knowing. The question doesn’t arise. When there is no other way of knowing, then the Shastra is the only pramana.

As a seeker you are taught that you should experience atma.  Who is to experience what? If I have to experience myself, I am the subject; I am the object. Long ago I said this pursuit as an experience of atma is silly, I distributed all my Vedanta books to people. Whatever you want you take, you also suffer! 

What is commonly taught is “You will have eternal mortal supreme bliss””. These are all Vedanta words translated in some form and repeated as something to be  experienced.

Limitless is to be experienced?!!!. Supreme is to be experienced!. Bliss of course is to be experienced! B capital!!!

With this kind of teaching .... And I gave away the books, I decided to burn all my boats. Distributed all the books. ….Then I met Swamiji Pranavanandaji, he was the first to say that Vedanta is a pramana - a means of knowledge.  I never turned back. That is what grace is about. At the time, the right person comes in your life. Changes your life.

.... adapted from excerpts from Talk at AVG, Annaikatti on 3/1/2015

Nidhidhyasana - The Meaning of 'I'

You Are Unique - Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati

There are people in the world that would say that there is no solution to the human problem. The human problem is the problem of self-disapproval. There is always an attempt to prove myself to be someone different. And I therefore seek approval from my own people in the family, community and humanity, even perhaps from gods. I seek approval from them all. That is because there is no self-approval.

In this, pursuit of seeking solution, one can say there is no solution. In this world, I am a very small and insignificant person.  Even the wayside rock has millions of years of stories to tell me.  The hundred years I live are just a flicker in the perennial flow of time.  In terms of pervasiveness also, I am insignificant on this earth.  On the scale of the whole universe, I am not even a dot.

With reference to knowledge, the extent of my knowledge on any subject is minuscule.  In strength, I am ordinary even among human beings.  I started my life as a small helpless person—I needed help even just to turn.  Even though I did not know what parents meant, I delivered myself to these people to compensate for my helplessness.  There was trust in them as mighty giants.  They appeared almighty and infallible.  I did not know at the time that I was going to grow up to be like them. Therefore, self-judgement was inevitable, that I was small and insignificant. When I grew older, I discovered that the parents were fallible, and I was still helpless.  Being helpless and without an infallible support is a core problem.   

The Existentialist tells me that there is no solution to the human problem. I am helpless and no one can help me.  I am subject to sorrow and I have to just try and make the best of it.  The most selfish is the happiest.  Another one comes along and says he has a solution to the problem even though I am a sinner. He promises me heaven where I can relax.  I cannot verify this promise here.  Perhaps because it is non-verifiable, I can believe it.  I can trust what is at least not subject to negation.  That is why people believe in heaven.  They commit themselves to the belief that there is no solution here for the human problem but there is one in heaven.  Going to heaven is not a solution, says another. Like you there will be many others in heaven, and you will have to deal with them.  The standard of living may be better there, but still you will be you, and you will have a lot of issues to tackle there.

“You surrender your body, mind, wealth, and everything else to me and I will save you.” “Don’t give up your self. Keep walking and reach the goal.” Slogans like this ring loud and strong for those who want to pay any attention.

Now you can understand uniqueness. The one who says you are unique does not promise anything. He does not require to promise or instruct, nor control or manipulate.  All that he says is why don't you see this truth about yourself.  The truth about yourself is that you are free.  That is all the truth about everything and you are the truth about everything.  You are the center and everything else is unlike you.

This is revealed even by simple inquiry into the language.  In language, there are pronouns: first, second and third persons, singular and plural.  As you can see, the third person pronoun can refer to any person or thing.  The second person pronoun ‘you’ also refers to different persons at different times.  But by the word ‘I’ you refer always to only one person—you.  ‘I’ is singular in number and nature.

The relationship between the ‘I’ and ‘not-I’ is the relationship you talk about.  It is the relationship that bothers.  It means that the one and only ‘I’ is bothered by the countless ‘not-I.’  You cannot begin solving the problems of life without understanding the very source of the problems, which is you.  These are the problems of an approval-seeking, disgruntled, dissatisfied ‘you.’  To solve the problem of life, you need to question whether you are the person that you think you are.  If you are, there is really no solution to the problem.  If you are not, you have no problem.  Vedanta says you have no problem.

It is not a promise that you will be free.  To say or promise that you will be free is to assume that you are bound now. Vedanta says you are free. That is a challenge.

                                                                                                Anaikatti, India

                                                                                                January 1995

 Talks and Essays of Swami Dayananda Volume 1

Self-Growth and Self - Pujya Swami Dayananda

Once upon a time when I took up the responsibility of teaching a group of people over a period of time with a syllabus in my mind to teach the self-growth and self-knowledge, I thought I could teach any person and make that person succeed in the pursuit. That was once upon a time.

Later I found that it is not easy. I had confidence in myself in terms of communication and I have the strength of the entire tradition of teaching behind me. The road is already very well laid out and what I have to do is the same as my predecessors have been doing.

With a backing of such a great tradition of teachers, my job, I thought, was easy since what people have to discover is only something about themselves. It did not take me long to realize that nobody can change another person.

Perhaps, you can program an animal. Within the framework of the animal’s limitations, you can make an animal change in terms of its behavior. But definitely you cannot program another person to your satisfaction; nor is it proper to try to do so.

As a parent you look upon your child as a part of you, and you think you can mold him any way you like. But as the child grows, you begin to realize that he has a mind of his own, his own ego, his individuality that may cooperate with or resist your efforts to change him. The child is born of you, but not a part of you; it is not entirely under your control. It is like a candle used for lighting another candle. If the candle has candlepower, the other has its own candlepower. One is not a part of the other.

A baby comes into the world absolutely helpless. But as a living organism it enjoys the capacity to survive. It has to simply trust to survive. Total helplessness is compensated by total trust. Otherwise, there will be a lacuna in the creation. In time, when the child can stand on its own, it wants to be independent. At the end of the second or third year, the child develops an absolute ego, for the child does not recognize any other ego in the world. It is like the Lord’s (½Úvara’s) ego that is without a second!

In the third or fourth year the child discovers that there is an ego in the mother. There is a solid ego in the father, and there is an ego in everybody else. And it seems they are all trying to control his ego.  This is not a pleasant discovery for the child. He wants to be independent. This love and struggle for independence continues all through life. We find in the world that everybody is trying or wanting to change others to their liking, and at the same time resisting the attempts to be changed by others.

One who wants to change the world to fulfill his own needs and desires is an egoist. If all that is needed is a change, change yourself. That has to be initiated by you alone, because the love for change is in you. Nobody can stop you from changing. What you need in life is to know why you want to change the world. Look within yourself and enquire whether you have retained that absolute trust you had as a helpless child, and if not, whether you can reclaim that trust that can make you relax in yourself. That is growth. That is discovery.

                                                                                                Anaikatti, India

                                                                                                1994