Pearls from Pasaayadaan: Part 3

 

Pearls from Pasaayadaan: Part 3

जे खळांची व्यंकटी सांडो
तयां सत्कर्मीं रती वाढो
भूतां परस्परें पडो
मैत्र जीवांचें

The vaarkaris and devotees in Maharashtra lovingly call Dnyaaneshwar as Maaooli (माऊली) meaning mother. This is because of the profound love that flowed from his heart for all living beings, through action when he lived in the mortal body as well as his words that are immortalized in his writings for generations that come after him.

When he starts to ask his Guru, the Supreme Lord, for blessings, the first thought in his mind is for those who are short of virtues. A mother knows that the good children will be accepted and loved by the world on the merit of their goodness. But those with undesirable qualities would face adversities from all corners. Who would shield them from trouble and shower them with love other than their mother? Indeed the maternal instincts of Dnyaaneshwar were gushing when he sought blessings from his Lord. 

He prayed “ May the evil abandon their crooked ways and turn their energies towards good things”. 

In the Ramayan when Bharat learns about Ram’s banishment to the forest he goes to the forest to bring back Ram and give him his right to the throne. He is very upset about his mother Kaikeyi who asked for an unfair and cruel boon from her husband to confer the kingdom to Bharat. On that occasion Ram not only chides Bharat for uttering disrespectful words for his mother but also earnestly and specifically enquires about her wellbeing. He knows how harsh the entire kingdom will be towards her because of her act and how she may be miserable sooner or later with remorse. Such is the compassion of these saintly men.

In the Mahabharat,Yudhisthir, the eldest of Pandavas, was once asked to identify a wicked man. And he couldn’t ! This was because wherever he turned to look he found at least some goodness in every person. That is the eye of a highly virtuous soul. 

Dnyaaneshwar had the discerning mind to recognize that even the most evil of men had at least a few good qualities in them. If, by the blessings and will of God, these men could be made to focus on those good facets, their energies would automatically be diverted away from bad habits.

Lord Krishna has proclaimed in the Bhagwad Geeta that he takes incarnations whenever there is excess evil on earth and through these incarnations he protects the good and destroys the evil people. Here Dnyaaneshwar, who had endured unimaginable hardships all his life due to wicked elements in the society, does not want to destroy the evil people. He simply wishes the evil out of such people be eradicated. Such is the magnanimity of his heart. 

How does wickedness arise? Why do some people grow to be good and others wicked? 

Childhood nurturing by parents, grandparents and elders plays a big role. If a mom sees her child bullying another and disciplines him/her right there, perhaps he/she would learn that such behavior is not going to be tolerated or rewarded. If disrespect for others is reprimanded, the child will grow to be respectful. A kid who snatched a toy from another if compelled to return it to its rightful owner will learn not to steal.

Some children may not have the good fortune of such nurturing by their parents. There could be various reasons for this. Death of one or both parents, divorce, abandonment in young age, alcoholism or drug addiction in parents, abusive parents and such things make young minds vulnerable to succumb to wrong tendencies and influences. Character is a product of habit. The habits that are facilitated to continue in the formative years ultimately define the person in adulthood. 

Next to one’s immediate family, society plays a role in shaping individuals. If society cares for its neglected children there is a good chance that these can be shaped to become good citizens. If however society also fails it is entirely on the shoulders of the individual to make his/ her choices. 

The Indian scriptures like the Bhagwad Geeta or Dasbodh give an exhaustive analysis of what basic instincts lead to desirable outcomes and what bring about a downfall. Some basic terms to know in this context are preyas ,shreyas, 

kaama, krodha, tyaaga, aasakti, mada, matsara. 

Preyas ( प्रेयस) is worldly desire or worldly instincts 

 Shreyas( श्रेयस) is spiritual desire or instincts 

Kaama( काम) is desire driven by passion 

Krodha( क्रोध) is anger

Tyaaga(त्याग) is sacrifice 

Aasakti( आसक्ती) is addiction, habit

Mada( मद) is arrogance 

Matsar( मत्सर) is jealousy,envy

To be attracted to excess money, food, sexual gratification, material comforts etc is preyas. To use wisdom and choose a path of moderation or minimalism with these things is shreyas. To desire for what belongs to someone else is preyas. To know that this is wrong and not let the mind desire it is shreyas. Highest shreyas is to pursue the knowledge of the spirit. 

A mind that seeks worldly pleasures is one that is overcome by kaama. If these desires and passions are unfulfilled it leads to krodha( anger). 

Excess accumulation of wealth, worldly knowledge, fame or power leads to arrogance. It also leads to insecurities of losing these commodities and brings in jealousy of others who are viewed as competitors. 

If one has to navigate through life avoiding these pitfalls the scriptures prescribe a strict code of conduct. It designates actions into categories of righteous duty( swadharma स्वधर्म), forbidden acts(  nishhiddha karma निषिद्ध कर्म) and others like special occasion duties. Swadharma leads to purification and progress whereas following the path of  forbidden acts inevitably brings about a downfall. Selfishness( swaartha स्वार्थ) leads to isolation and unhappiness while sacrifice( tyaaga त्याग) leads to betterment of the society. An individual is small compared to family, a family is smaller than the village, the village is smaller than the nation and a nation is smaller than entire humanity. Each individual’s duty is designated with the purpose of serving the larger community.

Even as one conducts his/her duties it is advised to do these in the spirit of service without taking the burden of doership and a spirit of surrender where there is no expectation whatsoever of the rewards of the work done. This concept is rather difficult to comprehend for a mind that is raised in a western culture or capitalist society. It may invite arguments. But a mind that dives inwards into the spirit can understand the profound truth in this philosophy. Without surrendering doership and expectations out of the work it is impossible to avoid arrogance, insecurity and envy. When insecurities exist there cannot be lasting joy and peace. Conversely when insecurities and other negative emotions are absent one begins to enjoy what he/she is doing. Joy begets joy. The more one dedicates towards acts that bring joy the more it draws him/her into it. 

Dnyaaneshwar has in this verse brought forth three interconnected truths. Giving up vices would be facilitated if one dedicated his/her life to noble work and while doing so if all sense of doership and expectations of rewards are relinquished there would be no room for any insecurities or envy and this could create meaningful and lasting friendships amongst people.

Khal( खळ) means wicked

Vyankati ( व्यंकटी) crookedness 

Sando ( सांडो)  be dropped

Tayaa (तया) for them

Satkarmi( सत्कर्मी) in noble deeds

 rati (रती) enjoyment, engrossing 

 vaadho वाढो be growing.

Bhoota ( भूता) people

Paraspare (परस्परे) mutually 

Pado ( पडो) become

Maitra( मैत्र) friends

Jeevaache ( जीवाचे) at hearts, or for life. 

So his wish expressed in this verse is :

May the wicked drop their crooked ways

May their minds start enjoying noble deeds

Let all people be tied together by bonds of mutual unconditional love and friendship. 

Again at this juncture I kneel down and pray what I did at the beginning, 🙏🏼🙏🏼एक तरी ओवी अनुभवावी 🙏🏼🙏🏼 Let me experience at least one of these eternal verses 🙏🏼🙏🏼