“The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.17)

Download this episode (right click and save)

कर्मणो ह्यपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं च विकर्मणः
अकर्मणश्च बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गतिः

karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ
boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ
akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ
gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

We see these debates going on from time to time. The atheist and the believer agree to hold a civil discussion, in an attempt to reach an agreed-upon conclusion as to the existence of God. Is there actually an Almighty? Is there this infallible being, who is not subject to birth and death, who is above everything, who retains everything in memory, who is perfect in the application and administration of justice? Is this same person also the origin to everything that we know?

The people siding with disbelief, the atheists, if you will, might insert an extra stipulation, to create fair parameters for debate. In their eyes, it is a way to level the playing field, to ensure that the believers do not have the added advantage of relying upon a wild card to get them out of trouble. The addendum to the rules, the stipulation, is that scripture cannot be used as reference material. In other words, no books. Prove that God exists, without flipping to a specific page in a book.

The premise is itself troublesome, precisely because of the flaws that man inherits at the time of birth. Within the Vedic tradition, the closest equivalent to the concept of scripture is shastra. According to V.R. Sri Saila Chakravarti in his “The philosophy of Sri Ramanuja (Visistadvaita)”, there are different angles of vision into shastra. The scriptural texts of the Vedic tradition are all-encompassing. They are not merely a proof to a theory, but rather a means towards managing all aspects of the human life experience, such that the opportunity for complete perfection will open up.

1. To teach

The value of a teacher cannot be overstated. This is because the presence of a single individual can trigger a complete change of state. From ignorance to knowledge. From bewilderment to enlightenment. From hesitance to confidence. From doubt to firm resolve.

One value to shastra is instruction. It teaches us. The first instruction is something rarely known in the world today. The first instruction is that we are not the body. We are spirit soul. Aham brahmasmi. We get a glimpse into the value of the full curriculum of shastra based on the fact that this reveal into the identity of man is merely the beginning of the instruction. It is the equivalent to learning the alphabet as a child in school.

2. To inform

In a previous age, the news institutions accepted this vital responsibility. They informed the general public as to important changes. Perhaps a storm was approaching. Maybe a government leader was implicated in a scandal involving foreign influence. A dangerous killer was on the loose in the community. A new law was about to go into effect, and ignorance to the change could result in legal penalties.

In the same way, shastra informs us about different aspects to the life experience. We get information about the past, the present, and the future. We learn of the origin of the universe, for instance. There was the pradhana, which is the unmanifest substance. This was then manipulated by a singular force, who also happened to be there before anything was around. The same force will be in the same position of dominance once there is nothing left.

अहम् एवासम् एवाग्रे
नान्यद् यत् सद्-असत् परम्
पश्चाद् अहं यद् एतच् च
यो ऽवशिष्येत सो ऽस्म्य् अहम्

aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo ‘vaśiṣyeta so ‘smy aham

“Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.9.33)

3. To govern

Sometimes we just don’t know what to do. For instance, when we are at a family function, our parents introduce us to relatives from a different generation. We are not sure of their age, and so we extend a friendly hand to shake. Our parents then strongly chastise us. You see, we were supposed to touch the feet of these people, as they are senior to us. Greatly embarrassed by the ordeal, we simply had no idea how to proceed.

Within the life experience, there are the things to do and the things not to do. The Sanskrit equivalents are pravritti and nivritti. Shastra describes both in great detail. On the higher level, to effect future living conditions, there is karma and akarma. This is action and inaction. As Shri Krishna explains in Bhagavad-gita, the intricacies of action and inaction are such that it is difficult to tell which is which.

4. To correct

Man inherits four principal defects at the time of birth. One defect is committing mistakes. It could be something simple like thinking that a rope is actually a snake. We trust someone who otherwise has a track record of lying. We think that this person is our friend, when they are really our enemy. We think that following a certain path will lead to happiness, when it really becomes the source of the greatest grief.

Shastra is there to correct. If we have been attached to illusion for so long, shastra can help us turn things around. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains the concept of sadhu, shastra, and guru. The three should ideally be travelling in the same direction; three lines that are parallel to one another. This means that when the guru gives advice, their words of instruction align with the principles of shastra. The behavior of the saintly person, the sadhu, should also align with shastra.

5. To advise

Shastra corrects when there is a mistake, but shastra can also advise when there is doubt over how to proceed. Which deity should I worship, for instance? What should I ask for when I am praying? In what ways can I ensure that my past work becomes successful, saphala?

न विनश्येत्कथं कार्यं वैक्लब्यं न कथं भवेत्
लङ्घनं च समुद्रस्य कथं नु न वृथा भवेत्

na vinaśyetkathaṃ kāryaṃ vaiklabyaṃ na kathaṃ bhavet
laṅghanaṃ ca samudrasya kathaṃ nu na vṛthā bhavet

“How can I ensure that the purpose of my task does not get destroyed? How shall I avoid mental disparity, and how do I ensure that my crossing of the ocean does not go for naught?” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 2.41)

Is there a way to correct the many past births, of which I have no memory?

बिगरी जनम अनेक की सुधरै अबहीं आजु
होहि राम को नाम जपु तुलसी तजि कुसमाजु

bigarī janama aneka kī sudharai abahīṃ āju
hohi rāma ko nāma japu tulasī taji kusamāju

“The many past births you spoiled can be rectified right now, today, if you start chanting Shri Rama’s holy name and renounce bad association, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 22)

In this regard, the hypothetical debate mentioned above must contain access to shastra to have any validity. It is otherwise impossible for the human being, who is filled with flaws, to reach the proper conclusion. The field of activities, kshetra, is simply too vast and manifest for too long a time to study properly. Neither can the information gathered from a relevant experiment ever be held together in a single repository.

To the less intelligent, relying on shastra is a weakness. To the one who has been informed, who has been taught, who has been advised, who has been corrected, shastra is everything. To proceed without such assistance is to walk perpetually in the darkness, for lifetime after lifetime.

In Closing:

Like perpetually in darkness walking,
In endless speculation talking.

Never proper conclusion reaching,
Because lack of authority teaching.

Shastra everything and more,
Purpose this human life for.

No more futile to try,
On its strength to rely.

Categories: the five

Tags: god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, religion, vedas