Basis of Economic Development- The Vedic Perspective

Bhagavad Gita 3.14: All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.

Even the today So called Modern Industrial Enterprises today depend on the excessive supply of natural raw Materials like Water,cotton, oil etc which are nothing but the Gifts of Nature obtained by the mercy of God, these cannot be manufactured by the modern Factories at any costs.

There is a famous saying in tamil,

"Vedam othiya vethiyarkku Oor mazhai,

Neethi mannar neriyinarkku Oor mazhai,

Mathar karpudai mangayarkku oor mazhai

ena maatham mummaari mazhai peyumae"

which means,

If Brahmins recite vedas, if Rulers govern the country in accordance to shastras(i.e.without corruption etc..) and if Women are chaste to their husband then we get rain thrice a month without fail.

So the onus is now on Brahmins,rulers and women to get good rainfall!

'Kshatriya Kulavantas Sinhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj' --Re-establisher of Varnashrama Dharma Culture

When Relegious priciples are stopped and neglected-->Women becomes spoiled because of
improper engagement--> mixing of Caste Takes place-->which results in
Varna Sankaram(Unwanted Population) who are filled with high proportion of Rajas and
Tamo Gunam and are born to destroy the world and harass the Pious.(Bhagavad Gita 2nd Chapter).

When Hindustan was burning under barbaric attacks by the Mughals and when Hindus were loyally serving the Muslims Adilshahs and Badshahs all over India, there was oppression of women, cows, language and temples. The Sultans had converted the whole country into a slaughterhouse. Hindu society was going towards annihilation under Muslim assaults and the blazing Sun of independence had set. In such adverse conditions, exhibiting great bravery, valour and sacrifice, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj established the independent sovereign Hindavi Swaraj by defeating Mughal kings and thus protected Hindus, Hindu Dharma and Hindustan. It was these almost superhuman challenges that Shivaji had accepted even as a teenaged boy. He encouraged Hindus to obliterate Muslim attackers. He created a great future for Hindustan. Thus unto Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, undoubtedly, belongs the chief credit of lighting up the torch of the final freedom struggle against the backdrop of several centuries of Islamic aggression, and ultimately reducing that foreign slavery to ashes. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj created self-confidence amongst Hindus. He made Hindus realize that they had the might of lions but were leading their lives like sheep.
Shivaji Maharaj visited major shrines in Maharashtra before his coronation. He also performed pujas for Mahadeva, Bhavani and other Deities. The ceremony was going on from 30th May to 6th June i.e. for a full week. The crowning was being done with the chanting of holy Veda-mantras and sprinkling holy water from seven rivers and seven seas. People from all castes were allowed to anoint (sprinkle) the king with Panchamrit and holy waters from different places. While anointing him, they used to say. "You are our crowned king (Chhatrapati Raje), you are our protector. We pray unto you to please look after us like a father." Simultaneously the Ved Mantras were resounding in the hall.

As Shivaji mounted the throne for the coronation, the priests chanted the holy verses. Musical instruments began to play and the artillery of all the forts fired salvos of their guns. The main priest held the royal umbrella and hailed him as Shiva Chhatrapati. He was conferred the title of 'Kshatriya Kulavantas Sinhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj' by the priest.

This uprising by the Marathas was to protect the Hindu religion, to toss away the yoke of foreigners and to establish an independent and powerful Hindavi Samrajya (empire). All efforts of Shivaji were overflowing with intense patriotism. People also had become aware of it and hence he was welcomed every where in India, be it the South, North, East or West, as 'the protector of Hindus'. Hindus thought him to be a supporter of their cause.

The contemporary history, legends and literature of that time are full of appreciation and respect for him. There were requests pouring in for Shivaji to rescue Hindus from many towns and states of India. When the Marathas tore the green flags of Muslims and hoisted saffron flags, no Hindu had dared to get crowned after the fall of the kingdom of Vijayanagar. This crowning ceremony was a blow to the invincibility of Muslims. Shivaji had the feeling that he was not protecting his own kingdom but was striving for the protection of Dharma.

Rightly did the great Hindi bard Bhushana, who forsook the royal favours of the Mughal court to come over to Shivaji to record his glories, sing :

Kashiji ki kalaa jaati, Mathura masjid hoti |
Shivaji na hote to sunnat hoti sab ki ||

(Had not there been Shivaji, Kashi would have lost its culture,Mathura would have been turned into a mosque and all would have been circumcised.)

To remind the people of this day, Shivaji started a Crowning Era-'Rajyabhishek Shaka'. In the fight for independence and establishing his own kingdom, in every aspect Shivaji Maharaj did everything possible to promote Hinduism. His assembly of eight ministers was formed based on Hindu ideals. One comes across this concept of eight ministers in the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. King Dashrath too had eight ministers. In the Shantiparva of the Mahabharat also it has been suggested that an exchange of thoughts of eight ministers is necessary. During the coronation ceremony, Maharaj changed the Persian names of the ministers to Sanskrut.

The motto Shivaji inscribed on his coin even at the early stage of his endeavours amply reflects the age-old Hindu ideal pulsating in Shivaji's mind

His seal which read in Sanskrit :

Pratipatchandralekheva vardhishnurvishwavanditaa |
Shaahasoonosshivasyaisha mudraa bhadraaya raajate ||

'This Royal Seal of Shivaji the son of Shahaji, ever increasing in splendour like the moon on the first day of the bright half of the lunar month, shall shed auspicious benevolence and commands the homage of the entire world.'
The successors of Shivaji, the Peshwas had carried the Hindu (saffron) flag right up to Kabul and ultimately crippled the Mughal seat of power, which had remained unchallenged for several centuries never to rise again. They had rightly grasped the life mission of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Swami Vivekananda once remarked in these glowing terms: "Shivaji is one of the greatest national saviours who emancipated our society and our Dharma when they were faced with the threat of total destruction. He was a peerless hero, a pious and God-fearing king and verily a manifestation of all the virtues of a born leader of men described in our ancient scriptures. He also embodied the deathless spirit of our land and stood as the light of hope for our future."

Essence of Bhagavad Gita

Simple by the performance of our sva Karma(own work) with Detachment i.e as Karma Yogam,one becomes elgibile to go Back home back to Godhead in the eternal spiritual kingdom of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Signifiance of the Sacred Thread(Poonal) in Varnashrama Dharma Culture

 The single set of Poonal consists of  a set of Three-line one and is worn to indicate that we are subject to the Thriputi upadhis (Body, Mind and Intellect or Jagrat Swapna Sushupti Avastha or Satwa Rajas Tamas gunas). The three lines are having a knot (known as Brahma Mudichchu) together, inseparably. The beginning and end portions of the threads are bound together with the knot. This knot is put by Sastrigal or Vadhyar chanting specific Manthra to give us relief from the Tripudi effects. We need to guard against these three upadhis, which are hindrances in our evolution.  Hence Poonal is of three-line structure, symbolically to protect us from the effects of this Thriputi status This is first worn during Thread Ceremony wherein our father takes the seat of a Guru and makes us wear it through chanting manthra and initiates us into Gayathri Japa.  From now on we are eligible to perform all rituals prescribed for Brahmacharis.  It is said that after Thread ceremony only one becomes a Brahmin – Dwijanma or takes a second birth (the real birth of a Brahmin).  Why so?  The word Brahmin means “Brahmani Ithi Charanthi Brahmanaha”.  The one who is established in Brahman is a Brahmana.  After thread ceremony, a Brahmachari is supposed to live on alms and pursue his studies in Vedas and perform Nithya Vruthi and Sadhana prescribed for evolution.  Therefore, he is termed as Brahmin, as he is getting established in the Brahmnical way.

 Different Structure of Poonal for different stages in life:

Brahmacharis need protection for themselves only from the Thriputi status. Hence one set of Three-line Poonal is prescribed to them. After marriage, the Gruhastha has to protect not only himself but his wife too, who is not coming under the Sandhya Vandanam process.  Therefore, he has to wear two sets of Three Line Poonal at the time of marriage – one set for himself and the other for his wife.  Once he becomes a full-fledged Gruhastha (i.e. becoming a father), he has to protect also the offspring (the child in the form of broonam in the womb of his wife) and hence at the time of Seemantha Kalyanam (wedding at first progeny) in the sixth month of wife’s pregnancy, he wears three sets of Three Line Poonal.  Also there is a belief that the three sets has to be worn at the time of marriage itself because a Gruhastha must always has an angavasthram (a piece of cloth on the shoulder) and in case he is going without it any time, this third set will represent that angavasthram.  Also there is another belief that the third set has to be added only while starting performance of apara kriya. 

 Applicability of this rule to Sanyasins:

Regarding Sanyasins, they are beyond the Thriputi, having won over these upadhis through their Sadhana or Tapas.  For them these rules will not apply because, they are always one with the Paramatman in their Samadhi or Sadhana.   .  Sanyasins are beyond this Thriputi, they need not wear Poonal and hence no rituals.   Moreover, they do not belong to any religion, caste or creed. Hence they are exempted from this rule.  As they are believed to be in Samadhi, Sadhana, the Sandhya Vandanam – nay other rituals - is not binding on them. However, when they are not in Samadhi, they also used to perform certain poojaas or rituals during these Sandhyas, as our Puranas have explained.

Nama Sankirthanam- Can we skip our Varnashrama Dharma Karmas in lieu of Nama Samkirtanam?

Supposing you are engrossed in Pooja or Japa from evening till midnight or you are doing Naamasmarana/Naama Sankeerthan from evening till late night.  You are doing a Sadhana with full body, mind and intellect on it that you cannot  break that sadhana.  In such a situation missing Sandhya Vandanam is not harmful because you are doing the same or even a higher sadhana than Sandhya Vandanam.  However, to miss a Sandhya Vandanam, you must not be aware of the Sandhya while doing the above sadhana.  The moment you are aware of it, it is better to take some break from the sadhana and do Sandhya Vandanam and then continue the sadhana.  It is exempted only when you are doing a higher sadhana and you are fully absorbed in it without being aware of the time factor. 

 People always complain that there are so many distractions while performing daily japa of namas or there is tasteless chanting. This is because we conditioned living entities are always subject to influence of  3 factor combination I.e adhidhaivik-adhibautik-adhyatmik or different propertion of  influence of sattva-rajas-tamas.

 Therefore performance of Varnashrama Dharma like sandhyavandanam etc purifies us to perform nama sankirtanam with more purity.

Nama Sankirtana and Karma Yogam Part2

Is Nama Sankirtana is by itself sufficient to remove all our sins?
Nama sankirtanam removes the indifference we have towards bhagavan, his devotees and the spiritual concept of Life, it provides us with the mental strength, power of endurance and a clear frame of mind to make us qualified to begin  Varnasrama Dharma(Karma Yoga)-->by which Bhagavan becomes pleased--> hence he removes all our papa,punya and takes us back to his spiritual abode(Vaikuntha).
Say for a Kshatriya, Nama sankirtanam gives us all basic qualifications a kshatriya needs to defeat the allies of Adharma and establish Dharma. Endowed with all basic qualities unless a kshatriya fights the war(which is his Karma Yogam), his enemies cannot be defeated, similarly endowed with all auspicious qualities, unless one executes his Karma Yogam-->Bhagavan will not remove his eternal enemy which is nothing but his papa and his punya.
Unless one is purified of these misgivings(papa,punya) one will not be able to go back home back to Godhead(Vaikuntha).

How to become Immune from Infection of the Material World?

There is no doubt that this Material world is infected with the disease of Greed, Pride, envy,ego, ignorance which is nothing but the Product of the Mode of Passion(Rajo Gunam) and the Mode of Ignorance(Tamo Gunam).
For an aspiring transcendentalist, becoming free from their influence is a must to rise to the spiritual platform of Pure Love of God situated above the Mode of Goodness.
Out of his causeless mercy, Sriman Narayana(The Supreme Personality of Godhead) mercifully incarnates as the Archa Vigraha in Temples, as spiritual Masters(Vaishnavas), spiritual books, his Holy Names, offering and partaking of Vishnu Prasadam which are of the form of Pure Goodness(without contamination of Mode of Passion and Ignorance) which aspiring transcendentalists could constantly meditate and become immune from he Infections of the material world.