eturning to Our Own Roots
With this firm faith secured, we have to find out how best to make of ourselves invincible warriors by getting trained in sanatana dharma. But I can hear my young readers protesting: Where are the leaders to inspire us with such faith that brings in its wake selflessness and courage? That is why we place before the youth of India this ancient heritage, the sanatana dharma. Interestingly enough, in this the centre is everywhere, the circumference nowhere. Why not make a beginning with Panchatantra and Hitopadesa instead of wasting our time in purposeless meanderings of violence in the name of magic projected in the latest best-sellers? Come then to our treasures of commonsense, our scintillating baskets of wit and humor, our precious caskets of faith and spirituality, our hard disks of noble living. Make a beginning with two of the finest icons Indian youth can reach out for, the Panchatantra and the Hitopadesa! Even if you do not study anything else but simply master and imbibe the whole of these two works and act according to the tenets, victory will be yours in all your undertakings!
To Hitopadesa, then. A book which is ageless, ancient and never palls. A work which is down to earth, but high in instilling soulful faith. The opening section places before us the importance of learning, and what it does to gain for us fortune and faultless-ananda:
'Learning, although possessed by a low man, introduces him to the king who is (ordinarily) inapproachable, just as a river, although flowing through a low region, takes one to the inaccessible sea: (sources) from which floweth great fortune. Learning endows one with modesty; from (having) modesty one passes on to (gets) worthiness; being worthy one obtains riches; from riches religious merit and from that happiness.'
Sanatana dharma does not teach simply with such moralistic formulae. The practice always is to make you think for yourselves. What is good for the individual? What is beneficial to the community? Which is the right path to achieve the best of living for both the individual and the society? This is how parables became the rich granary of Indian culture and Hitopadesa contains one of the oldest and richest collections of such stories. It is amazing to know that for several millennia we have learnt the values of self-sacrifice for loyalty from Viravara, of discrimination from the tale of Chudamani and the barber, of the power of intelligence in the fall of the elephant Karpuratilaka and of the evil of arrogance in the suicidal leap of the lion Durdanta. Painlessly wisdom was injected into the young mind by Pandit Vishnusarman who taught the sons of King Sudarsana of Pataliputra. Indeed, throughout Hitopadesa pellets of good judgment are strewn about with a prodigal hand.
Indian youth who are in search of icons to lead a gracious and virtuous life and become achievers, ought to hold on to one or two of these and they would never feel the lack of inspirations in their life. Yes, life on earth is never smooth-sailing. But our foundations have placed before us heroes and heroines like Arjuna and Damayanti who have suffered, endured and overcome. It was inspirations like these books and characters that gave us a Swami Vivekananda, a Mother Sarada Devi, a Sister Nivedita. Hold on fast to our cultural foundations and all will be well. Haven't we the widely known Vedic chant to sculpt our lives and fare well and fare forward? Satyam vada, dharmam chara!
'Speak the truth.
Practice virtue (dharma).
Neglect not study (of the Vedas).
Having brought an acceptable gift to the teacher,
Cut not off the line of progeny.
One should not be negligent of truth.
One should not be negligent of virtue.
One should not be negligent of welfare.
One should not be negligent of prosperity '
Be one to whom a mother is as a god
Be one to whom a father is as a god.
Be one to whom a teacher is as a god.
Be one to whom a guest is as a god.'
Where else can we find better guidelines to live fulfilling lives? Why not dig into our own ancient ageless heritage and make these our ow