Indra and Soma! Great is your
might!
The early Vedic Aryans were so
full of life that
they paid less attention to the
Soul
The central idea was that of
Dharma
a concept beyond religion or
creed
a concept of doing one's duty
and righteous living
Dharma was a part of Rita the
basic law of the Cosmos
Gradually the concept of God
grew
Thought carried it to strange
realms
From brooding on nature's
mysteries
was born the spirit of enquiry
The Upanishads took shape by
the end of the vedic age
"Written in 800 B.C., the
Upanishads are a big step"
in the development of
In do-Aryan thought
"By then, the Aryans had settled
down and"
a stable prosperous civilisation
established
When the central kingdoms
replaced tribal societies
The Magadh and Kosal empires
with the aid of their strong armies
had started destroying the Vrajji
and Lichchavis
This change affected old
established traditions
Vedic animal sacrifices of the
pastoral society
were unsuitable in the context
of urban culture
Vedic rituals and their
practitioners
were made fun of
"Yet, no attempt to break away
from the past was made"
The past was the starting point
for future progress
The Upanishads emph
self-realisation
a means to attain self and
absolute self
This is the time for charity to
avert
the ill-effects of disease
Charity? What will I give away?
I have nothing
Give whatever you can
If you are not cured you'll go to
heaven
State freely what you wish to
donate
"Sacrifices and charity earn
merit, my son"
It is not that we are beggars!
"Well, I suppose the formality is
enough "
I give away all my cows
Bring the cows which do not
give milk. They are enough
What merit will you obtain from
donating
old feeble cows who give no
milk?
"Keep quiet, you fool!"
"This charity is to earn merit, is
it not?"
So? Then give me away
"Get away, stupid"
Whom will you give me to?
Get out!
Whom will you give me away
to?
Didn't you hear me? Get out!
I don't want to see your face
"Even then, tell me!"
Do you really wish to know?
Listen!
I give you to Yama the God of
death
"I go ahead of many, in the
midst of many"
What may be the work of
Yam raj today?
which must be done through
me
The men of yore passed away
as will the men who are yet to
come
"A mortal ripens like corn,
wastes away"
and like corn is born again
Lord Yama! We await your
pleasure
"Hungry and thirsty, this boy
awaits thee for three days"
The host who does not receive
a Brahmin
oses past merit and future
hope
He loses his sons and present
wealth
My child! You are my guest
I regret you were not received
for three days
I give you a boon for every day
of waiting
Ask for what you wish
Grant me the boon that my
father's anger
is appeased and he receives me
back with love
Granted!
You know the sacred fire which
leads to heaven
Grant me this knowledge
Nachiketa! I know the sacred
fire
which is a means of attaining
infinite worlds
It is the foundation
that resides in every heart
"From today, the fire will be
known by your name"
It will be called the Fire of
Nachiketa
Now ask for the third boon
After death some say a man
does not exist
"some say he does, What is the
truth?"
The debate of 'is' and 'is not' is
an old one
Even the Gods do not know the
mystery of life and death
Leave it alone! Ask for some
other boon
"My lord, you are the only one
who knows this"
Only you can explain it to me
What other boon can I ask for?
Ask for something else
Ask for long-living sons and
grandsons
Ask for horses and elephants.
The very earth
Ask for a long life for yourself
"No, my Lord!"
Ask for something else
There are desires which cannot
be fulfilled on earth
"Ask for them, if you wish but"
don't ask to know the mystery
of death
All these pleasures will pass
away
"Indeed, how short is life itself"
"No, my lord! Unveil the
mystery of death for me!"
Then listen! There are two
paths
One of eternal joy
and the other of momentary
pleasure
Both paths attract the sou
"Pondering on them, the wise
man always"
rejects pleasure and chooses
the path of joy
"Nachiketa, you have thought
deeply"
You have observed and
analysed pleasures
and rejected them
You are not caught in the
temptation of wealth
which binds men and destroys
them
I am happy that you believe in
truth
May I find another pupil like
you!
"My lord, what is beyond right
and wrong"
"duty and selflessness, past
and future?"
I will tell you the word the Vedas
glorify
for which penance is performed
which fulfills all human desires
for which man leads a holy life
All is contained in one word
Om!
That word is the everlasting
truth
The one who understands this
fulfils all desires
This word is the supreme
means of salvation
It is the best ritua
It is the Atman (Soul) which is
never born and never dies
It is everlasting. Never born and
eternal
The body dies but
it is eterna
If the slayer thinks he has killed
and
the slain thinks he is dead
then they are both wrong
The eternal in man neither kills
nor dies
I'll now tell you about the eternal
Brahman
and what happens to the sou
after death
The soul can enter a womb and
acquire a new body
According to its previous
wisdom and actions
it may even enter a tree or plant
"Even as we sleep, the eternal
stays awake"
and creates the wonder world
of dreams
It is this spirit of light which is
immortal
The universe is contained in
this spirit
When the wise man knows that
the material senses
are different from the spirit
grieves no more
Beyond the senses is the mind.
Beyond mind is reason
Beyond reason lies the spirit in
Atma man
Beyond the spirit is the universe
"Above all this is the Purusha,
the creator"
The Purusha is all pervading
He is beyond shape and
definition
"When mortal man realises this,
he attains"
"liberation and thence,
immortality"
"The Upanishads encourage a
spirit of inquiry,"
mental adventure and
passion
for finding out the truth about
things
why the mind flows and does
not remain still
Why does the human mind
have no rest?
Why and in search of what
does the water flow?
Why cannot it remain still for
even a moment?
But there is a humility in this
quest
a triumph of mind over
environment
"In a prayer, the Sun is
addressed thus!"
Sun of refulgent Glory!
I am the same person as makes
Thee what thou art!
What a supreme confidence!
There is a question in the
Upanishads!
What is the universe? From
where does it arise and go
The answer is! It is self created
"Born in freedom, it exists in
freedom"
and melts away in freedom
The Upanishads were against
priest craft and ritualism
"However, its ideology did not
permeate to the masses"
and they were distanced from
the intellectuals
This led to the birth of new
thoughts
a wave of atheism and
materialism
The entire literature on
materialism is lost to us
The only references to it are
found in critical treaties
The only references to it are
found in critical treaties
The ideas of the Charvakas are
satirised in
Krishna Mishra's Sanskrit play
Prabhodhachandrodaya
Everyone knows the doctrines
of Charvaka
They admit only existing reality
The evidence of the senses is
the only truth
"Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Sky
are the elements of Nature"
Money and pleasure is the
object of human existence
Vachaspati wrote this and gave
it to Charvaka
who propagated this with the
help of his disciples
If the aim of life is to gratify all
appetites
why do men renounce sensual
pleasure
and submit themselves to pain
and self mortification
Because they are fools
deceived by scriptures and fed
by false hopes
"Can begging, fasting, penance,
exposure to heat"
all of which hurt the body
compare to the pleasure
of embracing doe-eyed women
with prominent breasts?
"Then why do men believe in
ritual fire, sacrifice and Vedas?"
Because they are ignorant fools
The Vedas are hypocrisy
If heaven can be attained
through all this
why don't burnt trees sprout
again?
If sacrificed animal goes to
heaven
why don't people sacrifices their
parents?
If the dead soul is fed by a ritual
offering
why doesn't a burnt wick light
up when oil is poured?
Another materialistic sect was
the Ajivika
It was in conflict with the
Buddhists and Jains
They were fatalists
Their founder Makkali Goshala
claimed that fate controlled all
existence
Man's own will plays no part in
life
No human deed or action can
affect
future births
"No human action, strength,
courage or endurance"
can affect man's destiny in life
Unripe Karma cannot achieve
fruition
Nor can one exhaust Karma
ripened by
"virtuous conduct, vows,
penance"
or by chastity
Life is measured with a bushel
with joy and sorrow and its
fated end
just like a ball of thread unwinds
when thrown in the air
"So, the fool and wise alike will
run their course"
and come to a sorry end
Teacher! What is your final
advice?
Teacher! What is your final
advice?
Nothing happens and nothing
will happen
"So, dance joyously! Play the
Veena!"
Attached to the heritage of tribal
society
Goshala was deeply affected by
"the fall of Vrajji Sangh, a tribal
republic"
He began to predict total
destruction
"He saw in their fall, the loss of
a great tradition"
Goshala lost his mental balance
and died a raving lunatic
"Though far from it, Jainism
and Buddhism"
are different from Vedic thought
They denied the authority of the
Vedas
They say nothing about the
First cause
Both stress non-violence
and follow the tradition of
celibate monks
There is a rationalism and
realism in their approach
Jainism maintains that truth is
relative
"It is ethical, rigorous and"
a non-transcendental system
which emphasises the ascetic
aspect of life
I salute!
Jainism influenced Indian
culture
as much as Buddhism did
of all the other religions Jainism
has stressed
non violence and simplicity
non violence and simplicity
"Earth, Water, Air, Fire! Trees
and Plants!"
Grass and leaves! Insects and
Crawlers!
They are Life
They are living creatures
Born of dung
Breed in water
Born of eggs or born of the
womb
They are all living creatures
"Know, that they all wish to live"
To seek happiness
To drink of life's nectar
Do not hurt them
"If you do, you hurt yourself"
For a day is to come
when you will be born among
them
Let them live
Let them enjoy life
And drink of its nectar
The 24th Jain sage Vardhaman
Mahavir
was a contemporary of Gautam
Buddha
Both were royal members of
tribal republics
Mahavir was a scion of the
Lichchavi tribe
He left home at thirty and
roamed for 12 years in the Ganges valley
after which he attained Nirvana
He taught his doctrine for thirty
years
and founded a sect of
Digambara saints
The people supported his
endeavours
The tenets of Jainism can be
capsuled thus
Till the soul is enmeshed in
matter
it cannot achieve salvation
The soul cannot be freed till it
is rid of Karma
Which is why Jain monks
observe severe penances
It is a coincidence that I am
writing this
on the New Year's Day of the
Buddhist Year 2488
Buddhist literature says that it
was on this day
that Buddha was born and
attained enlightenment
Buddha's story has attracted
me from early boyhood
Young Siddhartha's inner
turmoil affected me deeply
"He was a warrior, a Prince"
"He was nurtured in luxury,
away from suffering"
But how long could this last?
When he saw sorrow poverty
and death
he became restless
Channa! Wait!
What's that? It looks like a man
but
"he has white hair, sunken
cheeks and no teeth"
Look at his bent back. What
kind of man is he?
"He is an old man, having lived
a long life "
He is feeble and infirm
There is no need to feel dismay
Some day we will all grow old
"We'll all grow old? You, I,
Yashodhara and all my young friends?"
"Will I, too, look like this one
day?"
"Yes, Prince! It will happen to
all of us"
Is this rare or does it happen to
everyone?
"Anyone can fall ill, my Lord!"
But if a man is careful about his
diet
keeps clean and exercise
regularly
he can remain healthy
There's no need to worry
No need to worry!
The sight of infirmity and old
age has shaken me
Now I find we are all
susceptible to it
My lord! Death is the end of life
The body dies enfeebled by old
age
or wrecked by disease
There is no need to be
surprised
"Sooner or later, all living things
will die"
You can do nothing but hope for
a long life
Who's that? Man or God?
Sitting so calm and aloof
untouched by the joys or
sorrows of the world
Prince! He is a sage
He is a person who has seen
"how old age, disease and
death afflict everyone"
He has renounced the world to
seek a solution to this
He has no home
He stays in the forest and in
caves
He begs for whatever frugal
meal he eats
He goes about from place to
place
telling people how to lead a
good life
and find happiness
How can I stay in this palace
without you?
Take me with you
No! Give these clothes and
jewellery to my father
Tell my parents and wife not to
worry
I ll return when I find a solution
old age, disease and death"
"Then I'll teach my wife,
parents, son"
and all others about it
Only then will the people be
truly happy
Long and weary was his search
for the answers
"At last, many years later,
enlightenment came to him"
as he sat under a peepal tree in
Gaya
He gave his first sermon near
Kashi in a garden
Buddha does not seek salvation
in austerity
nor does he wish to sink
himself in worldly pleasure
He does not wish scarcity nor
abundance
The Buddha seeks the Middle
Path
abstinence of meat or roaming
naked
matted long hair or tonsure
wearing rough clothes
or covering the body in ash
None of this will lead you to
salvation
the reading of Vedas charity
animal sacrifice in the name of
God
self-mortification by heat or cold
None of this will cleanse you
None of this will free you from
delusions
Anger is a sin and so is
drunkenness
"Obstinacy, bigotry, deception"
and envy ; all are sins
Self-praise and criticism of
others is a sin
Evil intentions are a sin
and not only eating meat
"Listen, O disciples!"
I'll show you the Middle Path
The path beyond scarcity and
abundance
That evening Buddha gave his
first sermon
It is known as the Turning of
the Wheel of Truth
Disciples!
The spokes are the Rules of
Pure conduct
Justice is the uniformity of their
length
Wisdom is the tyre. Modesty
and thoughtfulness its hub
Truth is the moveable axle fixed
to the hub
"Life is suffering, a vale of
tears"
"Disease, old age, discontent"
and awareness of death are
part of life
Desire is the cause of suffering
and so is attachment to this
world
The impact of sorrow is the
result of
a desire for sensual worldly
pleasures
a desire to go on living
a false desire to end
unpleasantness
"If you wish to be free of
sorrow, end desire"
Kundanya has realised it!
He has understood!
Disciples!
A man who stands alone
and decides to walk the path of
truth
may slip back into his old ways
This may very well happen!
"Hence, O disciples!"
Stand together
and help one another
Encourage one another's
efforts
Take this truth to the remotest
corner of earth
Take this truth to the remotest
corner of earth
Buddha said unto his disciples!
Go unto all lands and preach
this message
Tell people that the rich and
poor are equal
Just like all rivers flow into the
sea
all castes and creeds flow into
our religion
Hatred cannot end hatred
Only love can end hatred
Good will and obligation was his
message
What is her sorrow?
She is a trader's wife
Her husband and son were
travelling with a caravan in the jungle
but were left behind
A search party found them dead
They had been killed by a dacoit
"Their little fingers had been
chopped off,"
People believe that this has
been done by the terrible dacoit Angulimal
who chops off his victim's
fingers
Yes! I have heard people talk of
this dacoit
"Do you know about him,
Anand?"
It is said his parents were very
knowledgeable
He studied at Takshashila
It is said that he was a brilliant
student
The jealousy of his fellows
compelled him to drop out
He then turned to crime
The army has been searching
for him
but he has always given them a
slip
He will never be caught like this
The army can impale people
with spears
but can never change their
conduct
"Wait, O disciple! Do not
proceed"
What are you saying?
Do I look like your disciple?
Angulimal! Listen to me
carefully
I will tell you something
unknown about yourself
"What trick are you up to,
priest?"
I do not trust your kind
Look! I have no weapons
Nor do I have companions who
will harm you
You know this - you have been
secretly watching me
I request you to listen to me
All right! Speak!
You were surprised when
called you disciple
I called you thus since you
haven't looked at your soul
Never realised that there is a
good man within you
A kind man
Just like a disciple
Stop that chatter
My life's only aim is to kill
"and thus, prosper"
I have no use for living beings
"Yet, your true place is in
society, among people"
Society!
What do you know of society?
"You live in isolation, alone"
What do you know of pain and
humiliation?
May be not as much as you do
I know you have suffered
But the solution is not to cause
more suffering
and pave the way to hell for
yourself
"After killing a man, have you
never felt"
ike weeping on his corpse?
Have you not suppressed your
tears lonely in the forest?
Look how they struggle to come
out
"Let them flow, Anguli! Do not
stop them"
Let your tears flow! Don't stop
them
Who are you to free my
memories
"my tears, my pains?"
What right do you have?
For years I had erected a wall of
hate around me
"I had locked up my fear,
hidden it away"
A few words and a touch and
the wall crumbled
I had run away from society to
save myself
You have destroyed that
How can I live now? Where can
I go?
"accursed, one who crosses my
path! Who are you?"
"Tell me, who are you"
I am Buddha! Come into my
refuge
In it lies your salvation
You? The Teacher himself
No! I cannot be saved
I have sinned enough for two
lifetimes
Your life as a dacoit is now over
I now appoint you my disciple
You have a chance to begin a
new life
people will recognise me"
"They will pelt stone at me, try
to kill me"
It could be worse
This is the fruit of your crimes
You are the cause of your own
sufferings
You have to suffer for the
wrong you have done
Your Karma will affect you as
long as you live
Are you brave enough to accept
that?
Yes Teacher! Anything is better
than the hell I live in now
Then come Angulimal! Return
to the world of human beings
The mahout's prod controls the
elephant but
Buddha uses compassion
In India we find two streams of
thought and action!
Acceptance of life and
abstaining from it
Both streams were stressed
during different periods
"On the whole, however, Indian
culture never"
accepted the negation of life
though some of its philosophers
did
Is Buddhism passive and
pessimistic?
Whenever I think of Buddha
I do not experience such a
feeling
I cannot believe that a
pessimistic religion
can influence so many million
people
"This conception of Buddha,
shaped by many hands"
is the spirit of Indian philosophy
How calm Lord Buddha seems!
"Freed of anger and desire,
emotionless"
But look again carefully
You'll see emotion and
sensitivity
beyond human proportions
His gentle voice echoes in our
ears!
Do not give up the struggle
calmly face it
Search for opportunities to grow
and advance
Search for opportunities to grow
and advance
Believe nothing
Merely because you have been
told
Or because it is traditional
Or because you have imagined
it
Do not believe what your
teacher tells you
merely out of respect for the
teacher
Examine it
Subject it to analysis
If you find it conducive
to the common good
to the welfare of all living
creatures
Believe that doctrine and cling
to it
That will be your guide
That faith will be self-created
"and hence, well-determined"
