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Dear members/friends of the Tiruvenkatam Group,

Far too many of us are led habitually to equating
"sannyAsa" with the wearing of saffron robes
("kAshaaya-vastra") and the severing of all physical
ties with family and the world. Such an ingrained
habitual view of 'sannyAsa' is of course in keeping
with the Vedic milieu, no doubt, but there is also the
reasonable and much more contemporary view of
"sannyAsa" being more a state of mind than any
particular style or mode of living.    
                  
The Bhagavath-Gita, itself in fact, affirms such a
view: the highest 'sannyAsa' is, says Lord Krishna,
that of the inner, not that of the outer life, and in
which a man, who is completely detached and
indifferent to the world, mingles in the life of men
for their own benefit and upliftment:

  anAsritah: karma-phalam kAryam 
    karma karOti yah: I 
  sa sanyAsI cha yOgI cha 
    na nirar-aggnir na chAkriyah: II 
                         (Bhagavath-gita VI.1)

 " He who performs actions in life as his duty,
   independently of the fruit of action,
   He is a sanyAsi and yogi, indeed,
   Though without fire and rite he may be!"

The "samskArA" of "sathAbhishEkam" can be regarded as
marking that particular moment in a man's life when he
naturally and gracefully turns to finally and fully
embracing the mental state of the true "sannyAsin" --
i.e. even in our time going forth to assuming that
mental state without any outward appearances of ochre
robe, staff-stick or formal renunciation of worldly
ties. Such a man may not physically go away into a
forest ("vana"), but he does actually do so in spirit
and, in a far more real or substantive manner, enters
into a "mental forest" in which he is enabled (in the
words of the Gita above) to "perform actions in life
as his duty, independently of the fruit of action".

The Manu-smriti, in one of its finest and most
memorable passage ever, beautifully describes indeed
how such a man of "samskAra", who has entered into
this great 'AsrAma' in life may expect to live a life
--- a life full of dignity, serenity and fufillment.
None of us who reads this particular passage of Manu
will ever thereafter want to fail in our duty to
perform the due "samskAras" of "sathAbhishEkam" for
our fathers and deny them of its hallowed fruits:  

(1) "nAbhinandEtha maraNam nAbhinandEtha jeevitam  I
  kAlamEva prateekshEta nirdEsham BruthakO yaThA II

"Let him not wish for death, let him not wish for
life,
Let him wait for the time, as a servant does for the
order of his Master;"

(2) "drushtipootham nyasEth pAdam vasrapootham jalam
pibate I
sathyapootham vadEth vAcham manah:pootham samAcharEth"
II

"May his feet tread paths illumined by pure light, May
the water he drinks be pure, May his speech be full of
words purified by truth, May his deeds be purified by
pure reason;

(3) "athivAdAm-sthithi-kshEtha nAvamannyEta kanchana I
 na chEmam dEhamAsrithya vairam kUrveetha kEnachit"II

"May he endure any harsh language encountered, May he
never insult anyone; nor, may he in the haste of
bodily passion, make an enemy of anyone in the world;"

(4) "kruDhyantam na prati-kruDhyE-dhAkrushtah:
kushalam vadEth I
saptha-dvArAvakIrNAm cha na vAchamanrutAm vadEth" II

"May he not return anger for anger, May he return
blessing for curse; and driven by the Seven senses,
may he not utter untruthful words for selfish gain;

(5) "aDhyAtmaratirA-seenO nirapEkshO nirAmishah:  I
  Atmanaiva sahAyEna suKhArThi vicharEdiha" II

                          (Manu-smriti VI. 45-49)

"May he rest still and serene, rejoicing in the
Supreme Self, refraining from sensual delight;
May he befriend the greater Himself within; May he be
pleased to wander here on earth freely in search of
his great liberation".
 
In the light of all said above, we would be blind
indeed if we did not appreciate what a grave and
essential duty it is for us therefore to duly observe
the great "samskAra" of "sathAbhishEkam" for the sake
of ensuring the well-being of all elders in our
family.

                ***************

In yet another remarkable passage in the Manu-smriti
we come across great pronouncements on why it is
important to perform due honors (such as
"sathAbhishEkam") to our elders. Here they are with
relevant translations:

(1) "yam mAtA-pitarou klEsham sahEtE sambhavE nruNAm I
  na tasya nishkrutihi: shakyA kartUm varshatairapi II

"The suffering which the mother and father endure in
the birth and upbringing of children cannot be
compensated, even in a hundred years;

(2) "tayOrnityam priyam kUryAdAchAryasya cha sarvadA I
tEshvEva trishu tUshTEshu tapah: sarvam samApyatE II 

Let him, the son, do always what is pleasant to these
two, and to the AchArya too; in the satisfaction of
these three, all the fruits of austerity is verily
obtained;

(3) "tEshAm trayANAm shUshrUshA paramam tapa UchyatE I
 na taira-naBhyanugnyAthO dharma-manyam samAcharEth II

The service of these three is called the highest
austerity, without the permission of these three let
him not perform other duties;

(4) "ta Eva hi trayO lOkAstha Eva traya AsramAh:
  ta Eva hi trayO vEdAstha EvOkthAstrayOgnayah: 

For verily, these three are the three worlds and the
three ashramas; these are also the three Vedas and the
three fires;

(5) "trishvapra-mAdhyannE-tEshu treegUm-lOkAn vijayEdh
gruhee
deepyamAnaha: sva-vapushA dEva-vEdh divi mOdatE II

The householder who neglects not the three, will
conquer the three worlds and in a shining body he will
rejoice as a deva, in heaven

(6) "sarvE tasyAdruthA dharmA yasyyai-thE traya
aadruthAha: 
anAdruthAsthu yasyyai-thE sarvAs-tasyA-phalAha:
kriyAh:
yAvath trayastE jeevEyushthAvannAnyam samAcharEth 
tEshvEva nityam shUsh-rUshAm kUryAth priyahitE rathah:

All duties are honoured and fulfilled by he who
honours these three; for him who does not honour these
three all other rites are fruitless;

As long as these three live, so long let him not do
aught else; let him ever do service unto them, intent
on what is pleasant and beneficial to them;

(7) "trish-vEthEsh-viti-krutyam hi purUshasya
samApyatE
Esha dharmah: parah: sAkshAth-upadharmO-anya uchyatE

                           (Manu smriti - 227-237)

In honoring these three, all that should be done in
life by man is achieved; this is plainly the highest
duty; all other is called a lesser duty".

                 *************

I have already described above in an earlier posting
of how the hundreds of guests who graced the occasion
of my father's "sathAbhishEkam" simply clamoured to
offer their prostrations at his feet and avidly sought
his blessings. It made me wonder why they were all so
eager and bent upon (pun unintended!) performing such
an act. 

Again, it was in the ancient Manu-smriti that I found
the needed answers fully explained to my satisfaction:


(1) "abhivAdana-sheelasya nityam vruddhOpasEvinaha:
 chathvAri tasya varDhanta aayUhu: pragnyA yashO
balam"
                  (MS II 121)

He who ever salutes and shows reverence to the aged,
obtains an increase of 4 things: life, intelligence,
fame and strength.

(2) "abhivAdayEdh vruddAmscha dadhyA-cchaivAsanam
svakam I
krutAnjali-rUpAseeth gacchatha: prushtathOn-viyAth

                        (MS IV.154)

Let him salute the aged, let him give them his own
seat, let him sit by them with folded hands, let him
walk behind when they leave".

                  ***************

There is also a near-scientific reason why in the
Vedic faith it is believed that prostrations
("abhivandanam") at the feet of the elderly fetches
beneficient results for both parties. It is well and
truly explained by none other than Madam Annie Besant
in her wonderful book written in 1854, "Sanatana
Dharma", wherein she explains as follows:

(QUOTE): "That obeisance to the aged is even
physically beneficial to the young man is hinted in
the second "shlOka" (of Manu) above. 

"By one of the laws of nature there is always a
tendency towards equilibrium: as heat radiates from
the warmer to the cooler, so strength and vitality go
out from the stronger to the weaker. It has been
proved by medical science that invalids draw vitality
from the presence of the vigorous, the feeble draw
life from the healthier and stronger, and a large
portion of the cures effected my magnetism
(magneto-therapy) is due to this fact. 

IN accordance with this law, the "prANA-s" of the
young move out towards the old and feeble; but then
too, when the young man rises and makes obeisance he
at once creates in the mind of the elder the mood of
benevolence and of an overwhelming desire in the heart
for wanting to give instead of taking, and this mood
sends back those very "prAnAs" a hundred times
multiplied back to the younger man"." (UNQUOTE)   

Where else than in the event of a "sathAbhishEkam" for
a family elder like a father can one expect to perform
"sAsthAnga abhivandanam" and thus derive the spiritual
benefits as explained by Manu in the ancient text as
well as by Annie Besant in more recent historical
times?

                ****************

In matters concerning the due observance of ceremony
or "samskArA" such as "sathAbhishEkam" in honor of
one's father, no one can ignore the lofty examples of
the Srimadh Valmiki Ramayana and of its great hero
"dasaratha-puthra", Sri Ramachandra.

That Sri Rama is virtually synonymous with
"pitr-bhakti" (devotion to father and to elders in
general) is made amply clear by Sage Valmiki in
several episodes of the Ramayana. But the one most
appealing to me personally and one which I could not
but recall on the most joyous occasion of my father's
"sathAbhishEkam" is one that follows. I shall describe
it before finally concluding this posting of mine: 

The scene that we must evoke in our minds is from the
Ayodhya Kandam where Bharatha and his retinue of
courtiers and sages from Ayodhya are doing their very
best to persuade Rama to return to Ayodhya and ascend
the throne. Rama is adamant and will not renege on the
word he earlier gave his father, Dasaratha, to go into
exile for 14 years. IN spite of clever arguments and
sophistry, threat and emotional blackmail, Bharatha
fails, and so does everyone else, to change Rama's
heart.

Then it is Sage VasishtA's turn to make Rama change
his mind. 

To describe this graphic scene of the encounter
between "AchArya" and "sishyA", one must go to Sri
Srinivasa Sastry's brilliant portrayal in his
"Lectures on the Ramayana".

(Quote):

"Then Vasishta thinking that Rama was a perfectly
docile "sishya" and would take everything quietly if
commanded by him, pushes his advantage a little. He
says to Rama, "You want to obey your father? I tell
you, he is an old man. I am your guru, greater than
your father. Obey me and return to AYodhya". 

But Sri Rama puts him in his place:

 "yan mAthA pitarou vruttam tanayE kUrUtah: sadA I
na supratikaram tatthu mAtrA pitrA cha yathkruttam" II
                               (Ramayana II.111.9)

He says, "No son can ever adequately repay what he
takes from his father and from his mother. Don't tell
me that the guru is greater than a parent. I won't
take it especially from someone like you, Sir!".

"yathA shakthi pradAnEna snApanA-cchAdanEna cha I
 nityam cha priyavAdEna tathA sarva dhanEna cha II"

                               (ibid. II.111.10)
" A hundred things the father and mother do for the
son, as the English poet says, "little nameless
unremembered acts of kindness and love". Who can
really tell, who can actually measure, who can ever
describe fully, who can ever repay the million kindly
acts received from one's father and mother?"

                 **************

IN the performance of a duty towards his father, we
see how Sri Rama dared even his own "AchArya". 

Why then, I ask myself, should it be a matter of any
hesitation for us of the present generations to defy
prevailing custom, or defy the thinking of the present
times, that might one way or the other, and under one
pretext or the other, inhibit us from doing what
surely is our duty to our fathers and elders --- viz.
the duty to perform one of the most poignant and
meaningful 'samskAras' designed by the Vedas to honor
and cherish the very blessed presence of the venerable
aged living amongst us?

                 (concluded)

              ****************

Regards,
dAsan,
Sudarshan 


Sudarshan Madabushi
Chief Financial Officer & Vice-President
KGL Ports International
Plot A-21, Kuwait Free Trade Zone.
PO BOx 24565, Safat 13106,
Kuwait.
Ph: (965)- 4827804/5 Ext 212
Fax:       4827806
mob:       7063337
email:  mksudarshan2002@xxxxxxxxxxx


                
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