The World of Valmiki-26

The World of Valmiki-26

4.0 Philosophy, Religion and Code of Conduct.

Rama talks of fate while consoling Lakshmana:

सोऽभिषेकनिवृत्त्यर्थैः प्रवासार्थैश्च दुर्वचैः ।

उग्रैर्वाक्यैरहं तस्या नान्यद्दैवात् समर्थये ॥

कथं प्रकृतिसम्पन्ना राजपुत्री तथागुणा ।

ब्रूयात् सा प्राकृतेव स्त्री मत्पीडां भर्तृसन्निधौ ॥

यदचिन्त्यं तु तद्दैवं भूतेष्वपि न हन्यते ।

व्यक्तं मयि च तस्यां च पतितो हि विपर्ययः ॥

कश्च दैवेन सौमित्रे योद्धुमुत्सहते पुमान् ।

यस्य न ग्रहणं किञ्चित् कर्मणोऽन्यत्र दृश्यते ॥

सुखदुःखे भयक्रोधौ लाभालाभौ भवाभवौ ।

यच्च किञ्चित्तथाभूतं ननु दैवस्य कर्म तत् ॥

ऋषयोप्युग्रतपसो दैवेनाभिप्रपीडिताः ।

उत्सृज्य नियमान्स्तीव्रान् भ्रश्यन्ते काममन्युभिः ॥

असङ्कल्पितमेवेह यदकस्मात् प्रवर्तते ।

निवर्त्त्यारम्भमारब्धं ननु दैवस्य् कर्म तत् ॥२/२२/१८-२४ ॥

I am unable to explain her harsh talk asking for stopping of my coronation and my exile, other than to say that it is all due to Fate. How could the daughter of a king and who is by nature sober speak of troubling me in presence of her husband like an uncultured woman? What cannot be imagined and what cannot be destroyed by beings, that Fate has affected me and her (Kaikeyi). Who can fight with Fate which cannot be felt other than through its act? Happiness and grief, fear and anger, gain and loss, existence and non-existence and whatever happens all that is the act of Fate. Even sages who undergo fierce penance get lost due to desire and anger after leaving their penances when they are troubled by Fate. Setting aside unexpectedly and without any reason an activity which had begun is indeed the act of Fate.

Rama consoles Bharata

नात्मनः कामकारोऽस्ति पुरुषोऽयमनीश्वरः ।

इतश्चेतरतश्चैनं कृतान्तः परिकर्षति ॥

सर्वे क्षयान्ता निचयाः पतनान्ताः समुच्छ्रयाः ।

संयोगा विप्रयोगान्ता मरणान्तं च जीवितम् ॥

यथा फलानां पक्वानामन्यत्र पतनाद्भयम् ।

एवं नरस्य जातस्य नान्यत्र मरणाद्भयम् ॥

यथागारं दृढं स्थूणं जीर्णं भूत्वावसीदति ।

तथैव सीदन्ति नरा जरामृत्युवशंगताः ॥

अत्येति रजनी या तु सा न प्रतिनिवर्तते ।

यात्येव यमुना पूर्णा समुद्रमुदकाकुलम् ॥

अहोरात्राणि गच्छन्ति सर्वेषां प्राणिनामिह ।

आयूंषि क्षपयन्त्याशु ग्रीष्मे जलमिवांशवः ॥

Freedom of action does not exist for an individual who is unlike God. Fate drags him hither and thither. All collections disintegrate, all those that go up fall down, all meetings end in separation, all life ends in death. Just as ripe fruits have to be only afraid of falling down, a man having been born does not have to fear anything other than death. Just as a house which is strong and bulky gets destroyed when it becomes old, men affected by old age and death cease to exist. The night that passes does not return. River Yamuna full with water finally reaches the turbulent ocean. For all beings days and nights pass, their life time gets decreased like water getting evaporated by sun's rays in summer. 

आत्मानमनुशोच त्वं किमन्यमनुशोचसि ।

आयुस्ते हीयते यस्य स्थितस्य च गतस्य च ॥

सहैव मृत्युर्व्रजति सह मृत्युर्निषीदति ।

गत्वा सुदीर्घमध्वानं सह मृत्युर्निवर्तते॥

गात्रेषु वलयः प्राप्ताः श्वेताश्चैव शिरोरुहाः ।

जरया पुरुषो जीर्णः किं हि कृत्वा प्रभावयेत् ॥

नन्दन्त्युदित आदित्ये नन्दत्यस्तमितेऽहनि ।

आत्मनो नावबुध्यन्ते मनुष्या जीवितक्षयम् ॥

हृष्यन्त्यृतुमुखं दृष्ट्वा नवंनवमिहागतम् ।

ऋतूनां परिवर्तेन प्राणिनां प्राणसंक्षयः ॥

You have to pity yourself. Why do you pity others? Life time of a person decreases whether he is stationary or mobile. Death accompanies a person and stays with him. It travels along with him and returns with him. Body gets wrinkled, hair turns gray, man gets affected by old age. How can he control them? Men rejoice as the sun rises, they rejoice as the sun sets. They do not understand that their life time is decreasing. They rejoice as seasons start, exclaiming that a new season has arrived. Life time of beings gets eroded as seasons cycle.

यथा काष्ठं च काष्ठं च समेयातां महार्णवे ।

समेत्य च व्यपेयातां कालमासाद्य कञ्चन ॥

एवं भार्याश्च पुत्राश्च ज्ञातयश्च धनानि च ।

समेत्य व्यवधावन्ति ध्रुवो ह्येषां विनाभवः ॥

नात्र कश्चिद्यथाभावं प्राणी समभिवर्तते ।

तेन तस्मिन्न सामर्थ्यं प्रेतस्यास्त्यनुशोचतः ॥

यथा हि सार्थं गच्छन्तं ब्रूयात् कश्चित्पथि स्थितः ।

अहमप्यागमिष्यामि पृष्ठतो भवतामिति ॥

एवं पूर्वैर्गतो मार्गः पितृपैतामहो ध्रुवः ।

तमापन्नः कथं शोचेद्यस्य नास्ति व्यतिक्रमः ॥

वयसः पतमानस्य स्रोतसो वानिवर्तिनः ।

आत्मा सुखे नियोक्तव्यः सुखभाजः प्रजाः स्मृताः ॥२/१०५/१५-३१॥

Just as in an ocean one driftwood meets with another for some time and then separates, wives,  children, relatives and wealth remain with you and separate. Separation is inevitable. No one can maintain his relationships in this world as he wishes. A person grieving excessively for a dead person has no control over his own death. Just as a wayfarer tells a group of travelers that he will follow him, one follows the path trod by ones forefathers. In such a case how can one grieve over another? While life time keeps falling down like a stream which does not retrace its path, one has to indulge in attaining one’s desires (compatible with dharma). Man is indeed a seeker of happiness.

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