Essentials of Hinduism

Essentials of Hinduism

Smriti

The Word Smriti means a Lawbook or a Manual of Code of Conduct for the Hindus. These Lawbooks are authored by the Ancient Sages of India (different from the Lawbooks pertaining

to the Legal System of the Indian Government). It should be emphatically pointed out here that the Hindu Vedic Scriptures are the Final Authority and the Smritis have the Secondary Authority only. From these Smritis, a Hindu Learns how he has to spend his Entire Life. They instruct him how he should behave at different periods of his Life. The Sole Purpose of the Smritis is to Purify the Mind gradually so that one may advance step by step towards Perfection. They are no doubt based on the Teachings of the Vedas.

Apastamba, Baudhayana, Gautama, Manu, Parasara, Vasishta, Vyasa and Yagyavalkya are the Ancient Law-Givers. The Latest Lawbook was authored by Raghunandana. However, the Lawbook of Manu called Manu Smriti is the most well known. In this Book, only the Smritis of Manu and Yagyavalkya will be reviewed. As our Present-Day Society has changed considerably after the last Smriti was made, the Time is perhaps perfect for a Fresh Smriti for the Hindus of Modern Times.

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Manu Smriti:

1) When a Householder finds his skin shrinking and his Hair turning gray, and he has become a Grandfather, then he must Retire to the Forest (in Today’s Times this should mean – Live in Seclusion). He should renounce food cooked out of cultivated Foodstuffs, renounce his Worldly Possessions, and either leave His Wife under the care of his Son(s)/Daughter(s) or take Her with Him to live a Secluded Life.

2) Acts involving Mind, Words or limbs - coveting (Craving for) another Man’s Property, contemplating evil Acts, false Beliefs are threefold Mental Acts of sin. Violent accusation,

falsehood, tale-bearing (talk about others), irrelavant talks these are fourfold verbal Acts of sin. Misappropriation, wanton (unprovoked) violence, resorting to other men’s Women these are threefold physical Acts of sin.

3) The whole Vedas, as also the Smritis, are the basis of Dharma – Conduct of those that know the Vedas, the Conduct of the good and conscience of the Disciplined.

4) He must be engaged daily in the Scriptures Studies, he must be Self-Controlled, affectionate, composed, always ready to give, but, never to take from others, and compassionate to all

the Beings.

5) The Householder must, taking his stand on Contentment, exercise Restraint in His effort to seek Happiness; happiness is routed in Contentment; its opposite is the root of Misery.

6) He who abandons His House, having vowed not to, be the cause of fear to any Creature, to him accrue the Worlds of light that belong to the exponents of the Brahman.

7) For that twice-born from whom no creature feels an iota of fear, for Him who has Detached himself from his Body, there is nothing to dread from any Quarter.

8) He must be indifferent equally to Life and Death; like an Employee whose appointed Task is over, He must just look forward to the end of his Time.

9) Where his eyes sees Cleanliness, there He must set his foot; Water filtered Pure by the cloth, he must drink; and Word Purified by Truth, he must Speak and what is Pure by Conscience He must do.

10) He must put up with criticisms and must insult none in return; while in this Body, he must not pick up quarrels with anybody; he must not return anger for anger; decried (criticized) he must reply with a Polite Word.

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11) Exposing other’s defects, daring (Courageous), enmity, jealousy, intolerance, violation of other’s Possession, severe culmination (accuse falsely), severe punishment – constitute the eight flaws resulting from anger.

12) Drinking, gambling, women, game – these four are the worst of the sins bred by Desire.

13) Brahmanicide (Hurting or killing a Brahmin), drinking wine, theft, taking another Man’s Wife, and even association with those that are guilty of these faults are said to be the five great sins.

14) One must not urinate or discharge stools in Water Reservoirs or spit or throw in there anything impure, any blood or poison.

15) Neglect of one’s Sacred Studies, contempt (disrespect) of the Scriptures, bearing (posing) false witness, murder of a friend, eating of what is prohibited and is not fit for eating – these six are considered at par with drinking liquor.

16) The Family where the Daughters-in-law are sorrow, falls into ruin soon; where they do not grieve, always prospers.

17) Where the Husband is ever satisfied with the Wife, and, vice-versa (opposite), in that Family, Welfare endures.

18) Non-violence, Truthfulness, non-theft, purity, sense-control – says Manu, is the Dharma of all the four Castes.

19) The secondary sins are: killing of the Cow, neglect of Teachers and Parents, neglect of the Scriptures, neglect of one’s Son, breaking of Vows, felling green Trees for obtaining fuel, drugging others, stealing, failure to discharge loans, theft of Grain and Cattle.

20) The single syllable OM is the Supreme Brahman; control of breaths is the Supreme Tapas; there is nothing higher than the Gayatri; better than silence is to speak the Truth.

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21) One’s Soul is one’s witness‘and his final Resort; therefore, disregard not your own Inner self which is the highest witness of Man.

22) Sinners imagine that none sees them; but they have to remember at all times that Gods watch them closely, as also the inner Being in oneself.

23) By mere repetition of a Mantra, a Brahman attains the Spiritual Success; there is no doubt about this; he may or may not do other Rites; the Brahman is said to be He who is the friend of all.

24) The God Yama (the punisher) is standing in your Heart; if you have come to terms with Him, you have no need to go on Pilgrimage to the Ganga or Kurukshetra.

25) Contentment, forbearance (Patience), Self-Control, Practice of not taking by force, Purity, control of the Senses, Intellectual Pursuits, Spiritual Knowledge, Truthfulness, freedom from anger – these ten constitute the definition of Dharma.

26) The Seers (Rishis) attained their Long Life, Intellect, Fame and Spiritual Luster by the length of their Sandhya Worship.

27) The Learned get Purified by forbearance, the wrongdoers by liberality, the secret sinners by silent repetition of Mantras, the Learned in the Vedas by Tapas. The limbs are cleaned by Water, the Mind by Truthfulness, the Soul by Learning and Tapas, and the Intellect by Knowledge.

28) One must not bathe after eating, in illness, at dead of night, take bath with the clothes on.

29) One must Speak the Truth and Speak it agreeably; must not speak the Truth in an unpleasant manner nor must he Speak falsehood because it is pleasing; this is the Eternal Dharma.

30) The Housewife must always be Joyous, adept at Domestic Work, keep her Domestic Wares clean and be thrifty.

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31) A Woman has no independent sacrifice to perform, no vow, no fasting; merely by serving her Husband she wins her honor in Heaven.

32) Even when harassed, one must not hit at another’s Weak spot, nor think or do anything in hate against each other.

33) That Act in doing which one has inner Satisfaction, that he must do. The opposite, He must avoid.

34) He who has been humiliated sleeps happily, wakes up happily, and moves about happily in this World; he who has inflicted humiliation on another perishes.

35) Those material and emotional pursuits which are devoid of Righteousness, one must abandon; those acts of Dharma which has an unhappy end is decried (condemned).

36) That by which one’s Fathers went, that by which one’s Grandfathers went, that Path of the good, one must tread; treading that, one does not incur sin.

37) One must not pick a quarrel with one’s Priest, Teacher, uncle, guest, and dependent; boys, elders, invalids, doctors, marriage relations, Parents, sister and female relations, brother, son, wife, daughter and the servants.

38) Though one is entitled to receive Gifts, one must avoid the occasions for them; for quickly is one’s Spiritual Effulgence quenched (reduced) by receiving gifts.

39) The pains that their parents endure in giving Birth and in the upbringing of Children cannot be compensated; to them always and to the Teacher also, one must always do what is pleasing; in the Satisfaction of these, is all penance completed.

40) By public Confession, repentance, Tapas, repetition of Holy Mantras, and, by Gifts, the sinner gains release from sin.

41) The man of Faith must accept wholesome teaching even from an inferior, high principles from even the lowliest.

42) That which is hard to overcome, hard to get, hard to reach, hard to do, all that can be accomplished by Tapas; Penance (Tapas) is hard to be overcome by anything else.

43) One must slowly build up Dharma Practices in one’s Life without hurting any Being - for help in the other World. Remember this: for help in the other World there is neither Father nor Mother nor Wife nor Children. Only Dharma Alone comes. Singly is a Creature Born, Singly does it disappear, Singly it enjoys the fruits of its’ Meritorious Acts and Singly suffer for its’ evil Acts.

44) At the end of the Sraddha Ceremony, the Householder must ask of the manes (Pitrus or the spirits of the dead people): may bounteous givers multiply in our Families; may our own Vedic Studies and progeny (Children) increase; let the Faith not depart from our Home; let us have much to Give.

This article is a snippet from the Book Essentials of Hinduism, Authored by G.S Nilakantan. Hinduism for All is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.