Hindu Epic – II 09 January 2008 Time reckoning is very scientifically done by the Aryans. If at all any human mind has thought of time reckoning on a scientific basis it is only the Aryans. The other civilizations they started counting from the time of man’s birth or his death or his or some kind of an event, like a coronation of him. It is not the real time reckonings. Kings may come and go, even sages may start a new or whatever and then even the they don’t stand they are alive till some other religion is propounded. So things are passive. There is one thing that is perennial that is the astronomical phenomenon. The planets going around the Sun along with the Earth. So, earth is one of the members of the planetary family doing Pradakshina, circumambulating the Sun. So when to start this time reckoning is, let us say on the zodiac that is 12 signs mesham, midhunam up to meena raashi. Aries to Pisces, the first point of zodiac let us assume it is the first degree of Aries. Suppose all the planets have conjoined at one particular moment they have all joined there at one particular moment and they all started separating in their respective speeds in the same path and once again they have come and joined there and the same conjunction has repeated. The time between these two events could be a minimum of 43.2 lakhs of years. Till then at any time even five planets join there and two planets will be away, one planet will be away. Something likes that. So that is one way of reckoning.

So, this kind of a period has been again divided into sub periods ruled by certain force of creation. Ruling the minds of living creatures and the men on Earth. How the divine phenomenon rules the minds of men is known as the . Dharma is nothing but the influence of Prakruti on the mind of men. That is called Dharma. Dharma one positive meaning is righteousness. So there should be some yard stick. The yard stick of Dharma varies. The phenomenon of Dharma is 100% at one time and goes on reducing, goes on regaining and the story ends finally. This is known as one Maha Yuga. 72 Maha is one period of time. There is one calculation indicating that are nine planets, and nine planets do not meet at any time. Rahu and ketu are not planets, there are only seven planets, Sun is not a planet, Moon is not a

planet. Earth is a planet, mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury. They can meet. Earth is again is close to the point where they conjunct. So this phenomenon of 72 X43.2 lakhs of years is one Kalpam. Then they introduced the character of . For him it is one day. For Him 100 years is the total age. If this is the length of His day, 100 years of Brahma will close the whole story, the end. The whole thing is dissolved. So this kind of an imagination of observational reading on the astronomical events, before them, men have observed this and accepted that, as the time frame or time clock. So the astronomical clock was in a way thoughtfully, imaginatively, observationally, meaningfully was built by the Aryans only and no one else.

So, now for example in the Hindu reckoning we are going through the 28th Maha Yuga. Each Maha Yuga as I said is 43.2 lakhs of years. So this is about one tenth of it. So ten times the KaliYuga, the present KaliYuga is one Maha Yuga, double this is DwaparaYuga, three times this Kali is ThrethaYuga, four times this Kali is SathyaYuga. This is the time clock they followed. So this not known as era, although in English word for the Yuga they are treating the word as Era equivalent. When we say we translate it as Kali era, at the same time Christian era, Buddhist era like that. They are no where equal. Their era is starting with a personality on the Earth and our era is depending on the astronomical phenomenon. They are not equal, they are different. And what is the difference? Why should the Kali be 1unit and 2 units should be Dwapara, 3units of ThrethaYuga and SathyaYuga is 4units? Because they said the wisdom of men in accepting the righteousness as a necessary element to enrich the life to reach the purpose of creation - that is Dharma. A man has to fulfill the purpose of the creation for which he has been created. There is a creator, he is your witness, he is your governor, and he has made you with a purpose which is yours and not His. That His intention is your purpose that is your destiny. Mankind’s destiny has to be followed with wisdom. That wisdom itself is known as Dharma. Dharma has a wide ranging meaning it has. I would say it is an appropriateness of a thought or a deed or an action befitting the situation. Under the circumstance at that moment for that situation what is the most righteous thing is called Dharma. Killing

someone is Dharma, saving somebody is also Dharma. It has a wide meaning. That sense prevails totally. Does it mean in SathyaYuga all men are having that. No, the leaders of the , the , the who rules should have a thorough sense of this Dharma that is known as Yuga Dharma.

Today these two toppers of this society are totally devoid of it and not even one fourth of expected sense of Dharma prevails today, three fourth is forgotten. Which is why in Kali each man propounds his own theory about he existence of God or non existence of the God. He thinks, he allocates to himself his competency to decide whether there is God or not. Who is he after all to decide whether God is there or not. In fact philosophically speaking, in the systems of philosophy the question has been examined whether the Universe is real or not real. Well, they followed a very wonderful logic, not merely logic but observation, conclusion, but synthesis after an analysis. First we must analyse and synthesis and then come to a conclusion. And then when the Christians are put against this conclusion you must be able to give an answer. So this procedure has been followed. This is known as Sidhantha Sidhanthikaranam. This has been followed. Even then there has been a great intellectual whom we call Rishis. Some Rishis had their own thinking about this. For example when , or in the sankhaya of Maharishi, there are innumerable , in the Advaitha there are no souls, only one God is there and His reflections are there. Souls are not real entities. Souls are real entities according to Sankhaya. So of the fundamental, we have got differences in the understanding of the Rishis. Nevertheless whatever be their differences in this apparently differing from each other the goal is the same, the Dharma is the same, understanding of Dharma, the purpose of life, and the achievement that is expected of the man is one and the same that is Mukti.

This is a comprehensive way of understanding the Aryan culture in spite of the so called differences, they are only so called. They are not really differences, they are apparent. So each is evolving. Ultimately the understanding of Dharma appropriateness of the actions and thinking and understanding the very purpose of living are all the same. Ultimately they went into the question

of understanding the creator or reaching the creator. How? Looking as we have started our discussion, looking into oneself. That is known as . Tapas is not a word not known to any other civilization. Many philosophers have propounded many religions and theories in all other countries during the past 25 centuries round about the time Buddha in . But most of the enunciated philosophies or religions are man made, which is a product of his understanding, his analysis, his thinking. Deep thinking may be there but not Tapas. Tapas is the origin of all knowledge. Tapas reveals what is there. It does not allow thinking and concluding something. Where thinking has stopped observation is perennial it is non stop till the understanding is completed. That kind of waiting in total silence looking inward for the reality to appear before you, revealing itself by the grace of the creator, that is Tapas. That has been the source of our knowledge. Once certain things are revealed to them, they would speak to you not in their own interest but in the interest of the humanity. That is called the Veda that is known as Apaurusheeyam (not man made). Any other philosophy is man made Paurusheeyam. They might have talked about God, they might have talked about Dharma. Also they might have said some things that man has to righteous, he must please the God and things like that but they are observational intellectualism. It is not revelation. Revelation is only possible in Dharma then your mind does not work on your logic. Your logic is always incomplete. Suppose my logic is 100% right to me, but when I approach you, I would realize that my logic is 100% wrong and your logic is superior. Comparatively logic differs, intellectual function differs. So are the revelations before the minds of the seekers of knowledge. They are known as sages, Rishis, Maharishi, Brahmarishi, Rajarishi and categorized.

Whether Rajarishi or Brahmarishi both of them might have become Brahma Gnanis but the way of life they led one is a king and the other is a . There is a Rajarishi, there is a Brahmarishi. Rajashri has become a Brahmarishi. Not that there is any levels of difference among their achievement. Achievements are the same. In that sense all have experienced the same truth but expressed it differently. “Ekam sath Vipraha bahudha vadanti” - they have explained their experiences in different languages. That is all ,

all sages are Brahma Gyanis, Brahma Vethas, Vipraha means those who have really realized the truth, understood the truth themselves. What is the gain? What is the ultimate result. They are never reborn. They are not living here and being born and dying at the beck and call of . Karma is not binding them. They have declared independence themselves and they are free to come and free to go any time any long. That is the type of independence from the laws of Nature. Law of Nature is that you indulge in Karma, Karma has to give its results. To experience the result it is your own making. You have to come again and again which is known as the phenomenon of rebirths, a perennial endless chain. This rebirth Sidhantha is peculiar once again to the Aryans. They discovered that there is soul inside, which is being re born to experience the results of its own Karma. So ultimate wisdom is one should become a “Akarma kruth” free from all active living. That means he is living quite lively. Not active means he is breathing, he is eating, he is sleeping, he is growing he is also doing many things like many people, but that Karma does not binding him then he is known as Akarma kruth. Karma is not binding him although he is indulging in Karma, not by his Samskaras but by the call of duty. Duty is circumstantial, occasional. This way they perform their duties as matter of duty, discharge of responsibility, whatever language you might use. They are active. That Karma of those men of wisdom does not bind them does not become the seed of rebirth again in their case, where as all of us are bound by the result of our Karma. So this kind of Gnana is Mukti, Jeevan Mukti stithi and that is annihilating the very seed of rebirth. It is has been the goal of every wise man in Aryan thought.

So let us now understand the cyclic nature of Dharma. Once the Kali is over, again the four Yuga cycle begins with Yugam. Like there are two hands, there are twelve digits on the face of the clock, is repetitive. 24 times the 12 figure is reached by both the hands at one time which is why the dial is round and not linear. Then, if we have understood the difference between the Aryan thought and others, we should be able to realize why, how, what we should do? How should we travel on the path expected of us by our sages, not God necessarily. The sages, Rishis have asked you to live in a particular way

and not to live in a particular way. This is Dharma, this is your duty, this is your responsibility, leave this, hold on to this like this. That discretion is known as Sampradayam. Our following the route or path of life as expected of us ordained by the Rishis is Sampradayam. Externally the form of your Sampradayam may differ but the goal is the same.

Now coming to , the Puranas have described the various incidents that have taken place on this Earth that is history and the lessons from history and the message of the Vedas, the message of the smruthis of the Shruti. There are four aspects, Veda is smruthi because it has been heard in the form of a word which is revelation of the truth in the hearts and minds of the Rishis. They are Shruti because they heard it. No one said, it just heard it. That is revelation. Whose voice is it? Oviously the creator’s voice because they are seeking the truth from the creator who is not sitting some where above our head in the space. No! He is here and now inside you pervading every where Sarva Antaryami, Sarva bahiryami also. Externally he is pervading and internally he is there, he is one occupying the entire Universe, he is many in the hearts of many. One and many at the same time. That is the quality of Him.

Now going back to the history that has happened on the earth and beyond the Earth that is known as purana. “Sargasya prathisargasya vamsho Manvantharanicha, vanshanu charitham jayathi puranam pancha lakshanam”. Purana has five attributes. Sargasya prathisargasya - as we said the era or the eons, the creation, its disappearance and again being created - recreation sargasya prathisargasya creation and recreation. Vamsho Manvantharanicha vamshaha that is Rishi vamsham. The vamsha parampara that is the gotra of the family generations after generations starting with a Rishi. A Rishi is born. He has become a Brahmarishi. He has got two kinds of sons born of physically flesh and blood and those born out of his knowledge. So both ways a Rishi has perpetrated and perpetuated the progeny endlessly. Who are those Rishis ? Who are his sons? And the vamsha is described of the Rishi is one of the attributes in Purana Rishi vamsham the second thing is Raja vamsaham. What is the duty of the King? King is not there to collect taxes and redistribute it. No! He

has to see that the Dharma is maintained, Dharma is followed by all his subjects and where Dharma is being followed and somebody interferes with him. King goes there to punish him. King has no grievance, it is his duty. In for example, the Rishis the Brahmanas in Aranya Kanda requested “Rama you are powerful soldier son of the emperor, we are suffering at the hands of these Rakshasas for no reason without any provocation they are destroying our Yagnas, they are killing us, look at the heap of the bones that they have made, so many Brahmanas living in Tapas and Satvic satva gunam have been killed. We request you to destroy them.” Then Rama promised them “yes! I will destroy them and protect you”. You know what said (they came out of the Ashram after this promise of Rama) “Rama, you have promised them that you will destroy the Rakshasas. What have the Rakshasas done to you? As a Kshatriya the son of Dasaratha, can you destroy someone who has not touched you. What kind of promise have you made”? How is it Dharma? Again it is a question of Dharma. He answered Sita “Sita I have come to forest. I did not abdicate. I have taken leave from ruling responsibility only for 14 years. I continue to be son of King Dasharatha and the past and the future ruler. The onerous responsibility of the ruling king accompanies me even in the forest. When somebody complains to me that he is suffering at the hands of someone, it is my responsibility to destroy that evil force and protect them. That Kshatra Dharma is with me right now although I am not sitting on the throne. As a Kshatriya it is my responsibility to destroy them”. So, the wonderful discussion about Dharma takes place between Sita and Rama also. Sita is the first person to question this decision of Rama. “Sargasya prathisargasya vamsho Manvantharanicha” Vamsham of the Rishi, vamsham of the Kshatriya protector of the Dharma the ruler. He governs Dharma not men, he rules Dharma not men. Men following Dharma are happy under such a ruler. That is the ideal ruler. That way you know, protection is guaranteed to the weak, the helpless from the strong and evil people. ‘Sargasya prathisargasya vamsho Manvantharanicha, vanshanu charitham jayathi’ - the genealogies, the Vamshas all these put together the five elements form ‘Sargasya prathisargasya vamsho Manvantharanicha’. In one Manvanthara there are so many Rishis were born, so many families have perpetuated and they have ended up.

Similarly several kings were born and their families continued for a while and then ended up, in one Manvanthara. There are so many Manvantharas like that. The story of so many Manvantharas containing these families, the stories of the families, these are the contents of Puranas. Puranas to be studied, have to be respectfully understood. And as I already said the exaggerations or the embellishments may be what ever may be it as the author’s alankaram because it is like a kayam also. So this is one thing.

And then people asked me about why the are having so many Gods? Is not one God enough, is not one God competent enough to provide the desires they seek? Why not? Any God can give. Why should there be God at all to answer your questions or give you what you desire? Even a Bhootham, a Pretham or a Pishacham is more powerful than all the Gods put together in giving the evil desires being fulfilled. The point is because what are we asking more wealth more health more command - most of them are silly. Here the same boon obtained from a God or a divinity is pavitram. It is like a hotel, meal and the mother’s food. You buy for Rs.500/- a ten course lunch in hotel, it is not pavitratha. It is business He is selling it is commercial food bought by money, where as mother gives you thin rasam, sambar and few morsels of food. It is maha pavitram. That is the difference between sadam and prasadam. That is always to be understood. What ever boons that you obtain by prayer is pavitram coming from a divinity. By prayers you got a son, you got a kingdom, you got a wealth, you got a wife anything - all of these. materialistic fulfillment of desires from the hands of divinity will make you not more avaricious but contented man. With the cessation of all desire one day he will think “God has given me every thing I am a contended man, I don’t need any thing more, and all I want is not to be born again.” This kind of attitude is possible when a man get his desires fulfilled by the grace of God, by prayers, by seeking them from the God. Many people answer this question ‘why are there so many Gods?’ People will like to have a variety like so many varieties in lunch. It is not that simple. Gods have purpose.

There is only one divinity which is the almighty what we call sudha , Nirguna Brahman. Then Saguna Brahman is a God who created himself from out of Nirguna Brahman. He was not conscious but not unconscious. He was totally at rest. He was not conscious of anything. Conscious means conscious of something. Suddenly the memory of past creation arises in the divinity and then He creates himself. There He is on account of himself by his own desire by His own decision then He remembers. You know how He created “So akamayatha sayikshathaha”. He desired that there be creation and He immediately saw it. Thinking of a past creation and desiring that there should be a creation immediately all in one split second, bat of an eye lid, it was there. So He does not depend on any material to be collected from outside to build up a Universe. Thought is the origin of creation. Creation is the word which relates only to thought and anything is called building construction. Creation is thought itself, who created – thought created it. Thought itself is the creation. ‘Sokamayatha Saykshata’ He desired and then He saw. So simple the Veda says. What does the creation contain, those souls who are there in the previous creation who have not been absorbed into Brahman, who are still in the process of acting, living, being born again and again, they have to continue they come back again. To govern those souls which are coming again or those millions and billions of souls who are waiting to evolve in a creation, they enter into this newly created Brahmanda. Brahmanda has to be governed. It need a light, it needs a heat - make a Sun. It needs a night - create a moon and it needs a physical body the five elements, it needs a mind. There is combination of the consciousness with the material of body. Consciousness of the body creates a mind with the combinations and then the species, the animals, the birds, the humans. This is the story of the Earth. Then who governs these things? There is a higher world who knows what is happening to the souls on the Earth, who are observers ,who are living very long compared to the human life. They can see a million years on the Earth from above. This million years moves fast in their consciousness. For them it may be a day or hundred days. The scale of time changes. There are Devas in several worlds such as Bhuvaha, Suvaha, Maha, Om Janah, OmTapaha Satyam. Up to Brahma loka several levels are there. In the Brahmanda there are

regions, every region is higher in the north world, lower in the south world, one Brahmanda containing 14 worlds. So that is 14 Lokas. World is not equal to Lokas. We say, put the earth and called it a world map. Your world is only the earth but creation is not only the world of Earth, so many regions so many Lokas are there. Brahma Loka is the creator of the Brahmanda. Who created Brahma? created him. Who created Vishnu? He is born out of himself by virtue of His own memory from a paratatvam known as the tatvam. Out of the Shiva tatvam Vishnu created Himself, Vishnu created Brahma, Brahma created the Brahmanda, regions, space, moving heavenly bodies, the zodiac, the Karma, Manas, Buddhi, Chittam, , rebirth the whole phenomenon. To govern, this Brahma is the creator of this Brahmanda. He does not perform anything directly Himself. Like there is the Governor of the state, the state government has 50 ministers, 50 secretaries, 50 deputy secretaries, and heads of departments, directorates, deputy directors, assistant directors, there is a medical department, there is a revenue department, there is forest department, there is a police department what not, but every so called government servant, is the servant of the government, government is the servant of the people. Indirectly the government servant is the servant of the people, society. So in every government servant there is an element of the Governor. The governor is present with a particular purpose and a name, a limitation of his duties and responsibilities. The Governor is governing through them.

So also there are innumerable Gods. People say 33 crores of Gods, why not? They have so many purposes which is why the Hindus in there knowledge of creation they said air is God, water is God, fire is God, Earth is God, Bhu Devata, , Deva like that. So Deva is divyathvam. The word Deva means the effulgence the tejas. That Tejas is particular it is Deva ruling the element of Water. This concept of Varuna Deva ruling the element of water is a very old one. In fact when you go through the history you will find the Aryans taught this secret to all those people who travel by the sea. Even in other countries, people travelling by ships on the sea would worship the God of water, God presiding over water. Varuna. They call by different name ‘Minerva’

so many Greek names are also there. Worshiping the deities presiding over the elements of creation has become an accepted principle, a way of life long ago, but the origin lies in the Aryan thought. Now then Nature is God, and then you have (pillayar) and his younger brother, his parents, his uncles, his wives the stories go on. They spin them. Yarn is spun regularly, the yarn is unlimited. Interaction between the Gods, his marriage, his birth like that all that may be a creation, but remember that Ganesha, Vigneshwara is a reality, Subramanya is a reality, Vishnu is a reality, Maha is a reality, is a reality, for different purposes. People suffering penury, poverty Maha Lakshmi . They go there to temple of Maha Lakshmi, goes round, and cry there that mother will give something. Somebody wants only food - I have got enough money but not able to eat but wanting food goes to Annapurna. Suffering from my enemies harmful people go to Durga for protection and somebody has enemies I have to fight them, go to Subramanya He will give enough power prowess to fight the enemies. One wanting some Gnana goes . Don’t you have departments in the government? Can you go to the Forest department and ask for some land in the city? You have to go to the collector a revenue collector for that. The purpose is very well defined. Clear definition, respective Mantras, respective forms, and respective modes of worship are there. So the literature has gone enormous. Sthotram, puja, mantra, like that hrudayam. There is a God there is Sthotram. Sthotram can be written by you but sages have written Sthotrams. That Sthotram contains the knowledge of the nature of that God. A thorough knowledge which is the quality of a Rishi, from the knowledge of the nature of the God he gives a Sthotrams. So it is a reality, with truth in it. So these Sthotram are there any body can read this Sthotram he does not have to be a Brahmin. Guru says “I will give you Mantram, do the japam” Sthotram is patam. Then mantra, then go to the beejaaksharam, do dhyanam on the beejaaksharam, when beejaaksharam is given repeat the mantra orally then meditate on the beejaaksharam the beejaaksharam, it moves comes to life. When you write it on the page it is only readable but when you meditate on it, it is spandanam- it moves, it comes to life and you start hearing it and then some Tejas appears before you. That is the Tejas of that Mahavishnu, that MahaLakshmi, that Durga whom so ever you

have approached. Subramanya appears in Tejas but for that for a common man that japam or Sthotram or dhyanam are not possible. There is a form created in stone installed there that Yantra below that. People go there, what all they can do is do Pradakshinam, offer a coconut and pray. They cannot recite the mantra, they can’t do japam, they can’t read Sthotram, they can’t even do worship. That worship is done by the pujari. The yantram is charged with the japam, with the Homam, with the abhishekam with so many materials on it. So the yantram is empowered and installed there and that is the essence of God or Goddess and the form of God is visible comfortably in an orderly manner. So without going through the trouble of taking a Mantra and doing japam, it is readily given, that is the democratization of the divinity given to one and all. So, so many Gods are there. For example Ganapathi, Ganapathi is Vigneshwara, Vignanayaka, Vignakaraka, Vignanashaka, He is the creator of obstacles and He is the removal of obstacles at the same time. What is this sir it is very confusing somebody said. Yes! You go on worshiping Vigneshwara; he protects you in form of a vighnam. Obstacle is your protection. He is the creator of the right kind of obstacles to protect you from your wrong actions. Suppose you are comfortably sitting at home and your friend comes and says you have so much of property, why don’t you invest in a property where Rs 100/- becomes one lakhs rupees in two and half days, man is driven out by Asha (desire expectation). Vigneshwara, if you have been worshipping Him every day He prevents it. You will not be able to encash your property, you will not be able to invest in it, he will not meet you, all plans go berserk. So that is your protection. A man who worshipped Ganesha is protected by obstructions, because it is divinity. But Rakshasas worshipped the Gods and got their boons, they are self destructive. Because the law is, once any Tapas is done and God is before you, appears before you, He gives you what you desire at your request, at your risk. You reap the benefits of whatever results are there because you wanted this. So Rakshasas asked for the boons, Gods gave the boons. That kind of God is known as the result of your actions is the governor. So result of your Tapas is also is the giver. You cannot say no. grants certain boons to Rakshasa Brahma is worried, he runs to Vishnu. Purana goes on talking to you about what happens for Tapas with wrong kind of a desire,

right desire, Tapas with wisdom. That is why Hinduism introduced the concept of a Guru. A Guru tells you what not to do, what to do, for what purpose, what is the right kind of purpose, wrong kind of purpose. Between the God and you he is your guide to the God.

People may say what is this kind of institution of Guru we don’t have a Guru we directly go to God. Like rakshasas you are free to go. When you don’t have a Guru alright break your head you are free to do it. Go to God get a terrible boon destroy a hundred people and get yourself done up. So the problem is you need a Guru. Guru is like a father, father is like a Guru. In Hindu tradition we say Pancha Gurus there are five Gurus that is the father (thandri), Vidya Guru (man who gives education), mantra Guru (the Guru who gives you mantra), then annadatha (who is your protector) by giving you a job and taking you into his service and feeding you and pranadatha - when you are in deep distress prana sankatam he saves you. These five Gurus have to be pleased then we repay our debt on this Earth. Like this we have to have a thorough understanding of Hinduism, it is not easy. It is easy to criticize, the more lack of understanding, more of criticism, and people think they are very wise raising questions.

Remember Aryan thought is the oldest. It is a forever thought no amendments to it. It is with not going to be ending up somewhere or superseded by a superior thought in the future. Never it is going to happen. Nothing superior is possible to the product of Tapas, the result of Tapas. Purely the investigation is not intellectual investigation, Tapas is Tapas. Remember the word Tapas all the time. Hinduism is the result of Tapas. Puranas are descriptive. There may be exaggeration. It doesn’t matter. Take it as poetry, take it as the language of speaker. Veda might has given 18 Puranas but they have grown in size many people introduced many things. People call it interpellations I would call it enriching editions.

Parvathi did Tapas for Rudra and Rudra appeared and tested her patience and the marriage took place and the marriage they described like the

marriage in your house who comes with vadyar and all the paraphernalia of the marriage described in a kaavyam that is your creation, but the thing is there is one Parvathi who did Tapas, reached Rudra and became inseparable part of Him Ardhanarishawara. A wife should become inseparable part of husband that is the ideal although we cannot physically do it, consciously it can happen. We share the same consciousness, conscience, consciousness, thought, action the one is divided into two that is the kind of ideal couple. Ideal is given to you. On the day of marriage the bride goes and worships Parvathi, Gauri then maapillai (bride groom) is going to Vishnu temple or Shiva temple and worshipping somewhere, coming ready well decorated, He is accepting some girl as his wife who has worshipped Gauri. Then she becomes an ideal wife to him. So every day to day life of our marriage is governed by mega wonder of our knowledge.

Try to understand these things, there is not limit to this. We can go on elaborate it no limit to this, but right kind of attitude. The duty of the Guru is to lead the man to God and he should quit. He should not continue to be there. That is the ideal Guru. In the traditions people went on describing Guru is greater than God and if both God and Guru appear before you, you must touch the feet of Guru first and then God. The idea is surrender yourself totally follow the precepts of Guru, be faithful to your guru’s thought, word and directions. One should pray God to give you a Guru, God will give you a Guru and Guru will lead you to God.

So there are so many things about this. Let us read Puranas, let us read them with open mind, forget about the exaggeration and impossibilities described there. Is it really impossible? Yes! To you it may be impossible, somewhere it might have happened, may it is symbolic sometimes, and symbolism is there. The art of writing is peculiar to a man and peculiar to the culture of the country. So our culture includes the religion which includes the spirituality. Culture is pervaded by religion including fine arts. All the musicians have sung only about the God. They did not sing about the greatness of the Kings. All the vageyakarakas whether or

Ramashastri, the object of their worship is some God or Goddess, Rama or something. All their Keertanas they describe only the Gods, music is full of God, Dance is full of God, sculpture is fill of Gods so the religion pervades your fine arts. So your day to day life is nothing but filled with divinity, thought of divinity. So there is nothing created by man for his own pleasure or for the good of the mankind. This way let us understand the art and culture is supreme. Nothing can be better than this. If you find any kind of practices not worthy of continuing in the interest of society, in the changed times you fight them, prepare you own structure suitable to the times you live. Hinduism has always taken a reform constantly. Our Sampradayam is not rigid it is flexible in the interest of mankind. Sampradayam is not rigid. It is what is flexible for the sake of its improvement to suit the new time. That is the Sampradayam. The spirit of Sampradayam is one it is not changeable, like the same soul taking so many bodies every time. There is an inner core that is not changeable the external form goes on changing from time to time. So unchangeable and the changeable they go simultaneously like the water in the river and the river itself. River is permanent not the water. One is nityam the other is anityam. The river is made of anityam, river is permanent water is not. As somebody says one cannot take bath in the same river twice. The moment you come out of the river the water which washed you is 20 miles away. So the perimiality is, there Constancy is there. Let us try to understand this. They are not conflicting. They are simultaneous.