A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE DUTIES OF MAN AS 5-= PRESCRIBED IN THE GiTA AND THE QUR AN
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE
AUGARH MUSUM UNIVERSITY AUGARH (INDIA) FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN SA^SKRTA
BY Mohammad Khan Ourrany T448
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It is r}t]lte laposslble to plnc« on r«?ord ay nost profoiind grutltnda to ay guide Dr» %S«?rlpathl Aeharym» M*A.Ph«D*, D *Llt,, Reader l a the T)ep«rtment of Sangdc^i mnd TTindi He took gre«t paina In golofj through th l* thesis and in torpor at in.? mar^y impor tant and valuable suggestions to this vortu It is due to his kind and sympathetic attitude and his befitting ^dance that my w>r^ csould see the light of the day* In spite of his multifarious engagements he took keen interest in ^ettln?! this thesis revised in accordanee vlth the directions of one of the eran^rs. I will bo f ailittfT in my dut/f if 1 do not avail of the opportunity of expressine: my indebte^iness and gratitude to my respe cted teadher Professor H,L.Sharnay T!ee4 o f the Depfirtment of Sanoskrta aid Hindi and Dean» Faculty of Arts and Provost ^.R.S*C*Hall» w^o tried his level best in mtfdn(? this work finish as soon as possible* In facty it vas his guidvieey generosity and magnanimity that I vas able to complete this task in a reasonable time* He made all nrovisions for n f vell»bein^ and helped me in many vays* I feel myself gratified in expressing my ^ratefuljiiess to Dr*A«Aleem ne»l of the department of Arabic 4 Diroctor of the Institute of Islw ic Studies M«%Aligarh| wtio suggested me t>\is topic for carrying on re search work* He rT^ded me at ev>ry step and gave very valuable directions and useful suggestions* He has been my true helper» vell-visher and /;
teacher sln^e 1959 I m nhole hoarttdly grateful to my rev«r«d prec«ptor Mr. S«»ec «hm«»d Akbarabadly Dean Fa^iilt / of theology, H*!7* Allgwrti, vho nevsr failed In eacouragln'! rae wheaevar I net him* He helped me f;eii9roiisly and sympathetically and provided to me every sort of fa c ility vhlch I needed. T?e Is to me a good pre«d^orf a free thinker, a Just dealer* I shall like to express sy gratlti^ to my revered teachers Dr.rilrldhari Lai Shastrl and Prof* M*’laaruddln who helped me at every step refjardlns this thesis, I SO also crateful to Dr*S*!?upTil Has«i, Head of the Department of History, Aligarh,'ll^*o lent me the most rare books from the s«aim r of his department# tod I 0irf0 tharfics to ay respected sister l>ryS#R,^hatana;»ara, who very often preached to me the A ltaic philoso phy of Karmayo,?a for lnstlg«»tin5: myself to work. I like to give thankji to Mrs.-3aeeda ^Ibi, Librs^ry Assistant, Historical ^esesrch Library for providing ae all sorts of f«jcilities from her Llbernry* I owe a debt of gratitude to the staff of Maulihi ^ad Library well as of tho departments of Hindi and Sanskrta, Arabic and Islim ic « Studies, Philosophy and Psycholocy, Theology, Law, History and Persian, M.7, Slisarh^for their respective assistance from their seointirs. I m also obll *ed to the Llbr?ari«ns of the Malaviya ^st^aljuya and D.S.Coll-T’e «ll='firh, ns well »i9 to the lnchar?^e of the Pa' lie Library, Delhi for providing ae a valua'^le assistance. I wish to e:q)ross ay tharticfUloess to various authors through the atrency of whose writlQP'a I s^ipportad ay trgtments for the enrichaent of this thesis* m JuJL Q-JL mlim TABLE or (DHT^TS
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Dtfby D«flaBd and !3«y(laii»d, Th» Rights o f H«a, THo r l^ ^ * of l i f t and l£^toor, R l ^ of Sdnofttion, Mftit of Freedom, Illclit of pronirtyi Him of oonti««t, ^«eslflc«tloii of Jufci«8t-» Diiblofl to ^>«lf, 3«tl«a to Body, iJofciM to f^ro|5erty,“* Dutlo* to Sduoefcl^m. Dutlos to ^asthotles, Datlon to ^ r f llty , Dutios to others «* uutloo to Fwallyi Dtftioe to lGst»f to Ood, csonfli«t of »«eio«, Dtftlos of i»rfwt* aad laparftet o b ll^ tlo n , Station In "'-ocloty wad nul«a of Jondtaet, tonael and CSood* briefly «!ST>l8in«d, T irtuis* Dutios and th« ^s&rdinBl Vlrttstii, ITind? of Tirtufts. a m m si 1 1 mrm w rm mk Jim) r m t : *: ^ 35-93 3asithyu^g& o r tha Toga of Knowlodgoi th# ^^ond, Cbd, tltx^o Gunas ox Prakrtl, lac^iodG# *5s?’Hplnoa, Kaj^yof® or thd Torti of ^ ia o 8 » Action • ISoanlag of th« ^rd ?njft SpQUlt of KaratQToca or Dlsiaterosted Action • reopfnr t1« * Uocor (3ontrol| Keepinc the In telloct Dotewdnfito fmd One-Po^nt*d, Koapioe the 3ecae« tJnder 3ontrolt ^otioa of ^Ins^ fteinr ^irtxsn^ Domi Ont*0 Oifti Bufey should be Preferred, Sesire *nd ^rtth Ocm^^w- ned| Jo^ of •ction le upertor to the To?!® of fno0lcdf«; of fioerehip kad Attaahs«nt^ in AH tJndertakinrr* For^l ---ofUPTsR------III WAR sonss ju T?m i f W mr> .. Dtitjea to^grds Cbd •• (Soiioept of God, Cted»e Attr!hBte»; fowor- hIs Rno^Jdr^e, Hla ir tll, ffle Tliearlar «nd ^ I r ^ , -ipeecn, Rla ^ r k s , Selat or Prej^r •* Philosofl^y o r the '^i«ni« prayer, Alawrivinc - Rate of *la8f::lvin^. The f#«»t5||g, the pilsriBtt{;e, ^ c i t d of the Qreed, The naidfianiRtal tonst® the ^winie Faith, f^lnhteownene. ?V)cl«l ^ i e « • f'orftlHr ia the Iteiaostic and *?oclal Ohlii^ation ~ IVeetaojJt o f W3T»n, 2'!jatrlnonlal Affaire • fnJhihited ^nree* in ?^Rrr5ilp«, Jcrnvj Duty of f!a)i«mda, Bfenstmsfclwi, Dlv&ree, 1^dow»od, of Orphans i* Duties of tovards their ormoa Wflrda, Mltnr, with the elpwb .other ftriondly and ssoeial rolfitlona, ?orMdden things • f-vx!, {rasibliae.wliiing and Idolf^iy e t c ., Karie Incmt&tiam' ^n^- ^uperatition, Inf^mtfside^ uamy and Mbery, lof«l Dutios - II Lm • "'taftllng. Foniioatlon M } M X l n z A ^ l a a t t h » SlTil • lahoritsaetf l^i«s in PeHti^tl Affairs * uarXlar«, P«IioT e>ad tro aty i 3ti«w>nial Ltgltlflftlon » ^jblvtion^ 3o«riiioi8,9oat oth«r Obligations* jRAFt^ I? mii s Hmiq gospftH^,!) (,D (iw ^ A ffidrs 1...... -lyi-io-d Qonoral ObMrvntian, ot»io«ptr oit aaW |* e f lielatlea botiMi th» Jraater md tKa ev»ift«4| «im o f m^dai Qaidaaqo, r^valetiaa aid tB s p irs tm * «R9« 9 f arlT«^loD«S«eQ^r» alnifrivlaet F ilth , V ^ t a i ’t Pilgrim ao rifia»t OEmeejA of 3e»ds or 9mm9r^ of oill s|plflts| OliBoept of 3st8n» of «ift ': HsboXlofmj OthBr sofipturos^ ^stioB, noat^ ‘I Doonsday or last day^ Dqr of Hoeurraetion or of :ia« JroatioBf Haof«n *»d U til, l^lTina n»oraaa, 0bli£^ti0II8« m frssL T QfTAio M3D d o to ? (pi»>r^b ( ^'otldly ^ffairB ^ ...... 2:^4 . / (bmoai Fox^ldd«i. ^irH - dbtidtiot; ^n«volanoo md RonNod^ wpodsion In ^tf^on^Fbr^idasn. Prairar ln“ tha Bi.^taoaB»of.s, Tbod^ Haaninr of t!m %erds oBd • Jihad*, Tioat o t W obli?»»tiont* a A^'^3*?5WSRT...... 0.h2- m m jo G R A m ...... / - v/‘ 1T!S 910 M taonad Khim THur am £ J2 J> A - s,c .p ^ F, EJ2-E AT, I.g 1 The followln,T Is the sihao# adopted In this thesis f«p tra n sllte r'T tlo n of SaoiBkrt)* wordst* ♦ ij s ^ as in /latrtfcosah « I ^ • a, as In Atmaupanyena * cn?«ff*P^h I ^ • 1 , as in I ^ • r, as In isavisyopmilsad I ^ • u, as In t7ccal^'sravasama'svMi«a | ^ • u, as la Pusanrfi » t siSchw ® * Ti as In Vtsnih * ^ o, as ^ In 'Sresthah** I # ^ • aiy as in Altoreyah a t . Oy as in Ojasa auy as in Kausltaklh « * h| as in Brahaavld*^ = C 0 1 5 0 IT A H T 0 V - kf as in ^fikartavyaviiairdhalp * - kh. as in KHadyapadirthtfi * CTT^Vrr^ 1 | *r - as arhy^sutr^sn » * in • «T - gh, as in Char^haradhvanlht 1 I i - as in Pnfamiukhah « ^ - Cf as in Divyacaicsuh * 1 t t| - ch, as in 'hinlo!'yop«ils«l . 1 - u as in JlfHmvidi = I *T - Jh, as in JhariJcarrfi• * ** Z 1 5T n, as in ICunJiki « 1 z •• as t t , In Ast• adasahs> <*y *. «■ s th , AS in Ytadhisthirah * I s • SB in TCa^w » t 7 dh, as In Cii<^atattvah » I tTT • > as In K^ad8K'?7aya -Darsanan a •vifnq •> Q m t . as In Tattvadipiki =« OevftiW | q th , as l a Prasthihatrayl a 5IWrni#5t | • d> as in Drst ant ah » | - dh. QS in VldhvfliiBah * 1^wfe 1 | *r m ^S in .Wsvarah« = 1 1 q *• P> as in Prctyan^a = 1 « r « ph. AS in Pr asphiiranflo » 3 ^ 1 •• as in *T <» bh, as in Bhrguh 3 IS I 1 « *r B, as in Harmaspar%i^ » | • y> as in Yajnavalkyah a 1 X • X*> as in Hatcsasj^i* * » "CTSH52 1 • * I 1 , as in Lobhahwj « «» as in Visayandriyasanyogflt a | € mt »» as in 'Santearacarvrii s | "^r • as in 'itfiisnun a 1 Q «» as in ScBSkirah4 * 1 <• f as in Hantiraa ^ W T X | | * V k 3, as in Ksatriyah a 1 «» tr, as in Treti » ^8T | 9 *• Jn , ns in jniiayosah = t F • dh, as in Drdhapratijnah a I /// following is the sah«ae adopted in this thesis for transliteration of Jlrabic and Persian nmea and wordsi- V 0 V T? L S / * »» as in Islam r * »» as in ll-i-'^pan / * i» as in Islasi (S/y = i , as in Ijid =u , as in Tjhud• > =» u, as in TJli y = c, as in 'Ser // « ai, as in "S ait an 0 ( M ^ // * o, as in 'Sor J // a au, as in Maulana huA s ani as in Anjim y i/ i Foras of accotapnnied v ith vowelst ✓ 6 s in ^AJ«» 3 L' as in lia ll a 4 = as in 3 a •»« in ^laHi 3 (/X ’ t 3 as in ^'Isar s y. ( 1 A — ns in ^udubiirahl 3 s as in 'idnak S 3 as In W a t S 3 as in W a l ib = V C Q 7 S Q :t A I ? s J X b , In ^ism illah a s 3 VH P» as In pVsa [ i s ' i 1 « as in ?»hrin 5=' t , t r ^ : a th, as In 'nthman S cULr^ ’ y s as In Rajiffl 3 U f / 3 'c* as in ‘Cahal 3 V c K 3 as in Hashman• S t ’(P . 3 kh, as in KJ>aiif ah 3 VA 3 3 :> d, as In :p^P « 3 't A 'n h 3 1* ns In - 3 y 7*J as in T?ahla > f j ^ y ,, ' , ^ X 3 3 J 2» as In Trfiri or :^ r« \A. 3 shy as in Asshdaha 3 \;:>ji cr a Sf ^9 In Salfib 3 % f,^ < 1 / Cr^ 3 ‘3, as in ^Sariat 3 V* / ’v. ' O^ 3 • ?• as in Salatt o V 3 6 c u ^ / ( > S 2* as in p.aaazlw• b 3 t , as in Tain 3 • • 3 i i 18 in i a r i f 3 LJsJ/ L = ^a, *?S In 'Abdullih 3 • b 3 gh. ns in Ohnlka 3 r V--J5 3 f . as in Firdaus 3 ’ (3 3 tf> as in rnxirm 3 . r . as in iCitib 3 U_J 3 3 St as iu Gsuhar 3 J 1. as in Lflh* A s s m. as In H f A l n t h M r / CJ s a , as In Najo » a 3 V, AS In Vftlad 9 = X n as in Mak' ■ 9L 'J s a y * as la Yad ' iT i - 1 In this thoaisy an attanpt has baen aala to preaosit a p ictu re of a e(xq>axatlv’e study o f hunan d u ties and th « ir clasalfioatiaas according to Q i^ and the Qur^ These two scriptures preaehod originally in India and Arabia raspactively play an loportant rola in tho fiold of religion, philosophy, ethics^ culture and civilization, politics, and tho social advancenant of tho whole vorld. Those are, in fact, by virtue of their oosBOpolitan vievs, rapresantatives of the divine sessages cana to nankind occasionally undar the conpulsian of tiae^plac^ and eircuastancas. Neither the Oita is proaehed only for the Hindus, nor the Quran for the MTislias, yot they are nisundorstood to be the scriptures of Hindus and HusUas respectively* This Biisunderstanding is on account of the non* conveyance of the nossagos of both these scriptures to the public at large. The Oita and the Qunui are very widely accepted to be tvo of the sacred voliaes of the wrld and honee intensively studied and variously ccnncnttfdy yet there remains so Budi work to be done in coonaction with then. I t i s quite iopropor th at the Hindus p re fe r only to strive for reading and understanding the (Uta and the Husllasy in the same way, lik e only to read and understand the nessag# of tho QU3& neglecting the fozBor, while Qod repeatedly declares in the Qux^ to beli^ive in all the sacred books preached X before, to bo true . the Gita also, likewise, oalntalns the camm spirit by proclairaing • whenever, there is daoline of righteous- ness, and mrightoouaoess is in the a&ceniant, then Qod ^bodies Hiaself forth, for th« protviction of the virtuous, for the destraction of the evil-doers and for establishing Ilaama on the fixm footing* It should be bom^ in mind that by this Ood* s statement in the aita - *I^body Hyself forth for establishing Jiam a*, as r^flseted in the CUta, is not aaant that (k>d Hiaself takas birth in the eabodied foia, while Re is Uhboni^Etomal, and Indestructible, according to the (Uta ani the Qui^ b o ^ 3 But in the tis^s of distress to the viirtuousy Re smds Bis jo stles, specially endowed with refomatory calibre, as His representa tives to act on His behalf* Ood is absolutely lievoid of talcing birth and dying, but Ris sQssengers or representatives aay be put to the cycle of birth an 1 - The Holy Quran - Al-Baqarahs 177 etc* 2 - Bhagavad Oita - 4 t 7,8« 3 - Bh^avad Gita - 7i 34 • 36, and Bihadaraxqrakopanisa< - 4 • 4-30{ • • The Holy cjuxiiu Al^TaHhidi 1 • 4* 4 - Bfacgavad (Uta - 4i S, 3 / I fev persons say ^ o c ialis^ in the caaparativtt studids of two or moro scrlpttixvs* Qod riiasolf passos lavs and ro^idationt for e r e r j cqdbuq1 «7 for juicing aazddnd according *iO their respae^ve eodos* Tii^ 0o Oita that 1 an stiviolly preset ui a ll beiz^s, there is none hatef^ or dssax to Ke, v-?-aver, ^o dowatly worship Mdf ai^. 1 • Ihe Holy QuAin - iL-Maidaht 48* 2 • Bhagavad 3 ita • 9t 3 • Ibid, 29, 30. 4 - Ibid, 32. 4 k«en on this point by its preaching • thosu who boliev« in tfoat vtiieh is revoaled to th« prophet Htihianady or those who ar« Jovs or Christiansy or rabaeans, and b«li 1 - The Holy Quiun - Al^Baqarahf 62 etc* 5 after ninutdly going through a coc^aratlv* study of the haaan duties as enjoined in the d ita and the Quran. This i s the basic intention in undertaking r<}seareh wor^ on such a topie* Thert^fore, an attoi^>t has b e^ nade to bring out the chiof perspectives of the Oita and the Quzw in the light of the conparative duties of man and their classifications. In order to facilitate the tmderstending providing proofs at similarity botwem th» lUta coid th« Qiu& ccmcoming doathy h»r«aftert dissolutiOD of the enrrent ereatiooy ooodsdajy rasurroctiOD and the new creation etcsy are d ^ t with, in thcs^chaptJis* There can be found no point of dissiiBilarity between theeo two sacred bcokSf b j Yirtua the intention of their messages being to be the sane* As concezns the dissimilarity between these it aay occur in several points* But this iissim ilarity would be just like that of the two roal brothers vho aay appear to be unreal by virtue of their being bom under the cns^ulsion of scoe special circmstancus having regard of time and goo^raphical changos* It is true that if thara is any dissimilarity betweon the (Uta and the it is because of their time, place and circum stancesi in which t iey were o r ig im lly preached* In the end an assesaoent to the precedii^ chapters has be«i affixed^ in ordor to i^ivobs duties of the olte and the Quiwi being mostly siailar in thair in tr^^^^^ natures are capable of being widely accspted and intensively studied* It would not be an exaggeration that the duties of aan as enjoined in both thjse scriptures are utilizafcle all over the world on account of the cost of them being equally traceable in the various sacred codes of the land* AS regards the sources of Infoxnation in bringing this wor^ into lightf a laz^e number of books of various authors whidi are onlisted under the hoad * fttbliography* 7 J- attached th« end of tlds thesis are consulted* so far as the textual seanlng of the oita ^d the Qui& is cOBcemad X gonarallj translated the original vors^js of the 3lti syselfi aad on oeatins an7 difficulty I consvdted the Gitas translated by Jai Jayal OOTandkay B»CU Tilaky Auztindo Ghosh, ratvalelcaTy s» Badhakrishnan, F*1W Brocks and others* conecming the m^aaning of tha Qtixan I r&li«d upon the Urdu translations such as t;he Qux^^ translated ani eonaented by c y ^ B a fi^ d in and A^sraf Thanvi, Haulani Abul K&laB Azad^ Qazi Thaim TJllah Paiii- Patly qred Mvbtsssad !Wi^df Abdul Hamid and so oru But beixig ^ • confronted vith any difficulty in j»r3S«iting a befittix^ translation, X also consulted the iSisgli^ translations and cooBentdrios of Haxaiadulo Fic^hally ^dullah Tasuf Xli^ Maulvi MUhaaoad k li, A*J* Arborzy, George ale and others. Havi:^ gone through these two scriptures oinvtely, (»e may easily realise that tho ideas o t the two books are not syst^matioally linked in accordance with th0 st&joot-matter« Hovraver, the thvsme of the Gita is comparatively systematieed, but the Quiahie theme is tronendously scatterod throughmit the voltme, which is very carafuUy gathered to bring it into baXBOi| with the si^bject-oatter* n CONCEPT QJ* D U r Y a ro -P B f j-Ngp m , mjiAiMVt As rights and duties are atrictly correlative to each other, therefore, they cannot be defined and explained separately. Rights are moral claims of individuals recognized by society and duties 1 are moral debts or obligations of individuals recognised by society. According to Bosanquet 'rights are claims recognized by society, acting as ultimate authority, to the maintenance of conditions favourable to the best life ’ , Henrjr Sidgwick summarises the concept of duty as *It has been thought possible to prove on empirical grounds that one's greatest happiness is always attained by the performance of duty. But no such complete coincidence seems to result from a consideration either of the legal sanctions of duty, or of the social sanctions or of the internal sanctions, even if we consider not merely isolated acts of duty, but a virtuous life 2 as a whole'. Every right brings an obligation with it} and that not only in the obvious sense that, when one man has a right, other men are under an obligation to respect it, but also in the more subtle sense that, when a person has a right, he is thereby laid under an obligation to enjoy it well for the co;nmon good. Rights reside in several individuals. They have rights to certain thing, which are necessary for self realization. Duties are moral obli gations, on the part of other individuals to respect those rights. 1. A Mmnaal of Ethics - Sinha^ J.N. Edition 1957, p. 202. 2. The Methods of E th ics - Sidgwick, H. Macmillan, Edition 1930, P. XXVII. 9 Rights and duties ara ultlaately bnsed on the same moral l^vs and relations* The society grants certain rights to soiae Individuals for their ovn good and the good of society at large. A oan hus no right to anything by himself, but the society concedes certain rights to him9 which are conductive to the s o c ia l good* 7o one can clain anything for himself alone apart from society* Moral rights of men are protected by social conscience or public opinion, they are not necessarily enforced by the law of the state like rights. They are Indispensable for the realization of the highest personal good and the general good* Thus moral obligation is different from legal obligation* The former canaot be enforced by the st>ite while the latter can* Moral obligation depends upon the approval of public opinion* One can have a right to the means that are necessary for one's self-realization aad for the highest good of the society of iriilch he i s the member* Therefore man must employ h is rig h ts in the best way for maintenance of the social order* it man's rights, in fact, are nothing more than those things which, for the sake of the general good, it is convenient that he should be allowed to possess* And since it is for the sake of the gereral good that he 1 possesses them, he is bound to use them for that end* Thus, it can e a s ily be concluded frc a the above th at an Individual h as, by him self, no right to anything whatsoever* He is a unit of a social whole; and he has a right only to that which is for the good of the other members of the society* And the society is the ultimate authority which yields moral rights to individuals, Imposes duties i* Manual o^ siU.cs-> kackeasie^J*^* Tutorial Iniv* P ress, London, 1929, P* 299* 10 or moral obligations on others to respect those rights, and en forces observance of these duties. Thus rights and duties alvays have a reference to the society* The rights are never unconditianaly as they are conceded to certain individuals only when they acquire firnuiess for receiving th^« THB. RIGHT50F HA3> Here, we cite the most fundaiaental rights of man» vhich oust, by all means, be respected as an obligation, by all members of the so cie ty . THE RIGHT OF LIFE AID LABOUR: Man*3 first right is the right to live. Self-realization is the highest good, vhich requires the continuance of life for it3 realisation. The right of life, liKe all rights, brings an obli gation with it - that is,' the obligation of treating life, both one's own and that of others, as a sacred thing. He who violates th is o b lig atio n - e . g .,b y murder - f o r f e it s the rig h t of l i f e , and may legitimately be deprived of it . But even this fundamental right was very lightly treated in the primitive forms of societies. For instance, infanticide was cooaon in Arabia before the advent of Islam, widows were often burnt in India and the captives of war were put to death in many countries. If the sacredness of life were fu lly appreciated, there can be l i t t l e doubt thnt even battle would sooB be abolisl^ed among civilized nations. At present, however, t it remain* ^ more or less true maxim,^31 vis Paoem Para Bellua', Again, it oast be observed that the rlijht of life cannot be said 1. Manual of E th ics - Mackenzie^ J.S .T u to r ia l Tlnlv. P ress, London, E d ition 1929 P. 291. 11 to be really secured to ell the citizens of a coaaunity unless the oeans for earning a livelihood are secured* The right to live, thus 1 involves, the right to work for obtaining a livelihood. RIGHT OF The right of education plays a seccmdary role in the rights of hoaaaity. Every individual has a right to obtain the highest education, he is capable of receiving* He is under nioral obligation to gain the best education according to his capacity. In a civilised society every one ought to be given the mazlffliaB opportunity to un» fold his potentialities to the best advantage and contribute his share for the service of the society. Sdu^ation develops the intel lect, sharpens the understanding and videns the intellectual horizon. The best education must, by all means, be received for self-exp re s- sion and self-developaent. BIPBX. gr, rEPflH i The next right is freedoa. 3elf«realizaticHi being the highest good is realized by a person's viU . Therefore, man aust be free to exercise his will in order to realize his suprame end. He should not be coerced by anybody. Re should not be a slave to anybody. The freedoa should be in restricted aeasures. The absolute and unrestricted freedoa amounts to corruption, anarchy and chaos. The right vhioh is desirable to secure^ is the right of having the free developaent of one's life as little interfered with,as is possible, 1. ^ A Manual of Sthics- Sinha, J.H. Edition 1957, Calcutta, Pp. 203| 204. 12 consistently with the aalnt*a«ace of the social order. Milton rightly said of liberty, »¥ho love that must first be wise and 2 good* • He fiirth er says th at *none can love freedcwi he»«rtily, but good men; the rest love not freedaa, but licence) which never 3 hath more scope or more indulgence than under tyrants* • The right of freedom brings with it an obligation of using one*s freedom for the social good, imposing an obligation on others to respect It. aiSliCS, OF .D Pg jO T* The right of property necessarily involves the right of freedom. Self-realization is the highest good. It can be realized by a parson, if he is at liberty to live, work and freely exercise his w ill. The free will can only be effectively exercised by an individual, if he is allowed to use his prlv>?te property earned by him freely. Personality and property are linked together. The sense of *me* cannot be developed without the sense of *mijne*. The state is the custodian not only of the * personal*, but also of the ’real* rights of the individual. For these real rl^ ts or rights of property are essentially, as Hegel shows, personal rights, rights of the person. Property is the expression of personality. My will sets its stand upon the thing (property), and makes i t mine - makes i t , as i t we are, p a rt.o f me. Bights of property are essentially, like all rights, personal - the creation and expression of personality* . Thus we see that the 1. Philosophy of History - Hegel, Introduction.)Quoted in "A 2. Tenure of Kings and Magistrates • Milton, 1. )Mamial of 3. Ibid, )Sthlcs" by Mackenzie ?di* tioa,l329,P.29l. 4. Ethical Principles - Seth, P. 305. 13 sense of ownership is too deeply rooted In the hiaaan nature. As no one can develop his personality without s«ne property* There fore the right of property should be yielded to a person on the basis of equity and Justice so as to develop his own personality along with the advanc^ent of the society* A Oeman writer G* Siamel expresses his views on this point that * strictly speaklngy 1 I possess nothing but wh«t I • ^5ut so far as I understand this principle canaot be applicable in practical life* Froa a purely ethical point of view, it may be observed that a man has no right to any kind of property except that which he has niade an essential part of liis owa being* Plato opines about the right of property that in an ideal republic there should be a canmunity of goods and no ri^ h t to private property. Aristotle holds that in an ideal caoaonwealth everyone should freely enjoy his property for the general ?ood* I perfectly agree with the opiiiion of Aristotle in coonection with the property as one’s self-dignity is always rooted In property* While the right of privjate property is sn^^tched frc® the individual members of the society as Plato holds, the keen strife for e>upning money for the attainaent of self-realization will come to an end, causing a total handicap of the produatlon of the talented persons of hi^^h calibre. Therefore, the rit^ht of private property should be secured for the safeguard of the society, with the exception of imposing certain restrictions to the evils of the capitalistic structure of the society* 1* Einleitung in Die Koralwissenschaft - G.Simmel, P.172* 14 RIGHT or -OHTRACTt Ona of the most fundaaental rights of men Is the ri^ht to the fulfllfflent of contracts. If aui individual engages hlaself to render oertain services to atiother^ the second has the right to enjoy these services. *The rights of property give rise to rights of contract. I have control over ny property* it is mine, it is part of myself. My freedom has entered into, and characterises it. The disposition of it is in my hands; I have the right of use and 1 exchange, as well hb of possession*. Thus i t may rig h tly be eoi>* eluded that the ri^ihts of contract necessarily arise out of ri^ ts of property. This right was scarcely recogniaed in the primitive societies. The fairness in fulfilling the contracts should be guaranteed. An Individual is not at liberty, however, to contract himself into slavery, or prostitution, or other immoral acts. On the contrary in modern t ia e s , ^3oatr?>ct has bQw*cMae so coranon * method of entering into relationship that saae writers have oeen compelled to think that all relationships are founded on such engagements. The state, for example, was said to rest on a 'social contract*. Hobbes and Rousseau were the chief supporters of this view. But an eloquent attack was m^de on th is view by Burke in kk 2 his *Refloations on the Revolution in France*. All the above-aentloaed rights can only be exercised in equity and Justice for the personal good as well as for the malT^ K tenaace of the social order. These rights also impose obligations, ii the like manner, on others for their respect. 1. Ethical Principles - Sethj 306 2. Slenents of Sthi^s - Muirhead, Edition 8910 Pp. 183,184. .15 cl.AS3I^^:^T^0N of DOTr;i. Thekmon duties may> in their broad outline, be closslfied into three categories! (1) Duties to self; (2) Duties to others; (3) Duties to Cod. These will serially be discussed belovs The first cntegory includes (a) Physical duty, (b) Bcon<»ic duty, (e) Intellectual duty; (d) Aesthetic duty and (e) Moral duty. Self-preserv?^tlon, care for health, and recreation constitute one»s duty to the body* ■T' DJTISS TO 3QDY» ffo one is at liberty to cosDmit suicide, as his life is the Joint property of his own and others* Therefore, we should preserve and further our life , and enjoy sound health which is necessary fcr moral strength* The duty to maint^neLaco of souiid health involves the duty of taking ;^;a^Jtvika quality of food* Vie i^ould cultivate bodily values, because they are the basis of higher values* We should earn a decent living* We should acquire wealth and make frugal use of It , 2 so that we may enjoy higher values* The next coiaaandaent i s , 'Thou sh alt not s t e a l'* I t forb id s any appropriation of the instriBients of another's vell-beine, lath er they be material things that belong to his, or sutii goods 3 . as term reputation and the like • Therefore economic values should be cultivated as instrumental to higher intrinsic values* But it 1* Bhagavad cF ta - 17i 8* 2* A manual of !Sthics - Sinha^ J*If* 39S7| P* 212* 3* A manual o f e th ic s - Mackenzie, London, ed itio n 1929* P. 307* 16 Should be borne in mind that one should not treat laonay as an and in i t s e l f . dmim to BPJvATiowt One must be under an obligation to cultivate one’s intellect and acquire knowledge. Vfe are not at liberty to leave our intellect undeveloped, for the intellectual development is Indispensable for the developiaent of personality, Everyone should cultivate his aesthetic taste by appreciating and creating beauty. Without the sense of i^>preciating beauty, indeed, there is no ch’^ra in the strivings of tho vorld. Bnauty should not be restricted to the visible objects but its extension should be realized even in the abstract things* Therefore, it is quite obvious that man should not only realize and appreciate the outward beauty of the geo-like stars and flowers etc., but he should also look into the inner beauty and essence of them* By entering into the subtlety of his own self and the souls of other objects many valuable researches may be made* P;jTE.s Self-control and self-regard constitute our moral duty. Therefore, we should have control over our instincts, appetites, desires and passions* ^ should regulate sensibility by reason, and should respect our personality. We should aim at Truth and BeaiJty as elements of the good. Therefore, everyone should treat intellectual, aesthetic and moral values as intrinsic, absolute and eternal. These are in sho^rt, the duties to the self, so 1 called individual duties. 1. A i^aauai of Rthics-Sinha, Edition 1^5?,V«212. 17 2. DOTKS TO OTHSnSl The scftxid division includes («) duties to the family; (b) duties to other individuals in the society; (c) duties to the country; (d) duties to himienity; (e) duties to eninnls; and (f) duties to plants. PPTXSS TO The family is the unit of the society. It is the primary social institution, ite cannot think of the state of society in vhich man was aot a member of the fsm ily* Husband, wife and children constitute a natural social tmit. The earliest forms of group l i f e were based on the re la tio n of kinship. The f« a ily is based upon the natural affections of love and tender emotionsy t herefore I ve should love and respect our parents and should love our children. We should take c^re of our children's health, education and charactari and should help them choose their proper avocations. Husband and wife should love and respect each other. They should treat each other as friends and equals. P’.rrnis to at laro^.i Our duties to others In the society Include mainly (i) Veracity; (ii) Equity aiwi (iii) benevolence. Veracity rests in truthfulness, imposing an obligation on othars to speak the truth. We should say i<^hat ve moan. We should do vhat vs say. We s>iould keep our promises. We should speak out our conviction* Ve should shun all hypocrisy and pretence. Equity rests in Justies and fair dealing. )4e vhould do unto others as ve vbuld be done by. 4 kPB should respect the personality of others. We should treat all beings as ends • not as means to self enjoyment and self^aggrandi* 18 sesent* W» should latorf«r* with the llb^^rty and property of others^ Ws should rtot find faults with the chftracter of others* We should not t??lC8 away the life of others, or interfere with the honour reputation and e«r*in» of others, ’.ite should eultiv>ite ^ood will towards a ll, a-id should not caus9 any hqrm to anybody else by thou^t, word and deed. Ml th^sse duties are included in effuity* -ite vhould have ooiap'^ssion and benevolence to the d istressed . Ws should do our best to relieve their distress benevolently, '^hese are, in short, ou” duties to others In the society. 4s regfirds the duties towards cjountp/, everyone should bo «i>- gulfed with the patriotic feelings, he should love his country, exert his utmost to improve its 3ondition, and feel proud in its achieve- 1 ments. So far as the duties to humsMiity in -enoral are eoncGmed, we should love all human beings, and treat than as our fellows. This can be done by ■2 ''stin g o ff nflrrow p atrio tism . Jingoism , iapariallam, colour-prejudice and social sup:?rloplty* Everyone should liave respoct for social order and f;)ith in hman p r O fir e s s . We should cultivate broadmindedness through hiaaanltarlanism. Man* s duty extends to the safeguard of the animals, f ere« fore, he should tdce care of domestic «iimals, by sivlag them proper food and shelter and nursiiwj them wheri they are sick. !?d one should ruthlessly W ll any anliaal for any enjoyment, but he should 1, A Manual of ethics - Slnha, J.lf.^.dltlon a957.P,2l3, 19 water and proper nourishaent* This Is th^ aoral iajunotlon to every body not to be rude to Nature 3 . D^rPKS TO CODi The duties to God include dally prayers to r?od, meditation on Him and having comaunlon with Hia, Therefore, everyone shota&d daily worship Him, revere Him and seek His protection and care, Man should surrender his purpose to Hla dedicate his action to Hlai 1 and love Hla with single ainded devotion. The duty to Ood Is one supreme duty, which Is the source of all other duties* Particular duties are aspects of this absolute and ultimate duty. It is »o broad In Its nature that it should be supplemented by other parti cular rules of conduct. When these rules seem to conflict with each other we should appeal to the suprwae commandmenti 'R e a lise the 2 rational self and the rational universe** c:onrLicT. or. p^rriESi Sometimes p a rticu la r duties seem to come in to c o n flic t with one another. For example, respect for life may conflict with respect for tirath. .If a doctor tells his patient suffering from consumption about his disease he may hasten his death. Again, the respect for the maintenance of family traditions may ccoie Into conflict with the perfomance of one’s duty proper to his status in the society. For lnstanc:e, Arjims[was on the path of conflict of d u ties, as to \rii«ther he should save h is own fam ily members, respectables, elders aad teachers by stopping war against them^ 1« Bhagav?)d o rta - 0 : 2 7 , 29 e tc . 2. A Manual of Ethics - Sinha,J.M. 1957, P. 211. 20 or he should wage war against agsrosslng kiosaQii as a warrler haro whose duty Is to fight for the deliverance of his n^ttlon 1 from the cru el bondage and to resto re order and peach* As though to solve the difficulties In such cases of conflict of duties I we are advised by sc»ie writers to take the aid of •Casuistry*. It tells us under what p?»rticular clrciuiastaaaes we are Justified in violating particular moral laws* Casuistry tries to formulate rules for breaking moral Injunctions under certain circiaistances. It is a branch of ethics which deals with 2 the cases of conscience. The expression of the moral law in the form of peculiar rules belongs to an early stage in moral develop* ment* It naturally comes Immediately after that stage in which 3 morality is identified with the laws of the state. Under particular circumstances, we have one definite du'y, recognizing no conflict of duties* It is on account of one»s failure to ^rasp the real situation that he speaks of conflicts of duties* For example, it is one's clear duty to appropriate the knife of a person about to cosLait murder or suicide* Greea says, * There is no such thing really as a conflict of duties* A man's duty under any particular set of circumstances is always one, though the conditions of the case may be so complicated and obscure as to make it difficult to decide ^ a t the duty really 4 . is.' It may better be concluded that there is no conflict of 1* Bhagavad Gl^a - 1 : 33 and 18i 43. 2. A Manual of Ethics - Mackenzie^ J.S.1929| P. 310 3. Slaaeats of Ethics - Mulrhead, Pp. 71 - 76. 4* PrologcMena to ethics - "jreen, 1924, P. 391. 21 duties properly so called, as In a concrete situation, a peraan has only one definite duty. Ha can Imov It with a clear moral iasight, if he does act yield to passion and prejudice of the QOBient* Therefore, th e so-called conflict of duties is due to lack of cloar moral insight, warping of laoral judgement by passions and n I perfectly agree with the opinion of Mackenzie on this point. It is also true that the rules can never be formulated instead of pre-existing rules in connection %rith a conflict of d u ties. Only the situ a tio n may allow to change one's moral in^ sight. Therefore, without examining the actual situation formu lating rules for violating the rules is quite difficult. Averse action onder certain circimstances depends upon the agent's comaon sense, moral Judgement and conscience. The agent's dis position, motive, intention and attitude in an act, or the goal that is achieved by the act, or the unicue occasion on which the act is done dominate the situation to act upon. Therefore, man mist. 1. A Kanual of Ethics - Hackenzie, J.S. 1929, P. 3io. 2« Theory of GoAi and E v il - Rashdall, Book I I I , ch .v. 22 i^anavar there appears to be & ccsiflict of duties, fa ll bnck upon the supraaie moral ru le that should re a liz e h is ra tio n a l s e lf aod the valxies which so*e implied in this realization. ?he ia p o s s ib ility of drawing out my absolute code of duties has led sone writers to draw a distinction between that part of our obligations which can be definitely c£^ified and that part which aust be left cc»aparatively vague* Tl^is discrimination has, variously, been formulated. Kant distinguished between duties of perfect obligation and those of imperfect obligation. The duties of parftfct obligation are definite and precise and can be exacted from individuals! \Aereas the duties of imperfect obligation are rather indefinite and cannot be exacted from individuals. The former are mostly negative, while the latter are mostly positivei but cannot be formulated definitely and absolutely. For exaaple, our duties not to k i l l , o p to steal, or to l i e etc., are duties of perfect obligation. But our duties to help the helpless, or to respect the respectables, or to feed the hungry etc., which are involved in benevolence are relative to time, place and cir^ums- tancas and greatly depend upon our discretion. These are, by v irtu e of th e ir not beinh: exacted from in d ivid u als, the duties of 1 imperfect obligation. Again, Mill classifies the duties of perfect obli.^ation under the head of Justice, and states that * There are other things. 1. A Manuil of KthlJS - Mackenzie, J.S . 1929, Pp.321-322. and see also Metaphysicsof Morals, Section II,( ll)bott*s Translation, p. 39, and Caird»s > itic a l Philosophy of Kant Vol. I I , Pp. 282,283. 23 oa the contrary) which ve wish that people should do» which we lik e to admire thea fo r doing» but yet admit th at they are not 1 bound to do; it is not a case of moral obligation'. There is, no doubt, a three-fold distinction between duties of different kinds. In the first plnce those duties which ean be definitely foniulatedi, and c But this is on the whole an inconvenient usa^e. "^e distinction between these various classes o^ duties Is not a rigid one. The duties whi^h can be made obligatory by le(i;al injunctions very frcm time to tiae, according to the constitution 1. Tftllitnrianlsm - Mill Ch. V. 2. Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part VI, Section IV - by \dni S a ith . 04 of the state concerned, as veil as, the degree of the civUizatlon of Its people. Tho samo applies to those obligations th^t every good citizen may fairly be expected to observe. Consequently, while at any given tiae and pl ^ And what Hegel opines on this point is, »?he universal law cannot be forever the ten comaandaients. Yet i t would be absurd to refufje to set up the lav * Thou shalt not kill* on the gl^^und th at a St?%tu%e-book caonot be Bade coaplete* Every statute-book can, of course, be better. It is patent to the most idle reflection that the most excellent, noble aad beautiful can be concedved of as still more excellent, noble and beautiful. A large old tree branches more and aore without becoming a new tree In the process; it would be folly, however, itot to plant a new tree for tbe reason 1 that it was destined in time to h 1. Philosophy of idght - by Hegel, ?. 216, 2 . Bhagavad - iBi 41 -46 25 1 coRn® conc less snd liss to mean spe:2ific acts, and more the spirit in which condu::t occu rs,* 1. Sartor Resartus, Book II,nh* and see also Bradley's barter on 'My Station and Its Duties* (l^thical Studies, ^ssay V)* 2* l51‘Mieat8 of ethics - Muirhead, P.49* and also see, Olti-l^ahasya Tilak, B.n.'^oomontry on '^agavad ''•rtii 1B| 41«-46* CohU. oY) ■ 26 Hence I t may be concluded frcm the above discussion that the Important point on the \riiole is not to know what the prescribed rules o'* the actions are, but rather the type of character that is to be developed in us. A well-developed character pl*iced in a given situation, will soon unfold rules for itself, WJL?.S OF ^ONDUCTi- At ethics in the science of conduct, therfore, the rules of conduct cannot be well thouglTfcout without knowing the true nature of etliics. Thus, we msy define ethics as the study of what is right or »ood in conduct* It is the common theory of conduct and considers the actions of human beings with reference to their rightness or wrongness, their tendency to good or to evil,The word* ethics* is derived fr custO BS, usages or habit s t t t t i Ethics Is also called * Moral Philosophy*^ the word *moral* Is derived fraa the LattJrv subs tan tiv e *mares^ which also means cust<»n3 or h a b its. Customs are not merely habitual ways of acting* Thus ethics literally 1 means the science of custoos or habits of man. It is no doubt, true enough that an ethical philosopher, if he is good for anything, will explain the spirit in irtiich 3. Outlines of Ethics - Dewey, P* 112, 231, 4. Ibidj I 231. 5* Sl«nents of Ethics - Mulrhead, P. 75 notes, 1* A Manual of Bthlcs - Siaha, J*IT,3dition 1957 Pp* l-«2* 0 7 one ought to apply oneself to the particular situation before him tonarrow morning. Most of the Bngllsh schools of ethics hare concerned themselves closely with Jurisprudence! and have thus given encouragement to the notion that a set of moral lavs might be devised similar to the lavs of a nation* Happy life csnnot he reduced to rules. A moral ganlus must, always, like Hirabean, ‘Swallw his fartnulis* and 3t*»rt rfresh* While oiphaslzing this point, I have certainly no vish to rush to the opposite extrrae. There has been so stuff a tendency in ancient tines to lay down an absolute ’ oufrht* in Ethics, vlth a bending scheme of oblig ation s hanging from i t , th at now, by a natural reaction, we find a number of our ethical vrlters to say that there is any such thiag as duty, apologising for the use of the word ‘ought* and calmly yielding that Sthics is of no practical value. This extreme seems to me to be quite hjrtful as the other. It is the function of the ethical philosopher to discover and define the supreme wvi of life. This very thing has been done by all the great ethical authorities from Plato and A ristotle dovri to Kant, Re<^el and Green. Aristotle asserts, ’from a practical point of vlew,it much concerns us to know this good; for, then, like archers shooting at a definite mark, we shall be more likely to attain I what we want*. In this case ethics is largely of practiaal value. For Instance military spirit is deeply rooted in ^uman 1. Ethics - Vol. I - Aristotle, Ch. II, P. 2. 28 natura. lima are eager to catch the vord of coosaand and are dls^p- olnted when they are only told, as by Jesus, to * Love one another', or, as by Hef^el, to *Be persons' or, as in the vision 1 of Dante, to ‘follow their star. It may, rightly, be aonaluded that all action that Is of much consequence has reference to concrete situ a tio n , which could not possibly be exhausted by any abstract methods of loiidysls. It Is, no doubt, the special business of every human being to find out for himself what he Is to do, and to do It* Kthlcs only instructs men where to look for It, and helps them to see >rtiy It is worth while to find It to do It. It leaves Its principles, li’^e all sciences to be ap- 2 plied by the Instructed comsion sense. Ethics is the science of habitual conduct of men* Habits gre the expression of settled dispositions of the will or cha racter. 'haracter is the peraanent habit of willing, the inner bent of mind whldi Is expressed in habitual conduct. As regards the character of an individual^ it is the inner counterpart of ctMiduct, which i s i t s outer expression* Thus ethics is the science of donduct and .character. It evaluates the habits, voluntary actions, and characters of persons, and Investigates their rightness and wrongness, virtuousness and vlciousness. Therefore, ethics is the science of rie^tness and wrongness of conduct aad^the highest good. It is the science 1. A Manual of ethics - Hackenzie, J.S. 2929, p. 327. 2 . Syestwi of LOijic • Book I ? - *-.111. Chs. IV and V, ^ a ls o ( a) Prolegaaena to Sthics - Book IV - Green. (b) Philosophy of Bight - He.^el, Introduction. (Contd. on ) I 29 Of morality* The term 'IMght* is derrivod from the Latin ‘rectus*, meaning straight or according to rule. When an action is said to be right, it meais that it ecmplles with a lav or rule. An action is right, which ^onfoms to the moral law. Every law presujpeposes an end which i s realized by i t . The end which i s subserved by a rule is called the ’good*. Thus right is subordinate to ‘good*. An action is right, wJ'ich is a means to the good. The tern *iF»ood* i s connected with the ^lerman *Gut*. A thin? is (generally said to be <;cK>d, when it realizes an end. For exnaple, a particular medicine is said to be pood for this ' or that corapleint, such as cuinlne is good for laalarla. Phy sical exercise is good for health. Similarly one’s conduct is Kood ^Aien it is serviceable for an end or ideal. I Ethics is not concerned with relative or subordinate goods but with the absolute or s-prerae sood. I t seeks to Ethics deals with judgement consciously passed by man upon himself and others. It is the normative science of the highest good. It is not a practical science which lays down (c) Civilization of Christendom - ’^ossennuot, p. I60. (d) The Article of Prof. Muirhead on * Abstract and Practical ethics* in the American Journal cf Sociology, November, 1896. X, A Manual of Sthics - Sinha, J.If. 1957. P.2. 1. Manual of ?.thlcs - Mackenzie, J.3. 1939, P.2. 30 rules for the realization of an end* Thus, it is said to be a part of philosophy, but it whould not be identified with 1 Metaph|Bics fo r some reasons. The aim o f e th ic s i s to d define and explain the true nature of the highest good of man as a Bdsiber of society* It is the root of all moral distinctions* It deduces concrete duties ai.iLd ^rtv;es fr As virtue is the excellence of character due to habitual performance of duties, leal^lng to a virtuous disposition, therefore, I concern myself, In brief with the virtues for realizing the true nature of duties, as follovsj- yifizygs fyssLyj.s3V,^,t Duties are turned into virtues by their habitual perform ance* Virtues refer to acquired disposition of mind* The vlr- 1* Manual of Sthlv's ** Slnha, 19S7, Pp* 7 ,6 * 31 tuous man Is he Who has stedfast habit of performing duties. Duty denotes a particular action that we ought to perfora and yI p- tua denotes a good character* If a aan does his duty he possesses a virtu® or is virtuous* Virtue is the excellence of character* Duty refers to outer conduct. Virtue is e^cpressed in the obser^ vance of the duties fallen to one*a lot la life. Duties habi tually parfonaed laad wan to the for?aatlo?i of virtue. Virtu® refers to the Inner character, whereas duty refers to an overt nation. Thus it may easily be concluded that virtue is the excellence of inner character, and duty is its expression in an overt action* What Sidgwick opines about Duty and Virtue is, ‘Duties are right acts, for the adequate perfomance of which a moral motive is at least occasionally necessary* Virtuous conduct includes the performance cf duties as well as praiseworthy acts, th at are thought to go beyond s t r ic t duty, and th at may even be beyond the power of so.ie to perform* V irtu es, as comaonly rei^ognizedt are manifested prim arily In v o litio n s to produce p a rticu la r rig h t e ffe c ts - which must at le a st he thought by the agent to be not wrong - but for the corapleteness of some virtues, the presence of certain emotions ?e^ras necessary* It nay be said that moral excellence, like Beauty eludes definition; but if ethical science is to be constituted, we 2* must obtain definite Moral Axioms. 1. A Manual of E th ics • Maclcenzie^ J*S *^ d itlo n 1929.P.328 2* The Methods of ethics - Sidgwick, H. Maaalllan 1930, P* XXIX* 32 It is truo that a virtuous man should be a perforoer of his duties allotted to him in the society, along with soae praiseworthy obligations for ^rtiich he is not bound to perform. A virtuous man Is generally thought to be a rare one. He must be above the generality, possessing some sterling quillties, being well known for them. This is, in fact, an exhaustive illustration of duty and virtue. Virtue is the habit of deliberate choice of right actions, as vice is the habit of deliberate choice of wrong actions. Virtue is the habit of controlling instincts and Impulses and realising the good of the self as a whole. VAce is the habit of conceding to Instincts and impulses and realizing the partial good of their satisfaction to the detriment of the self as a whole. Virtue is the excellence of character, while vice is the taint thereof. Virtue is expressed in the observance of duties while vice is expressed in the ccxomisslon of sins. Virtue is acquired by the habitual performanco of duties, but vice is attained by the habitual cc»mlsslon of sins. Virtue is an acquired disposition due to the habit of controlling and regulating instincts and Impulses by reason. lE S -p m M The card inal v irtu es are the fundamental v irtu es on which other virtues are based. Plato recognises four primary virtues^ Wisdom, Ck>urage, Temperance and Ju s tic e . Vfisdcxa includes a ll 33 rwnalning virtues, as every vlrtuoiis nctlvlty consists la performing wisely under the compulsion of time, place and cir cumstances* It IS) Indeed, an all-embracing virtue. Courage and teaperance are the virtues that bear most directly on the life of the Individual* Courage should be taken In the sense of resls- tence to the fear of pain, and temperance In the sense of resls- tence to all allurements of pleasure. These two virtues Include all forms of opposition to temperance In the personal life. Temptation appears In the form of avoidance of seme pain or attainment of some pleasure. Ju s tic e comprehends a l l s o c ia l 1 V irtues. Thus Plato* s classification of cardinal virtues may be admitted as the basis to the requirements of the modem society. These virtues should be taken In a wider sense. V irtues have been grouped under three d is tin c t categories (1) Self^regarding, (2) Other-regarding, and (3) ideal-regarding virtues. The virtues under the first head are conductive to the agent's own good, those of second category to the good of others whereas, those of third class are conductive to the realization 2 of an ideal, viz..Truth, Good or Beauty etc. Moreover, like 3 duties towards God are also virtues regarding Hod. 1. A Manual of ^hlcs - Mackenzie, J.S. 1929, P. 33?. 2. A Manual of Ethics - Sinha.J.H.Sdltlon 1957, P.222. 3. Ibid, P. 225. 34 One may, from i^at has been attempted above, easily conclude that the duties may be performed independently, while the virtues are alvay accompanied by the habitual per* formance of duties, k punctual observer of his duties is» indeed, a virtuous man. Therefore, virtues can never be sepa rated froa duties. Virtues are also, like duties, classified on the similar lines namely, to self, others, and God, based on sub divisions like intellectual, aesthetic, moral etc. The next two chapters are devoted to the human duties in the GFta and the Qur*^ and their classifications. These are the chapters on which th is whole work i s b^sed. s , R- u a g UL o-s. sjijta 4ju 1X 2 1., g, Q^k 3..3,.T./, x,,^ II PTJT,I!!;3 IH X2S. GTTA A!fD TmiR CI.ASSIFi:4TI0» HuBaT duties «s laid dow^n In the Bha «vad Oita are tvoslded-dlvln« and vorldly, thit Is, every duty of man Is bot'wdlvine and worldly. Tfee essence of the theme of ^hagavad Gita rests In the words of Lord 'Srl fCrsna-deroted to his own dutyt attains the highest perfection in the shape of f'.od*Reallsation. This is the cardinal attitude of the Glt'a, which is variously discussed throuf^hout this sacred wlume adopting different methods based on philosophy, logic, ethics and other moral obligations* One may, after a minute observation, realize that the 'Hta i s but the coiamentary of the f i r s t h a lf of the 45th verse of i t s eighteenth chapter, as translated above. To an ordinary reader oit'a appears to pres cribe duties in connection with the waging war, as Lord ^‘5rl Krsna through out His discourse occasionally compels 4rji»a to fight* In fact, the Git'aic duties are not so limited, but the Gifa prescribes duties in each andevery field of human life . It was not impossible for the Blessed Lord to presctibe- duties expressly in connection with all business and enga^^* ■ents of nan in life , but having regard of man’ s inconvenlen'^e by goiag through a bulky code containing all minor duties in v^*rious phases of human life , He summarises His prescKLnR: by choosing for example a battle field to make the discourse more inpressive. 1* The Bhac^avad G ita - 18i 45 36 How, I coEHmeat in brief on the ^Ivlne Phrase - " Devoted to his own duty man attains the highest perfection in the shape of God-Realization". A man must perform his duties proper to his status in life* The duties of Brahmanas, K&^atriyas and Vaisyas as well as of ^sSiras are divided according to the qualities bora of their respective natures. Control of the mind and senses, enduring hardship for the sake of duty, purity both internal and external, forgiveness, straightness of mind and body, belief in Ood and Sacred Books and the Hereafter, the knowledfje o f the Sacred lo re and the knowledge of God based on direct exp«:«ience • these are the duties of Brah- manas born of their own nature^. Daring, majesty, firmness, bravery, ingenuity, not running away from battle, generosity and rulership'these are the duties of Ksatrlyas born of their 1 own natures. The duties of Taishyas born of their own natures are agriculture, cow-breeding and trade, while the duties of Sudras born of their own natures are to serve these three 2 ca ste s. There is a fundamental unity underlying Ood, man and world. The world is in existence because Ood has willed it so. Man strives to gain union with God and when this union is attained he w ill be absorbed in Him* M ill the Individual not do any act, while Lord^rF Krsmi, the Representative of God, Himself says that there is nothing in all the three worlds 1. The Bhagavad G itti 18i 42, 43. 2. Ibidt 44. 37 for Me to do nor is thora anyfhiag vorth sttainlng unattalned by 1 yet I continue to act Tor the interest of the worl^, Thus the aan^ who has attained unity with Cod, aust necessarily seek unity with the benefits of the world also throu^ his aatlne,* If h© does not act, the unity is not perfect, because there is union between two elements - aan and Deity leaving out the third, the world* The surest way of Salv»^tion thus rests in the service of the world, as Ood Hiaself wills 2 ’ to do so* I perfectly agree with the ideology of Mr. B.C.Tili^ depicted above, that a man can realise Crod through the service of the society in this very life , according to his nature - bom capabilities* Via are more siire about the conception of the human duties while Lord "Sri Krsna Himself preached that One's own duty though devoid of righteous- • f • ness is preferable to the duty of another well executed* We nay con clude froD the above that all men sould try their best to be well* versed in their respeotive occupations in life for the sake of serving the world* In short, all te?tchers, students, traders, servants, farsers, engineers, magistrates, judges, players, fi?;hters, cooaanders, devotees, worshippers, singers, barbers, potters, arshiteits etc*, etc*, must try their best to serve the society through their respective professions in accordance %rith the prescribed rules in the scriptures* It is obvious from the above that the true spirit of -ihc 1* The ’^hagavad 01^ at 3 i2 2 , 23 2* Glt^Pahasya - 7ol* I by B*G*Tildc, Preface, XTVI* ^!dltion 19SS* 38 eft a rests In diS^lnterested action according to one*s own statu s In so cie ty . The knowledge and devotion are both sub servient to the action, preached in the orteu Many commen tators opine that the main teaching of the orta is to achieve salvation through the Path of devotion and knowledge. It the G ita was preached to Arjunfi^who was overwhelmed by in fa tu a tio n , faint-heartedness, tenderness and grief beholding his teachers, uncles, sons, granduncles, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relations s»rrayed on 1 the battle-field of Kupuksetra, to make him ready for the fight • resulting from the Action - how can it be said that the ultim ate lesson of the sacred Volume i s devotion or knowledge alone? Verily there is a blending of all these philosophical methods «iounting to salvation* With a view to facilitating the understanding of the true spirit cf the orta, it seems quite advisable to cast *t glanoe upon the csiroumstances under which the ort^ was preached by the llessed Lord. ^ Arjuna, the warrior-Prince, was overwhelmed by in fatu atio n seoing h is te ic h e r s , frien d s and kinsmen drawn up for battle against him at the beginiin? of the T^harata War and was inspired by the desire to give up the war and renounce the world. He was perplexed by the arrival of the conflict of duties. To make the contest more compli cated favourite comrades^elders and friends stood on both 1. The %agavad ortai li 26,17. 39 sldeS| wrlnglnj his h8*u*t with tenderness qnd fjrlef !Vid physi cal strife re-»'»rding th^ coaflict of duties, as to whether should he slay those to whoa he owes love snd honour on iccoiuit of the ties of kindred or should he let the usurpers oppress the land through abstinence from waging war against th«a? To break fsaaily traditions was a sinj and to leave the nation in the 3ruel bondage was a sin; what should he do then? Justice must be done according to the scriptural ordinances. Who is perplexed on the happe ling of the conflict of duties? A Xsatriya. What is the duty ofAKsatriya? A Ksatriya*s duty is to engage himself in fight. Therefore, it was the duty of Arjumas Prince, as warrior hero to fight for the deliverance of his subjects and to restore order and peace. But he was so infatuated that he still says - It is better to live on alms in this world without killing these noble elders, because even after slaying them we shall enjoy only blood-stained pleasures in the form cf wealth and sense-enjoyments. And we do not know which is 2 preferable for us to fight or not to fight. Thus his very being tainted by the vice of faint-heartedness, and his mind puazled with regard to duty, Arjunaasks the Blessed Lord what 3 is decidedly better for him to act upon# I t is not only Lord *SrT Krsna w’-o for th4 first tine . t • instracted man puzzled on account of two mutually contradic tory paths of duty, but long long before Ilia Manu preaches - 1, -^he ^hagavad Gita i 2i 31 - 38 2, Ibidt 2i 5, 6, 3, Ibidi 2i 7. 40 An Ttat^ylripr yillaln should be Icllled without the slightest remoT'se and without thinking whether he Is a preceptor or Guru or an old man or a child or learned Hrii&imana, because on such occasions the slayer does not in^ur the vice of slaylngi but 1 the wicked Is killed on account of his own unrighteousness. Not only the older 'Sastras, but modern criminal law has also 2 accepted the right of self-protection with some limitations. On aruch occasions, self-defence is considered to be of higher value than non-violence* The killing of tender infants Is the most objectionable, but If the child is beln^ bora by transverse presentation, It Is not sinful to cut the child and deliver the mot'er. The *lauf;hter of cattle for the purpose of rltua^l^- 3 tic sacrifice is considered to be bl»neless oven by the 7edas, Similarly the hunting is justified in the MahaShvata* "The ordinary rules of morality are not always sufficient, and even the most principle maxim of 2thlcs, navely that of Harmlessness does not escape the necessit)r of discrimination between the 6 duty and the non-duty," Therefore lord'Sri Krsna tries ArJuna * ♦ • w' o was puzzled on arrival of mutually conflicting paths of duty, to make him ready for the fight - for Action on the authority of Siakhyayoga or the Yoga o f knowledge as mentioned be lows 1. Manusmr-^tl - 8 ; 350. 2. Indian'Penal Code - ^.enoral Exceptions. 3.76 - 106. 3« M anan^3;l - 5t 31^ 4 . Mahshbharata • Anusasana Parva i 116, 5. nita-Rahtsya • Vol. Ii by B.a.lllak.Sdltlon 193S.P.44. 41 .ll Lord'Srr Krsa?* h*»s stnrteA tha e^cpositlon of Karaa-Yogf^ » % • •sMtra or the science of Kqpmayo?a having adopted the logical methods b*»sed on the S^khy’a-phllosophy, Though the followers of the Swfikhya path Ignore action after th^acqiilsltion of knowled^, yet there Is no dlscriralnati6n between the knowledge of the ^TrtTmaa or God, according to the S^khya path and ac» cording to Karmayoga, ^ence, Lord'SrF Krsna has f i r s t explained to Arjnna seeming to rldolcule him, by saying; " you grieve over those who should not be f^rleved for, and at the sane time, speak like the learned, wise men do not feel sorrow over the dead and the living*' And if the Ttmai^r soul is indestructible and permanent, then the question, " How shall I k ill my own kins men so and so * i s mere worthless ta lk * Action sanctioned by authority of S^khyayoga is not merely applicable in connection with the wap but it is equally applicable in the performance of duties allotted to the different classes of individuals according^ to their status in the society, lord'SrF Krsna • I • has chosen the field of battle only with a view to make His dis course 3ore impressive as well as to provide a specimen of His Teadilngs as a guide utlizable in all the sphere* of human life* Thus, He tryint' mankind throurJi His preaching addressed to Arjuna to make him ready to do work, states that one s>‘ould 2 not grieve whether life continues or becomes extinct. *In fact 1, Bhagtv*»d 2t 11. 2 . Ibid 42 there vqs novei* a tiae when I was not in existence along with you ( lrjuna)and other kings, nor Is It a fact that In the here- 1 after we shall all cease to be, I may confidently interpret the gI ^ S . c statottent cited above as »I', th at i s the Supreaie Being I and *you and the kings* that is the other souls were in existence in the past and will be born again in the future at the comnence- ment of a new creation. Fere God and Soul becone separate and independent entities. Though this argument is not correct but intending to explain only that both are permanent, stands as relaveat. With a view to delivering Arjuna fran the infatuation the Blessed Lord says - ju st as boyhood, youth and old age are attributed to the soul through this body, in the sane way it attains aiother body. Therefore the wise man should not f^et deluded. The contacts between the senses and their objects, %rhich give rise to the feeling of heat and cold, pleasure and 2 pain etc., are transitory. The man to whan pleasure and pain are alike and who is not tormented by these contacts is eligible for immortality. And that which is not, can not be as if it is, and the real never ceases to be. Therefore, know that to be imperishable by which all this is pervaded and none can bring about the destruction of this indestructible substance. All these bodies acquired by the imperishable, indefinable and eternal , soul are said to be perishable, therfore, Arjuna, be engaged in 3 righting-rooted in action. 1, Bhagavad cl^ a i 2* 12, 2. Tbld 2i 13,14 a. Ibid 2* 15-18. 43 In order to dispel the Ignorance of Arjuna caused by falnfrheartedaess, Lord'Srr Krsna philosophically exaolnes the questions - «What Is death» and what Is killing?* Man is an aggregate of the body and the soul* Out of these, the soul, 1 being a fragment of Ood, is peraanent and immortal* Therefore killing or dying is not applied to the '^tnar^r soul, thus there must be no room fo r lamentation in waging war fo r the delive rance of the nation froa the tyranny of the usurpers In order to restore order and peace. In the same way, man should dis charge his duties that fall to his lot in all natters having regard of time, place and circumstances. Saikhyayoga or the Yo^a of knowledge denis mainly with the divine knowledge, including in its fold the concepts of sou l, God and the three modes of P rakrti which are to be serially discussed belowt T H g 3 0 tt L The Olta' preaohe* man to realise the true nsture of soul on the authority of the sSikhya system of Indian philosophy. 2 Phe soul is neither the killer, nor the subject of being killed, because the soul is indestructible and itself a non-doer, and the v*,ole doing is of the Nature deriving its motive power froB God. It is never born nor dies, nor does it exist on coming into being as it is unborn, eternal, everlasting and U Bhagavad ".naj 15i 7. 2 . Phagavad t 2| 19. 44 1 primeval as v e il as I t i s not perished with the body* Again 2 the soul is 'Pemanenty Indestructible| lameas^irable, and 1^ caniot be cut, burnty m4Ae vet and made dried beinp all^per* vadlhgf flraiy without movenenty Ancient^ ^Amanifesty TMthiokable 3 ft and without aiodlficatloa. It is the knover of the field, supervisor, coasenter, supporter, enijoyer, the xreat Lord, the 5 ultluaLo goal and the ultimate person. Moreover, the soul is 6 7 without begiruiing and qualities and the ovmer of the field . QJU. 8 The Gita recognises soul as a fragnent of Crod. This is why, aost of the terms are equally applied to God and soul,as God coaprisas in His Universal Form embodied in one limb a l l c e le s - 9 tials and the entire perceptible and imperceptible universe. A wise man should realize the real attributes of Hod through acquisition of knowledge, laid down in the scriptures. All theologians of the world even-mindedly admit loct to be the only supreme object of worship. A child before worshiping God naturally questions himself who is God? What are His attri butes? Why should He be worshipped? e tc., e tc., Re thinks better to realise God first and then to worship Him if satis fied. Therefore, man’ s nature-born foremost duty rests in the realization of God, through the teachings of the preceptors 1. Bhagavad Gita* 22 2| 20. 2* Bhagavad Grtaj 2 : IS 3* raid 2: 24,25. 4. Ibid 13t 2. 5. Ibid 1S|23. 6. Ibid 13i 23 ?• Ibid 1S|31 8. Ibid 13* 33 9. Ibid 15i 7 45 and thtt ordinances of the scriptures* Having realised the true nature of God and soul| the man %rho has controlled the senses rellnquishlnf? all actions mentally dwells happily in the city of this body with its nine 1 doors (holes) doing nothing and causing nothing to be done* 'Riat Is to say^ such a Ssmkhyayogln realises that the soul 1* Bhagavad TtFta: Si 13 2, Ibid I8i 53 3* Ibid 5i 14,15* 46 But according to the Vedahtists the root of both Prakrtl «nd Purus a is Ifirguna Brahaan or dod without qualities, who is a non-doer, and that all functioning is of Maya or of I7ature* The Lord now states that the ordinary aan does not understand these things on account of ignorance. Only the vise man understands the difference between the doer and the non-doer, remainiJig xmattached to action* Those whose said ignorance has been destroyed by the knovledAe, that wisdom shining like the sun reveals the supreme. And tnose whose mind and Intellect are entirely absorbed in Ood, who are constantly established in identity with Him and are exclusively devoted to Him, and 2 their sins being washed away by knowled.^e attain Immortality* The wise men look with the ssne eye on a Brahmana endo%red with letfning and humility, a cow, an elephant and a pariah and those whose minds have thus becoae stable in a sta te of e«|uanl3iity, conquer the mortal world; since the Absolute is free froa fault 3 and equalility, therefore, they are established in the eternal. That is to say, after having realised the non-doership of God as well as the doership of *fature, the wise do not escape 4 action even though he has reached this state. One should not became glid, because he has got the desired thing, nor one should bococe disheartened, if something undesirable happens* He, w> ose mind has thus become steady and i^o does not suffer with mental perplexity, such a knower of Brahmanlives eternally 1. Gita Hiha3y€K Vol. I by B.G.Tllak, P.309.T3ditloa 0^35, 2 . Bhagavad riV aj 5 i 16, 17 3 . Ihidi 5s 18, 19 4. ^-andogyopanisad. 8: 151. 47 in Him. On* whose mind remalnajonattached to external enjoyuents, derives the iinmlxed Joy through i^ditationy whicsh Is Inherent In the soul» such a Yogr having completely Identified himself with Brahma enjoys Inexhaustible happiness. The enjoyments, which are bom of the contacts of the sense-organs, are verily soiirces of unhappiness, thon^ appearing as enjoyable to worldly-alnded persons, "^ey have a be'^laaln?? and an and, this la \#hy a wise does not Indulge in them, He, vho i s cs®>ablo of boHi'lng In t h is world, before casting ofT tMs body, the tirges of lust and snger I s a lib era ted man and i s happy in the tfjiys sense* "^ a t 1s to say, one should control the senses and should fix his alnd on God, l a order to obtain His knowledge through the path of 2 devotioa. He, who Is happy within himself without laylig any store by external happiness or unhappiness, enjoys within himself the delight of the soul and who has been llltffilned by this inner lig h t, such a !Carmayog\'h id e n tifie d with Brahaan a tta in s Brahman, who is all peace. The Rsis or seers whose sins hnve been wiped out, xriiose doubts have been dispelled by knowledge, and who have become engrossed In achieving the welf?ire of the entire creation by means of self-control, attain release In the shape of God- 1. Bhagavad GHa - 5i 20 - 23 2. Ibid 9i 34 18 ResUzation* TTia wise men wiio ara free from l u s t and :inger, hfive siibdued th o lr mind and have rea lised God, a tta in the Abode 1 of eternal peaael This stato of perfection of the soul fr<» the point _ 2 of view of knowledge is known as the Brahtaabhuta or the Brah®. at at©. The ’^r^imT state described in the philosophy of the Abso- 4 lute &elf by the words - * fhm Brahaasnii' i.e ., I m r.od*,ls attciined sometimes by the path of devotion, scaaetines by the prac tice of the control of the mind according to the P^anjala Yoga and sometimes by the path of discerraaent of constituents laid down in the si^hya system. Out of these pnths, the philosophy of the Absolnbe self is purely rational philosophy, the devotion has been mentioned as the e*?siest means for an ordinary person for 5 the acq u isition of the knowledge of Brahaan. Whateve^ may be the aeans employed, this much ii undoubtedly agreed by a ll means that realiainc the identity of the Supreme ^elat’ and the soul and th et there i s only one soul in a l l creatu res, i s the clinaJC of divine knowledi;«. •^he knowledf^e o^ both the ^lirs^una« or rm allty less and Saguna t or fl'aMltlful aspects of divinity is a sovereign science a sover«irn secret, svpremely holy, roost excellent, directly enjoy- 6 able at'tonded with virtue, very easy to practise and imperishable. It is asserted here that the path of devotion or the >/orshlp of the per-5eptible is a Vidya according to iTpanlsa«?.s, %*lch is the 1, ^haravad f}ita - Sj 24 - 26. 2. Ibid IS: 54. ?. T^id _ 2i 72 4, Brhadaranyokopanisad • 1* 4| 10, 5. (^tS-Fahasya-Vol. I by B.G.Tllak, 19?S,P. 613< 6* Bhagavad o rtai 9 1 2. 49 / Mn? or tVw most superior of these mysterious Vldyas, and also that this religion belni^ scjmethinf which Is actually visible to tha eyes is easy to follow. ?et as this Yoga comes into practice by the tradition of Tksyaku and tha other klags, it may also b* said to be the path followed by such eminent persons> and thus to be a •Rajavldya* in that respect the sovereign science or P^javidy^ indicates in this place the path of devDtioa, IKg,-TO q f « The frrta divides all things of the creation into three catef^ories three constituents of nature^ declaring - ’ There is no existence here on earthy in the heavens or aiatmg the Cj£les-> tlals, or anywhere else in the creation, w^:l<2h is free froo these three constituents of Nature, The Gita, further,, emphasising the siipreaaey of the nunas in all undertakings of life ?readJv« - "All actions are being done by the modes of Prakrti (Sattva, Rajas, and T^ias), yet the person befooled by egoism considers himself to be the doer, ^.ven the supreme Lord determines not the doership nor the doings of beings, nor even their contact with the fruit of actions, ^ut it is Nature that functions 3erlving Its motive pover from rod?3 The proposition laid down In the above stanzas may be interpreted as Hho Prakrti and the "^aan are different from each other; Prakrti or Maya does every things the Ttman does nothing, and he who has realized this Is vise in the real sense,' The qualltyloss Purusa (Spirit) Is unaMe to do anything- itself, as the cow ?riv33 ailk for Its calf, or Iron 1, Bhagavad Git at ic 4 d ,2 , 2, Ibid 13i 40. 3, Ibid 3t 27 and 5i 14, 50 acouires the nuallty of attraction by the Proximity of a Qi<)gi]0 t , so also forthw ith on the Pur'^usa comlnf^ In to imlon with Prqkrtl> whleib vas originally Impt^rcepllble besrlns to plnce befors the ?urusa the subtle a^id the /n*oss pereet)tlbl3 dlffusloi of Its own ciualltles.1 AlthotiFh the ?\irusa may b© vlt^illsed as well as A loiovAtf, y e t, in as much as I t is Iso la te d , that is, ifuslity- less, It has not got tho necessary per 1. S^idiya fCOTlkai 57. 2. Ibid 21. 3. Ibid 59. 51 beings as rooted In the on^? Supreme Mid the Projection 1 of all beln)»3 froa Him, thst n e r y moment he ?*ttalns Brahn«,n« It has become q’jite obvious from the abo'/e disaussion t h a t t h l3 whole world with its various activities c®e into existence by virtue of the mutual co-ordination of the Pralcrti and Pursisa • • functloninn toj^ether deriving their motive power from *od. oolrfKDc-a cypLAi:j3D The knowledge is divided into three categories on account of Its difference of aualltics in accordance vith the three Ounas 9 - the knovledge by vi ioh one realizes one imperishable entity in all beings, undivided amonf; the divided Is >nown as S'^fctvlka the knowledre which regards the manifold existence of various kinds In all beines as sep9r*itQ, is called end the knovledgd which unreasonably and without ^Jtnderstandimr the elamentary prlnelples, conflnaa Itself to only one thin^ lookins upon it as the all-in-all, is decl«red to be Ta»n§ These characteristics of the v^^rious kinds of J n ^ ^re very comprehensive. The idea that one’ s wife and children Is the entire 'oamsara* Is Taiaasa knowledf^e* When one rises » little ibove this frame of mind, one*a vision becomes more cionprehonsive; and a man begins to look upon a fellow-toimsnan or a fellow country man as his own, Nevertheless,the idea that men from different places or different countries are different froa each other is still there, '’’his knowledge Is ??«.1asa; but, v^en one 1. 3hagavad Cfta 13i 29,30 2. Ibid ISi 20-22, 52 rises evea above this stJige seid reali.:es that .there Is only one Abnan In all created bein?:s| th»t knowledge is complete pnd S^ttvlka,_ 1 Xn short, se«in.'T the undivided In th*t which si5?tBS divided or seeinr nnlty in dl'rerslty is thn true ch«r not eristic of knowledf^e j»ni he who -^^lizes that there is no ragnifoldness in this universe, reodhes the state of Xwisortwllty, Anol ons who sees divorsity in this unix'erse. falls into the cycle of taking birth and dynine:,^ 2 at the beginttng of the T^rahma’s _ day. 3 It is obvious from the above that the purpose of hiaRai birth is only satisfied by the acquisition of knowledge. It is so important a dlJty that Lord'Sri Krsna preached it first in detail and even emphssised that the sacrifice in the fonn of knowledge is superior to the sacrifice performed vith material things, because all doings uaexceptionally risa to the highest point throdgh knowled?:e«4 The sacrifice of material things is performed by man for attaining tha Grace of r,od, But one cannot attain, it without being acquainted with the true n*?ture of C-od* Therefore, the aethod of acquiring knowled<;e of Divine "’ruth and of attain- ins the Supreme, by leading a co^arse^llfe which is unifora \cith that Jcnowledge Is designated by the Lord as the Jn'aha-Yajna or the sacrifice of knowledge* This sacrifice being as mental is performed with the help of reason and lntelli;’ ence. Therefore, it is clear that all actions of all kinds are pjirformed with the help of knowledge, '^he cTta preaches mankind that all actions must bo performed as a duty for universal welfare, thoyi'h they 1. C-rba- Rahasya - Vol. II by B.G.Tilak Edition 1936,?.1185. 2. Kfithopanls^^- 4i !!• 3 . Bhagavad Gaxa - 9* 7* 4* Ibid 4j 33. 53 ■ay not b© useful for ona’s ownself, let the fruit to the coain?? i^eneratlon or the other fellow -belngs. Therefore, man B u s t , by a l l »eaijii3, obtain kno' ISJMmVA OR TF?. YQOA 0^^ ACTION. The Saaskrta words'Kama'and‘Yoga^make one ^oiapound "Knmayopa**. The word ’ Karrna* springs from the roo4 ‘ fCr* and means 'doiog* ‘affairs’ and ’ activity*, and the saoe oi*dinary i s represented in the Bhagnvad o rta . The word ’Yoga* is more coapHs.ited in its meanln?' than the word *Karma». The 1* lhagavad cTtat 2> 40 and 4t 2* rr4 present-flay ordinary this vor** ^omas from tha root sgruling »to join* ^d its root Is *the st^te of union', combi nation*, *ftdditlon* or Mo-eristense* or * strain,i together* ^nd th® *means*, and *d«ivl5«* or *aethod* or *thlng to be done* that is tha K?mia or Action, wtiioh is necessary for ncquiriag that 1 s t f t a . In T)r*»crtlcj?l astrology, 1^ some plnnats h«va be:ome pro'jit loii?» or tinprcpltlous, ’■w s^y thf^t thay are fonainfc a 2 pronltlons or unpropltlous ’Yoga*. \nd the word *Yo?,a* in the c«Mspound »Yo:»fj- Ksema* a^juis 'aariulring such thing's as one has * O ^ ^ not got, ?h« word *ToEa* has been used in the n it^ four or fiv e 4 times in th« neaninr; of P^tanjala-Yorra. But the word »Toga* is vpfry often used in tbe sense of ^Me^ns*, •skllf'ul devise, method*, *thrt thinp to be done* *mlon* etc. This ’ford also si?nifles the 5 divine sk ill or the wondorful nower of the blessed Lord, by 6 virtue of th«t He h^s been referred to ^ »Yo?«^swflr«'. Again i t m»^ans sone * sr^eo-ial s k i l l ’ 'd ev ice*, * in te llig e n t irethod* 7 or gra/^eful way of p^rforainp actions* • The wrd is var^ 8 9 ionsly mennt as *dislntere^d action*, *Kam?i-To*?a*, *tmifonaity X, tor^rakosdk- r?. 3, 22, 3* ortlJ-Hs^iasya /ol. I by B,0,?ilafca, Edition Jd35,p«76, 3, The ^hai'avad - i t i • 9 j 22, 4, Ibidj 6i 12, 23. 5, Ibid: 7; 25, 9:6f 10i7: lit S, S, roIUj m i 75. 7. rbidj 2t 50. » . T id? 2i 39. Odd: 2: 41-4»3, 55 of mind towards oalrs of opposites, etc.^ete, TRTR SPIRIT Qg Kmscor,\ on t?TiaN. n5°!Pi?irr TIB sniiF twD^” ^nmnoij ?he very esseaca of the Gited.c Preachings lies in, ii^hon ths Blessed Lord Preaches to every body that one should lift oneself up by one*s ovn efforts, and should not d egr^ oneself, as one's own self in one*s friend and one's own self is one's enemy* One* s owxi self ig the friend of that soul by whom the \ o \ t 9 T self, e«g«, the mind, the sences, and the body has be-^n oonnuered* on the other hand the very self of him, who h*?is not conauared his 2 lover self, behaves like one's own eneniyi# " This statement based on the doctrine of Free W ill, Propounds the p rin cip les th st every one mmst try to achieve higher goals in the world accoi^ng to his nnture-born aualities,^ and that howsoever power^ful w the nature may be, it is in one's own hands to win it and to bring about one's own 3 own betteraent. When one's own soul positively becomes one's^friend and again negatively when th at very becomes on e's own enemy, it is due to one's own good and bad actions. Therefore, man must keep his soul good and friendly by his righteous works, as laid down in the scriptures. In the blessed path of disinterested action one's intellect must be determinj^te and one-pointed, treating alike pleasure and 1. Bhagav^d a rt a • 6 i5 2. Ibid 6i6 3. ortVRahaaya, Vol.I by B.G.Tilak Edition Pp. nS3-391. 56 1 pain, gain and loss, victory «id defeat etc. and one aist be coatinulng to perform actions Ufe*long| with a disinterested frm e of mind| and without adopting the life of a renonncer or forest^dweHer even after obtaining the true wisdcm* This we see eagerly that the Gita ^supports the p^jth of Karmayoga* Kan must think his right only in acticm, but never to the fruit thereof, and he 2 must not be indifferent to performing actions. It means that duty must be performed for the sake of duty only, ignoring the object of the fm it and attachment. It is clearly preached by crta that man*s authority extends only to the performance of actions having no hope for fnuit or result. For him who is not desirous for the fruit of his doings is natural to be indifferent towards perfor ming actions, but the Lord declared that ’one should rvot in s is t on giving up action*. Therefore everyone must necessarily perform his duty befallen to his lot in life without hoping for the fruit or the result of his strivings and beinr indifferent to success 3 and failure, because the true spirit of action lies in equanimity. Action with a selfish motive is far inferior to the Yo;ra of action in the form of enuability. Therefore all men must be engaged in carrying on their res ©ctive duties #ven-mindedly. He, who is endowed with ecuaDtinity, remains untouched both by good and evil in this world. Therefore one should take shelter skilfully in this Yoga which is known as K^mayoga or the Yof^a of action in its 4 true meaning* The r,ita preaches th at the works done dwelling in 1. Qhagavad JCmiscxlxIqf 2t 3 8 ,4 1 . 2 . Ibid 2t 47 3. Ibid 2i 48 4 . Ibid 2i 49 - 51. 57 th« equable Trme of aind» that is looking upon righteousness and unrighteousness equally, having discarded the selfish motiye in performing actions, do not affect man* One's cleverness consists in keepimj one's Buddhi or Reascm stable, holy, equable and untai!fed. Hence one should do one's own duty in the straightforward way with an equable Reasoi, neglecting no worldly activities, Man must cross the mire of delusion for growing indifference to wh^t had been heard and what is yet to be henrd about this world and the next, and he must remain steadfast and firm in meditation on God, w^.en his mind has been confused by hearing contradictory statements. When a person havinfj liston3 1* Bhagavad cTta - 2t ^ ,5 3 . 2 . Ibid 2s 55, 58 disappears and he becomes free from passion, fear and an^eri unattached to everything and meeting with desirable and undesirable, he neither rejoices nor recoils* By the steadhess of the mind one withdraws one’ s senses froa the objects of the senses, therefore, one does not enjoy them with one's senses but the taste for thaa persists, though one*s desire for it altogether disappears on seeing the Supreme through 1 the stability of one*s mind* Therefore, mon must by all means develop the stability of his mind for the performance of the right actions in tliis world and to attain salvation in the Hereafter. The sense-organs derive their energy from food, then if a person does lOt take food or observes fast,his sense-orc^ns became weric and incapable of enjoying their respective objects. In this way, getting rid of the enjoyments bf the sense-objects is the external action of the enforced tiredness of the sense- organs. But the desire for the sense-objects is not thereby I diminished, therefore, for the total reduction of the senses, one must aer^uire diviits knowledge by which such desire w ill altogether be destroyed, and thereby his senses also auf3Qm*»ticaIly be xinder control. Hence, it is not necessary to fast or oause aiiy other trouble to the org?ins of the senses. No v-eating is not preached in the Grta", only this much is prea<^ed that Yogins 1. Bhagavf»d o rtai 2i 66>?7. ,59^ should eat moderately^ vlthln the limitations of the measurements. The nan dwelling on the objects of the senses develops attach ment for thoBi fT ACTIO If OF HBIliTrS ITIIHO W^T^TTR ^ BORUt Lord ^Srr Krsna preaches mankind through the agency of the o f t a th a t man i s bound to action by h is n a tu re -bora-quallties, for instance the actions like, ’sleeping*^ * sitting*, breathing* 1* Bhagavad cF t^ i 6t 16, 17, and 3i 6 , 7 . 2. Ibid 2t 62 • 65. 3. Ibid 2t 56 4. Ibid 2t 68 • 72 ' 5. Ibid 3t 5. 60 1 etc«^do aot stop so long as the body exists* It is cle?urljr at^ited that, he whose mind is not pure, but who outwardly reatraias the organs of sense and action, In ordor that others should respect hla, 2 is not really a moritorlous person, but a hypocrite. Therefore, man must perform his duties disinterestedly hnving no regard for the worldly poop and display. r>caae commentators of the pisth of Renucia- tlon interpret this as meanin.? that though this Yoga of action may be superior to the path of hypocrisy, yet it is not superior to the path o f Renui^ciatiou. This i^rguaent i s only in support of a p a rti cular doctrine, because the doctrine of Karmayoga is decidedly 3 superior to the path of Renunciation. Therefore, man must undertake the Yop,a of Action through the application of his sense-organs, controlling those organs of sense and action by the mind and remai- ninp unattached* As doing is supfrior to the noa-doing and desis ting fron action one cannot even maintain one*s own body, therefore so long as one survives must psrform one's allotted duty according 4 to one*s status in the society. Lord 'Srf Krsna« • • emphasising His Doctrine of Action gives an historical exanple that it is through action without attachment that Janaka and other wise men reached perfection, therefore casting a glance upon the maintenance of the world-order man should take 5 to action. If man is in doubt as to how to act in any particular contingency of life he should perform action as the Yoga-practising 6 religious ^rahmana acts in that matter. Therefore, man oust do all 1. T^hagavad or^lT 3 5i 9 arid 18i 11» 2 . Ibid 3 j 6 . 3 . Orta-Rahasia_- ita- Vol 1. Edition 1935,.by B.G.Tilak,Pp. 425-26 4 . Bhagavad Oitai 3 j 7 .8 . 5. Ibid ^ 3* 20. ^ ^ 6 . T a ittirF y a Braraaana - 1, 11, 4 and MahaDh2 ,rata Santi-341,25 61 actions In tho world, as a public benefactor does. The ^eneralltf 1 follows the standard of doings set up by the ?reat* Henc« for tho sake of public welfnre, man must punctually do his duty for merely lia duty’ s sake iirlth an enualle fm e of mind towards success and failure pleasure and pain etc* In support of His statwient the Blessed Lord nuotes His own example that there la nothing in the three worlds for Me to perform, nor is there anything worth attaining unattalned by He» yet I continue to work for the well-being of the world, tod again, the Blessed Lord says that if I do not act these worlds will be ruined and I shall be the author of the confusion of castes and of the destruction of these people. Following the oxfimple of Lord'SrF- the wise man must act being far fr All actions are performed by tho Primordial Matter or Modes of i Prakrti, therefore no one can claim himself to be the doer of any act, but he is helplessly driven to action by his n^ture-born quai- 4 l i t i e s . Therefore, knowing the tru th about the resp ective of Gunas or Modes of ?fature and actions holding that it is the Gunaf in the shape of the mind and the senses etc.^that move «aon^ the Gunas restinfj in the objects of perception should not get deluded 1« BhagRVftd Ol^ai 3i 21 ; 2. Ibid 9t 22,24,26 3. Ibid 3» 26 4. Ibid 3i 27 and 18i S9. // 62 1 by ef'olsm snd attachment. Hence dedicating a ll actl m i ^ The attraction and repulsiwi are rooted in all sense-objects, but nan must not be tempted by th ^ , holding them main stumbliAgo bloclcs in his way. It should be borne in mind that one’s own daty, though devoid of merit is preferable to the duty of another well 2 performed* That is to say, th© code of duties prescribed for every individual by the *Sastras according to the classification of the four castes, should be followed by the respoctivs persons* ?he arrreigement o^' the four castes made by the ^&rtis by allotting duties consistently with the special dualities of each, is for the benefit of everybody. The respective duties of Br’ahmaias, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and 'sudras have been fixed with reference to the qualities 4 arising from their inherent natures, that is frcax Prdcrtl. The inherently natu ral duties of a Brahmana are co n tro l the mind, ^ control of the senses, undergoing hardship for the sake of duty, , purity, both Internal and external, fors^ivenass, straightness of . f mind and body faith in led, the scriptures and the other world^ 1* Bhagavad GFtat St 28 2. Ibid 3i 35 and 18i 47 ?. Ibid 18: 41 4. Ibid IB* 42, 63 knovledge of the sacred lore and the knovled.^e of Hod based on 1 direct experience. The laherentf nature-born duties of the Csatriya are bravery, majesty, fipaness prowess, ingenuity, not running away frOTi the battle, generosity and the e:cerclslng authority over the subjects. Cultivation, the business of keepin^r cattle and their protection and trade are the duties of the Vai'sya born of his own nature, and the service of all the three castes iSi the *Sudra*3 duty, 2 born of his own nnture* This classification of the onstes cate into existence as a result of the difference between the inherently nature-born aualities. This arrangement of the four Cfistes has not for the first tiaie b^en introduced in the C.rta, but the same had been laid down before in the Mahabharata, It ha# been mentioned before that the eitire activity of the world results from the dlflferences in the constituents of the l^ature* Therefore all doings of tha four castes are not led by any worldly authority, but by nature, having derived their motive power from God. '^he distnRuishinp feature of the science of K»rmaorop:a has been explained in the GFt «T when Lord *SrT Krsna preaches mankind by saylng- Devoted to his own duty man attains the highest perfection in the 4 shape of Ood-Realization. As God is prevailing everywhere and is present in all beinfs by virtue of His Omnipresence, therefore if man nccordins toT the four caste arrangement serves the society by perfonaing his own duties whioh have befallen him as a result of natur®-bom qualities disinterestedly and dedicatins; all actions 1. ^hagavad oT^at IBi 42 2. Ibid _ ISl 43,44. 3. Mnhaoharata-Tana Parva - 180 and 211 and MahT^harata S^witi Parva^ IBS, AWanadha Parva - 39.11 4 . Bhagavad c r ta j IBs 45. 64 to r-od, serves Hod, the Provider of the Supreme st^te, la that very form. Thus, we conclude from the above th at any taeaber of the society can worship the Omnipresent ^od through his servlties rendered for the public welfntre. As God Himself continues to work 1 for the public good, therefore He loves those Wio maintain the vorld- order through their 3ervl:;es. In this way* the carpenters, the tailors, the shoe-makers, the potters, the sweepers, the wef)vers,i^ washermen, the farm ers, the labou rers, the a rc h ite c ts , so and so, can worship Ood In His Vlrat^^Forra, and can attain Immortality through th e ir resp ective works pprfonninc them d e s lre le s s ly , having no regard for fruit rjid with the Idea of dedicating all actions to the Supreme Being. Man attains perfeatlon by worshipping rod through his actions deslrelessly done proper to his status In l i f e and not by flow ers or by words, fo r that Parame^syara, who has created the whole of this world wills Its maintenance by Kls created beings. The meaning of the verse 46th of 18th chapter of the orta is that by perfomlng actions deslrelessly, accordli^ to one*s own status In life, a man performs a sort of worship, devotion, or prayer of that Vlr"at^formed Paraae'swara, who Is 2 inside all created beings. Here worship of r^od and devotion do not mean that man should perform the nine kinds of devotion, but he should perform all the various actions which have befallen him, according to the injunctions of the four-caste-arrangeofents as laid down In the ^Sastras, In accordance with his Inherently natural nuallflcations. Man must not perform these actions as Bhn^^avad nrtlT t 22 , 2 4 ,2 5 . 2, nI^»-T?ahasya - Vol. I by B.O. Tllak, 1936, ?• 612. 65 pertaining to himself ^ but the Idea of Ood must be in the mind and vdth a mlneless fraate of mind, dedicating all actions to God and fo r the w elfare of the society at la r? e , so th at the action irauld not be wasted and mo nt to the service or worship of Ood» It is obvious from the abovo that the path of devotion shown by nTta is based on action namely, the worship of God is observed not only by speech or by flowers, but also by actions psrformed dlslntsrestadly, pertinent to one*s own status in life and that such a worship in the form of actions must necessarily be performed by every member of the so cie ty . As we have seen above that the ^rtaT does not recognise the differance between men and women, or between Bral'manas, Ksatrlyas, Vai^^?yas and'Sudras in the path of R elease, but I t c la r if ie s th at any individual of the sov^lety belonging to any of the four->castes, whether he be the vilest si ner, man or women, Vais'^ya or 'Suidra, can attain the highest perfection in the shape of God^Realizatlon, by perfoimin^ h is duties f e l l to h is lo t in l i f e , with an e^ruable frame of mind, without attachment surrendering the fruit of actions to God and for the benefit of the society. The Divine will Is to do good for the world, so the desirest to the Divinity f^r® those who per form the actions deslrelessly, without attachment and fruit holding pleasure and pain as equal, dedicating all actions to Ood and %rlth the idea of the advancement of the world, by th e ir resp ective works. Thus we see that Lord'SrF Krsna opens the door of Paradise ervon to * ** the vilest sinner womenfolk, ’^alsyas, ^f?udras and even to those who are born of the wanb of sin, if they do their work in the prescribed 1* Ihflgavad aB;at 9i 30, 32 and Mahibh»ata -Asvwedha Parva 19 j 61. 66 Banner, e .g ., worklnfj d isin terested ly belnc f«p from fa u lt and attachment and submitting all actions to Crod, being mentally devoted to Him, It is cle^irly observed from the above that the man whose reason has become enup.ble tovards a l l , i s the highest of m ortals, whether he is a tailor, or a s^oe-maker or a butcher by profession* The spiritual value of a man does not depend upon the profession adopted by him, or on the cnste to which he is pertained, but eiv- tirely on the purity of his own conscience. God is equally present in all beings, there is none hateful or dear to Him. Those, howevar, who devoutly worship Him abide In Him and He too stands revealed 1 in them. Here too,worship does not merely mean ‘Devotion to, or meditation on <"'Od having renounced the worldly activity. For, God Himself i s the Doer fo r the advancement of the world, so He expects His created beimjs also to be the doers for the benefit of the world, and lie counts the doings of all if perforaed in the prescribed manner as laid down in the‘Sastras, as worship or devotion to Him s e lf* Thus i t i s e a s ily concluded that God can best be worshipped through the performance of one*s ov'i duties fallen to one's lot in life according to inherently natural nualitles with an equable frame o f mind, without attachment i)t fruit submittinff all actions to God, and with the idea of doing ^ood to the world. And we see that the orta* aims equally at Immortality and at universal Well-being, that is , the maintenance and sustenance of the society at large. The poslbiUty o f the fu lfilm en t of th is Divine t f i l l based on the advancement of mankind depends e n tire ly on the performance of the resp ective work* 1. Hhagavad oD:a: 9t 29* 67 of all nembers of the socjlaty such as the brwe soldier who wins suct:ess in the bqttle-fleld for the progress of his nation,the c;ultlvf?tor, the labourer the carpentar', the trader, the blaoksmith, the p o iter and even the but(3her« I f elease could be obtained by mere davotlon abandoning actions, then, all of these people would hrjTO to frive up their respective professions, aausinf: stumbllng- bl&ek to the developmont of the so cie ty , which i s absolutely undeBlrable to God, On the other hand, the preaches that it is not proper for anybody to give up the profession whish has been allotted to him as a result of his status in life and 4dopt tho profession of some one else on the basi^f its superiority. ?hat is, man must try to serve the society by being well-vsrsed in his own profession once acc^epted by virtue of his natiire»bora capabilities, Man must, b^ all means, cariy on his own bruslness which has befallen him as a result of his status in life, un- attachedly, however troublesome or undesirable it mii^hbbe* As the superiority or the Inferiority of a man does not depend upon the adoption of the profession; but his worth fr<» the spttitual point of view depends on the frame of mind, wherewith he carries on that professiorvw Therefore, one should follow his profession with a desireless fr?m 1* Bhagavad orta* 2i 68 Therefore, having endowed with pure reason, partaking of light nnd S^tvlka food dwelllnf; in a clean and solitary place, h»7lng relinquished sound and other objects of the senses, having rest rained the mind aad the senses and controlled speech, action and intellect taking a fim stand on dispassion after eradicating passion and prejudice, unbreakably absorbed in the Yoga of aedi- t at Ion having ab®doned eeroism, v iolen ce, arrogance, lu s t, anger and grood destitute of the feolins of aeiaa and caLn, every iieaber of the society howsoev>r might be his profession, attains the state of eternity, where he neither rrieves nor desires becoming s«no to all beings. In all public dealln!»s man must regard friends fo«S^ well-wishers, neutrals, mediators, the objects of hatred, 2 relfltlvos, the meritorious and the sinful alike. !K3IR^ /m WR.CT :OIfDRMKSDt- One*s own desire and wrath, begotten of the element of Hajas envelop one»s knowled?:e thus they are grossly wicked, and are erieny to one's own self* The senses, the mind, and the intellect are the restin g place of d e s ire , deluding the embodied sou l, therefore, man first controlling the senses, must k ill this wicked d e sire , which obscures the knowledge of the Absolute or Hirguaa 3 brahman and that of the Manifest Divinity. In order that a man should be able to perform all actions for the social welfare according to the four-caste arrangement and havinf^ got rid of attachment the fora of desire, he must have perfect control 1. ^hagaJd nit a* 18i 50 - 54 2 . Ibid 6t 9 3. Ibid 3* 37 - 41, 69 over his senses. Here, the Q itPs view extends only to ccmtrollii^ the senses but not to forcibly killing t.hem and giving up all actio n s, OF j-lTIO f IS STTP^HIOH TO THB TQG». OF While Lord 'Sri Krsna preached to Arjuna to make hia ready for « « « fight on the authority of J^aiildiyayoga or the Yoga of knowledge and Korfflayorra or the Yoga of action both, then on the ouestion of Arjuna as to which of these tvo ways is decidedly better| the Supreme Lord replies that the Toga of kaovled,^e and the Yoga of action both lead to Supreoe bliss| of the two, however, the Yo^a of action bein^ easier of practice is superior to the Yoga of 1 knowledge* Here, the blessed Lord explicitly prefers the path of performinr actions. We may conclude on the Divine Authority th at even he who has attained knowledge aust continue to perfora fictions dasirelessly as a duty for the uoiversal w ell-^iag till the last moment of his life. The ^rta declares that the Seakhya- yoga and the Kanaayo^a are both eoually productive of Pelease, yet gives preference to the lattdr, because of its beijig easier 2 of practice by virtue of the compulsion of the 'lature. The kirat Karoayopto that is,he who perforas his allotted duties in the detached way, with the equable fraie of mind surrendering all actions to 'lod and with the idea of social welfare, is consi-* 3 dered a 3?jnnyasin or renouncer. It is not proper to say that Ssfflkhyayoga and JCarmayoga are productive of divergent re s u lts . !• Bhagavad CjrtM 5i 2 2 , Ibid IBt 5&,60< 3, Ibidi 5i 3. 70 For, he who Is firmly established in any of the two, gets the fruit of both In the shape of God-Reallzatlon. With a view to make It more clear, Lord 'Srl Krsna emphasises th?»t the Suproae state which Is reached by the S«nkhy>3^ogln I s attained also by the Kruntayo-rln* th erefore one must see Si«khyayoga and Kanaayo;?a as one re{j«rdlng 1 their ultimate results* 'Athout performing actions, however, the yoga of knowledge or renunciation of doership in corjiectiwi with all activities of the ad-nd, the senses and the body is difficult to attain; whereas the K?irma^ogin who keeps his mind focussed on Ood, attains the highest perfeation. The Karmayogin, who h«?s fully cone quered h is mind and subdued h is senses, whose heart i s pure and who h«s i§dentlfied his self with the self of all beings n««iely God, 2 renaias uneffected, even though performing actions* It is dearly stated in the Oita that evan though the knowledge Is considered of the great Importanoe in the path of Henunclj^tion, yet the knovledge is lofc perfect unless action Is performed. But the proper action Is not perfect unless action is performed, ^ut the proper actl<» IS 3 difficult to be performed without the help of the knowledge* In th is way, the SaBkhyagoi-a and the Karmayoga are correl-ited to each other* Thus wise i s he who kriovs the r e a lity of the th in g s, even though seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing, speaking, and opening or closing the eyes must believe that he does nothing, holding that It is the senses th?»t are actllfig 4 on sense-objects by force of Mature. Ka we see from the above th at various actions are actia’is of the different orgfins of the body whloh 1. Bhagavad o ft a i 5i 4 , 5* 2* Ibid I 5t 7, S* 3* Ibid t 6i 2* 4 . l l l d t 5: 8 , 9« 71 are perfomed autonatlcally by force of nature, therefore one aust remove the egotistical sense of *1* fro* the mind in perfomlng actio n s. •If a man beccaaes a Jnanin, the organs o f breathing etc^^ will continue to perform their respective functions* Sven rraai- ning slive for a fraction of a second is in itself an action^ then where remains the difference that the JftSnin vho follows the path of Penuncintion fjivos up action, and that the Ksrmayo^in performs 1 action* Offering the fruit of actions to Cod, the K^^naayogins perform actions only with their senses, mind, intellect and body as well withdravinf: the feallntr of oeian in respect of them and shaking 2 off attachment simply for the sake of self-purification. There fore i man must by heart realize that the actions are either bodily or 5aental or intellectual hi^ving no relation of doership with his own self. In this vay man heccwies the self-controlled-3likhyayogin doinc nothing himself and getting nothing done by others* Thus the Omnipresent Lord does not pnrtake of the Virtue or sin of anyone, rnnllzin" the mental stste of individuals holdinj^ them to be the non-doers. The mind and intellect of such oersons are w^olly merged in the Supreme soul, therefore their body is guided by the Supr«ao wisdom for perfonain? the right actions, as a Sannyaisln or renounoer performs his duty without expecting the fruit of 1. G ita Rahasya - Vol. IT , B.G.Tlldc, Ed ition 19:?« p. 973 2. ^hagavad fTita - 5i 11, 12, 72 1 actions. Thus we soe that thare Is no dlffarenco between a Saimya* 2 sin or Sankhyayogin and a Karmayogin* He i s no Saonyasin who has merely ronoimced a perp^ual sacred fire , even so, he is no Ki>}rBayi»- gin who has merely .»lven up all activity, living in the forest and maintaining himself by begging and does not take part in the worldly affairs* But on the contrary, a K*irmayogin must, even in the 3t«t« of perfection, continue to perform all actions, desirelessly, and merely na duties so long as, he is alive* TRW, nvrrm of a/iiwrl&A atd tyag/u In the last chapter of the ort^, Lord %rr Krsna has sunmarised His speech delivered on the science of Karmayoga in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and <6th chapters or in other places thereof. On the recpaest of Arjuna to know the true nature of Sannyasa or Sinkhyayoga and of Ty^ga or Karaayoga, the Blessed Lord replies - Soae men of wj^om understand sannyasa as the renunciation of actions prated by desire, and others define Tyaga as relinquishing the fruit of 3 all actions. Besides, some sages emphasise that all action Is evil, and as such^should be abandoned. While others say th at a cts of sacrifice, gift and penance should not be irlven up. Though the d iction ary meaning of the words •SannyiTsa* and ’ Tyalga* I s 't o give up*, but this question has not been asked with a viiw to aarrely knowing the root-meanings of these words but to know the true spirit of these. Therefore, quoting the old views regarding ‘SannyTsa* and *Tyaga* Lord SrF Krsna explains that one should only make 1* Bhagavad rTtat 6i 1. 2. Ibid s 6t 2. 3. Ibid il8i 2. 73 1 an abiadonanent of tha hope of fru it, and should dedlc^jta all 2 ac'-.lons to r>od« I f one const dors the Uparilsadsy one ccmes across statenents, vhloh are Indicative of the abandonment of action) such fls, rnsmy persons h^ve obtained release by abandoning or mak» ing a literal Tyaga of all actions. Thus we see that the ^panl- sads and the crta say that actions performed deslrelessly should not be given up. »3<»ae of the Tpanlsads say that the man who has becoae fit for release after all desire has been destroyed In his heart as a result of knowledge| need not perform desire- prompted actio n s, which lead only to heaven, and other TJpanl- sads• such as Psavasya etc*, ^ laslst *:hat all these actions aev??r- theless, be kept going on, In order, that the activities of the 3 wtwld should , According to tho teralnolo^jy of Maiu all actions fa ll into 1. nhairtvad oTta t 121 11* 2 . Ibid 3t 30 and 12s 6* S* rTfi-HaliasyaJ)y 9.n*T ll^, 7ol.X p» 81,Edltioo 1935. 4 . Bha/javad O ita s 5t 2 . 75 actions* But the acts of saarlflcje, gift and Penanrse as laid down 1 by th« sijrlptures are Kwnya or desire-born, therefore, one must neces sarily give them up, tod If thnt Is done, the cycle of Yajnas or YajnacH^^* ^ wrld will run the risk of beln? wasted, '’’he ^rta provides solution to this conflicting idea by saying that although the scriptures have presiribed the performance of sacrifice, gift and Penance, for obtaining he^van, but It is not that these very actions cannot be performed desire- lessly and for the well-being of the world, with the Idea that performing sacrifices, or giving alsms or performing austerities 3 is one*s duty in life. Therefore acts of sacrifice, charity and penance should also be performed according to one»s social status in life , with the desireless frame of mind and giving up hope of fruit and without attachment like other desireless actions in the worldly affairs are performed, ?fow, the Supreme Lord gives His own conclusion about Tyaga or ^ellnoulshment that this Tyaga is declared to be of three kinds. S^ttv ik a Rajas4>a and Tsiaasa.^'’, The oft a repeatedly confirms that the acts of sacrifice, gift and penance should not be abandoned; they must be performad at a l l events* As sacrifice, .^Ift and penance performed by wise men purify the heqrt. That is to say, the performance of these actions causes one's generosity to increase, \diich is conductive to Release* Though all these ritualistic performances prescribed by the 'Srutls are performed In order to obtain the happiness pertaining to this 1. Bhagavad GFtai 2i 42 - 44 2. Ibid 13t 16 3. Ibid 17i 11, 17 and 20 4* Ibid 18t 4 5* Ibid iBi 5. 74 one of the tvo divisions - Klnya or Deslre-proapted and lUsklaa or Desireless. For Instance, if a certain action Is done for the fulfilment of a certain purpose, h*»vlng res'^rd to the puroose for whl2h It Is prescribed by the ’Sastras, e.g* ‘Patresti*, saorlfic# for obtalnlQfj a son, then It becanes desire-prompted action, but if the saao t Ing is done mftrely as a matter of duty without enters talnlnT the hope of f r u i t , I t becomes d esirele ss action* I t I s cle a r in the llfth t o f the ^rftiT th at Lord ^SrF Krsna asks every one to perform only the desireless actions* Here we see from the above th«*t in order to impress on the mind of Arjuna th at the p rin cip les of S(^y*sa and Ty^a both remain constant in {Cr>rm»»yoga, the Lord h^s^inlhls verse^clven these two definitions, th^t is, ‘Sanay^s^ means the total renunciation of desire-prompted actions, and the TylTga means the abandoment of hope of fruit.* Thus following the , Girhasthya order of the V^rnnsrama Dharma i*e*^'?rahmacary?i,^7^apra3tha and S*uriny^sa states sanctioned by Omrtis, men must continue to vork in • the Prescribed manner. It should be borne In mind that the srtalc Sannya^sin i s one who does not give up a ctio ia which have fa lle n to his lot in life according to his status in the society, but jjives up hope of frtilt, in all actions w^ich are to be performed. irfith a view to explain the true imports of the words SannyiTsa and »Ty^a» Lord "^SrT Krsna nuotinp; the views of d ifferen t schools of philosophy asserts that, scwie s*?’es (of the Sruwkhya school) declare that all action is faulty, therefore as such^should be abandoned, while others advocate that acts of sacrifice, charity AfiA penance should not b9 abandoned. Here, we see th at the oFta i»ientlfles the renunciation of only deslre-pr^iptad 76 worldly life, ^ut the cTtlT doas not jwivocate this sort of concdption reg»?rding these performances and adds th«t one who wishes to obtain Felease, must go ^ond these ritualistic practises, which are the result of the Sattva, Rajas and Tanas constituents, and which bring a’^out only worldly wellbeing, and must concentrate his at ten* tion on the Supreme Bein^r Who Is above all these qualities, and one should certainly perform these very ritu alistic performances prescribed by the Mimosa writers for the Purification of the Mind, and fo r public w elfare, giving up the hope of fr u it and attsclwent , dedicating all actions to God. Thus ve see that the rrrta" d eclares that one must give up desire-promptedness of one’ s a 1 reason, but not the ritualistic ^rifices# The other ritualistic performances sanctioned by the scriptures should also be per formed in the same manner* And the same meaning has been expressed by Lord 'SrF Krsna in the subsequent stanzas of the 18th chapter • • • of the ^ong Divine. Giving His considered and 'ies“ opinion Lord 'SrF Krsna an- nounces that acts of sacrifice, gift and penance and all other duties of the ritu alistic kind must be performed relinnulshing attachment and fru it. Only the prohibited actions and the actions prompted by d esire should, ao doubt, be given up, but the r e lin quishment of the actions prescribed by tho scriptures is not proper. Its abandonment through ignorance has been styled as 2 PART/UCIffG OF Taaas. And le who gives up works, because they bring sorrow or are a trouble to the flesh, thus doing Rajasa 1. Bhagavad oFtw 17i 11. 2 . Ibid 18* 6, 7. 77 1 renunclstion, obtalneth not the fruit of renunciation. As has already been ststed above, the Mimosa terolnoloj?y is not intended here* The word »KM*ya* has been used instead of ?Tiyata in the 19th stanza of the 3rd chapter of the oFta but the words *K^rya* and *fiflyata* have both appeared in 9th stanza of the 18th chapter. This verse is a Justification of the statement in verse second at the comoence«ent of this chapter, that performing the actions which have fallen to one's 2 lo t acGordinp; to the scriptures looklnj» upon such actions as a duty^ is known qs a Sattvika relinqtiishment or Tyaga in the science of Karmt^yoga. We mny say, i n other words, he v^o neither hates action, whl^h does not lead to happiness, nor is attached to action, which is condmctivQ to good, that person Imbued with the quality of good ness, has attained freed(xn from doubts, he is wise and man of true abandonment. As i t i s ouite Impossible fo r embodied beings to ren- ounce*- all action ccsapletely hence it is said that he who renounces 4 , « the fruit of action has truly renounced. Here too, Lord Sri Krsna • • • repeatedly explains th at whosoever becomes a renouncer in th is way, that by abandoning merely the hope of fruit of action, without giving up action i t s e l f , i s not affected by the bondage of any actio n . Describing the various modes of the hope of fruit of action, Lord ^SrF Krsna declares "The three kinds of results pleasant, un- pleasant a:id mixed, in this or other worlds, i.e ., in this or another life are for the slaves of desire and ego; these things do not cling 5 to the free spirit. The Gita does not admit the literal abandonment 1. Message, of the Gitai Aurbindo nhosh, edited by Anilbaran Roy, George Allen^and ^Tnwin Ltd., p. 226. 2. 9h7gavad orta: 3t 39 3. Ibid 18i 10. 4. Ibid 18i 11. __ 5 . The Message of the G ita, as in terp reted by Aurbindo and edited by Anilbaran Roy, George Allen and Thwin, p. 227. 78 of all kinds of action, but It accapts that the person who f^lves up only the Fruit of qctloa Is the renouncer In the real sense. There fore It Is cle^r that the true rellnoulslment Is the rellnnulshment of the hope of fr u it which I s labued with se lfish n e ss, that I s to say, the rellnaulshment of egoism. The word »Saikhya* used In the 13th verse of the eighth chapter of the ol^a has been Interpreted by some cooaentators as meaning the ’Vedanta-Sastra# But It Is ^ulte possible here to tqke the word Samkhya* as In Kaplla* s-3Sskhya philosophy. The assertion thqt one should not entertain the hope for the fruit of action nor the egotistical Idea th^t one does any p»^rtlcul*ir thing has 1 very often occurred In the "Xta, and that very assertion hs»s been further emphasised by saylns *nan Is not the only reason for the effect of any action comlns Into existence,* The Siakhya philosophy has mentioned tho five contributory causes for the acconpllshinent of all actions. These are - The Vlhlsthana or the body, as the seat of all activities and the organs of action - the Karta or jrvabaa, Karana or the different kinds of organs, »C«sta or the divergent actlvltes of various kinds and Dalva or tho destiny^ Whatever action man performs by body, speech and mind, be It rlfeht or wrong, these five are the aoitrlbutory causes operating there. To make I t more c le a r , th at %rtiether human beings e x is t In th is world or not, the uninterrupted activity of the world will fto on, In accordance with the usual course of Hfature. !fo one can perform any action merely by his own efforts, but all* actions done by maa 1. Bh?^gavad oD^a: 2i 19, 3* 27* 8 - 1 1 and 13i 29 79 has been brought about by his efforts coabined vlth the other activities in the world. For exsaple, f«ralni does not depend morely on the efforts of a f-iraer but the ti«»tural activities of other things like landy manure, seed, means of irrigation, o^xen etc.^are necessary for the successful production of the crops. The n*»tural activities are two-fold-fa^rourable and unfavourable to the result of one*3 efforts# Some of these activities are partly ’rnowi to us, and man makes effort after considering the favourableness or otherwise of these factors, ^ut there is existence of some unknown a c tiv itie s of n*?ture in the world, and which nre e ith e r favourable or unfavourable to the results of man's efforts, and thase are known as Destiny* If all these activities are necessary in order thnt man's effort should be successful? and if many of these activities are not within one's controlling power, or even not ^own, then boast* fully declaring that I will do this then, I will do that, or enter taining the hope of fruit of action that a certain result will 1 follow the particular action, is clearly a foolish statement# In this way, I can undotibtedly affirm that ac:;ording to the teachings of Oita one must, In no case. Indulge oneself in the feeling of egoism, while doing works sanctioned by the scriptural ordinances, as the egotistical frame of mind leads man to unhappiness. m rn-T9\fi ig^Trns lajpgt- In order to analyse action, the Blessed Lord says that, ___ 1. r,rba - HaihasyM Vol. I by B.G.Tllak, 15dition^p. 452 -55, 80 knowledge) the o b ject of knowledge and the knower - these are the three-fold Incentive to action, and the doer, the action and the orgruas of action - t>ese «re the three-fold constituents of 1 action, l^nowled^e, ^ction and Doer qre spoken of three kinds- S *ttv ik a , RaJaadL t and T«asa i in the system classifying: the three Ounas, and the ort^ leads man to gain SflTttvika knowledge, to perform 2 sTttvika action and to be a Sat^-vika doer* Sonilarly the Buddhi or Reason, the Dhrtt or Firmness and Sukha or joy are also classified into three-fold division according to the three-qualities of the Mature, and in the saBae way the ?}rta favours the Sl?ttvika type of 3 these* * WAYS FOR PTSRFORMIin PPOP^i^R ArpiQMSi- 4 **Ia order to see anything, the eyes require the help of the mind.” On the authority of this proposition of Mahabharata, we may also conclude that in oznler to hear, smell, feel, or taste tfiythin?, the ears, the nose, the skin or the tongue respectively renuire the help of the mind* It has been assured that if the mind is vacant, the object* in front of the eyes, the e«rs, the nose, the skin or the tongue are not seen, heard, ^ e lt, felt or tasted respectively* And as a l l works are done with help of these sense orf^ans and these sense-orgsns would not carry on their respective works without the help of the mind* Therefore, it is quite clear that oroper actions prescribed by the scriptural ordinances can be performed only when one’ s mind i s sound and health y, as well as capable of proper rea- 1* Bhagavad Git at 18i IB 2* Ibid I8t 20,23 and 28* 3* Ibidj 18i 30,33,36 and 37 4* Mah^hwata -'^Tanti Parvai 311i 17* 81 sonlng* Thus we may even conclude, from the above, that one must purify one* s caind as much as possible before perforoiing any actloiu For the purifioption of the mind and the maintenance of the sound 1 hed.th one's duty extends to supplyin.^ Sattvika food to oneself and doing physical exercise punctually, performing proper action according to one’s natural capacity of performing it, having ragard of punctuality in doin? one*s duty and, of pause in oroer to provide ease and comfort to the mind and the body, being pious and generous etc. Moreover one*s sound-oindednesa may also be att ained by studying the sacred literature, meditation-, mental isolation, worshipping in solitude, or by intense contemplatioa of Ood* Thus, hflving attained this state of purified mind ona does not perceive the nualities or differences in the visible world, though they exist before one’ s eyes, and thereby one re a liz e s the true form of the aon-D ualistic Supreme, which i s the ultimate goal of the humanity. It seems proper to make it clear that mentation, mental isolation, worshipping etc.^ as laid down in the are never meant to cause any sort of discomfort, un easiness, pain or injury to the body, but they are meant only to be performed as duties fixing the mind on Ood without hope of fruit of action and attachment, with the equable frame of mind in the pairs of opposites, as i^ell. The statement of Kalidasa »SarIra- madysm Shalu Dharmasadhansm* that i s , * v e rily the maintenance at the body in the sound health is the means of the true religion*, is quite applicable in the spirit of the oFtaic religion* 1, Bhagavad 18i 8 . 82 The opening verse of Isav?sy«p#inlsad expresses the tmfe s p ir it of the nitale r«nuncl«tlon - All thls^ whatever moves In this coving world Is enveloped by Ood* Therefore find your enjoyment In renun- 1 elation; do not covet what belongs to others. In other words all things which move and change derive their significance froB their 2 re la tio n to the one e te rn a l T ru th. Thus every thln^ i s f u ll of I t , 3 no p>»rt of anything exists without Its entity* BallevlnT in this Divine statemen’ , man must, by all means, do his duty fallen to his lot in life according to his status in society. It must africtly be remeitbered that one’s duty must be performed for the sake of duty only, fixing the mind on ^-od, for the sake of public good and being fully aloof from attachment* i\ll worldly luxuries, in fact, be Ion? Idfa to Ood, therefore they must be enjoyed for His saka according to His directions as laid down in the scriptural rules* We may, even on the authority of the ^:^anl3ads, conclude that man must 2onttiaue to perform h is works t i l l h is la s t breath fo r the main tenance of the world - order, surrendering his own purpose to Qod, IWie Almighty* By doin=^ h is works lik e this,m an would not be re s- 4 ponsible for his doings. Thus, whosoever sees all beings in one Imperishable j»nd Him in all beings, can h«ve no lll»feelin^s to anyone* ^ut on the contrary, he t r ie s h is best fo r the %rell» belof of all, h*»ving fully devoted himself to Tod* Therefore, man must,first of all, realise th*»t every soul is a fragment of one Supreme Soul (God) and ^rod in His Omnipresent Form prevails in all beings so that he may love all beings for pleasin?; Cod, which 1* laavasyopanisad - 1* 2* %agsTad Gltai 9* 4 3* Ibid 10* 39,42 ___ 4* Ibid 2i 50, 51, and 5* 10 and Isavasyopanlsad -2 83 is tha prior duty of a man* According to the Grta the Supreme Lord desires from His bondmen that they should let others earn their livelihood through their respev::tlve professions in the society and should let thwi live peacefully without causin,? them miy sort of damage - personal enjoyment, illegal cohabitation and lust should totally be forbidden. Man is not commanded to hold/»exual <2Vat\ Intercouse^wlth his leggl wife for his personal enjoyment «xoept for procreating sons and graudsons with a view to provide nmilti- 2 pliclty to the race* Thus we see that the religion of the ^rtsT does T»t teach mankind to perform duties for their own well-being, but for th9 welfnre of the society at large* ks Gft^ preaches in verse 5th of chapter 6th, that one should lift one's self up by one's own efforts and should not degrade oneself etc*, here, lifting one's own self up by one's own efforts is also intended to be for the public good* As every individual is a member of the society bearin’ on his sholders the responsibility of the social advanc«aent, then, having his self lifted up by his efforts, he would surely work for the public welfare* Thus we may conclude that one's own deeds and efforts for the social well-being are the true means of one's se lf-p e rfe ctio n * While doin.^ h is a llo t ted woric accordin? to his natural nualltles, m>yi should not presme that he has to toll that he himself might reap the fruit of his labour* Man is only to try his best in performing his duties, leaving the generations to coae to enjoy that fru it, thlnklnf that the advanta?:e of one's own to il and work would not be taken in one's own life time, hut it would proceed to one's children 1* %agavad ortw 16| 4 ^ _ 2* (^^rbhopaoisad - Comnented by S ri ifuni Mangal Hgri, 293S A*D* p* 25* 84 and their descradantsy there ought to be on relaxation in one* s efforts* To work alona m\ist be our guiding principle • the work disinterested and veil thought out* It is obvious fron the above stateKeot that the Kanayoga is nothing but the method vhich leads to the attainment of Divine alorj* God has declared His viU in the aita and that He has uilldd that self can be exalted only through its own efforts* Man can do everjrthing by the Divine Orace* The seienoe of Kainayoga does not look \;q>on this world as nothingy it requires only that one's motives should be untainted by selfish interest and passion in his daily routine in life* In order to give a finishing touch to His i^eadi on the science o f Kazna^/ogai the Blessed Lord imparts His sqpreme wordy the most se cre t of a ll^ that man must keap h is mind fix ed on Him (aod)y be devoted to Him worship Him and bow to Him so that he may without 1* Bhagavad o i ^ t lSi65* 2* Kathopanisad • 2tl4* 85 sacrificial ritual, oh«?rlty, rermnciatlon and othar religious actions for attaining Inuaortallty, which have been prescribed In the scriptural ordinances, Mahabharata and Anu Gita also hold this vord 1 in the same sense, takin^’ the word *Dharraa* in the above mentioned vay, Lord^Sri Krsna certainly says in this plnce, with reference to the religion advocated by the Gita, that man should not concern hiraself with the above mentioned ways of release but he should , 2 surrender himself to God alone. Though the Supreme Lord preaches nominally to Arjuna but really to every Individual through the apency of the Dialogue Divine as depicted in the Gita. Therefore taan must be sure that the Git'^c advice is not ncanlnally given to Arjuna but to all mankind. «s the Supreme Lord, in order to maintain and keep alive the tradition of this Gita-Dhar^a, that is, of the selfless action, based on wisdom and holding devotion as the most Important factor? preaches nominally to ^rjuna ’^ut in fact to every devotee that, this secret teaching of the ’ita should never be imparted to a man without austerity, nor to him who has no devotion, nor even to him who is unwilling to hear; nor again to him who finds faults with Me (God), lut this 51 vine teaching should be imparted to the devotees. The p u b licity of the most ___ 3 secret teachings of the Gita leads man to the highest good, tad he who studies this Divine Dlalo 1, Jfliahabhsurata - S^anti Parva • 344 and tou-Gita-As^va-4&, 2, GTo^Rahasya - Vol, I by B,0,Tllak, ^Sditlon 1936, pp,6l6»618, ? , T*hagavad G ftai 18* o7 - 99, 4, Ibid 18t 70, 71. 86 Lord 'SrF Krsn>» but he must try his best to understand the true » «• spirit of the Dialogue Divine and carry out the spiritual bidding by h ea rt. In fact, there is no pure devotion in the gI^ S i as is generally conceived, but it is emphasised that the devotee of the Divine Lord should perform all worldly actions vith the idea of surrea- derlng then to God, with the prideless fraoe of mind, thinking? that the entire asitivity of the world, belongs to the Supr^e Person, Who is the true Doer and the One, ''-«/ho truly causes every act to be performed, but He gets all actions performed by ua. Therefore man must perform all actions fallen to his lot in life with the conviction that all actions are of the Lord, bein? devoted to Hia att achment£less and noiwinimical towards all beings. It is obvious froffi the above th ^t the path of devotion as prescribed in the oFta does not advise us to sit down in a lonely corner, doing nothing and only utterln*?, ’ROTa^or *Hari» Hari* or *i7arayan*’ • NsTr^ana* etfe*, but in so ire s us to do a ll acts d e s ire le s s ly , and enthusiastically, side by side vith possessing an ardent devotion. It is not that the only chapter 12th of the Shagavad is based on the path of devotion, on the contrary, the whole voliane of ♦■he GUa is predominantly based on this path, which is, in fact the path of Devotional Karrap^/of^a, presentInrr the peal exaiple of the 1. Bhagavad O itai l l i 55. 87 o r ta lc derotloni Lord 'stT Krsna lays down In the r,rta that I const- «« • der them to be the best Togias or devotees who endowed with supreme faith and ever united through meditation with Me, worship Me with the mind centred on Me. koA those, however, who, controlling all their senses and evea-mlnded towards a ll, and devoted to doing good to al^elngs constantly adore as their very self the unthinkable all-pervading, imperishable, ineffa^ble, eternal, immobile, ur^- manifest and immutable Brahman, they too attain Me* Therefore, man must solely be devoted to the Imperishable i=?einp and worship Him, surrendering all actions to Him, constantly meditating on Him with sin/rle-mlnded devotion for being rescued from the oce?sn of birth 2 fuid death# The Devotee of the Blessed Lord means the devotional Karma-yogin, who performs his actions in ac::ordance with the com^ mandments of the Divine Lord, as la id down in the ''iFtT* For the facility of His deyotees, the Blessed Lord gives three alternatives in order to attain Himself • If one is unable to fix the mind stea d ily on Me, then one thould seek to a tta in Me through the Yoga of practice. If it is inpossible for him even to perform pra::tlce,th6n he shdld perform actions, such as divine knowledge, medltatloa, hyoa- slngiag etc., for Me. And, if it is not possible for him even to perform this ritual then subduing his mind, reason etc. he should 3 rellnrfuish the friilt of all actions. nescribing the superiority of the abandonment of the fruit of action, the Divine Lord states that knowled.^e is better than practice carried on without proper insight, meditation is superior to know- 1 . Bhqgavad Git at 12t 2 - 4 . 2. Ibid 12i 6,7. S. Ibid 12i 9 - 11 88 led^e and abandonadnt of the fr u it of nctions i s even superior to aeditatlcm, for there is acquired trannuillity of mind 1 immedi«itely ?ifterward3. It is not that this superiority C3f the d e sire le ss kgrmayoga has been mentioned here only but i t i s repeated variously throughout the a ft a. I t i s clcj?r from the above that the practice of the desireless karffia-yoga, that is to say, the abandon ment of the fruit of action which includes both spiritual tewwledge and devotion is the most superior path of all. In order, to explain the true spirit of th5 oFtaic devotion Lord 'Sri Krsna« « V declares that he who is free from malice tov^jrds all creatures, who is friendly as well ns compassionate, who hss no feeling of meum and i s fre e from ei^oism, to w^ am pleasure and pain ar« alik e and w^-o is forgivin? by nature, who is aver contented, controlled, determined and who h*js dedicated his mind, body and senses and has a firm resolve, who has surrendered his mind and intellect 3 to Me - such a devotee of Mine i s dear to Me# ^lie ^hagavnd C rT tti fu rth er explains devotion as he who is not a source of annoyance to the world and who never feels offended with the world, who is fre e from delight and an<:er, perturbation and fe a r , who cr*?vos for nothing, w^ o is both internally and externally pure, is clear and im p a rtia l, and has risen above a l l d is tra c tio n s , who abandons 4 the feeling of doership^ in all undertakings, - ths?t devotee is the beloved of the Dir«ie Lord* Moreover, he who n eith er re jo ic e s nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, who relinquishes both good and evil and is full of devotion to the Suprewe ^ein^, who is 1* Bhagavad c r ta i 23t 12. Ibid s 3s 8 , 5t 2 , 6s 4^ etc* Ibid 12i 18, It. 4, Ibid 12: IS - ffl.16. 89 equal to friend and foe, honour and Itrnomly, heat and cold, pleasure and pain e tc., ifind Is fref% from attachment, to vhoa praise and dlsp!)ragement are both the sacie, %rho is given to contenplatioa and itxji is contented with whatever ccKnes unasked for, without attachMnt to hone, fixed in aind and full of devotion to the Lord* And those who fully partake of this nectar of pious wisdom aentioned above, who are endowed with faith and nr3 solely devoted to the ParameWara, those devotees of the Divine Master are extretaely 1 de«r to Hin* In short, there is not a siagle verse availa^ in the Gita, w^ ich preaches mankind to lead an ascetic life , abanp- donin^ worldly actions* It cannot be said that the Gita favours the renunciaticm in the shape of abandonment of action; because there is side by side another definite proposition of the Gita that even the wise whose mind i s saturated with th is abandonment, should with th is renunci*»tory frame of mind, give up the fr u it of aoti 1* T^hagavad Hitai 12i 17-20 2* Ibid 2i 47 and 51 3« Ibid 3t 5 and 18t 99* 90 that thsre is no existence of the puro devotion In the TritTi. leadin’ to insctioni but there is thj?t of devotlonnl Karm«jyoga based so lely on the nbgndonoeut of f n i l t of «3tlon. 3endeania;T the a ctio n les ness of the Samkhyayogins Lord Isrl Krsns» • I sta te s that surely none can remain inactive even for a momantj everyone is 1 helplessly driven to astion by his n^ture-bom rjuallties* While the Divine Lord says thus, how 3an a devotee live inactive as action is surely incrluded even in thlnkinsj or mutterim; the Divine rjames* In order, to ^Ive exaoples of TTis preachings to all nankind, the Blessed Lord Himself advises Arjima to perform his dutias dvellini? in yoga^ rellneuishing attachmeit and beiat? iadifferent 2 to success and failure. Thus we see that the aita undoubtedly preaches Kawaahjroga «ccompanled with the s p iritu a l knowled;^e and devotion* It has ^een ascertained froa the a'^ove illustrations that the Gita does not preach pure devotion as is generally conceived, but i t doubtlessly preaches the devotional KansiB^ofa* Therefore, nan must continue to work throughout his life tima, in the above mentioned manner* sotyi: OTin- oiLiG.yrio?T5t Lord 'Sri Krsna condemns the traditional and customary misleading 3 b e lie fs of ancient tihies which were ararued by ^ ju n a in the words • age-lonj^ family traditions disanpear with the destruction of a Taad-ly and with the destruction of a faaily «Did virtue having been lost, sin t^^es hold of the entire family, thus with the prepoadereace 1. Bhasavad Oltai 3|6 and 18t 99 2 . Ibid t 2t 48 S . IM d I 2i 2 - 10 91 of vl:re, the women of the fm ily be-^oae corrupt; «ind with the corruption of weoen, there ensues intermixture of castes. And the Intermlxtur® of cnstes leads the destroyer of the r«ce, «s well qs the race Itself to hell. Deprived of the offerings of lumps of rloe and water (^Sr^ddha » Tarpana etc#); the manes of their race also fall* According to the tradltloi of the Vedj»s, t^ese'Sraddhas Tarpana etc., could only be offered by the surviving offsprini^s of the manes. Therefore, people were too afraid of the intermixture of the blood, and consequently they were not ready to k ill even the desperadoes of their faaiily, out of fear of accruinf' sin to them 2 ___ thereby* lut the Gita Preaches mankind not to follow such path of narrow-mindedness* One must believe that those who ore obsessed by desire «id devoted to the sacrifices and other ritu alistic performance sanc tioned by the Vedas - Rg, Yajur, and sSia w^o look uoon heaven as the suoreme goal and argue that there is nothin^; beyond heaven are foolish, ^hey utter high-flown speech reooiamendlni^ aiany acts of various kinds for the attainment of pleasure and prcsperity with rebirth as their fruit* And know that those whoso minis are carried away by such words and who are deeply attached to worldly pleasure and prosperity, cannot attain the determinate intellect concent- 3 rated on Hod* One must remember that the Knrraa-Kahda or relid to u s p ractice of the Vedas makes men Indulfre in the three oualities of Prakrti Sa ttv a , H^Jas and T®aasbut the Oita teaches mankind to be a'-ove thea* Therefore, the authority of the Vedas in this respect is 1. BHa^ravad hitii It ^ - 42* 2* Ibid It 3 6 , 45* 3* Ibid 2t 43, 44, 92 1 •xpHcltly opposed by the Biassed Lord* Tnow that the seeker of the yo^a of equanimity or performing proper action transcends the fruit of actions performed %flth some 2 motive as la id down in the Vedas* Be sure th at the most fruitful four-araed form of Lord'Sri Krsna is neither seen through the study of the Vedas, nor by penanc«| nor by charity, nor by ritualistic performances, nor by sacrifices, but it can be s-sen through the single-minded devotion, in perfor- 3 ning actions proper to one’s nature in the world. AS regards austerity, Oita s^tys the worship of gods, Brihamas elders and the vise, purity, str-?lghtness, continence and non-vtolenae these aro the austerity of the body. iUid unoffeiv sive, truthful, agreeable and wholesoce spaoch, and practice of study of the sacred texts and the Japa of tha divine naae-these 4 are the austerity of speo A. Cheerfulness of mind, serenity, habit of meditation on ^od, self-control and purity of heart - 5 these are the misterity of mind. ■^e sure th »t those who .-^re c*cHnpletely deluded by the three modes of Pralcrti, remain attnched to these '^unas and actions, « $ the wise shouli not unsettle the mind of those lnsui*flcl«ntly Imowin^^ fools, but should get them to perform all their duties 6 duly performing them themselves. As reg^irds Varna-Vy avast hi or caste-system, the '^ita does not 1. Bhagavad Oltat 2| 45, 46, 53« 2 . I 6t 44. 3. Ibid I 11: 45,5S, 54 4. Ibid I 17i 14, 15 5. Ibid : 17* 16 6. Ibid t Os 26,29. 93 reco^lse the racial «<’flU?itlon to the various castes of the s o d 0fty, but It accepts the natural bent of Blind of mankind In order to divide th«r\lnto different onstes* For exa tpla, Hi^ahmanas, Ksatrlyas, Valsyas and'r^uHras p.re not accepted by the oFt^ on acaunt of their birth but they ?.ro judged by vlrttie of their n^ture^ 1 born rjualltles. !• ^haf!avnd C it^ I8i 41-44. fl tt M K l D TJ ? I S I 7 T H ^ 0 ^ ^ ^ ^ D •L H D. I B ^ ^ A .2. ?. I,.r„ I. C,.A 1X-P--L 94 C H A P T * R I I I m Lm T>mms m rm their classificatidms The duties of m«i as pre&ribed In the Hbly ouren are, li( According to the holy volume of the ourfe man’ s ultimate goal is to attain salvation, and the salvation can only be attained by following the path suggested by God in the itself* Hence it is clear that whatever duty divine or worldly is laid do\m in the ^ursm for its performance is deemed to be for the attainment o f man's ultim ate goal-salvation* As the nuran i s the ccxaolete code of httaan life passed by Allah Rinself to be enforced aaiong mankind. 05 therefore, It «^pears beflttl g to understand the true spirit of all outlines of the 'niran before their enforcement* Focr, the Our^Milc verses www not revealed In their continuation, h! TTLLffl OR D urns TOWARDS "OP The divine duties take in their fold the duties relating to the doctrines of God, rev ela tio n . Judgement and salv atio n e tc* As no action or enforcement can be successful without knowing the mnt nature of the act itself, therefore, man du# to his nature- born qualities desires to know much enough about the object to which he owes some duty* As God is Himself the Author of the divine Oode, therefore, msui naturally desires to know, ^ o is God? Vtiat are His attributes? To deal with the first tnstiiHssx important point some disou^sslon on the nature of God is esse itial« CONT^.PTIOri OF GOD Man's prior duty must be to conceive '’od, the ^eator of the whole Universe, the Embodiment of e x iste n ce , knowledge and m icht. God introduces Himself In the rtursm by the mystic words - Alif, ^ o i, Mim, meaning, I aa A l l ^ , the best knower* God Himself inspires unto His a ^ stle Muhammad to declare aaong mankind that ' » 1. The Holy our»§o t As iateppreted by MaulvT Mohammad A ll, Second Edition 1920, Al-’^anarah t 1 96 He is Cod, one, Ood, the l?verlasting Refuge, Who h?»3 not begotten and has not been liegotten, and equal to Him Is not any one* He must be conceived as superior to the antagonistic tendency of reproduction) The characteristic of the perfect ego is one of the most essential elements In the rWanlc conceptl<»i of C-od. The other constituents of Crod, froo a purely Intellectual point of view, bsln;^ of greater Importance are creatlv en ess, omnipotence, knovledf^e and e te rn ity . The knowledge of Ood Includes the knowledge of the creato r « and the creation canprlslng the universe, the soul, and clr^imstances of the heaven and hell after death. The realization of the icnowleige of God and His works brings about human perfection. But this state can be reached only when the barriers of the heart Precluding su<* 3 re a liz a tio n are removed. The general p rin cip le which I s proclaimed In the scrip tu re of I s I ot to govern the conduct of the prophet himself and of thtise who believe, are b«sed on the fundfloental as’ianptlon that Ood 4 created both men and wtxaen frcM a single soul, and He sees, hears 5 and knows everything that they do. Allah Is Able to do all things, and enjoins upon believers to do Justice and good, and rjlve to kindred their due, and to fu lfil His covenant and to make All)* 6 7 your surety. He knows the nature of man* s breast and UTTto Him 1. The Holy nuTtf>- As translated ^ A. J. Arberry, First Edition - 1953, Al-Ikhla^ 1-4 2. Six Lectures on the Reconstruction of Rellglcwis ThoughMn Islam by S ir Muhammad^ Irjbal P .88. 3. T?thlcal Philosophy of Al-oHaz’SlT - Vol. I,Part III- by M.'ilhiar- udlln, P. 201 4* The Holy nurah - An-NlsS-l - 5. Ibid Al-Banarah t 20,^ 2 3 ,2 3 7 , and An-Hurt 28. 6. Ibid to-!fahl* 90-91 7. Ibid Ai - Onfall 45. 97 1 all things are brought back. Allah Is th« source of all th la^, to whom all erasures return, the Powerful who fixes all, the king of the kingdom who rules all; the Foreeful, the Guardian, the nreat, the All-compelling, the Haughty. Re is Creator, Msfeer and F*»^ioner. Re sustains as llfe-giver and Provider, He is the 2 Dooinator or Victorious *ftio subdues all things to His w ill. Allah is the Sear of all but is seen by irrone. He is the Truth or Reality, and is '’equiter, the Judge and the owner of the Day of Judg^ient. He loves those who fellow His messenger Muhanmad* 411ah is iTigh 3 and answers the Prayer of His suppliant. Of the five fundamental principles of belief viz., faith in 1. The Holy 'mran - Al-Anf alt 44 2. The Teaching of the ourwi - by H.7.V. Stanton Editl>on I P.34. 3 . The Holy our an - Al- Banarah i 188, 4. Ibid - Til-l-lmranj 151. 98 and ' Ar-RahlB* His mercifulness has been declared by God Hlaself In the vordsy •* My mercy encanpasses a ll things*" This is why the apostle who pretehed this conception of the Divine ®ein? is rightly sailed in the oui^an as • ^almatullilaliain* or *a mercy to 1 the worlds. Thus we may conclude from the above th at every one most^ by a l l means^worship and praise f>od ifho is the Creator of all beings^ the knower, the VMLse, the Responsive, the Aware, the Omnipresent, the Omnipotent, the Defender^the Almighty and the owner of the Glory etc., as the opening words of the ^rah suggest Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, the ^eneficient, the Merciful, Owner of the Day of Judgement, '^heeo (alone) we worship^ Thee (alone) we ask for help. Show us the straight path, the path of those whom thou hast favoured; lot (the path) of those who earn thine anger 2 nor of those w’-o go astray". Imw Hanifa says that, Just as Cod*s essence is unchangeable so is f!is name, and that Allah has always been the name of the great Sternal Beiig. Coil’s attributory names are said to be idiiety nine on the authority of the ouran for invoking Him by th«i. The table of those names is given by Muslim and Boldiari in their ccl- 4 lections of traditions. Therefore one must realise that Tod is the Creator and Restorer of all things. Ho is the First and the last 5 and the Outward and the laward and He i s the Knower of a l l th in g s. 1* The Holy ^urant Al-fl«biyai 107 2 . The meaning o f the niorlous Koran - by M .Pickthal T/^ndon neor^e Allen and TJhwine L td ., Mus^m S tr e e t, Sditfcon 1930, Al-ritihahi 1-7 ^ _ 3 , The Holy Ourmi Al - Aaraf* 180 4* Notes on Mohaomd - jjuiismi by T .P . Hu^’hes Second E d ition 1877 P. 2^-263. . - 5* The Holy Ourai t Al-Hadid 3. S9 1 He Is %rlth every-bodjr wheresoever one be* He is closer to maa than 2 3 his neck volru His face is In all directions* tod He encompasses 4 all things. He does whatever He pleases, He is the Master of the 5 Glorious Throne, and lalghty force and directs His sincere servants on the rig h t vayf and favours those who have once borne testimony to His unity by preserving their confession from the darkness of doubt Old hesitation* He directs men to follow His <^osen messenger and to go a fte r h is most honourable companions to irfiwa He vouchsafed His assistance and direction, which is revealed to thea in His essence and operations by the excellencies of His attributes, to the knowledge, whereof no one attains but He has been t«ught by hearing* To these as touching His essence He aakes known that He 6 is one and has no partner, Singular without any thing Uke unto 7 Rim, uniform havin?: no contrary, separate havin?: no eoual* "He is ancient, having no first? eternal, having no beginningi remaining for ever, having no end; continuing to eternity, without any termination* He persists without cerising to be; re?f»alns without falling, and never did cease, nor ever s^all cease to be described by glorious attributes, nor is subject to any decree So as to be determined by any precise 11 sits or set times, ’>ut is the ^‘irst and 8 the Last, and is within and without*" On the contrary, God is not a being embued with form, nor a substance circumscribed with lim its or determined by measure? neither does He resemble bodies as they are capsule of being 1« The Holy oux^an* Al-Hadidi 4 2* Ibid I QsTi 16 3* Ibid t Al-Baa^.rahj 115 4* I'^id I A»-71s|i 126 5* Ibid * Al-H,adid 4 6* Ibid t 4t-Tauba^ii 129 7* Ibid 4 8* ^otes on Moh«nnadanismi by T*P,Hu5 e s . Second e d itio n ,1877, Iiondoti, W*H*Allen and lo* 13, Waterloo F la ce, S*W.P*89* 100 Measured or divided. " H|^'it3 upon the throne, after that manner vhich He Himself hath described and In th«t sense vhich He Himself means, which is a sitting for removed from any notion of contact, or resting upon, or local situation; but both the throne itself, and whatsoever is upon it , are sustained by the goodness of His 1 power, and are subject to the grasp of His hand*" GQP«S POWBRt God is ever living. Powerful, Mighty, Omnipotent, nat liable to any deficiency or impotence, neither slumhering nor sleeping nor bein' abnoxious to decay or death. To Him belongs the sovereigMy 2 of the hoavens and the earth* His is the dominion and ths excellency, and the creation, and the C(xnmand thereof* The heavens are folded up in His right hand and all creatures are couched within His grasp* His excellency consists in His creating and producing, and His unity in comnunicating existence and a beginning of beings* He created men and th e ir works and measured o^it th e ir maintenance and their determined times* HIS KtO./IgDGSt As regards the knowledge of God, Allah Himself declares in 3 the ouran • I aa Allah the best kno%rer. He comprehends idiatsoever comes to pass from the extremities of the «arth to the highest heavens* Even the weight of an ant could not escape Him either in 1* Motes on Mohaamadanlsmj by T*P, Hughes, 3ocond E d itio n ,1877, Lond, W.H. Alien and Co« 13,Waterloo Pl^ce, s*w^*70. 2« The Holy Oui^an - Yimusi 4 and Hudi 7 Al-I-»Im rant26, 3* The Holy - Al - ^aqarahi 1, 115 etc* 10 1 earth or In henvan; but H« can perceive the blpck ant la the dsirk nighty and discerns the motion of an ^tom in the open air. He knows what is secret and conceals it, and views the conceptions of the ainds and the noticms of the thoughts, ?md the utmost recesses of secretsy by a ’aiowled??e ancient qnd eternaly th at never ce<;sed to be His a ttrib u te from e te r n ity , and not by any mw knowledgey superqdded to His essensey either inhering or inventltious, ■ Mothlng passes in the emplrey nor the kingdc®, neither little nor auchy nor m a ll nor «rreaty nor i^ood nor evlly nor p ro fita b le nor h u rtfu ly nor f a i t h nor in f id e lit y , nor knowledge nor ignorancey nor prosperity nor adversityy nor ln:;re«se nor decreasey nor obe dience nor febelliony but by Allah's determinate counsel and decree and His definite sentence and w ill. I t Is Alli^ Mftio is the Creator and the Restorer of all things. He is the sole operator of what He pleases; there is no reversing His decree nor delaying what He has detemlned, Thare is no refuf^e to aan from his rebellioi against Him, but only His help and mercy. 7o man has any power to perform any duty towards Him, but through His love and w ill. All men, Jinns, angels and devils are ^uite unable to put one single atom in motion or cause it to ::ea3e its moticmy without His w ill and approbatlony His w ill subsists in ^Is essence adongst the rest of His attrlbutesy Allah creates what He w tlls." If He decreeth 1. ffotes on MohanmadanlsM- by T.P. Hughes, Second Sdltlon ]jB77, London, ’.Ai. H.Allen and Co., 13, ii/aterloo Place 3.W.P.73. 2. The Meanlne of the glorious Koran - as tran slated by M .P lck th all, London, Oeorrie, Allen and rinwln Ltd., MuseiM Street Xl-i-»lBran,447 102 HI3 »«ro ST-.HTl !fo audible object, how s till soever escapes His heariag| nor i s any thing visible so small os to escape His sight; for distance is no hindrance to His hearing, nor darkness to His sight* "He sees without pupil or eyelids, and hears without any passage or ear, even as He knoweth without a h e a rt, and performs His actions without the assistance of any corporeal limb, and creates wit’ out any Instnnaert, for His attributes or properties are not like those of men, any aore 1 than His essence is like theirs, HIS 4llah speaks, commands, forbids, promises and threatens by m eternal, ancient word, through the agency of His archangel Gabriel. His voice is not similar to that of the crestur^js, and it does aot consist in a voice arising from the emotion of the air and the col lision of the bodies. But He sperfcs, commands, forbids, pr(xnl3e8 and threatens by His revelations « the nur«i, the Torah, the Gospel, and the Psalms as well as other scriptures revealed from time to time to His apostles, as divine gttkles to mankind* Of these, the Onrsa is the final scripture preached by Idd Himself through His revelations. It is the complete code of human life for all times to coiae. This i s why God caamands a l l mankind to re c ^ lte and under stand the Ouraa. Therefor© man must give ear to its recitation. 2 iriien it is recited. 1. Motes on Mohgaaimadaiaai • by T .P , Hughes, Second E d ition 1B77, Londonj Wla* Allen and Co*, IS , Wi^terloo Place s.w .? .7 5 . 2 . The meaning of the Glorious Koran • as tran slated by M# Pick- thall,^Ip n d on , Georpe Alien and ’Tnwin L td ., Museum S tre et* Al - af t 204. 103 HI3 WDBKSi Allah is wise In His doings and Just in His decrees. ^ His Justice is not similar to the Justice of aen, "'here is nothing that belongs to any other besides Hiaself, so thst wronf» is lot imputable to Him as aeddllng with thing* not aupert ainin^r to Fin* All things • Jinnsi men, the satan, angels, heaven, earth, paradise, hell, animab, plants, substance, accident, intelli(?ible,3en3i51e etc,, w^-^re all created by Rim, by His mere u tterin g »Kun* i . e , ; * B e l , He created a l l things originally for the manifestaticm of His ®ower and w ill, and the confirmation of His word w' ich was true from all et»m ity. It is not that Re stood in need of these things; hut He manifestly declared His glory in creatin g , Produain^ and coamanding without beia» under any obligation, nor out of lecessity. He is the Author of kindness, compassion, mercy, favour, grace and beneficence* It is in His Power to pour forth upon men a variety of torments, and affli'Jt them with various kinds of sorrows aid diseases, whi^h, if He were to do, Hia Justice could not be arraigned, nor would He be chargeable with injustice. Tet He rewards those who worship Him for their obedience, on account of His promise and beneficence, not of their merit, nor of n ecessity there i s nothin^r fo r whi^h He can be tie d to pe’^orm; nor can any In ju s tic e be supposed in Him, nor can He bo und?r any obllfratlon to any person whatsoever, ’’^lese are, in s'-ort, the a ttrib u te s , oowers, works, knovled?re and w ill of AHah, whereby, •Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Wbrlds* i s asserted in the ope4ninT words of the Olorious Oui^. Therefore, it is the blndinr; duty of a man to praise and worshln Allah, *:he Hain^ of Divine and Imperious ^lories. i. keanl^' of ^he Glorious Koran - as ^raaslated by M.PickthaijL, London, 'Teor^e Allen and TJnwin L td ., Al-i-*Imrans 4 7 , Alp-An‘« i 7 3 104 SAl^ 0-> PRATCR Prayer is the first Pillar of the Islsalc faith. It Is prescribed for all Bankind in the one\ng wordsof the Holy ^uran In the words - 1 " •^hee alone W3 worship*• It Is clear from this statement that the prayer whould be offered to one 'Eternal Beln?: Allah who is the Lord of the '*>rlds, the ’beneficent, the Merclfulfbwner of the Day of 2 Judpmant* The worthy of worship, according to I sI otI c religion is He, who his no p?»rtner, eternally besought of all, who h??s not begot- 3 ten, and has "lot been be?:otten and equal to Him there Is none, Whll« Introduclner the our«i in the Itself, trod ?:lves iaportfuice to the establishment of worship in the words • '^is is ths scripture, wherefif there is no doubt a ^uldanoe unto those who ward off evil, who believe in the unseen and establish wors'-ip, and spend of th^t Vb hflve bestowed upon them, tod who believe in that which is re vealed unto thee (Muhaomd) and th*»t wl^ich was revealed before thee^ and are vjertaln of the Hereafter* These depend on guldence from their i Lord, These nre the successful. In judj^lns of the spiritual char*»cter of T sI^, we must take into careful ’onsider^^tion the precise ch«racter of that devotional service which every Muslim i s re?7ulred to render to -od at le«st five times a day. It is remarkable th«t there is but one ?*?3sa^e in the Quran in which the stipulated tlTies of nrayer are enjoined and that i t mentions only four and not fiv e p^^riods - *01o rify '^od whei i t is evening (s ^ i), and at mornins (subh), and to Hiai be praise in the heavens Jind in the e^rth, at pftenoon ( as^i) and at noon time i r ? he 'ffoTr ^UT^an” 'AI------2. Th« Meaning of the Glorious ^oran - as translated by M. Pick- _ th a l, London, C^or^e Allen and 7nwin L td ,, Musem S tr e e t, Al-Fa- tlh ah : 1-3. (Contd. on pagel«^r> 105 (dlkihp)** But €ill coaaientators are of the opinion that the evening prayer Includes both sun-sst-prayer OMaghrlb) and after siin-set prayer( * Is% ) • It is absolutely necessary that the service of the prayer should be perfomed In Arabic; and that the clothss and the body of the worshipper should be cleaa, nnd that “he prtying- plflce should be free fran all impurity. It may be said either pri v a tely , or in JOiijkany, or in a Moscfue - although serv ices in »aosque are more meritorious than those elsewhere, T*he worship is always preceded by ablution or Vusu; that is , by washing of the face, haiids, faet e\:c. Thus \huu Is rwcessary before every time of prayer. And the Ohusl or tha >asMn?'; of the whole body is perfonried after certain legal defilements# Then the prayer begins with the our ail 3 wording- /\<5zubillahi- Viz., I seek refuge in God from S-’tan the outcast, /ifter which the Tasmiyah is repeated - "In the time of Allah the "^eneficont, the Merciful". Then follows the opeAlng Surah of the mirm - A l-F ^ih ah . •*Af^:er th is, the wors Ipper can repeat as many 3hapters of the nuraa «s he may wish; he should, at le a s t, r e c ite one long or two 2 short VrirGes.". And thus, the prayer should be performed in the pressribod mann.^r according to the tiaes. sa-,raiLflgQPHy, of n r The ^rah has laid great stress on the necessity of the worship 3« The Holy Ouriii - A l-Ikhlast 1-4. 4. Ibid 17-18. 1. Ibid Al-Ikhlasf 1-4 2* lotes on MohaaJiaadaaism - by T,P. Hughes, Second Edition, 1877, London, Via. H.Allen and Co., 13, Waterloo Pl^ce S.W. P. 107. 106 because it vmts the world to turn to be the devotee of God. If one claims himself to be e Muslim, but his heart is devoid of the divine love, he is like an almond crust whluh has ao kerri^i within it* For t that Kernel which the oura. offers is the reauisition of human-beings continual prStice in having their hands at their allotted works and their souls in the renacabrancs of Allah at the same tloe* The '^ui^an represents the words of Allah - T created the jinn and h’>raanklnd only 1 that they sight worship Me.** In fast, he who has surrendered himself to the love '*od is sure to hwe attained the hi“;hest perffiction* Several perscms, if^norant of the Islamic teachings, often say that when their hearts are enlightened with the divine I^ove, they need not express i t by the outward motions of th e ir lim bs. *^o say th*>t irtien one’s heart is blazing with the divine Love the O'ltward physical motions are useless is m app'>rent l^ck of understanding. For it is quite impossible that there is love in one’s heart, but it does not . express i t s e l f outside. The inward and the outward of a human being are linked toeether with a deep rel^^tlon. It is absolutely impossible that we have deep lo v e concealed without its effects on our outside, 'T’herefore, the practl^ial worshir? of Islam, resting in the physical limbs is rfuite natural and praiseworthy, Wa very often experien'ie even in this world that when we respect a parson, we pay him resTject by standinrr and bowin? our h^jad to him, when he :;ones to us. This expression of love and respect is naver deliberately done, but rather it is instinctive and automatic, " While offering Namaz, a person stands respectfully, T^is way 1* Keaniag of the Glorious Koran - T’ranslnted by M.Pickthall, London, Adh - Dhurriyat s 53, 19? of Standing teaches him that he should st?ind in rcspect to every coouaand of r-od slnillnrly with as much respect that he should eractL* cate pride, envy, hatred, self conciet and other evils af differemt kinds from his heart. His stooping down nfter standloi^ teaches him that humility is the precious element of a true Muslim’s nature# After th is he must straighten h ia s e lf onoe raora which Enlres him realise that it is humility that exalts a man. His final prostration in order to pay hoaa^e to his Creator indicates his sincerity along with his self tr;«isportation where having scyerfed himself from worldly connections, he pleads of his Inferiority before his Makar* The best way of expressin-^ one’s helplessness Is prostration} anl It is only for this reason that paying haaage by way of prostratiotn In 1 Islam to any other than Allah is strictly prohibited". The prayer is one of the aost fundamental principles of the I s l « i i c religio n # I t i s so i.aportant a duty Imposed on every Muslim that any one who deliber!^tely avoids prayers is a nominal Muslin* Such a man caa not ple*?se his Maker, Allrii, the Almighty, who does not offer Him prayers five times a da/| and that ha should not shirk in his duty in this respect at any r a te , whether merry or angry# TMs duty of offering prayers in I sI sbh I s imposed on everybody, whether child or aged, whether man or won an, whether boy or girl# ’’lillien a man does not offer his prayers It is siipposed that his he^rt is absolutely - 2 blackened by the h o s tile ideas «»gainst Islam#“ By imposing on everybody the five-tl:es prayer, the ouroa teaches us th«t we should not forget our Lord rmyway whether wa are in comfort or discomfort, '^h© Oura Ic prayers a^'e like thanksgiving# The colleo- 1# Fear Mlah and Take Your own part by Al-HaJ-Oasslm Jair«bhoy, E d ition 1931, P, 106# 2# m d i P J. 108-109# 108 tlvo prayer is guessed to be preferred on the authority of the ryarak when the .almighty says - *^ov down yourselves v lth those who bow 1 i - down ^tn worship)* Therefore, all believers of the i^ran, should pray to five times a day, in all conditions - whether in happiness or in misery fo r pleasing th e ir Maker* ALM-^OIYirfG The almsgiving plays the secondary role in the five pillars of the Islamic faith. The jixabic equivalent for the word Uasgiving or poor-due is 2akfft ( lit . • Purification* )• The Our?Ei does not it self fix the a:iount of the charity but it declares about the amount • Do not make your hand to be shackled to your neck nor 3 stretdh it forth to the utiaost limit of its stretching forth. It is hereby clear thnt in teaching almsgJhrlng, Islan asks its follo wers to be moderate. The necessit/ for almsgiving besides being a help to the poor, Is that it kseps a person aloof from becoming hard heartened. If a person is not charitable, the people say about him that he is not good because he has failed to feed the hungry, clothe the naked «»nd shelter the hcaneless. Islam tells of the methods in which charity c;an be given. ’•tJhlike ch arity in Hinduism in whl^h i t i s very r e s tr ic te d , that is alms can only be given to the Brahmanas and to non3 e ls e , In Islam it is not so but it is open to all poor-ones. Like the Gospel, the 1. Alcoran - as explained by I'eorno S ^ la , London, W illiw Tegg and Co., 18W, p.6« _ ___ 2 . The Holy *^Lirah • Bani Is r a ils 29. 109 j * OUTffii asks its followors that alms should bo given, but hastens to add unlike Gospel, that only when a person wishes the laprovemant of the self, Af^aln, unlike i^rospel It asks that It should be given openly, so that others may ^et Inclined to follow the example and that children may l^arn about It, About giving alms openly the ■ * Ourwi says - those who spend th e ir property by Mght and by day secretly and openly, they shall have their reward from their lord and they shall have no rear came upon themselves, nor shall they grleve," 71 e reason for such almsglvlnfj Is given In the ^irao In the words - ** If ye publish your alms^^lvlng. It Is well, hut If ye hide It aad give It to uoor, It will be better for you, and will atone 2 for some of your ill-deeds#** .-3 The almsgivln/’ Is repeatedly commanded in the nuran. The Importance of the '^luranlc ch arity I s fu lly realised when we ?o through the divine version It Is not righteousness th«t ye turn your faces to the Ki^st and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah, and the Last Dfiy and the angels and the Scrip tures and the prophets? and glveth his wealth, for lo'e of Him, to Kinsfolk, and to orphens, and the neediyand the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper wor^ 4 sMp and payeth the poor-due. It has also been comrianded In the Holy ouran that alas are for the poor wfo «re straightened for the 5 cause of Allah, who cannot travel in the land for trade, Allah 1* Fear Allah and Tjika your Own Part by Al-TIaJ Passim All Edition P31, pp. 151,152. 2« Meaning of the Glorious Koran • as trnns* by M.Plckthall, George .Allen and Onwin Ltd,Museitti 3 tr e e t, Al»Baoaraht27i. 3. The Holy - Al-Baqar(ihj 43-??3-110 etc, 4 . Meaning of the Glorious Koran - Trans, by M .P lck th all, George Allen and Tnvin Ltd., Museiaa 3trest Al-Baqarahil77. 6. Meanlnr, of the Glorious Koran - Trans, by M.Plckthall, George Allen and Thwin Ltd.,Museum S tr e e t, Al-^artarah 2T5. 110 says l a the o u r^ th at " the lik en ess of those vho spend th e ir wealth In Allah’s way is as the likeness of a grain which groweth seven e«rs, la every ear a hundred grains. Allrfi gives increase 1 manifold to whom He wills. * those i^o spend their wealth for the cause of Allah and ?ift8rward3 make not reproach and injury to follow th at which they hqve spent; th e ir reward i s v ith th e ir lord and there shall no fear come upon th.em, neither shall they grieve. It should also ho minded that, according to nuran kind word with 2 forgiveness Is better than a3jasgivlng followed by injury. • Allah commands His believers by saying - 0 Ye who believe I Render not vain your almsgiving by raproach and injury, like him who spends his wealth only to be seen of oen aid does not believe in Allah and the Last Day# The.likeness of such an almsgiver is as the liken ess of a rock whereon i s dust of en rih j a raiastorm sailtes S it, leaving it smooth and bare. "And the likeness of those who spend th e ir wealth in search of Allah»s pleasure and fo r the strengthening of their souls, is as the likeness of a garden !• Meaning of the Glorious Koran a; ’^rans. by M .P lck th all, George Allen !tfid "Tnwin Ltd ., Museum S tr e e t, AMaoarah 253.261. 2. The Roly W ot - Al^'^afjarahj 262,26-3, 3. Ibid I 264. 4. Ibid * 2Q5. I ll 1 Ovner of Praise*. This divine statement has been commented by the emlntnt scholars of Islm lc theology in the following manner - Alas- glvinp should be given annually of five descriptions of property, provided they have b«en in possession a vhola year; that is noney, animal, grain, fr’iit and merchandise. There are several alnor differences anongst the vnrlous sects as to the precise explanation of the law with reference to these legal alms. The general rules regarding alms giving observed by the Sunni Muslima are cited in short in the chapter entitled »'TaiJcat or Legal Almsgiving* of the book 2 suggest ad in the foot-note* Allah eriDhaslses in the Ouran - ‘What soever good thing you spend, it is for yoursolve, when you spend not save in ses^rch of Ml^^^s aountenatice and imatsoever good thing you spend, it will be repaid to you in full and you will not b® 3 wonged** Reposing; fa ith in divine stnte^ient cited in the m ir«i, nan*s duty extends to oay the poor-due to the following classes of personsi- !• Such pilgrims to Mec:a as have not the meaxia of defraying the expenses of the Journey* 2« Religious mendicants, 3. Debtors ti^ o are unable to discharge their dabts* 4. Beggars, 5. Poor travellers Proselytes to Muhammadanism, and 7. the slaves for setting them free. 1, The Holy miraa - Hl-^anarahi 267. 2m t'lotes on Mohqnwadanisn - ?y 7 .P. Hughes, Second riditloiij 1S77, London, Allen and no*, 1 ? ,Waterloo P lace, S,W»pp» 1 2 5 -1 ^ * 3 . T>.o Holy oxiaan - Al - Baqarahj Z72* 112 t A 8 T, I US Maong the strictly religious duties, as laid down in the oui^an, • «. >«« one is the fasting during the month of laaiazan. The ouraa has made it obligatory on.mature Muslins except those who are ill, in travel, or on a holy war, to fast and offer extra Prayers called ■ ?arawl^" for a aonth in the year. The Benafloent Lord ordains fasting to mankind by rava^illng - *0 Ys bolieve t Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it vas Prescribed for those before you, so that yoti may ward off evil* 'therefore, man must fast a certain lUiber of daysf and fo r him who i s sick fleonp you or on. a journey, tli© sane number of other days must be fflstp^d. And for those who can al’ford it thar# i s a ransom - the feeding of « man in noed* But whoso do3S good *>f 1 h is own accord, it is better for him,» » During the period of fasting in the day-time, man is strictly protiibited to hold intep- 'jonrse, even with his legal wives* But it is pemitted to cohabit with thaai, on the ni^ht of the fast. Like intercourse with the legal wives, mqn is also permitted to eat and drii^ until the white thread bec(Mnes distinct to you fr(» the black thread of the dswn. Then he must strictly observe the fast till nijjht-fall and 2 must not touch them, but he shouM be at devotion in the mosques** "The ex:?ellence of the iiGnth of flaaazaa was much extolled by the Roly prophet of Islam, He said that • during this laoath the ^at«s of Paradise =ira open, and the g^tes of hell ar^ shut, and 1, The !!oly miran - Al-Bartar#ihi 183-185* 2. Ibid - I 187. 113 the devils are churied by the leg*; and that ‘only o observe fast durlnp; thts month v lll be permitted to enter by the g^te of heoven eallsd »Ksyym* and will be pardoned «11 their sins* The fnst does not commence tm til scxne Kusllm Is itble to at ate that he has seen the new mooru If the sky be clouded nnd the moon caryiot be seen, the fast be?:ins iipoa the co©pletion of thirty days from tho beginning of the previous month* 'The Lsdlfttul -oadr or the ‘nightof Power* is said by Muhaoniad to be either on the twenty- • first, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twenty-seventh, or tventy-nlnth* The ex tct date of th is soleaan nlnht has not been discovered by any 1 except the Prophet himself*•• All relletons adratt tho close int'irrelfttion between fa s t aid ip lr itn a lity * Tt i s rea lised that by fastin '^ M-uslias nay lo cood works by oontrolllng th e ir worldly d e sire s , by checking their speech and by abstaining fram conjugal relations, and that their every act, word and deed may bo for God, Therefore, the spiritual advantage that one gradually gets is that he b^eoaes strong enough to con trol him self fo r a ye*?r, or fo r the whole l i f e by bolgc engaged in observing: fast during the m(»ith of H*«a2 ah with ^ood thouj^hts, words and actions. Therefore, ev-^ry one must observe fast dixria? th*? whole month of '^mnzxi with tho er^'^onstlona Bontloned before. 1« l^otes on MohJiTiBiiadafVlsm - By T.P.Fu ; and voic.en 1 ^ 0 have sufficient metfis to me~>t the expenses of the Journey and to maintain their faiailies at heme during their absence* •The merits of the pilsrima];e «re so great, that svery step taken In the direction of the Kiiba, blots out a sinj Mid he \^*o dies on h is vay to Mecca i s enrolled on the l i s t of m ^x^s** •romplete the or " ^ r i , In the service of rjod. But i f you «re prevented from completing it, send an offering for sacrifice, such as ye may find, and do not shave your headf, until the offering reaches the place of sacrifice, and if any of you is ill or has an ailment in his h^ad (necessitating having) he should in c<»pensation, either fast or feed the poor, or offer sacrifice. /\nd when you are in peaceful conditions (again), if anyone wishes to ccmtinue to *^l»ra* or to the'^Fajj^ he must take offering, such as he can afford, but if he cannot afford it, he should fast three days durinf? the ^!aJJ, and seven days on his return, nakln'^ ten days in all* This is for those, vhose household is not in (the p recin cts o f) the sa-'red Mosque, and fe a r 3od, and know that Cod i s s t r ic t in punishment* For HaJJ are the months well-known* I If anyone undertakes the duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in th^ HaJJ* And whatevor good ye do, be sure, Ood knoweth i t . Mnd take a provision (w ith you)for the journey, but the b 1* 'totes on M*^tomadanism - by T*P*Fughes, Second Edition 1377, London V*H* Allen and '7o* ld,V:!)terloo Pla^e, S*W*P*131* 115 fe a r Me, oh Ye th at *»re wise I tod i t I s no crime in you, i f you seek of the bounty of your Lord (during pilgrimage). Then when ye pour down from (Mount) Arafat, celebrate the Praises of Tod at the sacred monument»• »Then hasten onward frcKi the ulace \fhonce the Z multitudo hasteneth onward, and forgiveness of 'lljrii. itfter hnvinfT complGted the devotions nan nmst rcaaembt^r Allrih .is he reme»- b?red his forefathers in the ti as of i-norance nnd iiusjt prgy to Ood for TTis bounties in the v.'orld tho ^eref»ft9r. The '>uritt testi- fios iaport«ime of tha Ilajj by stating - pil'rrimage to the House, whare Abrahan stood v.p to pray, is a duty unto Allah for mankind, 3 fo r hlia who can meet tha exDensos* As the moiintains - 4s-S:^fr and ai-Marwah are a >onp: the indi- cations of 6.11^, it Is, therefore, no sin for him v^o is on plL- gritLage to the House of God or v is it s i t , to go round th ea, according 4 to Pagan custCKDl /\s the pllrrlaifl;:® i s commanded by Allah in the O'-r^ for every a’^lo Muslim to perform it as a etrictly religious duty, th e re fo re ,man oust by a l l means,perform pllrrrima!Te in the prescribed manner if the means perrait hlai to do so. TF^ F’^j-^TTi.L 0" 0^, TALIKAK The moaning of the Islanic Creed is that • There is no deity but Allah, «?nd fiuhacaniad Is His araostle. This Kaliaah is the soul of the \/iole fslth of Isl«« Therefore, man must reeite It by nouth 1* The Hnly • as translated by Abdullah Yusuf A ll, E d it io n 1938, Lahore, ShJilkh Hohasnsad Ashr^f, Kashmiri ^azar, ^1-Baqarah* 196 •• 198* 2. Heaninr of the Glorous Tor an - translated by M*Pickthall, London,George Allen ^d Jnwln Ltd., Museum ‘Jtreet, a-B#qarahi299. 3 . The Holy our^^ - Al’^t'Iar’an i 9 7 . 4* Ibid - Al-^aqftrahf 158. 116 as veil as he should believe in this st?*temont by his vhole heart* These five • The Prayers, the fasting, the aLasgiving, the pilcrimafe and the recital of the ,>eed are the aost fundamntal religious duties of mftn; «ad these ??re, thereby sailed the fiv e plll?jrs of the 'nirVnic roil,-sion# we raar con>2lu(le froa the above that a>»n»s prior duty, in accordnnce with tho nuran., i s to perform these most fundfauental duties in the prescribed aiviner* /ipart frcaa these^fi\fe pillsrs of Isl«a) ^there are other fimd** mentsl tenets of the faith which are of the aeoondary Importance in the asssEiblage of the strictly religious duties of the our^ Theae are being given hereunden Tgrm.Q^;,, m r.Ana» The coaocption of Deity is the basis aid founriation cf the 0*ir^ic religion. :o which all conceptions of divinity are correlafcdd' Much has b?en stated already about the glories, jowers, deeds and the supreoaoy of Ciod. As the role of divinity has been played in all affairs of the univer^;e, therefore it is ouito cle?ir that if W8 really believe in '^od, vc Bust tliink of TTiri, not nerely as Creator of the worlds, but ns their guide and Sustainer too* It is VO who should 5^rv6 the cause of Allah, for we ars His 1;>ondmen, and He, the Rulia* Divirie* Vte should, therefoi*e, seek out His vlll and shape our individual and collective life in accordance with i t , and should try to discover His c.iuse and j'ive up loyalty to all other causes, aasociating ourselves finally and irrevocably 117 with Him. 4s Is the Provider of all tMngs to munklnd, there fore, man must remembor all His bomitles hmbly and In secret* Hsvlni faith In Allah one must, necessarily be steadfast, tm thful, obedient, spender in the way of Allah and obsenrer of the prayers 2 fo r pardoning one*s evil»deeds*Acjordiag to the divine coamand, man must be sure that Kuliamnqd is but an apostle of Allah lite those • 3 ^ who h^ve passed away before* Allah cocandsA mankind to meditate on the Oui^an which is the last scripture cont joining the cooplste code of 4 5 humanity* Man must not fear mankind but fear Ood* As Ood is alonoi so no one can claim to be a "'rod, neither one should coin similitudes for Allah* As Allah is the only 'trustworthy, therefore, one must 7 trust in Allah and contribute for Ris cause* One of the strictly religious duties of the our^ii is that one should not make distinc- tion between Muhspm»i, Abraham, Ism ^l, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus 8 and other prophots. Man must be sure on the authority of the rmi^an 9 that asking sood portion in the Hereafter as in this world is better*< 10 And man must strictly Prohibit the worship of the idols. In ord«r to describe human duties directly relatinf^ to ''rod, some further extracts of the fWai are beings J^iven belowi- 1. The Holy Our?ai « Al-A*arafi 55,99,74 2. Ibid - Al-l-Imrant 17 3. Ibid - « 144 4 . Ibid •> Muhammadf 24 5. Ibid - Al^Baqarahi 150 6. Ibid - Al-Anbiyii 29 7* Ibid • AUTaubah i 54 8. Ibid - Xl-i-lmrant 84 9. Ibid • Al«Banar^f 201,202 1 0 . Ibid - Al-Maid^ahf 60 118 Ifo nan should Invent a He against Trod throiigh his disbe- 1 ilev ln g * 2 Man must not despair cf the mercy of Allah* The ouran conm«ids| 3 Be not hy^^o^rltes and disbelievers. Man must surrender his worship^ sacrifice, living and dying 4 fo r Allah* The qursn commands moikind by saying • Do not commit forgery concertdng the scripture for purchasingall gain therewith* Do " 5 not earn by writing the scripture with your own hands* Moreover, Allrfi says in the m rm « Establish religion and 6 be not divided* It is a command with a view to tie all mankind in the thread of a cotamon brother'^hood* Man must not call *dead' to those who are siain in the way of 7 A ll^ * 8 Seek help in patience wid Prayer, hinder not from the way of 9 a ieh , Relieve in the ouran and the revelations of the Past* 11 Know that the spoils of war belongs to Allah and His Apostle* 1* The Holy ovLj^m • Al*Maidah i i t 103 2* Ibid • hz^Zvmsrt 53* 3* Ibid - An-Nisa 140 4* Ibid - Al-An'an 163 5* Ibid - Al-Baqaraht 79,and Al-i-Daraii77 6* Ibid - As - ''Surai 13 7* Ibid - Al-Baqarahi 154 8* Meaning o f the Glarlous Koran -T ranslated by M .P icth a ll, Al-Baqarahi 45,177,238,239* 9* Ibid • SbdbnpiBdi* Azi-Sisai 137 10* Tlie Holy Qurmi AivNisas 162* 11* Ibid t U-Anf^t 1* 119 Prefer, as Allah Preferred AdaS| ^ah, the family of Abr»ih«a, and the fam ily of ^Iar»i above a l l creatu res. IQnow th at the gme is made unlawful on the PllgrlmaTe and profane not Allah’ s monuaentsy sabred months^ o ffe rin g s, garlands and the repairers of the house (Kkba at Mecca)* 3 4 Mention Allah's none upon food, and judf^e according to r^irin or any other scripture such as rdt'a, ^Ible etc* 5 Peaeaiber Allah much and Praise Him in the early hours of night 6 and morning and never pray for disbelievers. I t must be home in mind that man must abide by the comxar.dments of Ood as mentioned above In accordance with the Qiof^aa* HIGHT^0TJ3?Ti;3S About rlf^hteousness, Allah convincingly declares that* it is not ri'hteousness that ye turn your faces to the llsst and tVe West, but righteous is he who believes in Allah, and the Last Day, and the angels, aad the scriptures and the prophets, and giveth his wealth for love of Him, to kinsfolk, and to orphans, and the needy, snd the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves freei and observsth proper worship, and payeth the poor-diw. And those tAo I* The Holy our«i t Al-l-Iarant ,‘53 2* Ibid s Al»Maldahi 2 3 . Ibid I Ibid 4 4* Ibid I IMd^ 46 5. r^id t ^l-Imrani 41 6 , Ibid s At-?flUbaht 8 4 . 120 k«ep their tre*ity iirtien they make one, «id the patient In tribulation and adrerslty «md time of stress# Such are they who are sincere* 3nch are the God-fearing ••Further Allah says in the Quran • Those who believe and do good works are the rig h tfu l owners of the g«rdeis of paradise. A^^ording to '^ui^an man’ s fore*jaost duty i s to be a a righteous person, end to beoooa the righteous one, man must try h is best to plojtse God by abiding by TTls sonraandoents depicted in the ouran. Pighteous are those %f^o are dear to God »snd they too th«a- selvGS 'rod-loving. '^hus, man, to be righteous, Bust, believe that there is but one God, the Beneficent, the Merciful, Lord of the worlds, the Aliaighty, and Miihaaaad is but His apostle, a man 2 from amongst us, and a final preacher of the '^od’s w ill, believing likewise in the past prophots too, like Abrahaa, Ishnael, Isiac, 3 Jacob, Moses, Jesus, and others, as Allah preferred ^an, the _ 4 family of Abraham and the f?aally of'^Iar«ui above all creatures* Man must believe in the 'Wan a:id also other revelations of 6 the psst»- »the psalms ( '^u r) revealed to David, the Torah (Taurat) revealed to Moses and the Gospel (In jil) revealed to Jesus Christ* It is said that ten divine books were revealed to Adwi, fifty to^si)k, th ir ty to l?dris and ten to Abraham* Thus one hundred scrip tu res given to Adam, Seth ( S is ) ^.noah ( Id ris ) and Abrahaea, are termed as " Sahifahs * and the ranalnlng four, Kltab; but all tha 1. The Meaning of the Glorious Korani As translated by M.Pickthal^ London George Allen and Tinwln L td *, Museum Street Al*^a is Qscessary for a MusUa to know of these books is supposed to have been retained in the '^rai.* "The rnaiber o^ prophets, which h;»ve been sent by Cod, i s said to be 224000y or according to another tradition 124000, of these 313 vere apostle > sent with special commissions, Z'j l a to 2 reclala the world froa infidelity and superstition". And the 'woaber of scriptures revealed to man as mentioned above is said to have been one hundred and fou r, As Allah decl*ires in the r>«ran th rt we sent messengers for every nation with gtiidance and rellgicn of 3 truth to preach mankind in the Imguage of their own people for 4 the clarification of the message to them. To make it more clear AlBh further proclaims • We sent messengers before MuhaBiaal* For every thing there is a time prescribed* God effaces whatever He wills and establishes whatever He w ills, and the source of all divine guidance 5 ( nbmuL»Kitab) i s entrusted with Him# And Allah sugf^earts mankind ' ^ to believe in the ouraolc Passage that nothing new has been given to 6 Prophet Muhammad wlich was not given to the Prophets before him* Some of the messengers are mentioned in the ouran and some o Thus we may conclude, froa the above st'»tement and au thcrity 1* Wotes on Mohanmadanism • by T.P.Hughes, Second 1?ditlon 1877, London P*85* 2* Ibid ,1 P 84* , . 3* The Holy nuran - Yi&iust_ 47, An-Nahli 36 and Al-Malaikat 24* 4« Ibid • Ibfahiii 4 5* Ibid - Ar-Ra«adt 38,39 6. Ibid - Fusilati 43 7* Ibid - Al-Mu*Qini 78 8* Ibid - Al-Baaarahi 4* 122 that the divine authors of the VednSi "'iia, Krsaa Budxiha etc.. also appear to be the apostles of r-od and the sacred books - Vedss, Raa^ana, Mahabharata* Oita, Tripltak etc.^to be the Divine books accepted by oxrt^an. Therefore, the believers of the miran, must respect these spiritual personalities and sacred books, In like manners, as they respect the rjui^ahla apostles and scriptures* XJ ? t, §, The existence of angels and their purity are absolutely required to be believed in, by the nurjM, and he vho denies that there are such beiigs or hates any of them or asserts any dlstlnJtlon of the sexes. Is recknonod as infidel* The -Wan reoknons four archan gels - Gabriel ( Jlb rll), who Is the revealer of the Divine Hessage to the appostles, Mikail (Michael) who Is the Protestor of the Jews, Isrsfil, w! o will sound the l*^3t trumpet at the resurrection, and larall, the angel of daath* There are thousands of angels la the heavens and the e^jrth, as the declares - *Is It not s u ffic ie n t fo r you that your Lord should support you with three thousand angels sent down for your help* '^he ''ur'ah, again says about the angels that your Lord w ill help you with five thousand 1 angels sweeping on** Therefore, tho duty of believing in all the angels is Incumbent on all bellevors of the our'ii* And 1 do not agree %rith the opinion of Mr. Mahaiud Muhtar P a s ^ who opines about the an;^els that they are non-existent entitles - They are but high ideals and the refined moral tendencies of one’s heart# 2 coloured with one’s deepest spiritual notions* This is also true that the most virtuous man sometimes re^rarded as an an^el* Imt 1* Meaning of Glorious Korant Translationby M*Plckthall, Lof^on A>l-Imrani 224, 126* _ _ _ 2* The Wlsdoo o f the cnii^^i by Maiimud Muhtar Pasai Introduction Pp* r?9 - 41* 123 how C8R wa neglect the eadstenae of angels, ’s^ile one of the angels Is Gabriel hlris«lf, the revealer cf the divine messai^e, and r?od promises to help TTls believers by a stipulated niaabcr of angels. On the condemnation of the ooncreteness of the angels, the whole mansion of the f^ui^anics faith w ill cone to an utter ruin# 2 To believe in the angels is one of the fiindjsaental tenets of Islin, Therefore disbelievin'^ In them leads man to ^ astray* As believing in the Last T>?»y or the Day of Judgment is oora- mandod by Ullah in the therefore, man must, by all naans, 3 believe in I t . I t i s a tin e whi<^ i s a perfect secret and i s known o ily to '^od. But the anproaih of the !)ay of Judpaent will be known by the following signs* 1. The decay of fa ith Kiong men, 2, The advancing of the meanest persons to dignity, 3* A oaid»servant shall bQc<»ne the mother of her mistress* 4. Tiaults and seditions, 5. A War with the Turks, 6. Great Distress in the world, 7. '^e Provinces of Iran and Syria shall refuse to pay tribute, 8 . The b u ild in rs of Madina s h a ll extend to Yahab, 9 . The sun risin g in the west e t c « ,e t c ,» The last Day is variously known as »Yax8a-i-niy^a!t, Yauns-^il- Hisab etc*, the tidings overwhelming on this day to evil doers 1. The Foly t U-l-.‘"lnrimi 124-125* 2. Ibid t Al-Baaarahf 177 U *”® H.Pla'sthall, london, ^ second ?.iltloa 1877, 125 1 Maa «U3t not squander his mon«y Wflstefully, 2 Ireak not the co^venant of Allah aftar ratifying it. Doa*t slay, nor drive out of the houses by sin and trans- 3 gresslon, and ransom the captives. Serve Allah and attribute no partners unto Him, and show kindness unto parents, near klndrofa, orphans, the needy and neighbour vho is not of kin, the fellow traveller, wayfarer and 4 the slavea. Be not proud and boastfu l* 5 Be good to parents, mankind, orphans and the needy,and let 6 not your conduct grieve thee. Ttter kind words or speak cently, and when you enter houses 7 salute one another with a f^reetlng fros Allah, blessed and s v e e t r . 8 9 Lower your gaae and be modest, and overcome evil with good. Don’t choose disbelievers for friends In preference to beli«- 10 la vers, but cut the root of the disbelievers. 12 Forgive and protect the seekers of your help and protectlttft. 13 Doa*t slay the sacred life save In justlcft. 14 Doa*t commit mischief. 1. The Holy ^mrah - Anf-!fisat 29 2. Ibid - AL-Baoar*i 27,63,84. 3. Ibid - Al-Banarahi 84,85. 4 . Ibid - AnF-Nlsi* 36. 6. Ibid - Al-^ao-^rtht 85. 6. Ibid - m-l-lrarans 176 7 . Ibid - Ai^nrxet 61 8 . Ibid - An-ifurt 30 9* Ibid - Ar-Pa»«di 22 10. Ibid - Al-l-Imrin 28 11. Ibid - Al-Anfali 7 12. Ibid - At-Taubahi 6 1 3 . Ibid • Al-Anafft 152 1 4 . Ibid • Al^An’ ams 153 124 and th« glad-tidings to the righteous are explicitly described In the oiiran* Therefore, man must have faith In the Last Day fo r pleasing his Lord* MOPALI^Y n OTTRA!? The nuran contains in its fold a lar^TO number of moral o b lig atio n s incumbent on humwikind, whicsh a re, in sh o rt, being glren belovi Whoso coBslts a delinquency or ::rl9e, then throvs the blme thereof upon the Innocent, has burdened himself vith falsehood \ and a flagrant crime, therefore, after coomittlng a delinquency 2 or cri le, one must not th»ov th^blame thereof on the Inoocent. I ^ Allc^ preaches morality to mankind in the ouran by commandlAgt 3 0 Ye who bellevel Follow not passion* 4 Vfoaen must not be gtillty of levdness. 5 Don’ t deal In wrong. Know that man excels woman because he spends of his property for the support of WOTon, therefore, vomen should obey their 6 husbands* 1. The Holy Qurani Al-Ghasiyahi 1-20 2« Ibid I i>-Nlsit 112* 3* Ibldi 13S 4. Ibidf 15,16 5. Ibldi 168 6. Ibid 34. 1 126 Spe>»k words straight to tho nolnt# 2 F u lfil your undortaktn^s, 3 Prohibit oaly Indacenclea, 4 Strlre not sftar corruption in the landf and oppose and admonish 5 the wrong doeBs and address thea in plain terms about their souls* 6 Man B u st deal Justly* 7 Don't bo a pleader (7««kil) for the treacherous. 8 Help not one a’lothar unto sin and transgression* When you are gre«ted %rith a greeting, great you with a better 9 greetinp than It, or return it* 10 Intervene not in a good cause, but intervene in an evil cause* Forgive and be Indulgent towards those %#ho long to make you 11 disbelievers after yo»r belief through envy. Be obedient and civil In your speech and be loyal to Alli^* 13 Don’t be proud, and don’t be a corrupter* 14 Proclaim your real parentaf^e* Judge Justly according to the ouran* 1* The Holy ouran 2* Ibid a. 3* Ibid 4* Ibid • 5. Ibid • 6 . Ibid 7 . Ibid •> 8 . Ibid • 9 . Ibid . 10* Ibid • 11* Ibid — 12* Ibid • la * Ibid • 14. Pild • 15* Ibid •• ^ 127 Ke^p your souls good, and perform your words justly, ev»n 2 though it nay be against a kinsman* Bo emigrants to escape the persecution and strlr® In the way 3 of Allah. Olve not unto the foolish, what is in your keeping, of their wealth, which All^ah has given you to aaintainj but feed and ^ 4 clothe them from it and speak kindly unto them* 5 Disregard noxious talks* The women mu3t observe Pardah, i f they fea r anrKjyance a fte r 6 th e ir recognition by anyone* 7 Forbid strong drink and g^es of chance* 8 Man must work according to his strength* 9 Forbid prayer in the stste of drunkenness. 10 ::oiBe not nigh unto adultery* 11 ^e not prodigals* 12 Leave the id o la te rs v ith th e ir devices* 13 i)on*t conceal the truth knowingly 14 fu lfil your pledge* IS ^reak not your oaths* 16 Man must not be disheartened* One must not be exultant, and not draw nigh to lewd things, 17 wliether open or concoaled* 1* The Holy 'inirin « Ymusj 109 2* The Holy ourSij Al-Ai'aisl53 a* Ibid -Al-Baoarahi218*4* Ibid jAtt-MsiiS 5 . Ibid -.iO^Ahirahi48 6* Ibid iAl^Wtzabi59 7* Ibid - Al-Banarahs2iaR. Md ta-Jtofflil36 3* Ibid - An-Ilisit4S 10* Ibid iBani Israili32 11. Ibid - Al-Afijia* 142,12* Ibid 138 13* Ibid - ll-i-&rani71*14*Ibid t AL-1-Htran«76 16* Ibid - An-^Iahli 91* 16. Ibid i AL-l-:mr'an:200 17* Ibid - a-hrimt 152. 128 Th© code of moral precepts has to be gathered fram scattered passages of the ouran yet the most system atic ccxmiands oa these moral obligations are to be found in the Chapter "Banl Israfl", the commands there given aret (1) Attribute no partners unto AllaJ^i (2 ) Be kind and i^ sp e ctfu l to parents; (3 ) give whaft Is due to kinsmen, the poor and the travellers! (4) be not wasteful; (5) slay not yoiir children for fear of poverty; (6) draw not nigh unto fornication; (7) slay not the scul which Allah has forbidden you ercept for Just cause; (8) draw not near to the wealth of the orphatis? (9) fu lfil your compacts; (10) give Just measure and weight; (11) follow not that of which you have no knowledge (probably referrin g to the slan - 1 derous reports); (12) walk not on the earth proudly. Mankind must be mindful in abiding by the above mentioned comnandments in accordance with the prescribed ways in the oui^^ we may add to the above msntloned moral teachings of the nurVn, that Allah desires all mankind to be ideal, rl^ t- eous, generous, Just and perfect ones in all affairs of life* We have seen that the nuran teaches to use the ohrase "Justi fication by works". To attain salvation man must believe the message of the nuran to be tru e , and he must do the works coomanded therein, by the Creator. The strictly religious conditions of attainins salvation have been outlined above. l?ut we hnve also seen that the authority of the o^ ran, as 1. The Holy 'niTffll - Ban! Isralli 23 - 40. 129 the representative of the God*s wlll| extends to all affairs of life. As the miran Is the final divine guidance to mankind, and clear proofs of God's sovereignty and the criterion of ri^ht and 1 >. wrong, hence the moral and the legal obligations of the Ouran extend to all spheres of hiBngn life - Doaestic and social, legal, political, ceremonial as i^ ll "S the strictly religious. These are to be serially discusfe^d below: X32ma-^T pr, 'i m n The legislation regarding the various aspects of the wanen is the most prominent element in the 'niran. As to the treataaent of wowftn Allah asserts that women who are guilty of an indecency, four witnesses are required to witness aigsinst them* If they bear witness, the guilty must be confined to the house until death takes them away or Allrfi opens some way for th<^* .^d as for the two who are guilty of levdnsss from amongst you give them both a s li^ t punishnentj then if they repent and snend leave thaa. The wcoeri must not be taken as heritable against their will and they must not be straitened in order that one may t^ e pacrt of what you have given them, until they are guilty of manifest lowdnsss. They should be treated kindly and should not be hated. And, ii' one wishes to have one wife in the place of another and 1* The Holy ''ui^ah - Al-’^a ERQHIBmP D?.GRRgS IN MARFJA^t •‘fhe pemits ®an to Barry all women ©xcQDt mothers, daughters, slitters, pfltcmal aunts, maternal aunts, brothers* daughters, sisters* daui^hters, sucklixig-nothers, foster sistex^ wives* mothers, step-daushtora who ar« in his guardianship, born of his wives to whcMtt he has gone in; but if he has not p^one in to them, there is no blame on hi« in oiarryin.^ them, sons* wives, two sisters together except what has already passed, snd all aa Tied women, except those whom his right hai^-^ possessci^and the w * And whoever afflonr you have not w ithin h is pow^r amplanass of means to marry free believing women then, (he may marry) of tliose vtioBi your right hands possess fr(»a seoonf; your believing maidens, and A ll^ knows bast your faith; you are sprung the one froo the other, so m^rry than with the permission of their masters, and givo them their dowries justly, they being chaste, not for nicating, nor receiving paramours, ?«id when they are tteen in marriage, then If they nre guilty of indecency, they shall suffer h a lf the punishment which i s in flic te d upon fre e v/omen** 1. fh© Holy 'nal^an • /\n-Nisai 16 - 21. 2. Ibid . I 22 -24 3. The Holy our an • as translated by Maulvi Muhi«nmad All Second Edition, 1920, A^adiyya Anjunan-i-Isaat-i-Islim, Lahore, Punjab - to-5isa; 26* 131 Allah says, when you have dl\rorced your wives and they h»m ended their terms of waiting (that is three monthly courses) then, do not prevent them from marrying their husbands when they agree 1 among themselves in a lawful manner, Allah gives further (iomaends concorrdng marriage « *Do aot marry the idolatresses until they believe and certainly a believing said is better than an idolat* ress wcasan, even though she aay pla^se you, and do not cive belie ving women in marriage to idolaters until they believe, and cer tainly a belie\’ing servant 1*3 b^jtter than an idolstor, oven though he may please you* ' D 0 W Ri •As man is benefitted by marrying a women, therefore he has upon him self a binding? duty to pay her dover as stipulated, There is no blame on you about the nc«-payment of the dower if 3 it is agreed by the couple. But if you have divorced your wives before you have touched them and appointed for them a dower, than you should pay to them h a lf of what you have stip u la ted , unless they relinquish or he should relinquish in whose hand is the marriage tie, and it is nearer to righteousness th-’t you should reliiMUish and should not neglect the givini; of free-gifts between 4 you* PITY OF HUSBANDSs Allah commands aanklnd in the '^ui^an « »0 Te who believe I 1* The Holy • Al-Ta'^ayahi 232, 2* Ibid - Ibid 221 a. Ibid • An-Nisii 24 4* Ibid - AX-^aqarA; 237* 1 0 0 Don’t dttvour your property araon^ yourselves fqlaelyf except thst It be trading by the mutual consent of the couple and do not k ill your people* Don*t oovet th«»t by which Allah has made saae of you excel others, Man should have the benefit of what they earn and women should have the benefit of what they earn* And to everyone We have appointed heirs of w^iat parents *jid lear relatives leave| Mid as to those with wh«n your right hands have ratified apree- 1 ments pive them their portion** Hen are coHsaanded in coiiaeat.ion of divorcing their wives - M'^n cannot, however, divnrce their wivf?3 without mymeit to theia of tue dowry stipulated at the time of marriage. The woman also can procure divorce in a law-court 2 if she CM show evidence of Eaaltreatncnt by her husbwidU Vfe laay conclude*^ froo the above stat^aent that men should not treat their wives with harshness and should divorce the a in a l«wful manner, if they are dis^pleased with th«Q. Though man has no power to do justice between his wives, even though he may covet it, but he not disinclined from one with total disinclination. A^wl one must not accuse chaste believing women, unaware of the evil# fp;^s?Rn^Tioi?« To cohabit with the wives in the state of their menstrual discharge is a little harmful, therefore one must keep al3of frott the wonen and must not co near them until they have beccaae clean; then w.en they have clsansed themselves go in to them as Allah has commanded you to take your wives as tilth for you for the produo- 1. *he Holy 'Wan - Aiwriisai 29-53 2 , \Aat i s I s l » t by M.M?^%aruddin Sid d iq i. pp*82,83, The Tloly - ta-?7ifiat 125. f 133 1 tloa cT the good harvest In the shape of offsprings. The prescrihBd tia a fo r menstruation i s three months but fo r those \rtio are prega- 2 ant, their period shall be till they briig forth their burden. D I V 0 R " t;. The nursh says that if one wishtfs to divorce one' 3 vdves he should divorce thorn for their prescribed time, and he should not drive them out of his hous« fior should they t}i«a3elves go forth, unless they coouait an open iadecaucy. When thoy have reached the prescribod time, he cai either rct-^in thea with kindness or sepa ra te them, and c a ll to witness two men of Ju stice froic aaong you and eive ur>rlj:ht testimony for God. •The divorce may be pronounced tv io e then keep them in good fellowship or let them go with kindness aid oxie must not tak* any pnrt of what he has given to his wife before divorce, lut t^ pre i s no bleme on maa if his wife gives up to become fre# 1. Holy - M -^aqsrali: 222,223. 2. Tbid • At-Talaof 4 Ibid - Ibi'd 4-6. 134 thereby. If one divorces his wife, he shall not be ls%ffnl to rwarry her until she be renarried; then I f he divorces her there Is no b i n e on them both i f they return to each other by rmaarrlpii^e* w^ell you divorce women and they re«ch their prescribed tferci mentlf^ted above then you should e ith e r reta in them i.i good fellowship or sot u l them free and should not retain t h m fo r i n j^ « And the divorced worasn should keep theraselves in waitim? for three periods of menstrual discharge in the unjaarTled st<^te, and they should not conceal their pregnancy# their husbands h*iv» a better risht to take than b?ick in the raeuwhile, If they wirfi for 2 reconcllllation* * 3 IT C tC L I fJ G •The divorced women should suckle their children for two whole years for hira who desires to complete the tiirie of suckling, «id their malten^nce and clothing must be borne by the father *?caor- dinr to usa^e. ‘^o body shall have Inposed upon it a duty but to the extent of its capacity; neither shall a mother be made to sttffer harm on account of her child, nor a f>»ther on account of his child, and slmll«»r duty devolves on the f*tther»s heir but if both desire veaninp by mutual consent and co^insel there is no blame on thea« And I f you wish to enf!a!?e a wet-nurse for your children there is no blame on you so long as you pay what you promised fo r according to 3 usR^e*’ 1, The Holy - Al-Ban arahi 229 , 231 2, Ibid - t 228 3 , Ibid i I 233. 136 In case of a«rryiri(T the orphan women, you should give them their dowers, as free gifts, but if they of themselves be pleased to give up to you a portion of It, then eat it with enjoyment and with wholesome re su lt* /tnd Allah fu rth er ccm^ands • Do not give away your property to the weak of understanding and maintain them out of the profit of it, and clothe then ?>nd spe^k to then v/ords of honest advlee** iind one must tea t one»s orph«’» wards u n til they a tta in puberty, then if you find in them »Atnrity of intellect, you should make over to them their property and do not consume it extr*»vag?intl7 and h a s tily , le s t they ?^ttaln to f u l l ago, and whoever is rich le t him abstain altof?ethor, Siid whoever i s poor, le t h ie eat rea sonably, ther^ when you d eliver to thew th e ir property, you should 2 call witness in their presence, "At the time of division of the inherit an le, if there are present the relatives, the orphans and the n«5edy, then they must also be given somethinf^ out of I t , and be spoken kind iaiords to then* Givinf: oophasls on the complete safeguard of the property of the orphans, the ouran announces - those who swallow the property of the orphans unjustly, surely they only swallow fire into their 3 bellies and they shall enter biasing fire of hell*" , Q ? A If ui,..g-, i-j, H ? n k .a y .i.,2 The slawry in the ouran is a d-joestic institution and as an accampaniment of warf«re* The murder of the captives a fte r the 1. The Ttoly nurqh • Hn • ’lls a i 2 - <5 2* Ibid 6 3* Ibid 7 - 10. 135 M -Jja fl B o„g, P I f one d ies leaving behind h is wife and mifeing a bequest Ih favour of her of maintenance fa* a year without turning her out, then if she herself poes away, there is no blpme on him for what she did* D D A T X The widows should k««p themselves in v'dlting for four aonths and ten days^ then whsn they have fully attained their tens of ’Iddat, there is no bl^me on th jr,R J-IJ-O , t l 5L? ..jUR.PXAiy.,^ p g r r s or guardians towards ?heih ofphaw wardsi^ *The guardians should deliver the property of the orphans to •then and they should not replace useless things for their good cAes; and should not devour their property as an addition to their own property, as it is certainly a great sin* And if you fear that you cai not act equitably towards orphans, then you should marry such women as sa^i good to you, two or thuee or four* but if you fear that you would not do Justice between th«n, then marry only one or wh»t your right hands possess* 1, The Holy OUl^^ • Al^Baqarshi 2.*H,235,240* 137 battle of Badr Is referred to in the ch«q>ter "Al-Anfal" of the Aur^an, *it has not baen for any prophet to possess captive iintll 1 he hath slaughtered In the land* • The s l;^ is not as Stant^on says, •the slave Is the absolute property of his master as a«Bi Is of Allah* • Because ’IslSa forbada the us*» ♦7ha fwiale slaves may be t?».ken as concubines at discretion but their sanster should not hire them out as prostitutes. On the cont rary, if he does not wanl^heai himself he shouH provision for their Earrlage. Married women may be taken to wives if m^Mie c«p» 3 tlves in war'. It is better to aarry a bellevins: slave than a 4 free idolater# The master should treat the sla ves kindly, and if they are able to redeem themselves, they shouJfi not create any hindrance in their way of so doing* ?he slaves stre so much relieved la the ouran that they were content so auch with their lots that they often refused freedom* Tr^ke the case of ^aid which is an Important one to illustrate this mentality and preferenie* om :xxm ^stvi: «fp »The ourici does not forbid you to mrfce friendship respecting 1*' Teaching » And If believing women come to you flying:, then you should exaai le them jonoaming religion, th»?n if you find them to be believing women, you should not send theni b.^ck to the disbelleTers, and give theu» what they have spent^ And there is no blsme on you If you should m^rry them in the lawful manner* But you^never^houlel aarry the dJS>elievlng ones* And if sny thin» out of the dowers of your wives has passed away from you to the disbelievers, then you should in your turn, give to those whose wives have gone away the 11*9 of what they have spent* Man is commanded by Allah that he ^ould marry a wora«n who comes to him ?;iving him a pledge that she voiild not associate ought with Allah, and would be aloof frcaa stealing, foK^ni- cation, infanticide, disobedience and aaluany* Don’t make friendship with the opponents of Cod*»2 T,R A.P„X. 1.9 Although the prophet himself was originally a trader yet little mentloa is made in the '^ur^ on trgde, Belling is permitted btit usury is prohibited* 7ho ourVn which logsllses the almsgiving has 1. The ”oly - Al-MuBtsbaahj 9,9* 2. Ibid 10-13. 139 ba^Jiad the taking of interest on done/. 9ut belie^rars may carry on trafie while engaged in pilgriaage. For the enrichaant of aaa- 2 kind Allah cocmands men to carry on trade honestly* T H K FOP^IPDK TH I C 5 t1N-^L^A?T FOODt •Ths forbids for fcwd, the rotten flesh, blood, swine- fle s h , and th*»t which has beon dedic^rted unto any other ♦-.h«i 'k>d, the strangled, the dej^i through be«tlag, the de^id through falling from'a height, that which h«is been killed by the gorin? of horns, the devo\u*ed of %glld b e a sts, s»tvinf? that which you make law ful by the depth stroke, «id that which has been immolated to idols* Moreover th^t which you swear by the divinin* arrows is also 3 forbidden fo r mankind to take in to food** But whoever i s driven to necessity, not deslrinr? nor exceeding the lim it, then there is 4 no blscie on the eater* On the authority of the iHvlne coosaand civen in the Qur^?wi, we may assart that man aust not a at above mentioned food, except in an urgent necessity* Kll should prefer 5 for food all sorts of fruits, and all good things produced froo earth, like wheat, barley, gran, and other food-grains, pulses and v9Ketabl83. It is implied to know that the rjui^ah pnrmits for food the meat of a l l aoifflals except the above l i s t , milk and b u tter and their products ♦ As tho '^ui^tn had, originally, been re vealed in Arabia, \vhere the main food of the people is meat oo 1, The Boly '^uria • Al-Baciarahi 298. 2* The 'Sachin? of the oui^an - by H,U,W«Stjintion Edition 3919^ London Oenoral Bo^rd of Missions, p* 68 3. The !toly ^ a n - Al-H^dahi 3, and U#*0«qaraJu 173 4 . Ibid - AUtoattl 146 5* Ibid - AD-’fahli 69 6* Ibid • Al^Baq’arahi 168,172* 140 account of their nature-born qualities m d geographical situations* Rad it been revealed in India it would lot sug :est meat to be the ch ief d iet of the people» which i s quite opposed to the natu ral Qualities and geographical time place and circumstances, >»s the divine guidance comes to mmikind only for the maintenance of the world-order# G ^^^^LIMn.WIfrrtfO 4TJ ? ? r , . ht Allah Jond«ans gj^bling, wining, id o l.itry and divining arrows by declaring - 0 Ye who believe t iltrong drink, gawes of chance, id o ls ai'.d divining arrows are only an Infamy of sat an* s handlword and to turn you from remambrgnoe of Allaih, Therefore, one oust not 1 indulge oneself in the^e sinful things* Magic In the sense of sorcery is ?,mplicitly j:on Along with the putting an end to polytheism, Idolatry, g»«it- ling,'wining, etc*,the cur*mi also condemns superstitious beliefs prevailing during the age of Pag^mism* For instance, the nui^aa abstains caen from putting their wives away by Hkeninc their backs 1. Tha Holy r;ur5i - Al-'lacaraht 219,221* 141 1 to the backs cf their aothers through their superstitious belief^ as well as other superstitious notions in connection with the spirits and ghosts, prevaiing all over the land in pre-Tsl^ic age* INF Allah I’ives ccHcmand against Infanticide prevailing from the time imaeinori.'il - Do not k ill Tour children for fe^r of poverty* As 2 Cive them sustenance and yoursQlvas too* IHM. ^sury is prohibited by ^llah in the declaring - Those wiio svallov usury cannot rise up save as he rises whom the devil has prostrated by his touch* Allah has blighted usury end aade le g a l alsra f r u it f u l. Therefore^ man must by a l l neans, forsake usury and continue to ^:ive a la s. Similarly the bribery is also condecned hy the '^irran through its sta*ieaent - Do not eat your property in vanity, nor seek by it to gain the haarian of the Judges, th^t may knowint?ly devour a 4 portion of the property of others wrongfully* It is obuious from the above stptement' that one must, in no ca se, go n i ^ unto bribery* B » L!^gat. irrrns ^.A,\ys The laws relating to crim^ss occur in the form of penalties 1« The Holy ''uran - (a-jjujadilahi2* 2 . Ibid - wani I s r a f lt 31 3. Ibid - Al-Baaaraht 275 - 279 4. Ibid - Ibid 18S* 142 •nactad for the aoimalsslon of ijartain cplmes - such as murd'^ecr, Injuring, stealing, fornicating, imchastlty, and so on, B. Z 1 .0.J The says that the retaliation Is prescribed for jaankind in the iiatter of the muz*viered in the following manner - If « man has been »aurdered, thea only free iflan from amonipst the accused can be killed by the relatives of the amrdered, in retaliation* In sliiilar m?«nner, the s lw e fo r the slave arid the faiuale for th« feaialo can be slaughtered. And for hira vho is forgiven sone- ^ a t by Ws injured bro*:h3rj^ prosercation according to usage and payment unto him in kindness. The ' ursw further emphflsises eo»- cernin? retaliation tfeat there should be life for the life, the eye for the aye, the nose for the nose, the ear for the ear, m.d the tooth for the tooth. This is the retaliation prescribed for the vounds, ^ut whoso for"^Koes i t in the way of ch arity i t sh a ll 2 be expiation for him. } The Judf^es are conaaended by the ouran to cut off the hawis of 3 the theif, whether male or feaale. F O R V I C ATIQN The punishment for the fornicatress and the fornicator Is 1* Tha TToly ''ur»n • Al-Baqarahj 178, 179 2. Ibid - AL4iildaht 45 3* Ibid - Ibid 28 143 prescribed to s f f l i c t oach of them a hundred s trip e s . The Jud^e should not feel pity In ordering such punishment enjoined by th« QurW And the fornicator is not allowed to ma ry any but a fornlctt- ress or idolatress and for the fornicatress none shall aarry har but a fornicator or an idolater, tori those ^rho nrscv.fe fr©« wooatty then do not bring four witnesses, flog then giving eighty stripes and do not admit vxf evidence frcas thea ever except those who f*pent nftervards snd act aright, i\nd «»s for those who accuse their wives and h?jva no witnesses except themselves, the evldance of one of these shouH be treated four tines, bearinn ''tod to wlt- 1 ness about their truthfulness* It does not behove a believer to k ill a beliGvcr except by m istake, end whoever k i l l s n b eliev er by m istake, he should fre e a believing slave, and blood-money should be paid to his people unless they remit it as ales, ^ut if he be from a tribe hostile to you and he is a believer, the freeing of a believing slave suffices, and if he is fron a tribe between whoa and you there is a covesiant, the blood-money shouM l^e paid to his people along with the freeing of a believing: slave. But he who can ot find a slav e, should fa s t fo r two months su ccessively as an exp iation, md i f one k i l l s a b eliev er in ten tio n a lly h is miuishraent i s ii h e ll. 1# The Holy ^urM - ^n-U'ur: 2-6, 2 , Ibid - An-Nisa: 9 2 .9 ? . 144 aircHtSTm The unchaste woman nay be Imfflured alive or confined for life* In the case of sodomy^ the offenders are to receive an iindeflned punishment or If penitent to be forgiven, thp. HELicioiy The reb els of re lig io n are lia b le fo r punlsh-nent by Impalttiteit 2 or Butllation or banishment* The rules relating to txhls class too are fragmentary^ and deal with special needs that arose out of developments in the prophet's career, being a specimen for mankind, so that one camot draw a clear line between moral precepts and legal injunctions* 3 For example, property i s not to be expended on vanity or on b rib ery , but no penalty is laid dovn for the latter* l!quitable testamentary provision should be made verbally for parents, and kln»sien, and the witnesses are not to alter the terms of the bequest. L^^gacles should be shared by men and vonen and a 4 residue should be left for the poor and the orphn* In the case of those of you vho are about to die, and have behind th«a wives, they should bequeath unto their wives a provision for the year without turning them out, but if they go out of their own accord, there is 1. The Te<»chlng of the ourfei • H.tJ.W.Stanton Edition 1919,London P.66 2 . Ibid 3* The Holy ouran • Al^^aqarahj 188. 4. ttld - Ibid 177,180-192* ^ 145 no blaoe on yoiu There are provisions for the portions of husbaais and wives Mid of distant kindreds, and the husband is not to in herit the estate of th^ wife agaiist her %rill« Discretions are also 2 . given for attesting a will by oath* IT ^ c g Tbe men o f the fam ily get a share o f th at which parents and near kindred leave and the women get a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, whether it be littl.4 or much - a lesjal 3 share* •As concerns the provision for your children out of the inheritance, the male offsprings get the equivalent of the portion of two females* And if there be wcnen more than t%ro, then theirs is two-thirds of the inheritance, and if there be only one, then, the half. And to his parents a sixth of the inheritance, if has a son and if he has no son and his parents are his heirs, then to f his mother appertains the third* If he has brothers, then to his mother appertains the sixth, after any bequ-'st he may have 4 bequeathed, or debts have been paid* A ll^ further coiBuaicates in the ourmi conce»ing the inheri tance - Tjmto you belongs a half of that which your wives leave, if they have no child* But if they have a child, then unto you the fourth of that which they leave, after any legacy they may have contracted, has been paid* And unto than belongs the fourth of that which you leave, if you have no child, but If you have a 1 * I'he Holy - A^U^aoarahi IP* 240 2« The Teaching of the ouroi - by H.tJ.W. Stanton, Sd itio n 3919, London, p. 67. 3* The Holy - An^lfisas 7 , 4* Ibid 11. 146 chlld| then the eighth o f that which you le a r e , a fte r any legacy you 3ay have bequeathed, or debt you may haTo sontraetedy has been paid* And I f a or a vonan has a d istan t h eir having l e f t n eith er parents nor child and he or she has a brother or a sister only on the mother's side, then to each of the® tvaln the sixth. And if they be aore than two, then, they shall be sharers in the third of the whole, after any legacy that nay have been bequeathed or dabt cont racted not injuring the heirs by willing away more than a third of the heritage, h;is been paid* Regarding the share of distant kindred, the ouran pronounces * If a nan dies childless, md he has a sister, hers is half of the heritage* And he would have inherited froa her had she died child less* And if there be two sisters, then, theirs are two-thirds of the heritage, and if they be brethren, men and women, unto the nale 2 is the equivalent of the a^are 1 B f A ^ g The warfare is ordered by Allah in the charactoristic tern *Jlh»ian FI S^Ililla^* (Strife in the way of Allt^) comiandlng - Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but 3 begin not hostilities. The believers should slay the disbelievers wherever they find them, and should drive them out of the places whence they drove th«a out» as persec^utlon is worse than slaughter. 1* The Roly our^ah - An-:il3aj 12. 2* Ibid - Ibid I 177 3* Ibid - Al-Baqarahi 190,216,244, Arwlflsa* 75,76* 147 but ^ 7 must not fl^^t at the Inviolable pla e of worship until they first nttack them. And If they desist froa attacking, then leave them. The fighting for the safeguard of the religion should be until the persecution Is no more, attacking them in the like manner as they attacked them. FlThting in the sacred months I s a great transgression except turning men from the vay of Allaih and 2 the inviolable pla^e of worship. The believing worrlors are to strike off the heads and finger tips of encHnles^ certain tactics and precautions are enjoined; leaders are to beware of insincere medlationy and not allow over tures at a ti:v.e of vantage. It was Allah who slew the anemles In the 3 victory of Badrf the werrior is His helper, and the slain in the path of Allah are not dead but living; they are mapty»s. Beath in Allah's way is better than wealth and is rewarded by paradise. To the living is granted rich booty and there is more to eoae; but It must be remmbered that the booty belongs firstly to Allah ar>d His Apostle. 'Prisoners of war are in the pow«r of the captors, to k ill, 4 sell as slaves, hold to ransom, liberate or convert to Islin. * I do not agree that the prisoners of war are in the abso lute power of the captors, to '<111, sell, hold to ransom or liberate the ch iv es as slaves, ^.ven slaves are not under the absolute control of their masters to k ill them on their own accord. For the provision of the easement to the slaves, the reader is requested to consult the article ‘Dealing with the slaves* of this chapter, ‘ i 1« The Holy Oui^an - Al-Baqarriit 291 - 394. 2. Ibid - Al-Baqarahi 217 ^ Thi% «»chlag H.n.W. S ta c tlo n , E d ition » J 9 Londcm. pp. 65,66. 148 and A3 for the f*»cllltles provided by the to the captives, one must go thpongh the ouranlc pAas^fes, when Allah repeatedly 1 conaaads - Begin not h0StllitieS| if the opponents desist, th en 2 let there be no hostility except against wrong-doers, 0 Prohphet I Say unto those captives who are in your handsi If Allah lonows any good in your hearts He will give you bitter than that which has been 3 taken from you, and w ill forgive you, and if they s^ek help fr Moreover, ‘ about the prisoners of Badr he ( prophet Moh®amAd) strictly ordnred that they should be treated well, the result w«s th at the d iscip le s themselves only lived on d ates, and gave the good food to the p rison ers. Tn the b a ttle of '"laiCfi, s ix thousand persons were captured as prisoners. The Holy Prophet not only set 5 them free, but gave each of thaa a suit of clothes.* ? g Y... The ouranic policy may be learnt from the problems of Israilites, Jews and Christlkans, as well as the slaughter of enemies enforced by the stories of Saul, Coliath, Joseph and others. As the nuriilo religion is a religion of peace, therefore it penaitj wqr with the following words - If two parties of believers fa ll to fighting, then make peace between them. And if one party of thea does wrcwag 1. The Holy W i n - Az^Nlsat 102,103* 2. Ibid - Al-B§qarahi 390 3. Ibid - Ibid 193,194 4. Ibid • ta Al-tofalt 70 6. Ibid - Ihid 72. 6 . Fear Allah and T«Oce Your Own Part - by Al-HaJ Oassia A ll, Jsdrazbhoy editon 1331| p 231 149 to the other, fight you against that y&iich does vrong t i l l i t returns to the ordinance of Alldi; then, if it returns mnke peace between them justly and equitably. The believers are not else than brothers, therefore, you should mske peace between your brothers# The oui^M enjoins on other sects and nations to bring d>ot^t honourable and Just peace by negotiation and appointment of a Board of 'Arbitration between the two dissatisfied and trouble • brewing sects instead of pronisin^ to help one or the other and maiking them fi/^ht* The Bloodshed should be avoided* If one or the other party does not agree to it, and insists on fighting them It 2 is duty of all to Join to fight it* The Qui^^ has preached a valuable principle for the maintenance of the world-peace. It has asked the Muslims to keep themselves ready fo r defensive 3 action against all external agression* The oui'an, by its watch-vord • “there is no compulsion in religion” has wedded the love of country by that of humanity, we may say on the authority of the rmrm th at a natlOTi *o u ld not regard the other as mean and degraded* One must be sure oa the divine prediction that no nation can ever remain high; the greatest esapires have fallen, and w ^l fa ll, and the lowest h?^ve risen, and w ill r is e * Having b e lie f in th is statan en t, there i s no room fo r grieving over the defeat or being pleased over the victory* Thus we may conclude that believing in the cycle of fortunes and 1. The Holy our an - Al-Hujurati 9,10 2* Fear Allah and T«ke your Own Part by Al-HaJ Oassia A ll, Jalra*bhoy, edition, 3931, pp. 29,30 3* Ibldi p. 35 4« The Holy < ^ « n - Al-Baqarahi 256* 150 alsfortunes man oust not bother la any jcaiditlon of^his life^ but he should continue to vork according to his strength seaH:lag 2 assistance in patience and Prayer. Regardlni^ the establishment of intimacy, the ''utot declares - Do not take for intimate friends froa among others who are dis believers, Allah encourages the believers while fighting against tine disbelievers saying • ’’Does it not suffice you that your Lord should assist you with three thousand angels sent down, and with 3 the five thousand of the havoo-mrtcing angels^, tod further Ha premises th at one hundred b eliev ers would be enough to defeat two 4 hundred disbelievers. And if there be twenty stedfast they shall overiione two hundred, and if thera be a hundred stedfast, they 5 sh a ll overcome a thousand by A l l y 's Grace. Therefore, b eliev ers should not loose their hearts even before a mighty army of the disbelievers* As the Jews and the Christians were the great enemies of Islaa l a those dstys, th e re fo re , divine ;:oaaand coaes against the® - Do not t<»ke the Jews and the Christians for frlends| they are friends 6 of each other. Giving «aphasis on the terms of friendship Allah repeatedly declares - Do not take Hy en«ay and your enemy for friends. 7 This relationship of yours would profit neither you nor your children. About keeping the tre a ty the O ur^ su»Tgests those who keep th e ir treaty^ v;hen they make one, and are patient in tribulation, adversity 1. The Holy nupoi • Al- An«it 138 2. Ibid - Al^^aaaraht 153 3 . Ibid • X L -i-U rm t 124,125. 4. Ibid - Al-.^alt 56 5. Ibidi 65 6 . Ibid - Al>Haidahi 51. 7* Ibid - Al-Mufat^naht 1-3, ^ 151 and tlses of stress. Such nro they who are the sincere. Therefore ■tfi nust In «11 conditions of his life, keep his treaty. In mcop- dwi^e with the conditions thereof* The fragmentary directions j The ourw, thus, proclaims the rules regarding ablutica in thi following way - When rise up for prayer, you should wash year faces and your hands upto the elbows and lightly rub your heads, and waarti yoixr fe e t upto the ankles. And i f you are uncl»an, you should pu rify yourselves. I f you are sick or on a journey, or one of you cooes froo the p rivy, or you hav« had contact with wcwoen, and you find no water betake yourselves to pure earth and wipe your faces and yotir hands therewith; All«^ would not like to pla e a burden on you but Re d esires to purify you and to p erfect Ills Grace on you, that you oay cjive Him thanks in th« shape of abiding by Els 2 coomandaents. A ll^ further declares about the ablution - Draw not nl A unto prayers when you are drunken, until /ou kAow what you say, no? when 1. Tb« Holy W i i • U -B a o a r*! 177 2* Ihld - Al*i4^d)iht 6* 152 you are polluted, save when Journeyln?? upon the road t i l l you hnv b ath ed 8, A C B. I F I n r; s The 'Waa announces the parfoi«ance of sacrifices In the words • To every nation ( *lllah ) gppoiated acts of devotion that they mention the name of Allah on what He has given them of the ca*:tle* Ind as for the caiels Allah has made them of the signs tf the rtbligion of Allah for you, as there is much gain for you therein* Therefore you should invoice the na»e of Allah on than as they stand in a row, then when they fa ll dead, eat of them and feed the poor man who is contented and the beggar. Thus Allah has made them subservient to you that you may be gratef\il. Though niither flesh nor blood of th«i reaches Allah, but to Him is acceptable the guarding against evil 2 on your p a rt." W9 may conclude from the above pronouncement co isem ia ? sacrifice that the rniriiaic sacrifice is intended like almsgiving, to help the poor and the needy* The sole attitu d e of the '^uraiaic teachings is to promote universal brotherhood and so not to tolerate the porverty of other fellows. This is why the intends to help the needy variously by prescribing alasgivlns, sacrifice and f9edtog the poor by way of expiation eto. As the cattle were the main pro perty of the Arabs, therefore, they ware ccaamanied to sacrifice animals with a view to help the poor and the needy. This is the 1. T^»e Holy W ffli • uwNisas 43 2, X^rid • Al-Hajji 34-S7,Al-Baqarahi S7-71. Al-Kauthari 2 etc. 153 essence of the philosophy of the Tsliaic sacriflie, § 0 ,g ,„ Q , I, ,g,3f„ J\ 9 ?, KL,G.„A T, I . A J . S A f3v rem?ilniiig obligations cf tho are being dealt with hereuader in the shape of plain ^oataandaents of tho Creatori- To set right for orphans their affairs is good, and if you becone oo-partners with then, they are your brethren. Therefore, you tr e a t then likew ise. one should not make Ood, because of one*s swearing by Ti« an obstacle to one*s doin» good and guarding against evil as well a as making peace naonp: men. Oim should be sincere in ane's oaths 3 and should not break them. And t^ose vho swear that they would not go unfco their wives should wait for four months, then if they go 4 back, it is pardonable by All«^. As regards the objects of oaths, it is custoaary to swear by those that are beloved ones to ra?«x. Ood Fimsalf confirms the ob« 5 jects of swearing through swearing Himself by the deilinia? day, 6 7 8 f ig and o liv e , morning hours, the sun and h is brightness and 9 s ta r . Here one point of enough importance a rise s I t s e l f th at God swears by various objects only onae and also while swearing by sun, and star neglects the swe^?ring by moon which very often coaies into the co-ordination of the triple-sun, moon and star, and also 1. The Holy Ourwi - Al-®lagarahi 220 2. Ibid: 224,225. 3. T^ldt 91 4 . Ibld i Al^T?aqarahi 326 5. Ibid* Al-/^r* 1 i . Ibid* At^-Tlni 1 7 . Ibld i Ad-Duhai 1 8. Ibldi Ais - ^mst 1 9 . Ib ld j Alwlfajat 1. 154 appenra to pay nora and :rtore attention towards st^r in swearing 1 throughout the scripture* Thus we aay conclude froa this dlvliw attitude towards repeating preference to the star in swearing| that star is the most beloved object for swearing by, I'herefore on* must try to swear by sta r i f he be in such an obligatoory clrcTaist Man is allowed to hunt» %rtien he is free from the obliga-ioas of the pilgrimage, and let not hatred of a people • because thay hindered you from the sacred Mo-que - in c ite you to exceed the lim its and help one another in goodness and oietyy arLl do not bolp 8 one another in sin and transgression* Man should know that whatever he acquires as spoils of war, a fifth theredf should be spent for the cause of AllA(e*g*> •racting mosaue etc.) and His Apostle, and for the kinsman wS:o has 3 need, orphans, the needy and the wayfarer. Take o ff your shoes in the holy v alley of Tuva, while you are 4 on pilgrim age. 5 Do not take Messiah, son of Mary for the Creator. 6 One must migrate fo r the causes of God. Do not say, as Jews say " Allah*s hands are fettered. 8 Invent not a lie against Allah through your disbelieving. F ain t n o t, iwr grieve before an army, you would surely be 9 victorious if you are true believers. 1* The Holy oui^mi - At-Tariqj 1. Al-!3upuji 1 etc. 2 . rbifi . Al-Maidahi 2 3. Ibid - Al-Anfal|41 4. Ibid - TS-haj 12 5 . Xbid - Al-M adahil7 6. Ibid - An-rJisai 100 7 . Ibid - Al^Maidaai*64 8. Ibid - ^Mildahs 103 9. Ibid - Al-1-Imran* 139. 155 Man Bittst b« slain In vay of MlJih for his pood orovlslons 1 In th« Hereafter. 2 Kstffbllsh re11clon and be not divided. When yon are in battle-field and the time of prayer has app roached, let only a party ofJ* you stand for prayer and the retaining take their aras* Then^when they have performed their prostrations lot thoia fa ll to the rear of the >»rray «id let renalnlng party which has not worshipped stand for prayer, and let others take their precautions and th e ir arms, ^ t there I s no blame on you to lay 3 •side your nrms, I f ra la Impedes you or you nre slck» tVhen you have performed the act of wors>»ip, you shouH remem ber God, standing, sitting and redlining* And when you are In 4 safety, you should observe proper prayer, as Is prescribed* s strive not after corruption In the land* 6 r-rleve not over the wronj;-doln~ folk* Stern towards disbelievers, striving la the way of Allah and 7 fearin g not the bl?«e of any blnaaer* Allah further preaches aanklnd in the Quran saying - taiow that wlioso repents after his wrong-doin^ and amends hinself, Mlah 8 will relent towards hln, as TTe Is Forgiving, Merciful. Allah sa/3 In the mirsn - lo X I an Forgiving towards him, 9 who repents, and believes and does good and afterwards walks aright* 10 Know that Allaii is the True, the High, the Ore at. 1. The Holy ''iiT^an - Muhnrraad* 4 2 . Ibld i • A ^Su rajlS 3 . Xbldj - An-?ri3i* 102 4. Ifildi - Ibid* 103 5. Ibldi - U-Maidahi 33 6. Ibldi - Ihld 7. Ibldi - Ibid 8. Ibidj - Ibid cohta . Oh Pa§e 156 Mlsh Is the Light of the henvnns wid the earth, He Is the Light UT)an light, He guides unto His light whoa He wills* And He 1 speaks wto mankind in allegories, as He is the knover of all things. Be sure th at mankind wore one csoBmiinity, and Allah sent unto them prophots as bearers of ?ood tidings and as varners, and re» vealed therewith the scnriptures with the truth that it might Judge 2 between mankind aoncerMng that wherein they differ* iOiow that, there is not an animal in the earth, nor a flying creature flyin? on two wings, but they >ire peoples like you, Allah has neglected-I nothing in the r-urm* All ' of them will retijrn to 3 Allah in the end* There i s no doubt in th is th at those who are Muslims or Jaws, or Christians or Sabaeans • whoever believes in God aad the Day of Discrimination, and does good - surely their reward is wLth their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they 4 grieve* And whosoever surrenders his purpose to God and walks aright, 5 he w ill be awarded by h is Lord* Man must be sure that Allaii sent messengers to mankind before Muhmaad, and it was not given to any messenger that he st.ould brlf a portent except by Allafli’s peraission* For everytliing there is a 6 time prescribed* Know that every scripture or revelation is recorded in the 9* The Holy • Ti-hai 82 10* Ibid - ‘Al-HaJ4-S2 J-l* Ibid - An-?fWPj 35 2. Ibid - Al-Baaarrfii 213,Yimusi 20, and tebiyai 92,93* ?* Ibid • Al-An‘imi 38 4« I'oid - Al-^aaa’*^: 62, Al-Maidahi09 5* Ibid • Al-Baneralit 112* ^ 6* Ibid - Ar-Ha'ads38,Al-An'tfnj48 157 1 •!Jam»ul-Kltab (Mother of the scriptures) entrusted with Ulah. Know that for every aniouncemeat of Ood, there is a term and 2 you v i l l cone to know i t * Know that Allah has nevar sent a messenger Sfive with the 3 languag^e of his folk, that he alght make the message clear to them. Those who believe in the words of the messenger of Allah heliev« In those of A ll^ Himself, a^id one must bo sure tha* ^llah does not task a soul beyond i t s scope. •Recite that which hath inspired in thee of th® scripture, and establish worship, Loi worship preserveth from lewdness and in iq trlty , but v e rily rememberance of Allah Is aioro important# tad Allah Icnoweth that ye do. And -irjTue not with peopla of scripture unless it be in ( a way ) that is better, save with each of t em, as d<^ wrong, and sayi We b elisv e in that which hath been revealed unto us and revealed unto you; our 'lod and your Cod is one; and s unto Him we surrender. Those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and seek to make distinction between Allah and His messengers, &rtd who sayi He believ e in some and d isbeliev e in oth ers, and soek to adopt a way in between, such are the Kiafirun-e-HacjgaC d isb eliev ers of the tru th ) 6 and for such disbelievers there is prepared a shameful chastisoaent. 1. The Holy nui^an • A»-!?abai 29, Al-i-Im ran: 7 2. Ibid - a-Aarafi37, T^anl Israilt58,Kahf*50 tm TaHai52, An*Va9Bls75 e tc . S. Ibid - irimus* 4S, Ar-Rarad*7,26,Al-Malaikahi24,Al-fTiJn 10,An«Vahlj63. Ibid - ^.l-!^aqflr«ht285,286, 5. The Meaning of the Glorious Koraiij by M.Piclcthall, p.408 6. The Holy ^wah - Aa-Sisai 150,151. 158 toow that the ourin confirms all sacred books prav^illng baifar* 1 i t . One B u st lew a that Muhammad is the bringer of the Truth and 2 the con flroer of those who broui^ht Truth before hla* Man ramst believe that Allah has revealed the '^urw to Muhasaaad with the truth confirming whatever scriptures were before it ai>d watching over them, T'nerefore, mankind must Judge between them by the revelations of Allah, and they must not follow their desires 3 away from the divine Truth, Wid man must believe that Allah nat* appointed a divine law and a traced«out way for every cjooaauiilt/, Hnd All<^ willed, He could have made you one comunlty, lut He desires to Judge mankind in their respective obllgntions. Therefore, 4 they should vie one with another in righteous a::tions* ?^ie our*Jn declares that "there should b© no compulsion In 5 rollgton". Had Allah willed H3 could ha/e made all ®i?jiklnd bellev«d together, Would you, then, compel men to accept your religion until 6 they are believers? 3e mireiful that Allah does not forbid for kindness and good treatment towards those (even though nonf-Muslias) who did not wage war against you on account of your religion, nor drove you ot.t of 7 your houses, but He forbids you that with those who go raverse. Know th at Muhammad i s but an apostle of Alla^i lik e those who passed away before him. VTlll i t be that when he dies or i s sla in 1. The Holy ourm - Al-’^ar?arahi 9 1 ,9 7 2. Ibid - As-35ffatj37 3# Ibid - T*usllatt 43 4# Ibid - Al«*’iitd abi48. 5, Ibid • Al-Bafiaraht256 6, Ibid - Yunus: 100, Al-Maldahil07 - 109 7, Ibid • Al-Miimta]toahi8,9, 159 1 you will turn back froo youp vellgioa. (this vary verse was rocltad by call^ph Abu 'lakr to the people nfter the death of the prophet*) Be sure th at Muhaamad Is but a W arner and a bearer of good *2 3 tidings unto believ 1* The Holy « Al-l-Iaraai 144,J0!ani Israil, 98 2, Ibid - Al-Araftl88 3 . I">id - Al«Kahfi 111, F u s ila tiS , S«Ki»71 4. Ibid - Ari-'Usaj 74 5, Ibid - A2>-n3a; 94, Al-Anfali72 6« Ibid • At-T:iubahj 1 ,7 e tc . 7. Ibid - Al-Anfali 8. Ibid - Al-i-'lararii 92* 160 folk deride a foUc who may be better than they are, nor let women deride woaen who may be better than they are; neither defjsae one another nor In su lt one another by nicknaaos. Man must shun much arus- plcion, for Lol scaae suaplalon is a criae, and spy not, neither backbite one another. And be si^re th at Allah ha^ created you mele and female and has made you nations and trib e s th at you may know 1 one another* The gardens of paradise are for those who restrain their souls 2 fropi lust, and fear 0.1ah, ind know that repelling evil with • S good is better* ^ Be sure that the life of this world is but comfort of illusion. Roaenber that Ulah does not change the condition of a folk 5 until they first chtfige that which is in their healrts. 6 Be expectant and know th»t h^irdshlp is followed by ease* Accordlns: to a tra d itio n o f the prophat, Allah esys that what ever reward Is pi*epp.red for th* righteous is saa^erned neither with the vlslb^illty of the eyes, nor with the audibility of the ears, nor with any feeling, experien'ie or Inaclnatlon of h'uaan he^rtor mlod. 1. The Foly ouran - Al-!TuJurat; 10 2 , Tbld - An-Naba*40,41 3# Ibid « Al»Ku«aiiilni9o 4. Tbld - Al-1-Iaif‘*in 185 5. loid - Raad:ll 6. Fold • Al-Inslr^;5 7. rold - nit a 4nr ^uran - ly Sundar Lall Hindustani Culture Society, Allahabad, edition 1946, p. 267 C H APTS'? 17 0 I ? if I c A ’-T p 0 -r -j’T N- I ■ njJU JL S-ixa_£_6_0_fi, (Bras. ffiilBS) 161 CLB-JL-EJT-?. iB^..Q!lgff4c. P?4t1-?g,.g,g|PP>gg4 QlglQ§. Having minutely gone through the G itli and the 0up5 i , one may easily realize that both these sacred voliaaes are so similar In their intrinsic natures that they can hardly be differentiated froa each other* Truly speaking, a true believer of the 7th and 8th Verses of the 4th Chapter of the Gita as well as 4®th verse of the Oul^anlc Swah ’ Al-Mildah* w ill find no point of dissi’ailarity between these two holy volumes. If there remains, n0vsr3^®"j^ss, an^t point of di»33l“ i l a r i t y between th e se , i t may happen on account o f th e ir t i i e , p lfije and circtm stances in which they were o rig in a lly preached. Both of these Books Intend to establish religion on a firm footing for the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of the evil-doers, and for restoring order and peace. The fundamental prlncdples are quite the same in all respects in both save a few matters in which merely the ways are different. This difference is Just like that of two different doctors who may heal a patient with the applicatioji of two different remedies or medicines, in their own ways for the ssme dlse- asG • Or this difference may be Just I ’ke that of tw real brothers who may seem to be unreal on account of their being born under the compulsion of time, place and clrcimstances, or due to scwie other physical pleaseure or pain of the parents. The points of slmlarity between the Gita and the Our^ may be observed as hereunderi- 162 CBSBRAL 03SBBVATI0H la order to gather the points of similarity between thes« two 1K«_ _ holy volimes, we may attempt frcna the very title s of^Glta and the The Gita and the r^nrim both are so similar to each other that the very titles of them mean the ssse* recital. Having described the Gita in Mahabhirata"Sri Vedavyaisa mXm said in the end about its The Oita should be carefully sunr, that is, after reciting the textf its meaning and idea shouB be gathered and held in the mind. It emanated from the lotus-like lips of Bhagavan Visim Himself from whose navel sprung the lotus* What is the use of studying the other 1 elaborate scriptures? In the same way, having received the divine command for the honour and dignity of the ouriit prophet M'Jhaamad dec lares - the is insight from your Lord and a guidance and a mercy for believers. Therefore, when the Ou:^an is recited, one must 2 give ev to it, and pay head so that he may attain divine mercy. As regards the promulgation o^ the Gita among humanlcind. Lord ^Sri trsna proclaims • this saired teaching of the Gita should » I » never be Imparted to a man without austerity, nor to one without devotion, nor ev^n to him who is unwillinf^ to hear, nor again to 3 him who finds faults with Me. Emphasising on the wide publicity of the Gfta, the Blessed Lord further declares that he who h«nrlng shown the hig-'est love to Me, shall Impart this most sacred teaching of Mine to My devotees, shall attain Me, there is no doubt about it. ^ 1. Bhagavad G itai by J a l Dayal Goyandka 1?dition 1954* 2. The Holy Oui^ani Al-A*arafi 203,204 and also see Al-i-iiarahi79, _ An-tlsai 82. 3 . Bahagavad G ita - 18i 67. 163 Among men there i s none who does Mo a more loving service than him who do€S so; nor shall any one be d e a r e r t o Me than him on this earth. And he who shall study this sacred dialogue of Ours, by him shall I be worshipped through the sacrifice of knowledge. Such is^ iev . As though to multiply the readers and followers of the Gita, the lord further declares - the man ti^.o listens to it full of Saith and in an mcsrping spirit freed from evil, even he shall reach the happy 1 worlds of the virtuous. With a view to publish the message of the Quran widely and to make it applicable in all matters of life , Allah pronounces In the qui^Si that Judging authorities should pass their judgements in 2 accordance with the prescribed rules in the Oui^iui, Jmst like Gita, to multiply the true followers of the Our»i, God forcefully declares - will they, then, not meditate on the Quran or are there locks on the heart. Certainly, those who turn back after the guidance has been manifested unto them, Satan has seduced them, and God gives them the destruction. As the Qui^anic verses are mostly repeated in all the five-times' prayers of IslSm, therefore, for the recital of “he ourSiic verses mere and more Allah proclaims - men must observe prayer at the going dDwn of the sun until the dark of night( both prayers - Sami * and I^a ) Lol the recital of the our^sm at down ts ever witnessed. Further, announcing the greatness of the Our^ Allah states - H’e have displayed for mankind in this Qui^ih all kinds of similitudes. If man^ kind and the Jinn should assemble together to produce the like of 1, Bhagavad G iti 18i 68-71 2, The Holy Ou™-Al-Maidahi 45, and Al-Anmt51j70» 3, Ibid; - Muhsamad: 24,25 and Barii-Israil*78, 4, Ibid; - BanI - Isridl* 78, 164 this Qui^Si, they could not produce the like thereof* As the second chapter of the G iti is a summary or essence of the whole volume, in the same way, the second Surah of the Qui^ih is an abstract of the whole thenft thereof• One Ufiy be doubtful regarding the absolute similarity between the Gita and the Our*an while the former is near about twenty times shorter than the latter in bulk. Before taking in hand the comparsH tive study of these two sacred books, one must carefully observe the time, place and circumstance in which both were preached originally* As the Gita was originally preached in India, in such a time when the people were too advanced in grasping the essence and ^rue mean ing even of a sug^^estive piece of literature, for India was enriched with vast literature in those days* Therefore, the G iti was preached in b r ie f, leaving i t s meaning on the consu ltation of the imaenae lite ra tu r e of the Vedas, Upanisads, Brahmana - literat\xre and other sacred codes prevailing at that time* On the contrary, the Ourah was originally preached in Arabia, where barbarism was prevailing everywhere at that time* The people were not advanced in under standing the meaning of a simple phrase, nor there was any other sacred code or scripture free frrai abrogation for the cor.sultation of any commandment given in b rie f* I f the Oui^in lik e the G ita, were preached in short no one save a few could understand the true import thereof* This i s why a thing which i s declared by the Qutm expressly is thought to be preached by the Gita impliedly. The sim ilarity between the Gita and the Ourah extends to the 1* The Holy Our an - Bani - I s r a ilj 88, 89* 165 larger sc ale» as moat of the verses of the were preached under slmil??r circumstances In vt^lch the Gfta was preached. For Instance, Kauravas being In the state of their disbelief were oppressing the land tyrannically, virtuous ones were much tormented in their cruel boadaga. They were opponents to Pic^avas to the extent of en n ity, who were pious and ch a rita b le . They were tortu rin g than through th e ir age;ression in various ways. Similarly, the cnirayshites of Mecca were bitter opponents of the prophet and the believers and were oppressing th«a by all sorts of torments and tyrannies, to the extent cf making them flee* When the prophet with his faithful companians migrated to Madfnah for his safeguard from the aggression of the purayshites, tlpy continued their tyrannical attitude towards the prophet and tl» beli evers by attackin?» thooi again and again with the huge armies. Like tl» first chapter of the alta in which a picture of the armies of kauravas and pandavas has been dravn, many of the verses of the Our«i, have been revealed to this effect. The Glt'a nscies Kaurav«s as • At«itayinah* or desperadoes who should,at once,be killed without a slifjht thinking whether they are Gurus, or elders, or kinsmen or other respectables* In the saie way the Ourayshites of Mecca are repeatedly called as ’Kaflrun* by the ouran. Justifying their killing by waging war a‘-«inst th«E.. Lord 'Sri Krsna repeatedly ccwimands Ar juna to fi^ht against the desperadoes. In the same way, the Ourii enjoins war against disbelle- Sits, flf vers saying - why do you not fight for the children who are crying; 1. Bhagavad C lta l i 1-23 e tc . The Holy rnu/ah - A1 - Banarahi 190-194, At-taabah*5 etc.. 166 our IfOrdl Bring us forth from out this town (Mecca) of which the 1 p«ople ?u*« oppressorsl Oh, give us from Thy presence some defender I Those who believe fight for the cause of Allrfi and those who disbelieve fight for the cause of idols. So fight the favourite servants of the 2 devil, cert?dnly, the devil’s strategy is ever weak. The attitude of the Kauravas was as tyrannical as that of the r^urayshites of Mecca, therefore, the Git's and the f^vLrm both Justify war against vrong-doers* Lord Isri Krsna’s» * # whole discourse of Gita is based on convincing Arjuna to be ready for fight against wrong-doers* He for this very purpose adopts three metihods - SarAkhyayoga or the yoga of knowledge, Kar^ aayoga or the yoga of action and Bhalfliyoga or the yoga of devotion* Simllserly, the riurWn ju stifies war against disbelievers in the plain ccmuBandmonts « warfare is ordained for them ««'alnst those w^ have diriven th©DS fron their houses unjustly only because they siid* our Lord is Allah - ’For had it not been for Allah's repellinf? soae men by means of others, cloisters, churches, oratories, and mosques, wherein the n?sae of Allah is often mentioned, vould certainly hsve been 8 pulled down. ' Is Arjuaa, according to Gita having been stationed there in both the anal^s his relatives, elders, teachf^rs and other will-vlshers, was overwhelmed with in f situation and gave exDresslon to h is fa in t heartedness, tenderness ani grief, in the same way, some believers according to ourwi even on receiving the divlna camaand to wage war 1. Tba Holy our^an • A l»Ifajji 4 0 ,4 9 ,An»Nisat 7 4 ,? tc . 2. Ibid - to-Nlsai 75,76. 3. Ibid - ll-T3aqarAi 216, AL-Hajji 40, 167 agaltiat the oppressors, seem to hesitate concerning doing bnttla* For lnst?ince, the nurah says • Holy Wqr Is ordained for you, though i t I s h a tefu l unto you; but I t may happen th at you hate a thin?; %;hlch may be "ood fo r you; and I t may hat>pen th at you love a th in g , which may be bad fo r you. God knows. M tte r , you do not# Tha Gita and the Oui/ii both regard war for right cause to be Holy or Pellglous, The Gita adopts the words »Dhsrjpa-Yuddha* or ^ 2 •Dhara»» Samgrana* and the nuj^^ the phrase • O lta l F I S a b lU lla h **' tfter a minute observatloi, one may easily realise that the Holy War is the noble thaae of the Gita and the Our in both, fcs the Roly War Is justified by the Blessed Lord throughout the Gita, In the sf»e way It Is Justified by the ^>uy^^ also In many matters • Such as. If two parties of believers fall to fighting, then It Is the duty of other believers to make peace between them. And If one party of them does wrong to the other, then other believers should fight against the wrong-doing party, t ill It returns unto the ordinance of Allah; then, If it returns they should make peace between them Justly and 3 act equitably, as Allah loves the ecfultable. ’Believers are not else than brethren* Therefore, make peace between your brethren, and ob- 4 serve your duty to Allah that haply you may obtain mercy . In the sliall«r manner, the "fta and the Ouran both Justify war for the defence cf ^ 1 righteous causes. The basic teaching of both the scriptures is to attain salvation through the performance of the proper actions as prescribed in the 1. The Holy '^r?in - Al-Baqarahi 216, 2 . Bkagavad Gfta - 2: 33, li 1 e tc . The Holy Cui^an - Al-Baqaraht 216 etc. 3. Ibid - Al-Hujuratf 9. 4. Ibid 10. 169 1 ness* There I s Ji famous prsyer of the prophet Muhaamad - 0 Rodi give 2 me a ll^ h t* 3 . The G ita says that God*s face I s on a l l sides* And the o n rii s ^ 8 on this point, ^nto Allah belongs the Knst and the West, and whither- 4 soever you turn there Is Allah’s countenance. In the o iti God Is described as *Sarvalokmahe* s'^vsrah* or *tho Supr«ae Lord of all the worlds*. In these very words He Is mentioned In the oursn also* According to Gita God is Sat or Truth out of His threefold desig« nation . In the Ilk© manner He i s declared In the Ouraa in the words- 6 Allahu-Val-Haqqu* • i.e ., God is truth. The Gita says about Ood that lod is without birth and without beginning and the Supreme Lord of the universe and that there is n^ne 7 like unto Him* 'Svetatvatara Upanlsad of Yajurveda holds that there is neither equal unto God nor more than Him* The Gita, along with Isopanlsad states that all this is pervaded by God in His rinm;«ill*est aspect* The ouran also says the saeae thing on this point, as 'Xrv-Nahu Blkulll 'Sal lorauhit* l*e*, 'Is not He 8 surrounding all things'* AC-wording’ to Gita God is the self seated in the ha arts of all beings, therefore. He is the Beginning, and the MlddJe and also tho End of All beinSs, and what Isopanlsad states on tills polnft is that He is the walker and the non»valker. He is the far and near and He is Inside and Outside of all beings* And the Duran to this effect holds that He is the First and the Last, and the Outward and the 9 Invari; and He la the Kaover of ail things*' 1* Taaaso Jyotlrgmaya. 2* Gita Aur <^i^an - Sundarlal* edition 1946, p* 21 3* Hhagavad Gftas lOt 33 and ill 16 4* The Holy oui^«i - Al-Baaardii 115 Contd. on page/7^*• 168 scriptures. According to both these scriptures this world is but place for preparlnn oneself for the at^.aiiment of the Suprcae ^llss by one's deeds. Now, I shall concern myself with the attoapt to bring o*it simi* laritias in the most fund«aental principles of both these scriptures. The conception of r»od bein?? the Priaery duty of almost all the major religions of the world claims its discussion at the first place. Therefore, it is being discussed as hereunderi- 1 GODi The conception of ^od is almost the sme in both the scriptures • G ita and nvtrmm liost of the Ood’s attributory nsaaes are also the same in both, such as Sustainer, Creator, Dastroyer, Omniscient, Eternal, Perceiver, U^comparable. Truth,provider, etc. Accor-!lng to the Ciita, God is light of all lights, as veil as 2 the light of the moon and the sun. Maintaining the same sp±41t, the Ouran says about God that He is the Light cf the Heavens and the 3 ea rth . He i s Tiight upon lig h t. The Supreme Lord says in the Gita that 1 dispel the d?irkness 4 born of ignorance by the shining light of wisdom, tod the '^uoran says 5 on this point that Alls^* guides unto His light \i^oa He w ills. Alla4i is the protecting friend of those ^^o believe. He brings them out 6 of darkness into light. In the sane way, the prayers have been observed to God, place to place in the Hpanlsads, in the words - Take us to light o*it of dark- 1. See also the head^God in Chapter II of the thesis, 2 . Bha^avad G ltai IT^t 11-lG, and 17i 23, 3 . The Holy Oui^ln - 35 4 . Bhagavad G itli lOi 11,. 5 . The Holy ouran - An-Nuri 35. 6. Ibid • Al-Baoaraht 267, tod Al-Maidaht 16 170 The nit's proclalos thnt In this world there nre two kinds of entities • perishable and iaparishabla; the bodies of all bein'^ are perishable and the Jivataai that is, Ood Himself> (as soul is a fragnent of '^rod) Is said to be iniperishable. The a!bo enjoins the sane thing in its own way statiig • everyone that is the-rerai (oa the e??rth)wlll pass ».vayj there remains but the counteaanco of thy 2 Lord o f Mifjht and Glory. Describing the Glories of f!od, the Gita says that if there be brilliaice of a thousand suns bursting forth all at cnce in the heavens, even that would hardly approach the splendour of the nighty Ijord* And the describes the Divine 'llories in its own way, revealing • tha Benefi^nt Lord has made known the '>nrah, He has created man and taught him u^teran39. The sun and the moon are made 3 punctual and the stars and the trees adore. He hgs uplifted the sky# The Glt'a reaogniaes God as • Tint hi nk able' and ’ Hlf^her than the intellect*. And the ''uran says to this effect that (human) vision 4 cannot 3oraprehsnd Him, but He cojBprehends a ll visions* Tha Gita decl^ires that God dwells in the hearts o 5 . Bhagavad G ita i 5t 2 9 , The Holy O ut^ - A l-Fatlhidiil 6 . Ibid I 17 I 23. The Holy - iO^HaJJi 62. . - 7 . Ibid t lOt S and l i t 43; The Holy ^u^aii - A t-Tauhidil-4. 8 . Ibid I 9 1 4 .; The Holy ^r'ah - Ha H ikt 54. * 9 . Ibid I 10t20; The Holy narnn - ^l-Hadidi 3 1 Ibid I 15* 7. . ' ^ 2. Ibid S 15il6,The Holy ^ran - 'Ir-^ahrriwii 26,27. 3. Ibid I 11112, and 10i21-41, and Ch.XIiFull, The Holy curan - Ar-Rahmani 1*7 and 8-TO sn-Nur-41-45 Al-to'anj loa-104, All-Baqarahi255,286,oif: 16, As-'Suraht29 Aa*Zuaari53,Yur>ufJ 92, An-Nahl-129, Aa-Risa* 110-112 id-Haidahi39,Ta-Hai82, «r->^^^t6,Al-^uruJ:14,lS, Al-HajJ S2, An-Hiipi35|Al-Baoarah»115,Lunman:18, Al-Aw’nf t205,Hud*115, e tc. 4 . Bhagavad G ita - 2 j2 5 and 3*43| The Holy Al-An‘« t 104* 171 •quallf present In all beings; there is none hateftil or dear to M«» Those, however, who whole heartedly worship Me, abide in Me, and I also stand revealed in th » i. In order to shower My Orace on them (devotees) I, dimlling in their he^^rts, dispel ths darkness born of ifriiDrance by the shining light of wisdom* Ascordin^ to a tradition of prophet Muhamaad, human hanrt is the dwelling place of (Hod). The also says the ssae thing in its own way, statiig - Surely I (Cod) ai nigh and answer the prayer of suppliant, when he cries unto Me (Ood). So let them hoar Hy call and lot than trust in Me, 2 so that they may be led aright* Ate (God) are nearer to man than his 3 jugular vein* In order to describe the divine glories the !^lessed Lord Proclaims la the nita that I am the sapidity in water and the light of the moon and the sun* I am the sacred syllable »om * in all the ved< The Mathnavl of Riki (Maulsuia h5 h) which is considered to be Ourin in the Persian langur'e contains a lot to this effect, for instance, *I (God) m the sweetness of the sweets and the oil or essence of 5 alnonds** Again Ciita says on this point that the SRcrlfi^e la whi;* the lad le ( a big spoon with which the oblation i s poured in to the sacred fire) etc*^ is ’^^rahmnn, the oblation itself is Brahnan, even 1* "Thagavad Gita - 18i 61, 10* 11 and 29, 2* The Foly nuran • Al-Barjartfi! 186* 3* Ibid _ ^ SO thia^ act of Pouring the saae Into the sacred fire, which is again Bralma-i, by the sacrificer, wiio is himself Irahman - certainly the goal to be reached by him, who is absorbed in such sacrifice as Brah- 1 man is also brahman or Absolute* The sspie idea has been Imparted by a Sufi in the words - He, Himself is jbhe cup, Himself the Potter, Him self the clay of the cup, and Himself the Drinker of ^up. He, 2 Himself Purchases the cup and Himself ?:oes away? brea’^ing up that cup* It has becOTic nuite clear from the above discussion that the conception of God according to both thepe scriptures is absolutely tha saoe* Thus, ''onceiving Ood in the above mentioned way in the light of the Gita and the '^uran, man would naturully form an idea in his mind about tha supremacy of God rea liz in g Him to be the supreme o b ject of worship* Hence, it is quite obvious that one*s foremost duty is to woraflil? only one Ood, who i s above a l l t r ib a l d e itie s and n ation al Gods, the Alml<:hty, the Able to do a l l things* lOWT^PT OF 3QTTL The n ta and the ^uram both conceive soul in the similar m!mner, in acsorian'^e with their own ways of con-^eivin/; as follovst- The soul, accordlnj; to Gita is a fra^ent of God, deriving its motive power resting in mind and five senses fro© nature by God’ s 4 loav^. Therefore, all attrlMites of God are equally applied to soul also* For exanple, showing thft Iraperishability of soul* Lord^Sri Krsna I • * preacihes - in fact there w^s never a tlra«, when I was not, or you 1* Bhrgavad^Glta - 4t 24, 2 . Khud Kuzao Khud KU2 ae;??ro, Khud Gile^ Suzi ?chud ^irjd Subukas ,?Chtid ’^^rsare Xuza ’Q^arldar Bar«aad Hasikasto Ravah Sud» 5 , The Holy - Al-Baoar^dii 20. 4, Bhagpvad G lti - 15i7, and 5 il4 . 173 ( Arjuna) or these kings wore not, nor w ill It hapnen that here^ifter 1 %re shall all cease to be* The soul is imperishable ^ladeflnable, eter nal, it is not capable of killing anyone, nor is killed by anyone. It is ratxKJi|ui]iis never born, nor diesf nor does it exist on coming into being* For it is unborn, eternal, ever^J-'^sting and PrimevAl; even though the body i s s la in , the soul i s n ot. Fu rth er, th is soul c>«inot be cut, burnt and made wet* It is omnipresent, itmovable, constant, unmanifest, unthinkable, inmutable as well as it resides in the bodies 2 of beings* What the ouran opines concerning the soul is, *this soul is by command of Allah, Who vouchsafed to mankind a l i t t l e knowledge about 3 __ it* It appears to mean that soul is, as CJit'a says, ‘TTnthinkable*, Supporting the reality of oneness of soul God clarifies in the Oui^ah revealing - *T^e careful of your duty to your Lord W*-o ereated you from a single soul and from it who created its mate that Is^ spaase and froo th«nj twain He spread a multitude of male and female* The 5 Ouran says, ‘ all are Allah’s and unto Him they are returning** Man without soul is but nothing* Therefore, man is nothing but soul therein* Thus, the phrase, ‘souls are Allah’s and -into Him they are retiirnia says, *the fragments of Cod** Therefore, all attributory nates of God are equally applicable to the soul also« God is laperishable so is the soul, ^ut one may doubt on the translation of the 185 th verse of 1* Bhagavad G ita - 2i 12 - 17 2* Ibid - 2* 18 - 20,23-25 see also Gita-Hahasya by B*G* , Tilak, Vol*II edidion 1936,p.999 3 . The Holy ^raoi- Ban! I^ r a ili8 5 4 . r^id - to-.^isl^lJBtid Al-Aaffaf* 189 5. Ibid - Al-Barjarahjl56* 174 the Suraf) »Al-i-'lnfan» M.Pickthall - *8rsry soul will ^ - 2 taste of death*. The 'Xiranls words for soul are *Ruh» and Nqfs* both t md the word *Nafs’ means *heiaR * also. But here la the thove vers© Mr.Flclrthall trfsnslated the word *ilafs* as *soul', instead of ‘being*! wMch TOuld be more proper. Though the word *Nqfs* mesns soul - a lso , but at this place it appears Improper,. It strikes a little when our’sn speaKs - *no soul- cm ever die exaept by Ood’ s peraisslon and at a term appointed*. The true spirit of the Oui^wlc conception of soul re s ts In the f i r s t h a lf of the above phrr^se - 'ho soul cm ever die* and the latter half thereof - * except by rood’s leave and at a term ^pointed*, has merely been added to protect the discretionary 4 powers of Hod, the Alaight/, th# Able to do all thlni»s« The Oita also says the same thing on this point Impliedly. C^n the o ita deny th?«t the soul may be put to p e ris h a b ility , by God*s peraisslon, had He willed. ?fay, It cannot. Thus, it has, by all means, been proved from the afoov-^ discussion that the con::eptlon of soul according to both thefie scriptures Is absolutely the same. Knowing the soul in the above mentioned manner, man should try his level best for the purification of his soul, as man Is ordained to lift his soul to the highest point according to 5 his capabilltes born o^ nature. mATio?? T!T :mctqr m m As re^rards the relation between the Jreator and the Seated the 1. Meanln: of the Glorious Koran « by M.Plckthall, Oeorn® Allen and Uhwln L td ., Museum s tr e e t, T,ondon, Edition,Al-Jtebly8*ii35, A l-l-Iitrani 185# 2. The Holy - Al-Baaarahi48,223,265,286, and Al-i-Imranj 1S5 3. Ibid - Al-l-'lmrant 145 4. Ibid _ Al-Bar»arahj20 5 . Bhagavad G ita - 6t5 The Holy ^UTjjh - Al-Baqarahi286. 175 Gita pcpoclains - ’he who sees Ood, the universal self present in all bf^lnga and sees a l l beings existing: in Him, He i s never o*Jt of sight of him, nor he is out of sit’ht of Him* He who established in unity, worships God as residin?' in all beings as their very self, that 1 Yogin though engaged in all sorts of activities, dwells in Him, The famous 3iif£ Muhduddin Ibn • Arabi opines on th is point - 'leh o ld not nod apart from His creation, nor the creation a fora of any other than 2 Him. The ^ a n also says the same thing in its own way - • * all 3« are Allah's and unto Him they are returning* The d octrines of • Dwaita’ and » Ad wait a* and • Vqhdatussu'^hud* aid »\/«hdatulJ(rajud* h*»ve been derived respectively from above men tioned basis of the Gita and the our an. The doctrine of £>l^ita* of Indian philosophy i s the same as •Vahdatussuhud* of Muslim Philosophy, and th*>t of • Adwaita* is the same as *VahdatulJ^uJud* resp ectiv ely . The follow ers of ’ Adwaita* or •W'ahdarfiul-VUJud* believe I that whatever exists there on earth is all God in Flis universal or Virat-Form, and whatever is seen other else is nothing but mere illusion or M~ya. On this very basis, some Indian philosophers say- • Ahm Brahmasni* ( I am Braimian) or • Sarvano Khalvld«a brahma* (AH that is Hrahman alone). In the sane manner, s(xae Ifuslim S ^ is like Mansur, ''Saas-i-Tabriz etc. claiMOd themselves to be God saying - 4 Ana|-*^aoo ( I aaa God) H*jma Ost* (A ll that i s God alone). » On the other hand, the follow ers of *Dwaita» or »Wjahdatussuhud believe that the existence of Creator is quite separate from that of the created things. The Muslim Preceptors express this nation in the words « ‘Haaa As Ost* i.e ., 'everything is from God*. It is interesting to note that the believers of *Dw*iita* or • Vahjiatussuhuc and * Adwaita* or VahdatullAijud* both try to support their views on the ?aithorlty of the Git*a and the Oiiran respectively. Thus, it may Cohtd* ah ill? 176 also be concluded froa t^ls statement th?»t a thin? o«iy be proved ouite averse by a telented person. It depends wholly on the capacity of under standing guts and calibre of a man. It has become quite clear from the above discussion that the Al«lghty is prevailing in all things of His creation - whether animate or inanimate* He is equally present in all beings. There is none hate ful or dear to Hia* They, however, who devoutly worship Him aMde in 1 Him, and He also stands revealed in them# folding every thing of the creation to be a part of the Qoaidpresent T/od through the firm fa ith in His HhiTersal Form, man should equally regard all religions of the creation to be true leadinf^ mankind to the hiphest perfection in the shape of God^Bfialization* w/gs 0^ Divi?r; nTipaircF; Lord ^Sri Krsna provides a solid example of Adyaitjavaia or the non- » • • dualism by claiming Himself to be (Jod throughout His Holy Discourse of Gita. Though, He was not God Himself is is generally conceived. He claims Himself to be so, on account of His being fully devoted to the ^rliimi state through His belief in the *Adwaita theory* of Indian philsophy, or being totally Brahm«aya or absorbed in Brahn.a, It was not Sri Krsna alone who claimed Himself to be God, but many Muslim saints like Mansur, Sarwyid* 'Sams-i-Tabrlz and others also being abso lutely surrendered to their Maker through their firm faith in the 1* Bhagavad G itai 29 ^ontdvfroa pasei 1. Bha'avad Gitlii - 6j 3 0 ,3 1 , 2« Gita Aur oui'ai (Hindi version) by Pt.Sundar Lai Edition 1946 P.57 3 , The Holy W a n - Al - ;^aqapahil56 4* Gita Aup our'ah - (Hindi Vesion )By Pt#3undar Lai 'Idition L'»46, P*58 177 theory of * Vahdatui J/ujud* or * Adwaltavada* claimed themselTes to b« Rod by iitterln? - taal-Hanq*. It Is, undoubtedly, clear that Krsna was not Ood Himself, but He was a high-souled person, a Holy aan, a sa in tly au thority, a divine guide, a God*s rep resentative or a God*s apostle like Muhsdamad. But one may doubt on the - statement that while Lord *Srl Krsna Himself claimed to be an incar?^atlon of Ood, then how can He be merely an apostle of Tfod or a Holy man? In orrier to answer th is nuestloa, I may say th at i t Is not 'Srl Krsna, alone who » • • is an incarnation of God, but everything on er»rth - whether aaimate or 2 inamimate is sn incarnation of God in His Virat or Universal form. In this way, how can Muhammad be aloof frtxn the Inc amotion ship of % God, like all things of the creation? 'Tow, the question aris=»s as to while everything on earth - whether animate or inanimate is an incarnation of God, then, why, Raaa, K r^a, ’^uddha etc.^ are specially disignated as the incari^atlons of God? The answer hereto runs as, * l t is because of their being greatly popularized as the divine preachers in the social entlronment of their times in which they flourished. The admittance cf the social opinion does not resogiire any relevancy or irrelevancy in its dealing. Therefore, though all are incarnations of God but generality reiognizes oily the ten to be so. ^ut the Gita itself recognizes the Incamatlonshlp of Isrf Krsna. In this c«se, it appears to be following the opinion of the ^erality for its facility in understanding the Divine Hiscourse. It was not a rare conception of recognition of an opinion by the generality, even today, though all persons are of God, but Muslim community very often regards a 1. Bhagavad G ita - 4* 7 ,8 , , ^ ^ ^ 2. Ibid - 7j 8 -ll,10i20 - 41,and lli 12-43 and 9jl6 - 19 l t ( 178 virtuous mftn as a *Band»-o-Khuda* or M^srda-Khuda i*o«yMan of Godl Can it be concluded trm this statement that othenj are not men of God? Thus, It has, automatically been proved that It was not only ^Srl Krsna« % « %rtio was an Incarnation of ^>od but everything on earth being a part of God is an incarnation of ^od, '^Sri KrsnaI I • and others are specially designated as the incarnations of Hod by virtue af t^ei^ mere popularity as spiritual Guides among the generality of the time and place. It is not reasonable to say that God Himself coaes down wi earth to a certain piece of land for the reformation of Its mis leading folk, leaving others to run the risk of doing ri :ht or wrong on their own accord* How can He, Himself having vacated His throne, cane down on earth therefor. ? ITay, He does not com® personally, but sends His apostles endowed with His own spark and spiritual calibre from time- to time when there i s a decay of righteousness and un-^rightt* eousness is in the ascendant, for the safeguard of the virtuous, for the destruction of the wrong-doers and for establishing Dharma oaa a 1 firm footing* What the oui^an opines on this point is , *for every nation there e 2 is a mess^rver. Allah further proclaims in the '^ran that We never sent a messenger e :pept with the language of his own folk, so that he may make the message clear to them* Allah sends whom He w ill astray, and * 3 guides whom He will* Allah sent His messengers to mankind before Muh«mnad also, and it was not given to any messenger that he should * bring a portent except by God's permission. For every thing, there 1* Bagavad G ltai 4i 7|8. , ^ - - 2* The Holy Oui^am • Yunusi48 and Ar-Ra'adi7 and also see As-3urai7, Az-2ukhrufi3, Ad-DiikhOTi58 F tis lla ti4 4 . 3* "^he Holy -/tiirahami4, Al-Ahqafi 12,13. 179 is a time prescribed. It is Allah who effaces vfhat He will aid estab- 1 llshes what He wlll| ani with Hlo is the source of ordinance^ For 2 every an louncement (o f tlod) there i s a term*Cod, fu rth er advises oarw kind by revealing - 0 :hlldren of Adqm I If messengers of ymir own come to you who narrate unto you My revelations, then whosoever refrala from evil and mends, there shall no fear coma upon them, neither ® j- shall they grieve* Allah says in the Ouran - We have sent thee (HuhysaraiM) with the Truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner, and there^ls no*: even a single nation wherein divine warners did not pass through. Verily some of the messengers of 'lod are mentioned in the and 5 sOTje of than are not mentioned. Having believed in the ways of divine giildeace in the above mantioned way, one should not make d ifferen ce between the apostles and warners pertaining to one’s own faith as well as - ’ those pertaining to the faith of others. On the authority of the Olt’a and the ouran, all religions are true as to their divine iapoi^s,therefore^ mai should look upon all apostles and scriptures of the world with the s?sme eye, as they all have their orif^in in one D iv in ity . BgygftTION AND III3PI ATIO?r. The revelation means tha scripture or the unveiling of the divine prea<3hings and mysteries. This has aost elaborate?lf been asserted re^’arding the oui^ot, but the same is applicable to the Gita and other scriptures also. Inspiration or ■^*hi, according to the means 1. Tl-e Holy ouran • AivR-'adi 3 8 ,D9 and An^fahli63 2 . Ibid - Al-Anam* 67 3 . Ibid - Al-A*arafi 36 and Al«Anj»ii48 4. Ibid - Al-nijri 10, Al-rMalilkahi24 and Ar-Raad»27 5. Ibid - JWWsai 164. 180 the dlvlno 3pG63h to man, conveying occasionally the objective message as well as the subjective met'^od of Its imparting. The prophet of Isl?8a repeatedly declares by "lod* s command that the W an is that which is inspired imto me through the grace of the Lord of the worlds. Therefore, It Is a revelation of Ctod or a revealed 1 -'-book, like "oratj, 'Gospel, Psalms and other scriptures. How, wo have to Jud?»e, impartially^ whether G ita i s a revealed book like the or not. It is, undoubtedly, admlttable thnt the Ouran clarifies its position Itself, as to be a revealed volume throughout Itself, while the aita remains silent on this point, ^ut it Is our duty to unveil the reality, as, for instance, one of the two safely authorities comes-r cn, claiming himself to be a sage, while the other calmly claiming nothing, but I t becomes the duty of the beholders to discover their reality by judf'lng them equitably on their own merits. Same Is the case of Cflta before us. It Is true to saj’ that not even a single phrase full of spiritual l-nport can be uttered nor a m eritorious deed can be done by any one on 2 his own accord without being inspired by God. Therefore, It was not S ri Krsna, son of Vasudeva and ttevakl, a cow-grazer, 'who preached on * I ' his own accord, such a divine secret full of all sorts of sovereign sciences, mysteries, deep philosophy and high spiritualijy utiUzable for all times to come, ^ut It was God who Inspired TTlm to do so, as His own Representative to preach mankind on His own behalf. This is why, Lord '^Sri ICrsna claims Himself to be ‘^od throughout Gita. 1. The Holy ^uran - U-Baqarrfii 4,37,39,106, 129,144,146,1 5 1 , 2 1 1 , 2 1 9 and so on throughout tHe '^ui^an. 2 . Bhagavad G ftai 7t 8 , 9* 16, i 10* 11-41 and 11*1-43. 181 As regards the merits of the citS, It Is aqrvellous to net® that the oita belns revealed thousands of years before the Our^ah, yet It Contains the whole theme of the la tte r# I f the '^rlta were of the l>»ter age than the nuran, It could, however, be said that It mljjht be dic tated from the Therefore, It being oulte original In l^'.s IntrUfdc nature, can never be a creation: of man* Thus, It has automatically, been proved that the Oita Is lindoubtedly a revealed boolc, lllce the oui^an aad the Our^iilc statement ’nothing new has been preached in the Oui^an which was not preached In the previous scriptures*, stands here worthpralslng. As regards the personal merits of the agents -''Srl Krsna and V • r- Muhanmad through whose a<»ency the G ita and the ''ui^sji were resp ectiv ely preached, they were both but cattle-grazers, ln£capable of creating such sacred books as Gita and '^iran, on their own ac"?ord. Ar.d In fact, it was not that they themselves composed these scriptures with their n own hands, but they were ccraposed by V^sa and Muh«iaad*3 x>ersonal scribe and other literate ccKtipanlons respectively* The rnirnA says that those who-- disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers and seek to make distinction between Allah and His messengers, and sayi We believe in some and disbelieve In others and seek to c'-oose a way in between* They are disbelievers or persons endowed with demo- 2 nlacal properties and will be punished by a shjjneful doaa# Now, have reached the concinsion that having gone thro-igh the above statement one may e a s ily re a liz e th at there remains no room fcr 1* The Holy • F u s lla tj 43, 2 , The Holy ^ - to-Nlsa* 150,151* 182 any doubt as to whether these both sacred voltaaes are revealed or aan» made? iJe have, authentically, made clear that both of these sacred books are not the inventions of a h^Bian mind but they are revelations of God, like Torah, Gospel, Psalms and other scriptures* Therefore, a truo believer is he who looks both of these books with the same eye. I t has become nuite cle a r from the above s t a t ^ e n t th at bd-h of these books are r<^Telntions of Ood ccHitainiag in their fold the iivine rules and regulations for the enforcanent of all mankind. Therefore, all men should regard these volumes holy and divine and follow their directions fu ll of faith even-mindedly as a duty to Ood in the prescribed manner. w\Ys OF sM vm on The faith in Divinity, according to Our'an rests in five things - 1 • prayer, 2 - Almsgiving, 3 « Fasting, 4 - Pilgrimai^e, and 5 - The confession of the faith - called the five pillars of Islii. Of these five, the Ofta and the nurm both opine in the siailar manner according to time, place and circianstancesi in connection wltl^ the three - Prayer, almsgiving and faith. For instancei- The oitn says laibout tho prayer that, • Ood considers then to be the best Yopins, who endowed with supraae faith , and aver united through meditation with God, worship Hint with their nind centred on Him. Those, who, co n tin u in g a l l th e ir senses and even»minde4 towards a l l , 1. Bha^^avad Git at 5s 18,10s 1 ,2 ,2 4 , | The Holy riuran - A3>»Ifl3a 150 e tc . 183 and devoted to doln<» good to all beint's, constantly, ador® as their very self th 1. fiis T^hagavad Gita* 12* 2 -4 . 2 . Ibid I 12i 8| I8j 65|66 etc. 3 . Ibid I 12i 9 , 3 j 4 - 8,3,30,35 and 18i 41 - 48 4 . Ibid I 12i 10,11. 5 . The Holy Qurii - Al-F^tihahj 4,5. 8. IJgveda - Acne !fa>'‘a Sup at ha. 7. The Holy nur'm - Al-’laaaraht 3,43 etc. 184 rlghtaoT^sc thnt jrou turn your faces to the ’^ast and the Vfest; but righteous is he who has faith In Cod, the Last P<*?y, the an^ls, the scriptures and the prophets, *«id spends his wealth for His Love, to kinsfolk, orphans, the needy , the wayfarer, and to those Who ask, to set slaves free, and who observes proper worship and pays the poor-rate. And those Vho keep their treaty when they make once, and are patient in tribulation, adversity and times of stress* Such are 1 they who are faithful and rod-fearini?« Having faith in the divine statement of the Hit a and the ruriii as sited a'-'ove, man should pray to God in accordan^se with the pres cribed rules in the scriptures, in order to attain union with Him. The tm<^ spttlt of the Prayer according to these books rests in righteousness and fair dealing in the society for malntaininE: the world- ordert A L M 3 G I V I tT G Ttie Gita and the our'^ '^oth enjoin almsgiving to mankind in order to cleanse their hearts for enabling than to believe in tl'e r^onmon brotherhood of tbe world* The Gitli caaraunicates a^out almsgiving that as there is no existence here on earth, la the heavens or among the cel«^tials or anywhere else in the creation, which is free from the three ouallties 2 born of matter-Sattva, H*’Jas and Tj»mas, the gift has also necessarily been divided into the three divisions - according to the three modes of nature - S~ttvlka, Hajasa and Taaasa* For exaiaple; the gift i^lch is made to one who does nothing In return with the Idea that It is 1, The Holy Oui^aii - AL-Banar)*i 177 2« Bhagavad Gltai 18i 40. 185 one* 3 duty to slv© alras and due to the t in e , pl-»'se and th« recipient of the gift is the Sftttvlka or tha best type of .^los* The gift, however, which is made in a grudging mood, vith the object of ^ ^ettinf; some service in return, or \fith n view to ?ain sonet'^ing is the "^^njasa^^the niddlo or aixed type of charity, '’ut the gift whlt^h is made at an improper pl^ce and time and in a disre’ ?»rdful and insultiag manner to undeserving reciT)lent3 is the Tiiasa or worst type of the 1 gift. Of these three tjrpes of alas, the first category, tHst is, the Sattvilca typ® of glvln;’ is ever considered the bast. What the '^ran opii>ds concerning almsgiving is, 'the charity should be given for the Love of Ood, to the kinsmen, the orphans, the needy, the wayfarer and 2 to those 'vho beg and to set slaves free* The Quranic equivalent for almsgiving is ♦ i^-'^akat* w^ ich is fixed at a rate from all kinds of property in proportion to the worth thereof^ collected from the well- to-do and distributed a;non» the poor Muslims, I do not a^ree with the opinion that the alms can be distribu ted anion^ the ooor Muslims only, while the '^irm expressly declares that charity can also be r^iven to those who ask, and those who are orphans, the naedy, the wayfarer, and to set slaves free, Here, in the original text it has not mentioned that the a’^ove mentioned recipients of gift should necessarily be Muslims, and that the •>urOT 4 publicly announces that / there is no ccwpulsion in religion,* '^hen how/can alms be ?iven to Muslims only hi Is Hindus, Jews 'C hristians, 3U‘i^Klst3, Par sis, Sikhs etc, may also ask, be orphans, needy, way- 1, ■BhagQV'id ''^Itai 17t 20 - 22, 2, The Holy - Al-^ariarahi 177 3 , Meaning of the Glorious Korarii.44,Plcktha]I, P, 2 8 ,foot note, 4 , rhe Holy nur'jm: 256 186 far'^rs or sl«vesl Therefore, it Is undoubtedly closr that according to our^an can be i:lven to any deserving recipient bionglng to any reli~ion or sect. The true na^-ure of the ouranlc alasglBlng can be observed from the st-’tecient of the ouran Itself - A kind word 1 vlth forgiveness Is better than almsgiving followed by injiiry* The Quran further declwas about almsgiving that the likeness of those who give alms in the way of Allah Is as the likeness of a grain vhloh grovs seven e a rs, in rvery ear a hundred grains* Allah gives in crease 2 BMilfold to Whoa He w ill* Spend of th e good things which you have enrrted, and of that which (God) bring forth froo the eirth for yaa^ and seek not the bisd with Intent to give thereof in g ift, when you have not t;%ken it for yourselves save with disdain^ and k.iow that 9 'H>d Is Absolute, Owner of praise* The sane spirit has also been maintained in the nit a, con^mlng the proper reslplent of the aljas. As the generality comnonly con • celves that the ^ra^^anas can only be the proper recipients of the alssy Is <^lte an absurd conceiving# The Blessed Lord mfl^es it expli cit that at the ti«e of giving alns Ban should have due regard to the time, place and recipient of the gift, but Ho does not say that alms should only be given to the ^rlahmanas* Therefore, it may easily be concluded that the alnsglvlng according to the (lita is open to all deserving recipients whether they are ^r«toanas, 'S~dras, V*?lsyas, Muslims, Jews, Christians, ’^i^lhists, Parsis or Sikhs etc*, but they must be as mirsn snys - orphans, the needy, the wayfarers, or slaves etc* 1* The Holy nup^a • Al-’^aejarah 263, 2. Ibid 261,262 3* Ibid 267, etc. 187 We hava saen above that the G ita and the ravJen both prescribe alasglvlag for all mankind. Therefore, all well-to-do persans should clve alas to the deserving recipients pertaining to any cnste or creed vith an equable frame of mind towards all for the establishaont of universal brotherhood. DlVI.f^ FAITH Keen attention has bean paid to the Divine faith by the Gita and the both, as cited, la brief, hereiinder. Lord '^Srl Krsna prescribes in the Gita regardin =5 the faith that f * • the man who listens to the Gita, fu ll of' faith and in an uncarping spirit, freed from evil even he shall obtain the happy worlds of the virtuous. Those who fully partake of t’ is nectar of pious wisd 1. ’5hae?ivnd Hltai 18i 71 2. Ibid I 12: 20 ? . iDid ; 9 j 23, 17* l'^4. 188 S^ttTlka disposition have faith In the gods or angels* Those of a R^asa disposition worship Yaksas and Raksasas (Deinons)j vhlle others of a T ^ a s a dl&posltlon worship e v il s p ir its and ghosts. Whatever celestial fora a devotee cr?ivinp for some worldly object s-3eks to worship with faith, God stabilizes the faith of that particnlqp devotee in that, very form# Endowed with faith he worships that deity end gains through him without doubt his desired enjoyment as ordained 2 _ by Itla* The our^an also in support of this Gitidc faith says - the flesh and blood of the sacrificed animal do not reach A ll^ but the piety or faith froa you reaches Him* The fa ith i s the pet preaching of the whole volwne of the ou r«i. If a keen stress has been f^lven on anything throughout it, that verily is faith* For examples - ''rod publishes in the r*uran - this is the scripture (The ^>urM) whereof there is no doxibt a guidance unto those who ward off evil, who believe in the unseen, esta'illsh worhsip and spend of th at whldi we have bestowed upon them* And who have fa ith in that which Is revealed unto Muhammad (the our^) and that was revealed * before him and are certain of the Hereafter* These depend on guidance 4 from their Lord* These are the successful* It is quite obvious from this statoBent th»!t one of the most fundamental duties of man is faith, on which the Gft'a and the ouran hav^ laid great stress* There fore, man should have faith in divine rules and re^-:latlons depicted in these two scriptures and dioiild follow them heartily in accordance with the prescribed rules* 1* Uhap svad Git at 17i2 - 4 , 2, iha^avad Gftat 7t 21,22 and 7; 23, 16i 1-3 3* The Holy 'nii^an - AL-HajJi 37, and Al-*’aqarahi 62,177 4. Ibid - 2-5,177,throughout the whole Vol* Al-M^dahi 09 etc* 189 T k Z - 1 V, r, The enjoins fasting expressly with a detailed description as given before. The ofta, thogh does not enjoin fasting expressly, yet it appears to be in favour of fastinir while it su<;frests regulatory food to the Yogins - This Yoga is not for hia who eats too nuch, nor for him who does not eat at all. ^ut, this yoga whijh rids one of woe is 2 accomplished only by him who i s n g u lated in d ie t. I may conclude from this statement that Ctiilsi allows fasting to mankind to the extant of remedying one's physioue for enabling hin to perform his duties properly As has been stated before that a weak mar. cannot perfon his allotted duties properly, in the sme vny a man vho ea ts too amch i s also unable to perform his duties efficiently, therefore, man should be refulafi^y regardlnf the diet. Thus, havim- regard of the regulatory of food for maintaininr the sound health, the Oita and the Our'^ both allov fasting. The mere difference In allowing fasting by these '>ootes la that the former enjoins fasting impliedly v^lle th^ latter expressly. Therefore man mtfflt abide by the injunctions of both these scriptures la all conditions oT his life* F I, P c R ,1, The PilgrlTia^e, according to the our^ah, is one of the most ftinda- mental ways of salvation* Thoui^ the Gita does not expressly recognize pilgrimage, but it appears to be in favour of it, when addressing all mankind i t preaches • Atts^in th is knowledge by c l l r a e ^ s ,if yew prostrate yourself at the feet of the wise, render then all forms of services, and quastlon then vlth s "lulleless henrt, again and a»aln, tbos© wise 1. The Roly ourra 183 . 1B7 2 . Bhagavad Gftaj 6s 16,17 190 1 sd«rs of Truth v lll iinfold that Imowledge to yew* Certainly th« visa saers generally dwell at the sacred places^ and the oita ordains that the knowledge should, by a ll aeans^ be attained by meeti ing with the vise personallyy rendering them services fo r toalcing them please in order to gain knowledge* Sacred p laces lilo i Haridvara^ Mecca, and so on, are the centres of the Divine Learning* These are the places which are endowed with Divine Orace providing in sp ira tio n to the seeksers of knowled|^« Having seen such places, meeting with the wise and observing prayers on 8«ch pilgriBwplaces one feels DLvine Enlighteisent and satisfacti^ in hlBU Therefore, fo r the attainm ent of DLvine knowledge and inspiration, if one performs pilgrimage, Oita considers it befitting, like the Therefore, man should adopt such methods of gaining knowledge fo r s p iritu a l enlightenaent* AS regards the perfonumce of sacrifice both the olta and the Q u ^ recogniro it equally* But it is nateworthy that the Oita appears to be very keen in describing the sacrifice in detail while the Quifan even beix^ a detailed Code mentions it in brief* This distinetlon, however, does give zt>oa for scoe doubt ccaioeming the s im ila rity betwomi the two. I t was because of the tim e, p la ce , and circmstances, in which, they were originally given* In those days, the predominance of the sacrifice w^s prevailing a ll over the soil of India, therefore, it was %uite worthy on the part of Lord S li Krra to describe it in t: e detailed way* In the same way, 1* Bhagavad Oita s 4i 34. 191 it was absolutely proper on the piart of prophet Muli’saattd to cast a light glance upon It, on acioimt of its not being so liaportRnt a problem in those days on the land of Arabia# Kov both of them enjoin sacrifice in their own waj'^s, is mentioned, briefly, as hereunden The Gita enjoins, in connection vlth the sacrifice, that man is tied by shackles of Karma only w^ien engaged in actions other than the act done for the sake of sacrifice. Therefore man should perform his 1 duty, free from attachment for the sacrifice alone* The sacrifice is threefold-bodily, mental and vocal. The ' odily sacrifiio may include bene\’X)lence and kind dispositions, The mental one rests in good w ill, pious thin-cincj self-control and knovladge^ whereas the vocal one, in uttering kind, sweet and pleasing words. Of these, the s a c r ific e in the foma of knowledge i s superior to s a c r ific e performed with material thinrs, as all actions without exception rise to the 3 highest point through k iowled?re. ""he ait's further coinaands • Foster tho gods by s a c r l f ii e , and le t the gods fo s te r you. Thus fo sterin g 4 one another disinterestedly you will attsin the Supreme State. Thus sacrifice also, like all other things of the entire crcatlai, is 5 threefold, Sattvlka^Rajasa and Tf^nasa - Qfi these the Sattvlka type which is performed only for the duty's sake withoirt attachment, is paESttraMatxE«ixx£aFc:':tk2xi3tlc:gc ever heM high. The virtuous who p.-irt^Uce d’ what is left after sacrifice are absolved of all their- sins, Thos® sinful ones, however, who cook for the sake of nourishing their own 6 body alone eat only sin* 1* 3hagavad Tdta:3 j9 ?md 3 * 10 2. Ibid; 4* 3? 3. Ibidj 4t 33 4* Ibid; 3: 11 see also St 12 5, Ibid;18*40,17*11 - 13 6, Ibid; 3i 13 and 4* 31. 192 Bat what the naran opines about sacrifice is, •'’•od coraavids you to sacrifice a cow, neither with calf, nor iomature, of bright yellow dour, neither /oked nor used in agricultural t>erformances, Whole 1 and without m?rlc* Here, it has not been mentioned, alons: with all these details about th^ cow to be sacrificed, thhti she should necessari ly ba slaughtered, 'therefore T may conclude that, that cov alf^ht be niven as alms by way of ch?>rity aoounting to sacrifice# ?he perfornianc« of sacrifice, in accordance -Ith the ordinances cf the -li'a and the both is intended to help the poor and the needy by ^Tin^ tVem food and other things, for widening the outlook of universal bro- 2 ^ thertiood of msnlclnd# TTnlike the cows, the camels are expressly declared by the ouT^an to be slaughtered by way of sacrifice as, »'^e (Ood) have appointed c*nels imonf? the ceremonies of Mlah« ? ^ere is much gain in them# Therefore, aientlon the name of ^llah over them when they ».tq drrtwn up in lines# ’’’hen when they fa ll dead, est there of pnd feed the beg;?ar and the suppliant# God appointed a ritual for 3 every nation# I t i s clea r from the above th*>t Ood made provision fo r helping the poor and the needy variously by sanctioninf' sacrifices, almsgiving, and expiations by way of feeding or clothinp; thaai* Iccordin? to nita If a sacrifice is performed without attachment and hopln; for the fr^iit f ereof, then it brings with it the twofold 4 fruit-in the fcrta of pleasures in the ’^rld and tha Hereafter# Sene is the c?se in the 'Mw^an also eoncernlnR It as It says - ?tre flesh and blood of the sacrificed nnimals do not reach Allah but the piety 1# The Holy -u r^ - .M-lanarah* 67-71 and Al-Kauthari 2 2# Bhsu^avad Oi~ta • 3t IP and 4* .^l# 3# The Holy -^ui^an - Al-^Jajj* 34#S6 4* Bhagavad G ffa - 17t 11,25# 193 fron you reashes Hla* The glqd-tldln^s of Alldi*s defence «re for those irfio are good in performing sacrifices and are truthful* Easing gone through the above article one may easily realize that the ^rfomanoe of sacrifice is ordained by God in these scriptures for helping the poor and the needy and thus for enlarping the universal ‘brotherhood, Hense, for the maintenance of the world-order man should perfora sncpifice as a pious duty* (T r.OTC> 0-- Ar?n^Lr!i The G ita and the rmr^^ hold th«> words - i^v*»s and MaHkah fo r f^oda or anf?els, respectively, recognizing their eristenca with the en^ial in^rerest. The Gita s«iys about th ^ that, • Of the two uaths • white and 2 blpck departing when yoglns do not or do return to this world according to their deeds, and that in w^iich are located the all effulgent fire-^odsand the sjods presidi^lng over day-time the white fortnight and the six mont> s oT the northward course of the sun, proceeding along it after de*>th. Yogins, that Is Xarmayogins, engaged in performing actions, who have known Irptoan are successively led by the above gods, and finally reach God* And the path, that i s , black path, in ’^rhlch are located the gods dondnatlng smoke, night, the dark fortnight and the six months of the southward course cf the sun - the "^oglns devoted to a~’!tlon with an Interested motive, ta'cin'! to this path af^^er death, are l^d by the ^ove gods, one 1, Bhagavad Gita s 4i 3; The Holy rmrah - 41-Hajji 37, 38. 2 , Ibid I 8s 2 3 ,2 6 . 194 after another, and attaining the lustre of the moon, aid having enjoyed the^frult of their righteous works in heaven, return to this mortal world* The ourm opines con;ernln?? these - praise be to Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth w’lo i^points the angels as 2 messengers having wings two, three a:id four# Of these angels Cabriel ( Jlbrll) Michael, Isr'tfil and Izrl»l are the mightiest ones being allotted to than the duties of bringing of the revelation to the 3 prophets, presiding over death and causing rain etc*^ respectively. In the same way, the Gita also recognizes the four mightiest gods - 4 Indra, Rudra, Siva and ?ama* Various types of duties have been allotted to the gods by God as detailed in a couple of preceding chapters* The Ourmi further declares about the angels addressing the disheartened believers before a hu^e army of the enemies, revea» ling - Is not sufficient for you that your Lord should support you with three thousand angels sent down for your aid* And If the enemy attacks you suddenly, then your Lord w ill help you with fiv e thousand 5 angels sweeping on* It is, unavoidably true that the concept of the Hitale Deva and that of ouranic Malak is^ln all respect^the s«ae. For the words »Deva and *Halaic'y it is (j\iite reasonable to substitute the Blngllsh woris •god* * angel* or * Celestial being* ♦ Though there is no- point of 1* nhagavad Gita* Translated by Goyandaka, J.D .e d ltio n ld55,Pp.3B5,186, lOt 21,23,29,34,111 6,22,39 17i 4, 21. 2. The Holy Qur^ - Al-Fat^iri l,Aiv!Jisai 97,An-lfahli2,Al-H.aJji75. 3. Ibid - Al-Baoarahi 97,98,87jl7T,253,Al«Maidah 110, _ An-Ifalili 102, Ajs • '^Surai 398 e tc . 4 . Bhagavad Gita Si 1 4 ,l i t 3 9 ,1 0 ; 2 1 -2 3 ,2 9 -3 4 . 5. Tho Holy Our^an - ll-I-Im rani 124,135. 195 d issim ila rity in th« recognition of the gods or angels betvreen these two scriptures, yet, if there reaains any point to be dissimilar in one's point of Tiev, it does iinder the compulsion of time, pl*ice and circumstances. "onceivin» the existence of goiis according to both these holy volumes, one ought not to d iffe re n tia te betveen the gods mentioned in the Gita and those mentioned in the our^n* Hence man should rei;«?rd these gods as subservient to one suprane D eity. CO!frKP? OF 3PIBI7S The evil spirits or ghosts are eoually recognized by both these seriptvres in the toms - Bhutas or Pretas or Pi^acas and JTinns respec tiv e ly * The 'lita says about these - ‘Bhrtani Yahti BMitejyai*, that is, •those vjho adore the spirits attain the spirits** Again the existence of ghosts can easily be ascertained frcw, the Oitliic condemnation of a nature, Which is fiendish, demoniacal and delusive* "he 1. B^agavad Gita - 9i 25,and 12* ^ 2* The Holy our’an - Al-Jinm 1,5 41- ^Sir‘^ i 101, Al-Haj ji27,1n-Nasi6* 3, The Mej^ng of the Olorius Koram M*Pickthall, p*6l3.Introd* to SUrah, Al-Jlnn* 4* The Holy - Al-Baqarrfii 102. 196 Therefore, man should hnve fa ith In the above stntementa o f the G ita and the oarOT regAjrdlnf? the e v il s p ir its . ^OK-^PI, 0" s^TA.i The »Satans* variously known as • devils* d^ons* etc.^ are similKurlT’ e x iste n t in the G ita and the Qui^an both, v ith the names *R^sasas'» or^Yaksas'or ’Daityas* or • Astir9S* and •Saltans* respeo- *1 * tiv e ly . The ouran recognizses Sntm throughout itself, as a deluder and deceiver of mankind causing them to go astray from the plain road 2 _ shovn by the scriptures* Like the Cdtli that naaes *Prahlida» as the 3 mighties of all devils, the Otirffli recognizes, ‘Iblia* to be so. It is undoubtedly true that the devils, ac lordlng to these books are hurtful, de^jeitful and open opponents to believing folk. Having renlized the nature of Satan on the authority of the Gita and the ourSi, one should keep one*3 soul pious and pure for enabling oneself to be aloof fr<»n the snare of such ill-natured s p ir its . AITD DISBBLIE^r.^St The r?ita and the both define and explain the believers and disbelievers with due detail in their own ways. The Gitaic and the Qui^anic equivalents fo r these are •Dai'^^nnSampadan AbhiJatjrfi* and • Aaurim Saiapadam A bhijatah*, and 'MuWinun* and » K a fii^ » respec tively. The Gitldc words for believers and disbelievers mean ‘the person endowed with divine properties* and the person endowed with 1« TOiagavad Git'ai 10-23,30,11s 22,33 '2. The Holy Our'ah - Al-Baqaraht 14,102, Al^xjlkt5, AivNisa 38, a-»«f| 11,12,20, AL-HaJJi31-39^5 etc. 3# Bhagavad O ita - lOi 30‘, the Holy Qui^sii i 41-Baffarahi34. 197 dcmonlacal properties*, which >?re equally appllcjstble to tha '^r'Anio words - *Miibsinun and Kaflrun, sprung from their singular «r*d »K«flr*. Thus, the Gltadc *DaivinriSapap«id?aa Abhijat.-* • * AsiLrlfa S^padaa Abhijatah accursitely mean the same as the rriir«'ilc ♦Muamln* and *Xafir% For example* The Gitn says about ^-ha believers as »the mar^s of those who are •ndovred with divine nroperties «re, »fef»rlessi»5ss, absolute purity or heart, constant absorption of mind in maditatlon for self- reallz^tloi, and tha Sattv ik a t -p« of aliasgiving, sontrol of the senses, vorsMp of Ood, end the perfortaance of Agnlhotra i«e.| pourin;: oblations into the sacred fire, and other auspicious acts, study of tho V«d.as and other sacred texts, chanting of divine n^aes and flories, baarinj of h*?rdships for the sake of one’ s own Dharaa or duty, and straightness of mlad, body jmd senses* 'Toa-violenie in thmi^ht, word and work, truthfulness and geniality of spae^h, absence flf anjjer oven on arrlvnl of provocations, abandonaent of the idea of dOersMp in a:;tlon, plgcldlty of tclnd, beini? aloo*' fron malicious gos.>lp, kindness to all beings absence of attachment to the objects of senses, even during their contact with the senses, gentlenaaliness feeling shnme in doing things not sanctioned by the scriptures or usace a'^d abstaining frcna the idle pursuits* Subliraity, foTTiveness, fortitude, external purity azvi absence of malice and feeling of self-import ance* • On the contr?3ry tho marks of disbeliev rs or those who are endowed with demoniacal properties are hirpocrisy, arrogance, boast* 2 ^lilooss, an;er, harshness and ic^nornnce. 1» %agavnd fTltai 16* I-,*?* 2. Ibid 16t 4 198 The divine virtues are regarded as conducive to liberation and 1 the denonlaoa qualities as conductive to bondage* The fjur^Si also defines and explains the bellev^^rs and disbelie vers throughout It In the similar manner, as the Oltii does* For Instance, It says - this Is the scrlptureCthe Our^) vhereof there Is no doubt, a gxildance unto those who ward off evil, who believe In the unseen, esti^bllsh worship, spend benevolently of that (God) have bestowed upon thoa. And who h^ve fs»lth In that wfilch Is revealed unto Muhammad and that which was revealed before him • In the Torah, Trospel Psalms and other scriptures, and are certain of the Hereafter* These depend on guidance from th e ir Maker* These stre the su ccessful* As regards the disbelievers, th?;y are never Influenced by any divine guidance or warning, bec?iuse cf the stedfastness of their disbelief* God his sealed their hefirlns and their hearts and on their eyes, there I s a covering* They w ill ta s te the chastlsOTien*: of an 8 awful doom* Those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and seek to make distinction between A ll^ and His messengers, ani say; We believe in scaae and disbelieve in others and seek to choose an intermediate way* Such are the disbelievers in truth and for disbeli*- 4 vers (God) have prep>^red a shsmeful chastisement* Ju st lik e the O lfalc divine v irtu es the 'W a n ls b e lie f Is conduc tive to liberation and like Git ale demoniacal properties Omi^auilc dls- 5 belief Is conducive to bondage* The Gita says that a disbeliever can have no peace, then how 1* Bhagavad Oltas 16: 5 2* The Holy O'lr’i i - Al-Baqarahi 2-5 3* Ibid - I 6 ,7 * 4* Ibid - An-??lsai 150,151* 5* Ibid - Al-Ohaslyaht 1-20. 199 1 can there be hapolness for one lacking pe^ce of mind* Fiirther, ac-’ordlnp to the nur'an a true believer is he vho be lieves in Ood, the Last Day (Dor«sday) and the 1. Hhagavad Gita i 2 i 66. 2»The Foly nui'ah - Al-j3anarahf 177 n. Ibidi 217 _ 4. Hhagavad ''dtai 14i 15, 2, 9i 7-10 5. Ibid; 16f 21 - 23. 200 1 scrip turesy as to \^!iat P.M sg a p ^rMiS :me Gita and the (^u^axi both recc^nize the authority of the pr»» vious scriptures* Both of thaa • though yielding a ll sacred books of the p ast to be true^ expressly rnenticm 1. Bhagav?>d G ltsj 4s 1-3 - ^ _ 2* The Holy our'an • iUv>’7isai 16Ti see also Al-I-Imr'an)-84* 3* Ibld| -U-B»aar!*j 3,87,121,l.*56,177 etc. 202 . 1 Of the C-ifa* Thus, we see that these two sr>cr©d books being c m ATI0WJ)5.«TH^IF.R?.igr.?:^QK3Q./g.^PR. LAof. Djg. AND T^V Djg 0F _-^-^3TmH5C.riQN ANP TO ■’’he Oita announces regarding the creation of the world that all beings were unmanifest before their birth, and w ill become mrmanifest again when they will die. They are manifest only in the intermediate 2 stage* This statement of the Blessed Lord m!^ces us realize that all creatirres before th e ir being bom were not embodied in any form play- ing an active part in this world or somewhere else in the creation* They were without bodies, th at i s , sould only and were not separate from C-od or were entrusted with Him in a Divine World called Paraloka or Hereafter enshrouded with Brahman’ s ni?:ht t i l l the beginlng of a i»w Kalpa or Brahman’s day# As C?lta clearly states on this poirrt that, •at the end of every kalpa or Brahman's day, all beings enter God’s P rakrti (The prime cau se), W^xJurt* and at the commencement of every 3 Brahman’s day. He brings them forth again* With 'k>d as the president, prakrti brinrs forth this whole creation - both animate and inania‘>t« 1. Bhagavad G itai 16| 1 ,2 , 2. Ibid; 2t 28. 3. Ibid; 9I 7* 203 a^ain and again, recording to their deeds* This is nhy, the wheel of the world is revolving. The ou^in also enjoins the sswe thing in this re?;ard, ?r;nouncing • 2 (a ll beings) are Allah’ s and unto Him we are returning. This Cjuranlo statement perfectly neanti the sane as the Gitaic on© above, such as all creatures being Allah's should, before their being born in the %K>rld be, a part of God or be beside Him under His direct si-pervision as Gita says in the next world^*?araloka* or * Inbat* or Hereafter* In th at s ta te , they were doubtlessly not embodied in any form, playing a practical role, but they were without bodies i.e *, the soals only, therefore they were unmanifest in that stage. As regards the phrase, •unto Him %re are returning * I may interpret it as, without ?oing away or beia? apart frcxn Ood what occasion for returaing to Him? There - fore it is absolutely clear that the souls which were under the trus teeship of Ood or His fragments are sent to the world in the embodied form, by causing them to take birth* Thus, the birth of all beings, has, unconsciously, been ascertained* This is the state of their m«iifestnass. Thereifter all living beings are sure to die* This is the very thing which is described by the '^i^an in the words - *INNA Ilaihi Hijiuh i*e*, *IInto Him we are returning* The ^rit”a says about the inevit«bility of death that, the daath of him who is born is certain, and the rebirth •3 o f him who i s dead i s in ev itab le* The Qui^^ also Ju s tifie e s the cer» taint^ of death by revealing*Wheresoever you may be, death w ill over- 4 trfce you, even though you were in lofty towers. In order to mi^e it 1 * r-it»i 9t 8 , 1 0 2* The Holy Oui/^ - AVBaqarahi 156* S . Hhagavad Ofta - 2t 27. 4* The Holy oup'ot - AjvJrisii 78* 204 more clear, Gita further emphasises that, * really, there vas never a time when I (Krsna) was not or when you ( Arjuna) or these kings • It (Kauravas and their allies) were not existent* Hor is it a fact that hereafter ve shadl all cease to be* Here Lord'SrI Krsna, establishing the Imperishability of the soul intends to clarify that the beings are the agerog%te of the body and the soul, of these, the body is 2 the perishable element but the soul is not, and the soul is not the 3 le a s t injured on the d estru ction of the body* Thus, the imperishable part that is, the soul of a bein^ is all that for his recognition* Therefore the souls of all beings being permanent entities, are absorbed in the Prioe cause i*e*, God or besom© very close to Him under His direct supervision on the destruction of the ’^odies. T^is Is the very intention of the Gita and the ourlki veiled in the axsve stdements. The Gita says that manlcind t^rere created alongwlth the natural bending towards the sacrifice at the beginning of the creation* The also re'Jognizing man’s neimess to the ritu alistic perforaances from the very beginning of the creation supports the Citaic view by 4 revealing • Wia (God) appointed a ritu al for every n^Etion* The Oifa further, specifically declares regardinr: the sreation of the world that, *My (God*s) Prakrti in her priaoriial undeveloped state is the womb of all creatures; in that, I (God) pla e the seed cf consciousness* The birth of all beings follows from this sombination of Mfffcter and Spirit* This primordial Matter is the Mother, and I am the procreating Father of nil beings, that take birth from different 1* Bhagavad Gitas 2t 12 2. Ibid; 2j 20,22 3. isid; 2* L*^30 4* tttS;The Holy our ah - Al-Hajji 34* 205 1 vombs* The rnrin also proclaims in Its cnm way about the creation of tl» world to laeaa the sane as, *God created mankind fran a single sonl and that single soiil a3 already stated, Is Crod Klaself, and frcHU It H« created a wedded pair and frcai then twain He spread a multitude of men 2 and women* The C-ita, regarding the creation of the v?irlous attributes of beings declares that, 'dlscirliiiinRtioa, true wisdom, sanity, for^rlveness, truth, coatrol over the senses and the aind, pleasure and pain, evolu tion and dissolution, fesr and fearlessness, non-vlolenee, ecuanlmity, contentiaent, a^isterity, chnrity, fane and disrepute • all these feeHngi of creatures emanate from God, who is the source of all creation; every- 3 thing in the world moves b-'cause of Him* Accordinp to the our^^, God is the goal of all beings, "^fho makes us laugh and lament Wio is Giver of denth and life , and He creates the two -consorts « male and female fron a drop of sem#n when it is poured forth, and that He has ordained the second (drop of seaen ) brlnfinc forth from the feaele sex and that Tie it is who enriches and 4 contents* Vttth a view to clarify that the creation of all things fdlows the w ill of Trod, Lord 'Srl Krsna proclaims in the Gita the seven great seers (Marici etc,) , the more ancient four (Sanaka etc.) and the fourteei / Manus (Progenitors of mankind), w- o are all devoted to ile, are bom of 5 My will} frtxB them all these creatures in the world are sprung* 1. ?hagavad G ita - 14* 3 ,4 * 2. The Holy 'Wen - .^."lisi: 1,A1-Araf: 189, 3* Hhagav-id G ita - lOt 4 , o and 8# ^ 4* The Boly - An-rfaja: 42-48. 5# Bhag)?vsd G ita - 10* 6, 206 The nui^^ also says the sfflne thlnp: on this point stating - vhaa God, the Originator of the heavens and the earth wills to decree a 1 thing He says 'onto i t only 'K rn*l I . e . , Bet and I t I s , The GltTa leaves no rooia fo r any ^orameatary regarding the creation of the lailverse by its stating - All th« worlds from Brahmaloka or the Abode of Br-jtoan downwards are subje 1« The Holy Oui^an • Al-B8qoi‘»»hj 117|\3^I-Imrant4 7 , ^srni81,Al-Mix'aaini68 et< 2. Bhafav^id Clta - 8i 15,15 and 8s 21. 3# A Mahayui^a conprlses In Its fold all the four Tugas Viz. Irta , Treti, D v^ara. ?«d K s ll. 4. Bha.^avid Gita - 8i 17, 18. 5. Ibid • 8i see also 14s2. 207 Is the philosophy of the appe-irance and dlsappoflrance of the soald. Doonsdf“y I s uothlnp hut the cominenceiaant of brahman’ s aijjh t and the rosurre'itlon Is but tho bepjlnnln^ of his day# "^hus *Y*faB-i»nlyiaat* or the Day of ^esiirroction* accepted by the ourin Is justified by the 'lita 1 also* The '^ur«n also deals in the similar teras in conr^ction vith the above a ffa ir s as sm:ned up horeundert- IdlsBn declares in the ourVn that, how can you disbelieve in Allah vhen you wore dead and Ho gave you l i f e ? Than Ha w ill clve / 0 ‘j death| 2 then life again, and then unto Him you will return* The fWan repeatedly emphasises on this point as^-. He (God) I t i s \*o gave l i f e to you, then He w ill cause you to 3 d ie , and then w ill (rive you l i f e again. He (God) brings forth living^rom the dead and is the bringer forth of the dead from the living# W® (God) laeted out death «aong you, and we are not to be outrun, Ve nay tran sfig u re you and m ^e you what you do not know. And, v e rily 5 you icnow the f i r s t creation# /hy, then do you not thirik? The Qui^an, further, ascertains the reality about the new creation by revealing have they not seen that Alls^ who created the heavens and the earth and was not worrv-out^Iheir Cbein^s^ creation, is Able to 6 give life to the dead? The ouran, again, proclaias tfiout the new creation - were Vfe (God) then wsaried by the first creation? nevertheless they are in confused 7 doubt about a aav creation# 1^'^n,^ ^oly 8^|113|l74|212,see also throu^out th® OorVru t# m # Bhagav^ Glt"ai 8; 19,9 1 7 ,8 ,1 0 and 14; 2# 2« The Knly '^ f in • Al-^anarphi 28. ^ 3 , Ibid - Al-'Iajji66. A# The Holy Qurm - Al-Anaat96 5# Ibid - Al-Vifjlrfit60-32# 6# AL-Ahnif133. 7. Ibid - Oafi 16. 208 Havinp understood the of the versss of the ourmij one may be quite certaia of th»> nsw crogtion >ift8r Doc»asdey* It is quite straarje to note th%t ^ensrally, ill CfDOTnent-itors mcerst'-id the Mord *Yuaitnf in the 28th verse of the '^urvilo oiirish * .Al-^l»asrah' as *non-»existont^even after translating it as ‘defld** There is much difference between the words ‘ non-o?d.stent* and *dead*« Hon-existent means that which nevsr caie into bftin^ 'vhilc *de?»d* means that \^ieh cane into being before, bat dlssppo?hy.s, tho previous deaths and births of beings have autoaatically been proved by the 'W s^c uttering • • Yumitulcum* th at i s , ’ you were de^d‘ , ?ind *ThtmiaRg ?uh5^ki»’ that is • then Ho gave l i f e to you*^ So far as the question of new crcaticm and dissolution is jonc^rned, God specifically pronounces in the '^Jr^an - Were (C-od) veariei by the first creation? Whereby people ire in doubt about the nev creation. By this oui^nnic statenent, tho concept of new creation appears to bo so easy to understand that «sk>d does not give answer Tfimsell’ to the above question but He expects i t s ansver fT'M the people^ This very style of expression will suffice to establish the reality of a new creation. Moreover, the Qui^an holds the phrase »Khalqin Jndid* quite proper to mean the new creation. On these srounds, I do not agree with the opinions of Maulvi MuiiRjiuaad 'AH, ^^dullah Yusuf "ul aid others who take the phrase *fChalqin Jadid* for Resurrection for which the VORD ‘oiy^ah’ would hsva, successfully, been used. 1. Th^ % ly • ^3 interpreted by * Abdullah '?suf "kn 19'^, Lahore^ iihniXh Ad* Asraf, ’^prolrl P. 1412, footnote No. 4451, Al- Ann^':I ^ 3o* ^ &nd nlao sae ?oot-rwte 4512 «nd P. 1376. 209 It is true to say that tha orthodox thaologiai*3 serious opp 1* The Holy Otui^^ -In terp reted by M*Hohrfflaad- ‘A ll, PP.472-47.’^* 2* danaaL- lom«l - Vol. HI p* «45 r>. •^a?av'jd Gita - 9i 21, and see 7,10,14i2,8tl5«19* 210 There ai'o certain Divine i-lysteries ntiich nve risvcr nnda Ttnown to nen. r-od»s discretionary powers scarcaly cojae isider the boundary of the general injimctions lidd down in tbe scripturpl ordlnRnces, '?od alone kuovs better about tlie proper ooportunity to eyercise His distcrctlonaiy 1 powers. Ood, being Alciishty is to do all thJLngs, through Pis discretionsry poxrersj without c^rinr; for the infringoraent of any of Kis own rules. Tacin^ discretionary doings of nvd in to His ?:ener?5l rules is quite improper.And the not only adnits the disarotionary powers of "od, but expressly holds oxsanlea, sush nn Cod, having; ordaiaid Adac: anci his vifo to dvrall In t h o OQfilen of Pirfsdise expelled them therei'Daui at diSviretion^ on acjo^ont of th e ir corailttlns: a m is t^ e on Satan*3 persuading by His will alone and sade for thea tvain on ©aifli a 2 habitation and provision for a tiae. Similarly, it Is nst a general rule of 7)i\=lnlty that the body of a person also flies along vith the soul When he expires, but Yudhisthira* s soul fl??v slong with the body when he expired* In this vay, numerous exaraples may be enianersited to show the d iscretion ary powers o f Ood* vHth a view to justify the previous births of mankind, Maulana Rm brings forth in his Mathnavl, vliich is jonaidered the Quran in the Persian tongue as, *I m born agriin and again, like vegotnble. 3 I have seen seven hundi*ed and seventy bodies.* III ord 1. *115 Holy ;a/an - U-shrjifj 3T Al-’^mflsrahi 20, 10*^,109 eta. 3. nid - AWfiqirah} 35,36* n.Ta'Ca Sflbsi Hold? toi n,ift sp.d Ifaftad Oallb Didt M, 211 as, 'God beiag just can never be axpeated to do Injustice In p'unlahlns the ioiiocent newl/ "x).ra babies vho trjco birth iii poor and downtrodden ff«iil03 aloa; wish soKiii bodily discoisifort ~ as, b&lw; blind, deaf^ l«a©, or with othor oodily disocKnfort ?nd dlaoisas. vUi/ this ra;h» puiilshoent la Infllctad to th^3 iinocant onos, w?io did nothins o<* ?ood and avil uhlla.., aven tho law of tho land relaxaa th^ dola^^s oT tha children to tho extont that, »notl'J.n2 Is an off once which Is jo-anltted by ft child under 3Bvon yeirs of a^e.*1 On the otheT* hrjid, oth-»r bablas bein^T t>orn In wealth/ atid y9 ll->to-d.j f5Wlll<9S with sound health enjoy the pleasures of liucorlous life frcxi their vsry birth v5.thout dola^ anything ns uaritorlous, VJhy this OToni^ reward is eir'^rded? !/fhlle tho former wretched ones suffer a lot frota the moment of their de 15.very. Xs this justice? Do such innoccnt bablea suffer or enjoy raa-ioetlvely on account of their ov»n deeds la this world? Can God, being K*»na<'^r of sudh rcwfird «id puniahiiiont, be a just one? M«y, God cun nov?>r be rJnjust, and no inju^tic# can bo exercised by His judging* C«rtr»lnly, the iruiocent babies are also rivarded or p^mlshed by vii*tue of their own deeds, fo r no soul is tasked beyond its‘scope, ’^very on^^ ntt»lns that which he has earned# M«n deserves or dlsciaalifl^s hlaself on account of his own deeds#2 The good defence to tho above stfste^aent of both the scriptures can only be meted out in beliavlnT In the previous births of beings# I sm, therefore, sui*e to believe In ths Git'^c statement that *he who hqs fellan frcsi yoga having gained the hl^^er 1. Indian Penal* Code - '■’-ener*»l Kxceptions - 3.76,T/ ate# 2 , The "^oly - 'l-^sq arah t 286, etc# I^hfigevfid '’•it'a - S» S,'> e tc . 212 worlds- h8*5\'eii e tc .^ to ^i^-dch rsen 'r" m ^rltorions 'leeds ?vlone are #»nt.ltled, ^tad h-’vlng resld-jd there for trjiiib^rless yegrs, t^ikas 1 birth in the house of pious i»nd rich » Th*? Innoceit bablas who lid nothin*? of good ?md evil in »:M3 vorld still the:' b^in^ rev»rded and punished, roust, by »11 ra«»ins, h?ve passed throni^h -he previous birth wherein they must have corowitted goocl or evil deeds resp ectiv ely fo r e n titlia p them to rewfird or punishment /»C'?ordlng to their deeds, in this world, *it aod’s dts:jretion. Thus th?^ reality of the previous biHhs h^?s, ?»uten HKAV5N H}iO m ih As regards the concreteness of the heaven and hell, the Clta a.id the ourah both recoRni?,e it in their ovn ways, ^ccordinp to both the scriptures the heaven is the Abode of fill sorts of pleasures whereto only risrhteous iwid virtuous ones are entitled, whereas tHe hell is the plsje of all sorts of sorrows,’ pelns and tortures, wtier©- 2 to only evil doers and vicious ones are entitled# Those irtio believe and do ’■ood deeds are made to enter gardens underneath whi^h riv ers flow , to abide th erein pef?<^efiJlly by ''•od*s pemission. Man does not see how God coins a siciilltudot A jtoodly saying as a goodly tree, its root set firm, its branches reaAln? into heaven, giving its fruits at ev<^ry season ’ly '’’'Od*s leavB, And the sim ilitude o f a bad sayln!» i s as a bad tr e e , uprooted from upon the earth, possessing no stability. God coins slailtltudo for mankind i* ^^ha^^avad Oita t 5; 41 se« also l^t 20, 14: 15 etc. 2 . loid I o; -10 etc. The Holy « M-Ghaslyahi 1-20 e tc . 213 1 In order that they nay reflect. It appears froci the aJ>ave exanple of the otu^ao that the notion of the paradise and Hell accon*din!^ to Qurm is Just like allegories to show the result of man’s good and evil works In the world* For Instance, every good wrk is like a good tre e which gives f r u its In every se>»son, th at i s , the fr u it of man's deeds, availed in the pnradlse will be in his easy reacb* The trees \ of paradise art in fact, man's deeds* The rivers of paradise are nothijc but man's faith* As our life is evolved from water and is main":alned therewith* Therefore, when righteous men are described as they are believers and do meritorious deeds, tho paradise is described as it is a Garden wherein rivers flow* Maulvi Muhammad All also opines in 2 the similar manner in this regard* Wherever riv e rs and f r u it f u l tre e s and boiling water in the paradise and hell ^re described respectively by the ouran are also 3 nothing but allegories* The tortures bom of one's own deeds, suffered 4 in this vorld is also designed as the hellcflre* Sometimes the worldly gardens etc*;, achieved by man by virtue of his good deeds are said to be paradise* According to a tradition of the prophet the rivers of 6 'Iraq and Iran are said to be the rivers of ’’aradlse* The word »Hw' with Its masculine gender ' /Oiwar* has at laast been used four times In the along with the Paradise* The word 'HaurV* spruns from 'H ♦ ^' stands in Plural niMber of both feminine and masculine genders* The habitation and provision in paradise have been pr 1* The Holy Otu^an - IbrMnj 23-26 2* Ibid; - as interpreted by Maulvi Mohammad ill p*517, footnote* ?* Ibid; • Muhaamadt 16,see also Al-Ohasiy^ 4-6*9,12 etc* 4* Ibid; -Al-Muamlnf6 5* Ibldt • Ar^^atpaht46 6* Muslim Vol. II,P *3 5 1 * 214 the merits of their deeds* It appears fro® the words whlcdi the mentlcai of the HiSrs that they h«ve no concern %dth the worldly desires 1 and lusts* It lS| of course| not that there Is an actual exiatan::e of fairies In Paradise* But man will gain therein all that he loved In the world most* Thus the TTiurs of paradise nre nothing but the worldly dsosGls, ^rtio are ever Uwra for their lovers. Therefore, t|ie achlevenient of Hiirs Is nothing but the achievement of lovely ones, such as Lalla by Majniu slta by Rima and so on* Maul\l Huhamaad ‘All has already supported my views on this point i In his coriiment asry on ,,2 the noly '^uran* Moreover, according to a tradition of Muhaaamad, *God says that whatever fruit has boon prepared by God for His bc^dmen has no concern either with the perceiving of the eyes, or the hearing oif the ears or any fe3llng, experience or Imagination of nisaan heart 3 and mind* The G ita also describes the attaliunen"^ of heaven and h e ll* allegorically id.th the simile of a plpala tree, stating « ‘Ke, who knows the pip ila tree, which is said to be laperlshablB, with its roots in God, whose st«n is represented by Creator and whose le*Evea are the Vedas, is a knower of the true Import of the 79d??s* Its branches In the shape of the various species of beings, nourished by the three Gnnas and having sense-enjoyments for their tender Jb aves, extend both downwards and upwards, and its roots in the shape of egoist, the feeling of meum and vain desires, which get the soul tied down, according to one's action in this mortal world are also spre«i in a l l regions • hlgVor and lower* Its n^^ture whnt it is stated to be, is not actually perceived hert, for it has neither beginning, nor end, i* foly OurSi-A9-Sirffati 48, )W-l^'ani'54, AUVacdtiitSe 2* Ibld| as interpret'ed by Maolvl Itohamaad ‘iOi, P*870,Poot-note* 3* Hadith • ' 215 nor even steadiness. Therefore, cuttla? asunder this pipal*i tree. vhose roots are so deep-laid by the formidable weapon of dispas on one should dili-gently seek that supr^xte state* having reached which one: never returns to this mortal world, and uttering to himself, »I seek refuge in the Primal Being from whon has sprung this beglnningless flow of creation*, one should meditate on Him. Those undeluded ones, who are above pride and infatuation, who have got over the vice of *ttacb» aent and dwell constantly in identity with God and whose desires have totally disappeared • being aloof from the pairs of opposites, they 1 attain that imporishaMe supreme Abode (Paradise). It has beon unvelUed from what has been attempted above that how similar are the ?rita and the ouran in connection with the coqf* ception of heaven and hell, "^he conditions of salvation and entitling one to heaven and hell are allegorically described by these scriptures. The man and his deeds are mentioned here through the example of a pipdi tree. The tree, in fact, is the man himself, being the soul imperi shable in him. Its roots are in "od means that man is a fragment 2 of God or His own. The leaves cf th is tr e « are the Vedas* means th at man*s deeds should be done in accordance with the Vedic injimctions. Its branches are nothiig but tho different species of living beings such as rir'hteousness, desire, anger greed ete./*^eiag downwards and upwards of these branches* means that these mental tendencies of man lead him to hell (the lover abode ) and paradise (the higher Ibode)- 1. Bhagavad O ita - 15i 1-5. 2 . Ibid , - 15i 7 . The Italy mirth • Al^Baqarahi 156# 216 according to h is deeds, *To m t down this plpala tree' aeans to k ill one*3 egoism, feeling of meyn and wicked desires etc. etc« More over, the Gita does not recognise worldly pleasures too inferior in compnriSion with the pleasures of paradise, as it says - If slain in the battle, you will attiain pnrndise or Gaining victory you w ill enjoy 1 the sovereignty of the earth. Thus we see that even tho style of mentioning the attaizKRi^ of heaven and hell in.both the scriptures, Is also the sase in its Intrinsic nature. If there is any differe*je between the Gita and the Quran regarding the conceptl(m of heaven and h ell, it may oocur in connection with the detailed and brief desfrlptions. The Gita doe« not describe the conditions and situations of heaven and hell in detail, while the (Win pays more and more attention In describing then in fu ll. This difference is by '/irtue of the time, place and circuai»« tances, cf both the scriptures in lAtch they were originally preached, along with the csg)ability of their followers to understand then. The Indian generality on account of its being advanced in the sacred literature was luLready well aware cf the d«idltions of heaven and hell, while the ^abs by virtue of t eir barbarlam were not faal- liarized with thaa. Moreover, the Arabs were so backwari and wandering in those days that they could not tread on the right path without makic them afraid of the flaialng fire of hell. This is why, the Glt'e and the nw^Bxi both, even after conceiving the heaven and the hell in the similar terms, the former describes their conditions in brief, while the lnt%er; j!n detail. 1* ^hajavad Gitai 2i 37^. 218 r e a ll 7 f done under the coainulsloa of Divine f'ecrees, then he should not be held liable for the oaaalsslon of any sin ^^aimltted by his body, mind and speech, nor I s he doer of any meritDrlous deed. Tjut whaterver hns been done by his body, mind, and speech Is done by foro« of his fortune, predetermined by 1. Bhagavad G lta t 4t 24 see also 7i 8*11, 9il6-19,10i20-41 and llifu ll 2* Khud Ku«ao Khud K ^ '^ a ro Khud G lle Kuza Khud Rind Subuka%. _ ^ Khud Bars«ire ^ Kitza Khnridir Baraaad Basakisto Rawan Sud* see also the Holy oui^an • Al-Ba<3arahi6,7,177* 217 Therefor#, everyor» should recognize the conditions of heaven and h e ll In the above mentioned Wfiy, DIVirig P^r.TTpgs, The Gita and the our'an enually conceive the divine decrees. God has deterrolned the fate of all creatiires beforehand, leaving not'alng In th e ir h«mds to do anythin.?^ on th e ir own accord* k true "^ellevar of the Divine Decrees will heartily appreciate the Ittr’s convlctlan - •God does everything on His own accord, we people *ire wronged in vain*. The ciiran specifically declares etbout the pre-jdestlnatlon of belnf^s by revealing - * As for the disbelievers, whether they are warned or not, it Is all one for them; they will not believe^ Because God has sealed their hearln" and their hearts, and on their eyes there 2 is a covering. Theirs will be an awful dooaa.* The Gita also admits tha preQiestin^tion of men by snnouncing • •These warriors stand already slain by Me (nod)| be you only an lns» 3 trtanent*. Further, this concept nay be described as Mr. Coyandka says • •Though froa the point of view of the world, all forms of activities are observed as ts^clnf; place through the body of that person under 4 the force of Prarabdha, ?»id the world gains a lot by such activities.* Havln<; believed in the Divine Decrees^ it becaaes quite ln»* vitable that any activity whstsoev'^r of a bein? is done by fores of his fate prede3:©rained by God Himself. This belief ^Ivea rooia to believe that if man is only an instr^jaent in doing an act, which is, 1* Jo'Cahiin so ^ Kiren '-ain, ^ Hamko * M)ath Badain K l'y l’- K ir. 2 . The Holy ''UT^ai - •vl»’'?a^ardii 6 ,7 , ^••nanl'?8 3 . Bhagavad G ita - 111 3 ? , see also 34. 4. Ibid t by Jai Dayal ^^oyandka, edition 1955, p.400. 219 The Blessed Lord makes th is point more c3e sr in the Gitn by asserting '>od determines not the doersfliip nor the doings of beings, nor again their contact with the fruit of action. But it is Nature 1 that functions derivin?» its notive power frcm Ood* It means that lod alone is Able to do all things, man is unable to do anything on his 2 own accord* .....Qj^r4 r . . m i g . The Git'ale word ’Yajna* for sacrifice means *to aome near* or* to be combined*• The fW anle words ’ ourban* and ’ ’lu lfi* e t c . , also megn the same. Thus according to >oth these scriptures, the perfcrmar.ee of sacrifice is Intended to make man nearest God or absorbed in Him, As th® r-ita admits the authority of the older scriptures, there fore, it also admits the authority of the irjfanctions cf *Sarada-Smrtl also, as if It were its own. Nirada-aartl proclaims that, the wcaaen 3 are the farms and the men farmers to sow seeds in them. The 1* Ihagavad G ita s 5i 14. 2. The Holy 'Mir'an - Al-^aq«rahf20 3 . G ita kar Our'ah - by Sunder Lai edition p. 253. 4. The Holy mii^an - 1. Carbhopanisad - by Svioi Muni Manual TTari edition 1936,p.24. 2. ^ha^av^5^ Oita - It 41, 42, etc. 3. Ibid . - 8i 39, 9f 7. 10,14i 2 etc. The Holy nttfan - Al-Api 1-3, Al^Oariahi l^-ll. / m sacrlflslal ritual, oh?»rlty, renunciation and othar religious actions for attaininti Imoortality, which have been prescribad la the scriptural ordinances, Mahabharata and Anu Gita also hold this word 1 in the sme sense* taking the word *Dhanaa* in the above aen'ioned vay, Lord ^Sri Krsna certainly says in this plice, with reference to the religion advocated by the ^'4ta, that man should not concern himself with the above mentioned >^ays of release but he should . 2 surrender himself to God alone, Thou?:h the Supreme Lord preaihes nominally to Arjuna but really to every Individual through t*ie apency of the Dialogue Divine as depicted in the Gita, Therefore nan must be sure th at the Git ale advice i s not ncMBinally given to Arjuna but to all mankind, ^s the Supreme Lord, in order to maintain and keep alive the tradition of this Glt'a-Dhar^a, that is, of the selfless action, based on wisdom and holding devotion as the most important fa c to r; preaches nominally to Arjuna 'mt in fact tc every devotee that, this secret teaching of the "Jita should nevor be imparted to a man without austerity, nor to him who has no devotion, nor even to him who is unwilling to hearj nor again to him 1 ^ 0 finds faults with Me (God), lut this Qivina teaching shou3d be Imparted to the devotees. The publicity of the most 3 secret teachings of the Gita le? 1, Ji^h^abharata •'S h ^ ti Parva - 544 and Anu-Giti-As^va-49, 2, oT^i-Rahasya - Vol, I by B,G,Tilak, 15dltlon 1^6, pp.615-618. Bhagavad O ftai IBi 37 - ©• 4 , Ibid 18* 70, 71, 222 Brahman to be mentioned, while the rtiran •Tilsmill^lrra!m«ilrrahlm*, l*e«y *vith the naoie of Allah, the beneficent, the Merciful, Impliedly, as every Surah of the riurin begins with It save the Surah * it-Tauba4i* 1 by virtue of Its containing stern commandments against Idolart-gors. 2 '’’ha Triti aid the our'^ both regnrd the fig tree to be holy. AS Arjuna wqs not able to behold the Divine splendour so V9S Mosos (Husa) a ouranlc prophet* The Trita and the nuran both prescribe endurance for the best 3 l i f e of a man* These two volumes condemn those who expire durln?^ the pT« jiewiin- 4 ance of T?aaas or disbelief* The 01 fa says about the devotees of fV>d thi^t those who dervmitly worship nod, dwell In Him and He also stands revealed In thwu And 5 the nur'an says - T^emember f’^od^ He w ill remember you* Whatever has b^en depicted* in the frltlg in connection with 1he m editation on ^tod, the Qui^an summarizes i t , as, ‘ C all upcm your Lord 6 humbly and In s e cre t.* The G ita and the ourah both equally pay attention towards the ablution* For exaiple, the olta says in tM s regards as,» who is 7 both Internally and externally pure—— is dear to Ood* What the enjoins on this point is, *0 believarsi Whan you 1* Bhagavad Gltli t 17*24,The Meaning of the Oorlous Koran, p*Idl* 2* Ibidf Trarw latlon by J a i Dayal Goyandka, 1955,p*21B*The ?Mly- nui^an - Al-_ i l 3* The Holy oui^an • Al-I-Iarani 200, see also Al-BaqTiralix45. _ Bhagavad ''ritai 1 8 il 4* Bhagavnd Git at 1 4 il5 The Holy our'an • ^t-Taubahi 8 4 , A rw iisitlS 5* Bhagavad G ilaj 9 i 29 , The Holy Al-Baqarah; 152 6* Ibid t 6l jsl^p2 Ti"e Holy nuran Al-Aiw^ 55 see also Al-Xar’ant 17 7* Ibid t 12s 1 6 ,see also, 17t 1 4 ,1 6 , 16t 1 etc* 223 rise up for prayer wash your f^cea and hands upto the elbows, rub your he?»d3 and wash your feot npto the ankles. And, if you nre polluted* purify yourselves* If y^>u »re sick or on a journey, or anyon.e of you ?oBas from the p rivy, or you h«ive had contact with women and you find no water, then go to clo m hi»h soil and rub your f^wes and hnnds with scHiie of i t . It is thoroujjhly worthnotin.T that the geographical crilrctBistances affect the dwellers of o country alonp with their codes* As the water is hardly available in th*? desf?rt of ^abia, therefore relaxation has been mad# to its :>®ople even in the r^yi^in by allo%finr them to lurify themselves through rubbin? their faces and hands with ilean sc^ * On the other hand, as there Is no lack of water in India being easily arvaiL- able everywhere the rita pays no attention towards noirrting: out such altern a tiv e In i t s wantas®* Coinin'^ similitudes for "od is forbidden by the nita wid the , 2 Our an both* Aecoi'ding to the communications of the O ita and tlw ourlih both no one can bo a b eliev er in ^rod unl<:ss he ca rrie s on His biddini? la id down in the scriptures. 1# The Holy ci^an « Al-Hiidaihi 6 see also ^M isas 43, Al»AnfiiJl21*9tc* 2* Bha^ayad Gita - 18i86, The Eoly ouraii - Aiv.lahli 74* A. P. c- I T A I 'T 2. ::■. !> J T I 3 ^,.fl..t-l. .,f.,.A-^a- ( H.,g. A r r a i ^ 224 CHAPTBRY 0 1 T 7 I C D 0 IT R^~i If I C g 9 ? - A (Wdrldly Affairs) coMMTiia r^.Li'fcs f o r ^ i d p b w with a Tlew to instigate aan'Und to be aloof from coanatiaal fe«llngsy the ^less«d Lord proclalats In the filt a-Howsoever laaa approach Me; even so do I seek thea; for all men follow My par:h froa 1 all sides, I m equally present in all beings; there is none hateful or de««r to Me* 7hos#| however^ who whole-he *>rtedly worship He, abide 2 in Me and I also stand revealed in them. Cven If the vilest sinner worships Me with exclusive devotion; he should be 'Jonsidered a saint; as he has rightly resolved* forthwith becomes virtuous and secures lasting peace, le sure, Arjunal that My devotee’ levar fa lls. Vomen-> folk, VslVas, ^udras, and even those who are ’ orn of the womb of sin, such as pariah etc.^takinp: refuse in Me, they too attain the 3 highest goal. 15ven those devoteas who, endowed with faith , worship other gods with scrae interested motives, they too, worst ip "od alone, though not in ac^ordans© with the rules, that is, without pnper 4 knowled’e . 1. Bhagavad G ltai 4l 11 2 . Ibid 9t29 3. Ibid 9t30-32 4. Ibid 9I23 9 op; It is QUlte obvious from this statement of Gita that all persocs belonging to aay re lig io n or sect or caste or creed - such as Hindu* and Muslims along v ith a l l th e ir s e c ts , C h ristian s, Jews, Buddhisis, SikhSy Parals and irhntsoever else can all attain the Suprwie goaly if they properly observe their duties allotted to them in the wocrld-si* by side with devoting th e ir h earts in the remembrance of the Supreme Lord, as true believers in Him* The (jurii also enjoins the sme thing on this point, in its *3iwn way • ( ^dressing Muh»imad) Allah says •)• We have revealed unto thee the Scripture ui.th the Truth, confinaing whatever scripture was before it (the ouran) and a watcher over it* Therefore, mankind should Jiidge between them by that which God has revealed and should not follow their desires away fran the truth whlfch has come into thee. For each kte have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way* Had Ood willed He could mace you one cooaunlty, But He desires you to try by that which He has given you (of the scripture), T-e ref ore, all should vie one vd.'ih another in rood vforks* All of you will return unto A ll^, the 1. The Holy 'W ai - Al-Maidahi48,AL»Baqarahi 148,20 2. Ibid • Al-^aearahi 213. 226 among than by beinn divided into v?triou3 castas and creeds. Though all are returninT unto TJs. There is not an animal in the e=irth, no.- a flying cresture, flying on two wirKits, but they are »TiBmahs* or 'Peoples* lik e unto you* We have neglected nothing in the I.nto th e ir 2 Lord all will be gathered* As though to put cocanunal feelings to an end the oui^an declares • Lol the^e who believe or are Husllcis or Jews or K ristians or '^ab^esns - w>\ososver believes in "rOd and the Last Day and dons skerltorious deeds - surely th e ir reward i s with th e ir Lord 3 and there shall no fear coma upon th«a, iiaither shall they grievel Lord‘Sri ^rsaa throughout His speech of 3itk Pr««ches mankind to perfora their actions as a duty only for duty's sake, dedicating all actions to thf Lord beinf? totally indifferent in the psirs of opposites 4 and relinquishing the fn^it of all actions* Having not entered into th* details oi* all matters.* Lord ISri Srsna It* cuts the root of all coommal feelings by His Discourse full oi' deepest aoral precepts as cited above in brief* Tlerefore there reaains no room for an/ cooLaunal feeling after meditating on sujh a Divlno Lecture, as depicted in the Git a* The rWan, further, crwunands - argue not with the people of scripture • (Jews, 3>ristians, FindoSi Buddhists, Parals, etc*;) who have their own sacred Books, unless it be in a way that is better or swoet* Learve those who do wrong, and sayt .Ve are believers of our own scriptures as well as of your scriptures* Our God and your God Is one, 1* The Eoly Ouran - Al-Anbiyahi 92*93 2* Ibid - 3* Ibid ___ - Al-3a!jarahi82,Al»HaidahiQ9 and Al-3aqararLill,112* 4* Bhagw^d cltaj 2i 47,46,56,57|59-64,3|30,.*H,35,13:57,58,66 etc* 227 1 and we Kid you surrender unto Hiji*Addressing a ll prophets and religious leaders of the world God proclaims In the ouraa - 0 ye prophetBat of the good things and act aright and be sure that this your religion is one rellgioni and I aa your Lord, so keep your duty unto Ma. mankind hsve broken their religion into v:>rious fragments, e«jch frag- iaent rejoicing in its tenets. It is m opsn ijnorjrtice. "h ere fo re, 2 leave thea in their error till a tijaa* The again aocanands - Don’t concern yourselvas vith those wro cut ?%sunder their reli;?ion arid beooce sohiaiaatlcs. Their case w ill >to to Allah for its deaision, 8 Who then id ll inform them what they used to do* Those who disbelieve in Allah and His mGSsen 1* The Holy 0 -ran - A1-* Ankabuti 46. 2. Ibid - Al-Mu^nTBn: 51-54 3 . Ibid • Al- Aniffl:160 4. Ibid - An-Jisa; 150,151. 5« Ibid - Al-Banarahi91,97,Al-Malalkaht31* 6 . Ibid — As— atj37 7. Ibid - Fusllatj4?. 228 towards proving Lord 'srl Krsna to be '"rod's apostle like Muhammiad. ^ t • I • * now I shall coasem myself in proving; him to be so on the authority ouran also. Ac ropdln? to the fWarif as stated abovtt» *nod sent His prophets to av^ry tiountry before Muh«naad with the truth «nd ^lUldansa to man- kind in the lan<;^u?»»es of th e ir o*wn pooplcs. Ks India I s one o^ the blgf^est countries of th® world, thorcfore, iod*s aessengers hw e, assuredly, ciome to India also before MiihgfaTna^t with truth md guidance in Sariskrt«, P all or PrUkrta lan^napes vliieh wer« the most » « popular languages of ancient India from the tiias liwre^iaorial. According to one tradition of Isllia thare came 224,000 aessen^ers of ^od to various parts of^land for showing the straight path to the wandering folIC) whereas aiother tradition holds that there c«ae only 124,000 God»s messenrers* Out of these, only 2B nessenors are expressly mentioned In the rn*r^, leavlnp the rest unr.entloned, but strictly ordaining to bellave In tham. It noans that the messengers of G >d who enda to India are not mentioned in the nuran along with a lf?rge number of ether messengers sent to different lands* *fov, the questions j«rise as to what are the names of the messengers who came to India? Whether “Srr Krsna, with whom, nt present, I am directly concorned is a mes- ft « • senper of '’od or not? Suppose He I s not a ^fOd’ s messenger b’lt a mere saintly preacherl Then, who may surely, be a Ood»s messenger In India? If one i/ould sugc'est Rama to be so, but in ray opinion Krsna* s position 1, Notes on Mohfflnmadanlara • by T.P.T^li’hes, Edition 1877, Ub« H* Allen 4 v’o* 13 Waterloo Pl»ce 3«W* Pp« 84y85« 229 as m DlTlne prtacher is above the Rina's oos« Because a devotee of Rina aay be benefit ted b/ the st?uidard set up by His actual ideal U i« gaining bothing as a Divine Discourse fro« His very month, But, on the other hand, a Krsna’s devotee obtains a lot by the standard set up by • I # His practical dealing as veil as auch laore by that nMch He has poured forth from His mouth in the Form of ”ita and elsewhere in the Mahj^ bh^ata etc* Thus, according to ny personal viev Krsna has a preferential claim to be a Ood*s messenger* How can Just God do such injustice that even the names of the actual prophets exist no more on the e«rth, while others Krsna etc*, are universally being honoured as Divine preachers? Ifay, God being '^ruth can hot do such injustice* ^Sri Krsna, along with » # • very many saintly Preachers is decidedly a God»s messenger like Muh«tfamad, and the olta along %rith many other scriptures is , in the like « ■ainer, a sacred book* Therefore, man should b eliev e in the above mentioned discussion by heart, as it has been standardized by the divine authority of the Oita and the ouria. Having believed thus man's duty extends to the prohibition of :iommunal feelings in his actual dealings in the society for enlarging the universal brotherhood of nankind* * :o??DTycT In order to guide mankind to right conduat the Gifa enjoins - He who works fo r the sake of God depends on Him, i s devoted to Him, hat no attachnent, and is free frc»i malice towards all beings, reachea the Suprane Abode of Brahman* The seersvWhose sins have been washed away, whose doubts have been dispelled by Wisdom, I* Bhagavad Gita - l i t 55 see also , I6j 1-3* 230 vhose B in d Is firmly established in 'Tod, and who are actively engaged In promoting public welfare, attain Brahiflai, who is all peace* Viflse man is he who acts without attachment for seeking the auidntenaace of the world-order.2 He who looks oa all a« one, on the analogy of his own self, and looks upon the pleasure and pain of all vlth a similar eye, suc^ a yogln Is re,yarded as supreme.3 The virtuous, who partake of whnt Is left after S'crlflie are absolved of all sins, ^ho»e sinful ones, who cook only for the sake or nourishing their own body aloTne, ept only sin.4 And, h^vla" created mankind along with the spirit of sacrifice at the beginning cf the creation, the Jreatcxr, Br«hn«n said to th 1. Bhagavad Gitn - 5i 2S, 2 . Bhagavad C ite - 3|25 3. Ibid; 6:32, see4 also 5» 18, 4. Ibid; 3il3 5 . Ib id ; 3*10 o. The Holy our«i- AL-n^mqarahil7i 7. Tha Holy nfupaa-Al-^aqarahj 42,45. 8. Ibid; sl74. 231 1 almsgivlQg followed b/ injury* Th« flesh and the blood of the sacri ficed animal do not reach aiah but the piety from the sacrlflcer 2 reaches Him, Having gone through the above mentioned scrip tu ra l ordinances> one may easily realize that many according to these two holy voliaaes^ ought not to indulge himself in the unrighteous doings as opposed to the public well*farey but he ou;^ht to do righteous acts for the well- beinT ocf the soc:iety* Therefore* for the maintenance of the w rld- order man's prime duty is to improve his conduct in order to mt^e himself righteous person for leadina a h^py life in this world as well as attaing salv*^tion in the hereafter* BSriSVOK^ITT^ ViPM A’mOODt The Gita and the ourai both teach mankind an exhaustive lesson on benevolence, by their respective ^Ilscourses* The '^it'a prea::3*.es bene- volence through the followin’ injunctlonsi Action with a selfish motive is fqr inferior to this yog« in the form of equanimity* The poor and wretched are those who cr^ve 3 for fruit of action* The perfect and dear to God is he %rtio is free from malice towards all beings, who is friendly as well as canpas- sionate, who has no feeling of meum and is aloof from egoism, to wt.om Joy and sorrow are alike and who is forgivin-: by nature, who is ever content and mentally united to God. Who has subdued his mind,body and speech and has a firm resolve, i^o hns surrendered his mind and 1* The roly ouriwi - U»^aqara4ii 263. 2* Ibid . - Al-ljaJJi 37 3* Bha^avad G ita • 2i 49 232 1 Intelloct to CkwU He who is not a source of armoyance to the vorld and \Aio never feels off^ded vlth the vorld^ who is frea froai delight and anger^ perturbation and f he hqs no %’iovled'^e, should not walk on anrth exultant, alocf fronj^ll sorts of evil* 'vuran further enjoins that whosoever h«d done e v il, h is sin surrounds him. Such are the rig h tfu l owners of the hell-fIra, those who believe a id do ^ood woiff^s, such are th^ truth- ful clalmwts o^ the Tnrdens of Pj^rndlse. Moreover, It Is said re^'irdlnf*’ the iwrnort:nn":e of the benevolence th a t, *Tn »T1 tho elrh tsen '»U’*«na3 Vy^s;\ s-^ld onlv t^ro thlncjs - hamevol- 2 ence 1b fo- vlrtuousnsss fund the violence for viciousness. The sojBe thlnc h«s been proclftlmed by ft saint in the words • In all the faur vedas and slT^S-fstr'^s, thero h»ve been enjoined onlv two things - pleasure Is 3 attained hjr plepslnf' others >»nd pf» •^he 3«rae r>olnt h«3 been c la r ifie d in p lain tern s by m>»ijy Mmslli?: S u fis , For lnst*>n?e, a Muslira vSm*! says -> •'^here is no way to a tta in • « salv*itlon, 9»5-»rt fr o '^isc’^arrln^ »«rvises to ^he fellow beings, '^'od cannot be re*^3hod by revolving Tasblh or Mala with mutterinir Divine 1, The Holy - Banl-Israili 23-?9,se« also Al-^anaritfii 177, a1-Anjmi 162-154, at-Tptfif I 1-3, The Holy ''ur^in - U .»Baoarrfii8l,82, '•Ol •)-okh nino Dukh hot hsil sukh alne Sukh Hoi, 4 . ^arhi*_ sa ris dhama naziin W f , ^IraTsajn nahin Adhanlil'^ 234 1 Names, by observing prayer or by wearing rags', 'Saildi Sa'adi opines on this point as, *If thou avoidest distress even of a single person is better than performing pilgrim age accompanied with thousand Rpkkts o f prayer at every station (o f thy journey to Meccft*) It la an acc;epted fact that prayer, pilgrimage, fp.sting etc*^ are intended to invite mankind to bonevolence, manhood and rirht con- duct which is the sole matter of righteoustiess as enjoined by the Gita and the nurW. Therefore, he wtio performs prayer eto,^but does evil to his fellov beines is not righteous. As the our^n rightly says - Ah, Woe unto worshippers who are heedless o f th e ir pr^gr^rs res tin g in doing good to others who would be seen at worship, yet refuse small P kindnesseff (giving al7aas etc.,)t Ths ouran fu rth er enjoins in th is regard - Be you stod lsst w it nesses fo r Allah in equ ity, and le t not hatred of any people seduce you that you do not deal ju s tly . Therefore, man must, by a ll rcesns, be a just d ealer, God has guided mankind to the parting o f the mountain ways. But man h?s not attempted the Ascent, which is to set freis a slave and to feed an orphan near of kin or some poor vn'etched in misery in the -itne of hunger. And to be of those who believe and exhort one an other to per:ie^€Trance and p ity . Their pl-^ce ^ -1 1 1 be on th5 right hand - a comfortable abode. On the other hand those who disbelieve lod's revelations, their place w ill be on the left hand - an awnin- ibode 5 with flaming fire . Serve Allah and piscribe nothing as partner unto 3, Tariqat Bajus Khidatate Khalp ''Jest Patasbiho Sajjado dsln nest. 2, ^Culi az ^ard azad kardl kas8 ^,lh PS a lf rak^t bahgr msnzile 3, ?ne Holy ouran - Al-Matin t 4 -7 , 4, Ibid; - Al-Madah:B 5, Ibid; - Al-Baladi10-20, 9 35 Hl«, Show kindnass vm*:o p-rentij, aenr klndreii^ orph?ins, the fello%^ travollers, the w«yfareis^ and the slaves vfr.om your right h?inds possftsi. Lol God loves not those who re lig io n is hs who repels th© orp''«in and ur^es not the feedln:; of the 2 , needy V The fu rth e r, cjoauaunlcatea th a t, i f one wants to r e t e ll ate somo one, he should punish with the like of th«t wherewith he was ?jfflio- ted. lut if he endures pr»tiantl;?-, it is, no doiibt, better for hii. ^rod is with those who keop their dutr unto Fla and who *ire th?^ dooBs of the a meritorious doads. *nd yhoso is fre e Tr sa^gy&siPiLi?, According to the injunations of the Oita arid the ouraii both, the:»'e is no compulsion in religion* The ofta appears to be fund^entally indifferent in oonneotion with the botherations of various reliijionsy when it communicates - the wise look with th“ same eye on a '^r?Ji3iana endowed with learning ana culture, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a 6 pariah* The soul of the Git&ic religion rightly rests in its statement • 1* ’’•he Holy <^iran « *i>-f D«TOtad to h is own dut/ a tta in s the hli^hest, p erfect Ion In the shapa 1 of ^-od-^eflUzatlon. This dlvlna statansnt l«?aves no room for any cocrpul- sloi In r«llglDU3 affairs* The Olfa, further, clarifies thrrt one’s ova duty, though devoid of merit Is pr«~fereble tc th® (tuty of snoth^r vsll exe2Uted* Kven death in tha perfortannce of one’ s own duty hrln»5* M essed- 2 nesst another’s duty is fraught with fef?r. ordained Pisn^nd to perform their allotted duty, in tha above mert^Jonf;d way, ho* '^an the Gita tolerate any ooMDUlsio In re lig io n ? As God is nresan> in ev»ry 3 thln<^ whether animat*^ or ln«ilT 5"te, Therefore, i f on^ tTOrshtps ovei a stonR or tree or river or anythin;: else of the creation, h» still -«r3hlps God in His Yir'at or Ttilversal Form, as the Trttn cl®*’rly liys down that, •howsoever, men approach He( 3od), even so do I seek them? for all iten follow my patn from all sides. In this mortel world, msinkind seeking the fruition of their doings worship the podsf as success born of actions 4 follows aulckly. ’ilven those devotees »riio endowed with faith worsMp othw gods with 90!te in^-.erested laotix'e, they to o , worship Me ( i^od) alonei S thour;h rrot in accordance with the scriptural ordinanies, I may conclude from the above statement th«^t i f some body ooaip-3ls others to embrace a particular set of rules o^ any scripture by eocpuL- sion, ha cooanlts a great sin* He is only to convey the message, his ris:ht does not extend to compulsion in religion, *»s Lord 'Sri *Crsna specifically prescribes in the '’-itrn as, •’T’his s«?cred teo^hlnf^ of the G ita shotili never be isapsirted to a man without a u ste rity , nor to one 1* Bh«ri»vnd Gita - 18t 46 2, Ibid; - ?, 35 sea r^lso lPt47 3, Ibid; Bx 16-1»,7,S« 11,10*20-41,lli Full. 4* Ibid 4j il,12,sitje also 9; 15 5* Ibid 9 :2 ? .,see fdso 9 124-32, 237 Without devotion, nor even to him who is unwilling to hear, nor nznin to him w*!o finds faults with H© (Hod),1 AS regards the prohibition of compulsion in relifjion, the ^niran forcefTilly deslnjres in the plain terms - »There is no conpulsion in reiigionl2 HaitOod willed, all aankind would h.nve believed tos‘5th0r. Would you, then, cocipol can to bclleva in your religion until they ar« disbf3lic*'‘^rs7 'lllali I'orbids you not those wno W’lrred not agi^inst you on lic-o'int of ^rour religion tuid drov*^ yoxt not tiut frura your houses, that 4 you should show thca klndnoss and d e e l justly with them. Verily Ood loves th-^ Just dealers* ^ut He forbids you only those who waged war \ a£.aiact you on nc ount of your religion and h-iva driven you out from your houses and halpad to drive you out, that you cultivate friendship with thon,5 7h«i above quoted two verses ?;re of the tirae when there was a great :onflict between the Muslims and the aoa-Jluslims in Arabis^ Ad(Jre9sln<» th'^ pronhat Muhaaraad, ''od preaah>'^s ?jll laankind throu!;:h His revelation - (0 Muh-swuad ;) Tell those who have faith in Divine l^es I to forfive those who do not hone or are not certain of the day of resurrection, whereia thsy would be brought unto God, so thnt He aay ranuite the peopla vhat they used to gnia* '4hoso does ri^ht, it is for M.s own soul, and w^*oso ioes wrong, it is against it and after all 6 you v»ould bi brouisht bsck to Hlia* Han is, fui’thcr, oommandod in the oui^^ - Follow that w!iiah is inspired in thee (Muh^amj^d) from thy Lord| there is no Ood save Him; and turn away from tha idolaters. Fad Cod willed, the idolnt^rs had not been idolatrous, (Cod) have not 1. "’h')Eav?«l 'U ta - l??s v77, sea also 18t 3 ^ 7 1 2 . Th3 Holy nur'an - l-la r * ’rnht 256 4.?• IbldjIb id ; - Al-Mumtrfindlt YiBius: 100,101 8, 5. Ibid; - Ibid ' 9. 6. Ibid; - Al-Jathlyj^j 14,15. 238 appointed thee (Miah«nm*id) ins «» k eep er or watcher over them, nor art thou (MubfijDffli^d) responsible for them* Therefore, do not abtise their Idols unto whora they prny besl4e God, lest they wrongfully revile '!*od through lpnor??n 1. Tha Koly f)tiran • Al-An^i 107 « 109 Si.Ihid - Al-Knfirun: 1-6. S. Ibid • C*A^rkr - 19R -200 4 . Ibid - At-Taubahj 6. 239 you a 1 1 ^ , then t e l l him, ♦tinto me my work and unto you your work** You are innocent of wh^t I do, and I on innocent of what you do* Though some of th«tt listen to your word, but can you make the deaf hear, even though they apprehend not? Some of th ^ thougii, look towards you, but, 'im yr-n s^’l'ie the blind? Lol ^od wronfs not mankind but they vronc thaa» selves. The au^gasts ths best ws^:/ for Invitinj: aankind to the t)ivj.ne Cuidsn'^a by "omrn'tndlnr - 7^11 unto t h e v i ^ y of your Loi*d vith visdom f ^ ir exhortation, and reason vrith thcc (disbelievers) in the better way. Lol God i s bost av»nro of* blM vho gots astroy froo 2 F Is v?iy, pnd Fe i s best gvpre thosf' vho go arig h t. It is rjuite cle-rr frcnhr^ haen Q.xm ined nbov^ th a t, the r’ur^n also, ? like '^it'a, Is the keen opponent of any sort of compulsion in relifTlon. Thus, it may be concluded that, j!iccor’in ?5 to bot-h these scrip tu re s, those vho sompel others to ba convnrted in to th e ir own relif^ion, nre enemies to their own f«lth «nd, consenuantly, th^ great sinners. Therefore, can should not -rorapel others to onibrRce his own fsitfc by force, as it has been declared q sinful thinp by the clt^ and the nur^ both. PRAriP IM Tir. T^*?-L"Fr>ID______ The sb3erv?vi3e of prayer i s so iiaport«?nt a duty in I si in th at men i s not reiserf?d from I t even on the f^round o f w^r* The 'lit'i enjoin s worship filOTif* with fij^htin?! in the words «• 0 Arjun»i Think of Me ('’rOd) 1. Thtf -oly cWan - runus: ^ • 45, see *»lso ,M-.’=lfinarahi 5 ,7 . 'i. Ibid - An-:J*^hl: 125, ses also Ari-flihl • 125 • 128 240 at all tlraas and fight. With aiind and reasoni thus surrenderad to Xe, you will doubtless dome to Me.1 Treating alike plensure 9nd pain, gain and loss, victory «id defeat, get resdy for the fi^ht, then flghtlas In t' is way, you vill not incur situ The Gita further ccwuaands in this rsgard that, ’ Perfona your duties (oi“ fi^^htins) dvollinp in yot^a, re 11 ncuishiner att<»cilrae^*t lud indiffersot lo success and f*dluvej erusbllity Is called yorj?.2 The slso sjuastlcns worship for the fighters in ..he following va.Y» *0 holi^versl when you me-at an aray, hold firm and think of r-od much* ’^;eri you ( ) are anooj' the fighters aixd arrange their worship for thoa, then let only a party of them sfeand with yoa for worship and th^ r*»s^ tske their art&a* T^'en, when they have per- formod their prostntions, let thau join the re®r md let another pnrty that has not obsGrvod prayer and let them worship \fith you, and lat others wl o have worshipped take their procmution and their arcis* Those disbelieve long for you to ri&?lsot your arms snd baggage; thnt they may attack you once for all. It is no bl«ae on f you to lay aside yo^jrtinas, if rain i-opedes you or you ar-% sd';:k* But take your pr3 cautionsr7' nn»isuras, '^’hen you h-^ve performed the pres-» cribed a;t of worship^remeEibar your Lord standing, sittin.'?, and r(5 1, ^hagavqd Git a - 8 ; 7 , 3: oO* see also 13j 59»30,3*S-10 ate. 2. Ibid; 2j 38,48 3* The Holy f^ui^rih - A»-Nis^: 1(52,103 see also Al-laqaraht 239. 241 BlCTTgOOSKBSS km) FRTOWSS AJTIOH ?h« Gita Md the Qur^ai both are very k^en In preaching mankind to perfoM their allotted duties In the way of Alml.f^ty for His sake only, and surrendering a ll actions to Hlia vlth righteous frane of alnd« for exaaple* The Gita says - He who works, offering all actio is to god and shaking of attashaent, remains untouched by sin as the lotus • leaf by water* Therefore dedicating all actions to Trod with your mind fix ed on Him, the s e lf of a l l , freed fran hope and the fe e lin g of meum end jured of mental dlshalance, 0 Arjuna t Be ready for doing 2 your duty of fighting* The nfui^«n also sjcrs the sane thing by revealing - call not those who are slain "f T Sabillllah" i# e ., "in the way of Allah" »D«ad* Hay, they are surviving, only you perceive not. And the likeness of those w^o spend their wealth in aod*s way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains, 'rod gives increase 3 manifold to whom He wills* The alms are only for those who are the poor and the needy and those who collect th®m, those whose hearts are to be reco a sile d , i« e « , the people o f Mecca vrtio were converted a fte r the capture of the city, and to free the prisoners and debtors, for the cause of Allah, such as, erecting mosque etc., and for the way-farer. This i s a duty incianbent on a l l being’s imposed by God, the knower, the 4 Wise* What the Gita, further, opines on this point is, 'Whatever you 2* TfliagRvad O ita - 5i 10. 2. Ibid - 3i 30 3. The Holy nuran - Al-Baqaraht 154.261 etc. 4. Ibid - ilt-Taubahi 60 etc. 242 ( Arjuna and a l l mankind) do, whatever you e a t, whatever you o ffe r as o '^ la tlo i to the sacred f i r e , wh*?tever you give as alDS and what- 1 ever you do by way of penance, dedicate It all to Me (Cod). Cod comands His apostle MohesMad In the our’^ by Inspiring hla to say • My worship, my sacrifice, my living and dying are all for 2 God, the Lord of the worlds. In accordance with the ordinances of the Gita and the otir'ah both, man should perform his allotted duties with the equa'^le fr« e of mlad In the pairs of opposites - pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, succeas and failure etc«^and %rlthout attachment t>6 the fruit of his actions* The Gita designated such actions as, Vl^ina - K«rma* while the our^^ as, ‘Ilchlas*. The Oita anzv>unces in this conns :tlon that • your right is to work only, but never to the fruit thereof* Let not the fruit of actl(»i be yoar object, nor lot your attachment be to inaction* ^ t perform your duties dwelling in yoga, abandoning attachment and indifferent to 3 success »id failure; for equability is called yoga** What the Oux^^ opines on th is point i s ; * H^Bembor tne name of 4 . thy Lord and devote thyself with a complete devotion** Xmas Hizi commonted th is verse a s, ‘ Whosoever d esires reward fo r h is good works or wills to be escaped from the result of his evil-deeds is not attach- m entless* ind who is ever engaged only in the act of worshipping or in gaining knowledge is also not wholly devoted to ‘rod* On the cont rary if all his works and worship are dedicated to 3od alone, he alone 1* Bhagavad Glt’a - 9| 2 7 , ^ 2* The Holy r^ur’ftfi - Al- kntkt 163. 3* %agavad Gita - 2| ^,48 4 , The Holy nur'ah - Al-Muzjafinlli 8 243 1 accordln?: to this verse is whole-hej^rtedly devoted to ^rod. "he rrlta, further, enjoins • He who does his allotted duty without expecting the fruit of actions, Is a Sannyasln ( Sankhyayoj^ln) and a yoglh(Karmayogln) both. He is no Sannyasin or renoun:ier, who has only abandoned the sacred f i r e ; In the same way, he I s lU) yogiii, 2 wt’O has merely given up all activity# A Muslim saint Sufiyan Saurl who was a irreat authority on Islaiaics proclaims in this regard - *It is no 'Tuhad ( relinf^ulshnent) that the roujjh and hard garments should be worn and dr/ breads should be eaten* 3 But Zuhad is that one*s desire and lonein^r should be overcoce* The Oita says in this connection that, • he who does his works with a selfish motive, belnji attached to the fruit of actions, through 4 desires, gets tied down* And the ourm says that, whosoever puts his trust in f^od, He will suffice hi** Tha Blessed Lord answers to the 1b*Juna*s nuestion - Impelled by what, does man commit sin even involuntarily, as though driven by forcel as * It is desire and an^er, begotten of the element of Rojas, unable to be satisfied and grossly wicked; know these to be the enemy in 6 this case, rdvlnf! stress on the sane point the Lord, further, asserts that, 'Passion, anger and greed - these constitute the triple gate to hell, leqdlns to the damnation of the soul* So, one should k ill all th#se three. Maulana Run opines on th is point in h is M athna^, ' Jlll trouble I s 1* T i^fsir-i-K ab lr - by R*?*! commentry on the Holy ouran - Al^MuzBsmilsS 2* Bhagavad Glfa - 6 i l . 3* “^Sarhul - Minnat - Sufiyan Saurl* 4* Bhagavad G ita • 5t 12 5* The Holy - At-Talaqi3 6* Bhagavad G ltai 3i 36,37 7* Ibid; 16i 21 and see also 3t 34 etc* 244 1 in desire ami lust otherwise this world Is full of juice under juice* As concerns the means as to how to get over the lesirey wrath lust I and greed, the P»lta and the both su^jgest solutions in the similar manner. The Gita points out that, *he vhose senses are mastered, his mind has becone stable, the man dwelling on sense objects develops attachment for them, from attachment snrings up desiro and from desire ensues an^er ^ From anger arises infatuation, from infatuatloa: , confusion of memory, from confusion of memory, loss of reason, and froa loss of reason ono goes to utter ruln» '^t the self*-controlled practicAti while enjoylnc the various sense^bjects, through his senses, which are disciplined and free frc® likes and dislikes, attains placidity of mind. ^ virtue of the sttaliment of such tranquillity of mind, all one*s sorrows come to an end; and the intellect of such a person of stab le mind, soon wlthdrawinf: i t s e l f from a l l sid e s, beccaaes firm ly 2 established in ^od« The nuran also says the ssmc thi-og in its own way «- God w ills to turn to you in mercy; but those who follow vain desires long for 3 you to go tremendously astrjor# There is no more wandering than him who follows his lust with^out guidance froa Allah, The niran, further, coomsnds in this regard - Vie one with another for foriivenkss, and for a paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth prepared for those who ward off evil* And those who speivi of what God has bestowed on them in ease aid adversity, tvose who control their an,Ter and are 1* "tfte in dar havib Sahbat ast, Viiarna Inja'sarbat andar'Sarbat ast* 2* Bhagavad n fta - 2# 61-66 3* Th« Holy - An^’fls ii2 7 4# Ibid; • Al-0asa3t50 9 45 1 fo rg iv ln c towards lannkiad by nsture; TrOd loves th«a. Supporting the above quoted vlevs 3u^Ali*Sih oalazidar 2 pronounces aSy *iian is ha %^to overc(»Bes his wrath^ lust and greed* Haulana Rta proclaims « WTath and lust n ^e man blind and gone 3 astray froo his rl :ht state* As though to instigate mankind to be stable of mind the Gita, again enjoins - He w>ose mind h^s besone stable is he \rtio is unattached to everything and meeting with good and evil^ neither rejoices nor recoils^ ^ t h^ like a tortoise that withdraws in its limbs froB all sides, withdraws his senses from the sense^objects* The o u r ^ also aims at the sane thing by i t s revealing - Those who have believed and vihose hearts have rest In th© remwibranca of 8 Allah, certainly in His rememb^^ran-’e do hearts find resti With the example of the stability of fbrehm'a mind, the nur«m preaches B U Th« Roly nur'ah - Al-i-Iarani L^,134* 2* Hard !iayad fa nihad bar nafs pa. Baguzarad as ^sah^nto h irso hawai 3* ivha'sao ^sahbat mardra ahwal kunad Zlstqamat Mardra abdal kunad. 4* Bhagavad "Jfta - 2i 57,58. 5 . The Roly Our^^ - Ar-Rafadi 28 6* Ibid; ^ _ - A^Saffati 83,84 7* Bhagavad Oita - 2| 55,56* 246 feel perturbed on meeting vlth the unpleasant^ that knower of Reality « 1 lives etemally in Identity with It. The Mqsiusmrti also aims at the s®i9 injunction in its statscaent - The connueror of his senses is he who neither rejoices nor recoils even after hearin^j, touching, perceiving, eating, drinking and saelling anything whatsoever* And the nuran says that, * grieve not over that which has beea lost, nor exult because of thnt which hns been given* For nod does not love the prideful boasters* According: to a tradition of the prophet, *He shall only be benefit- ted in truth, w’-ose heart has b-sen clemsed by "od for faith and has made his heart whole, tongue true, self c(Mifldent, mind stable, ear 3 audible and eye perceptible** An irw ian iufi ju stifies the equanin?ity of mind in the wexrds - •Wb neither in^rensed by some pleasure, nor decreased by some pain* Before our courage whntevsr c?aae of pleasure and pain, ca»e as a guest 4 gfflid want away** Thus WB see that the Gitaic term *Sthitaprajna* is enually conceivable by the IslSaic term Oalb-i-Mutamainnah*) or *Nafs-l-Muta- 5 aairmah* * These terms aia at wh-’t has been set forth above* 'I'he Gita and the nurim both re jognize the greatness of the Gurus or ?irs (^receptors) as they guide men to the right path through th e ir knowledge already acciuired frcxa the scrip tu res* 1* Bhasavad Oita • 8s20 2 . Th*_Holy • AX-Radidt 23 3* Hadith • ^Sufebul _I’!ian* 4* 's$dT dad samane na gha© AVurd nunsane Ba pe^ hiamate BaJiar 'ci ^ad bUd malin^* 5* Bhagtvad (5ita • 2i 55-72 The Holy rw ’ah • A l-F ajrj 27,28* 247 Shoving the Importance of the preciaptors, the Olti proclaims - Attain this knowledge by all means, if you prostrate yourself in res pect at the feet of the wise preceptors, render them ??11 sorts of services, and question them with a guileless heart, again and again, those vise seers of Reality w ill unveil that knowledge to you. The Aul^an also enjoins the same thin?: in this regard as, •Follow 2 the Path of him w^o repents unto Me (Cod). /\nd what Maulana ?v^ opines on th is point i s , ♦He who w ills to ^ 3 sit beside "rOd, should sit beside Walls (Sages) and devotees to HIb . To respe:jt a Mursld or C-uru is so important a duty thnt °ven Moses (Musa) who was himself a prophet fe ll in need of a '’.itru who ex*iined 4 him thrice, but he failed, in the end, he taurht him gracious word. The Altaic *Yoga* and *Yogln* are Just equivalent to the I s l^ c »S?*ik» and *SaU k *. The Gita lays down certain rules for Yoga, for Instnn-*«, "the yogin who has subdued h is mind and "'Ody, ani who i s above the d esires and beruft of occupations, living in se':;lusion all '^y hlnsel' alone 5 he should constantly engage his lalnd in meditation* The oui^^ says, on th is p o in t, as already has been nU(rted, th a t, v e rily Abraham came to h is Lord with a whole h e a rt. In a tradition, the prophet of Islm praises him who having sat alone in a cave o'* nountaln engages hl -iself in the Tea&aitrTfime 6 of his Creator. 1. Bhagavad C-lta - 4* 3 4 .^ 2. The Holy Our an - Lunmant 15 3 . Har K1 IChihad Hamna'slni Khuda u na'sinad dar hu^ure null/a. 4. The T?oly nu r^‘- ' Al-Kahfj 64-8t 5 . Bhagavad Olta - 6i 10 ^ ^ 6. Hadlth - Abu Saeed ?C^ azrl - Prophet • see also Ar-Raadi 28. 248 The '’Ita, further, says • Having restrained all the media of perception, and ftxLn^ the mind in the heart, and by the controlled alnd fixing the life-breath in the head and reaainlng stedfast in Yogic concentration on "rod, he v^o expires and departs, reciting *0n* (one jy ll^lad Brahaan) and dvellinfr on He( lod) in Hy absolute 1 aspect, reaches the Su|»reiae state* Maulana Rik also opines the sme thing in his Hathaavi as, *Shut ycur eyes, lips, and ears. If you would not yet discrijiinftte 2 God, then be laughin': on us, in ridiculous wayi The Gita and the Quran enjoin work for the maintanance of the world-order. Man* s duty lies in the aerfomance of his allotted work properly as enjoined by the scsriptures* The ^rlta proclaims in this regard that man does not £:et liberty from action without anterinr; upon action, -lor does he attain perfec tion merely by abandoiiini' action# Verily no one can remain inactive even for a oaaenti everyone is helplessly driven to nctlon by his 3 n??ture-born»nualltles* Therefore, always, efficiently do your duty with- out attachment* Doing work without attac'iaent, man attains the hlrhest goal* It is through action alone that Janaka and other vise men reached perfection* Having an eye to the aaintenan^e of the vorld- order to o , you ( «lrjuna and a l l mankind) should continue to work* As whatever a great man does, ty at very thing others also do* Whatever 4 standard he sets iqi, the generality foUovs the saoe* There Is no- 1* Bhagavod O ita • 8t 18,13* 2* '?asBi lab blbando gos band Gar aablnl_slrrl haq b?»r man blkhand* 3* Thagavad oita - 3* 4 ,5 * 4* Ibid; ,3 t 19-21 249 thing in the three world for Me (The Blessed Lord) to do, nor is there any thlig worth attaining unsttalned by Me, yet I constantly tflke to action* Should X (God) not engage in action unwearied at any time, great hnm will affect the world, because all men follow My path in all mjfjtters, Therefore, if I do not perform work, these worlds will be destroyed nnd I shalJ. be the Author of the confusion af castes 1 and of the destruction of all these people* '’’hus we S9e th»t though God is not bound to porforo anf doty but He Himself continues to work on His own accord only for the advancanent of the world* The Gita end the oxirSi both as'ree on this peint* 4s though to ju s tify the workiaanship of ^od, we may get assured ^ 2 on the authority of the n'^lnety nine attributory n'saes of God, idiich sig n ify scwie v/ork. Raving gone through the whole voliaaa of the cur^an one may easily realize thut God is the ^ver»Doing Authority, as TTis doership has been mentioned throughout it* God, being Himsel^ a Doer, conuaanded His Prophet Mul^ad to preach oankind-0 my people I Work accordinf^ to your power* Loi I 3 fMuhmara^d) too m working* Here work is sectioned to be done according to one’ s power o>» capacity. One's power or capacity rc-sts ir^ n'^ture^ Therefore^ according to 'mrkn also, men should parfora his allotted 4 _ work, as Gita says, by utilizing his nnture-born qualities. As Lord 'Sri Krsna points out sian’^ind to do th e ir works by fo llo w ia : the standard « » * set up by Himself, even so, the prophet Muh?wanad does* I t has bec 1* Bhagavad O ita « 3| 22-24 2* notes on Mohamaadjinlsm • by T*P.Hu:hes, edition 1877| j _ PP* 24D—253* ^ 3* The Holy our an • Al-.!lniffl* 136, see also Hudi 93. 4* Bhagavad G ita - 3t 4 , 18i 41-46 e tc* 250 none of the Gita and the Qur^^n. discriminates aaon<3 mankind on'ac'^ount of their btrthi reg^rdlnji the allotment of works to them, but both of tv^ea allot them work by virtue of their n*iture-born eapabiUtief in performing a particular undertaking* Having f a ith in the above statem ents of the Crita and the ryar*«i| one should always be engasied in doin'' work accordln FOOD 1 All beintrs are evolved from food, therefore, of whatever Idnd is the food, of the SfBne kind, verily its eatter Is, The food, ac::ordlng to frlta Is of th»ee kinds • Sattvlka 2 Ra^asa and Tiaasa* Whatevor nu allty of these one t>^kea he v e rily becoaes the same. It appears quite relevant to state that, having gone through a critical study of th«» evolution of man minutely, one will arrive at, to conclude that the fund«ttent*»l cause of man*s 3 progress and backw?>rdness Is food also* If I would discuss fnls 1. ^hagavnd G ita • 3| 14. 2. Ibid - 1718-10 3, Chandogyopanlsadi 7.26«2. 251 - i* matter in a little detail, 1 would rather rush^the o^^osite extrome causing a latar return to the point# Therefor®, this point being it- self inough for a separata research is loft here as it is, catchii^ the relevant point as, •the Oita prescribes three types of food in the fo U o v ii^ manner* The foods wliich promote longevity, intelligence, fitrength, health, happiness and delight, which are sweet, bland, nourshijig and agreeable are liked by ^ e i^ttvika type of men. Foods which are bittor, salted, acid, very hot, pungent, dry, burning and givii^ rise to pain, grief and sickness are dear to the 2 Rajasa type of men* And the food which is half-cooked, insipid, putrid, stala, ^ 3 polluted and impure is doar to the riiaasa qimlity of oen* Of these three categories of food, the Oita prefers the Sattviloa type therec^, which includes, for the di^ellers of the hot countries - like India, with the exc^tiem of those of sea-side, all food-graine-vhoat, barley, maize, millot etc*^ a ll pulses - grsua, peas, lentil, etc* ,all vegetables - putatos, ^acte»frult, pmokin, carrotetc«^ a ll green and dry fruits « bananas, mangoes, pine-ap?les, poBiegranates, grapes, figs, taxaarinds, dates, chestnuts, cociaiuts^ cashewnuts, muskHaolon, watexvmelon etc*^ m ilk and i t s products - Ghee, B u tter, cheese, whey, crt^Bu, sweets etc*^ and other products o f earth like sugar groundnuts and so Man* s diet should be regulatory 4 having full regard of the digestion of a particular food* I* Bhagavad Gita • 2, Ibid; - 17*9, 3* Ibids - 17110, 4* Ibidj - 6* 16, 17. 252 The Gita does riot forbid meat for those who live on hunting by their nature»born qualities. According to the natural law, the nearest food suits a manf therefore, those who are dwellers on a sea-short i#ould n»iturally prefer to Include fish In their fodd. Glti does no- forbid meat fo r anyone who I s driven by n ecessity fo r the safety of l i f e * Aimeat Is obtained by killing an animal or a bird, It Is, no doubt, a sin, but man's life is more valuable than savlnr an ?9nimal or a bird. Therefore for saving a man’s life an aiilual or a bird can rlsV)tly be slaughtered. I am quite confident to say th&t alta permits neat far those whose chief diet is meat alone, but, not for those wlho mny a v a il much more provision for their dietary in the best possible fom from God’s earth* It should be borne in mind that the Tita does not prescribe any specific food, but it sets up definitions of food llkei by dlfferertt types of men* Hence, no question of total boycott or prescription of a particular food arises here, but the sanction of food by the Gita is wholly depen* dent on the time, pla:?e, and ilrcumstnnces as well as natiiral quidltles of the eaters* lifhat tho nuran suggests for food is, all sorts of fruits, siiih 2 as, olives, pomegnnates, dates, produets of water - fish, Slngharas etc. The ^ r a i oommands - 0 mankind I i?«^t of th at which i s lawful and wholesome in the earth, ’^ut eat of the j^ood things which We ( Hod) hav« provided f 1. Hhapavad r i t a - / \V7t^lO 2 . The Holy Auran - Ai-Aiia i 1 42,143,see also An-riahlsOd. 3* Ibid - Al-Baqar^i 158,172. 253 foody the oirfaa appears to ba very keen to prefer for food, all that which Is produ::ed frc» the earth. Therefore, It is «Tiiito advisable to inolude in food all foodgrnins, pulses, vegetables, all green and dry fn iits, milk and its produces as enlisted in the food presaribed by the O iti above* ""he *^r'an, further, sa'rjtlOT.s for food all moa*- aicopt ca rrio n , blood, sw lne-flesh, th ^t trfilch has been dedicated unto a.iy other than God, the strangled, the dead by beating, the dead throtigb fallinir from a heit’ht, that which has been slaughtered by goring of the horns, the devoured of wild beasts, saving that which you m^e lawful by the deathstroke, that which has been inimolated unto idols and that which you swear by the divinin^ arrows. But whosoever i s forced by 1 hunger, bot by w ill, there is no blane on him. The basic intention of the oui^an in forbidilin;; these things rests mostly in the reason that in the above prohibition for fooi the nme of Allah is not invoked upon, for no food is lawful, unless the 2 name of Allah is invoked upon it. The utterance of the divine name over food can be justified by the Gita also on the authority of its statement • The acts of sacri fice, gift and penance as enjoined by the*Sastras are always caimenced with the utterance of the word *0m* by those who are entitled to chant 3 the Yedas ( sin'^ere students of the Vedas) • And a lso , as remembrance of God has been enjoined by the Gita in carrjrinc^ on a ll undertaicings of 4 life , therefore, without invoking the divino name upon food it should^ by all means,be unlawful by the Oita also. 1. The Holy I'nii^an - Al- ^ /-^.Maidahi 3 , see also A1 Baoarahi 2. Ibid? - Al-HaJJx 36, a-MMdahs4. ^ 173. 3 . ^hagavad o ita - 17* ^4. 4. Ibid - 8* 7. 9 54 The total boycott, of the swine-flesh by the is Justified on the ground th at the ch ief d iet of the swine i s f i l t h , sto o l and foul matter, therefore its flesh is the essence of the saaej vhloh should by all rae^s be forbidden# From the definition of the unl*«ful food set forth by (he Olta, it appears fluite reasonable that the <'lta also would iwt permit 3win*>-fl«sh for food to a 3‘ftttvika t>Tje of men i f he i s e n title d to eat meat unaer the 2on;pulslon of the ^eocr=9plilcal circumstances. The exception is cvsr jaourad in conaecticn with the ’ injunctions of the Oiti and the nurSi both* This should be borne in mind that tha Gita does not pres'^ribe any particular food for different t/pes of person*, ??pttvlVa typo of food for Sattvika typo of men, "^^Jasa type of food for T?5jasa type of men «nd TSaasa type of food for T^asa t rpe of men is sanctioned by the 6 tti, giving their definitions only. Therefore, permission of me!»t for food by it should not be doubted, as meat promotes lonfjevlty, intelleg- ence, streaagth, health, happiness and delight to some classes of persons forced by geographical circrdnstances, ^en::e, man should eat the foo4 in accordance with the above mentioned prescription by both these holy voluDos. MSAmyq OF T!l^ WQHOS »YO"rA» AND «JIM'S)* Having gone through the o lta aid the c u i ^ minutely one nay easily observe that the Scmskrta word 'yoga* as used in the Gita' means the same as the Arabic word ‘Jihwi’ used in the nui*an does* The word *yoga* springs from the Sa&skrta root »YuJ* meani^^ *to Join*, and its i*oot meaniag is *the state oi' union*, ' combin??tion,* *additon* 255 *co»exlsten 2 0 *, ' stayln? tot'ether* ,*aaaas», *devlc;o,* • method* , »the . thing to be done* th^t is the action which is necessary for «cquirln^ tfeat state* And the word *yoga* in the caapimd *Yogaksoma» ae«ns fltcoulrlag 2 such thiners as one hns not act^uired* Though this vford h?is been used in 3 the Gitfl four or five times in the sense of Pitanjala YoJja, hut this is coaaonly used in the meaning of 'aeans*, *3’dllful device*, ^rae^hod* ♦the thing t o be done*, ‘union* *cjiabination* ’ addition*, *joi.iin 5: to gether*, etc* This word also signifies the divina skill or the vonderful 4 powar of th^ Blessed Lord. Fui'ther it means s<»ae ‘special s k ill', *devi#t. 5 *intellir;Sint method*, or * graceful way of perfomilnrT duties', atc»,etc* The meaning of the ouranic word 'Jih id * goes side by side with that of the nitnic one *yo^a* as explained hereunder*- Accordlnf^ to tho oui^ah the word * J ih ^ * means *to aaend atid ftifora a thin? in a gracefiil manner’ that is *to try one*s level best for meritorious underta’cing*♦ The phrrise *Jih«dan Fi SabTlillah* i.e ., *th* strife in tho way of flillah* is oft repeated in the '^he migration of the Muslims of Mecca to Hab'sa on account of the aggressioa oT the disbelievers is desifjnated as an act of *,Tihad* by the ^aran# *’^h® most excellent * Jihad* is for the conquest of self* *He, that is slow to anger is better than the rai-?hty, and he that ruleth his spirit than 7 he taketh a c it y * . The meaMng of the word * Jihad*, to be * to apply one*s sk ilf^ il devices fo r one*s refo raatio n ’ re s ts in ''rod*s confiand- 1* Amarako^sa - .?«3*33 2« ^ha^arad rrita « 9t 22 .?• Ihld; - o: 12,23 4* Ibid; - 7: 25,9|5,10:7,11*8 etc. 5. r>id5 - 2j 50 6* The fe)ly oaran • Al-tofali 72,74,75, see also An-;lahli 110* 7. Glsnces at Islaa - by Yalgi ''rovind Ji lesai, edition 1939,p* 24. 256 m«nt to the prophet • 0 prophet 2 strive against the disbelievers aid hypocrites* I t moans, 0 Muhacimad I you muf5t try your best applyln^^ skilful devices for leading disbelievers and hypocrites to the Divine Guidance, It is never memt that he should fight against them for pres- sdnc them to embrace his religion, Rov can it be meant when there is no 1 cixnpulslon in religion. On the authority of these verses Maulvi Johtof" mad 'All opia^is th a t, ’ meaning the ;«>rd 'J l h ”d' as fig h tin g vd.th veapons 2 i s mere an Indl^r.tlon of n o n -faju lliarity with Arabic languac'^e.* All meritorious deeds and virtues, such as almsgivings feeding the poor and the orphans, helping others, enduring hardships in the wa:'- of AlliJi etc.^ come under the meaning of ’Jihad*. habitual performance of worship, fasting, almsgiving etc., is called *Mujahaia* and the agent thereof •Muj9ild» in Islaia. These tvo words are originated from the word ‘Jihad*. Therefore Jihad means In Tsliis, *to perform actions as enjoined by the scriptural ordinances in i^raceful way and applying skilful and in telli gent methods having regard of the maintenance of the 'vorld-order. • Thus ve have seen from \iSiat has been att«apted above th at the absolute sinil^rlty between the words *yo"a* and * Jihad* of tho Gita and the respectively, has been established in a few words, v’ich are intended merely as instances. Hence, one ought not to difforentiat* between the meaning of these tw words which serve a very useful purpose in these both scriptures. One sho’ Id know that the riitli and the nui^an teach an exhanstlve leason on yoga and Jihad respectively, to make mankind yogins or Mujihlds. 1. The Holy rturm • "t-Taublshj ^ -’^aaarahi 256, sae also At-T3hi^i9 2. Ibid - Muhflemad 'All, P. 720. 2^7 s^M 5JSK:a, The olt'a and tha both Preach mankind to be of stable mind« belne aloof frooi those who wa^er* Both t}»se scrlpturess aacours^e those believers who fl^ht for 2 the righteous cause* . 3 Modesty has been proclalnad by the Olta and the 'nirai. Overcoaln?: eyil with good Is considered tha best in theso tvo 4 scriptureas. 5 The tradin- h»is bean allo%'sd by the liijunctions of these scriptures, 6 Mankind ire ordained to keep thair duties to Tod, Man is s t r ic t ly coBnrvnded by both not to grle\^ ovf»r the wrong 7 dolor folk* Tho prldeful boasters or e^-ultants who s?\y, ’I aj v/ealthy and hleh«hom* I s equally tiondeirned by tho coo''^unic fit ions of these scrip - tures« ?^ore one point appears to bo vorthnotlag that ’K’ibera,* the god of riches* of the Hindu legends appears to be or *Kor2''2h* is aentio-ied in tha 'vir^n as an e:cultant ona by virtu e of h is iranense 8 rich e s. According to the -It’a and the ourah both ''od doss not ac3opt any 1* Bhagarad r,ita - 2|_ ^ 72 * The H olj OuTjiih - Al^IarahiSO 2. Bha?:avad Oit:a - lit .33,34,2i57 etc. The liOly oorm - Al^Wan i 124, 125, 189, AL-Aifali66 3* Hhagavad Cffta - I 6 t 2 , _ The Holy ou]^ii - to*Nfur«30 4 , ^hafrgvnd G ita - 16; 2* The Holy our^an • AP*Rltd|22. 3 . ^ha'^nvad a fta - 18*44 'I'he Holy ■'Wan - Al-^aftarah1 198 6. Bhsigavad ^ita • 18i54f66 _ ^ ^ The Holy Al-^aa*rahi 41,212,231|233, Al-i-Iiirani50,102 etc* 7. Bhaj^avai '^Ita - 2t 11 Th* Holy oar Ml - A l^aid ah i26. 8. Bha.'iavad ^ita - I6j 15,16, lOi 23, Tho Holy ^ran - U-OasaJ; 76-^2. 258 pltiiallstlc performance done without faith. For instance, Ollia sayi - sacrifice, g ift and penance and any other act done vdthout faith Is^ declared as ncaa-exlstont, having existence neither here nor Hereafter# VJhat the Qur^ enjoins on this point is, the flesh and the blood of the sacrificed animal do not reach Ood, but the faith of the 2 sacrlflcer roaches Him* 3 Both th-sa scriptures lead nan to the religioii of peace* Lifting w? one’s self or keeping it good is very eagerly 4 ordained by the both* Ihe Qlta and the QtJi&i both seem to be very ^cean tm preaching 5 mankind to proclaim their r->al parentage* The Inplied prohibitions of the Oita embrace a ll ejqjres* ones of the QU2^an* Both those Holy ’/oluaes pay the caroful a tten tio n t-rwards the safeguard of the decency of women# The prescription of observing •Pardah* by the and keeping alftof froo the predc«derance of ___ 7 ▼ice, according to the Oita, aim at the sas» effect* 1* Bhagavad Oita • 1 7 t ^ 2* The H(V Q u ^ • A l-H ajji37 3. Bhagavad O ita - 21 ^ 7 2 , 12| 13-20, 16, 1 6 il-3 e tc . . Ihe Holy - Hudt 69, Ar»llaiidi 22, etc* 4. Bhagavad Oita - 6i 6,6, The Holy Qur& - Al-^qarahi 223,266, , AnF-MiSai 40, Yunusj 109 etc* 6, Kiagavad Gita - I I 41--V4, The Holy qmkii - Al-Ahaih* 5. 6. Bhagavad Ofta # JaX* aGoyandka, edition 105£^ pp* 373-398. .* I5ie Holy oilman - Bani IsiiU i 2^*40, Al-Baqar^i219,iL-llaidahi3,etc* 7. Xbidj _ ^ - Al-Ah^i a). , ^ Bhagavad Gita • It 4jU44, 259 The refralnlnr: from the noxious t*?lks and mgllclous f^ossip Is er*ua.lly forhidden by the nit a «ind the 'nirm. ^'ccordla?; to both, tho Divirwi p/^achers are not bound to fo(ra« 2 dealers to eabrfice the divine TUldgace. 3 Man i s cOTuaaded by both to * speg^c words strair^ht to the p o in t. !tot to relent in pursuit of the ?snomy is ennally orcninod by 4 both of these scripturea* Both of thesa scriptures, thouf*, prefer ©adumn^e and returning 5 good for evil, yet, they do permit ret .ill nt ion. As the 'Mirah expressly eondoans the of chance In the s*sao way, the condeanstion of snmblin': a«3crinf to the ^liso nny be derived froni the ill«eff<^nts of the bnt^le of MahabhSratt fought on aocounfc of the indul?^en?e in it. The hatred and a all clous attitude towards any o^ cne*s fellow beings is absolutely forbidden by the •^It** and the ''uran both. I t has, authentic ally , been ascertained from wb.it h-^s b«e*i examined above that tho Trit'a and the ou^^an both r>re er?ually similar in «11 laatteri of human life. If one has, yet, a douiit regardinr the similarity between these scriptures o~ the grounds that the ?nr^n sets up rules for man kind in connection with a l l n ffa irs of l i f e -> such a s, d£«OTestic and 1. Bhagavad G ita - IS j 2 , "Tio Roly Our^an • ''l-^h.'^'j^t 2 . Ibid - 1 8 ,6 7 ,Tho Holy - Al^M uzannllill. 3* Ibid __ - 16|2 - ?^.e Holy nur'm • Al-«h5!aht70 4 . Bhagavad OitaF- 2» 31-38 e tc . The Holy Owi^m • Al^Baqarahi 216,217, An-’Tl'iat 74,76,84 104 etc. 6. Bhasavad Gftif 2* 31-38,and so on. The floly ''arm • Al-Baqarahi 178, . Al-Maldah: 45 and so on* 3 . The Holy our an - Al-3aqarahj 219, AL-Miidahi91. 7. ^agavad Gita • 12t 13, I6t 2,3, The noly - AWNlaat 5. 260 s o c ia l - embracin?: treatment of voraen, Hfirrii»s»e, dower, divorce, usury orphans etc*, le?al • embrat;5.n.^ civ il, crlmlni9l f«id ceremonial rules etc., and political - oono^rednr lallltary, fl^htlnir, captives, trorties e tc ^ e tc * , while the 'llt'a I s s ile n t on th is p o in t, '’•rtily spea^clng there i s not even a single point of dlsslrallflrlty between these books# Though some points of dls^siall^irlty botiv’een these voliaaes >?T)penr to those alone wi^o have not cone ncross a coap?aratlve study of these two scrip tu res* A thing wtilch la enjoined by the O lt'i sTnpressly, the secits h ^ s also been supported by the '^ui^an lnpll«dly, y»nd vi-^e versa* As the Is a bulky volume, therefore, It teaches man'*lnd throua:h exaaples of nore prophets and aerltorlous persons of the ppst, but ns the f51t"a Is a OEiall scripture, so It only provides exaciples of a few merltorlcua persons, sudi as .Tansfea etc*, to mrfce Its lesson more 1 iprresslve. It Is, unavMdably, true that no :;odo on enrth can claim to be coBsplete in Itself* '!*herefore, It Is nvAte mtural that the ''/its and the rturan, alon-r ^/Ith a l l scrip tu res of the world are no* expecrtec/to contain all rules and regulations regarding: all things of tha creation, for all times to eone* tales are anended and abrogated accordlajr to the de.;and of time, place and clrcuKst^nces* And It is ctulte Impossible md even not necessary to modify p11 Imrs In one ^ook* f>o, the frlta and ihe. our an both can clal i themselves to be cmaplete In thems^ilves to the exteat that the mankind should utilise their Intellect f^fted by ^rod In accor dance with the rules as laid down by the scriptures* orthodox Haulvi may boastfully assert that, our nuran Is canlete iruldance oa all 1« Bhagavad G lti - 3i 2 0 ,e tc , 2* The Holy '^r^an - ^udj f u l l , AL-'^asasi f u l l e tc * 261 matters of life for «11 ti les to cotw. In the same way* a Pflikllta may Proudly pro'ilaln that the olta contains all things In its fold for the advj?inr?onent of the him»nlty# ^ t I say that neither the nit a, nor the rnir'an contnlns all directions aonceming whole wisdom in connection with the social w^lfnre for all times* For exaaple, none of these s^rlptnres provides guldjsnce for mankind to vie one vlth anothar in this scientific ftge, wholly dependent on englnoerlng, technolofry, Ophthalmology, and other sciences. It can, however, be accepted that, both of these sacred books preach mankind to cultlv«ite their intellect to be properly oti- lizable In all matters of hiaaan progress* ’’^us, I may, rightly, say on the authority of wha*: has been attempted above In all the five chapters of this thesis, that in the words of 'Biiibullah'f=^ah Oalandar, ‘ The Oita i s the nurin oi' India atnd the ouran, the 1* G ite ''ur rui^an - by Sundnr L?»l ed itio n 1946, t i t I s pa:!©* 'sf ' I- ■'I 262 In the precdcili^ chApters of this thesis, an attoopt has bean nade to concluie that the hman Jutlas as l a i i down in the Qita and the Qux^ ore, all ov«iry siiailar in thc^ir in trin sic nature^. As it is widely acceptable that aagr ^vine or worllly rolu is vlifTicult to irenain (oforeeable for all tl« sea to eOBQ* '^ s is why the Creator aseols Hia lavs and rognlatiQiis under the conpulsion of tiaef place and drsmstanees* For this aneninent He sondfi Hia Apostles endowed with divine r^foxsatory calib 2e vith the rsligion of Truth and Quidance. I t is also not^nrorthgr th at, the aeionJ»ent in all the lavs, regulations and l€cislatiQns is absolutely tnpossible. Therefore^ Qod by His Gz&oef 4^ends then through abrogatinsy eonfiraing and addins having i^egard of time place and eirewstanees in uhich tha generality exists* According to the s ita and the Qu2& nuaerous divine preachers cane Tvm time to tlae vith lUvino Laws for the guidance of wandering folk, among Uien Lord ''ZA Krm vas one of the nost ancient Apostlos of Qoiy and HuhasBsady the L ast.^ I t woiold be quite irrolevant on the part of all^lmowing Qod^ i f Re 1 • ^logavad olta • 4t 7,8^ The Roly Quraja • Al*A%zal> t 40, 263 vould load a ll ■anklnd of a ll tlse s and placet tinder anj geosraphioal situations and cireoBstanoas by an unaB«idabl« Cod«t anfore-jablft fo r a ll tis e t to coea* Bayy hov couid Via* creator takt twh unwisa stap in doing so? According to tha Oita and the Qunin bothy Qod does not lead Hanlrtnd on the straight path onlj h j having regard of tiMy placet and circuBstancet b«t Ha has also full consideration of csi>abilities of people in taaderstending tha divine nessage* as the Oita and the Quxwi were originally preached in India and Arabia where an alu ^ and AnO>ie languages vare, respoctively, on their highest level of popularity in those days, theraforey tha olta and the Quxw vere also given in the respective languages of tha gtmorality* If the (Uta i^ch was originally preached in India voold ba givQa in Arable and the Qum vhidi was preached originally in Arabia voold be gi\ren in au isk ^y then how co«ad tha p<»opla understand their iaportations case froi o o a Divinity t Hov would they, by virtue of people* s lack of undarstandingy attain their today* s popularity ? After a minute observation of the Oita and the Qiu^ along with their baeligroandSy one nay easily realise thatf why Oita which is, all but twenty tises less than tha Qtu/an in bvClk says the same thing as the latter does ? It is because 264 of ths eapablliti.98 of the Indian cocidty in th« cultuxAl and literary flalds in thosa days* Thay could understand a thins oven b j a briof verbal In other vords^ ttaa Indians wtre nore advanced in lite ra ry field in pre*»Oitidc Age than Arabs in the Pre»Qunlnic period. This has, U&iversallyi been accepted that the Arabs before the revelation of the j Quran vere passing through the Jahiliyah • days or the tiaies of ignorance, vhile the Indians vere enriched with vast literature, intensive loaming and increasing culture and civilisationf vith axoeption of several tyrant rulers like Kansa, ^Sl'svpala, Jaxisandha, KSauravas e t c ., and a majority of dsaons like itienQka^suxaf 'ian3thaon the badqground of eachy being aloof froa the prejudiced ouU.ook and haviag re^^ard of tine place and circiaistances in vhidi ^ y vere oxlgijaally preaehed* For ezasQ>le,^ reader of the Qitiy idU v^ry soon tom in h is Bind an objectionable viev that the Qurw confims polygony extending to four %dV6S while the Oita is^liedly supports monogany. Hov can a plain reader understand this divine secrott The Tcrses ccnfiioing polyganir extending to four wiv^s were revealed after the sanguinary battles of Badry Uh«d etc*y Wherein a aajority of men fell to iecruasntf causing woBen to 266 go into inorunonti vanderlxig hithor and thlthor in lack of supporters* Thus for tbs safegmrd of vidova and orphan girls God oade provision to have four vives at a tinS| if oeans poxoti being aloof frcn prohibited degrees in marriage* Allowing own to do 80 Ood clailfiQ s that the^ should tro at th eir vLves alikis* But proferonce has baen given to cKmogany in the noiaal circwstances* In the sa&e uayi an ordinarjr stud«at of the alta, villt for the first lnstanc«t honour tha aiKUBScit of Arjuna as to not to fight against his own kinEiien, near kindreds, elders, toa<^ers and preceptors to whaahB owes rospoet and di2t7| for the transitory enjo^ents of this world* Hov can a laysan go Oita, underetand the divine mystries ? iCHUcavas being A tati^ns or dei^@radoes were oppressing the laatf by their tyrannical rule* And an XtatajdA according to *Mamua^* ^ould be killed at ^ce without thinkii^ an;^ thing about him such as whether he i s any relation^ Ouru or alder etc* Therefor^y it was a binding duty of a K^triyaf a warrior Prince to defctat and kill the aggressors by waging war against thm» £one evil»natured persons, who are of the demoniacal resolve, instead of praising Lord "sri say about Him that He misled Arjuna to cause a great blocdUshed 1 Thus He is the only Author of dustruction of the people i j Iliose who, without considt^ring Krsna*s answer to Arjvna*s » • • quastioo » 0 KTma. i if you consid«jr knowledge as superior to 267 aetiody than do you caeqpol ae to this dreadful action of fightlQS? think that Arjuoa was uiser than Krsna« though ▲ rju^iad hims«lf agroei that he vas Kralia*« disciplt* Several personfi assign irrolovanoy and self»contradiction to th« Olvizia Discourse of t;h» (Uta alloging that what a fantastic is tha Jiscoiirse of Krsna that He proachei Arjusa to take to action ^riiils instigating hin to be sannyasin (or rmoBneer)| a Jhanin (or vise) and a Bhaleta (or doirotee) at tho &am tise* This is Imt a confusicn of mind* tMdh foolish statsnonts are «f those who have not eooe aeeoss th is sacred volime niimtQly* It is undoubtedly true that several points in the Qiti and the se^a to be dissimilar^but i t i s on aceotsnt of the lack of inderstanding of their readers* It has also been^ ▼ariously^ exaialned that there can he no point of disaiollarity between these scxiptttrssf by Tirtoe of the int^tion cf their Messages to be the sane in their intrinsic natures* A particular ctustoa or injunction is suitable for a p articu lar tiae. For oxaopley there m&b a tiae in India vhon survival of a vcnan after her husband's death was considered a curse ti^on the faoily* In the like nannery resarriage of a widow wtis also regarded as sinful* But now along with the changeability of tiae this outlook of the people has also been re/ersed. This is an exanple for the Justification of the snforce&ont of a particular code for a particular This 268 i s yJtrj mankind are led arlghty tr m tine to tint by sons divine agencj vith the anehded lavs aoo^^ding to the tine^ place and circuistances* Aoeordlng to the alia and the Qui^ manldrki are one eoetaijnlty* Ood is the Qroater, Bestorer, £!apportor and sc|)reme Lord of all* All are crated fron a single soul, that is Ood Himself* Thus, a ll have their source in Ood^ thariafore a ll are brdthreii betv«.an thum&olvus. But i t i s atm nge to note tliat thd brechren are standing on the paths of hcstility by virtue o f th^iir b<^ng aivided in to oastes and s e c ts on accoi'nt o i th e ir noBofaniliarity vith their sacred books given to th « ta&der the dewmd of tine, place and circmstan^ses* Both the Oitii and the Qu^ah go side by side \4.th this stateem t of sagely authority^ *to coveit this is oursy t;^t is th^irsy is tho counting of those are narrow-cBindad. But fo r the virtuous ftBd good natured this t^ole earth is^ssall famil)|E»< In accor onse vith these tvo scriptiirciss this vorld la nothing but a place for pr^arlng onesalf to attain supreme bliss in tho Rertaaftar through worship ;;iag Tirat-fonaid Ood, th a t i s , serving manVand fo r the B«iintanan 1. Ayao Hijah Pare V&tl iar>anA Laghucetasiia, Udaiubaritiimntu, Vastidhalva ^tmbakam. 269 fruit of aetiOQB. Accordins to th« (Utii and the Q ui^ •voxj duty ^onld be perfomod In the vay of (K>d only for t}ie ^^alsi of dnty* There vould not be an ezaggexationy if 1 nay wggest that having gone through th is thesisy one nay easily ccoe to the conoltuiOD that there can be found no point ctf diseimilarlty betireen those two sacred Booksy by virtue of their intention of the eessfigos to be basically ^ailar « only the vays say d iffer under the coetpulsion of ti&ef plaoe and circvastanees* It is troe that the htman dntics as refloctad in the (3ita and the Qu&f being all the more^sii&ilar in their intrinsie natures are vtilisable all over the vorld, on account of the nost of then being ec^ually trraoeable in the various fiacred codes of the vorld. M A • I.J g JLO. 2JLX-i «- Sas3Asl3J2ggKsir Airbindo choah The Message o f the n i t i Ibid Assays on the G ita Ibid Yoga and I t s Subject km Mi^adeva S h astri Minor Tpanisads (2 Vols). Agravaly Ct*?* Bhagavad r i t ’s • Jftirwshjwjiri '^oMBentary (Two P'»rts) Ayan^er, S* fOutlines of Indian Phllost^hy Annit ^ s a n t and Bhagi^andas Bhagavad O ita Braddoiy r, Yoga For You ’^haranacharly G* o£tii Idea of nita brooks, F*T» Bhagavad G ita ^ t r a i a y a Bha '^vad <^rrta Chat te r jl And Datt Introduction To Indian Philosophy c*p,Krshna Pao Shri Madhava - L ife And TeajzUngs Chitala Bhagavad G ita And Hindu Dharma CcJwar ajdas Discourse on Bhagarwd cita Dovson^ J* classical Dictionary of Hindu Mytho logy, H allglon, "-ooirraphy. History And Literature* Chato The Vedanta Gltananda ^rflhnacharl Dialogiie Divlno And D m atie Gosvanly R«K» ^ h ^ i Cult In Mclent India Garerlay J«L« Kncyolopaedia of Britaaica GaodM| M*K* Hindu Dhanaa m u , D.p. ^agavad Gita Iridra Sen Message And Mission of Indian Culture* Ibid Status of wooen in Ancient India Kuppusvsaly Study of Opinion Hegardln Marriage And Divorce Majvdary H«C« The As* of Im perial ^nity Muoahly K«M* Indian Inheritance (Literature, Philosophy And Peligloa). Morgan, K*W* The ’’e lig in n o f ^’Indus. Madhvanand, S« Last Message oT Shx^ K^hna Panlltlcar, K.M. Hindu Society At :ro ss l^oads* Prw , S«K* Yoga, o f Hhagav«d G ita Parsapanthl, P« C«ird«nal Doetriztos of Hlnduiaa Radhiirrlshnan, S* Principal TJ^anlsads Ibid Indian PhllosopHy (2 VOls) IJ• • alach w l i t Flndul^ (Doctrliw /\»i Way of Llf*) t Bha/javnd n it a Ra^unatharii I Concept o f Dhnraa In Itlh a s And th« Pur«^as* Rayi K»R# s Involution at ”l t a Satvalekar t T^hagavad Gita Sain Dqs t Massape of the lpa:il3ads Shana. D«3* t Tales And Trjaihlngs of Hlndulaa Ibid t Lectures on ''i^a Shastrl» A»C* I Studies In Sanskrit Aesthatljs Shrlsh 'Sandra t Studies In Ipanlsads Shank arachnr/a t Bhagavad G ita Ssrk^Ty M*H* t system of Vedahtle thou^t ftnd Cult;xre* __ Ibid I Mjrstlclsia In Bhas«V"id Oita Svarupanand, S* t ihapsrvad G ila nirtc, ^.r. t The 3clen::Q of Kar»ayoga ( 2 V o ls.) (Oita - Rahasya) Turnur, J.*f* t Original nit a VivekarMadi S« iThouj^ts of the ^rlta Ibid t T^haiktl Yoga Ibid t E sse n tia ls ja f Hinduism ValbalkaTy S^K• tlk x Bhagavad n ifa UllUans, S.M. Brahmanism And Hinduism _ Wilson, H.H. relig io u s Socts of Hindus aa»?.lqa.a, Aiaradasa <(dvalta Ratnakara Avadhablbari Lila ipanlsad Praka^a , Brahmayopl "^hagavad G itnrtha Prakaslka Btiatta* /Wwalta^'Clntaoanl . Ibid idhunlka SnAskrta - Hindi Kosa Rasubaadhu Abhldhraia Ko&a r«nS«l, M.S. ^arf»tadar%ana D.'^C^a Dar'^^a - Saaigraha Dayanaoday S. Thacavad ''It a Ibid Satywrtha • Prakasa Dig anb rir inua ar a I ‘^Sa-Kena - Kathopanlsad Cita Press rorakpur Talttlriyopanlssd Ibid Mandjpcyopanl sad Ibid swot as vat ar op anl s ad Ibid Kathopanl^ad Jaya IVayala Coyandaka cita Tattva Dlplr^ Ibid ?he_Bhagavad Gita JCura 'I»ayana I'Sarasyopanlsad Muni Mangala Harl '^_arbhopanlsad' Mayurr«i| S*K*Ml^ra G ltaarta tlrabarka Bhaijavad ^ Ita (With 8 commentaries) Riaa ayana Lal« Allahabad 'Srtmadbhagavadgita /// Rinodisi.i, S*B* t SisBkhfa Tattva Kmmudi (vlth Hindi Tlkii) ^Sankar¥cirya s ^hsgavad c lti ( toandaglrl Comentary) 'Srldhara s ^hagavad C-fta^ Mi^ra I Bharatiya Bars ana s r . « R p I 7 -■ Z£S . 2.,X.2Ll.'i..» SarJ.l3h ^ooicsi Al»-Haj-Oasala Ali JairazbhoyiThe Han of Allah Ibid s Fear miah And Tsice Tour Ovn Part tfaad Husain. ( Sir) t ^^ot9s On I s l « /»rther, !f*Wbilaston t Religion of the Kovaxi Ibid I Half Hours With Huh«amad Arnold, T*W. s The Pro-icings of I s l i a Ibid t Legscy of lsl«a 'Abdullah Yusuf All t The Holy Aiear AUt S« t Spirit of Islia Ibid t *^he ethics of Islam ATberry, A.J, t The Holy KoraR Ibid t SUfiSBI Abul Ala, Syed I Political Th«ory of TslS# Bandr«, A.V.3* t Study of Huslia Inscriptions Bethasy ^rich V* I ’iridge To Islaa Dftroan, H*G* s Toward Hnderstandine Islaa Donaldson, D«M« s Studies In Muslia Ethics Denison^ ^*fSir) t Islafi, beliefs and Institutions Ebrahim Khan t PiokthaU, H. I ?ha Maaaln^r of tha Glorious ^oran Pmsha, M,M. I Visdoa of th& Wnly Our'an SBlth, I Kohawiftd And Hohmadaniin flttntony H«tT«V« I Tha Ta<»chlnfr of tha n u rin Sal9f 0* I Tha Koran Or Al»^oran And MuhaDiUKi Talixiddln Mir t Tha rniranlo Sufi an MiTUlnck, I A Hand • ^o<^ of F.arly Htihacaaadan Traditioos* Tmda Khm’if M* {S ir ) I Cod, Sotil And T h lT « r a a In Solan'?# And IsljH ■Xlu. P « r » li tod *r«bl^ Kalita laid I Maulim TarJ^ja^ul ouifan /torltsariy M*Thaniallih Taf s£r Z3.9 A ?! a. X TT JL k ±2JLAS- «iaia ^aaant i l>aath And After Aurbindo rho%a I Ttwan -^ala /Idasi aalth t ’^haory of Moral SantU»nts Arlstotla ^ t ISthloa, Ttook I ?!rah*acharf, I. Trua Con^aptlon of T?allg:lco miatli, 3.L. I Tr«a Philosophy of Action* V/ Rajagopalacharl, C. i Hinduism (D octrine jind Way of L ife) Ibid i Bhagavad o lta Raghunathan, !T, t Concept of Dharma In Itihas iUid the Puranas. 2-JL-E. JL-3-B.