Vedic Prachar on Dharm on Feb 15 2009

Summary of Spiritual discourse on Vedic Interpretation of Shrimad-Bhagavad-Gita At Greater Atlanta Vedic Temple on Sunday, Feb 15th 2009 By Acharya Vedshrami

As a preface/introduction to Gita, Acharya Vedshrami is elaborating on the definition of the word Bhagavd (Bhagwan) which is the core part of Gita. To that purpose, he described that anyone who has these following attributes can be a Bhagwan

Aishwary & Shri (Wealth)
Dhaarmik (Who follows the Dharma)
Yash (Fame)
Jyaan (Knowledge)
Vairaagya

To be a dhaarmik, one has to have/follow the ten attributes of Dharma as described in Shlok below:

"Dhritih kshama damo'steyam shaucham-indriya nigrahahDhir-vidya satyam-akrodho dashakam dharma lakshanam" (Manu Smriti, Ch.VI-92)
Meaning: "Patience, forgiveness, self-control, non-stealing, cleanliness and purity, restraint over the senses, wisdom, knowledge, truth and calmness are the ten attributes of dharm" peace.
To consider anyone who practices these ten features as a follower of a particular organized 'religion' would be a narrow-minded attitude. They are not confined to one sect or religion but have a universal import for all humanity. These virtues cannot be brushed aside as blind beliefs because they have been tested rationally and practically; they have proved to be eternally operating principles of noble human life. All religions, sects, prophets, saints and mahatmas have stressed the practice of these virtues for well-being of individuals, societies and humanity as a whole.

Dhriti (patience): Any work undertaken can only be accomplished with patience. Before beginning a work, a patient person thinks about its positive and negative results, and thus chooses the right method to execute it. An impatient person, on the contrary, neither thinks about the consequences of his actions nor of its worthiness. He acts haphazardly, without due planning, and so his actions remain infructuous.

Kshama (forgiveness): A person who forgives others their trespasses creates no enemies and adversaries. He thinks about the welfare of everyone in the world and obtains people's support and blessings in his endeavors. He receives love and respect wherever he goes.

Dama (control over the mind and desires): It implies reining in of erratic, wayward and unbridled mad rush of chaotic thoughts, desires and unrefined instincts. It is not possible to overcome evil with a thoughtless, vengeful approach. Fire can be extinguished by water and hostility can be ended by kind-heartiness.

Asteya (non-stealing): Here non-stealing also means integrity and honesty. An honest person does not covet what belongs to others. He practices truthfulness in thought, speech and action. Such a person acquires trust of all who come in contact with him. He lives a pious, pure, fearless and happy life.
Shaucha (cleanliness and purity): The body of a person whose mind and praña are pure remains healthy. Bodily and mental disorders or sinful activities do not invade him. He always maintains an inner and outer purity and cleanliness. He keeps himself free of mental and physical impurities. He performs altruistic acts and attains inner peace.

Indriya-nigrah (sense-control): Restraint over senses means the development of three qualities in a person: optimum food intake, judicious use of money and restrained speech. Optimum food intake protects him from diseases, judicious and wise use of money protects from poverty and indebtedness and restrained speech keeps him away from unwanted conflicts and arguments. He thus attains health and happiness. On the contrary a person who is a slave of the senses remains ever dissatisfied, discontented, unhappy and unhealthy.Dhee (wisdom): A wise person is never daunted by the gravity of any difficulty because of his wisdom. Discriminative wisdom makes him ever wakeful and fearless and engages him in righteous deeds. Hence a wise person lives a life of abiding peace and happiness. Vidya (knowledge): Vidya refers not only to school/university education but also to practical knowledge of the laws of life gained through experience. In the absence of practical knowledge a person rarely develops humility and becomes arrogant. He is not respected anywhere; people ignore him as much as they can. All his wealth and possessions become useless due to the lack of right knowledge. If an ignorant person inherits wealth, he would not be able to handle it wisely or use it for noble purposes. He suffers at every step in his life. Even in most adverse conditions, a person endowed with knowledge and wisdom would live in peace. Satya (truth): Truth means absence of falsehood or distortions in all its masks. One who worships truth does not get influenced by the masquerade of any person or object and does not try to imitate anybody or covet any object. He ever remains a seeker of truth and tries to discover the reality behind every event, person or object. The speech of the seeker of truth is straightforward and his deeds resonate with his innate integrity and honesty. Truth is the essence of life. It is impregnable armor against all evils. Akrodha (non-anger): Akrodha means refusing to be provoked to anger under all circumstances. Conquest of anger means conquest of the world. An angry person does not think about the consequences of his actions and commits unpardonable blunders. Anger stuns the reasoning and discriminative faculties and inexorably pushes a person towards self-destruction.

(Summarized with the help from www.hinducounciluk.org )


Next Sunday, we'll continue discussion on other attributes of Bhagwan which are Shri, Vairagya, Yash & Jyaan.