HINDULISM

Ahimsa and Vegetarianism

Prof M Sivasuriya

Chintamani Rath says that “Ahimsa’ (non-violence) is not vegetarianism in the article published in the Daily News (April 19, 2010) on the Hinduism page. But I want to state the following.

Nobody disputes that statement for vegetarianism only refers to ‘eating or including no meat or fish’ but vegetarianism contributes significantly to the practice of Ahimsa (compassion) and Metta (Loving Kindness).

Both Hinduism (Saivism) and Buddhism abhor animal slaughter for human consumption as this practice (killing/slaughter) causes immense pain and suffering to the animal or creature concerned as we all know.

Chintamani Rath further states “there does not appear to be any reason for destroying plant life if animal life is not to be sacrificed.”

Being a medical man myself, I know that ‘even plants have life and also feel pain’ but the pain that they perceive can in no way be equated to that felt by animals including the homo sapiens (man). Let me elaborate on this point further. There is a significant difference in the life of a plant from that of an animal, for example a chicken, goat, cow, fish or man. Bacteria, viruses, ants. Insects worms etc are not inanimate objects but possess life and so they too could ‘feel’ pain but the degree of pain that they experience when they are subjected to injury or trauma can in no way be equated to that experienced by a chicken, goat, pig, deer or cow.

With regard to the concept of ‘life’ one should look at it from the angle of evolution. The most highly evolved is the human being followed by those of the lower evolved categories such as animals, birds, fish, insects, ants, plants and finally those in lowest category, viz, microbes like bacteria, viruses and unicellular organisms both of animal and plant origin.

The significant difference between these two groups, viz plants and animals is that plants can “regenerate” when some segment of them such as a branch or part of the stem is injured or severed. Also there is no visible signs of ‘suffering’ or ‘agony’ experienced or displayed by the plant as we watch it whereas in the more highly evolved forms of life which includes animals and human beings what is witnessed is just the opposite.

An amputated or severed limb cannot be ‘replaced’ by ‘nature’ and therefore the loss is permanent. Further, there is also immense visible suffering and agony when animals are killed in hunting or when they are slaughtered by the most cruel methods for the consumption of their flesh as “meat” by man to satisfy his ‘tongue’ or appetite.

”Animals express fear, love, gratitude, loyalty and even depression when they are separated from their loved ones or cruelly treated by man. Plants unlike animals do not nurture or look after their young or show gratitude, love or loyalty to those who care for them since they don’t have a well developed Central Nervous System.

We cannot of course teach a carnivore like a lion to be a vegetarian but as man is superior in intelligence to a lion, if human beings can desist from killing, several animals will be saved from a horrid death” (Dr. Eileen Pethiyagoda).

Let me quote below the following sayings by our revered Saints Thiruvalluvar and Thayumanavar respectively:

Thiruvalluvar:

“All beings will raise their hands and worship in reverence those human beings who do not kill and refrain from eating meat”.

Thayumanavar:

1. Let the vow of non-killing spread

all over the world

It’s my desire to tell this to everybody, the omnipresent

2. Those who vow for non-killing

Are the good ones

I wouldn’t know those who don’t

who they are, you the all pervading

In conclusion I would also like to add that I cannot fully agree with Chintamani Rath that calves are almost completely denied of their milk requirements from their mother cows as a consequence of the milking process adopted by the milkman to obtain milk for human consumption.

I might add that in the ‘factory’ bred and ‘milked’ cows there is such an abundance of milk in their udder that it is far in excess of the amount than what would be needed for or can be consumed by the calf.

In conclusion I agree with Chintamani Rath that “Ahimsa means not doing violence beyond the bare minimum without which we ourselves cannot survive”: in t his category I would include the use of antibiotics in serious infections which would otherwise kill a person and the elimination of rabid dogs so as to prevent Rabies in human beings – a disease with always a fatal outcome!

Karma Yoga – The Yoga of Action

Thilaka V Wijeyaratnam

‘He is a Karma Yogi, who enjoys the tranquility of the mountain cave while being engaged in the toils of the city” - Swamy Vivekananda.

Karma means to do – so all action can be termed karma. It can also be taken as “the effects of actions. That is, karma is the result or effect of our past actions.” This is Eastern Philosophy. Man’s goal is to seek knowledge and rid pleasure.

Those who think pleasure is the ideal they strive for, then woe unto them, because all miseries are due to errant thinking.

Finally, man realises the truth, and he learns from the pain and pleasure he has undergone in life.

If a man is undisturbed by turmoil, he is then said to be in tranquil. The law of karma says that man cannot escape the effects of his acts, good and bad alike.

It is through penance that, the bad acts may be counteracted.

All knowledge received by the world has come from the mind. “The infinite library of the universe is in your own mind” said Swamy Vivekananda.

As said before whatever one does – talking, listening, walking, breathing, thinking is all karma. And this karma leaves its mark on man.

It is an old adage that man is the Master of his destiny. His destiny is shaped by his karma. If what one is now is due to his own past actions, then it is understood, that what one wishes to be in the future can be produced by one’s present action.

The Gita says “Karma Yoga is doing work with cleverness – that is by knowing how to work, one can obtain the desired result.”

It is in man’s nature to work with various motives – such as to get same name, power, recognition, money and some work even to go to heaven.

But the best of all is to work for work’s sake that is without a motive. Such men can be hailed as the salt of the earth. They work unselfishly. “Do your duty and leave the fruits thereof unto me,” said Krishna in the Gita, That should be the ideal in man. There are those who think of helping others so that they may get their help one day. That is work with a motive – It cannot be called unselfish works.

If one could control oneself, and walk the streets of a busy city with its traffic and yet if one’s mind is as calm as living in a lonely cave. That and that alone is ideal Karma Yoga. Once that state is attained then one has learnt the secret of work – karma.

The Saiva Saint Thirunavukkarasu did temple service in his life time. Cleaning the premises, mowing the grass, all the time chanting the precious five words Na-Ma-Si-Va-Ya. His was unselfish work. I was not his intention to get any favour from God Siva for his work. But he did receive the fruit of his unselfish work. He was canonised a Saint.

According to Hindu Philosophy there are three factors manifested in the physical world.

They are Tamasa, Rajasa and Sattvatha Guna (nature).

Those of Tamasa Guna are inactive, dull and in rest. The Rajasa Guna - is being active, powerful and energetic. The Sattva is a balance between the two gentle, sweet and calm.

It is with these three factors karma yoga deals with. It teaches one to do work in a better way. It also teaches man to understand the three factors and how to use them when doing work.

The central idea of karma yoga is non-resistance. In the second chapter of the Bagawad Gita, Krishna calls Arjuna a hypocrite and a coward, because Arjuna on seeing that the arrowing of his adversaries were his friends and relatives, refused to fight and threw the weapon down, forgetting his duty to his king and country. “Stand up and fight, said Krishna. Here non-resistance is a virtue that is when he was given the power to trust. This is the ideal of a karma yogi.

Hinduism categories the four stages of man, thus; first Brahmacharium bachelorhood and also studenthood. Then the householder Grahastan, the third stage is that of retirement – vanapras than and lastly Sanyasin hermit. The doctrine of Karma Yogi is to be active, perform the duty at each stage without expecting results. A Yogi’s duty is not the same as that of a householder. For what is duty for one is not duty for another. One’s duty does not occupy a higher status than anothers. The main thing is each one is his place should do his duty unselfishly.

Here is a story related by Swamy Vivekananda to illustrate this.

”A certain king had the habit of inquiring all the sanyasins who came to his court, which is the greater man. One who given up the world and becomes a Sanyasin or the one who performs his duties as a householders? Many came, tried to find the answer, lost and backed away.

Finally a young sanyasin came and said, “Oh! King, each is great in his own place.” The king asked for evidence. The Sanyasin asked the king to come and live with him for a few days. So they went to many lands and in one state there was much rejoicing and celebration.

That was a ‘Swayamvara’ for the Princess of that land. That is, the king her father sent invitation to all the princes in the other kingdoms and once they assembled, would let his daughter to choose one of them as her husband. The Princess was not satisfied with any. She saw a handsome standing on a side. She flung the flower garland over him. The Sanyasin was annoyed. He threw back the garland and walked away.

The Princess followed him. Seeing this, the king and the Sanyasin (mentioned earlier) also followed them. The young Sanyasins went into a forest and disappeared. The princess sat under a tree weeping. The king and the Sanyasin approached and told her they could take her out the forest in the morning. Meanwhile there was a bird family in a nest on the tree. The male bird seeing the three told his wife, “our guests are feeling cold, let me bring a fire,” with that he flew out and got a bit of glowing firewood, which he dropped before the guests. They added fuel to it and made a blazing fire. Then the householder the male bird told his wife.

”Our guests are starving. But we are householders. It is our duty to look after them. I will give my body for them. With that he plunged into the fire. The three tried to save him but it was too late. The female bird said, “my husband ‘s body is not enough for them. I will give my body too.” And she too flung herself into the fire. The baby birds saw this. “ Though our parents have offered themselves as food. Yet it is not enough for three, let’s give our flesh too for them. And they too flung themselves into the fire. The king, the Sanyasin and the princess were astonished by the sacrificed deed of the birds. Now the Sanyasin told the king.” This is proof of what I said.”

That young Sanyasin stuck to his principles and rejected the princess and her wealth. As a householder three birds sacrificed themselves for the welfare of others. Oh king if you want to live like the sanyasin and renounce the world, be like that sanyasin. Do not look at beauty, money or power. Do you want, to be a householder sacrifice for the welfare of others. Do the duty in each place. You see each is great in his own place. But the duty of one is not the duty of the other.”

This story in short illustrator Karma Yoga. Do Yoga in action. Do your duty and leave the fruit thereof unto the Almighty.”

Source – Karma Yoga by Swamy Vivekananda

Puloly Puttalai Sithyvinayagar Temple Chariot Festival

Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar

In the South of Point Pedro stands the holy edifice of the great God Ganesha called Puttalai Pillaiyar Temple also referred to as Puttalai Sithyvinayagar temple.

The worship of God Ganesha is widespread in Sri Lanka and is revered by Hindus and Buddhists. His other names are Ganapathy Vigneswara, Pillaiyar, Yanaimugan etc. Further, God Ganesha is the God of wisdom and is the remover of all obstacles and He is worshipped in all Hindu ceremonies both in the Temple and in homes. Even the celestial beings are said to have worshipped God Ganesha before embarking an any understandings.

God Ganesha holds a hatchet (Parasu) in one hand which symbolises the cutting away of vanity and false teachings. He also holds an Ankusa to cut through illusion, in another a noose (Pasa) which represents the restraining of passions and desires. The fourth hand of God Ganesha holds a sweet (Modakam) with an external tasteless part of rice flour and an internal tasty parts of jaggery and coconut. They symbolise the universe where the outward worldliness has no worth, but within is the bliss.

As the son of Lord Shiva, Ganesha inherits his father’s attributes, ornaments (such as the snakes) and the dancing posture. The adoration of God Ganesha in the Arts has been remarkably universal and has very often cut across religions. His dominant manifestation has been in warding off all evils.

He even creates obstacles and we pray to Him for the removal. In fact, God Ganesha has been a major Deity since the seventh and eighth centuries in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

God Ganesha was extremely popular in Indonesia, Sumatra and Java. There are paintings and stone sculptures of God Ganesha found in China. God Ganesha had appeared in the form of “Nritya Ganapathy” blowing the conch.

There are many colourful legends about how God Ganesha came to acquire an Elephant’s head. For many years after their marriage God Shiva and Goddess Parvathy were childless. Parvathy yearning for a son prayed to God Vishnu who was pleased by her devoted worship, decided to be born as her son.

And so, very soon a son was born. To celebrate this happy occasion Parvathy gave a feast to all the Gods and Goddesses. As the guest arrived each one saw the little child and went into raptures over him. But there was one God (Shani) Saturn who did not even deign to look at the baby boy.

Parvathy was irked by his behaviour and asked him what the matter was. Shani explained that his wife had cussed him that whatever he looked at with pleasure would be shattered into pieces. But Parvathy confidently assured him that nothing would happen to her child as he was God Krishna himself incarnate.

With this assurance “Shani” gazed at the little child lovingly but immediately the child’s head shattered into pieces. The guests rushed into all directions, not knowing what to do and Parvathy was disconsolate. Her child would die if something was not done quickly.

Just then one of the Gods spied a sleeping elephant, cut off its head and put it on the trunk of the baby. The child survived but he had an elephant’s head which did not please Parvathy too much. God Shiva consoling her, promised to make the boy, the leader of his Ganas (Legions). And so the child with the elephant head was named as Ganesha (God of Ganas).

In the Rig Veda Ganapathi is described as the wisest of all the Gods and according to Mahabharatha he was identified with God Shiva himself in all his manifestations.

Indeed, there are many colourful stories how Puttalai Pillaiyar came into in this small village called Puloly. It is widely said that many years ago there was a sincere devotee of God Ganesha in this village and he wanted to build a temple to God Ganesha. One day while he was sleeping God Ganesha appeared to him in a dream and told him that he was in a snake’s hole (Puttru) and to remove him from this snake’s hole and build a temple for him in the vicinity of the area where the temple is now situated.

The following morning he woke up and went to the spot where the statue of God Ganesha was hidden and with the help of the villagers they dug the hole with mammoties and took it out with utmost care and built a temple.

From that day onwards this temple Puttalai Pillaiyar has become the guardian deity of the villagers and it has become a practice of the people of the village to invoke the blessings of God Ganesha before they embark on any venture.

During the festival season the statue of God Ganesha is gorgeously decorated and taken round the temple in a Chariot followed by poojas, Bhajan and devotional songs.

The Chariot or Ther symbolises human body and the statue of Lord Ganesha is the soul.

In front of the Chariot are the wooden horses representing in a galloping posture with the reins attached to their mouths held in the hands of the image of Lord Ganesha. These horses represent human passions while the reins symbolise the necessity of restraining and guiding these passions by the soul.

The journey of the Chariot or Ther through the streets is an emblem of the progress of life. This shows that throughout his life, a man must control and guide his passions. These passions are the motive power, the driving force of life, but unrestrained and not properly guided, they will wreck a man’s life. This is the symbolic meaning of the Chariot or Ther festival.