The recently concluded series of talks on Dharma Shastra – based on Manusmriti – gave listeners an insight into the depths of wisdom and the wealth of knowledge that Swami Tejomayananda speaks from. His unquestionable command over the message of the Shastra, his clarity of thought and his deep compassion were evident from start to finish.
At the very outset, he laid the foundation by succinctly defining both Shastra and Dharma. He declared, “Shastra is a systematic exposition of any particular subject in totality, covering all its aspects. Dharma is that universal divine constitution related to human beings being happy in this world and beyond!”
He explained that Dharma practiced out of love, respect and understanding, fosters peace, purity and prosperity, leading to total fulfilment. To know whether one is following Dharma, he affirmed, “An action that befits social norms, is endorsed by shruti and smriti, respects the norms of good conduct (sadacarah) and has one’s own approval (svasyacapriyam atmanah), follows the tenets of Dharma.”
Over two talks, Swami Tejomayananda explained the 10 values Manusmriti lists as the core fundamentals of Dharma – fortitude (dhruti), forgiveness (kshama), control and discipline over the senses (damah), non-stealing (astheyam), cleanliness and purity (shaucham), control over organs of action and perception (indriyanigrahah), discriminative knowledge (dhir vidya), humility (hrir vidya), truth (satyam), anger-free (akrodhah).
This was followed by the Dharma that applies variously to student, householder and leader, before moving to the debts human beings have to pay back towards their teachers (rishi rna), their ancestors (pitr rna), the environment (deva rna), the society (nara rna) and the animal and plant kingdom (bhuta rna).
The series was brought to a close by delving into the tenets of svadharma in the Bhagavad Gita, adherence to which – with the Guru’s grace and sustained by Dharma in its totality – the jiva merges with the cosmos.
The appreciation that the series received is prasad for the team that worked to bring the video talks to a successful conclusion. Those unable to attend may access the series on Chinmaya Channel on YouTube.
