गृहस्थ-आश्रम / gṛhastha-āśrama
Polygamy and monogamy.
--
After learning the skills necessary at-least to earn a respectable livelihood, languages, music, as well as science, art and culture. We can sure add here now religion and tradition of society also to this list, when one male or female has crossed over teen-age and mentally, physically fit to lead a healthy family-life and only if one aspires for the same willingly one is eligible for entering the stage of गृहस्थ-आश्रम / gṛhastha-āśrama, the life of a house-hold and deal with the responsibilities joys, sorrows and social ethics associated with this life. This is the age when one is supposed to contribute his / her share of progeny, keeping the chain of a healthy and happy society intact by means of becoming a parent - mother or father of his / her own kids. Marriage thus becomes an important means to sustain धर्म / dharma, that helps one fulfill the one Supreme goal of life namely ’काम’ / ’kāma’, and when is accepted in the spirit of धर्म / dharma, this helps boost harmony in family, society and the individual person also.
ऋषि / ṛṣi (sages), who came across and realized the 4 fold वेद-विहित आश्रम-धर्म / veda-vihita āśrama-dharma, also knew and encountered the 7-fold spheres of Cosmic-consciousness that has धर्म / dharma as its only firm foundation and support, affirmed that the sphere of us mortals मृत्यु-लोक / mṛtyu-loka too along-with whole existence abides and is in perfect harmony शान्ति / śānti, when धर्म / dharma is observed and followed at the individual, family, social levels as well. But the very idea of imposing धर्म / dharma by force is never acceptable to ऋषि / ṛṣi (sages), because धर्म / dharma is the essential nature (स्वभाव / svabhāva) of existence in all forms and levels, holds the whole existence in one compact perfect शासन / śāsana, Governs the whole existence in these above-mentioned 7 spheres.
The sphere of us mortals मृत्यु-लोक / mṛtyu-loka is but a short stoppage for the individual on the timeless path of individual's spiritual evolution. Where one can learn each moment the essence of धर्म / dharma and enthusiastically work for his own well and good श्रेयस् / śreyas - here and in after-life. Here in this life as a hous-hold individual one has the obligation of performing the rituals that help one's departed fore-fathers and kin. The sphere of पितर / pitara, where departed souls go to after their death stay there happily only if their descendents perform such rituals which are described in scriptures and bear the testimony of ऋषि / ṛṣi (sages). This needs no further elaboration because many of us intutively feel and have experienced how our grand-ancestors grand-parents 'visit' us occasionally.
The rituals of cremating the dead by handing over the dead-body to अग्नि / agni Fire is based on the view that Sun (अर्यमा / aryamā) is the Presiding-Lord of the पितृ-लोक / pitṛ-loka , - the sphere of the departed souls. अग्नि / agni Fire and Sun share essentially the same spirit that is shared by यम / yama, - the Lord of Death, Life and destiny of the individual.
Veda only tell us what actions lead us to what consequences and leaves us free on our part to decide if we follow or don't follow धर्म / dharma.
धर्मेण हन्यते व्याधिः धर्मेण हन्यते ग्रहः ।
धर्मेण हन्यते शत्रुः यतो धर्मः ततो जयः
--
dharmeṇa hanyate vyādhiḥ dharmeṇa hanyate grahaḥ |
dharmeṇa hanyate śatruḥ yato dharmaḥ tato jayaḥ
--
Meaning :
धर्म / dharma alone defeats the troubles, the evil effects of the planets (in the horoscope), the enemy. Where-ever is followed and respected, victory reins.
--
Polygamy and monogamy with reference to धर्म / dharma suggests that marriage is a means to comply with and if conditions allow and force, a male may have marry one or more wives, while a female should be married once only in life. Though there are exceptions in extra-ordinary cases but preferably one who sticks to धर्म / dharma should not violate this core-principle.
We see the example of कुन्ती / kuntī in महाभारत / mahābhārata, who begot 4 sons* one from Sun (कर्ण / karṇa > सूर्य / sūrya), One from Indra (अर्जुन / arjuna > इन्द्र / indra), others from such numerous celestial beings, yet like द्रौपदी / draupadī, तारा / tārā, मन्दोदरी / mandodarī, and सीता / sītā) is given the status of and is termed (सती / satī). And it is a pointer that there is no strict rule that connects the state of being polygamous or monogamous to with the state of highest spiritual attainment for a man or woman.
--
* Foot-note :
This may be interesting to note that these 4 were delivered by कुन्ती / kuntī by invoking the celestial beings with the help of mantra. She helped माद्री / mādrī (step-mother of अर्जुन / arjuna) and another queen of King पाण्डु /pāṇḍu to beget नकुल / nakula, and सहदेव sahadeva.
This may be a clue that the science and technique of I.V.F. was developed by and known to people in those times, though through mantra vidyā.
--
( To be continued )
Polygamy and monogamy.
--
After learning the skills necessary at-least to earn a respectable livelihood, languages, music, as well as science, art and culture. We can sure add here now religion and tradition of society also to this list, when one male or female has crossed over teen-age and mentally, physically fit to lead a healthy family-life and only if one aspires for the same willingly one is eligible for entering the stage of गृहस्थ-आश्रम / gṛhastha-āśrama, the life of a house-hold and deal with the responsibilities joys, sorrows and social ethics associated with this life. This is the age when one is supposed to contribute his / her share of progeny, keeping the chain of a healthy and happy society intact by means of becoming a parent - mother or father of his / her own kids. Marriage thus becomes an important means to sustain धर्म / dharma, that helps one fulfill the one Supreme goal of life namely ’काम’ / ’kāma’, and when is accepted in the spirit of धर्म / dharma, this helps boost harmony in family, society and the individual person also.
ऋषि / ṛṣi (sages), who came across and realized the 4 fold वेद-विहित आश्रम-धर्म / veda-vihita āśrama-dharma, also knew and encountered the 7-fold spheres of Cosmic-consciousness that has धर्म / dharma as its only firm foundation and support, affirmed that the sphere of us mortals मृत्यु-लोक / mṛtyu-loka too along-with whole existence abides and is in perfect harmony शान्ति / śānti, when धर्म / dharma is observed and followed at the individual, family, social levels as well. But the very idea of imposing धर्म / dharma by force is never acceptable to ऋषि / ṛṣi (sages), because धर्म / dharma is the essential nature (स्वभाव / svabhāva) of existence in all forms and levels, holds the whole existence in one compact perfect शासन / śāsana, Governs the whole existence in these above-mentioned 7 spheres.
The sphere of us mortals मृत्यु-लोक / mṛtyu-loka is but a short stoppage for the individual on the timeless path of individual's spiritual evolution. Where one can learn each moment the essence of धर्म / dharma and enthusiastically work for his own well and good श्रेयस् / śreyas - here and in after-life. Here in this life as a hous-hold individual one has the obligation of performing the rituals that help one's departed fore-fathers and kin. The sphere of पितर / pitara, where departed souls go to after their death stay there happily only if their descendents perform such rituals which are described in scriptures and bear the testimony of ऋषि / ṛṣi (sages). This needs no further elaboration because many of us intutively feel and have experienced how our grand-ancestors grand-parents 'visit' us occasionally.
The rituals of cremating the dead by handing over the dead-body to अग्नि / agni Fire is based on the view that Sun (अर्यमा / aryamā) is the Presiding-Lord of the पितृ-लोक / pitṛ-loka , - the sphere of the departed souls. अग्नि / agni Fire and Sun share essentially the same spirit that is shared by यम / yama, - the Lord of Death, Life and destiny of the individual.
Veda only tell us what actions lead us to what consequences and leaves us free on our part to decide if we follow or don't follow धर्म / dharma.
धर्मेण हन्यते व्याधिः धर्मेण हन्यते ग्रहः ।
धर्मेण हन्यते शत्रुः यतो धर्मः ततो जयः
--
dharmeṇa hanyate vyādhiḥ dharmeṇa hanyate grahaḥ |
dharmeṇa hanyate śatruḥ yato dharmaḥ tato jayaḥ
--
Meaning :
धर्म / dharma alone defeats the troubles, the evil effects of the planets (in the horoscope), the enemy. Where-ever is followed and respected, victory reins.
--
Polygamy and monogamy with reference to धर्म / dharma suggests that marriage is a means to comply with and if conditions allow and force, a male may have marry one or more wives, while a female should be married once only in life. Though there are exceptions in extra-ordinary cases but preferably one who sticks to धर्म / dharma should not violate this core-principle.
We see the example of कुन्ती / kuntī in महाभारत / mahābhārata, who begot 4 sons* one from Sun (कर्ण / karṇa > सूर्य / sūrya), One from Indra (अर्जुन / arjuna > इन्द्र / indra), others from such numerous celestial beings, yet like द्रौपदी / draupadī, तारा / tārā, मन्दोदरी / mandodarī, and सीता / sītā) is given the status of and is termed (सती / satī). And it is a pointer that there is no strict rule that connects the state of being polygamous or monogamous to with the state of highest spiritual attainment for a man or woman.
--
* Foot-note :
This may be interesting to note that these 4 were delivered by कुन्ती / kuntī by invoking the celestial beings with the help of mantra. She helped माद्री / mādrī (step-mother of अर्जुन / arjuna) and another queen of King पाण्डु /pāṇḍu to beget नकुल / nakula, and सहदेव sahadeva.
This may be a clue that the science and technique of I.V.F. was developed by and known to people in those times, though through mantra vidyā.
--
( To be continued )
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