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Written by Sri Swami Chandrashekarendra
Saraswati |
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The Brahmin must keep his body chaste so that its impurities do not
detract from the power of the mantras he chants. "Deho devalaya prokto
jivah prokto sanatanah. " (The body is a temple. The life enshrined in
it is
the eternal Lord. ) You do not enter the precincts of a temple if you
are
unclean. Nothing impure should be taken in there. To carry meat,
tobacco, etc, to a temple is to defile it. According to the Agama
sastras
you must not go to a temple if you are not physically and spiritually
clean.
The temple called the body - it enshrines the power of mantras - must
not
be defiled by an impurity. There is a difference between the home and
the temple. In the home it is not necessary to observe such strict rules
of
cleanliness as in the temple. Some corner, some place, in the house is
meant for the evacuation of bodily impurities, to wash the mouth, to
segregate during their periods. (In the flat system it it’s not possible
to
live according to the sastras). In the temple there is no such
arrangement
as in a house.
Wherever we live we require houses as well as temples. In the same way
our body must serve as a house and as a temple for Atmic work. The
Brahmin's body is to be cared for like a temple since it is meant to
preserve the Vedic mantras and no impure material is to be taken in. It
is
the duty of the Brahmin to protect the power of the mantras, the
mantras that create universal well-being. That is why there are more
restrictions in his life than in that of others. The Brahmin must
refrain
from all such acts and practices as make him unclean. Nor should he be
tempted by the sort of pleasures that others enjoy with the body.
The Brahmin's body is not meant to experience sensual enjoyment but to
preserve the Vedas for the good of mankind. It is for this purpose that
he
has to perform rites like upanayana. He has to care for his body only
with
the object of preserving the Vedic mantras and through them of
protecting all creatures. Others may have comfortable occupations that
bring in much money but that should be no cause for the Brahmin to feel
tempted. He ought to think of his livelihood only after he has carried
out
his duties. In the past when he was loyal to his Brahminic dharma the
ruler as well as society gave him land and money to sustain himself. Now
conditions have changed and Brahmin today has to make some effort to
earn his money. But he must on no account try to amass wealth nor must
he adopt unsastric means to earn money. Indeed he must live in poverty.
It is only when he does not seek pleasure and practices self-denial that
the light of Atmic knowledge will shrine in him. This light will make
the
world live. The Brahmin must not go abroad in search of fortune, giving
up the customs and practices he is heir to. His fundamental duty is to
preserve the Vedic mantras and follow his own dharma. Earning money is
secondary to him.
If the Brahmin keeps always burning the fire of mantras always burning
in
him, there will be universal welfare. He must be able to help people in
trouble with his mantric power and he is in vain indeed if he turns away
a
man who seeks his help, excusing himself thus: "I do the same things
that
you do. I possess only such power as you have."
Today the fire of mantric power has been put out (or it is perhaps like
dying embers). The body of Brahmin has been subjected to undesirable
changes and impure substances have found a place in it. But may be a
spark of the old fire still gives off a dim light. It must be made to
burn
brighter. One day it may become a blaze. This spark is Gayatri. It has
been
handed down to us through the ages. |
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