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Written by Swami Chandrashekarendra
Saraswati |
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An argument runs thus: In the eons gone by mankind possessed high
ideals and noble character. Men could sacrifice animals for the
well-being
of the world because they had great affection in their hearts and were
selfless. They offered even cows and horses in sacrifice and had meat
for
sraddha. As householders, in their middle years, they followed the
karmamarga (the path of works) and performed rites to please the deities
for the good of the world. But, in doing so, they desired no rewards.
Later, they renounced all works, all puja, all observances, to become
sannyasins delighting themselves in their Atman. They were men of such
refinement and noble character that, if their brother, a king, died
heirless
they begot a son by his wife without any passion in their hearts and
without a bit detracting from their brahmacharya. Their only motive was
that the kingdom should not be plunged in anarchy for want of an heir to
the throne.
In our own Kali age we do not have such men who are desireless in their
actions, who can subdue their minds and give up all works to become
ascetics and who will remain chaste at heart even in the company of
women. So it is contended that the following are to be eschewed in the
Kali age: horse and cow sacrifices, meat in the sraddha ceremony,
sannyasa, begetting a son by the husband's brother. As authority we have
the following verse:
Asvalambham gavalambham sanyasam palapatrikam
Devarena sutotpattim kalau panca vivarjayet
According to one view "asvalambham" in this verse should be substituted
with "agniyadhanam". If you accept this version it would mean that even
those sacrifices in which animals are not killed should not be
performed.
In other words it would mean a total prohibition of all sacrifices. The
very
first in the haviryajna category is agniyadhana. If that were to be
prohibited it would mean that, apart from small sacrifices called
"pakayajnas", no yajna can be performed.
According to great men such a view is wrong. Sankara Bhagavatpada,
whose mission in life was the reestablishment
of Vedic dharma, did not
stop with the admonishment that Vedas must be chanted every day
("Vedo nityam adhiyatam"). He insisted that rites imposed on us by the
Vedas must be performed: " "Taduditam karma svanusthiyatam. " Of
Vedic rites, sacrifices occupy the foremost place. If they are to be
eschewed what other Vedic rites are we to perform? It may be that
certain types of sacrifices need not be gone through in the age of Kali.
If, according to the verse, agniyadhana is interdicted, and no big
sacrifice
is to be performed in the age of Kali, why should gavalambha (cow
sacrifice) have been mentioned in the prohibited category? If
agniyadhana is not permissible, it goes without saying that gavalambha
also is prohibited. So, apart from certain types, all sacrifices are to
be
performed at all times.
According to another verse quoted from the Dharmasastra, so long as the
varnasrama system is followed in the age of Kali, in however small a
measure, and so long as the sound of the Vedas pervades the air, works
like agniyadhana must be performed and the sannyasasrama followed,
the stage of life in which there is no karma. The prohibition in Kali
applies
to certain types of animal sacrifices, meat in sraddha ceremonies and
begetting a son by the husband's brother. |
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