‘Way In’ is the ‘Way Out’ – in sanātana dharma
‘Way In’ is the ‘Way Out’ – in sanātana dharma
Article 17
By Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai
In times such as the recently experienced pandemic, normalcy was disrupted across the world and people were confined to their homes and isolation wards. With the loss of a dear one and trying to reconcile to the situation of not finding them around oneself, life will never be the same again for many. Thus, distanced from their loved ones, income and securities dwindling, uncertainty of the future coupled with survival instincts adding further fear to the widespread misery, the whole world has plunged into panic and pandemonium. Let’s understand as to what sanātana dharma has to say about the way out of it.
The Lord of Death – Yama enlightens the young seeker of truth – naciketā, in kaṭhopaniṣad, that all the senses have been created in such a way that they always go outwards, seeking the pleasures and comfort in the possessions and relations of the transient material world. However, it is only a certain person of spiritual courage and discrimination, a dhīra, who seeks to know the eternal truth of ones divinity and thus desirous of the bliss that springs from within, turns his gaze inwards.
पराञ्चि खानि व्यतृणत् स्वयम्भूः तस्मात् पराङ् पश्यति नान्तरात्मन् ।
कश्चिद्धीरः प्रत्यगात्मानमैक्षत् आवृत्तचक्षुः अमृतत्वमिच्छन् ॥
parāñci khāni vyatṛṇat svayambhūḥ tasmāt parāṅ paśyati nāntarātman ।
kaściddhīraḥ pratyagātmānamaikṣat āvṛttacakṣuḥ amṛtatvamicchan ॥
(कठोपनिषत् kaṭhopaniṣad 2.1.1)
‘The self-existent created the senses out-going. Therefore, one sees outside and not the ātman within. Some wise man, with his senses turned away (from their object), desirous of immortality, sees the ātman within.’
This is the inward path as preached by sanātana dharma, and the only way out of this otherwise chaotic world. This time it might have been the issue of a pandemic that was the cause of misery, but the world has always been suffused with the duality of pleasures and pains since time immemorial, and thus misery is not new to the world. In fact, Sri Krishna declares
अनित्यमसुखं लोकमिमं प्राप्य भजस्व माम्
anityamasukhaṁ lokamimaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām
(भगवद्गीता bhagavadgītā 9.33)
‘Having come to this transient and joyless world, meditate and devote yourself to Me.’
Here, when Sri Krishna advises the seeker to be devoted to Him, He truly means that the seeker ought to be devoted to the idea of the Supreme Divine Self within, which alone is the source of lasting happiness.

Just like the surface of the ocean that experiences the rise and fall of waves, yet per say is not affected by it, so also these waves of experiences of pleasure and pain rise and fall on this ocean of consciousness, but one remains unaffected due to the understanding of one’s true nature as the supreme consciousness.
Everyone born on earth, knowingly or unknowingly, seeks the twin goals of duḥkha nivṛtti and sukha prāpti (freedom from sorrow and attainment of happiness). However, not knowing how to achieve these two goals, they simply try to avoid painful objects, people and situations and seek the pleasurable instead, totally unmindful of the fact that whether it is pleasure or pain, it germinates from the interaction with the world outside of us and is only temporary. And in this process of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, one endlessly and alternatively oscillates between the two extremes. Therefore, as long as we keep seeking experiences outside of us, there is no way that we can enjoy steady and lasting happiness. Without any exception, this endless chase of pleasures is always punctuated with equal instances of pain.
Having known and understood this nature of the world, the ancient ones suggested the seeker of happiness to pursue the path within – the inner path of withdrawal into the inner most recesses of one’s consciousness where all dualities end, and a state of peace beyond dualities is achieved.
Many misunderstand it as physically withdrawing from the society, but it’s not so. All cannot and should not give up their hearth and homes in search of inner peace. Many others mistake it as undertaking certain practices like yoga, prāṇāyāma and the likes, to find peace. However, these are temporary fixes which help only as long as one is engaged in it. Soon after, the mind tends to go back to the old ways and thus plunges itself into the same old experiences of duality. Therefore, even such practices that are aimed to calm and control the mind and emotions are at best capable of yielding temporary results.
sanātana dharma on the other hand teaches us the permanent path to peace and clearly declares that knowing one’s true nature as divinity alone can steer one out of the ceaseless swings of duality.
The śvetāśvataropaniṣad from yajurveda says –
वेदाहमेतं पुरुषं महान्तमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ।
तमेव विदित्वाऽतिमृत्युमेति नान्यः पन्था विद्यतेऽयनाय ॥
vedāhametaṁ puruṣaṁ mahāntamādityavarṇaṁ tamasaḥ parastāt ।
tameva viditvā’timṛtyumeti nānyaḥ panthā vidyate’yanāya ॥
(श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषत् śvetāśvataropaniṣad 3.8)
‘I have known that great puruṣa (Supreme Being) who is effulgent like the sun and who is beyond all darkness. One who knows Him thus becomes immortal (even) here. There is no other path for liberation than this.’
This verse describes the Supreme Self as the self-effulgent One beyond the dualities of darkness and light, signifying pains and pleasures, and knowing that Self within alone is the way to freedom and eternal life.
Thus, against the backdrop of the temporary world, this idea of the eternal Self has been pitched as the only way to liberation from the ephemeral experiences of the world that swing one in and out of pain and pleasure.
The pandemic in a way left us with no choice other than to seek happiness and peace within, when all the external support systems started to collapse. This conviction of one’s true nature as the eternal and ever blissful existence (sat-cit-ānanda) alone could help several people evade mental issues like depression and panic.
This belief which arises from the very moment one starts identifying oneself with the Divinity instead of the body and mind, gives tremendous confidence to a sinking heart.
The great Sage aṣṭāvakra says in aṣṭāvakragītā,
मय्यनन्तमहाम्भोधौ जगद्वीचिः स्वभावतः ।
उदेतु वास्तमायातु न मे वृद्धिर्न च क्षतिः ॥
mayyanantamahāmbhodhau jagadvīciḥ svabhāvataḥ ।
udetu vāstamāyātu na me vṛddhirna ca kṣatiḥ ॥
(अष्टावक्रगीता aṣṭāvakragītā 7.2)
‘Let the world wave rise or vanish of its own nature in the infinite ocean of myself. There is no increase or diminution to me from it.’
Just like the surface of the ocean that experiences the rise and fall of waves, yet per say is not affected by it, so also these waves of experiences of pleasure and pain rise and fall on this ocean of consciousness, but one remains unaffected due to the understanding of one’s true nature as the supreme consciousness.
The key to lasting happiness lies in constant contemplation and practise of this thought that one is divine and thus become capable of withdrawing the mind and senses that get afflicted by the dualities, like the tortoise that withdraws its limbs into its shell, and thus remains safe.

This inward path allows people to accept the unavoidable that has come their way and make peace with it, instead of resisting the change that cannot be avoided and suffering due to one’s inability to do anything about it.
sanātana dharma is the most practical way of dealing with all situations in life, especially the ones that cannot be controlled or avoided, like the pandemic. The key to lasting happiness lies in constant contemplation and practise of this thought that one is divine and thus become capable of withdrawing the mind and senses that get afflicted by the dualities, like the tortoise that withdraws its limbs into its shell, and thus remains safe.
Sri Krishna says –
यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः ।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥
yadā saṁharate cāyaṁ kūrmo’ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ ।
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyastasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā ॥
(भगवद्गीता bhagavadgītā 2.58)
‘One who is able to withdraw the senses from their objects, just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell, is established in divine wisdom.’
This ‘way in’ of withdrawal from the external into the internal Self is the only ‘way out’ of the dualities of life and the consequent oscillations between temporary pleasures and pains advises sanātana dharma.
sanātana dharma teaches us the permanent path to peace and clearly declares that knowing one’s true nature as divinity alone can steer one out of the ceaseless swings of duality.
duḥkha nivṛtti
freedom from sorrow
sukha prāpti
attainment of happiness
Way to World Peace in sanātana dharma
Way to World Peace in sanātana dharma
Article 16
By Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai
A concept that has eluded everyone alike – the ordinary and the elite, the statesmen and common folks, rulers and the ruled – is the idea of a utopian world where there is absolute peace and harmony. Yet most of the cultures talk about harmony and peace as the most fundamental value and prayer. Every Indian prayer ends with three repetitions of ‘śānti’ which is peace. Similarly, ‘shalom’ in Jewish traditions, or ‘Peace to You’ in Christianity; all these religions seem to have always emphasised on the idea of peace as the most basic prayer and blessings. However, despite such prayers, world peace has remained a distant dream. Especially in the last two millennia, the conflict, strife, invasion and terrorism has destroyed peace into pieces. So, why has peace not been achieved despite such scientific and societal progress? This must make one introspect and take a closer look at the reason behind it despite all the talks and treaties.
sanātana dharma goes to the root cause of the real reason for lack of peace in the world by turning the entire concept on its head, in other words by coaxing every individual to begin from within rather than looking for achieving peace without. Let’s understand the way of sanātana dharma in achieving world peace.
Peace is the absolute state of rest and harmony, and now that we know that as humans we are not one but three – the one we think we are which is the body, the one others think we are which is the mind and the one that we truly are which is the soul or jīvātman. This jīvātman, soul or spirit, is but the reflection of the same paramātman, just like the sun which appears manifold when reflected in various pots of water, whereas it is only one. Therefore, peace must be looked at on all the three levels of body, mind and soul. This is precisely the reason why in the śānti mantras or for that matter any prayer in sanātana dharma we hear the chanting of peace thrice – ‘śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ’ in an effort to invoke peace at all the three levels of our existence.

This jīvātman, soul or spirit, is but the reflection of the same paramātman, just like the sun which appears manifold when reflected in various pots of water, whereas it is only one.
Being healthy in the body is the first level of peace. Even hunger can disturb one’s peace, let alone severe sickness. Therefore, being in good health is a prerequisite to peace. Much of that has to do with the discipline of habits that harm the body, be it the kind of food that we consume or the deeds that we engage in. The second level of peace is of the mind, which is but a bundle of all kinds of thoughts and emotions. So, peace of mind is ensured when we have positive thoughts arising out of positive ambiences and associations. Thus, the idea of satsaṅga or company of the noble is very important in sanātana dharma which alone can help one with the quality of one’s thoughts and emotions, and thereby the ensuing positivity and peace.
The last but most important aspect of peace is experiencing harmony at the innermost level of the ātman. This may apparently sound paradoxical as one may wonder how is it that the ātman which is a reflection of the paramātman cannot be at peace. Well, the reason is that the ātman is always at peace but our access to that peace is denied when our body and mind are not in harmony. This idea of harmony within is called trikarṇa śuddhi in sanātana dharma, which means congruity of body, mind and spirit. In other words, the harmony of thoughts, words and deeds. When our thoughts are based on the idea of our true self as Divinity, the ensuing thoughts, words and deeds or manasā, vācā, kārmaṇa, will also be divine. But, most often the thoughts are based on the ignorant idea that we are the body and mind complex and therefore the disharmony.
This idea of harmony within is called trikarṇa śuddhi in sanātana dharma, which means congruity of body, mind and spirit. In other words, the harmony of thoughts, words and deeds.

To achieve world peace, individual peace is the basis as the individual is the fundamental building unit of family, society, nation, and world at large. When individuals live in harmony within, by basing their entire life on the idea and experience of the one truth that all are Divine, we learn to appreciate that everything and everyone is Divine and therefore there is no need for conflicts and strife. The upaniṣads proclaim –
ahaṁ brahmāsmi – ‘I am brahman’ (bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad 1.4.10)
tat tvam asi – ‘Thou art That’ (chāndogyopaniṣad 6.8.7)
prajñānam brahma – ‘Consciousness is brahman’ (aitareyopaniṣad 3.3)
ayam ātmā brahma – ‘This Self (ātman) is brahman’ (māṇḍūkyopaniṣad 1.2)
and
sarvaṁ khalvidaṁ brahma ‘All this is brahman’ (chāndogyopaniṣad 3.14.1)
The one who experiences this truth of oneness within oneself alone qualifies to attain permanent and eternal peace (teṣāṁ śāntiḥ śāśvatī netareṣām) proclaims the kaṭhopaniṣad.
नित्योऽनित्यानां चेतनश्चेतनानामेको बहूनां यो विदधाति कामान् ।
तमात्मस्थं येऽनुपश्यन्ति धीरास्तेषां शान्तिः शाश्वती नेतरेषाम् ॥
nityo‘nityānāṁ cetanaścetanānāmeko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān ।
tamātmasthaṁ ye‘nupaśyanti dhīrāsteṣāṁ śāntiḥ śāśvatī netareṣām ॥
(कठोपनिषत् kaṭhopaniṣad 2.2.13)
There is One who is the eternal Reality among non-eternal objects. The One truly conscious Entity among conscious objects and who, though non-dual, fulfils the desires of many. Eternal peace belongs to the wise, who perceive Him within themselves.
Once we know that truth, we understand and appreciate that we are like the different limbs of the same body, and therefore even if the eye is harmed inadvertently by the finger we don’t cut our finger, or if the tongue is bitten by the teeth unintentionally we don’t break our teeth away, instead we show compassion and forgiveness as we consider the teeth and the tongue, finger and the eye as ours. Now expand this idea and apply to family members, neighbours, community and even to a country, that all are ours and any harm to anyone is in a way harm to our own selves. With such an outlook, we will be able to restrain from reacting violently and instead take the path of tolerance and acceptance.
Most of the political efforts are based on the idea that we must refrain from violence, as an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind, but that’s more out of the idea that harm inflicted will invite violent reactions from the so-called-others, but here in sanātana dharma the idea is that there are no others to harm or be harmed by. All is One at the deepest level of spiritual existence and thus the only way is to coexist in harmony and acceptance. This is the deepest spiritual teaching of sanātana dharma to attain peace within and without.
But even if one is unable to experience this state of oneness and therefore is incapable of following this path, our sacred texts talk about considering all as members of the same family. The mantra from mahānārāyaṇopaniṣad – yatra viśvam bhavati eka nīdam – ‘where the whole world is a nest or shelter’, encourages one to think of the whole world as one home and a vast family which includes every living being, from the smallest insect to the most evolved humans. Thus, the desire for the well-being of all, should include our planet, our nature, all countries, and the entire humanity. The idea of vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam, ‘the whole world is a family’, is seen only in Indian ethos and nowhere else. Our prayers like the śānti mantra of yajurveda that talks about not being a cause of conflict or sorrow to each other – ‘mā vidviṣāvahai’, or the prayers for the well-being of all in the subhāṣita – sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ, or the vedic mantra of ‘lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu’ – we are told to constantly pray and work for the peace and happiness of all with a broad minded approach shunning the narrow selfish ideas of ‘I’ and ‘mine’.
This realisation of oneself and all that exists around as divine only can restore and sustain world peace and nothing else, is the firm conviction of sanātana dharma – nānyaḥ panthā ayanāya vidyate – there is no other way to the Supreme Goal.
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ॥
नित्योऽनित्यानां चेतनश्चेतनानामेको बहूनां यो विदधाति कामान् ।
तमात्मस्थं येऽनुपश्यन्ति धीरास्तेषां शान्तिः शाश्वती नेतरेषाम् ॥
nityo‘nityānāṁ cetanaścetanānāmeko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān।
tamātmasthaṁ ye‘nupaśyanti dhīrāsteṣāṁ śāntiḥ śāśvatī netareṣām॥
There is One who is the eternal Reality among non-eternal objects. The One truly conscious Entity among conscious objects and who, though non-dual, fulfils the desires of many. Eternal peace belongs to the wise, who perceive Him within themselves.
कठोपनिषत् kaṭhopaniṣad 2.2.13
jīvātman
the individualized soul or spirit
paramātman
God or Brahman
Form vs Formless Worship in sanātana dharma
Form vs Formless Worship in sanātana dharma
Article 14
By Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai
It’s been a long-drawn debate about whether one should worship the Divine with a form or without a form. This ideological difference has led to several disagreements amongst scholars as well as simple folk who subscribe to sanātana dharma. Today, let’s find out what is professed by the scriptures of sanātana dharma.
All of us, who are endowed with a name and a form, are naturally inclined to accept anything with a name and form, for the ease of understanding. It is therefore difficult to comprehend the idea of an abstract formless and nameless divinity by those who are bound by names and forms. We have already seen in various articles as to how sanātana dharma is the most pragmatic and flexible way of life with inclusivity at its core; and in this case too, sanātana dharma guides the seeker to choose between a form or formless worship.
In the twelfth chapter of bhakti yoga in bhagavadgītā, a confused Arjuna asks Sri Krishna as to who is superior, the one who worships a form or the one who worships the formless divinity. Sri Krishna replies, “Those who fix their minds on Me and always engage in My devotion with steadfast faith, I consider them to be the best yogins. But those who worship the formless aspect of the Absolute Truth – the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the all-pervading, the unthinkable, the unchanging, the eternal, and the immoveable – by restraining their senses and being even-minded everywhere, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all beings, also attain Me.” (Chapter 12, bhakti yoga, Verses 2-4)
However, Sri Krishna acknowledges that those who have a form or a body, find it very difficult to worship the Divine as the one without any form or attributes. (Chapter 12, bhakti yoga, Verse 5) Elsewhere in the bhagavadgītā, Sri Krishna assures devotees that whichever name and form they would like to worship according to their preferences, faith shall be granted to the sincere seeker in that name and form. (Chapter 7, jñāna-vijñāna yoga, Verse 21).
Therefore, in sanātana dharma while everyone is encouraged to worship the formless aspect of Divinity, one is allowed to worship a chosen form to begin this journey on the spiritual path. Think of a baby which is just learning to walk and needs support to even stand on two feet; the same baby does not need any support to walk when he or she grows up. Likewise, forms and names support the seeker to finally attain the understanding of the formless. Most of the bhakti mārga saints who began with the worship of a form, ultimately declared to the world that their deity is truly the formless brahman only. In modern times, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who was devoted to the form of Mother Kali, when confronted and questioned by a worshipper of the formless – Totapuri about his idol worship, without mincing any words said that the Mother is simply the manifestation of the ultimate formless Divinity. Pointing to a snake, he said, the moving and crawling as well as the stationary and coiled, both are snakes only, indicating that the immovable reality of the formless as well as the moving and changing forms are both but the same divinity and can be worshipped either way.

Totapuri about his idol worship, without mincing any words said that the Mother is simply the manifestation of the ultimate formless Divinity. Pointing to a snake, he said, the moving and crawling as well as the stationary and coiled, both are snakes only, indicating that the immovable reality of the formless as well as the moving and changing forms are both but the same divinity and can be worshipped either way.
On the other hand, a staunch proponent of the formless aspect of divinity, Sri Adi Shankaracharya, who wrote the highest treatise of non-dualistic philosophy of advaita vedānta also composed many poems in the worship of several deities of different names and forms without any prejudice.
Humans, born with a strong sense of attachment to their bodies naturally need to overcome this attachment (dehābhimāna); this needs to be done progressively by shifting attention from their own forms to a divine form and subsequently reach the formless aspect. It’s like removing one thorn stuck in the foot using another one, but eventually discarding both. The worship of divine forms helps the seeker overcome ego and attachments arising out of body consciousness, and thereby transcend even the form of the divine, to attain the formless truth.
Many have ridiculed this approach but that is only because they haven’t understood the depth of sanātana dharma. Once, Swami Vivekananda was questioned by a king who did not believe in idol worship. Swami Vivekananda replied in the most practical way. He asked the minister to spit on the portrait of the king that hung on the wall. The minister refused and the king too was enraged considering it as a personal insult. Witnessing this frenzy, Swami Vivekananda replied that he had only asked the minister to spit on a piece of canvas on the wall and not on the real king who was seated on the throne and questioned the reason for their outburst and anger. This way, he proved that while the canvas carrying the picture of the king, though was not the real king, it did symbolise and represent the king and therefore it was equally respected. The same is the case with worship of the Divine in a form which is simply a representation of the formless, thus ought to be respected. The concept of pratikopāsanā – ‘worship of symbols’ is seen in the most ancient cultures of the world; when the seeker could not comprehend the formless Divine, he created a symbol of worship which he believed to be a representation of the Divine. This is comparable to the national flag or the national emblem that represents the entire nation and any disrespect to these symbols of the nation, is equal to disregarding the entire nation.
Statues of Gods and goddesses installed in various temples undergo an elaborate ritual called prāṇapratiṣṭhā, to turn them into living representations of the formless reality. Several processes called upacāras are followed by the appointed worshippers trained to discharge them. These temples which serve as abodes to the idols of deities thus aid as symbols which help the devotee connect with the divine within. They are more like cues or direction sign boards to undertake the journey within. It’s unfortunate that over a period these deep concepts have been reduced to mere superficial exercises of external worship, which is like getting both the thorns stuck in the foot now! Places of worship have been morphed into a mere courtroom where the supreme judge, God, would pronounce verdicts of rewards and punishments with the appointed high priests as the court men. But all this is far from the truth that sanātana dharma preaches that while a stone is also God manifested in that piece of matter, God is not stone alone. The photo of one’s departed father is also considered as his representation, but the father is not just the photo printed on a piece of photo paper! Isn’t it?

Sri Adi Shankaracharya, who wrote the highest treatise of non-dualistic philosophy of advaita vedānta also composed many poems in the worship of several deities of different names and forms without any prejudice.
Just because someone has never travelled out of his village, the existence of other places which he has not seen cannot be denied. In the same manner, someone who has not experienced the truth cannot deny its existence. There are those who have experienced the truth of worshipping a form as well as the formless and have thus proclaimed that both are acceptable.
Therefore, it’s undeniable that in the initial journey we need help with certain objects, symbols, names, and forms for worship, but eventually we grow out of it to embrace the formless and nameless. The millennial old traditions of sanātana dharma are thus carefully designed by the seers to help the common man also experience the highest spiritual connect. That being so, there is nothing wrong in worshiping the forms, but the problem is when we end up only worshipping the forms and do not make effort to transcend to the formless.
It’s undeniable that in the initial journey we need help with certain objects, symbols, names, and forms for worship, but eventually we grow out of it to embrace the formless and nameless.

īśopaniṣad declares in the very opening verse that all that there is, both moving as well as stationary, is pervaded by the same iśā – or divinity. The upaniṣad also explains through its verses 9-11 that there are two paths namely that of vidyā – the knowledge of the supreme formless aspect of the Divine, and avidyā – the ignorance of the supreme formless aspect, and thus, devotion to the manifested aspect. It further elaborates and cautions that those who adore the forms are subsumed by darkness, as that is not the ultimate reality of brahman who has no specific name and form. But those who adore the unknown formless aspect enter an even greater darkness, and apparently so because of their limited thinking that the Supreme Divinity can only be formless! However, the upaniṣad subsequently reconciles that by using the path of worship of the manifested divinity one crosses over death, and through the knowledge of the formless aspect one attains immortality. In essence, whichever path is taken by a seeker – worship of the form or the formless – if one is unable to appreciate that the same Supreme Divine which does not have any precise form, name, or aspects, is capable enough to manifest as a form with names and aspects too, one has not understood the truth in its entirety.
After all, can anyone question the ability, authority, or the choice of the Supreme Divine to be formless or take an explicit form?
We shall discuss this in the next article.
The very opening verse of īśopaniṣad declares that all is pervaded by the same iśā – or divinity.
ईशावास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् ।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्य स्विद्धनम् ॥ १ ॥
īśāvāsyamidaṃ sarvaṃ yatkiñca jagatyāṃ jagat |
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya sviddhanam || 1 ||
All this-whatsoever moves in this universe (and those that move not) is covered (indwelt or pervaded or enveloped or clothed) by the Lord. That renounced, enjoy. Do not covet anybody’s wealth (Or – Do not covet, for whose is wealth?)
Ishavasya Upanishad – Verse 1
vidyā
the knowledge of the supreme formless aspect of the Divine
avidyā
the ignorance of the supreme formless aspect, and thus, devotion to the manifested aspect.
Four Values for Sustainable Societies in sanātana dharma
Four Values for Sustainable Societies in
sanātana dharma
Article 12
By Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai
In the wake of depleting resources and increasing population, much is being discussed these days about sustainability of the planet and human race. ‘Is there a solution to this problem in sanātana dharma?’ is what we are going to understand today. Generally, when we hear about sustainability, we are often given to understand three words – reduce, reuse and recycle. But this apart, our sanātana dharma provides the fourth and the most effective solution to this problem, which is to ‘refuse’ what we don’t need. In today’s use-and-throw culture driven by mindless spending and endless consumption, sanātana dharma teaches us how to lead our lives so that while we live, we let others live too.

In the bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad there is a story that when the three-fold progeny of Prajapati Brahma namely gods, men and demons approached him for advice and instructions, he replied ‘da’, which was understood by each of them differently.
Gods are endowed with tremendous powers and therefore must restrain themselves from using them lest they should harm others, and thus they understood the utterance ‘da’ as ‘dama’ which means self-control or restraint.
Men or humans interpreted the utterance ‘da’ as ‘dāna’ which means charity, and that is because humans by nature are greedy and therefore charity is the way to rein in their excessive greed.
The demons who also heard the same instruction of ‘da’ inferred that their father was asking them to practise ‘dayā’ or compassion, as demons are said to be inherently cruel.
Accordingly, the lessons for the three kinds of personalities were – ‘dama’, ‘dāna’, and ‘dayā’ – control, charity and compassion.
This symbolic story from the upaniṣad carries a deep lesson for all. In every human being, there are godly qualities called sāttvic (state of selfless serenity), human qualities called rajasic (state of selfish activity) and demonic qualities called tamasic (a state dominated by survival instincts), representing the three sons of the Creator. Inevitably, every human being needs to practise all the three virtues. In today’s world divided between the haves and have-nots, where a handful of humans own and control most of the world’s wealth and resources, these values are of even greater significance. But how do these three values correlate to the popular formula of sustainability, that of reduce, reuse and recycle?
A deeper thought would reveal that restraining oneself from consuming incrementally even though one may have the wealth and power to do it, is nothing but ‘reduce’. Think of the wealthy nations of the world who have within their reach whatever they want, but if they spend endlessly and consume excessively, they would create artificial demand and price rise, which would then make the same things inaccessible and unaffordable to the people in poorer nations. Is it not then expected of them to ‘reduce’, by restraining themselves or in other words practise dama?
Now, think of those who have finished using an item or an object which is no longer required by them. For example, clothes and shoes that don’t fit anymore, or a bicycle that is too small to use now, or for that matter any other thing of utility, including excessive wealth that they may never need. Unable to get rid of the attachment to such things, people generally pursue storing them or simply discard them without minding the environmental hazards of such waste; in either of the cases, the resources haven’t been utilised in the best way. Instead, if they chose to share it with those who may need them, would it not lead to better distribution of resources and a more equitable society? And that is precisely practising dāna or charity. In other words, it is ‘reusing’ resources by giving others who need them more but cannot afford or access them.
The third value of dayā or compassion is equivalent to ‘recycle’. When we consume, we essentially use up earth’s resources that belong to all including insects, birds and animals. For production of utilities, we use natural resources like water that flows in the rivers where many creatures dwell, air that is breathed by one and all for their sustenance, and earth and space that shelter all beings, flora and fauna. When we use these resources, they gradually diminish and become less available to other life forms and also get polluted in the process – like clearing a forest or diverting a river or disposing effluents into the water systems or discharging harmful exhausts into the atmosphere. All this is a form of cruelty, wherein knowingly or unknowingly, we are causing harm to the numerous other co-dwellers of our planet earth, both seen and unseen. Therefore, when we consume carefully and also ensure that we don’t pollute the environment by thoughtlessly eliminating our wastes, but instead recycle them to extend their usability, we are showing compassion to all and that is dayā.
In Indian households, we always practised these values from ancient times, as no one bought anything more than what was necessary even if they had the money to do so, let alone borrowing and buying. No one discarded things after one use, instead found ways to reuse them, like the old clothes of the older child were used by the younger ones and likewise, plus everyone practised charity to the poor and the needy. In fact, most of the households cooked an extra meal for someone hungry or donated to the temples where the destitute were fed. We as Indians also were very careful not to discard things mindlessly as we considered all life sacred and worshipped earth, rivers, trees, animals and even mountains with gratitude. Most of the Indian societies used supplies that were naturally and organically produced starting with their food, all the way to their houses. Thus, these could be bio-degraded easily, without causing any harm to the ecosystem. Ergo, these three values of ‘dama’, ‘dāna’, and ‘dayā’ – reduce, reuse, and recycle – were in action in our daily lives.
But that was not all. Another much greater value that was taught by the sacred texts of sanātana dharma was that of ‘tyāga’ or sacrifice which we may call ‘refuse’ all that which is not needed. īśāvāsyopaniṣad which is a part of the yajurveda, proclaims in it’s very opening verse:
ईशा वास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् ।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्य स्विद्धनम् ॥
īśā vāsyamidaṁ sarvaṁ yatkiñca jagatyāṁ jagat ।
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya sviddhanam ॥
(ईशावास्योपनिषत् īśāvāsyopaniṣad 1)
Meaning: All that you see in this changing world, is all enveloped by the Divine. Therefore, consume with sacrifice and do not take any other person’s wealth.
However simple this may sound it is very profound and deep. Since sanātana dharma taught that one must consider everything and everyone as Divine, it was imperative for everyone to think of others before oneself and sacrifice for the sake of others before consuming. It taught that one had to be mindful of others who may be in greater need, and one ought to think of anything before consuming that might be required more by others than oneself as rightfully belonging to others who needed them more. As a result, the need defined what truly belonged to whom, and not the purchasing power.
These four values of dama (reduce), dāna (reuse), dayā (recycle) and tyāga (sacrifice) can be seen mentioned in the yogasūtras of patañjali, albeit in different terms in the basic spiritual practises of yama-niyama, that one must undertake to realise one’s divinity. Sage patañjali asks the seeker to practise santoṣa or contentment which is to reduce one’s wants and desires, which is nothing but dama; aparigraha or not hoarding what is not necessary which is to give away in charity or dāna; ahiṁsā or non-violence which is to not cause harm, in other words to practise dayā; and finally, asteya or non-stealing, which is to not take anything that belonged to others as they may be in greater need – which is to practise tyāga.

When the world at large thinks about sustainable societies, more often than not, the solutions are based on capitalistic or socialistic ideas, very different from the spiritual fundamentals that sanātana dharma teaches us. So far we have tried every other theory of social sustainability but haven’t succeeded much; why not try these eternal values taught by sanātana dharma now?
We shall discuss this in the next article.
It is imperative to sacrifice for the sake of others before consuming
ईशा वास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् ।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्य स्विद्धनम् ॥
īśā vāsyamidaṁ sarvaṁ yatkiñca jagatyāṁ jagat ।
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya sviddhanam ॥
All that you see in this changing world, is all enveloped by the Divine. Therefore, consume with sacrifice and do not take any other person’s wealth.
ईशावास्योपनिषत् īśāvāsyopaniṣad 1
dama
self-control
dāna
charity
dayā
compassion