Karma -The Inseparable

This is a story from Agama Sutras Buddha's early sermons:
Once there was a man who had four wives. The man grew old and became ill. When he was dying he felt lonely and asked his first wife whom he loved the most to accompany him to life after death. He asked her “My beloved wife I took care of you each day throughout my life .Now I'm going to die, will you come to wherever I go after death?"
He thought the answer would be a yes but it wasn't she replied “My dear, I know you took great care of me and you are going to die now it's time for both of us two separate. Goodbye"
Listening to this he was shocked but then he called his second wife for whom he was always worried as he could have easily lost her but managed to stick with her till the very end. He asked her the same question and she replied "You loved me because of your own selfishness then how can I follow you in death"
After first and second wife he called his third wife and asked the same question but she replied with tears in her eyes "My love, I’m sad that you will die but can accompany you till graveyard not in your death"
Now only his four wife was left who he never cared about he was sure that she will deny his offer but due to fear of loneliness he dared to ask her and to his pleasant surprise she replied "My dear, I can never be separated from you i will come with you wherever you go after your death"
Buddha then explains the story:
The first wife is your body of whom you daily take care but as you die your body is burnt to ashes.
The second wife is your material possession, fame and wealth. You fear of it being lost but ultimately after your death you are going to lose it.
The third wife is your relative they can grieve at your death but even they will leave you at graveyard.
The fourth wife is your Karma of whom you never take care in your whole life but that's the only thing that will accompany you.
Moral: We can't separated from our Karma

Sanatandharma and modern philosophy of religion

Sanatandharma is by far the most complex and most easy religion to understand due to its flexibility though in vedic times it was set of rules or laws that governed universe modern rigidity has transformed it into a "Relgion".

You may be a Theist or atheist, monotheist or polytheist,  sanyaasi or materialist  you are accepted in sanatandharma this makes it very confusing for its followers of different philosophies and hence very complex but this is the very reason which makes it even more easy to follow not depending on which philosophy of Religion you follow you will still be governed by an "eternal law"(Sanatandharama).Now let us discuss how modern philosophies of religion are considered in Sanatandharma.

First of all the most contentious in "modern Hinduism" atheism let me take a verse from Rig Veda to discuss this philosophy:   "truly? Who can here declare it? Whence it was born, whence is this emanation. By the emanation of this the gods only latter [came to be].Who then knows whence it has arisen? Whence this emanation hath arisen, whether [god] disposed it, or whether he did not. Only he who is its overseer in the highest heaven knows. [He only knows]or perhaps  he does not know"   this verse is clear agnosticism if not atheism where he ask certain questions and doubts about god. Even amongst the six darshanams of Sanatan philosophy Samkhya is clearly atheistic and is based on innate interdependence of purush(man) and prakruti even carvaka system of nastika(heterodox) schools were not only materialistic but also atheistic.

Now we move to the theistic, monotheistic and polytheistic views which are what now mostly forms present Hindu religion. For an outsider sanatandharma is polytheistic religion where they pray about 33 crore deities but only a true follower knows that it deeply monotheistic as in Santandharam's philosophy each form of living or non living is worshipped as forms of god. A verse from RigVeda clearly states as:

Indraṃ mitraṃ varuṇamaghnimāhuratho divyaḥ sa suparṇo gharutmān, ekaṃ sad viprā bahudhā vadantyaghniṃ yamaṃ mātariśvānamāhuḥ

"They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutmān.To what is one, sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan."   

Sanatandharma is also deeply pantheistic the reason which makes it monotheistic system is the same reason which makes it pantheistic that is a belief that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent God. Considering rivers, forests, animals, mountains, mother earth and trees as sacred this oneness with nature makes it deeply pantheistic.  Amongst the six darshanams sakhaya and yoga are based on the thoughts of innate and independent realities 1) consciousness itself (Purusha)   2) primordial materiality (Prakriti).Adaivata Vedantism taught about atman (true self; human soul) is indistinct from Brahman (the unknown reality of everything) and hence Adi-Shankara who consolidated vedantism sixth darshanam of sanatan philosophy said those who know the truth are the only brahmins rest all are shudra.

At last we will discuss sanyaas and materialism sanyaas is the stage of renunciation as said by lord Krishna in Bhagvad Gita:"The giving up of activities that are based on material desire is what great learned men call the renounced order of life [sannyas]. And giving up the results of all activities is what the wise call renunciation [tyaga]" Hence Sanyaas is developing vairag from the worldly life and is considered necessary for moksha. Now even there are certain school of thoughts who defend materialism very strongly the most vociferous among them is carvaka school of Nastika(heterodoxy). Carvaka system believed that there was nothing wrong in enjoying pleasure as it decreases your pain and carvaka considered austerity and rejecting pleasure as foolish.

This is santanadharma where there is an argument and a counter argument one may not agree but this is what makes it special as it has an agreement of disagreement governed by an eternal law and that is why even today it can accommodate all the philosophies of modern religion. 

Karna - An Enigma

Karna is by far the most discussed character in Mahabharat was he an Antihero or a hero  , who was better Arjuna or Karna ,Was he right or wrong in siding Durryodhana are the question that strike one when he reads about the legendary warrior.

Let's begin by Karna the warrior who was a better him or Arjuna here I will consider Virata parva where Arjuna defeated all the mighty warriors but on contrary we have to take in mind Karna parva where he defeated all the Pandavas and Arjuna was saved by sunset,Krishma himself and PavanPutra in form of dhavaj on his chariot.But when one considers Virata yuddh one should also consider that Karna never used Vijay Dhanush of Parshuram other than war of Kurukshetra which always gave an edge to Arjuna empowered with Gandiva.So,I would cite other example which could make it a lot more clear during war of Kurukshetra Arjuna's each blow took Karna 10 steps back while Karna's blow could move Arjuna's chariot  just one step back but with lord himself and Pavanputra on same chariot such a feat was for no normal warrior he was of the same class as Arjuna I would say a notch higher.

Now,we should move to character Karna a hero or anti-hero everyone knows about Karna the Dhanveer he who knew Dharma like Dharmaraj Yudhistir himself as once said by Krishna but there were certain flaw also in him especially supporting Duryodhana in Draupadi's chirharan , Killing Abhimanyu in a cowardly manner though Draupadi herself insulted him by calling him sutputra during swayamvar but these two are considered primary reason for his fall.Still these were small compared to his good deeds hence for me he is both hero as well as anti-hero.

Finally whether he should have sided Durryodhana, when whole of society and even his mother who gave him birth rejected him and his talent for being a lower caste it was Durryodhana who gave him the status and made him Angaraj and earned his loyalty for lifetime.But the last days before war were interesting where Krishna makes him aware of the truth of his birth this creates in him soft corner for his brothers Krishna asks him to join Pandavas but Karna declines it as it would be unethical to leave Durryodhana in such trying situation he also knew that if Yuddhistir comes to know that Karna is his elder brother he will give Indraprastha's throne to him and Karna being loyal to Durryodhana will give it instead to him which will be victory of Adharma,hence in this complex situation he had no other option but to fight for Durryodhana.

Indeed Karna's life was an enigma.