HINDUISM - Q & A Part 4

What is Kalpasutra /kalpasastra?

Kalpasutra is a series of voluminous books written by many Rishies each of the book is known with the name of the corresponding Rishies. The major kalpasutras are Boudhaayana kalpasutra, Aapasthamba kalpasutra, Kaatyaayana kalpasutra and Maanava kalpa sutra. Each of the kalpasutra may have more than five to ten thousand pages.

How these kalpasastras are divided for different acharas?

Division of Kalpa saastra is done as Gruhyasutra, Dharma sutra, Sroutha sutra, Pitrumedha sutra, Sulbasutra and Prayaschitta part. Some of the Kalpasutra may have one or more chapters dealing with some other subjects also.

Why the acharas differ among Hindus?

This is because different opinions are presented on the method of performance in different Kalpasutras. All the Kalpasutra do not give the same procedure for each achara. The explanations differ, hence the difference seen in those who are following that kalpasutra.

Can you give example for such differences?

Some people celebrate Sivaratri on a particular day another group may celebrate in a different day. For one group, on the ekadasi day the srardha can be performed for another group srardha should be performed on that day. This difference is not serious. One should understand that the opinions of the Rishies vary and it is permitted.

Can we see this type of variations in other religion also?

Do not try to compare our acharas with those of others. Their acharas are explained in their prime text and connected with god or religion. Our acharas may not have any direct link to religion or spirituality. Remember that this type of variation is there in other religion also. Ramadan falls in different days in different places. For many, the Christmas is on 6^th January. Some Christians do not worship Cross at all. These are all variations.

Are there descriptions of acharas in puranas ?

Many stories/ discussions /advise written in puranas are aimed at informing the merits of the acharas. The acharas mentioned in puranic stories have more spirituality in it. Particularly vrathas, pilgrimage, bhakti, pooja , performance, etc.

How the stories are used in puranas to convey the message of acharas?

In puranas, different stories of following the acharas are narrated. The stories convey the merits of performing the acharas which motivates people to follow the acharas. Focus is given through spirituality in puranas.

How the contents of itihasas (Epics) carry the acharas ?

The itihasas indirectly convey the merits and the messages of following the acharas. It is easy to remember the stories and hence easy to remember the merits of acharas also. This is also given as the Rishies advising Dhasaratha/

Kaikeyee/ Dharmaputra/ Rama/ Arjuna and to many others as dialogue/dis ussion. The message gets into our mind like from that of a drama.

How many acharas are mentioned in Vedas?

Vedas give only ultimate truths, messages and facts of life. But in Yajurveda, Yaga based acharas are mentioned. In sama Veda acharas connected with chanting the sama gana are given indirectly . For achieving the target of many of the great messages of Vedas the dharma sastras give the guidance through acharas.

Does the Upanishad carry the explanations of acharas ?

There are more than 108 Upanishads and many acharas are explained in Upanishads. The acharas connected with poojas, yoga, araadhana, bhakti, manthra, thanthra, yanthra, etc. are also described in some Upanishads. In the major 18 Upanishads, you may not see the description of acharas.

How many types of acharas are followed by people ?

One cannot classify the acharas in types. There are acharas which are performed for spiritual benefits known as Mokaha acharas. There are acharas performed for prosperity and happiness which are known as kaamya acharas. The former has high level of spirituality in it.

Can we explain the merits of acharas in a nut shell?

The acharas do have many merits which can be classified under FIVE categories. Acharas beneficial for mind, body, family, society and nation.

How psychology/ mind is involved in acharas?

Each individual is a combination of physical body and mind. The mind is the most important factor guiding the man/ family/ society and nation. Hence many acharas are formulated to make the mind perfect and healthy. Either in individual or as group.

What are the psychological benefits of acharas?

Examples of psychologically beneficial Acharas : Chanting a mantra/ keerthan/ naama /etc. Faith in divine power and even the concept of god are created for mental or psychological benefits. The faith or sraddha or bhakti in god is for psychological benefits.

Do you mean to say that fear of god is good ?

We, Indians never say ‘ god fearing’ but we are god loving - Eeswara Bhakti is what is required and not Daiva bhayam. Hence the bhakti has psychological benefit.

What are the acharas for psychological benifit ?

Taking the blessing from elders, listening to the puranic and related stories, taking food with family members, visiting friends and relatives, doing yoga, sharing the problems with friends and family members………are all psychologically beneficial acharas.

What are the physiological benefits of acharas ?

Any acharas which can contribute to better health fall under this category of acharas. It is told that sareeram adhyam khalu dharma sadhanam. Body is the first tool for performing the dharma. Hence health is very important factor for maintaining a dharmic life.

What are the examples of such type of acharas ?

Examples of physiologically beneficial acharas are: doing soorya namaskara ( Sun salutation) which is an ideal exercise for all the movable skeletal joints. The soorya namaksara is composed of seven yogaasanas. Each of which can contribute the best possible way to smoothen the movement of skeletal joints. Hence soorya namaskara is known as the king of the exercises.

How many more such acharas can be named?

There are thousands of such acharas practiced in India. Few more such acharas are mentioned here: morning prayer at the time of waking up (chanting karaagre vasathe lakshmi…) for balancing blood pumping pressure of the heart, touching the floor as bhoo vandanam ( samudra vasane devi…) for releasing bio static electricity from the body through fingers, taking morning bath for cleansing external body, prayer before taking food ( for activating salivary glands and digestive enzyme glands) avoid keeping head towards north while sleeping to keep the body position non-parallel to earth’s magnetic field for facilitating the smooth blood flow to the brain, taking vegetarian food, putting chandan/ kumkum/ bhasma/ on the forehead, keeping tulasi ( sacred basil) in the back of the ear, cleaning the legs/hands and face after a long walk outside,…. ( you can find out many more examples)

What will be the sin if the acharas are not practiced ?

Acharas are not for purifying from papa nor for getting punya. It is purely for our earthly life and health. Hence, if you are not performing acharas, it will never create any sin. It is not the god’s responsibility to punish you. God is not sitting for punishing us. These type of explanations are childish . But the merits expected from the acharas may not be available, if they are not practiced.

HINDUISM - Q & A Part 3

Is it compulsory that every Hindu should follow these acharas?

It is left to his/her discretion whether to practice or not to do so. It is said that Swagrame pooranmacharas anya graame thadarkhakam pattane tu thath paadam yaatre balaath acharatheth. If you are living in your own village, follow all the acharas. If you are living in other villages, follow one half of the acharas. And if you are in a city /town one quarter of the acharas are to be practiced. But in en tour, acharas need not be followed like a child.

From whom should we learn the acharas or its clarifications ?
The dharma sastra tells you that : Achinoti cha sastrarthan sishyaan sadhayathey syudhi swayam acharati chaiva sa acharya it smrutha.
He who knows the scientific meaning of the acharas, teach the acharas simple ways with examples and demonstrate it by self practice, is known as the aachaarya. Take one quarter from this aachaarya.

Why Hindu dharma is also known as sanaathana dharma ?
Acharas are the foundations of Sanathana dharma. All the acharas together make dharma. ( aachara prabhavo dharma). So Hindu dharma is correct.

How can we connect the acharas and dharma ?
Say for example the acharas to be performed by the mother is known as Maathru dharma; by the father is known as Pitru dharma ; by the son is putra dharma; by the husband Bhartru dharma and by the wife patnee dharma….and so on . Even for the citizens we have Poura dharma, for teachers, the acharya dharma, for the kings Rajadharma ....... and so on ! Now, the Sanaathana dharma can be defined thus: The maathru dharma + pitru dharma + putra dharma + putree dharma + bhartru dharma +......+ raja dharma = sanathana dharma. The sanathana dharma has the following meaning also Sanaathana = chira puratana (older than the oldest) + nitya noothana ( ever novel). Dharma = dhaaranaath dharma = the one which is guiding you is dharma. So sanathana dharma is the one which is very old and ever existing and the one which is protecting you and that is practiced by one and all in bharath.

Should we blindly follow the aacharas of Hindu dharma ?
You can critically follow or blindly follow. You can accept or reject the messages of dharma. You have the freedom for doing both. Nothing in this dharma is strict.

What is meant by the freedom of the Individual?
In sanathana dharma the followers have the freedom for criticizing the negatives, evaluating the merits, correcting the superstitions and mistakes, modifying the ideas based on desa ( place), kaala (time) and the condition of the practitioner. Adding any novel ideas beneficial for human beings, deleting which are irrelevant and obsolete, accepting anything good for the benefit of individuals/family/society/nation, from anywhere or rejecting any outdated practices are the main principles of the freedom.

Can the Hindus change the contents of religious books?
They can make their own recensions and sakhas of any book. The old will remain the same. New one created will be known in the name of the composer. Any of the Hindu beliefs, thoughts, books, faiths, rituals, customs, concepts, can be subjected to the above process of refining through addition, deletion, correction and modification.

Why sanathana dharma is not rigid ?
Because of the above freedom, Hindus have as many as 1280 basic dharmic books (matha granthas with thousands of commentaries- there may be a different version for this number ) where as the other religions have only one book each. Something rigid or strict, followed without refining and questioning, cannot exist in the world for a long period. As long as you have the freedom to think, the flexibility is inevitable and progress is the part of it.

Why this oldest religion still survives?
Because of the great freedom given by our Rishies for taking good from everywhere and rejecting bad at any time. Hindu dharma still remains strong even after more than a thousand years of foreign aggression and massacre, in India.

Who is the final authority in Hindu dharma, like the pope for Christians?
There is no final authority for Hindus whose words are final. You know other civilizations like Mesopotamia, Greek, Egyptians, Babylonia,, ,,,,etc got wiped out from the surface of the globe Earth. Bharatheeya dharma did not die. It is giving light to billions of people world over. Its contributions are becoming great subject for learning and practicing, world over. This is because everyone has the freedom to add, subtract, delete, correct and modify the ideas and practices. None is labeled as the final authority to direct or impose the rule.

Why do the Hindus have many religious books?
Our forefathers knew that, all the knowledge required for the progress of the human beings cannot be included in one book, nor one saint can contribute for that. Hence our forefathers wrote hundreds of books for the benefit of the human beings world over.

How the Hindu acharas are explained in books?
Our Acharas are explained in these books in many ways like: presented as stories, historical facts, rituals, customs, directives, guidelines, etc.

What are the rules to be followed while performing the acharas?
You know that there are three factors for modern physics, the time, the space and the perceiver or the observer. In the same way there are three factors in the Hindu acharas also, the time and place/space of performing the acharas and the person who perform it. Hence one should select good time, sacred place and cleanliness/suddhi of the body and mind. All the acharas are based on these three factors.

In which book (s) Hindu acharas are explained?
The acharas are explained in Puraanaas, Itihasaas, Dharmasastras, Gruhyasootraas, Sroutha sootraas, Upanishads, Vedangas, Upavedas, and Darsanaas. Different acharas are written in different books which we will discuss in detail later part of this book.

Will the acharas remain the same without any change?
Continuous refinement of each achara has taken place in the course of time with the help of acharyas. The Gurus are the reformers of Sanathana dharma. Each acharya or guru can refine these acharas in the course of time and place, depending upon the requirements /needs of the individual and the society.

Should we follow the acharas and the acharyas strictly/ blindly?
Everyone has the freedom to refine the acharas by addition, deletion, modification and correction, depending upon the time, place and other parameters like country, where these acharas are performed. However refining the acharas is done without loosing the spirit and message of the acharas. There is nothing like ‘strictly following’ the acharas or acharyas.

How the Hindu acharas differ from those of other religion?
Majority of the Hindu acharas are not part of Vedas. They are separately compiled in dharma sastras. Each achara is formulated in such a way that science and spirituality integrate in it. The merits of the science and that of the value based scientific spirituality are integrated for personal/ family/social and national progress.

What are the prime aims of the acharas ?.
Prime aim of acharas is not going to heaven or nearer to gods. But many people think so. It is also not for getting the benefit during facing the final verdict of god. It is for making our life comfortable, heavenly and divine, with as much values added to it as possible.

Where the acharas to be performed by the family members are written?
Acharas to be performed by the family members are known as gruhastha acharas. They are written in many books coming under the kalpasastra , which is the fifth Vedanga . The part where this type of acharas are written is known as gruhya sutra. Many gruhasta acharas are given in puranas also. Gruhastha means family members.

Where can we read the acharas for mahayaagaas and yajnaas ?
The rituals connected with the performance of yagas are described in sroutha sutra part of Kalpasaastra. Kalpasastra / Kalpasutra is the fifth vedanga.

In which part of kalpasootra, the acharas to be performed by the King, Queen, citizens, professors, business men, etc are written?
This part is known as dharma sutra part of kalpasootra. Each and every aspect connected with rules and regulation of the country, the fundamental principles, directives for citizens, etc are written under dharma sastra or dharma sutra.

Are the dharma saastra and dharma sutra, same ?
Saastra word means what is giving you the instruction and guidance, The dharma sastra is the one which is giving you guidance. Sutra means thread / small set of words giving a great message. Hence dharma sutra is the same as dharma saastra, which can give you message in few words or one or two lines known as sutras.

Where can we details of after death acharas and rituals ?
The after death ceremonies and during death ceremonies /rituals are known as anthyeshti. They are also known as pithru medha karma. This is available in the fourth part of Kalpa saastra known as pithrumedha sutra.

How to compensate the mistakes in performing the acharas ?
For all the mistakes and omissions, we have prayaschitta. The word prayaschitta means the acharas of repentance. It is also a part of kalpa saastra.