Learning Sanskrit by Interaction at HDFpuri

[saidevo]

Namaste.

Let us use this thread to post our doubts and learning difficulties in Sanskrit that may be answered to by other members and those who are well-versed in Sanskrit.

My problem:

I understand that words in Sanskrit have three forms: singular, dual and plural; these are dependent on the seven cases. For example, the name 'rAmA' has the forms 'rAmaH, rAmau, rAmA' in the first case; the forms in other cases differ suitably.

Can we use the singular and plural forms as in English in a general way? For example, what are the dual and plural forms of a word like 'adhipatiH' and 'sAdhakA'? Some English texts simply suffix these words with 's' as with English words: 'adhipati-s', 'sAdhakA-s', which I think is not right. What is the correct usage of such plural forms?

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Saidevo,

The nominative singular case of adhipati is adhipatiH, the dual form is adhipatI, and the plural (i.e. three or more) is adhipatayaH.

The nominative singular case of sAdhakA (i.e. durgA) is sAdhakA, the dual is sAdhake, and the plural is sAdhakAH. And sAdhikA (the usual feminine form of sAdhaka) follows the same pattern.

To simply indicate the plural case of a foreign word in English it is common to just add an ‘s’, and writing something like ‘sAdhikA-s’ (for sAdhikAH) is no problem if we are communicating in English.

Take the word ‘platypus’, for example. Should one search out the Greek plural (platypodes) or would it be OK to say ‘platypuses’ or to simply use ‘platypus’ as a collective noun? So long as the meaning is quite clear, I would say that it does not really matter. If one were trying to learn Greek, however, the correct grammatical form would be helpful.

[sarabhanga]

The nominative singular case of sAdhakA (i.e. durgA) is sAdhakA, the dual is sAdhake, and the plural is sAdhakAH. And sAdhikA (the usual feminine form of sAdhaka) follows the same pattern.

And for the masculine sAdhaka, the nominative singular is sAdhakaH, the dual is sAdhakau, and the plural is sAdhakAH.

The nominative singular case of the masculine rAma is rAmaH, the dual form is rAmau, and the plural is rAmAH ~ and rAmA is the nominative singular case of the feminine gender (with the dual form rAme, and plural rAmAH).

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga,

Thank you for your kind explanations that are helpful. Very kind of you to have taken the time and efforts to clarify my doubts. Is there any simple Sanskrit text (unlike the grammar and dictionary texts of Monier Williams which are elaborate) that lists such forms (with or without meaning) for ready and quick reference?

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Saidevo,

The singular, dual, and plural, nominative cases are formed according to the following paradigms:

Masculine, ending in -a (e.g. nara) ~ naraH narau narAH

Feminine ending in -I (e.g. nadI) ~ nadI nadyau nadyaH

Feminine ending in -A (e.g. bAlA) ~ bAlA bAle bAlAH

Neuter ending in -a (e.g. phala) ~ phalam phale phalAni

Masculine ending in -i (e.g. agni) ~ agniH agnI agnayaH

Masculine ending in -u (e.g. guru) ~ guruH gurU guravaH

[sarabhanga]

And if those paradigms are insufficient, I am sure that this site contains the information you seek: sanskrit-sanscrito.com (http://www.sanskrit-sanscrito.com.ar/common_files/sitemap/sitemap.html)

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga.


And if those paradigms are insufficient, I am sure that this site contains the information you seek: sanskrit-sanscrito.com (http://www.sanskrit-sanscrito.com.ar/common_files/sitemap/sitemap.html)

Thank you for this excellent information. Though I was aware of this Website, I haven't seriously looked it over. Perhaps now is the time.

My learning Sanskrit is confounded by my fluency in Tamil which is my mother tongue and familiarity with Hindi which I learnt during my high school days. Most Sanskrit words happen to be at least vaguely familiar for me as they are used either directly (with a Tamilized accent) or as the base in Tamil; and due to my familiarity with Hindi, the mind readily seeks the plural and case forms of that language for Sanskrit words! I need to unlearn these habits and learn Sanskrit within its own holy sphere of influence. Besides, there is always the habit of laziness and procrastination of a householder, which also retards efforts of practical spiritual 'sAdhanA', though I happen to read a lot.

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~



And if those paradigms are insufficient, I am sure that this site contains the information you seek: sanskrit-sanscrito.com (http://www.sanskrit-sanscrito.com.ar/common_files/sitemap/sitemap.html)


Namaste sarabhanga,
I was looking at this site for dhātu-pātha. Is this a good URL? I am hoping to find all of them ( ~2,000 or so) in one location.

Any help is welcomed.

pranams,

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Yajvan,

The full dhAtupATha (in saMskRta) is available here: pANini dhAtupATha (http://www.sanskritweb.org/cakram/dhAtupATha.pdf)

And the aSTAdhyAyI of pANini has been translated by shrIsha candra vasu.

Otherwise, Monier-Williams’ often mentioned Sanskrit-English Dictionary includes all the verbal roots anyone could need.

I doubt that the sanskrit-sanscrito site includes the whole dhAtupATha, but I would not have given the link if I didn’t think it was good.

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga,



The singular, dual, and plural, nominative cases are formed according to the following paradigms:

Masculine, ending in -a (e.g. nara) ~ naraH narau narAH

Feminine ending in -I (e.g. nadI) ~ nadI nadyau nadyaH

Feminine ending in -A (e.g. bAlA) ~ bAlA bAle bAlAH

Neuter ending in -a (e.g. phala) ~ phalam phale phalAni

Masculine ending in -i (e.g. agni) ~ agniH agnI agnayaH

Masculine ending in -u (e.g. guru) ~ guruH gurU guravaH

The masculine form of a word such as 'Alaya' (abode, house, temple) is mentioned as 'AlayaH' whereas its neuter form is given as 'AlayaM' or 'Alayam'. What would be the three forms for words ending in -m or -M?

The Monier Williams online dictionary, however, mentions only 'Alaya' for both the male and neuter forms. But then the dictionary by V.S. Apte gives 'AlayaM' as the neuter form while the small dictionary published by Sanskrit Education Society, Chennai gives the neuter form as 'Alayam'.

Another such word is the 'cakram' (wheel). The MWD gives its form as only 'cakra' whereas VSAD gives it as 'cakraM'. Old Theosophical books used the word 'chakram' for the spiritual 'chakra'.

Is there a possibility that the dictionaries compiled by Western authors have anglicized Sanskrit words? This should not be done, however, in a Sanskrit dictionary. When English takes Latin words such as 'summum bonum', 'cerebellum', etc. almost in their original forms in Latin, why change only Sanskrit words?

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Saidevo,

Remember the paradigms:

Masc. in -a (e.g. nara) ~ naraH narau narAH
Neut. in -a (e.g. phala) ~ phalam phale phalAni

The root form is the same in each case (whether masculine or neuter), i.e. ending in -a.

If Alaya is considered as masculine, then the nominative singular is AlayaH, but if Alaya is considered neuter, then the nominative singular is Alayam.

And likewise with cakra (although the masculine rarely occurs) ~ i.e. masc. cakraH and neut. cakram.

It is the vocative case which is nearest to the root.

Considering the nominative, vocative, and accusative, singular cases for Alaya:

The nominative case is AlayaH (masc.) or Alayam (neut.).
The vocative case is Alaya (masc. or neut.) or Alayam (neut.).
And the accusative case is Alayam (masc. or neut.).

And for cakra (neuter): the nominative is cakram, the vocative is cakra or cakram, and the accusative is also cakram.

Monier-Williams gives only “cakra (n.)”, but then cakram is naturally assumed to be the nominative singular case ~ there has been no covert anglicizing here.

[saidevo]

I came across this Samskrt verse in the book The Science of Peace by Bhagavan Das (p.159):

अकारः सर्ववर्णाग्रयः प्रकाशः परमेश्वरः;
आध्यम् अन्त्येन संयोगाढ् 'अहम्' इत्येव जायते ।

akAraH sarvavarNAgrayaH prakAshaH parameshvaraH;
Adhyam antyena saMyogADh 'aham' ityeva jAyate |
-- Nandik-eshvara-kaarikaa , 4

The meaning of these lines, I think, is perhaps (members may please add clarity):

"As the letter 'a' stands in front of all the colorful experiences of the world, bright like Parameshvara, so does the Self stands without beginning and end."

It seems to me that this verse has a striking resemblance to the first couplet of the revered TirukkuraL that says:

akara mudala ezhuttellAm--Adi
bhagavan mudatRe ulagu.

"Just as all the letters originate from 'a'
So does the world originate from the Adi Bhagavan."

Though the Tirukkural couple is not as elaborate in meaning as the Samskrt one, the tone, diction and ending of both is almost identical (it seems to me).

What is this book Nandikeshvara Kaarikaa about? Who wrote it? Are they are such further resemblances?

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Saidevo,

The nandikeshvara-kArikA or nandikeshvara-kAshikA is an interpretation of the shiva-sUtras by “nAndInAtha”.

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga.

Thank you for your prompt responses. Searching the name nandikeshvara-kAshikA in Google pops up a HDF link--http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2078--where Agnideva writes, "Sage Nandinatha (250 BCE?) wrote a commentary on these sutras called Nandikeshvara Kashika explaining their philosophical meaning from a monistic Saivite perspective. This work explains in the briefest of manner how everything a to z (or in Sanskrit a to ha) is Siva’s manifestation."

TiruvaLLuvar's time is estimated to be between the first century BCE and the 8th century CE. So he could have known about Nadinatha's work. It would be interesting to trace if TirukkuraL speaks of a Saivite or a Vaishnavite Bhagavan!

[sarabhanga]

This work explains in the briefest of manner how everything a to z (or in Sanskrit a to ha) is Siva’s manifestation.


See: pratyAhAra vidhAyaka sUtrANi (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=4649&postcount=33)

[Agnideva]

Namaste Sarabhanga.

Thank you for your prompt responses. Searching the name nandikeshvara-kAshikA in Google pops up a HDF link--http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2078--where Agnideva writes, "Sage Nandinatha (250 BCE?) wrote a commentary on these sutras called Nandikeshvara Kashika explaining their philosophical meaning from a monistic Saivite perspective. This work explains in the briefest of manner how everything a to z (or in Sanskrit a to ha) is Siva’s manifestation."

Namaste Saidevo,

This is the beauty of HDF. Many of the answers to question we ask are already here :). As has been explained by Sarabhanga already, the Nandikeshvara Kashika is a 26 verse text elaborating on the philosophical meaning of the Siva Sutras of Panini, which are commonly understood to be related to Sanskrit grammar only. The translation I have for verse 4 of the Nandikeshvara Kashika, which you posted above, says:

The syllable a, the first amongst all the letters, is the Light, the Parameśvara Himself. Only by joining of the first (a) and the last (ha) that I-ness (aham), the ego, is generated. [aham encompasses everything there is.] (4)

There are many Kashmiri legends related to Nandikeshvara (Nandinatha), including one that is related in the Rudra Yamala Tantra, where he is the recipient of the Bhavani Sahasranama. To make yet another connection, the Kashmiri Siddha Sundaranatha also came from the line of Nandinatha. Some say, he is the direct disciple of Nandinatha. Sundaranatha traveled to the Tamil country, where he came to be called Tirumular, and wrote the famous text, Tirumantiram (originally known as Mantra-Malai).

Aum Namah Shivaya.

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga, Agnideva.

Thank you for adding clarity and enlightening details to the verse, much of which in Sarabhanga's linked message I understand; and that leaves a lot to ponder.

Satay, incidentally, can you add the Google Search engine facility to HDF Website in addition to the existing elaborate search facility? Will that give a quicker way to find information in HDF?

[Nuno Matos]

Namaste All,

"Satay, incidentally, can you add the Google Search engine facility to HDF Website in addition to the existing elaborate search facility? Will that give a quicker way to find information in HDF?"

That's an excellent idea!

[sarabhanga]

Satay, incidentally, can you add the Google Search engine facility to HDF Website in addition to the existing elaborate search facility? Will that give a quicker way to find information in HDF?

That's an excellent idea!

Namaste Saidevo and Nuno,

All members, when signed in, can use the simple search facility provided at the top of every page. And the advanced search facility refines the search to quickly find any appropriate pages ~ but once again, members must be signed in to avoid the security code, which is required to prevent dumb or malicious robots (or humans) making repeated pointless searches and slowing the operations of the whole site.

If there are any particular issues with the current search engine characteristics, they can easily be adjusted ~ so does any member have any comments about the functionality of the forum's existing search facility? And remember that you must be signed in to fully appreciate its operation.

[Nuno Matos]

Namaste Sarabhanga,


" If there are any particular issues with the current search engine characteristics, they can easily be adjusted ~ so does any member have any comments about the functionality of the forum's existing search facility? And remember that you must be signed in to fully appreciate its operation. "

I think it should be more acute in the search reply s. Far from that I don't find any problem at all in the functionality of the existing search facility.

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga.



All members, when signed in, can use the simple search facility provided at the top of every page. And the advanced search facility refines the search to quickly find any appropriate pages ~ but once again, members must be signed in to avoid the security code, which is required to prevent dumb or malicious robots (or humans) making repeated pointless searches and slowing the operations of the whole site.

If there are any particular issues with the current search engine characteristics, they can easily be adjusted ~ so does any member have any comments about the functionality of the forum's existing search facility? And remember that you must be signed in to fully appreciate its operation.

The main difficulty in the current HDF Search facility is that it is not 'acute' as Nuno puts it. I think it is required to be more precise and indicate the exact page in a thread in its results if not the specific post in that page where the search string appears.

For example, in the Advanced Search page, I typed the keyword 'Nadinatha', with the default 'extreme' conditions of searching: entire posts, zero or more replies, any date and search in Child forums. The search, however, throws up no matches!

However, if I type 'Nandikeshvara Kashika' as the keyword, two threads pop up as the search results:

Learning Sanskrit by Interaction at HDFpuri ( 1 2)
Siva Sutras ( 1 2 3 ... Last Page)

As you notice here, each thread has multiple pages, and I have no idea in which page(s) the keyword appears. So I need to open the thread and manually search each page, many times using the browser's page search facility. This is tedious when a thread runs to several pages.

As against this type of results, would it not be far more convenient if the results pop up with the keywords in brief text under the thread/post titles as with the case of a Google search?

If providing the Google Search facility in HDF would slow it down and expose the Website to potential risks, we may perhaps think about a Master Index facility with the keywords of concepts, names and quote texts, etc. Now that HDF has become a valuable repository of Hindu texts, there is acute need to make it an efficient library of information, specially to the members for referencing and quoting in their posts.

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Saidevo,

Well, I just used the forum search to look for nandinatha, and found eight individual posts, with their first lines revealed, and the term nandinatha highlighted in every post when you view it.

http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/search.php?searchid=38746

From the advanced search panel, you can select "show threads" or "show posts", and if you select the former, you will get a list of up to 1,000 individual posts that all include the search term.

[satay]

Namaskar,
The search function of the forum software we use is supposed to be very good. Though I am not the best user to provide feedback on this since I hardly ever use the search.

I have seen google offering 'search this site' type of search box which I think is easy to implement if there is need. I will check that...

Saidevo, please check out what sarabhanga has pointed out about the search. It does highlight the search text but you have to be logged in for full functionality.

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga, Satay.

Thanks Sarabhanga for your tip to search for posts in the Advanced Search panel; I had left it to the default option 'threads'. Now it works fine as required. (I also made a spelling mistake in the keyword 'nandinatha' and had typed 'nadinatha' :o!),

Satay, I think this is alright; you may not think about including the Google search tool for the problems Sarabhanga has mentioned.

All's well that ends well!

[Agnideva]

I have seen google offering 'search this site' type of search box which I think is easy to implement if there is need. I will check that...

A good thought Satay. I've done this before.

If anyone wants to search HDF specifically through google just enter the following in the search:

site: hindudharmaforums.com "xxxxxx" (replace the xxxxxx with the term or terms of interest. For example, if I were looking for nandinatha, I'd type nandinatha in the quotation marks).

The top search results should be the HDF pages. The rest will be where HDF has been referenced in other forums and sites.

[sarabhanga]

If anyone wants to search HDF specifically through google just enter the following in the search:

site: hindudharmaforums.com "xxxxxx" (replace the xxxxxx with the term or terms of interest. For example, if I were looking for nandinatha, I'd type nandinatha in the quotation marks).

The top search results should be the HDF pages. The rest will be where HDF has been referenced in other forums and sites.

Namaste Agnideva,

To search Google for "nandinatha" (for example) on HDF, without any results from other sites, just enter:

nandinatha site:hindudharmaforums.com

[saidevo]

What is the source text of this definition of Ishvara?

कर्त्तुम् अकर्त्तुम् अन्यथा वा कर्त्तुं समर्थः ईश्वरः

karttum akarttum anyathA karttuM samarthaH IshvaraH |

"He who can do, or not do, or do otherwise as he pleases."

Searching Google, I find (parts of ) this text variously attributed to Sankara Bhashya on Brahma Sutra, Bhagavat Gita and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

[sarabhanga]

What is the source text of this definition of Ishvara?

karttum akarttum anyathA karttuM samarthaH IshvaraH |

"He who can do, or not do, or do otherwise as he pleases."

Searching Google, I find (parts of) this text variously attributed to Sankara Bhashya on Brahma Sutra, Bhagavat Gita and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Namaste Saidevo,

From Shri Shankara's Bhashya on the Brahma Sutra. :)

janmādyasya yataḥ || I.1.2 ||

kartavye hi viṣaye nānubhavāpekṣāstīti śrutyādīnāmeva prāmāṇyaṃ syātpuruṣādhīnātmalābhatvācca kartavyasya |
kartumakartumanyathā vā kartuṃ śakyaṃ laukikaṃ vaidikaṃ ca karma yathāśvena gacchati padbhyāmanyathā vā na vā gacchatīti |

[saidevo]

1. janma jAt shudra sarve, karmeNu brahman bhavati
2. brahma jnAnena brahmaNaH

It has become a fashion to quote the above lines as scriptural injections, but not one of them who use the quotes is sure about its source. This quotes are used on the Internet in communities like the Orkut, to bash brahmins born in their castes in a bid to deprive them of their right to practice Vedas, open the admission Vedic Schools and the traditional priesthood in ancient temples to everyone across the four Varnas.

What are the source of these lines? Are there any such other quotes?

[sarabhanga]

1. janma jAt shudra sarve, karmeNu brahman bhavati
2. brahma jnAnena brahmaNaH

Namaste Saidevo,

I believe this is the source:


janmanA jAyate shUdraH
saMskArAd dvija ucyate
vedapAThI bhaved vipraH
brahma jAnAti brAhmaNaH

Atreya smRti (141-142)

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga.

Thank you for the full 'shloka'. So what is the position of the 'smRti's, are all the four Varnas allowed to read and practice Vedas? Do the Vedas/Upanishads say anything about it? And what is your personal opinion in the matter, since you have time and again explained the import and necessity of the four Varnas? Do you think that people from other castes be allowed admission to the Vedic schools, learn and practice Vedas or be appointed as priests in ancient and traditional Hindu temples?

[sarabhanga]

Are all the four Varnas allowed to read and practice Vedas?

Namaste Saidevo,

Traditionally, only a brAhmaNa knows saMskRtam, and thus only a brAhmaNa would be eligible to study the veda. And the kshatriya and vaishya normally know only their own prAkRtam. And the shUdra would be illiterate and ignorant of the veda’s existence.

Anyone who knows saMskRtam could read the vedAs, but correct practice only comes with saMskAra and dIkshA. And someone who is not a brAhmaNa (which assumes the appropriate saMskArAs, etc.) is not normally eligible to be a priest.

Does that answer your question?

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga.

Yes it does, mostly. As you have said, my thought is also that "Anyone who knows saMskRtam could read (and research) the vedAs", but the chanting and practice is best left to qualified brahmins. That is one of the reasons why even among brahmins born in their caste, most do not take to Vedic practice. The dwindling number of pupils in Vedic schools, is however, a major concern, because the benefit of Vedas is achieved for the world only its practice and ceremonies.

[sarabhanga]

You have time and again explained the import and necessity of the four Varnas.

Namaste Saidevo,

It is important to remember that there are ten fundamental classes of varNAshrama in the cakram. With the caturvarNamaya musalam, progression from one varNa to another requires physical death and reincarnation. But with the dashavarNAshramamaya cakram, progression occurs from one Ashrama to another, according to saMskAra, the most significant of which involve a change of name. Every stage is a life-time in itself, with progression within one’s varNa involving a modification of one’s name, reflecting the change; and with progression between varNAs involving a completely new name, indeed, a completely new life.




Quotes are used on the Internet in communities like the Orkut, to bash brahmins born in their castes in a bid to deprive them of their right to practice Vedas, open the admission Vedic Schools and the traditional priesthood in ancient temples to everyone across the four Varnas.

My thought is also that "Anyone who knows saMskRtam could read (and research) the vedAs", but the chanting and practice is best left to qualified brahmins. That is one of the reasons why even among brahmins born in their caste, most do not take to Vedic practice. The dwindling number of pupils in Vedic schools, is however, a major concern, because the benefit of Vedas is achieved for the world only its practice and ceremonies.

Is the problem that non-brahmins are depriving brahmins of places in vedic schools, or that the schools are empty and could be used to educate non-brahmins, if only they were allowed? And regarding temples, are there existing temples which, in the absence of any brahmin and without any chance of finding one, would yet refuse a willing non-brahmin the right to act as a priest (as best he can) in that temple and for its (entirely non-brahmin) community? And if so, who has locked the temple doors and then walked away from any further responsibility?

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga.



It is important to remember that there are ten fundamental classes of varNAshrama in the cakram. With the caturvarNamaya musalam, progression from one varNa to another requires physical death and reincarnation. But with the dashavarNAshramamaya cakram, progression occurs from one Ashrama to another, according to saMskAra, the most significant of which involve a change of name. Every stage is a life-time in itself, with progression within one’s varNa involving a modification of one’s name, reflecting the change; and with progression between varNAs involving a completely new name, indeed, a completely new life.


I don't follow this, as I have not come across a concept like the dashavarNA. Does this include the caturvarNA or are other different ten varNAs? Can you explain a bit more it?



Is the problem that non-brahmins are depriving brahmins of places in vedic schools, or that the schools are empty and could be used to educate non-brahmins, if only they were allowed? And regarding temples, are there existing temples which, in the absence of any brahmin and without any chance of finding one, would yet refuse a willing non-brahmin the right to act as a priest (as best he can) in that temple and for its (entirely non-brahmin) community? And if so, who has locked the temple doors and then walked away from any further responsibility?


1. Vedic schools are typically run by Hindu religious institutions such as the Sankara MaTham. Most of them have depleted strength of Brahmin students. Non-brahmins are not admitted in most Vedic schools. It should also be said here that non-brahmins in general are not keen about learning Samskrtam or joining Vedic schools; only the DMK and the DK leaders who are staunch Brahmin haters resort to such politics with an ultimate motive to destroy the Hindu religion and culture by reducing the brahmin initiative. A recent move by M.Karunanidhi, the Tamilnadu Chief Minister in this direction is the introduction of the Tamil New Year that starts with Pongal as the state official calendar.

Also, brahmins in Tamilnadu today prefer their children to seek worldly education and careers and earn money like everyone else for a comfortable life. Most of them (that includes me) don't know Samskrtam. When I was in school we had flourishing agraharams in villages, but these days the agraharams are deserted, most Brahmin houses there have been sold to non-brahmins and it is difficult in villages to get Brahmin 'vAdhyAr's (priests) for household ceremonies.

2. The HR & CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) Department of the State Government controls most of the temples (many of which receive high income) in Tamilnadu and in other states. I heard that in the smaller temples that have only meagre income, the Brahmin Archakas are paid a paltry Rs.300/- or so per month by the Government! And the money collected in temple hundies are not spent for the betterment of that or other Hindu temples as it should be the case. In Andhra Pradesh, there are reports that some of the huge money collected in the Tirupati temple is given to Christian institutions at the behest of the minority-appeasing state and central government (ruled in proxy by Sonia Gandhi). The temple lands are stealthily sold or leased to poltical and Christian bigshots. There was a recent evangelical move to set up churches on the Tirupati (Tirumala) hill. The AP State Government run by the Congress Party (whose CM Samuel Rajasekar Reddy is a converted Christian) was forced by the Hindus and Hindu Acharyas to pass an ordance barring such initiative and declare that the seven hills of Tirupathi are the sovereign property of Lord Venkateswara as per the tradition that even British colonnial rule did not attempt to meddle with.

And contracts of preparation of the temple prasAdam, the famous Tirupati laddu is said to be given to Christian catering outfits! Therefore knowing Hindu visitors to the temples prefer to drop money on the Archaka's plates rather than in temple hundies.

3. Most temples owned by HR & CE department have brahmin priests, though the Tamilnadu government recently passed an ordinance (which has been legally challenged) to train and appoint priests from other castes. The Government has however set up no Vedic schools, so the demand is to admit non-brahmin boys to Vedic schools run by institutions like the Sankara MaThams. The government has imposed performing archanas in Tamil as an option in most temples and changed the titles of gods and goddess, for example, 'Sri' as 'AruLmigu' etc.

4. A good number of ancient temples are also under the control of religious institutions such as the Sankara MaTham, the Dharmapuran Adhinam (of the Shivacharyas), etc. Most of them have only brahmin priests. Besides temples established by Ashrams such as the Shirdi Sai Baba temples are also popular. We have in our area a popular temple in Skandashram established by Santhananda Swamiji of the Pudukkottai Bhuvanesvari PiTham where an elaborate Chandi Homam is performed every day in the morning. The vigrahas in this temple are made of the divine metals and are massive in size, typically over 20 feet tall! The main deity is the Sarabesvarar and Pratyanka Devi; after the Homam, Abhishekam is done to the Meru mountain image at the centre of the main temple hall.

5. Non-brahmin priests are typically employed in temples such as Mariamman temples in urban and rural areas where the worship is in Tamil. There are no temples locked up for want of brahmin priests.

Kali is having his heyday, generally in India, and specifically in Tamilnadu!

[sarabhanga]

I don't follow this, as I have not come across a concept like the dashavarNA. Does this include the caturvarNA or are other different ten varNAs? Can you explain a bit more it?

Namaste Saidevo,

Your response betrays a vital ommission ~ and that is the notion of Ashrama.

It is the dasha-varNa-Ashrama-dharma-cakram. And here is a summary of some of the posts already made on the subject:



janmanA jAyate shUdraH
saMskArAd dvija ucyate
vedapAThI bhaved vipraH
brahma jAnAti brAhmaNaH

By nature, one is born shUdra;
With saMskAra, one is declared twice-born.
Reciting the veda, one attains wisdom;
Knowing brahma, one is brAhmaNa.


Ignorance (or outright rejection) of varNAshrama dharma has caused serious problems in the interpretation and practice of hindu dharma.

There are in fact TEN fundamental perspectives of the one sanAtana dharma, each colored by the particular conditions of education and age, which together determine the most appropriate vocation and dharma.

The final stage in the matrix of Aryan society is saMnyAsa, which only occurs in the context of brAhmaNa dharma. The brAhmaNa varNa is dedicated to spiritual instruction, and their greatest wisdom is embodied in the Ashrama of saMnyAsa.

In saMnyAsa itself, there is no distinction, and the saMnyAsa dIkshA involves the renunciation of varNa and every previous Ashrama ~ indeed, saMnyAsa involves the renunciation of attachment to the three worlds!

The highest knowledge of saMnyAsAshrama declares that all men are equal in the eye of god, and that varNa, Ashrama, and ultimately even dharma, are superfluous constructs. But this esoteric wisdom has unfortunately become exoteric dogma in some non-brAhmaNa circles, and the dismissal of varNAshrama dharma is especially favored by aspirants who were born without dvija varNa.

The stability of any natural system over time depends on its balanced internal diversity. It is a delicate balance, but the concordant diversity provides great resilience. And in any artificial monoculture, the harvest may be devastated by the slightest disease.

And likewise, the stability of hindu dharma has been long been assured by its diversified yet internally consistent expression through the whole range of varNa and Ashrama.

And the monoculture of christianity seems especially keen to extinguish any trace of traditional varNAshrama dharma (e.g. the vilification of manu smRti), which would certainly reduce the stability of hinduism as a cultural whole and increase its vulnerability to corruption.

A great deal of confusion arises from the misunderstanding (and consequent rejection) of varNa or “caste”. There is only one ultimate truth, but dharma is certainly not “one size fits all”.

ahiMsa and brahmacarya are good examples, with some arguing from a brAhmaNa perspective, others from a kshatriya perspective, and others from a general vaishya perspective. And of course, all of these views are valid in their appropriate place and conditions.

brAhmaNa dharma is rather strict, because a brAhmaNa is supposed to have a high degree of understanding, and someone who surely knows the right way and yet turns away from that knowledge and follows the wrong path is the greatest “sinner” who will suffer for his foolish adharma.

And, of course, then we have added confusion that arises from misunderstanding of Ashrama and saMskAra (i.e. the various stages of life and the defining moments between them).

With the opposition of married life vs. unmarried life comes the consideration of sexual actions, which again provides two quite different perspectives for dharma ~ and much more confusion for those who reject all of the ancient Hindu traditions of varNa and Ashrama and saMskAra!


1. There is only one simple dharma for all those of the shUdra varNa.
2. There are two stages of dharma for the vaishya ~ unmarried student and married householder ~ each with their own particular spiritual and social expectations.
3. There are three stages for the kshatriya, with an additional expectation of final seclusion from worldly affairs as a vAnaprastha.
4. And for the brAhmaNa varNa only there are four defined stages of life, culminating in sannyAsa.

And 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10 :)

So that sanAtana dharma has always encompassed TEN different modes of dharma ~ one for each of those ten lords of Airavata ~ and this fundamental diversity should always be remembered in any consideration of dharma in practice.


The dharmacakram is confusing (even fearsome) for those who are not already riding on its eternal carriage. But the world would be a much more peaceful place if only more people could understand that apparently quite divergent paths can actually lead straight to the same aim. Not “all paths are one”, but there certainly are many (equally valid) paths to god; and that is the point of a guru (i.e. to lead you to where you wish to go, by a way that he knows well and which he trusts that you will be able to follow).

All gurus will naturally have varying approaches, and the trick is to meet the appropriate guru for you in your own particular life with all of its own particular circumstances and conditions (or more importantly, to recognize that guru when he/she appears).

There is actually much effort in properly guiding a student, and if they do not live up to their promise then there are repercussions for the guru.

Without proper recognition of Ashrama, the varNAshramadharma cakram stops turning on the earth, and the resulting varNadharma musalam tends to stagnate and discriminate rather than inspiring and liberating. And the prevalent “black and white” misunderstanding of varNAshrama dharma is surely a mleccha corruption of the Arya ideal.

And brahmacarya Ashrama certainly is the foundation of all brAhmaNa dharma. Some period of brahmacarya (not study of the vedAs, but education nonetheless) is also normal for both kshatriyAs and vaishyAs. And only shUdrAs have absolutely no rule of brahmacaryam.

brahmacaryam is intended for unmarried students, and Hindu dharma has always assumed celibacy for such individuals (who would usually be less than 20 years old).

Nowhere is it required that anyone should remain as a celibate student for their whole life, and most RSis would have passed through every Ashrama required by their dharma. Thus, most RSis were married and raised a family during their gRhastha Ashrama.

Invoked through the power of bRh, brahman is referred to in masculine form (nom. brahmA), indicating the personalized creator brahman. And, thus personalized, any man conversant with brahmA was known as brAhma, a type of the brAhmaNa caste.

The trayi vidyA (threefold wisdom) was revealed in three brahma vedAs, for three soma priests, reflecting the triple formula of creation, which also determined three Aryan castes, and three stages of life (Ashrama) ~ brahmacarya (student), gRhastha (householder), and vAnaprastha (forest recluse) ~ in the three-dimensional realm of physical reality.

Originally, there were only three Ashramas ~ brahmacarya, gRhastha, and vAnaprastha (hermitage) ~ and in the final stage of life, the wise brAhmaNa would retire from society and from normal family life. But there is no requirement for a vAnaprastha to renounce all contact with his wife and family, who would usually have remained with him (by that time a grandfather) and considered him as their guru. Indeed, most of the ancient paramparAs are actual genetic family-trees.

The expansion of Aryan influence required the recognition of some new realities. The brAhmaNa established that four castes of humanity exist as part of the ordained structure of the universe, resulting from prajApati’s ‘sacrifice of primeval cosmic man’ (puruSa-yajña), who was divided into four parts: brAhmaNa was his mouth, the arms were made kshatriya, his thighs vaishya, and from his feet was born shUdra.

The Aryan advance, however, faced vigorous opposition from the yati (hermits, cf. yeti), a pre-Aryan brotherhood of hermit shamans who supported the regional kings against Aryan culture, and paid with their lives. The surviving yati were finally accepted into the Aryan community. The yati priests were known as vratya or yAtuvida (skilled in yatu ~ sorcery), and their wisdom found expression in the atharva veda, which incorporates popular and indigenous chants and charms.

This fourth Veda is actually known as atharvAÑgirasa, having both atharvan and aÑgiras components, the former characterized as shAntam (holy) and the latter as ghoram (terrible). The atharvan includes auspicious and remedial charms (bheSajam), while aÑgiras ritual has aggressive intent (abhikArikam). The yAtuvida were agni (fire) priests.

The atharva veda emphasized the underlying transcendent principle that was always implied in the trayi vidyA, but only truly appreciated in profound contemplation. In Aryan cosmogony, the inceptive power of creation was originally held in mantra (as bRh), and was gradually transferred to the sacrificial process of yajña (as puruSa or soma); but, for the yati, yogi, and jñAnI, the process is involutional, with tapas as the efficient cause. And this self-generated creative heat and illumination indicate the solar nature of this pure metaphysical brahman, who is essentially related to the fourth dimension of time.

The atharva-veda established, in addition to the hotar, udgatar, and adhvaryu, an essential function for the atharvan purohita, who adopted the supreme title of brahman. The brahman in atharvan yajña undertakes a less active, supervisory role, accounting for faults and inadequacies in the ritual performance with bheSajam, and protecting against malefic influences with abhikArikam.

A fourth Ashrama, known as yati, completed the atharvan (3+1) vision, which was prefigured in the ancient Aryan adityAs ~ the unfathomed darkness of varuNa supporting the all illuminating mitra who, with bhaga (womb, or prosperity), begot the brilliant Aryaman and the entire solar race.

brahmA has four heads, and his four arms are represented holding a sacrificial ladle (his essence as puruSa or prajApati), a book (he is approached through wisdom), a mAlA or rosary (he is to be contemplated and meditated upon), and a kamaNDalu or alms-pot (symbolic of a mendicant’s life).

Ever since the sannyAsa Ashrama was instituted ~ originally intended for brAhmaNa over 60 years old and approaching death ~ there has been absolutely no expectation that a sannyAsI would engage in any kind of sexual activity.

Given the most rapid progress of a brAhmaNa (from brahmacArI directly to sannyAsI, with no intervening period of gRhastha and vAnaprastha) it would be traditionally possible for a prodigy to attain the state of paramahaMsa or nAgA by the age of 33 years. In this situation there remains a possibility of sexual activity, and a general rule of celibacy was promoted and generally enforced in all sannyAsa communities (which tradition only became common after about 1,000 BC).

All of this is implicit in original Hindu dharma, but those who reject the concepts of varNa and Ashrama will likely reject it all.

Until the age of 5, all children are shUdra, and all spiritual responsibilities lie with their parents or guardians. And all such infants remain entirely blameless, whatever their action.

After this relatively carefree childhood, the child should receive formal instruction, and for the first time begin to take some personal responsibility for their behaviour.

The only difference between shUdra and vaishya is this education; and no matter what the instruction (whether in some special trade or art, or in more philosophical and purely spiritual matters) the young person is regarded as a brahmacArI and is expected to behave as such.

When education is complete (after at least 6 years, but preferably after 12 years of studentship) the fruits of their parent’s inspiration are ready for their own marriage, and gRhastha Ashrama.

gRhastha lasts for as long as is required for raising a family of children up to the time of their own introduction into the stage of gRhastha (i.e. until all children are educated and married).

Just as celibacy is the brahmacarya dharma, procreation is the sacred duty of gRhastha Ashrama, and the full experience and enjoyment of life is paramount during this period.

For the vaishya, that is the full extent of obligatory Ashrama (i.e. brahmacarya and gRhastha) ~ and for the shUdra (with no particular social or spiritual education) there is no obligatory dharma (other than not raping the daughter of a brAhmaNa or kshatriya).

For the kshatriya, there are three obligatory Ashramas ~ brahmacarya, gRhastha, and vAnaprastha.

The vAaprastha is an ascetic hermit, studiously withdrawing from saMsAra and atoning for sins or omissions committed in the previous stages of life. vAnaprastha would generally begin after the age of 50 years; and once again, vAnaprasthAs are certainly expected to remain celibate.

Only brAhmaNa dharma includes four stages of life, with vAnaprastha (which was merely preparation for total renunciation) followed by sannyAsa Ashrama.

In the traditional system of brAhmaNa Ashramas, few sannyAsins would be less than about 70 years old.

It is possible for anyone to become a sannyAsin, but only after passing through all of the saMskArAs proper to a brAhmaNa in that situation.

Anyone without knowledge is a shUdra; anyone with some artha is a vaishya; anyone performing tapasya is a veritable kshatriya; and anyone who renounces all is a true brAhmaNa.

The whole system, summarily described as above, is not explicity stated in shruti (where it is generally assumed). In the smRti texts, however, most of the details are revealed.

The basic concepts of varNa and Ashrama go back to the very beginning of Hindu dharma.

sannyAsa (or yati) is the final Ashrama of the brAhmaNa varNa, and true sannyAsins are devoted entirely to brahman. The first Ashrama is brahmacarya (without which no one may truly be classed as a brAhmaNa). And between initial brahmacarya and final sannyAsa (when the world is completely renounced), the primary duty of every brAhmaNa is TRANSMISSION ~ service between immortal brahman and mortal human. The brAhmaNa must gain proper education and then USE that special knowledge in guiding and educating others, directing their praise to brahmA and distributing the grace of brahma (i.e. shiva) as prasAdam to the faithful.

gRhastha is the only Ashrama common to every varNa.

A brAhmaNa gRhasthI should be following the exemplar of his lord brahmA.
A kshatriya gRhasthI should be following the instruction of his brAhmaNa guru.
A vaishya gRhasthI should be following the law imposed by his kshatriya ruler.
And a shUdra gRhasthI is obliged only to his own family traditions (while remembering that he may be punished for offending the basic precepts of yama within the bounds of “twice-born” society). Indeed, for any shUdra, there is no particular obligation to any authority other than his own ancestors and elders.

For anyone who has completed their formal studentship but remains without any formal marriage and with no particular dedication to brahma, there is no prohibition of anything beyond the basic limits of yama (which, at the very least, requires ahiMsA).


manu smRti, III:

6. In connecting himself with a wife, let him carefully avoid the ten following families, be they ever so great, or rich in kine, horses, sheep, grain, or (other) property,

7. (viz.) one which neglects the sacred rites, one in which no male children (are born), one in which the veda is not studied …

20. Now listen to (the) brief (description of) the following eight marriage-rites used by the four castes (varNa) which partly secure benefits and partly produce evil both in this life and after death.

21. (They are) the rite of brahma (brAhma), that of the deva (daiva), that of the RSi (ArSa), that of prajApati (prAjApatya), that of the asura (Asura), that of the gandharva (gAndharva), that of the rakshas (rAkshasa), and that of the pishAca (paisAca).

22. Which is lawful for each caste (varNa) and which are the virtues or faults of each (rite), all this I will declare to you, as well as their good and evil results with respect to the offspring.

23. One may know that the first six according to the order (followed above) are lawful for a brAhmaNa [i.e. brAhma (highest), daiva, ArSa, prAjApatya, Asura, and gAndharva (lowest)], the four last for a kshatriya [i.e. Asura, gAndharva, rAkshasa, and paisAca], and the same four, excepting the rAkshasa rite, for a vaisya and a shUdra [i.e. Asura, gAndharva, and paisAca].

24. The sages state that the first four are approved (in the case) of a brAhmaNa, one, the rAkshasa (rite in the case) of a kshatriya, and the Asura (marriage in that) of a vaisya and of a shUdra.

25. But in these (sacred laws) three of the five (last) are declared to be lawful and two unlawful; the paisAca and the Asura (rites) must never be used.

26. For kshatriyAs those before-mentioned two rites, the gAndharva and the rAkshasa, whether separate or mixed, are permitted by the sacred tradition.

27. The gift of a daughter, after decking her (with costly garments) and honouring (her by presents of jewels), to a man learned in the veda and of good conduct, whom (the father) himself invites, is called the brAhma rite.

28. The gift of a daughter who has been decked with ornaments, to a priest who duly officiates at a sacrifice, during the course of its performance, they call the daiva rite.

29. When (the father) gives away his daughter according to the rule, after receiving from the bridegroom, for (the fulfillment of) the sacred law, a cow and a bull or two pairs, that is named the ArSa rite.

30. The gift of a daughter (by her father) after he has addressed (the couple) with the text, ‘may both of you perform together your duties’, and has shown honour (to the bridegroom), is called in the smRti the prAjApatya rite.

31. When (the bridegroom) receives a maiden, after having given as much wealth as he can afford, to the kinsmen and to the bride herself, according to his own will, that is called the Asura rite.

32. The voluntary union of a maiden and her lover one must know (to be) the gAndharva rite, which springs from desire and has sexual intercourse for its purpose.

33. The forcible abduction of a maiden from her home, while she cries out and weeps, after (her kinsmen) have been slain or wounded and (their houses) broken open, is called the rAkshasa rite.

34. When (a man) by stealth seduces a girl who is sleeping, intoxicated, or disordered in intellect, that is the eighth, the most base and sinful rite of the pisAca.

36. Listen now to me, ye brAhmaNAs, while I fully declare what quality has been ascribed by manu to each of these marriage-rites.

37. The son of a wife wedded according to the brAhma rite, if he performs meritorious acts, liberates from sin ten ancestors, ten descendants and himself as the twenty-first.

38. The son born of a wife, wedded according to the daiva rite, likewise (saves) seven ancestors and seven descendants, the son of a wife married by the ArSa rite three (in the ascending and descending lines), and the son of a wife married by the rite of ka (prajApati) six (in either line).

39. From the four marriages, (enumerated) successively, which begin with the brAhma rite spring sons, radiant with knowledge of the veda and honoured by the shiStAs (good men).

40. Endowed with the qualities of beauty and goodness, possessing wealth and fame, obtaining as many enjoyments as they desire and being most righteous, they will live a hundred years.

41. But from the remaining (four) blamable marriages spring sons who are cruel and speakers of untruth, who hate the veda and the sacred law.

[And those four “blamable marriages” are the Asura, gAndharva, rAkshasa, and paisAca, marriage rites.]

42. In the blameless marriages blameless children are born to men, in blamable (marriages) blamable (offspring); one should therefore avoid the blamable (forms of marriage).

So, for brAhmaNAs in general, there are six lawful marriages, of which only four are recommended by sages, and according to manu the Asura rites are also illegal and the gAndharva rites not recommended.

Following manu’s exclusions, only the brAhma, daiva, ArSa, and prAjApatya rites are proper for a brAhmaNa marriage.

For kshatriyAs, however, manu considers ALL of their marriage rites to be relatively “blamable”, but the gAndharva marriage is the traditional first preference of the kshatriya varNa.


tadya evaitaM brahmalokaM brahmacaryeNAnuvindanti teSAmevaiSa brahmalokaH |
teSAM sarveSu lokeSu kAmacAro bhavati ||

And that world of brahma belongs only to those who find it by brahmacarya ~ and for them there is freedom in all the worlds.

The world of brahma is found only by following the path of brahma; and from there, all ways are open!

brahmacarya (the practice or pursuit of the brahma) is a basic requirement of sanAtana dharma.

A kula is “a herd, troop, flock, swarm, assemblage, or multitude” (of animals or things), and particularly “a race, family, community, tribe, caste, company, or gang” (of humans). kula indicates “the residence of a family or seat of a community” (specifically “as much ground as can be ploughed by two ploughs each drawn by six bulls”), “a house or dwelling”, “a noble or eminent family or race” (and thus “high station”). kaula therefore means “relating or belonging to a family, extending over a whole family or race, heritable in a family, or sprung from a noble family”. kaula is the vidyA of gRhastha, the esoteric science of the noble householders. kaula promotes eternal life and prosperity (at least for the family or community) here on earth.

turya = advaitAdvaitam = amArga = ajAtivAda
prAjña = advaitam = advaitamArga = mAyAvAda
taijasa = dvaitAdvaitam = dvaitAdvaitamArga = vishiSTAdvaitavAda
vaishvAnara = dvaitam = dvaitamArga = dvaitavAda

dvaitavAda is dharma for brahmacaryAshrama and gRhasthAshrama,
vishiSTAdvaitavAda is vAnaprastha dharma,
mAyAvAda is saMnyAsa dharma, and
ajAtivAda is the avadhUta mArga.

sanAtana dharma is varNAshrama dharma


shUdra = kuvAda & ayAma
vaishya brahmacarya = dvaitavAda & yama
vaishya gRhastha = dvaitavAda & yamAniyama
kshatriya brahmacarya = dvaitavAda & yamAniyama
kshatriya gRhastha = dvaitAdvaitavAda & sAdhana
kshatriya vAnaprastha = dvaitAdvaitavAda & saMyama
brAhmaNa brahmacarya = dvaitavAda & yamAniyama
brAhmaNa gRhastha = dvaitAdvaitavAda & sAdhana
brAhmaNa vAnaprastha = advaitavAda & saMyama
brAhmaNa saMnyAsa = ajAtivAda & samAdhi
avadhUta = nirvAda & yAma


The brAhmaNa progression follows its own guru paramparam from brahmacarya to avadhUta, and this is the right hand of sanAtana dharma, which is shiva. And the left hand comprises the rest of the population, which is shakti.

And there are particular intimate connexions between the various fingers of both hands, which do not necessarily indicate a guru-shiSya relationship (although that opportunity is afforded by the close association), but which do represent an obligation for some kind of mutual service or special respect.


shUdra ~ avadhUta
vaishya brahmacarya ~ brAhmaNa saMnyAsa
vaishya gRhastha ~ brAhmaNa vAnaprastha
kshatriya brahmacarya ~ brAhmaNa gRhastha
kshatriya gRhastha ~ brAhmaNa brahmacarya

And the whole yoga is controlled by the kshatriya vAnaprastha (as vishvAmitra), the retired lord who remains elusive, dwelling alone as a veritable immortal, but secretly informing and maintaining the whole system by his continuous tapasya. Such a rare individual is known as a jina, a nAtha, or a siddha, and throughout every age there must always be such an avatAra living (somewhere) in the world.

The perfect society of sanAtana dharma is maintained by this añjali mudrA, divined long ago by sudAsa and established as the perfect solution to the dAsharAjñam (“battle of the ten kings”).

The whole of creation depends on ahiMsat (perfect love). And the human relationships implied by varNAshrama dharma all involve self-sacrifice, and risk, but in each case the risks are connected with personal pride and the illusion of separation, both of which (though dearly held) must be discarded on the way to realizing the promise of yama.



shUdra . . ↔ . avadhUta
↕ . . . . . . . . . . . . ↕
vaishya brahmacarya . ↔ . . brAhmaNa saMnyAsa
↕ . . . . . . . . . . . . ↕
vaishya gRhastha . . . . ↔ . brAhmaNa vAnaprastha
↕ . . . . . . . . . . . . ↕
kshatriya brahmacarya . ↔ . . . . brAhmaNa gRhastha
↕ . . . . . . . . . . . . ↕
kshatriya gRhastha . . . ↔ . brAhmaNa brahmacarya


And the kshatriya vAnaprastha is responsible for the entire manifestation, throughout the whole of time, and so his is the greatest self-sacrifice of all.

shaktivAda (“parAdvaita”) is the left hand of dharma, which progresses from shUdra to the kshatriya in vAnaprasthAshrama (i.e. shrI dattAtreya).

Whereas, advaitavAda is the right hand of dharma, which is entirely brAhmaNa and progresses directly from brahmacarya to avadhUta (i.e. shrI dattAtreya).

The perfect avadhUta dattAtreya mahArAja is indistinguishable from the perfect kshatriya vAnaprastha dattAtreya, and both are identical with nArAyaNa, but only the shaiva avadhUta is close to moksha.

The parAdvaita datta is eternal prosperity and liberation in life, while the advaita datta (known only in saMnyAsa) is eternal rest and liberation from the cycle of life.

After generations of service, the siddha avatAra is relieved of his duty, but there is no guarantee that he will not return in the future (indeed that will be the expectation of all that remember his noble sacrifice). He is dattAtreya, the immortal avatAra, and he knows his true self and his own mother, but the nature of his father is obscure, and the “father” who played no part in his actual creation is atri.

brahma = nara = atri = sat = aja = advaitam
brahmA = nArAyaNa = dattAtreya = satI = jA = dvaitAdvaitam

But in absolute truth the datta remains adatta, and despite the illusion of infinite partaking of that gift (which is shrI nArAyaNa), the ungiving giver remains unaffected, and likewise his ungiven (but partaken) gift.

brahma = nara = atri = sat = aja = advaita = dattAdattam
brahmA = nArAyaNa = dattAtreya = satI = jA = dvaitAdvaita = dattAdatta

dattAdattam (datta adatta) is brahma, the gift that is not given.
And dattAdatta (datta Adatta) is brahmA, which is both given and received.

nara is atri and aja, while nArAyaNa is dattAtreya and jA.

Aryan society was originally considered as follows:


vaishya gRhastha ~ brAhmaNa vAnaprastha
kshatriya brahmacarya ~ brAhmaNa gRhastha
kshatriya gRhastha ~ brAhmaNa brahmacarya

And this veritable tripuNDra, confirmed by yama and comprising the dvijA of aryaHindu descent, is superintended by the Ishvara dattAtreya (nArAyaNa) ~ and whatever he knows of his father (the nara who is atri) cannot be expressed.

The highest vision in this realm is one of the naranArAyaNau or ardhanarIshvara, and this is dvaitAdvaitam or parAdvaitam. And even the most subtle shrI durgamA is intimately linked with creation and its eternal preservation and prosperity. And her opposite mahAkAlI is ultimately concerned with destruction, which assumes both a preceding creation and the co-existence of mahAkAla.

And of course mahAkAla is identical with sadAshiva, but when imagined as (in any way) associated with mahAkAlI, then the aja advaitam immediately disappears beyond the veil of mAyA as ajA dvaitam (albeit in perfect yugalam).

brahma reflected once upon his own self, and the conclusion was dattAdattam, but in truth nothing happened.

And the mAyA of dattAdatta (i.e. brahmA) has resounded ever since in the avadhUta paramparA: dattAdattAdattAdattAdattAdattAdattAdattA …

DamaDDamaDDamaDDamanninAdavaDDamarvayam
It was said that the followers of shiva will live as vagabonds in penury, and I have explained that this is absolutely correct, for the most devoted attendants of shiva are found in saMnyAsAshrama. And the reason that shrI does not reside with such individuals is because they have renounced all mAyA (including shrI) and have eyes only for shivam. And the basis of their understanding is ajAtivAda, which is only proper to saMnyAsa.

The “caste system” (varNAshrama dharma) was established very long ago. Indeed, it is intrinsic to Arya society. The whole picture is far more complex than anything I have mentioned in other threads, with a matrix of perfect relationships and actions that enters into all aspects of life. The rules were not arbitrarily defined by some greedy priest or despotic self-appointed king, but they arose from divine principles, natural necessity, and long practice, as clearly the best practice for the greatest good. And they have been collected in various smRti texts.

For thousands of years, the majority of Hindu society followed the system without question, so that (despite rivalry between kshatriya princes for kingship, and between brAhmaNa priests over doctrine, and between vaishya families in business) the juggernaut moved smoothly onwards barely noticing any interference.

This has been described as a social “inertia”, mainly by those who have wanted to change or control Hindu society. When the system is operating correctly, any problem should be quickly noticed and solved; and even if the apparent king was deposed or the apparent high priests were converted or killed, the culture would continue fundamentally the same. And when muslims, and later christians, attempted to control Hindu society according to their own rules they found it enormously difficult.

The ONLY way that the Hindu population could be won over was to destroy the “caste system” and thus diminish the impossible resilience to outside interference shown by Arya culture. And so the misinformation and vilification campaign began. And now, a few hundred years later, the original pattern is largely forgotten, and it is generally assumed that varNa is simply a birth-right with no obligations.

In truth, a truly hopeless “brAhmaNa” is lower than a shUdra, and a “shUdra” who is truly siddha is an avadhUta!

Every jIva is equal, but every incarnation is different. And (given that there is no illness or disability) every child has similar potential. And then factors such as genetic inheritance, positive support (or negative influence) from family and community, chance meetings and insights (i.e. life in general), all affect the course and final destination.

It is only by the finished product that any creation can properly be named, appreciated or employed, and it is quite true to say that anyone proving themselves as vaishya is in the end a vaishya, with an excess of tamoguNa. And anyone proving themselves as a kshatriya is in the end a kshatriya, with an excess of rajoguNa. And anyone proving themselves as a brAhmaNa is in the end a brAhmaNa, with a fullness of sattvaguNa.

The sanskrit term is varNAshramadharma. And as dharma on earth it began as a pact between RSi and brahman, which became a pact between kshatriya and brAhmaNa, which was extended to include the vaishya, and then the shUdra. And in the beginning, both varNa and Ashrama were three-fold rather than four-fold.

It should be clear that “the caste system” today is a distorted shadow of what it should be, and I have clearly explained how and why that has come about. And rather than bowing to those who are entirely ignorant of true varNAshrama dharma and would follow the old anti-Hindu (and generally pro-buddhist or pro-christian) propaganda in suggesting that the whole thing should be discarded, I would prefer to go about properly informing the Hindu community regarding the true intentions and proper application of its principles. There is a perfect baby in the bath-water and those who are blind to its existence, or view it as an unfortunate mutation, would cast it down the drain!


One yugam lasts for five years, and there are 20 years in one caturyugam.

The first yugam is the kaliyugam (0-5 years), where no rules apply and everyone is an innocent shUdra.

The second yugam is the dvApara (5-10 years), where dharma is introduced at a primary level. And throughout the third tretAyugam (10-15 years) the process is repeated at a secondary level.

The fourth yugam is the satyayugam (15-20 years), where the best students continue their education at a tertiary level, finally graduating fully qualified from the first (kali) caturyugam of brahmacaryAshrama.

The past life is over and a new life begins in gRhasthAshrama, which proceeds through another caturyugam (the dvApara) of family life, which mirrors the various yugas of one’s offspring (in a complex pattern that depends on individual circumstances). And given the ideal situation of an heir being conceived on the wedding night, the four yugas of one’s gRhasthAshrama (20-40 years) should mature at exactly the appropriate rate to cope best with the requirements of raising the child through its own first caturyugam.

And when the child graduates from brahmacarya into married life and gRhasthAshrama, the parent begins his third (tretA) caturyugam, in a new life of vAnaprastha (40-60 years). And this is where the turning point of 50 years occurs.

And the final fourth four-yuga life (turya caturyugam) begins in saMnyAsa, which lasts for as long as it takes for liberation to be attained, but the normal plan would again last for a total of 20 years.

And after four different but coordinated lives lived, every one to the full, the sAdhu leaves his body at about 80 years of age.

And anyone who persists through the fifth caturyuga (80-100 years) is an avadhUta, and anyone over 100 years must be an immortal siddha or nAgA.

This is a very ancient system, which forms the basis for some later mythological extrapolations, and it was overwritten by the undoubted importance of guru’s 12 year cycle. And the 30 year cycle of shani marks another four phases of maturation.


shUdra ~ conception to 5 years.
brahmacarya I ~ 5-11 years.
brahmacarya II ~ 11-18 years.
brahmacarya III ~ 18-24 years.
gRhastha ~ 24-48 years ~ with the kRta shani yugam completed at 30 years (as one’s first child enters brahmacarya I).
vAnaprastha ~ 48-72 years ~ with the dvApara shani yugam and pañcama guru yugam completed simultaneously at 60 years.
saMnyAsa ~ 72-96 years ~ with the Adya mandatara yugam passed after 80 years, the saptama guru yugam passed at 84 years, and the tretA shani yugam over at 90 years.
nAgA ~ 96-120 years ~ with the turya shani yugam completed simultaneously with the dashama guru yugam at 120 years, which marks the limit of mortal existence.


sUrya influences life,
soma influences conception,
budha influences pregnancy,
shukra influences birth,
maÑgala influences childhood,
guru influences schooling and parenting,
shani influences maturity and aging,
mandatara influences death and re-birth, and
varuNa influences immortality and moksha.


The greatest problems with the application of varNAshrama dharma seem to be found in the south, where avadhUta nAgAs are rare, and most devout Hindus are informed only by brAhmaNa saMnyAsins and kshatriya vAnaprasthins.

The vaidika system was originally three-fold, without any particular provision for the shUdrA. Not that they were deliberately excluded, but a shUdra is by definition ignorant of dharma, and the spiritual dialog of dvija society concerns the knowledge of dharma, so the shUdra was assumed but rarely mentioned (except as the likely destination for any dvija Hindu who forgets his vow to yama). And so the shUdrA became mythologized as descended from the fallen brAhmaNa, murderers, thieves, rapists, etc.

As Hindu society expanded into previously non-Hindu territories, encounters with tribal shUdras increased and the four-fold system had to be admitted as a social reality. This process happened long ago in the north, and the shUdra varNa was (in general) successfully incorporated into the whole.

But there are orthodox vaidika brAhmaNas who still consider the fourth veda as non-vaidika, and they certainly don’t cater for the fourth varNa in their spiritual thinking! And orthodox practice (mainly in the south), ignoring (or even rejecting) the shUdra (no matter how innocent) as “untouchable”, and likewise even rejecting the wisdom (and often the presence) of the few nAgA sAdhus who venture into the south, certainly does not help the cause of varNAshrama dharma.

It is quite understandable that a shUdra is excluded from certain sacred rites, which require that all present have the same intention ~ but the shUdra (by definition) has no wise intent and cannot interfere or even partake without destroying the purity of the sacrifice.

There is no spiritual reason for a shUdra to enter a temple, but there is equally no rule that a shUdra must remain a shUdra for the whole of his/her life. Indeed, the intention of the varNAshrama system is to incorporate the whole community, and to transform every willing shUdra into a vaishya (at least).

It would be false to say that there is no problem at all in the understanding and application of varNAshrama dharma.

And I don’t mean to point a finger at any community in particular, but the problem is greatest where there is strict orthodoxy in the midst of a disgruntled shUdra population. And this situation is more common in the south.

And I don’t mean to say that nAgAs are unavailable in the south, but the last time I went to rAmeshvara over 10 days I saw two akhADA sAdhus who were passing through on pilgrimage but admitted that they don’t usually stay long in the south because they receive less support, and are frequently moved on, from southern towns. And the last time I went to kedAra, in the north, I could not count the number of nAgAs that passed through or stayed over the same period of 10 days. And from personal experience, the ONLY place that I have ever been refused service in a restaurant was at kanyakumArI, where I was told that my presence was keeping customers away!!!

shUdra and caNDAla are completely mixed in the imagination of many Hindus, and that is a large part of the problem. They are NOT necessarily the same.

Abstract philosophical ideas are only vague for those who do not understand them, and abstract philosophy represents the discourse of philosophers, which was never intended for unmediated transmission to the general public. And that is a major purpose of the guru, who explains the abstraction in practical terms that apply specifically to the individual. There is only one ultimate abstraction, but its practical application is infinite (only becoming zero in the absence of a guru).

ahiMsA is only half of the yama, which is fully realized as ahiMsAsatyAste ~ and this remains unknown without correct yoga dIkshA, which can only be obtained from yama. And yama, being generally regarded as “death”, is avoided by all but the vAnaprasthin (who seeks only yama) and the saMnyAsin (who knows only yama).

karma is dharma for all, and the essence of good karma is only kAma. And only the avadhUta has no karma, for his karma has been resolved to its source. There is no excuse for inertia.

kuNDalinI has 3½ coils, including the 3 whorls of shani and terminating half a coil short of the fourth. But the final mysterious crescent represents an orbit of guru. So the maximum extent of incarnation remains 120 years, but mortality ends at 108.

A shUdra is entirely without dharma, which includes all children under 5 years and all humans without the brahmacaryadIkshA (i.e. without yama).

The vidyA of brahmacarya (5-24 years) is dvaitavAda, with three levels of dIkshA. Starting with brahmacarya I (5-11 years) where the presentation of dharma is shAkta, then brahmacarya II (11-18 years) where the presentation of dharma is vaishnava, and finishing with brahmacarya III (18-24 years) where the presentation is shaiva.

It is admission to brahmacarya that first raises a shUdra to become vaishya, and the level of graduation will color all subsequent perspectives.

The vaishya has no formal requirement beyond brahmacarya I, while the kshatriya should attain brahmacarya II, and the brAhmaNa should graduate with honors from brahmacarya III.

And after brahmacarya there is the gRhasthAshrama (24-48 years) which is common to every varNa, but with the shUdra gRhasthin having no vidyA and no particular dharma, the vaishya gRhasthin following dvaitavAda (most likely shAkta), the kshatriya gRhasthin following dvaitAdvaitavAda (most likely vaishnava), and the brAhmaNa gRhasthin following dvaitAdvaitavAda (most likely shaiva).

For the shUdra and vaishya, there is no Ashrama beyond gRhastha.

But after gRhastha there is the vAnaprasthAshrama (48-72 years), and only the kshatriya and brAhmaNa varNa resort to this Ashrama, but only when their offspring have themselves become gRhastha. With the kshatriya vAnaprasthin following dvaitAdvaitavAda, and the brAhmaNa vAnaprasthin following adviatavAda.

For the kshatriya in vAnaprastha there is no final saMnyAsAshrama (72 years and beyond), which is assumed only for the brAhmaNa, but the perfect kshatriya vAnaprasthin becomes a virtual immortal (such as Arthur, the once and future king, presumed now to be hidden in a mountain, as is the case for every eternal RSi).

And the final stage of saMnyAsa is avadhUta (96-120 years) where there is only ajAtivAda and both karma and dharma are dissolved.


shUdra = kuvAda & ayAma
vaishya brahmacarya = dvaitavAda & yama
vaishya gRhastha = dvaitavAda & yamAniyama
kshatriya brahmacarya = dvaitavAda & yamAniyama
kshatriya gRhastha = dvaitAdvaitavAda & sAdhana
kshatriya vAnaprastha = dvaitAdvaitavAda & saMyama
brAhmaNa brahmacarya = dvaitavAda & yamAniyama
brAhmaNa gRhastha = dvaitAdvaitavAda & sAdhana
brAhmaNa vAnaprastha = advaitavAda & saMyama
brAhmaNa saMnyAsa = ajAtivAda & samAdhi
avadhUta = nirvAda & yAma


Of course this is an ideal, but the ancient varNAshrama system considers genetic inheritance, maturity (both physical and mental), education, experience, and saMskAra, before the determination of an individual’s most appropriate karma and dharma.

The vocational classes are often mentioned, and parentage and employment have become the major determinants of varNa, and thus the determinants of social status and spiritual purity (with darker skin indicating a darker more tAmasika soul, and lighter skin indicating a lighter more sAttvika soul).

However, it is saMskAra, vidyA, dIkshA, yoga, and ultimately yama, that truly determine the varNa and Ashrama of an individual Hindu, and thus (secondarily) the appropriate social status and most suitable social relations, and the most satisfying and productive field of employment, may be deduced.


shUdra ~ [avadhUta]
vaishya brahmacarya ~ brAhmaNa saMnyAsa
vaishya gRhastha ~ brAhmaNa vAnaprastha
kshatriya brahmacarya ~ brAhmaNa gRhastha
kshatriya gRhastha ~ brAhmaNa brahmacarya
[kshatriya vAnaprastha]

When the varNAshramadharmacakram in set in motion (as is the prerogative of the mysterious immortalized kshatriya vAnaprastha ~ the siddha, the nAtha, the nAgA, the jina, the buddha) the following noble actions ensue:

The shUdrAs are inspired and informed by the vaishyAs and by the avadhUta.
The vaishya brahmacaryAs are inspired and informed by the vaishya gRhasthI and by the saMnyAsI.
The vaishya gRhasthAs are inspired and informed by the kshatriyAs and by the brAhmaNa vAnaprastha.
The kshatriya brahmacaryAs are inspired and informed by the kshatriya gRhasthI and by the brAhmaNa gRhasthI.
The kshatriya gRhasthAs are inspired and informed by the kshatriya vAnaprastha and by the brAhmaNAs.
The brAhmaNa brahmacaryAs are inspired and informed by the brAhmaNa gRhasthI and by the kshatriya vAnaprastha.
The brAhmaNa gRhasthAs are inspired and informed by the brAhmaNa vAnaprastha.
The brAhmaNa vAnaprasthAs are inspired and informed by the saMnyAsI.
The saMnyAsAs are inspired and informed by the avadhUta.
And the avadhUtAs are inspired and informed only by shiva.

The shUdrAs are continuously born from the earth (as fallen rays of sunlight), and the dharmacakram raises them up and returns them all purified to the source (and beyond).


A jñAnI is a knower of brahman, the perfect brAhmaNa. A jñAnI is (by definition) a brAhmaNa. And such a brAhmaNa must have renounced all attachment. And such a renunciate is (by definition) a saMnyAsI. And a perfect saMnyAsI is an avadhUta. And an avadhUta is a veritable rudrA, with absolute alliance to the one rudra.

But the perfect avadhUta is beyond physical incarnation, and any saMnyAsI still in possession of a mortal body is not yet relieved of responsibility to dharma. The avadhUta, who is inspired and informed only by rudra, wanders as bhairava himself, inspiring and informing both the saMnyAsI and the shUdra. The saMnyAsI has no varNa and no Ashrama.

The vAnaprastha is certainly of dvija varNa and (yet retaining attachment to place) certainly remains in isolated hermitage (i.e. in vAnaprasthAshrama). And every RSi is vAnaprastha, but NOT a saMnyAsI. Every RSi is forever associated with manifest eternity (generally as a sacred mountain).

A saMnyAsI has no fixed Ashrama (except during the monsoon), freely moving from place to place, for any attachment to physical location has been renounced, and there is only one last item to discard. And, for so long as the immortal soul remains yoked to a mortal carriage, the vow of yama and rule of dharma still apply.

Every saMnyAsI was so named by a saMnyAsI, who was named by another, and another, and another, back to the very first example. And that naming can ONLY be done by a living saMnyAsI guru.

Anyone can name themselves anything they like, but a true name can only be given by another. And not even lord rudra has the authority to name himself! Likewise, anyone can proclaim themselves “Hindu”, but until a Hindu guru names the aspirant as a Hindu the name has no proper authority. The whole idea of “self-naming” is an ultimate vanity, which is fatally flawed and without any basis in dharma!


arjuna said:

O mahAbAhu, O hRSIkesha, O keshiniSUdana, I wish to know the truth of sannyAsa, and of tyAga. [15.1]

shrIbhagavan said:

The wise sages understand sannyAsa as kAmyAnAM karmaNAM nyAsam, and declare tyAga as sarva-karma-phala-tyAgam. [15.2]

And tyAga is trividha (of three kinds). [15.4]

Prescribed duties should never be renounced. Such abandonment is declared as tAmasa. [15.7]

trividha (welcome, unwelcome, and mixed) is the fruit that accrues hereafter for the atyAginA (those who are unrenouncing). But for the sannyAsinA (those who are renounced) there is no such fruit. [15.12]

The “kshatriya vAnaprastha” and the “avadhUta” are both atyAshramI, but only the vAnaprastha has the title of RSi. And a svAmI is a saMnyAsI, but not an avadhUta. And the svAmI cannot have contact with the shUdra, while the avadhUta and the kshatriya vAnaprastha are free to do so.

It is saMskAra, vidyA, dIkshA, yoga, and ultimately yama, that truly determine the varNa and Ashrama of an individual Hindu.

The brahmacaryAs are inspired and informed by the saMnyAsI.
And the shUdrAs are inspired and informed by the avadhUta.

Hinduism advocates renunciation, but the appropriate meaning(s) of this “renunciation” must be properly understood. And when renunciation is rationally considered as it variously applies to each particular Ashrama there is no danger.

karma is dharma for all, and the essence of good karma is only kAma. And only the avadhUta has no karma, for his karma has been resolved to its source. There is no excuse for inertia.

If everyone is lost, then suffering will increase and productive society will fail.
If everyone is found, then pleasure will increase but productive society will fail.
But if everyone is either on the way or at the destination (with nobody lost), then suffering will be minimized, pleasure will be maximized, and productive society will endure ad infinitum.

Hindu dharma absolutely depends on the dharma cakram. The dharmacakram is the ancient sign of the saura ~ the sign of sUrya, and the vaidika ideal of brahman. The dharmacakram is the symbol of time (both kAla and akala). The dharmacakram is the weapon (power or shakti) of mahAkAla. And the dharmacakram is the very form of shrI kRSNa. The dharmacakram is the veritable instruction of arjuna by kRSNa. The dharmacakram is shrI kRSNa, and kRSNa is the very sudarshanacakram of viSNu.
The dharmacakram is integral to trayIvidyA, and the dharmacakram is the essential emblem of all vaidika Arya dharma (i.e. true sanAtana dharma).

The non-existence of dharma is a reality only for the highest yogin (e.g. the avadhUta guru dattAtreya).

The non-existence of variety in personal dharma is a reality for every serious sAdhaka; however, the acceptance of internal diversity in the context of sanAtana dharma is an important lesson of the dharmacakram, and that is one of the essential themes of ashoka maurya’s unifying message.

The co-existence of different paths should not disturb the single-pointed devotion of true aspirants, whose chosen path is for them the only way forward. The only people who might be confused are those who as yet have no set path of their own ~ and they are surely without any guru.

All desires (no matter how subtle or apparently trivial) create unnecessary attachments. And the proper attitude for sAdhanA is selfless resignation to one’s sacred duty, willingly performed but with no implication of personal desire ~ (i.e. with the bonds of yama and the vows of dIkshA ensuring that personal desire does not enter into the equation of any true sAdhanA).

And yoga depends on pratyAhAra ~ “withdrawal of the senses from external objects”, “dissolution of the world”, or “abstraction” ~ but such yoga is certainly not intended for continuous practice by all humans.

Every limb of yoga is individually beneficial (in dvaitam), but the true yoga of sage patañjali requires the simultaneous application of ALL limbs. And this unified approach leads directly to moksha and the ultimate siddhi ~ but this is the aim only for those who (having completed their normal worldly obligations) are vAnaprastha or sannyAsa.

advaitavAda presumes saMnyAsa and aims for prajñA and moksha; while dvaitavAda (and dvaitAdvaitavAda) is vAnaprastha and kshatriya dharma, aiming for AjñA (command and control) and prajana (begetting and growth) and amRta (salvation and non-death) and transcendence to bhuvarloka (in the air), but not the final step of moksha (liberation) and ajana (dissolution and non-birth).

The “magic” of siddha yoga in dvaitam is the satisfaction of all desires as they arise, but the root cause of those recurring desires (i.e. dvaitam) is never extinguished; while the full discipline of aSTAÑga yoga renounces any personal desire from the outset, and aims for moksha and kaivalyam (“absolute unity, perfect abstraction, detachment from all other connections, detachment of the soul from its bondage to matter and thus from its duty of further transmigrations”, or simply “beatitude”) which is advaitam.

A vividiSu-saMnyAsin is “desirous of knowing or learning”, and vividiSu-saMnyAsa is “renunciation while living in the world”. And a vidvat-saMnyAsin is “one who knows” (“a wise man, sage, or seer”), who has totally exhausted all desires, including the desire for self-realization, and this is the highest order of saMnyAsa ~ the turIyAtIta.

In dvaitam there is no end in seeking the ultimate truth, but in advaitam the truth is already found! dvaitavAdins are always on the move, progressing towards an unattainable goal (ultimate satisfaction and final rest in perfect unity of self ~ i.e. advaitam). And so, societies with a generally dualistic understanding have always been striving for perceived progress, development, and expansion.

On the other hand, a society or culture that is governed by an essentially monistic view will generally have a much more relaxed attitude progress and growth, which are subtle interior matters requiring no particular effort or action.

Indeed, advaitavAda and dvaitavAda are quite divergent paths, with the latter leading to endless conflict and suffering and environmental destruction, and the former leading only to eternal blissful existence and peace, in complete harmony with nature and ultimate reality. The perfection of advaitam is unborn and immortal, whereas dvaitam is born of division and fatally flawed!

Those who do not understand that there is only one ultimate truth are shUdra. A shUdra is entirely without dharma, which includes all children under 5 years and all humans without the brahmacaryadIkshA (i.e. without yama).

For a person who is not properly initiated, all of his activities become fruitless. Such an uninitiated person can take birth in the animal kingdom in the future. And, as bell-metal is turned into gold when mixed with mercury in an alchemical process, so in that very way, by the process of initiation by guru, a person becomes a brAhmaNa.

The wise sages understand sannyAsa as kAmyAnAM karmaNAM nyAsam, and declare tyAga as sarva-karma-phala-tyAgam. [15.2] And tyAga is trividha (of three kinds). [15.4] Prescribed duties should never be renounced. Such abandonment is declared as tAmasa. [15.7] trividha (welcome, unwelcome, and mixed) is the fruit that accrues hereafter for the atyAginA (those who are unrenouncing). But for the sannyAsinA (those who are renounced) there is no such fruit. [15.12]

Without proper recognition of Ashrama, the varNAshramadharma cakram stops turning on the earth, and the resulting varNadharma musalam tends to stagnate and discriminate rather than inspiring and liberating. And the prevalent “black and white” misunderstanding of varNAshrama dharma is surely a mleccha corruption of the Arya ideal.

Hinduism advocates renunciation, but the appropriate meaning(s) of this “renunciation” must be properly understood. And when renunciation is rationally considered as it variously applies to each particular Ashrama there is no danger!

Degradation of the environment (which is satI, the first mother of every Hindu) should never be tolerated. Effort towards self-improvement should never cease until perfection is attained. asatyam and hiMsA should not be tolerated by anyone committed to yama (i.e. by any true Arya).

When varNAshrama dharma was properly applied (i.e. before about 1,000 AD), India was the most prosperous country in the world. But ever since the musalam version of simplistic varNadharma, fixed by “caste” alone, with no expectation of social or spiritual progression, the dharmacakram has been making difficult progress against foreign capitalist raiders (informed by islam or christianity and bent only on personal gain at the expense of Hindu society and Hindu dharma).

A nAgA has no interest beyond dharma, and while moving among the shUdrAs there should be no attempt to influence others, unless properly requested.

It is important to remember that there are ten fundamental classes of varNAshrama in the cakram. With the caturvarNamaya musalam, progression from one varNa to another requires physical death and reincarnation. But with the dashavarNAshramamaya cakram, progression occurs from one Ashrama to another, according to saMskAra, the most significant of which involve a change of name. Every stage is a life-time in itself, with progression within one’s varNa involving a modification of one’s name, reflecting the change; and with progression between varNAs involving a completely new name, indeed, a completely new life.




1. The vaishvAnara consciousness ~ A ~ the wisdom of brahmacaryAshrama.

“Of this benevolent one who is the object of our invocation, there is an all-pervading middle brother, and a third brother who is well fed with oblations of ghee. Here I behold the Lord with seven sons.”

I = vaishvAnara = AjñA = sadyojAta = mahAdeva = maNipUra = rudra = aitareya

And yudhiSThira knows this!


2. The taijasa consciousness ~ U ~ the wisdom of gRhasthAshrama

“They yoke the seven to the one-wheeled chariot; and the single courser named Seven draws it. Three-naved is the wheel, sound and undecaying, whereon all these worlds of being are resting.”

II = taijasa = ajña = vAmadeva = bhairava = anAhata = IshAna = bRhadAraNyaka

And bhIma knows this!


3. The prAjña consciousness ~ M ~ the wisdom of vAnaprasthAshrama.

“The seven who are mounted on the seven-wheeled chariot are the seven horses who draw it onward. Seven sisters ride in it together, in whom the names of the seven rays are treasured.”

III = turIyAtIta = prAjña = aghora = nandivaktra = vishuddha = sadAshiva = chAndogya

And arjuna knows this!


4. The turIya consciousness ~ AUM ~ the wisdom of saMnyAsAshrama.

“Who hath beheld him as he sprang to being, seen how the boneless one supports the bony? Where is the blood of earth, the life, the spirit? Who may approach the man who knows to ask it?”

IIII = turIya = prAjñA = tatpuruSa = umAvaktra = AjñA = shambhu = mANDUkya

And nakula knows this!


5. The turya consciousness ~ [M] ~ the perfect wisdom of the avadhUta.

Only silent paÑcAksharamantra.

V = turya = prajñA = IshAna = sadAshiva = sahasrAra = paramashiva = Isha

And sahadeva knows this!


The doctrine of avatAra gives the impression that some perfect individuals (following the ideal of bhairava) are mysteriously born perfect, requiring no guru and indeed immediately regarded as such by all humanity, and that other imperfect souls are born somewhat sinful and requiring guidance and control. But in truth these two are one and the same, and it is the path of the guru which unites them ~ just as jesus and judas are the same person, united by the path which demands their final separation, which is their ultimate communion, leading to the death of their mortal body and the liberation of his immortal soul.

And when the AryaHindu ideal of guru is rejected, the opposites are (for most) locked apart. And all individuals become set in their own tribal and familiar ways, with no possibility of change. And so those who feel uncomfortable or trapped in their present conditions are rendered hopeless and helpless, while those who feel quite comfortable and free can deny any responsibility for the rest, for their condition is only a matter of their own making and thus they deserve whatever they get.

Since saMskRtam began in the north, the brAhmaNa community (on average) has always had a lighter complexion, and from their perspective all others are comparatively dark, especially the tribal shUdra whose ancestors would never have gone north beyond the foothills of himAlaya. And so, there is a superficial appearance that lighter skin indicates wisdom and greater purity of soul while darker skin indicates ignorance and an impure soul.

Now this childish connotation has long been promoted by european christians and british colonists for their own benefit, and by many brAhmaNa themselves (who in general have nothing to lose from such a partial understanding). And perhaps the most commonly mentioned attribute in Indian matrimonial advertisements is skin color (the more “wheaten” the better).

Skin color certainly is an indication of breeding, but a social system based entirely on shades of skin color and family name (without regard to the cultivation of the qualities and virtues that are traditionally associated with a particular varNa) is bound to fail. But this was NEVER the intention of varNAshrama dharma, which affirms spiritual progression and natural prosperity for all.


There are (relatively) few wandering saints in south India, and in some places (especially in Tamil Nadu) they are actually unwelcome! But there are very many who call themselves a brAhmaNa, and I suspect that many today have used the privilege afforded to them by society to get an excellent education in medicine or engineering or information technology or anything else that will bring financial reward to themselves and their family, while neglecting their sacred studies and practices and (especially) their sacred duty to the wider community of sanAtana dharma.

How can an avowed “secular” government justify having special state-government departments for the administration of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments? Are there equal departments controlling all of the non-Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments? And if so, are they not allowed to put their funds back into education and the maintenance of their own institutions? In Tamil Nadu (at least) the HR & CE department controls all places where public worship occurs ~ including every (active) mandira, sadhu’s samAdhi shrine, guru’s Ashrama, and acArya’s maTha!

If the property and finances of the very many such places is NOT directed towards the maintenance of Hindu dharma in the local communities, then this is a scandalous situation that should not be tolerated by any Hindu!

There should be no problem with independent auditing of finances to ensure that the funds are not improperly used, but if the maintenance of temples and other infrastructure is neglected, and the spiritual education and general prosperity of the those who have provided the funds in the first place (the Hindu community) is ignored, then this is surely at the heart of the problem we are discussing!

In the “democratic” political system, the majority wins. So, those who really should understand what is at stake here (i.e. the brAhmaNa and kshatriya) will likely represent less than 20% of the population, and without even convincing the general vaishya, there is little hope of winning an election when even larger numbers of naïve shUdrAs and the followers of other religions will never have any interest in supporting brAhmaNAs and brAhmaNa institutions.



janmanA jAyate shUdraH
saMskArAd dvija ucyate
vedapAThI bhaved vipraH
brahma jAnAti brAhmaNaH

By nature, one is born shUdra;
With saMskAra, one is declared twice-born.
Reciting the veda, one attains wisdom;
Knowing brahma, one is brAhmaNa.

[saidevo]

Shiva and Gauri

In which text do we find the following 'definitions' of Shiva and Gauri? (These quotes are from the book The Science of Peace by Bhagavan Das, but the author has given the source.)

शेते, सर्वस्मिन्, इति शिवः ।

shete, sarvasmin, iti shivaH |

'He who sleeps in all, is Shiva.'

जच्छति, इति गौः; ई, गति व्याप्ति प्रजन कान्ति असन खादनेषु;

jacChati, iti gauH; I, gati vyApti prajana kAnti asana khAdaneShu;

'That which goes is Gauh; that which goes, pervades, produces (young), desires, throws away, eats up, is I (== EE, as in 'see'); She who does all this is Gauh-i, GaurI'.

[sarabhanga]

In which text do we find
शेते, सर्वस्मिन्, इति शिवः ।
shete, sarvasmin, iti shivaH |
'He who sleeps in all, is Shiva.'

Namaste Saidevo,

The viSNudharma states:


tanniSThAs tadgatadhiyas tatkarmANas tadAshrayAH |

taddRRiSTayas tanmanasaH sarvasmin sa iti sthitaH | 1.53 |

And note that sthitaH ~ स्थितः ~ and shivaH ~ शिवः ~ could easily be mistaken in manuscript.

sthita and shiva, however, are cognate and virtually synonymous terms.

sthita is “standing, firm, staying, situated, resting, abiding, remaining, being, existing, keeping, engaged, occupied, intent, engrossed, devoted, addicted, performing , protecting, conforming, following, adhering, lasting, constant, invariable, settled, ascertained, decreed, established, accepted, fixed, determined, convinced, persuaded, resolved, faithful to a promise or agreement, upright, virtuous, prepared, ready, present, close, belonging, depending, leading, or conducive”, and “one who has desisted or ceased” or “the remains”. And sthitam is “standing still, stopping, staying, remaining or abiding”, or “perseverance on the right path”.

[sarabhanga]

जच्छति, इति गौः; ई, गति व्याप्ति प्रजन कान्ति असन खादनेषु;

jacChati, iti gauH; I, gati vyApti prajana kAnti asana khAdaneShu;

'That which goes is Gauh; that which goes, pervades, produces (young), desires, throws away, eats up, is I; She who does all this is Gauh-i, GaurI'.
And I believe this is based on the viSNusahasranAmabhASyam of shrI shaÑkarAcArya, regarding vIrAya namaH, where the meanings of vI are listed ~ gati vyApti prajana kAnti asana khAdaneSu ~ and viSNu is known as vIra because he possesses all such qualities ~ gatyAdimattvAt vIraH.

[sarabhanga]

The vaikhAnasadharmasUtra explains the dashAshrama system (without mentioning the shUdra):


brAhmaNasyAshramAshcatvAraH kshatriyasyAdyAstrayaH vaishyasyAdyau
tadAshramiNascatvAro brahmacArI gRhastho vAnaprastho bhikshuriti



1. There is only one simple dharma for all those of the shUdra varNa.

2. There are two stages of dharma for the vaishya ~ unmarried student and married householder ~ each with their own particular spiritual and social expectations.

3. There are three stages for the kshatriya, with an additional expectation of final seclusion from worldly affairs as a vAnaprastha.

4. And for the brAhmaNa varNa only there are four defined stages of life, culminating in sannyAsa.

And 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10

[saidevo]

Want to have a jumpstart in Sanskrit learning under some novel, painless and fast-paced teaching?

Visit:
http://www.chitrapurmath.net/sanskrit/sanskrit.asp

After looking here, there and everythere in the Net and print worlds, I have finally settled to submit to their teaching process to learn, which is surely fun-filled here! I have started downloading the pdf lessons besides reading them side by side. My idea is to first download all the lessons, browse at them with a fast reading without trying to understand too much and then come back in a more disciplined manner.

Start now, all the best, and thanks to the Guru Parampara of the Chitrapurmath!

[bhaktajan]

This attachment is a 1-Page Chart of Sandhi rules for Sanskrit Vowels

[bhaktajan]

Sanskrit Flash-Cards for Conversational Sanskrit

Sanskrit Flash Cards - 1 of 2
Attached are 10 Pages -- Part 1 of 2

It is a MS Word Doc.

Printed out as double sided [Back to Back] to from 5 pages.

Tip print-out unto card stock before cutting the sheets into 8 cards per each sheet.

Part 1 and 2 contain a total of 80 Flash Cards with more than a 100 common phrases in sanskrit.

So start soon --we all have a lot of catching up before we will be saying "Hello" & "How do you do?" & "Thank you" & "Good Morning" & count from 1 to 10 to a million, etc.
-------------------------------------------------------------
It's in english on one side and written in sanskrit on the other side.
I got the phrases from The Book by Hari-Venu Prabhu's Book "Sanskrit Grammer" [He's a german Iskcon Brahmacaryi].

[NOTE: Your computer must have the 'Indr' or some other Sanskrit Font installed for the Devanagari to print out properly]

This is all free to who ever would like to learn sanskrit common speech phrases.

ys,
Bhaktajan

Ooops! the MSWORD File is too big --155KB

Alternative access is via this link to Audaraya Forum Site:
http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/sanskrit/447830-sanskrit-flash-cards-1-2-a.html

There is 1 of 2
and, 2 of 2 totalling 20 pages.

ALSO:
This link will show you a sample of the flash card [front & Back sides] without yet downloading the said file.
See a sample of the flash cards at:
http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vedic-verses/447828-sanskrit-flash-cards-1-2-a.html

[bhaktajan]

For a Sanskrit Alphabeth Poster see:

http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/attachments/sanskrit/1680d1210717858-sanskrit-alphabeth-poster-sanskrit-poster-jpeg.jpg

Now, attached is the same item.

[saidevo]

Download link for Monier Williams' Sanskrit Dictionary:
http://www.ajati.com/om-en/materiale/diverse/Sanskrit-Dictionary-160.000-Words.rar

Unzip the files to a folder and run the application mwsdd.exe from there. This would pop up the searchable dictionary that you can keep on the Windows' taskbar for quick access. To have a shortcut of the application, right-click and drag the mwsdd.exe file to the Desktop and select 'Create Shortcut here'.

[saidevo]

Here is a Sanskrit pronunciation software:
Sanskrit Pronunciations 1.1
From Nityananda
http://download.cnet.com/Sanskrit-Pronunciations/3000-2135_4-10578776.html?tag=mncol

[Onkara]

Thank you Saidevo and others
I am making an effort daily to approach learning Sanskrit. I have found that learning Devanagari thoroughly is my first and best investment. Consonant clusters are the most challanging and I hope to come across a clear table of those commonly found in the scriptures. I look forward to using the resources you kindly share here and just wanted to acknowledge that briefly.

[saidevo]

namaste everyone.

My off-and-on efforts at learning Sanskrit has of late received a fillip from a friend of mine, who is passionate about learning the language. We examined many books and found that the main impediments are figuring out the whats and hows of vibhakti--inflection and cases, saMdhi--euphonic junction, kAla--tenses, lingha--genders, vachanam--numbers, etc.

Here is a link for an overall idea of these features:
http://www.vedamu.org/Sankrit/LearnSanskrit/sankrit.asp

and this link is for practising:
http://www.vedamu.org/Sankrit/LearnSanskrit/sankritinpictures.asp

Take for example, the simple sentence:
aham pATham paThAmi -- I read the lesson.

A uniquely great feature of a Sanskrit sentence like the above one is that whatever way you re-arrange the words, the meaning still remains the same! Thus,

pATham aham paThAmi
paThAmi pATham aham
paThAmi aham pATham

all have the same meaning (unlike in English).

• A simple sentence in Sanskrit such as the above, has a kartRu/kartA--agent/subject, karman--object, and kriyA--action.

• It is the non-verbal words that have gender, number and case. In Sanskrit, there are three numbers: singular, dual, plural.

• Verbal words--kriyApada, vachanam--number, kAlam--tense, and puruSha--person (first, second, third).

It seems that with the above books, and with the following one,
Learn Sanskrit in 30 Days
http://download165.mediafire.com/jjsq1mvm3jig/icjmytijzm5/Learning+Sanskrit+in+30+days.pdf

one can get a fairly quick grasp of the language in a short time, with sustained reading and practice.

[Onkara]

Namasté Saidevo
That's encouraging to read. I wonder if there is an agreed method to learning Sanskrit?

It appears to me that one must learn the grammar first by building on basic sentences adding different declensions as the earlier declensions become familiar. This seems to be the method in the books I have bought.

Looking at the complete noun and verb declension tables it seems too challenging to memorised them all by rote (as I once did with Latin as a school boy). Perhaps there are tricks or ways to do this that the books choose not to teach in order to avoid having to go back and re-learn the rules of how roots and stems change?

Any thoughts, anyone, on finding an enjoyable and progressive approach to learning Sanskrit?

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté snip,




Any thoughts, anyone, on finding an enjoyable and progressive approach to learning Sanskrit?

First, let me say I remain an entry level śiṣya (student) of saṃskṛtam. I have lots to learn ( in applying the rules, easily recognizing the phonemes ~letters~, etc.).
My love of this language is not so much the efficient use as a verbal tool, but that of its etymology. How the ṛṣi-s used these sounds/words to describe the Truth, this is what i revel in.
That said, the following is what I have found that helps me - I am sure there are better ways:


■ practice and apply words in your use here at HDF - I see that you have started; try to use words daily with definitions.
■ take śloka-s and take them apart to understand their assembly and composure. This is challenging but gives one (me) focus. There are some śloka-s I may work-on for a week . The translator says X but I see Y, how did they get to that translation?
■ create your own lexicon of words on your computer - a new word a day and store it for use:
- understand the words used, the roots, etc.
- obviously working with the letters, yet come to appreciate the meaning/potential of each sound ~phoneme~.
■ become a user of the Monier-Williams Sanskrit to English Dictionary
■ Consider Pāṇini-s Aṣṭādhyāyī ( book on grammar) - this is a bit advanced, so you may wish to wait a bit and settle into a routine of learning saṃskṛtam before moving to this book, but it is worth a look.


Also snip, if you have this desire, contact me and I will send you a very useful document that IMHO will contribute to your efforts.



praṇām

[Onkara]

Namate all Thanks for the advice Yajvan! I recently came across this video of Sanskrit being taught and recited by children in a school, and found it encouraging and open minded :) http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=149422

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté snip,



I recently came across this video of Sanskrit being taught and recited by children in a school,

They are more advanced then me... there is hope :)

praṇām