| 1. |
The sun of universal dharma, emerging out of the ocean of Bliss, shines supreme
in the world, endowing its own incomparable lustre to the world at large bathed
in its bright rays of light!
May one and all be happy, may one and all be healthy. May one and all see good
time, Let none suffer sorrow.
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| 2. |
The Vedas declare that Dharma is the mainstay of the entire world. By this we
might also understand that knowledge of Dharma alone will enable men to carry
out wordly and spiritual activities in the best possible way. Let us live
without sorrow for a hundred summers is the vedic wish. It is to enable men to
realize this goal of health, strength and peace that the idea of Dharma has
been propounded from time to time.
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| 3. |
There is also another etymological explanation of Dharma ? ?That by which
everything is sustained?. In this explanation, the scope of Dharma will be
restricted to that alone whose observance will conduce to universal protection
from evil and which preaches only such laws as are conducive to the good of the
whole world. Viewed in this light, Dharma can be only for the whole world.
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| 4. |
Dharma to be true to its name ought to possess universal extension and
validity. And in this widest range of Dharma , are of course included all men
and women.
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| 5. |
May our minds all be one such is the declaration of the scripture. It preaches
in the clearest terms possible that the human community should cultivate the
spirit of unity and concord. So long as life lasts, one has to give and take
the means of subsistence in a spirit of cooperation from others; one has to
keep to the good path in a way not harmful to others; and finally one has to
find time for the quest for the Almighty and the pursuit of spiritual
exercises.
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| 6. |
No one can escape death nor can one avoid life. No happiness in this world is
trustworthy to the extent joy eternal of the Mukta. And life itself would be a
waste if no attempt is made to attain Immortal joy. Nor is it proper to make
distinctions of high and low in the one Absolute who is the ultimate
destination of one and all.
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| 7. |
What else but His power shapes and directs even our gross bodies Pleasure of
the body for its own sake is something that should be condemned and curbed and
one should not fall prey to its temptation.
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| 8. |
Why then this behaviour of discord and clash between religion and religion,
nation and nation, province and province, community and community, class and
class, interest and interest.
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| 9. |
What joy can come out of this Why do people waste their lives in useless
endeavours never caring to know the truth What peace can be got from all this
Only they might know!
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| 10. |
Universal Dharma preaches the loftiest and the best code of morality. It is
also called ?Sanatan Dharma, because it spreads everywhere the knowledge of
Eternal reality. This is indeed the distinguishing feature of Dharma. Since
sensual pleasures are sought after naturally and egoism comes instinctively to
everyone with dualities, that engender these, wherein would lie the uniqueness
of Dharma if that too preached the cultivation of these things only.
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| 11. |
Therefore only that deserves to be truly regarded as Dharma which can vouchsafe
the highest bliss of Atman which is super-mundane and changeless.
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| 12. |
Through the paths of Action and Knowledge, this Sanatan Dharma leads the
individual soul higher and higher by gradual stages and ultimately proclaims.
Thou art That.
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| 13. |
Deliverance is nothing but the realisation of one?s own true nature this is the
teaching of all the crucial texts in the scriptures.
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| 14. |
Coolly contemplate on that as waters All this universe is the dwelling of the
Lord. Where aught else is not seen, where aught else is not heard, where aught
else is unknown, That is the highest experience and Bliss is only that.
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| 15. |
These are some of the texts mentioned above. This world both physical and
mental is an effect of its First cause, the triune unity of Sat, Chit and
Ananda and it finally merges into That as it emerged from That.
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| 16. |
Hence self realization is possible only on the supposition that the urge is due
to That and the experience also is had by That though it may have assumed a
different form now.
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| 17. |
One should therefore rise to the highest state by filling the outer world and
the inner world of mind with the bliss that comes from the Knowledge of spirit.
These worlds should melt away in that Self-realisation whose nature can be
understood only be personal experience.
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| 18. |
Ones self must become that highest Bliss itself wherein nothing willm remain
for him to see or hear or know, that Bliss which has no limits whatever. The
highest Truth preached by universal Dharma and its last word is that one should
seek for and achieve the state of Self-experience wherein one has perforce to
remain speechless and thoughtless even like a dunb man after his tasting sugar.
Everything is discarded as not This by the seeker after perfection, until he
finally loses his individuality itself and reaches the highest state of
self-realization when his Silence itself becomes eloquent- such is the
declaration of the Srutis.
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| 19. |
Whatever is a product of gold shall always remain golden in the same way,
whatever is born of Brahman shall retain the nature of Brahman. An ornament
made of gold does not cease to be golden. Though the outer form undergoes
change, its inner essence remains the same. In like manner this inner and outer
world is just a transformation of Sat-chit-Ananda and hence remains always
Sat-chit-Ananda in essence.
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| 20. |
Since the effect is always permeated by the cause, Brahman alone permeates
throughout the effect, viz the inner and outer world. Just as the
undifferentiated gold alone will remain when the golden ornament is viewed only
from the standpoint of gold and both the vision and the idea lose themselves in
the object gold and not in the appearance of ornament, so also unalloyed Bliss
alone will remain when the universe which is only an ornament of Bliss is
viewed purely from the standpoint Bliss and both the intellect and idea lose
themselves in Bliss.
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| 21. |
This state of perfect Bliss itself is called Moksha or Deliverance. Attainment
of the highest bliss is the state of Moksha. This is the greatest teaching of
Srutis which propounds universal Dharma.
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