BHARATVARSHA: SCRIPTURES AND SAGES AS PIONEERS
Article 1 of the
Constitution of India declares that "India, that is Bhārat, shall be a Union of States."
It is rightly so, India is Bhārat. Bhārat as a conception traces its origins in the ancient philosophy of India and is rooted in the Vedas, scriptures, Upanishads, Purānas, epics, ideas, thoughts, and teachings of sages and saints. The Sanātana Dharma woven the spiritual thread across the Bhāratvarsha and over the time evolving stronger binding bondage irrespective of varied caste, creed, sect, region, customs, languages, food habits, costumes and professions. The Sanātana Dharma (eternal righteousness and order) for common good and welfare without any discrimination based on faith or any other factor.
karmaṇaiva hi sansiddhim āsthitā janakādayaḥ
loka-saṅgraham evāpi sampaśhyan kartum arhasi
yad yad ācharati śhreṣhṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ
sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate
By performing their prescribed duties, King Janak and others attained perfection. You should also perform your duties to set an example for the good of the world. Whatever actions great people perform, common people follow. Whatever standards they set, all the world pursues them.
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitām
dharma-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge
To protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma I appear on this earth, age after age.
The Vedas are shrutis, compiled by Veda Vysa, for Dharmic principles, rituals, and ways of life to be followed for elevation in the life process.
The Purānas are smritis, written by Veda Vysa, set out certain fundamental principles for understanding the creation and other aspects related to the creation and the creator.
1. Outline
The ideas in the scriptures, Purānas, thought and teachings of sages and saints provide a common thread on certain fundamental principles of (i) the creation of the universe (ii) its genealogy and dissolution (iii) the dynasties (iv) the Mānavantaras, (v) the dynastic chronicles, and (vi) purusārtha.
The Puranas state that the cycle of creation and dissolution of the universe goes on endlessly. The period of creation (the aeon) has been described in the Purānas as the day of Brahmā (Lord Brahma) and that of dissolution as the night of Brahmā.
Genealogy refers to the genealogy of the gods and the patriarchs. It also mentions legends from the times of various kings.
The Manavantara means "the duration of a Manu (the ruler of humanity)", or his "span of life," with synonym meanings of "the interval, reign, period, or age of a Manu." The day of Brahmā (the period of order) is stated to comprise of 14 manvantaras or phases of evolution, namely: Svayambhuva, Svarocisa, Uttama, Tamasa, Raivata, Caksusa, Vaivasvata, Savarni, Daksa-Savarni, Brahma-Savarni, Dharma-Savarni, Rudra-Savarni, Ruci-Savarni, and Bhouma-Savarni. We are now in the age of Vaivasvata Manu, the seventh Manu. By now, six manvantaras and 27 caturyugis of the seventh manvantara, Vaivasvata, have elapsed, and at present we are passing through the Kali-yuga of the 28th caturyugi of the Vaivasvata manvantara.
Purusārtha, or the aims of human life, are only dharma (righteousness, moral values) artha (economic values), kama (psychological values), and moksha (spiritual values or liberation).
Besides, in the Srimad Bhagavatam, there are discourses on ten subject matters, namely: i) Sarga (creation in general by God), ii) Bisarga (creation in particular by Brahmā), [iii] Sthāna (position), iv) Poshana (preservation), v) Uti (desire actuating an action), vi) Mānvantara (pious modes of living by the saintly persons), vii) Ishanuktha (discourses relating to God and his devotees), viii) Nirodha (merging in), ix) Mukti (liberation), and x) Asraya (stay upon or in support of). Of the above ten, with a view to obtaining true knowledge of the tenth, viz., Asraya, saintly people would have discourse on the nine others by way of hearing, meeting, and drawing analogies [The Srimad-Bhagvatam of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (vol. 1), Book 2, Chapter X, Verses 1-2 (SB 2.10.1-2)]
2.
Bharat Khand and Bharatvarsha
Geographically, there are the seven islands (dvīpas) are known as i) Jambu, ii) Śāka, iii) Śālmalī, iv) Kuśa, v) Krauñca, vi) Gomeda or Plakṣa, and vii) Puṣkara. The planets are called dvīpas. Outer space is like an ocean of air. Just as there are islands in the watery ocean, these planets in the ocean of space are called dvīpas, or islands in outer space. There are nine khaṇḍas, known as i) Bhārata, ii) Kinnara, iii) Hari, iv) Kuru, v) Hiraṇmaya, vi) Ramyaka, vii) Ilāvṛta, viii) Bhadrāśva and ix) Ketumāla. These are different parts of Jambudvīpa. A valley between two mountains is called a khaṇḍa or varṣa. All these provide a common influencing as well as a binding thread on the Bharat Khanda as a geographical entity which subsequently became Bhāratvarsha as a political entity when King Bharat ruled over the entire Bharat khanda. Srimad Bhagavatam affirms that the Bharatvarsha name was derived from King Bharat, who traces his lineage to Svayambhuva Manu. Priyavrata was the son of Svyambhuva Manu. Āgnīdhra, whose son was Nābhi, was his son. The son of Nābhi is the incarnation of Lord Risabhadeva, the full form of Vāsudeva. Bharata was the eldest of Risabhadeva's one hundred sons. He was an esteemed follower of Nārāyaṇa, and it was through him that this planet—once known as Ajanābha-varṣa—became known as Bhāratavarsha.
Mahābhārat of Vyasa and Rāmāyana of Valmiki describes diversities within a unified frame about the people and ways of lives, geographical regions, lake, forest, rivers, mountains and hills all with accurate latitudinal and longitudinal frames.
The Vishnu Purāna demarcated the geography of Bharat Khanda.
Uttaraṃ yatsamudrasya himādreścaiva dakṣiṇam
varṣaṃ tadbhārataṃ nāma bhāratī yatra santatiḥ
It means:"The country (Varsam) that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bharatam; there dwell the descendants of Bharata.
The Vishnu Purāna: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition, Translated by H.H. Wilson
In Srimad Bhagavad Gita the name
Bharat is used by Sri Krishna more
than twety-two times.
kṣhetra-jñaṁ chāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣhetreṣhu bhārata
kṣhetra-kṣhetrajñayor jñānaṁ yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama
It means, O scion of Bharat, I am also the knower of all the individual fields of activity. The understanding of the body as the field of activities, and the soul and God as the knowers of the field, this I hold to be true knowledge.
There are 18 Mahā Purānas: Agni Purāna, Bhagavat Purāna, Brahmā Purana, Brahmānda Purana, Brahmavaivarta Purāna, Garuda Purāna, Kurma Purāna, Linga Purāna, Markandeya Purāna, Matsya Purāna, Nārada Purāna, Padma Purāna, Shiva Purāna, Skanda Purāna, Vāmana Purāna, Varāha Purāna, Vāyu Purāna and Vishnu Purāna.
These Puranic scriptures deal with cosmology, cosmogony, genealogies of dynasties, lives of saintly people, aims of human life (dharma, artha, kama and moksha); discuss avataras of Vishnu, Shiva, Pārvati, Ganesha, Devis, Krishna and Rādha; Dharma codes, laws, governance, politics, economics, trade and commerce; geography, forest and rivers; cultural history, education, iconography, organization of army, causes of war and diplomacy, building public projects, water distribution methods, trees and plants, medicine, Vastu Shāstra (architecture), gemology, grammar, metrics, poetry, food, rituals and numerous other topics.
4.
Adi Shankaracharya
Sri Adi Shankaracharya, the great master of Advaita who lived in the early part of the 8th century, said, "Brahma satya jagat mithya, jivo brahmaiva naparah". Brahmān is the only Reality and the only truth. The world is illusory. There is ultimately no difference between the individual Self and the Brahmān.
Brahmān Satyam: Brahmān is the all pervasive life principle, consciousness.
Jagat Mithya: The word Jagat embraces in itself this entire world, including the gross and subtle 'objects' (thoughts, emotions, energy), as well. This word has been described as referring to that which is 'Jayate gachati iti jagat', i.e. that which is born and dies.
Jivo Brahmaiva naparah: This sutra means that 'every jiva - the apparent limited and finite entity, is basically the infinite & limitless Brahmān, and nothing else. The truth & essence of an individual are the truth and essence of this whole world, or rather, of God. Every Jiva is basically God himself wearing a cloak of limited equipment, and moreover, identified with his equipment, he lives a limited and transient life.
Similarly, in Srimad Bhagavad Gita it is rightly mentioned as
ichchhā-dveṣha-samutthena
dvandva-mohena bhārata
sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ sarge yānti parantapa
O descendant of Bharat, the dualities of desire and aversion arise from illusion. O conqueror of enemies, all living beings in the material realm are deluded by them.
Mithya means neither true
nor false. The world cannot be false because we all clearly see and perceive
it. Shankaracharya says that the world is not true either, because it is constantly
changing and everything that the world has to offer is temporary, transient,
and impermanent.
Adi Shankara in saying "Jivo brahmaiva naparah", emphasises that the realization of the individual Self, Ātman, Life Energy in its purest form unhindered by ego is nothing but realizing the Brahmān, the Almighty Energy.
By this Advaita philosophy, Adi Shankara, united the diversities in faith, regions, languages, so many others under the umbrella philosophy of Advaitavada. He established four educational peethas in four different directions of Bharatvarsha to explain it, which also explains the unity of Brahmān and Ātman, the essence of Advaita Vedanta. Ātma means "self," and "Brahmān" means the highest being.
i. In the East at Puri, Govardhanamatha Peetham, under the disciple lineage Padmapada, Rig Veda, Mahāvākya: Prajnanam Brahma (प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म), or "Prajñāna is Brahmān," or "Brahmān is Prajñāna, "Aaitrya Upanishad.
ii. In the West at Dwaraka, Dwaraka Kalika Peetham, under the disciple lineage Hastamalakachaya, Sam Veda, Mahāvākya, Tat Tvam Asi (तत् त्वम् असि), "That Thou Art" (that you are), Chandogya Upanishad.
iii. In the South at Sringeri, Sarada Peetham, under the disciple lineage of Suresvara, Yajur Veda, Mahāvākya, Aham Brahmāsmi (अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि) "I am Brahmān", or "I am Divine", Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
iv. In the North at Badrinath, Badri Jyotir Matha Peetham under the disciple lineage of Totakacharya, Atharva Veda, Mahāvākya, Ayam Atma Brahma (अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म), means "this Self (Atman) is Brahmān,"Maandukya Upanishad.
5. Remarks
Our ancient scriptures and Vedas pronounce everything for common good and upliftment for betterment of life process.
abhayaṁ
sattva-sanśhuddhir jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ
dānaṁ damaśh cha yajñaśh cha svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam
ahinsā satyam akrodhas tyāgaḥ śhāntir apaiśhunam
dayā bhūteṣhv aloluptvaṁ mārdavaṁ hrīr achāpalam
tejaḥ kṣhamā dhṛitiḥ śhaucham adroho nāti-mānitā
bhavanti sampadaṁ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata
The Supreme Divine Personality said: O scion of Bharat, these are the saintly virtues of those endowed with a divine nature—fearlessness, purity of mind, steadfastness in spiritual knowledge, charity, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of the sacred books, austerity and straightforwardness; non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, restraint from fault-finding, compassion toward all living beings, absence of covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and lack of fickleness; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, bearing enmity toward none, and absence of vanity.
The crystallisation of spiritual and physical unity owes much to the efforts of Adi Shankaracharya. Besides, we have a host of other figures by the names of Ramanujachaya, Madhabacharya, Vallahabacharya, and so many others who have contributed directly and indirectly to the shaping of Bharatvarsha.
-Asutosh Satpathy
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