"KARMABHUMI"

This land of ours is called 'Karma Bhumi’! What do you mean by that? It is the land of sacrifice or yajna. Our life itself is a series of sacrifices. Without sacrifice it is impossible to exist. It is surprising that from the unicellular organism amoeba to the most complex organism, namely man, life is a series of sacrifices or yajna! The mother sacrifices for the child,the father for his children, the friend for the friend, the individual for the group, the present for the future, the haves for the have nots, the weak for the strong--what is all this if not sacrifice or yajna? But while doing these we do them mechanically without understanding the significance of such sacrifice. We do it out of fear, or greed or for the fulfilment of our desires. Any yajna should be done consciously for spiritual and elevating purposes by man. When life is soaked in sacrifice egoism and arrogance will vanish. The Vedas are the repositories of hymns and mantras for the yajnas. Every single hymn of the Vedas and the rites signifies yajna or Sacrifice. If the stream of yajna dries up, it will be a great loss of spiritual wealth. India “ Is a Vedabhumi, not a vedanabhumi, not the vedanabhumi it is fast becoming. Vedana or suffering can never come if the Vedas are learnt or practiced again.”asserts Bhagawan Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

The root of all Dharma or righteousness is the Vedas. “ Vedokilo Dharma mulam.” Any injury to the root will kill the tree beyond revival. If the roots are alive the tree will come back to life. The Vedas and the sastras are the two eyes of India. Blind aping of Western culture has dimmed those eyes. The neglect of the Vedas and the sastras has made India dependent on others  who guided it to their own culture! The Vedas are the property of those who realize their value, those that have an insatiable thirst for them and are ready to practice and enjoy the bliss and peace that it grants. Others have no right to talk of the Vedas and sit in judgement. To say that the Vedas are mere “Contraptions put together by a few Brahmins for their aggrandizement is the height of folly.” Essentially man is a seeker of Ananda or Bliss. Without that he is like a fish out of water. “He is Amrithaswarupa; hence, it is difficult for him to imagine that his body will fall off and he has to die one day. He has bandaged his eyes with egoism and he says the darkness is very congenial; the curious shapes of things he sees darkly, he takes as true.” comments Swami in one of His Divine discourses.

To come out of the illusion in modern life and bondage, one has to follow certain disciplines and Dharma. It is only then man can see the Light and all things in new Light. The antidote for the ‘Bhavaroga’- the disease of samsara, is the Vedic drug and the regimen of restrictions and regulations placed on the Brahmins who follow them. Many at present consider these rules and restrictions as mere superstitions. But that is not true. They are restrictions on conduct and on  the details of daily life. It requires great courage, and faith to follow and practice them.Those who follow  these restrictions and regulations are doing with great sincerity. Modern life has become a path overgrown with thorns and almost unrecognizable with potholes, hollows and brush. This is because of the long neglect of the royal highway laid down by the Vedic seers. Under the influence of modern civilization people have totally gone astray. They have no regard for religion and the mandate of the Vedas and the sastras. As a result many proscribed and unethical acts are being done.The urgent need of the hour is the resuscitation of Dharma and creation of a congenial atmosphere for the propagation of the Vedas?

Religious institutions and mutts like Jagadguru Sri Sankarachaya Mutt of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam are enlisting youngsters and instructing them in the Vedas from their early years.They are provided free boarding and lodging. Various spiritual and charitable institutions are also involved in spreading the knowledge of the Vedas and our scriptures.The response from the youngsters is not enough. Parents have to realize the significance of this spiritual orientation for their kids and support the institutions by sending their children for a study of the Vedas. Sri Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam authorities are doing yeoman service in the propagation of Dharma through various activities like discourses by eminent and scholarly speakers and conducting courses in the Vedas.

The advent of the Sai Avatar has changed the situation dramatically! Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization has changed the fabric of society! Swami has underlined the primacy of the study of the Vedas and the value of practicing Dharma. He has instructed that important sections of the Vedas should be taught to children, adults and even women! Sai Samitis are scrupulously following the mandate of Swami. Sai Organizations all over the world are thus endowed with the  rare opportunity of learning the chanting of the Vedic mantras including the Gayatri Mantra! I had the amazing experience of listening to the wonderful rendering of Sai Bhajans from the devotees from Saudi Arabia! European devotees are excellent in rendering the most difficult chanting of Sri Rudram and Chamakam! They also chant the Purusha Sukta and Mantra Pushpa and other hymns! In the Atirudra Mahayagna conducted in July-Aug, in Tiruvannamalai, about 200 devotees from all over the world participated and chanted Sri Rudram and Chamakam! A number of ladies were among them! Is it not a wonder? Devotees are able to feel peace and loss of stress and strain from their disgusting schedules! There is a kind of dharmic and spiritual Renaissance that is slowly enveloping the society despite the other enervating causes!