THE BOOK OF PEACE- SHANTIPARVA

Shantiparva or The Book of Peace is the 12th and the longest parva of the Mahabharata. Shantiparva of Mahabharata has its significance because of its political ideas. It is known as the wisdom literature which includes treaties on topics like kinship, metaphysics, geography and mythology. It is the set of instructions given to King Yudhisthira by Great Bhishma on various treaties such as duties of a king and his rule, governance system, dharma, rights, justice, prosperity and welfare of the people, moksha, etc. The book establishes the principles of origin of monarchy, mantra parishad , kar vyavastha and the duties of different organs of government are described in this book. The significance of Shantiparva particularly lies in the sub-parva of rajdharma. Shantiparva explains the reasons that lead to the growth of state and kingship where morality has been given a high value and the king has been considered the guardian of morality and dharma. It provides an idea of how political philosophy and high ideals can lead to good governance. 

At the end of Mahabharata war, between Pandavas and Kauravas, Yudhisthira was very dejected at the death of his elders, brothers, relatives and loved ones. He was lamented so much that he has decided to renounce everything and move to forest and live there. Various Great sages like Rishi Vyasa, Narad Muni, Devala, and Lord Hari himself counsel him to give up such dejection and rule the kingdom of Hastinapur with the code of Dharma, considering that his duty. 

Shantiparva consists of 365 chapters and 13,716 numbers of Shlokas, which is further divided into three sub-parvas:

Rajadharma [4716 shlokas], describes the duties of king and his governance.

Apaddharma [1649 shlokas], describes the rules of conduct when one faces adversity.

Mokshadharma [7351 shlokas], describes behavior and rules to achieve moksha i.e., emancipation, release and freedom.

The Mahabharata has been the source of spiritual strength to the people of India. According to Vedvyasa the epic is intended to be a treatise on life itself, including Dharma and ethics, polity and government, philosophy and the pursuit of salvations. In the Mahabharata among all the parva, Shantiparva is more relevant because this parva deals with duties of the king and the obligations of the subject, which is known as Rajadharma. It provides a theory of state which is remarkable for the age as it deals with the fundamental questions as the importance of the state and the science of politics, the origin of the state, the functions of the government, welfare state, obligation etc. the king is vested with the authority and power of governance, the true sovereignty belongs to dharma, not to king. The Mahabharata states it again and again that in all the acts of the governance, the goal is king or the state is the protection of the people. Protection supports the world, protected people prosper, prospering they endow the king in turn. The text or sloka says;

Dharmo Yat raja rakshati prajah Bhutanam hiyatha dharmo rakshanamparma daya||

In other words, protecting of all living being with kindness towards them is the highest Dharma.

According to Yudhisthir, rajadharma is refuse of all creatures and not the threefold end of live, but salvation itself is depends upon them. Dharma is the fundamental principle of human conduct. The king upholding dharma is the very epitome of the ethical conduct. The creatures are grounded in the king and the king who tightly upholds the dharma is indeed a righteous king.  

To conclude, the Rajadharma of the Shantiparva reflects ancient Indian culture and tradition and highlights the duties essential to be performed by the king. The basic idea behind all these teachings by Bhishima was to prepare Yudhishitir with the art of governance. As a treatise of statecraft, the Mahabharata attempts to show that the ideas mentioned in the book are worth following which would help to maintain the territorial integrity and also promote the welfare of the people. We say that the Shantiparva is the text that enhances the welfare of the people. It is not just a religious text on politics, diplomacy, governance and philosophy which are fully embodied with the spirit of dharma, ultimately heading towards the concept of good governance.

-Shakshi Baliyan

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TEACHINGS OF KABIRDAS

 

Kabir was a 15^th century Indian mystic poet and saint whose writings influenced the Bhakti movement. He was disciple of Swami Ramananda, and was raised by a Muslim weaver. At a very young age, Kabir realised that the religious dogma and principles, blinds the humanity to see the truth and it ultimately leads to fanaticism. Kabir’s poetry is a reflection of his philosophy about life. His writings focused upon the concept of reincarnation and karma. He believed in living life in a very simplistic manner and he had a strong faith in the concept of oneness of god. He advocated the notion of “KOI BOLE RAM RAM , KOI KHUDAI,” and the basic principle behind this message was that, whether you chant the name of Hindu god or Muslim god, the fact is that there is only one god who is the creater of thos beautiful world.

He always said that god does not live at the holy shrine or in temples but lives within every human and in accordance to this he wrote-

“How funny! In the mindset of water, a fish thirsts for water,

The thing lies at home, but searching for it,  in the woods they roam, they roam,

Without self knowledge, the world is false,

Be it Mathura or Kashi.”

The above poem clerarly reveals that it is ironic that the people cannot notice god living within their own inner selves and are oblivious of their own inner selves and instead keep thronging to Kashi or Kaba. Therefore, it is futile or useless to seek god outside or in temples.

Kabir’s philosophical tenets were extremely simple. He was known as the guiding spirit of the Bhakti movement. The following are the key teachings and philosophies of Kabir:

·           ‘Love’ was the Kabir’s principle tenet. He emphasized that love was the only medium which could bind the entire human kind in a unbreakable bond of fraternity.

·           According to him true dedication is way to realize the one own-self and hence the supreme power called ‘God’. In his opinion God alone was Ram, Rahim, Govind, Allah, Khuda, Hari etc. Hence god was all powerful and he could only be worshipped through love and devotion. Kabir preached monotheism.

·           In Kabir’s dictum ‘the teacher or Guru’ has been accorded the prime position and the teacher was the incarnation of god.

·           The only way to attain god was the path of ‘Bhakti’ and intense devotion would surely lead to the ultimate attainment of god. Kabir took good things from all religions while filtered out orthodox practices and meaningless rituals.

·           ‘Soul’ according to him was life, breath and knowledge. It was a part of the ultimate knowledge. The soul was itself was the creation and it also was the creator.

·           Kabir asserted the impermanence of all things in the world. All living and non living things like insects, animals, trees, rivers, mountains and human beings are only temporary and all would cease to exist some day.

·           Liberation or salvation was another contention of Kabir. Liberation according to him was a state of fearlessness and it implied the freedom from life and death.

The essence of Kabir’s effort as a teacher maybe stated plainly, he wanted to make people honest and only then they could realise the complete truth. He was a practical man and he exposed falsehood, deceptive nature and human delusions in a blunt manner. He famously wrote-

“Moving from truth to truth, what can destroy you?”

Kabir is known for being critical of both Hinduism and Islam stating that followers of both religious have misguided by Vedas and the Quran. He questioned the meaningless rituals of the sacred thread [Hindu] and the rituals in Islam, and said that it doesn’t bring any human closer to god. It is all about spiritualism and believe in one own heart.  The idea that Kabir knew Hinduism from inside out and not Islam cannot be justified. It is true that Kabir could neither read the scriptures of Vedas nor the Holy Quran. But he had a strong knowledge about both the religion. Therefore, he rejected both the religions and their chauvinism, in return, the orthodox trends of Islam and Brahmins rejected and ignored him. He still remains popular among the masses.

He was against untouchability and asserted that the only form of pollution is Brahmin’s standpoint which differentiate one human with the other. He said,

Pandit, look in your heart to know,

Tell me how untouchability was born.

Untouchability is what you made so,

We eat by touching, we wash by touching.

Kabir says that only he is untouched, who has no link with Maya [earthly material world]. He emphasized the need to respect one’s mother, father and teacher, and only through this can one experience highest form of pilgrimage. In essence Ksbir was a great social reformer who always put the welfare of the humanity in the first place and sought to eradicate whatever evil he saw in the society. He never minced his words when he reveals the vices, religious superstition, caste discrimination, idol worship and hypocrisy. His style of preaching created a form of intimacy with the listeners who either became his followers or scorned at him. After his death, Hindus and Muslims follower fought with each other, demanding the change of body. However, it is said that after someone removed the cover it was discovered that a heap of flowers has replaced the corpse.

-Shakshi Baliyan 

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LAW CODE OF MANU

 

Manu is the author of Manusmriti, and the first teacher to reveal the essence of humanity to and mankind. Manu prescribed the norms of social life and practices. Manusmriti is a pivotal text, which contains the passages on the caste system and, it encompasses pragmatic visualization and idealization of the life or how the life should be lived. It is primarily concerned with the dharma, the ultimate righteousness, which includes the concepts of religion, law, right, justice, practice and principles. The Manusmriti covers the entire gamut of human life, from social obligations and duties of the various varnas and individuals in different stages of life to Hindu philosophy.

Manusmriti, is a mixture of the lofty idea of the divine as well as the earthly principles of ruling the people and provides a brilliant account of creation of mankind. It is a recombination of idealism and materialism. The Manusmriti laid down the rules to be observed by a righteous person including a righteous person including the righteous king. Manu continues to see human life as part of the cosmic process. Though, the date of Manusmriti is disputed mythologically, Manu is supposed to have been the first teacher of the mankind who revealed the knowledge of the man in society to Maharishi Bhrigu. [Maharishi Bhrigu was one of the seven sages entrusted at the beginning of the cosmic cycle with the task of preservation of right in the world]. A blend of human consciousness along with the matter [material i.e., earthly live part] both occupies a central theme in Manusmriti. The Manusmriti begins with the concept of Nirguna Brahman as the cause of the formation of the universe and then goes on to describe the process of manifestation, which is a product of a series of integrations and differentiations, leading to the formation of many worlds and levels and varieties of existence.

Manu’s seven social laws, the social laws or order given by Manu is in the second chapter of the Manusmriti, stating different social aspects of life. The Laws of Manu were composed by members of a particular social class or varna known as Brahmins or priests.

• The first social law basically talks about the starting of the existence, that is, origin of the law. It focuses on the initiations of the universe and the creation of the cosmos. It includes, Nirgunabrahma and Karmayog [what one gives will always return to him/her irrespective of the time].

• The second social law basically focuses on the main qualities of a religion, they are Dhairya [patience], shama [forgiveness], swachata [cleanliness], samaj [wisdom], gyaan [knowledge], satya [truth] and krodha niyantran [controlling anger].

• The third social law focuses on the ‘Varna System’. Manu dwelt at length on the nature of social life on the relations between the four social classes or varnas, viz., priests [Brahmin], rulers and warriors [Kshatriyas], commoners [Vaishyas], and servants [Shudras]. 

• The fourth social law is about the ‘Ashram Dharma’. It is actually the reflection of an individual’s life. It includes the four main milestone in one’s life for the fulfilment of life, they are, Brahmacharya [student-hood phase], Grihastha Ashram [house holding phase], Vaan Prastha Ashram [retirement phase] and Sanyas [attainment of Moksha]. 

• The fifth law is all about the system of marriages and its categories. In this, Manu noted eight different type of marriages, Brahma Vivah, Daivya Vivah, Arsha Vivah, Prajapatya Vivah, Gandharva Vivah, Asur Vivah, Raksha Vivah and Pishash Vivah.

• The sixth law deals with property rights and inheritance law of a society and individual. Manu made six categories of not being able to be part in the inheritance, namely, impotent, outcasted, blind/deaf, mute, insane and mentally retarded. 

• The last social law mainly focuses on the crimes and punishments of a society.  

Manu and Varnashrama and Statecraft, in his social conceptualization Manu has prescribed the rules each individual had to follow from birth to death.

He has laid down his concept of varnashrama  in detail, where he divides the whole society into four varnas. He acknowledged the principles of integration of all social units for the purpose of universal welfare related to the cosmic cycle, where the rights were granted according to the duties performed by the man. Manu’s also dwells on karma, and he believes that man’s birth is decided according to his performances in his past life. Manu explains his concept of social order in terms of the laws of Dharma and Karma. Manu also mentions various tribes like the Nishadas, Ambasthas, etc. and the occupations that they would take. He included even the foreign tribes and those living in the border regions like Kambojas, sakas, pallavas, kiratas, into the category of shudras and they were regarded as twice-born. Manu gives a great deal of importance to customs and traditions. These customs were based on the religious principles or dharmasutra and were binding on all individuals. Manusmriti also put emphasis on statecraft, including the rules and principles relating to various branches of royal revenue, its administration and expenditure.

Manu on the position of women. According to Manu, women were portrayed as subordinate to men and they were dependent on their husbands. Manu says that if a woman obeys her husband she will go to heaven, she is to be cheerful, cook and clean for her husband. Manu was in the view to take control over women, and wanted men to have power and control over the women in their homes. In a law, Manu writes about the dependence of women on males and those women must be controlled if they have sensual enjoyment. The laws of Manu cross the limit, and are unfair to women, they do not given women a chance to live her own life and pursue the things that she wants from this life. Besides these, there is also a discussion on the economic position of widows. Manu also prescribes a lot of dos and don’ts for widows. He also refers to the Niyoga system. Manu writes in his laws that a women shall not marry again after her husband dies, but should take care of her children, especially her son.

Manu’s social laws received many criticisms and his views on women were degrading too. Many historians branded him as a reactionary law-giver who advocated a social system that was based on oppression. 

- Shakshi Baliyan

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