In a vedic society family is the basic unit, whereas in a Democratic society an individual is a unit. Veda gives more importance to family life. It is the basis. Why does Veda gives importance to family life? Vedic family is designed in such a way that it will fulfill all human aspirations. All broader human goals are called as Purushartha (Dharma, artha, kama and Mokshkya). Family life helps in fulfillment of all these. Swami Chinmayananda Ji says, “Vedic family life is a journey of man from Animal-Man to Man-Man and to God-Man.”
Brihadaranyaka Upanisad (First Chapter 4th section) : describe first manifestation of Brahma. After Bhamha ji arrived, he looked around and did not find any company. He felt lonely. He was unhappy. Looked around for a partner. Any living being never been happy being single and alone. We are sharing the gene of Bramha ji’s. Desire for partner, progeny etc are a natural, fundamental and universal desire. Artha(wealth) and Kama (Partner) desires can be fulfilled in family life. However, if we live a family life only for Artha and Kama then we are not different than any other animals.
आहार-निद्रा-भय-मैथुनं च समानमेतत्पशुभिर्नराणाम् ।
धर्मो हि तेषामधिको विशेषो धर्मेण हीनाः पशुभिः समानाः ॥
(आहार-निद्रा-भय-मैथुनं च, समानम एतत त्पशुभिर नराणाम् ।
धर्मो हि तेषाम अधिको विशेषो, धर्मेण हीनाः पशुभिः समानाः ॥)
Meaning: Food, sleep, fear and mating, these acts of humans are similar to animals', of them (humans), dharma (right conduct) is the only special thing, without dharma humans are also animals.
Dharmic activities raises our mind to develop values and internal transformation, remove selfishness, to realize entire cosmos. There are verities of religious and service activities. Veda prescribe Pancha Maha yagyan for everyday:
1. Deva Yagna (worship of Devas)
2. Pitr Yagna (worship of ones forefathers)
3. Manushya Yagna (worship of fellow humans)
4. Bhuta Yagna (worship of other beings)
5. Bramha Yagna (worship of knowledge) .
Many religious activities are to seek blessing from God, rishi, and ancestors. Manushya yagyan and Bhuta yagyan to remove Ahankara, raga and dwesa and to raise our mind. As per Veda, It is important that, All the family members together should do this. Else each member will do their own activities and we cannot say that as a family. Each member will start from home in different time, come home different time, eat from refrigerator differently. So, there will be no harmony and cohesiveness. Only Driver, cooks and Security will be together. All ritual and service should be done by all members together. Pantah yagyan means 5 members should be involved – Yajamana, wife, husband, son & Daivam vittam (Guided by scriptural knowledge). Money should be involved. All the dharmic activities are called Yajyan. Family is one cohesive unity. Every member are having different personality, different mind, bringing them together is very challenging. Gruhathasrama are like balanced coalition government. Many of them are incompatible but still they will come together and run the govt. They do not emphasis the difference. They look for some common factor. CMP (Common Minimum Program). Moment difference are highlighted govt will fall and Election is very costly. If Family broken then everyone will suffer. Greatest sufferer are children. Adjustment may be painful but that is the Coalition Dharma. For Gruhathasrama survival, the pain should be taken. We need to maintain family to get Dharma and Moksha. One can break the family and start a new family just to be in Artha and Kama state. But person cannot reach to Dharma and Moksha state. Come as one unit, Unite as one. Every family should remember this and keep the Dharma and Moksha as their goal. This is the way for Animal-man to Man-man. Artha-kama-pradhana to Dharma-pradhana. One term can be completed only after this.
1. Deva Yagna (worship of Devas)
2. Pitr Yagna (worship of ones forefathers)
3. Manushya Yagna (worship of fellow humans)
4. Bhuta Yagna (worship of other beings)
5. Bramha Yagna (worship of knowledge) .
Many religious activities are to seek blessing from God, rishi, and ancestors. Manushya yagyan and Bhuta yagyan to remove Ahankara, raga and dwesa and to raise our mind. As per Veda, It is important that, All the family members together should do this. Else each member will do their own activities and we cannot say that as a family. Each member will start from home in different time, come home different time, eat from refrigerator differently. So, there will be no harmony and cohesiveness. Only Driver, cooks and Security will be together. All ritual and service should be done by all members together. Pantah yagyan means 5 members should be involved – Yajamana, wife, husband, son & Daivam vittam (Guided by scriptural knowledge). Money should be involved. All the dharmic activities are called Yajyan. Family is one cohesive unity. Every member are having different personality, different mind, bringing them together is very challenging. Gruhathasrama are like balanced coalition government. Many of them are incompatible but still they will come together and run the govt. They do not emphasis the difference. They look for some common factor. CMP (Common Minimum Program). Moment difference are highlighted govt will fall and Election is very costly. If Family broken then everyone will suffer. Greatest sufferer are children. Adjustment may be painful but that is the Coalition Dharma. For Gruhathasrama survival, the pain should be taken. We need to maintain family to get Dharma and Moksha. One can break the family and start a new family just to be in Artha and Kama state. But person cannot reach to Dharma and Moksha state. Come as one unit, Unite as one. Every family should remember this and keep the Dharma and Moksha as their goal. This is the way for Animal-man to Man-man. Artha-kama-pradhana to Dharma-pradhana. One term can be completed only after this.
Full term of a family is to raise the children to be matured and responsible citizen. Some cases they should be married. That is the duty of a gruhastha. So that the children lead a Man-man (Dharma Pradhan family)
Animal-man to Man-man is not enough. Hence there is a comprehensive Retirement program by Veda. This is to uplift a Man-man to a God-man, raise Dharma to Moksha. Retirement from professional, social and family life and living a dedicated life for spiritual enquiries and contemplation, Srabana-manana-nidhidhyasana which is a Gyana Yoga Pradhana life. Vana prasthaana, Sanyasa(eka jagah, bahujaga etc.) Enlighenend Grihastha . Husband and Wife who has completed their duty, dedicate their life for only spiritual sadhana. They do not look up as husband and wife but co-seeker of spiritual life. Without Social distraction, professional-distraction and family distraction. They can stay with Children, but full time is spent for Moksha. Children should not drag parents for family work but to Spiritual sadhana such as Vedantic studies and Upanisad. There is enough time after that. Krishan gives beautiful mantra in gita
अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् |
आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रह: ||13. 8||
इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहङ्कार एव च |
जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदु:खदोषानुदर्शनम् ||13. 9||
असक्तिरनभिष्वङ्ग: पुत्रदारगृहादिषु |
नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु || 13.10||
मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी |
विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि || 13.11||
अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम् |
एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोऽन्यथा || 13.12||
Humbleness; freedom from hypocrisy; non-violence; forgiveness; simplicity; service of the Guru; cleanliness of body and mind; steadfastness; and self-control; dispassion toward the objects of the senses; absence of egotism; keeping in mind the evils of birth, disease, old age, and death; non-attachment; absence of clinging to spouse, children, home, and so on; even-mindedness amidst desired and undesired events in life; constant and exclusive devotion toward Me; an inclination for solitary places and an aversion for mundane society; constancy in spiritual knowledge; and philosophical pursuit of the Absolute Truth—all these I declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to it, I call ignorance.
Get detached from family, son, grandson. Do not get obsessed with family events and have a equanimous mind. May you take more and more seclusion, studies and contemplation. Grow with your highest nature to pursuit Moksha. Dropping self-ignorance, misconception, self-limitation. Discovering the highest nature, aham bramhasmi. Moksha is the primary benefits, there are so many secondary benefits. Main benefits are to confront old age, disease and death. These sadhana works like an emotional helmet and seat belt in the journey of life.
Bhartuhari , Bairagya satakam has written How an enlightened person should die? When death is nearing, we should invite all the maha bancha Bhuta, who has gifted us this body. Body has been given not for enjoying worldly pleasure but to realize the bramhan, the altimate reality through this body.
Vedic family is leaving a proper grihastha life consisting of Dharma, Artha, Kama and with the help of all these leading a life towards Moksha. Finally dying like a Stitapragyan.
============Some notes ===============
- Without a right conduct/character knowledge is just a mere fact collection.
-Human body is the epitome of life perfection. Though human cannot run faster, smell better, bite harder, swim deeper, hear better than animals. Nothing! Left alone in the forest, we won't survive for long. Only intellect to think of future consequences of present or past actions.
- The biggest difference between us and animals is the ability to think forward and think for the good/bad for others. We can choose between the right and wrong actions based on our own free will. (Not animal instincts)
- The wise King sage Bhartrihari calls such people as - bi-ped animals, and says the animal kingdom thanks them that at least they don't eat grass, else even animals would curse them for food shortage.
- Be human. think beyond the consumption, ignorance, fear and entertainment. Fast food, carbonated drinks, alcoholic drinks, tobacco products make almost all of visible economy. Life today revolves around entertainment only
- People want to be entertained, not enlightened. Even Hanuman has to be a comic character to appeal to children!If there is no entertainment, I am not going there! And what to talk of the sexual tension in our lives. Everything revolves around that weakness. All ads somehow find a reason to have a smiling, beautiful woman covering 80% of the ad space - be it an ad for a pen, car, rice, alcohol, diapers, vacation spot, airlines, or life insurance.
- youth, fame, power and thoughtlessness - each is enough for disaster, and he had all four!
- Time is life, and once gone time never comes back.
- Learning "How to read" is not difficult But learning "What to read" is the real challenge.
- kavi is not just poet, a wordsmith, but a seer, a visionary, who sees all and says all. kAvya is the output of a kavi. in a stricter sense kAvya is of literature and kalA is of arts
- Awaken! Arise! Be human, humane and of right conduct.
You are the epitome of creation. Behave like one.
the time of the wise passes by entertainment with arts and sciences.
that of the foolish goes by troubles, sleep or quarrel.
============Some notes ===============
- Without a right conduct/character knowledge is just a mere fact collection.
-Human body is the epitome of life perfection. Though human cannot run faster, smell better, bite harder, swim deeper, hear better than animals. Nothing! Left alone in the forest, we won't survive for long. Only intellect to think of future consequences of present or past actions.
- The biggest difference between us and animals is the ability to think forward and think for the good/bad for others. We can choose between the right and wrong actions based on our own free will. (Not animal instincts)
- The wise King sage Bhartrihari calls such people as - bi-ped animals, and says the animal kingdom thanks them that at least they don't eat grass, else even animals would curse them for food shortage.
- Be human. think beyond the consumption, ignorance, fear and entertainment. Fast food, carbonated drinks, alcoholic drinks, tobacco products make almost all of visible economy. Life today revolves around entertainment only
- People want to be entertained, not enlightened. Even Hanuman has to be a comic character to appeal to children!If there is no entertainment, I am not going there! And what to talk of the sexual tension in our lives. Everything revolves around that weakness. All ads somehow find a reason to have a smiling, beautiful woman covering 80% of the ad space - be it an ad for a pen, car, rice, alcohol, diapers, vacation spot, airlines, or life insurance.
- youth, fame, power and thoughtlessness - each is enough for disaster, and he had all four!
- Time is life, and once gone time never comes back.
- Learning "How to read" is not difficult But learning "What to read" is the real challenge.
- kavi is not just poet, a wordsmith, but a seer, a visionary, who sees all and says all. kAvya is the output of a kavi. in a stricter sense kAvya is of literature and kalA is of arts
- Awaken! Arise! Be human, humane and of right conduct.
You are the epitome of creation. Behave like one.
