CHAPTER-TEN

WAY OF LIVING

We shall now, discuss the right and wrong way of living, as well as propriety of different foods.

‘People should always bear in mind that that path is worth accepting and following which is constantly followed by those learned men who are free from the defects of liking and disliking and which is declared as right by conscience.’

-Manusmriti 2//1

‘If anybody says that he has no desire: whatsoever, he is wrong and if he wishes to be altogether devoid of desires, it is impossible. All actions, for example, sacrifice, truthfulness and other vows and practice of yam, niyam et cetra, are possible only from desire.’ (Words of Translator-Unless a man desires, he can do nothing.) 

-Manusmriti 2//3

—-

‘Only that man knows what righteousness really means, who is free from greed and lust. The Vedas are a great authority for those who wish to know what righteousness is.’

-Manusmriti 2//13

—-

‘Hair on the head increases heat and dwarfs intellect.’

-Manusmriti 2//65

‘The most important item of the good way of living is to check the senses, as a good driver checks his horses, from pernicious temptations and to direct them to right path.’

-Manusmriti 2//88

‘Sensual indulgence always leads to harm and strict control over them leads to the achievement of the goal of life.’

-Manusmriti 2//93

‘Just as fuel and butter thrown into the fire, kindles it further similarly lust increases by indulgence instead of being extinguished. Therefore, a man should never be indulgent.’

-Manusmriti 2//94

—-

‘Control over senses consists of the following: no over joyousness on hearing of praise, no sorrow at dispraise, no pleasure at a good touch, no pain at a bad touch; no attachment to a pretty sight, no aversion at an ugly one; no joy at sumptuous meals, no murmuring at coarse food; no liking for good smell, no disliking for bad smell.’

-Manusmriti 2//100

—-

‘Even an old man of a hundred years of age is like a child if devoid of learning and if a body is the giver of knowledge, he should be respected like an aged person. All Scriptures are of the opinion that a fool is called boyish and a learned man father.’

-Manusmriti 2//153

—-

‘Grey hair on the head does not make a man elder. Learned men call him ‘elder’ who though young is learned.’

-Manusmriti 2//156

—-

‘It is the duty of a man to do all actions that tend to the well-being of the world and to renounce all that is harmful.’

-Taittiriya Aaranyaka 7//11

—-

If a man preserves his internal and external purity and follows the rules of conduct such as truthfulness et cetra, his conduct is never soiled in whatever country he may live and if he does evil things even in the Aaryavratt, he falls down in his character.

—-

When you see no loss of religion in intercourse with low-born, mean and dirty persons as prostitutes and others and have scruples in coming in contact with excellent persons of foreign countries, what is it if not your ignorance?

—-

Good conduct comprises of the abandonment of infatuation, aversion, injustice, falsehood and other evil habits and imbibing of non-violence, love, benevolence, gentleness et cetra. It should be noted down that Dharam is the concern of our soul and our dutifulness.

—-

Religious imposters think that if they would educate the people and allow them to go to foreign lands, then the latter would become wiser, would not fall into the meshes of their fraud and the former would consequently lose their importance as well as their livelihood. It is why they impose restrictions on inter-dining and fashion of dress and object to foreign travels. But, it should be strict rule with them (people going out of the country) that in no circumstances whatsoever they take flesh and wine.

(Words of Translator- Among Hindus, there are various divisions and cross-divisions of food preparation, not intelligible to foreigners. Bread, pulses, rice are called sakhari or kachaa (unripe). Puris, sweets, vegetables, milk preparations are nikhaari or pakkaa, that is, ripe. This sakhari or kachaa food is permissible only in one’s own sub-caste. A man belonging to another caste or sub caste will eat only nikhari or pakkaa food. These classifications are arbitrary, unscientific and pernicious. They have no hygienic basis. Nor have they any sanction of the Vedaas and Shaastraas. They were set up when dissensions between different communities became very rife. Swami Dayanand strikes a terrible blow at the root of these superstitions.)

—-

In the homes of Aryas, cooking et cetra, should be done by shudraas, that is, those men and women who could not get education. But they should observe the cleanliness of body and clothes.

—-

There is no sense in such a thing (rendering eatables touched by shudraas as un-eatables). For whoever has eaten sugar (clarified chini or un-clarified gur) clarified butter, milk, flour, vegetables, fruit, roots et cetra, has, virtually, eaten food cooked and touched by everyone in the world. 

—-      

The substances harmful to intellect should never be used, nor foods rotten, decomposed, producing bad smell, ill-cooked or cooked by flesh-eaters, whose bodies are permeated with particles of meat and liquor. Such foods are also to be avoided which can be got by killing useful animals. Add both and it comes to 475600 men satisfied at one time by one cow in one generation. If succeeding generations are also taken into calculation it comes to a very huge figure. Moreover, oxen are very useful to men for transport purposes of various types. The milk of cow is of special nutritive value. Buffaloes too are equally useful. But cow milk is far more useful for brain than buffalo-milk. It is why Aryas have held the cows most valuable. So will others do if they are wise. A goat satisfies 2920 individuals in her life time. Elephants, horses, camels, sheep, asses are also very serviceable. Those who kill these animals should be considered guilty of so many men’s murder. During the rule of the Aryas, no slaughter was allowed of cows or other serviceable animals.

—-

All foods that are obtained by slaughter, theft, faithlessness, deceit, fraud etc., are improper, (not usable or forbidden) and those obtained by non-violence, honesty and other good means are proper or usable. Those articles of food which are conducive to health, prevention and cure of diseases, development of intellect, strength and energy, and longevity, for example, wheat, fruit, root, tuber, milk, butter, sweets et cetra, should be properly cooked and proportionately mixed and meals should be taken at proper times and in proper quantity. These articles which do not suit individual constitutions should also be avoided and those which suit should be taken. All this comes under the heading, propriety of foods.

—-

Everybody feels aversion while touching urine or faeces of another person; while no such aversion is felt when a man washes his own mouth, nose, ears, eyes and excretory organs. This shows that these customs are not against laws of nature. Everyone ought to avoid the leavings of others.

Question-Should even husband and wife not eat the leavings of each other?

Answer-No. They too have different constitutions and tempraments.

—-

Question-You wash your kitchen with cow-dung. Why do you not use human faeces for the purposes? Why not the kitchen is made unclean by the use of cow-dung?

Answer-Cow-dung does not give out bad smell as human matter. Cow-dung has a special kind of greasiness and does not come off so soon. Nor does it spoil clothes. Dry cow-dung does not give out dirt as dust does. Cow-dung and earth mixed make a good plaster and the kitchen washed thereby looks pleasing to the eye. If the floor is cemented it should be daily washed.

—-

If Brahamanaas and high class men waste their time in cooking food, cleansing utensils, or washing kitchen, no progress can be made in knowledge or other advantageous pursuits. Royal families of the Aryavratt came into matrimonial and other relations with the people of Kabul, Kandhaar, Iran, America, Europe and other countries For in those days, there was one Vedic Dharam in the whole world and all had faith in it. They sympathized with each other in pleasure and pain; profit and loss. There was happiness in the whole world. Now, multiplicity of religions has led to much unhappiness and great discord. It is the duty of wise men to find means to end it. May God sow in our minds the seed of true religion that false religions may disappear and wise men may give up their hostilities and increase happiness.

—-

He, who will not ponder over it properly is likely to be confounded. It is the duty of the learned men to find pleasure in investigating what is truth and what is untruth and then in adopting the former and rejecting the latter. Those, who are ever prepared to grasp good points and acquire learning, they indeed achieve the four-fold aim of life, that is, righteousness, prosperity, enjoyment and emancipation.

-English translation of ‘Satyarth Prakash’ by the name-‘Light of Truth’ by Pandit Gangaprasad Upadhayay

LIGHT OF TRUTH: CHAPTER – ONE | CHAPTER – TWO | CHAPTER – THREE | CHAPTER – FOUR | CHAPTER – FIVE | CHAPTER –SIX | CHAPTER –SEVEN | CHAPTER – EIGHT | CHAPTER – NINE | CHAPTER – TEN