Statements in our shastras

[Vaidya Sundaram]

Namaskaram.
 At a more personal level, I would like to think that the one who enforces
any of these (if at all they were true) is an all forbearing God. The
fundamental tenet of the shastras of an all knowing and all merciful God
guarantees that such descriptions of cruel punishment are not carried out
unjustly.
 If at all you want to look at what punishments are given for what actions
deemed as sin, then you would be interested in reading more of sections of
bhagavatam which describe the levels of narakam, and the actions of men
which lead them there. Are you a kleptomaniac? You would be surprised to see
how badly one would suffer for being so ... the quotes you have given are
not the only wierd punishments that do not seem to fit the nature of the
actions seen as sin ... if you want to see how you may escape those, read
the bhagavatam :) - the very act of reading the bhagavatam is a remedy!
 Whilst so, it is our responsibility to look at the exhortations out of each
of us, and proceed accordingly, trying to satisfy the minimums we can, and
leave the rest off to the dispensation of God, after our best attempts have
failed.


bhava shankara desikame sharaNam.
Vaidya.

----- Original Message -----
From: "ravi chandrasekhara" <vadhula at YAHOO.COM>
To: <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2003 10:41 PM
Subject: Statements in our shastras


> Dear members,
>
> I picked up some English translations of quotes from
> our shastras; do they actualy say this or are these
> mistranslations:
>
> Apastamba DharmaSutra (2:8)
>
> "As it is a sin to touch a Candala, so is it to
> speak to or to look at one"
>
>
>
>  Gautama DharmaSutra (12: 1-6)
> "If a Sudra uses abusive language or physical
> violence against twice  born people, the part of his
> body used for the
> crime should be chopped off. If he has sex with an
> Arya woman, his penis should be cut off and all his
> property confiscated, if the women had a guardian,
> then, in addition to the above, he shall be
> executed. And if he listens in on a Vedic
> recitation, his ears shall be filled with molten tin
> or lac, if he repeats it, his tongue shall be cut off,
> if he commits it to memory, his body
> shall be split asunder."
>
>
> Vasista DharmaSutra (3:1)
>
> "Brahmins who are not learned, do not teach, or who
> do not maintain the sacred fires become equal to
> sudras."
>
> Pranam, Ravi Chandrasekhara MD
>
>
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