[Advaita-l] Re: Question: Swadharma

[anantharaman]

Dear Rishiji

I think we are converging but a little more needs to be covered!

>From what you say, it looks as if nithya karmas in handed down the family tradition could possibly be different from what is ordained in the shastras.  This again, I  find difficult to accept.  That is why I said, so long as one is aware of the nitya karma, one should try to perform/perform and there is no compulsion that it should be necessarily handed down the lineage.  This is the crux of the issue.

Let us take, for instance, Sandhyavandanam. This is a nitya karma.  It is very much conceivable that there are many who have migrated to other countries and have, stopped doing Sandhya for generations. So, a Gen2 or Gen3 guy could possibly be unaware of this.  However, lets say Gen4 comes into contact with someone like us and providence makes him 'aware' of Sandhavandanam as a nitya karma.  At this point, he becomes obliged to perform it.  That he may choose not to do so now puts him ar par with Gen0 the migrant, who was 'aware' but was the first to stop doing the karma and thenceforth did not also communicate to Gen1, and so on.

I have personally known the above to be true at least in one case.  The young man was so happy when he heard about it that he got himself initiated into doing sandhavandanam regularly. He thus became a dwija not becase it was handed down by family tradition.  Like you mentioned he rather restarted the 'broken' thread!

I hope you are able to see my point.

With warm regards

Anantharaman
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rishi Lamichhane" <rishi.lamichhane at gmail.com>
To: "anantharaman" <anantharaman at touchtelindia.net>; "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 8:23 AM
Subject: Re: Question: Swadharma


Dear Anantharamanji,

When I talk about transmission, I don't mean a specific formal
initiation or anything of that sort. I am referring to simply being
told  "you have do this". So essentially I agree that if you are aware
you have a nitya karma, you have to do it.

However, for something to be a nitya karma it has to be more or less a
living tradition (at least practiced 2-3 generations ago) and not one
that ceased to be observed many generations ago. You cannot be obliged
to find out about what your family did as nitya karma many generations
ago - among other things, it might impossible to find out. I'm not
saying you can't or you shouldn't, but you definitely are not obliged
to do so.

"Your interpretation would also mean that if one individual in the
line breaks the communication/transmission/initiation rule, then all
subsequent generations are de jure prevented from the performance of
nitya karmas altogether.  This is perhaps being far fetched."

Here I believe you have misunderstood my point. Assuming the person is
still an adhikari in the general sense, one can do the actions which
one's ancestors did as nitya karma. However, since one is doing
something that has not been practiced for a relatively long time (as
nitya karma anyway), it cannot be considered a nitya karma, but its a
karma like other karmas - its not obligatory.

However, I agree that it cannot be enough for just one individual to
break the line - it has to be a general breakage at some point in
one's extended family/community (not just immidiate family). The point
is that if no one in one's family practices a karma or has practiced a
karma for two or three generations, it cannot be considered a nitya
karma (even if you somehow came to learn that  four generations ago it
was). You can however choose to do the karma for punya and to keep the
tradition alive, which would be very commendable,

Again this is only an opinion but this is how I have been taught,

Regards,

RIshi.

On 1/31/06, anantharaman <anantharaman at touchtelindia.net> wrote:
> Rishiji
>
> Namaskar.
>
> While I am not a regular contributor to these columns, I certainly am a
> regular reader.
>
> It is difficult to accept your interpretation as it amounts to passing the
> buck on to elders/ancestors for not having 'transmitted' to you the nitya
> karma.  This will also tantamount to the "Ignorance is Bliss' postulate!
>
> One may or may not have been formally been taught/initiated/transmitted one
> or more nitya karmas through family tradition.  I believe that so long as
> one is AWARE that there are nitya karmas  which are part of your swadharma,
> you cannot absolve/justify your not doing it.
>
>  In other words, while formal communication through the family channels in
> the norm of handing it down to generations, this need not necessarily be a
> prerequisite to its performance.
>
> Your interpretation would also mean that if one individual in the line
> breaks the communication/transmission/initiation rule, then all subsequent
> generations are de jure prevented from the performance of nitya karmas
> altogether.  This is perhaps being far fetched.
>
> I would subscribe to the 'awareness' rule.  Once you become aware that your
> swadharma entails you to perform a nitya karma, you are required to perform
> the same.  It will then be up to yourself, to seek guidance from an informed
> person as to how to start performing it.
>
> Regards
>
> Anantharaman
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rishi Lamichhane" <rishi.lamichhane at gmail.com>
> To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta"
> <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 4:21 AM
> Subject: [Advaita-l] Question: Swadharma
>
>
> Hello,
>
> I would just like to say a few words on this as I understand it.
>
> The special thing about a Nitya Karma is that not doing them will
> accrue demerit. In order for something to accrue demerit, the person
> at least has to be told that they are to do this or that. For instance
> if someone in my family stopped doing a nitya karma 15 generations
> ago, I will not get demerit for not doing that Nitya Karma since no
> one ever transmitted it to me.
>
> If there is any fault, it is the fault of the generation that stopped
> transmitting the Nitya Karma. If this happens to be your parents, then
> you might save them some trouble by getting to transmit it to you, but
> usually such things go back several generations.
>
> This means whatever has been handed down as a Nitya Karma by tradition
> and is in agreement (ie: does not contradict) scripture, this you have
> to do otherwise you will get demerit.
>
> Now I would imagine that all twice-borns are transmitted at least some
> Nitya Karma, for instance at least reciting the Gayatri. In many
> places twice-borns will probably not have been transmitted much else
> (for me that was all - Gayatri twice a day 10 times and a somewhat
> extended on Saturday). Non-twice borns in this age will probably not
> be given any Nitya Karmas.
>
> This means that they do not have actions that they have to do or
> otherwise risk getting demerit. If they decide to look up family
> history and revive a practice, then it is no longer done as a Nitya
> Karma but as a voluantary karma which will give merit.
>
> So I think it is fine for people to look back to their family and
> revive whatever used to be done but this would no longer be a Nitya
> Karma, but a Karma bearing specific merit.
>
> If you have not been transmitted any Nitya Karmas, then all your
> practices are voluntary. You may choose to look at your family
> background, but this is not absolutely neccesary.
>
> This is my understanding of how the system works, please tell me if
> you think I am mistaken,
>
> Regards,
>
> Rishi.
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