Written by london swaminathan

Date: 9 May 2016

Post No. 2796

Time uploaded in London :–  21-14

( Thanks for the Pictures)

DON’T REBLOG IT AT LEAST FOR A WEEK!  DON’T USE THE PICTURES; THEY ARE COPYRIGHTED BY SOMEONE.

(for old articles go to tamilandvedas.com OR swamiindology.blogspot.com)

Sanskrit literature gives us very interesting information about thieves, knowledge and charity.

Thieves are of two types:-

Prakaasa – explicit

Aprakaasa – invisible

The Sanskrit saying goes thus:-

“Prakaasaascaprakaasaasca dvividhaastaskaraah smrutaah”

My view is corrupt politicians are day light robbers ie. Prakaasa

Night time thieves are invisible i.e Aprakaasa

xxx

Knowledge

Knowledge is said to be of two types: Saabdika – verbal (even Vedic and other Sastras transmitted verbally) and Anubhava – experience.

In the olden days lot of things were learnt on the job i.e. through experience.

Vedic and other subsidiary scriptures were learnt through verbal teaching. But yet experience counted more than bookish knowledge.

Xxx

Avvai statue in Batticaola, Sri Lanka

Overstepping the rules of Charity

Mahabharata says that there are two things which violate the scriptural instructions.

Apaatre pratipatti – giving to the undeserving

Paatre apratipatti – not giving to the deserving

Labdhanaamapi vittaanaam boddhauyau dvaatkramau

Apaatrepratipattisca patre chaapratipadanam

Mahabharata, Shaanti parva, 26-31

Tamil proverbs also concur with this view. Tamil poets were very strict about giving. One poet says that Ay, the chieftain, was not a ‘Charity businessman’ who expects something when he gives a donation. Ay gives to the poor to get rid of poverty and not expecting a good place in the heaven or good rebirth.

Another poet says that even if there is no heaven (for those who give), it is good to give (donate).

We see lot of poets praising Dhana/ donation in the Vedas. It is good to see the same concept existed throughout the vast land of India for thousands of years. Majority of the 80,000 Tamil inscriptions talk about donation to Brahmins or temples. Tamil poets of Sangam age praised donating to the poor. Seven chieftains were called the Last Seven Philanthropists. One of them was Ay.

The first lesson the Vedic students taught was Do Charity, “Dharmam Chara”. Later Tamil poetess Avvaiyar translated this and put it as the first advice to youngsters in her Athichudi.

–subham–