| Essence Of Hinduism |
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HINDU ETHICS |
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| Love, affection and
friendship are, in deed, divine qualities, and the more we cherish them in our hearts the
nearer are we to God. But the way to cherish is not to be blindly attached to the
particular objects of those feelings. The pure love that our hearts learn in the family
circle should be gradually extended. A Samnyasin is on a higher level than a householder because he has extended his love to all and looks upon the whole world as his family. In one of the Upanisads occurs this famous discourse of Yajna- valkya to his wife Maitreyi on the eve of his retirement to the forest: - "Verify, my dear, it is not for the love of the husband that the husband is dear, but it is for the love of the Atman that the husband is dear. Verify, my dear, it is not for the love of the wife that the wife is dear, but for the love of the Atman that the wife is dear. Verify, my dear, it is not for the love of all things that all things are dear, but for the love of the Atman that all things are dear." The Gita on almost every page teaches us that we should give up all earthly ties and establish a single heavenly tie, if we are to know the bliss of God. Leave all and follow me, says the Teacher. In a word, sanga or earthly attachment should give place to yoga or union with God. The former is the source of all our unhappiness, and the latter is the only guarantee of everlasting happiness. |
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| About Hindu Ethics |
