our sacred crest

Saraswat Sanmarg Series

THE ALL INDIA SARASWAT FOUNDATION

BOMBAY

Saraswat Sanmarg Series—I

OUR SACRED CREST

D. N. NADKARNI

THE ALL INDIA SARASWAT FOUNDATION 4/418, Arun Chambers

Tardeo Road

BOMBAY-34

© by THE ALL I NDI A SARASWAT FOUNDATI ON

Title : OUR SACRED CREST

Written by D. N. NADKARNI

Printed by H. N. RAO

at PHILPRESS

28-D, Police Court Lane

Bombay-1.

Published by D. N. NADKARNI

for THE ALL INDIA SARASWAT FOUNDATiON

at 4/418, Arun Chambers Tardeo Road, BOMBAY-34.

Price : Two Rupees

2,000 Copies; November, 1 9 7 2 .

Editors‟ Preface

SARASWAT SANMARG

The central objecl of the All India Saraswat Foundation

is to work for rejuvenation of the national ethos by inspiring

the intelligentsia to fedeem the dynamic concepts and eternal

values of the ancient culture of Aryavarta. This culture

commends a full life based on a recognition of the primacy

of the spirit over mind and instinct; of Dharma as a con-

fluence of the laws of nature and the moral law; and of

Yajna or altruistic self-discipline as the Dharma of the life

of the spirit.

The national ethos itself is but a means to an end. For,

the vindication of healthy nationalism lies in its dedication to

humanity. The larger, long-term objective of the Foundation

is therefore to secure universal acceptance of the Dharma of

the human spirit. This is not religious revivalism, for

Dharma in its correct sense stands above all differences of

faith, creed and race.

No quixotic plan to tilt at the windmill of urbanisation

and to advocate a return to the land is intended, nor an im-

becilc effort at turning back the clock of history. It is assumed

that the basic nature of human problems never changes; and

that the wisdom of an age when contemplation was honoured

as the noblest among the liberal professions may well be

salutary at a time when man is so engrossed in the means of

living as to overlook the ends of his existence on earth.

There is no evidence to indicate that human intelligence

has improved in its quality or capacity since the dawn of

history. The inventor of the decimal system of numerals

need not give precedence to Newton or Einstein; and the

author of the Mahabharata does not have to be shy in the

presence of Dante and Milton. Changes have occurred and

are now occurring, however, in the employment of the intel-

lect. The printing press has put an end to that amazing

2 SARASWAT SANMARG

exercise of the powers of memory which once preserved the

Vedas and the Maha-Kavyas, so that Tri-pathi has survived

as but a family name. A more significant change in intellec-

tual function is taking place at the present time. Man is

tending to surrender his capacity for memory as also his

power of judgment to the electronic computer.

it is perhaps too early yet to estimate the computer's

influence on man's culture. But it will not do to overlook

the fact that the surrender to the machine extends, beyond

the realm of the human intellect to the realm of the spirit of

man. What is passed on to the machine is not only the func-

tion of storing and evaluating facts, but also the right of

judgment and decision, the prerogative of inspiration to

overrule facts, and the intensely human privilege of taking

chances with error. No computer would have shifted the

telescope to the blind eye and won the battle of Trafalgar for

the British fleet; nor would a computer‟s disclosure of Satya-

kama‟s parentage have given that innocent youth and his

brave mother the immortality of the Upanishad.

Even a semblance of the surrender of the human will

to the automated machine induces the nightmare vision of

.the proliferating octopus of civilisation smothering the tender

body of culture. There is a more direct warning against man‟s

engrossment in the means to the neglect of the ends of his

existence. Western youth has started proclaiming that a com-

bination of political independence, social freedom and

economic affluence is not enough to satisfy the hunger of the

human soul. So young men and young women with freedom

of vote and freedom of mate and all the excitement that

television and racing cars provide, yet seek refuge in the fake

Yoga of opiate dreams and in a tinsel Sannyasa of listless

wandering with unkempt hair and unshod feet.

The confusion of the means for the ends is humanity‟s

primary problem today. All other problems, political or

SARASWAT SANMARG 3

economic or social, national or international, stem from it.

The problem must be solved before (the whole of

humanity is overwhelmed. And the only solution is to re-

define and re-assert the ends and aims of existence, to recog-

nise the fact of primacy of the life of the spirit over the life

of mind and instinct, to clarify the relationship between

affluence and happiness, power and peace, conscience and

convenience, civilisation and culture. Yet no government,

capitalist or socialist, secular or fanatical, gives this problem

a place in its five-year plans or annual budgets. This vital

issue is left entirely to the initiative and effort of voluntary

private enterprise.

In its modest little way, the All India Saraswat Founda-

tion aims at being one such enterprise. The fact that cele-

brated institutions like the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. the

Vivekanand Kendra, the Ramakrishna Mission and the

Chinmaya Mission are already splendidly active should

stimulate rather than inhibit the Foundation‟s efforts.

The Foundation seeks to support no dogma, to promote

no creed. Its interest is to investigate the relevance of Vedic

wisdom to the inevitable conditions of modern life, and lo

seek consistent acceptance of their demonstrated relevance in

day to day living. There is no intention, to preach the simple

life, but every intention to attempt an analysis of the complex

problems of modernism into simple, elementary factors., so

that the problems themselves stand exposed as but the hoary

maladies for which Vedic psychology had already found the

cure. There is. also the intention to act on the fundamental

fact of life, that a meaningful application of psychological or

spiritual remedies to social problems involves the offering of

voluntary service on the material plane.

The Foundation has given this plan and process the

name of Saraswat Sanmarg: The Saraswat Path of Good.

The adjective Saraswat connotes the concept of a full life led

4 SARASWAT SANMARG

in a spirit of dedication, as expressed in the Rig Vedic hymn

(VII--96-4): —

“In our devotion to our families, in the generosity of

our charity, in our spirit of progress, we do homage to God Saraswan." Saraswan, from whom the word Saraswat is derived,

stands for the diety of the sacred river Saraswati, signifying

peace and plenty; and» like all Vedic deities, is worshipped

as a form of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality: “Tvameva

Pratyaksham Brahmaasi.״

Saraswat Sanmarg commends this attitude to life. This

series of tracts and books, carrying that title, will generally

carry that commendation in dealing with a variety of concep-

-

tual as well as practical problems. Yet, that is not the only

or even the main object of the series. The principal object is

to promote, in howsoever small a degree, the habit of

thought and of an identity between thought and action.

Personal convictions, however inadequate, influence life more

effectively than a borrowed faith, however profound. Saras-

-wat Sanmarg is therefore the path of free and independent

thinking.

With an eye to efficacy rather than from modesty or

disability, the Foundation‟s field of activity will be the

middle classes of society, consisting largely of men and

women with the capacity but without the inclination or urge

to thinking.

The Foundation looks to such people for the authorship

as well as readership of the Saraswat Sanmarg series of publi-

cations.

No celebrities or professional intellectuals will be nor-

mally invited to contribute to the series. Lay men and

women, with perhaps better leisure for thought and better

SARASWAT SANMARG 5

B. P. ADARKAR

D. N. NADKARNI

Editors

Bombay,

Vijaya Dashami,

October 17, 1972.

felicity of expression than the average, are welcome as

authors. Since the objective is to promote original thinking,

skepticism and challenge will be encouraged and not dis-

counted. Readers‟ criticism will be welcomed and, as far as

may be, will be fruitfully used.

The Saraswat Sanmarg Series is an experiment in free

dialogue among equals. There is no pontification, no preach-

ing down, no blind adherence to any belief or concept.

Philosophical conundrums and subtleties will be dissolved by

common sense instead of being further complicated by

scholarship. The ancient Vedic wisdom of Aryavarta will be

put to the lest of the practical sense of the educated Indian

hesitating on the threshold of the electronic age.

Contributors to the Saraswat Sanmarg Series have full freedom of

opinion. Their v i e w s are therefore their own, and The All India

Saraswat Foundation takes no responsibility for any opinions

expressed or statements made by them.

OUR SACRED CREST

1. The Creative Sacrifice

There is no escape from Religion. No man of sound

mind is without it. For, no normal person can help wonder-

ing at the vast universe about him and his own place in the

bewildering scheme of things; and the faith or conviction or

belief or fancy emerging from this wonder and reflection is

the foundation of his religion. The relationship or attitude

that a man adopts, in consequence of this faith or fancy, with

the rest of mankind and indeed with all the life around him,

is the core of his morality. And the degree of synthesis he

achieves between his religion, his morality and his natural

zest for life and self-expression, is the measure of his culture.

There is neither morality nor culture without religion.

These processes of emotion, thought and reflection are

both conscious and sub-conscious. And the organised reli-

gions of the world are conglomerations of the thought and

experience of countless individuals through the ages. All

religions converge and cohere on a central theme, that man's

true life is the life of the spirit, and not his gross existence,

to be guarded and nourished in preference to all else.

It is given to but a few men like Gandhi and Vinoba to

put the tenets of organised religion to the test of conscious

and conscientious personal experience. Indeed, as was mani-

fest in the case of Tagore, they hold by their own thought

8 OUR SACRED CREST

and experience and call upon the known tenets of religion to

bear witness. These men revitalise and transform the brand

of religion which they eventually accept, and re-establish the

essential place of religion in human life and progress.

Most of us, on the other hand, find it convenient to

accept a handy label like Hinduism or Christianity as a cover

for our unwillingness to face our own thoughts and reflec-

tions. Indeed, we use the labels to excuse and pamper our

weaknesses. We may, however, claim the saving grace of

hypocrisy, that it is itself a tribute to virtue. We would, if we

could, be good Hindus or Muslims or Christians as the case

may be, and we are always willing to applaud the genuine

article. That is the pattern of our religion, with its corres-

ponding consequences to our morality and our culture.

A man‟s vacation will naturally influence his thinking,

but does not determine the pattern of his religion. Contrary

to the popular belief that science by its nature negates

theism, eminent scientists have proclaimed their belief in an

Omnipotent Supreme Power. The celebrated German physi-

cist Planck was responsible for the eloquent assertion that

while God was the starting point of the ignorant. He was the

crown of a scientist‟s career.

Rationalism and agnosticism are as genuine religious

attitudes as theism is. For, they are also derived from man's

reaction to the universe around him and dictate the morality

and culture of their adherents. The only difference is that

theism is the most logical in its ethical derivatives. Gandhiji

with his theism, Russell with his rationalism and Nehru with

his agnosticism reached the same moral conclusion on the

nature of man‟s mission on earth, namely, the service of his

fellowmen. Gandhiji alone reached his׳ conclusion on logical

grounds. He believed in God, and in the Hindu concept of a

divine element in all life. The purpose of man‟s existence

THE CREATIVE SACRIFICE 9

was to realise God. Therefore, the means of realising God

10 OUR SACRED CREST

was to sacrifice the self in the service of humanity, indeed of

all living beings. Rationalist Russell, on the other hand,

could put forward only the tenuous plea of utilitarianism,

that the human race could neither prosper nor even survive

on any other terms than those of selfless service. And the

agnostic Nehru‟s passionate plea for human dignity spoke

more for his nobility of mind than for his logic.

He who thinks has thus a religion of his own, with a

corresponding code of morality and standard of culture. The

dunce and the bigot are alone and alike without a genuine

religion, for neither is capable of thinking for himself. They

have therefore neither a morality nor a culture of their own.

At best they are imitators, without even the saving grace that

hypocrisy claims.

Appreciation of these primary realities gave Vedic Hindu-

ism those unique qualities which make it a universal religion.

(1) Since religion was recognised to be a process of

thought, feeling, reflection and experience, what we now

know as Vedic Hinduism was not codified and was not even

given a name.

For the same reason, it made no claim to a monopoly of

passports to salvation, witness the closing verses of the

famous Naasadeeya Sookta of the Rig Veda, which challenge

all claims to omniscience.

(2) Since religion was recognised to be a matter of per-

sonal reflection and conviction, Vedic Hinduism was never

forced on people under duress of retribution here or here-

after, so that it has left no trail of blood on the course of

human history.

(3) For the same reason, dogmatism was abjured and

the human intellect given the place of primacy which other

religions, especially the Semetic ones, give to acceptance of

commandments. Neither prophet nor saviour was recognised

except God Himself, nor was salvation promised without the

THE CREATIVE SACRIFICE 11

rigours of tapas or self-discipline. Hence the significant im-

portance given to the Gayatri Mantra with its inclusion in

three of the four Vedas.

(4) The correspondence between macrocosm and micro-

cosm, which the physical sciences are now at pains to empha-

sise; was recognised in the Vedic age. It was thus that

Dharma encompassed in itself the laws of nature as well as

the laws of morality and of social acceptance.

(5) The co-relationship between religion, ethics and

culture being perceived, the three were placed on a common

foundation. That foundation was Yajna or self-sacrifice.

The Vedic concept of Sacrifice was as an interchange

between gods and men, indicating the inter-dependence of all

things and beings in creation. The Sacrificial Altar embraces

the utmost ends of the Universe, says the Rig Veda (1-164-

35). It contains the whole cosmos, both material and

spiritual. The individual and the cosmos depend on each

other, and so do human life and the world life.

Sacrifice, thus, is the primary law of life. For that rea-

son, it cannot be negative or destructive by its nature. Mere

destruction is not Sacrifice. All Sacrifice, declares the Atharva

Veda (U-7), is a creative act, and all life and the universe

are contained in its remains. To call sacrifice a creative act

is not a contradiction in terms. The spirit is the true sub-

stance of human existence; and every denial of the life of the

mind or of the life of instinct, designed to sustain or enrich

the life of the spirit, is a creative act. It creates the man, or,

rather, re-creates his manhood.

In the narrow field of human culture, sacrifice is the key

to sound sociology. The wise giving away their wisdom, the

brave their valour, the rich their wealth, and the workers

their labour, join in a common sacrifice to create a balanced

and progressive social order.

12 OUR SACRED CREST

This is the background of Yajna which is the theme of

the crest adopted by the Ail India Saraswat Cultural Organi-

sation as well as the All India Saraswat Foundation. No

attempt is made here to present a thesis on Yajna. Neither

is an apology needed for this brief discussion of the crest

itself. For, the spirit of Yajna, as inspiration and sustenance

of social and public service, is by itself a theme undeniably

relevant to the present time. It is a tribute to our national quality of altruism, that

the number of institutions designed for selfless service con-

tinues to grow. But it is also a reflection on our national

character, that these institutions progressively suffer for lack

of dedicated men capable of sustained sacrifice. The impulse

to sacrifice is there. How else would altruistic institutions be

bom? What is lacking is the strength of faith, adequate to

sustain the sacrifice and to make it a way of life. Such faith

can draw its best sustenance from the religion and philosophy

of Yajna.

II. Yajna in Life and Culture

If the All India Saraswat Cultural Organisation were to

do no more than popularising its crest, it would achieve a

great deal more than reasonable optimism expects of it. The

AISCO crest, designed by the Preparatory Committee m an

evidently inspired moment, depicts a Yajna or sacrificial fire

with the Pranava Om superimposed and bearing the motto

“May sacrifice be attained through sacri-

fice.” A more felicitous emblem could hardly be wished.

The crest has the negative virtue of avoiding dissent as

well as the positive virtue of practical idealism. It epito-

mises the what and the why of the AISCO as well as of its

ambitious creation, the All India Saraswat Foundation.

The bewildering stresses and strains that the country is

passing through, are symptoms of an inner crisis of faith, of

a confusion in the popular concept of the meaning and pur-

pose of life. At the root of the political, economic and social

upheavals is a wavering of the spirit. The situation calls for

an appeal to the true genius of India; and that genius is

found in the inspired utterances of the seers of the Vedas.

“Back to the Vedas” is a familiar slogan, used in ear-

nest as well as in derision. It is a misleading slogan. For,

the minds of the ancient rishts are not only abreast of modem

thought but far ahead of it. It is medieval thought that is

crusted and out of date. A revival of Vedic wisdom, a re-

reading of the Veda in the modem context, and a scraping-

out of the layers of excrescence that have piled up on the

popular mind through the ages: that is the national need at

this moment. That is the core of die AISCO‟s objectives,

for the task may well be claimed to be a peculiarly Saraswat

privilege.

The genesis and pristine character of Chaturvaraya, the

Order of the Four Divisions of Society, as recorded in the

14 OUR SACRED CREST

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (I; IV; 11-15), make it the

responsibility of the Brahmanas to guard the social struc-

ture of the nation and to step in to correct any imbalances

that may emerge. At the present time, it is the responsibility

of all Brahmanas as a class, of those, that is, who claim or

own up to the Brahmanical heritage, to think out, plan and

initiate measures, within the limitations of their present con-

dition, to set right the loosened and shaking cultural struc-

ture of Indian society. And, to the extent that this' process

involves a modernised revival of Vedic wisdom, it is possible

for a vigorous Saraswat patriotism to claim precedence in the

responsibility. Whether fact, fable or legend, the story goes

that the Saraswats saved the Veda through a long period of

devastating famine. Opportunity beckons to the Saraswats

today to accept that story as an allegory, and to substantiate

the allegory with their actions.

Nothing Sectarian Here

That is the message of the crest of the All-India Saras-

wat Cultural Organisation and of the Saraswat Foundation.

A primary virtue of the design lies in the fact that it rises

above sectarian dogma and, indeed, is valid for all sects. The

divergent theological and metaphysical beliefs within the

Saraswat fold itself are reconciled. It is valid to the Dwaitin

as well as to the Adwaitin, to the Vaishnavite as well as to

the Shaivite. It proclaims a universal ideal and a universal

means of attaining it. Its message is not for Saraswats alone,

but for the nation; indeed, for all humanity.

The “Om” in the crest proclaims that universality. The

Pranava is a symbol of Truth, of the Eternal Verity in exis-

tence. The Gita (VIII-13) calls it “Brahman in a single sylla-

ble”. It is capsuled Reality,

The Katha Upanishad (1-2-15) carries this vivid des-

YAJNA IN LIFE AND CULTURE 15

cription or definition of Om : “The Goal which all the Vedas

repeatedly proclaim, which motivates all austerities, in pur-

suit of which men practise Brahmacharya, that Goal I dec-

lare to you in brief. It is Om”.

At the mention of Om, therefore, the pettiness in human

thought and action vanishes, and men‟s minds are attuned

to the sublime and the beautiful. The inscription of this

inspiring symbol in the AISCO crest is conclusive assurance

that the AISCO is motivated by the quest for national and

universal well-being, and not by any parochial ambition of

sectarian Saraswat progress. It is no wonder, therefore, that

the very first major action of the AISCO, taken within a few

weeks of its own formation, was the creation of the non-

sectarian All India Saraswat Foundation, dedicated to the

service of the nation and of humanity.

Symbol of Harl-Hara

The substance of the crest is the representation of Ya jna.

The theological significance of Yajna is not without its in-

terest to the Saraswat mind.

“Yajna is Vishnu, Protector of all that lives”, says the

Matrayam Upanishad. The Taittiriya Samhita (1-7-4)

reaffirms the statement. Sacrifice is Vishnu or the Supreme.

Vishnu makes His appearance when the Yajna

is complete. The reign of peace and plenty is an expression

of the Grace of Vishnu. But the Grace of Vishnu is not

earned until the offering to Rudra is complete.

The sacred flame of Yajna is Rudra. He is the God of

destruction, of the perennial mutation of all that has name

or form. He is therefore God of evolution as well as of

16 OUR SACRED CREST

revolution. The Shiva-Linga we worship represents the flame


of tha sacrificial fire, and the base of the Linga represents

the “Vedi” or “Havana-kunda”. The word “linga” means

“symbol”. The Shiva Linga is a symbol of the sacred fire,

or Yajna.

The theological concept of Yajna is the unison of Hari

and Hara. The philosophical concept is also the same. The

Grace of Vishnu is nothing less than “happiness untouched

by sorrow”. The oblation to Rudra is nothing less than all

that the sacrificer has and is. The one is conditional on the

other. In adopting the Yajna symbol for its crest, the AISCO

proclaims the Saraswat ideology of self-sacrifice for the

benefit of society at large. That is Yajna. That is the wor-

ship of Hari-Hara.

The Nature! of Yajna

Yajna is the central theme of the Vedic way of life. The

Vedic mantras have a dual implication : ritual-cum-physical,

and psychological-cum-philosophical. And, though they give

ihe impression of a miscellany, they converge into a logical,

practical and noble way of life. All references to the ritual

yajna in the Vedas thus carry, and are intended to carry,

far-reaching psychological, philosophical and sociological im-

plications. The ritual yajna is a symbol and reminder of the

philosophical concepts and psychological disciplines which

are the inner yajna.

The spiritual and ethical significance of the ritual yajna

itself is made plain by the Chkandogya Upamshad (III-17-4)

with the declaration that “austerity, charity, uprightness,

nonviolence and truthfulness are the dakshind' or gifts with

which the yajna is to be completed; in other words, that the

ritual yajna is an occasion for a renewal of the resolve to

pursue these virtues.

The Gita uses the word yajna in the psychological and

18 OUR SACRED CREST

sociological senses alone. No ritual is implied. Any doubt

on this issue that may be relevant to the Third Chapter is

dissolved by the Fourth which, in ten lucid verses (24 to

33), enumerates a variety of psychological and social dis-

ciplines as yajnas. For example,

“Some others offer their sense organs like the ears as

oblation to the fire of discipline." No ritual can possibly be

meant in réferences of this kind.

The Vedas and the Upanishads are replete with the

concept of yajna as the Law of Life. The Shatapatha

Brahmana (9-4-1-11) sums up the concept.

“All sentient beings live on yajna.” Men, like the gods,

being endowed with intelligence, are called upon to adopt

yajna, that is, self-sacrifice, as a deliberate way of life. The

right life is a series of sacrifices. Indeed, the three ritual

sacrifices that the Brahmana is expected to perform every

day are a symbol of the self-sacrifice that every man is ex-

pected to perform during the three stages of his life. Thus

the Chhandogya Upanishad (3/16/1-7) divides man's life

into three spans of yajna. The first 24 years are “Pratah·

Savana”, the morning sacrifice. The next 44 years are the

Mid-day Yajna. The last 48 years are the third or Evening

Sacrifice. Thus the man who consciously leads a life of

yajna lives 116 years. “Human life is Yajna.”

Yajna or self-sacrifice is a law of nature, a law of life,

and therefore a primary, inescapable Dharma. “Man was

created with Yajna," declares the Gita (III-10):

Yajna has three aspects : self-restraint, self-denial, and

service of others. “What is known as Yajna is Brahmacharya


(or self-restraint) itself,” announces the Chhandogya Upon·

shad (8-5-1) :

The Gita (IV; 26-32) spells out several examples of

yajna in all three aspects : sacrifice of the senses in the fire

of Self-restraint; sacrifice of wealth in the fire of self-denial;

and sacrifice of possessions, including wealth and talent,

in the fire of altruistic service, ending up with the annihila-

tion of the ego in a dedication of life to humanity.

Pervasiveness of Yajna :

The idealist form of Yajna is the Brahma-Yajna, per-

formed in the faith that all is in reality Brahman. Self-sac-

rifice, according to the Gita (IV-24), is thus a process of

Jnana or Self-Realisation :

"The sacrifice, is offered to Brahman, the oblation is

Brahman, it is offered by Brahman in the fire that is

Brahman; thus he who is fully engrossed in this act (of sacrifice)

which is Brahman, must needs pass on to Brahman.”

To know this, is Jnana, the “Realisation of the Self'",

which is the aim of all spiritual aspiration and the goal of

all human life.

Self-denial for the universal good is also, according to

the Gita, an expression of Bhak;ti. For, all those acts and

things which, in Chapter IV of the Gita, are commended to

be performed in the spirit of sacrifice, are again commended

in Chapter IX to be surrendered to God as an expression of

Bhakti:

It is plain, therefore, that the two acts or processes, of

18 OUR SACRED CREST

sacrifice and of surrender, are spiritually identical. Yajna,

then, is Bhakti. The rationale of self-denial as a form of

sacrifice and the rationale of surrender to God as an expres-

sion of Bhakti are the same. God pervades, all. „,Brahma

havih” as the Gita puts; it : all that you can offer as oblation

is itself Brahman. The Isha Upanishad, in the celebrated

aphorism from which it takes its name, says the same thing

somewhat differently : “A11 this, whatever, moves iu this

world, is enveloped by

God.”

Even as Yajna is a process of Jnana Yoga and Bhakti

Yoga, it is also a process of Karma Yoga :

“This world of men suffers bondage from all action

save that which is done for the sake of sacrifice; therefore,

O Son of Kunti, perform all action without attachment"

(Gita, III-9). Yajna, thus, is a safety measure against the

chain-reaction of Karma; which means that it is an instru-

ment of Karma Yoga or Anasakti Yoga. Note, incidentally,

the implication of the advice to Arjuna. The implication is

that detachment, as a form of self-denial, is Yajna. And this

is re-affirmed in the next Chapter (IV-23) :

"Of the free soul who has shed all attachment, whose

mind is firmly grounded in knowledge, who acts only for

sacrifice, all Kama is extinguished”; that is, its power of

chain-reaction is destroyed.

Yajna, then, is the ground of all the. three great Paths

of Salvation ; Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga.

It is the Dharma which ensures Moksha. Without it, there is

no Moksha. It has to be the first concern of those concerned

YAJNA IN LIFE AMO CULTURE 19

with man‟s ultimate destiny. No wonder that Yajna was the

mainstay of life in the Vedic age.

The Sociology of Yajna

Even so, were the insurance of Moksha the only claim

to be made for Yajna, its use in the crest of the All India

Saraswat Cultural Organisation would have been a measure

of doubtful propriety. For, the direct and primary concern

of the AISCO will be rather with the development of Artha

and Kama than with Moksha. The AISCO will look for

ways and means of betterment of the economic, social and

cultural conditions of Saraswats and of their place in the

national life. The Saraswat Foundation will do the same for

a wider public. Their interest in spiritual advancement will

be only incidental to that search.

Yajna will not let down the AISCO or the Foundation.

The crest is assured of vindication. For, the sages of the

Vedas and Upanishads had discovered in Yajna a synthesis

of the three compelling and apparently incongruous ambi-

tions natural to man, Artha and Kama and Moksha, the

urge for physical, emotional and spiritual fulfilment.

Because yajna or self-sacrifice was the Vedic Way of

Life, it was a full life, both personally and socially. Yajna

here is a process of discipline, detachment and distribution,

not of renunciation. It is not basically the way of Sannyasa,

except the Sannyasa accepted as the fourth and final

“ashrama” or stage of the “shata-kratu”, the man who lives

a hundred years in the spirit of yajna; or of the one who

takes to Sannyasa from a compelling inner urge for self-

expression, the same kind of urge which brings forth great

poets or great musicians.

It is worth digressing here to point out that the Vedic

concept of Sannyasa itself was not quite the same as that of

later ages. The Vedic Sanayasin was not an anchorite. Not

20 OUR SACRED CREST

even the man of God-realisation was expected to withdraw

from the world. He led a vigorous, active life of usefulness

to mankind. The Murtdaka Upanishad, which treats of

Sannyasins and, indeed, derives its name from the Sannyasins‟

practice of shaving the head, makes this explicit statement :

“Sporting in the Self, delighting in the Self, a man of action

all the same, such a one is the greatest among the knowers

of Brahman.” (III-l-4) :

Great seers of the Upanishads, like Yajnavalkya, were

happily married men who earned and gave and also saved.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad ( I ־ I V 3 ׳ ) reports Yajnavalkya‟s

dictum that “the vacant part of man is completed by

the woman;‟‟ that man and wife together make a rounded

personality

:

Sex was by no means taboo in the Vedic way of life.

The Gita, indeal, gives the stamp of divine identity to the

“procreative passion‟: ”

Men are urged to produce wealth, not to shun it. The

Tattireeya Upanishad lays down the “vrata” or social disci-

pline in this respect. “Wealth should not be disparaged; that

is social discipline ..... Do not forbear to earn wealth;

that is social discipline ..... Step up economic producti-

vity, gather more wealth; that is social discipline." (The

word used in the text is “anna”, literally meaning “food”.

But the word “anna” and the relevant words “pacha” mean-

ing cooking and “ada" meaning eating are employed in Vedic

literature as well as in the Gita in the larger sense of wealth

and its use.)


In the context of worldly pleasures, yajna consists of

obedience to Dharma. personal and social. The Gita, again,

ennobles disciplined enjoyment. “Pleasures not averse

to Dharma" are of divine origin:

In the economic context, too, yajna consists of obe-

dience to Dharma, in adopting the Dharmic attitude to

wealth and possessions. It is an attitude of “anasakti” or

detachment, not of indifference or abhorrence. The first two

books of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, especially the cele-

brated Yajnavalkya-Maitreyi Dialogue, lay the foundation

of the Gandhian theory of the Trusteeship of Wealth, to which

the Mahatma is believed to have been inspired by the Isha

aphorism, “Find your enjoyment in a spirit of detachment:

covet not what ought to be another‟s”.

It is a form of Voluntary Socialism. Precepts like “Ati-

thi-Devo-Bhava” are derived from this concept: “Look

upon the needy as God Himself.” This voluntary socialism

of the concept of Yajna is prescribed both on moral and

practical grounds. While the “gathering of wealth״ is en-

couraged, hoarding and meanness are denounced :

“The lone eater is the lone sinner” (Rig Veda X-l 17-6).

He who uses his wealth for himself alone leads a life of sin.

That is the moral rule of the Veda. The Gita (111-13) con-

firms the rule. “Those who cook for themselves alone, feed

on sin.”

On the other hand, “those who enjoy what remains

after the performance of sacrifice (giving to the needy) are

freed from all sins.” (Gita, III-13). The residue of sacrifice

is called "amrita” or elixir of eternal life. The Manu-Smriti

22 OUR SACRED CREST

as well as the Gita uses the word “amrita” in that sense.

Thus, the Gita ( I V 3 ־ l ) .

“Those who live on amrita, that is, the residue of sacri-

fice, attain to eternal Brahman."

As wealth must be shared, so too must knowledge and

skill be shared with those who need them. That is yajna of

a high otder. The Manu-Smriti(4-2&) calls it Brahtna Yajna :

At the same time, if you are capable of building up

your own knowledge and skills, it is your duty to dp so.

Self-improvement is “Swaadhyaaya Yajna” (Gita, IV-28).

Indolence and indifference make a man 'an “ayajna”, a

wrong kind of man.

Yajna thus functions in the realm of culture, too.

Virtues like humility and non-violence are yajna, as they

involve a process of self-restraint:

“Yajna is humility.” (Yajur-Veda 13*8).

"Non-violence is Yajna.” (Skatapatha Brahmana. 1-2-4).

As a life of Yajna is commended on ethical and cultu-

ral grounds, it is also commended on the practical consi-

deration of material and social advancement. The moral

law offers the best rule of worldly achievement. Thus, the

individual who practises Yajna is better off than the one

who does not:

“Those who do not perform Yajna (do not give away

in the spirit of Yajna) go to ruin even if they are liberal in

their spending” (Rig. Veda, 1-33-4):

YAJNA JN LIFE AND CULTURE 23

“People who do not perform Yajna are humbled and

repulsed in any competition with people who do perform

yajna.” (Rig Veda, 1-33-5).

The Gita has the last word on the subject (IV-31):

"This world itself is not for the non-sacrificer. What hope

for him, then, of a higher world?”

A nation or a community of people leading an organi-

sed life of sacrifice will “attain the highest good". (Gita,

I I I - l l ) :

Call to Conscience

What is the sanction, what is the urge, behind the call

to the life of yajna?

It would be a poor yajna that is performed in blind

obedience to the Veda. For, the Veda countenances no

Commandments, except from the Acharya to the initiated

pupil. The Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita inform,

reveal, exhort and warn; they do not command. Their

truths are announced to the human intelligence, and it is

up to every man to accept them or to pass them by. The

human will, the most precious of God‟s creations, is to be

exercised, strengthened and illumined in freedom; it is not

to be weakened, bent or suppressed by subordination. The

reins of man‟s destiny must be held by his own free and

healthy will.

So it is that the Gayatri Mantra, the most sacred of all

Mantras and the pass-word of Brahmanism, asks not for the

salvation of the soul but for illumination of (he intelligence:

“We absorb in our intellect the supreme light-energy

of the god Savitr, that he may inspire and stimulate, our

intelligence.”

24 OUR SACRED CREST

The Gita confirms this primacy of the intelligence.

"Mere action, O Dhananjaya, is far inferior to (action flow-

ing from) the Yoga of intelligence. (Therefore) take refuge

in the intelligence.” (11-49):

Openmindedness, contemplation and equanimity are

cardinal conditions of this Buddhi Yoga or recourse to the

intelligence. (Gita, 11-42. 44, 48). Dogmatism, bigotry and

blind obedience are un-Vedic attitudes. Faith itself must

stem from conviction, not hang on blind belief. Uniquely

among the great religions of the world, Vedic wisdom pro-

claims that primacy of the human intelligence and freedom

of the human will, from which the modem ideology of

Liberty and Democracy is derived.

Any possible doubt on this score is set at rest by Shree

Krishna. That is a lesson of the Gita which׳ merits more

attention than it generally׳ receives. The Divine Song took

shape, not because of Arjuna‟s “vishaada" or depression,

but in response to his insistent appeal for a commandment

or directive. Right at the beginning of the soul-stirring

dialogue, Arjuna beseeches Shree Krishna: "Tdl me for

certain wherein lies my good.” (II-7):

Shree Krishna‟s response is a dissertation on life and

death and honour. That does not satisfy Arjuna, who

repeats his appeal for a directive which he can blindly obey.

“Tell me decisively the one thing by which I can attain to

(he highest good.” (III-2):

And Arjuna does not stop with a mere appeal. Being

aware of the impropriety of blind belief in matters of the

spirit, he hastens to create that relationship between Shree


Krishna and himself which alone would make command

and obedience legitimate: (he Guru-Shishya relationship

“I am Thy disciple. Direct me, who seek refuge in Thee.”

(II I 7 ־ ) :

The point is that even so, Shree Krishna hands out

neither a directive nor a commandment. On the other hand,

having led his “beloved friend” Arjuna into “the mystery

of all mysteries” of existence, and having given him the

unprecedented privilege of a glimpse of Cosmic Reality, the

Lord yet calls upon him to use his own judgment to decide

what is good for him:

„Thus have I explained to you the most mysterious of

all mysterious knowledge. Ponder over it thoroughly, and

then act as you will.” (XVIII-63).

A genuine inner conviction, not formal outward con-

duct, is what matters. Sacrifice must therefore emanate from

a free, healthy and illumined intelligence. The self-sacrifice

of fools and fanatics is not Yajna. Rabble-rousing and

mass indoctrination are offences against God who made

the human intelligence as man's instrument of approach to

the divine.

The inspiration to a life of yajna must therefore come

from a free intelligence, from a clear understanding of

Dharma or the Law of Life, as a result of “pondering over

it thoroughly”. The Tcdttireeya Upanishad makes this clear:

“Sacrifice is actuated by a refinal understanding based

on sound knowledge; and so, too, are duties.” Mahatma

Gandhi called it the “inner voice”. The common, and com-

monly ill-used, name for it is Conscience.

26 OUR SACRED CREST

The Life of Yajna, then, must derive its sanction from

the conscience of man; and its driving force, as in all noble

endeavour, from Faith. And the faith, in this case, is in the

divine origin of the conscience itself.

The Yajna in the crest of the Saraswat Cultural Orga-

nisation derives its propriety from this call to conscience.

For. what is culture but an outward expression of an inner

grace?

The Badge of the Saraswat

Discipline, Detachment and Service are the three major

components of this Yajna. All other virtues flow from this

combination. Service rendered as Yajna extends to all living

beings, and becomes an act of dedication, of surrender to

God. The nature of the individual is transformed in the

process. All trace of selfishness vanishes. Life becomes a

continuous yajna. The last lingering weakness is the aware-

ness of the yajna. That, too. must go. The feeling, the satis-

faction, the exaltation of yajna must be consigned to the

flame. That is the supreme yajna. That is the culmination

and fulfilment of the life of sacrifice. Of men who accom-

plish that ultimate yajna, the Gita (IV-25) says that „They

offer Sacrifice itself as oblation to the Fire of Brahman.”

What the Gita commends to the. individual, the Rig

Veda commends to societies of men. Accept the concept of

sacrificing Sacrifice itself, and mankind will be transformed

into a race of supermen. That is the law implicit in creation,

and it is set out plainly in the most popular of all Rig Vedic

mantras, the Purusha Sookta:

“The gods worshipped yajna with yajna; and that be-


came the primary Dharma. Those great souls who perform

such yajna attain to the realm of the Sadhya gods of yore.”

That is the ideal invoked by the pictorial part of the

crest of the AISCO. The inscription set below it places the

idealism on the practical plane.

“May sacrifice be attained through sacrifice.” The

reference is not to the culmination of yajna, but to the pro-

cess of progressive realisation of yajna through constant

effort at self-discipline and self-sacrifice.

The quotation is from the climax of the Rudraadhyaaya,

usually known simply as “Rudra", the mantra now em-

ployed in the “abhishek” of the Shiva Linga. The Rudra-

adhyaaya is part of the Tcûttireeya Samhita. It was of

course a mantra for a ritual Yajna. Even now, “Maha-

Rudra” and “Ati-Rudra”, consisting of multiple repetitions

of the “?Mrfra”, are occasionally performed with ,,havana”

or the sacred fire. The “Rudra” is a mantra of invocation

and prayer based on a recognition of the divine in all exist-

ence and in all experience. The context of the present quo-

tation runs thus:

It is a prayer for the “attainment”, that is, for the per-

fection, of life, the vital airs, the sense organs, the mind

and the spirit, through yajna or self-discipline; and for the

progressive development of the self-discipline itself through

the practice of self-discipline. The refinement and perfection

of the senses, the mind and the vital airs through the yajna

of self-control are also referred to in the Gita (IV-26, 27,

29).

28 OUR SACRED CREST

The prayer in the “Rudra" is for the clarity of mind

to see the path of yajna, and for the strength of will to

adhere to it. It is also a prayer for “Krama-Mukii”, for the

progressive realisation of man‟s mission on earth. “The

consummation of all right endeavour is enlightenment.”

(Gita, IV-33). “Sacrifice is inspired by an enlightened

understanding.” (Tait. Up 2-5-1). Therefore, every act of

self-sacrifice adds to the sacrificer‟s enlightenment which,

in turn, inspires further and larger self-sacrifice. That is

"Krama-Mukti", a progressive course of Mukti. That is also

the process asked for in the prayer to Rudra: “May sacri-

fice be attained through sacrifice.”

There is humility in this approach, bom of a recogni-

tion of the need for divine intervention for human progress

and salvation. It is not given to man to reach his destiny by

his own effort alone. The Grace of God is essential. Grace

itself does not come as a whimsical gift. It comes in response

to prayer.

It is important, here, to appreciate the nature of prayer.

Prayer is not only to be thought, said and sung. Prayer

must be lived. Mere supplication is not prayer. The spirit

of humility which supplication implies, and the spirit of the

objective of the supplication, must alike permeate the

thought and conduct of the supplicant. Then alone is the

supplication a prayer, and will ensure divine response. Shree

Krishna has made this clear beyond doubt. (Gita, IV-11).

“As men approach Me, in that spirit do I respond.”

It is only when heart and mind are of one accord in guiding

a man‟s life and disciplining his conduct, that supplication

becomes the soul‟s prayer and evokes a response in kind, the

Grace of God. It is thus that the Shwetashwatara Upanishad

declares that man can realise his destiny only by a “a combi-

nation of the power of self-dliscipline and the Grace of God”.


The invocation in the “Rudra’ is primarily for this

power of self-discipline which is an essential qualification of

prayer. As prayer evokes Grace, and Grace in turn inspires

prayer, the distinction between the two tends to fade away.

Prayer and Grace become one. Bhakti which initiated prayer,

Karma which gave prayer its vlitality, and Jnana which is the

light of Grace, are then seen to be not only inseparable but

in reality the same.

For most of us, whose aims and ambitions in life do

not reach up to that denouement, it is enough to regard the

"Rudra" as an invocation to God to kindle and feed the

flame of human conscience. With divine aid, small conscien-

tious self-denials lead to major ones, and the Yajna of self-

restraint and self-denial becomes the man‟s compulsive

prakriti or nature; so that he works and sweats without

sorrow, and is happy with the "amrita" or remains of his

yajna, freely giving of his time and talent and earnings for

(he benefit of humanity. Such a man has no fear for his

position in society. As said earlier, he is assured of victory

in the competition inevitable in any social order. (Rig. Veda,

1-33-5). And he attracts the unqualified assurance given by

the Gita (13I-II) to all men of yajna, “you shall attain the

supreme good.”

This law and this goal of human existence are symbo-

lised in the crest of the All India Saraswat Cultural Organi-

sation which, in turn, has passed it on to the All India

Saraswat Foundation. The adoption of the crest implies a

commitment to live up to it, to demonstrate the beneficent

power of prayerful sacrifice to give light and strength to a

troubled nation. How far the AISCO and the Foundation will

succeed in this objective, one does not know. The sponsors,

30 OUR SACRED CREST

however, may go ahead in the confidence that their effort

is immune to frustration:

A beginning made in the cause of Dharma can never

come to nought. That is the assurance of the Gita (II-40).

The seed of sacred intentions is never destroyed. It may

take time to sprout. But some day it will inevitably grow

into a tree that gives shade and fruit.

The crest, meanwhile, is by itself an achievement. It

embodies a faith which the Saraswats may well be proud

to be known by. For, as the Gita asserts, the essence of the

human personality is faith; and a man should therefore be

identified by his faith, rather than by his works. (XVII-3):

What is true of the individual is also true of a social

group.

May the Saraswats be worthy of being identified by

their Organisation‟s Crest. May it be given to them, in an

ever increasing measure.' to continue their tradition of ser-

vice of their fellowmen. May it be given to them, more and

more, to feed the Flame of Rudra and thereby to invoke

the Grace of Vishnu to settle on this troubled land:

Saraswat Sanmarg Series — 2

“COMMUNITY AND COMMUNION : The Saraswat Experience”

—K. GURU DUTT An illuminating treatise on the true nature and the rightful rote of Indian communities. Enlightening to those connected with community institutions as well as to those keeping away from them.


Price Rs. 5

THE FOUNDATION OF CULTURE

Man is not horn free. He is born with a multipli- city of obligations to a variety of individuals and institutions contributing to the domestic environment and the structure of civilisation in which he must have his being. The ancients called it the triple debt, owed to the gods, to the ancestors, and to the men of wisdom.

Ironically, man is left comparatively free to honour or disown these obligations. Their voluntary acceptance in the regulation of life is the spirit of man’s culture. It leads man to the noble path : to the Saraswat Sanmarg.

That is true of the individual, as also of the community, and of the group of communities known as the nation. To them all, the Saraswat Sanmarg is the path of self-fulfilment on the material as well as the spiritual plane.

He who looks at the marvellous harmony in the anatomy of the universe, as well as his own, is inclined to deflate his ego and devalue his individual interests. He seeks the path of social harmony, which is indeed the Saraswat Sanmarg.

The cultivation of this w׳ay of life is the objective of the All India Saraswat Foundation. Contemplation of the harmony is the object of the Saraswat Sanmarg series of publications.

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