Dr. Jai Narayan Vyas
Maa has enumerated six enemies – work, anger, greed, infatuation, drunkenness and envy. Kami, said for, diva pashyati nolook: kako naktam na pashyati apoorva: kopi kamandh diva naktam na pashyati i.e. the owl cannot see during the day, the crow does not see anything at night, but the kamandha is a strange animal, it can neither see at night. And not on the day. Forgetting one's sense of purpose, not seeing day or night, not being able to use one's tools happily during one's lifetime – all these traits are written as Shadraripu i.e. six enemies of man. When anger takes hold of a man, his thinking power and the intellect of illiteracy are stopped. In a fit of anger the veil falls over the understanding of what he says or does. After getting angry, he often feels a lot of remorse, but that remorse is meaningless. It has been said about Ravana: 'How was Ravana a philosopher, the nine planets lived nearby; Hari Sita, suzhi kubuddhi, the opposite intelligence in the time of destruction.' Ravana was highly learned, a great devotee of Shiva and extremely powerful. When the war of Lanka was coming to an end, Ravana, pierced by Lord Sri Rama's arrow, was waiting for his salvation. Lord Sri Rama then said to Lakshmana that, 'There is no one else on this earth who knows politics like Ravana, that is, in this last time, you should receive this knowledge from him.' Thus, there is no doubt about Ravana's valor and scholarship. Even so, he invited death by killing Sitaji. When a person gets angry, he not only loses control over his mind but also over his speech. Forgetting Sarasar's wisdom, he speaks as he likes. These words of his strike at the core of the Sami person and thus serve to create permanent enmity with whatever he has uttered. Enchantment is an intense attachment to anything that leads a man down the path of downfall, as he loses the sense of the Absolute. Mad means ego. A man who is blinded by ego also loses discernment and cannot see even what is obvious to the naked eye. That's why the word is used for it, 'Madandh.' It is said that 'Greed becomes a trait', because even in extreme greed, a man becomes delusional and drags himself and eventually loses his Sattva. 'Jealousy is jealousy.' Competition is a good thing but when jealousy is mixed with that competition it can cause great harm. A jealous person cannot see someone's progress or improvement and therefore burns from within. In sum, the damage is done to oneself. Duryodhana is a great example of this. Seeing the strength of the Pandavas and not accepting them, Duryodhana, burning with jealousy, takes revenge on the Pandavas and ultimately destroys the entire dynasty. It may not be possible for a single person to be free from all these vices, but it is possible to put restraint on vices, isn't it? This sobriety comes from proper guidance and practice. Lord Shri Krishna kept listening calmly till he uttered 99 insults to himself, because he had promised Shishupal's mother, 'He will forgive her 99 crimes and will not harm anyone', and so he continued to listen to Shishupal's chants with complete calmness. As soon as this number reached one hundred, he invoked Sudarshan and Shishupal's head was severed from his torso. Narsingh Mehta says that 'the man who keeps control over his speech and behavior is a true Vaishnavite'. Pujya Bapu loved his hymn 'Vaishnavajan to aye re kaye' and would often sing it in prayer meetings or elsewhere. Narsingh Mehta says: The clairvoyant has given up cravings, the woman whose mother does not speak lies with her tongue, the one whose hands do not fall in love, the resolute in whose mind the name of Ram is clapped, the heart of the soul is free from deceit. Is, kam krodh nivarya re bhane narsaiyo seeing it, kula ekoter tarya re some truths are eternal as well as eternal and never feel the guilt of time. The qualities which have been established as truths in the Ramayana period, then in the Mahabharata period and even in the present day are eternal without the bounds of place or time. Those who follow its path may face difficulties, but ultimately, 'Satyamev Jayate! Truth alone is victorious.'
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
