पञ्चाग्नयो मनुष्येण परिचर्याः प्रयत्नतः।
पिता माताग्निरात्मा च गुरुश्च भरतर्षभ॥६२॥
महाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि प्रजागरणपर्वणि विदुरवाक्ये अध्यायः ३३
pañcāgnayo manuṣyeṇa paricaryāḥ prayatnataḥ|
pitā mātāgnirātmā ca guruśca bharatarṣabha||62||
mahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi prajāgaraṇaparvaṇi viduravākye adhyāyaḥ 33
The great scholar and minister Vidura is rendering his learned treatise on statecraft and lifestyle management to his King and elder brother Dhritaraashtra.
"O bull of Kuru race, every man should serve with due diligence and sincerity the following five fires. They are (1) his father (2) his mother (3) the fire itself (4) his own pure inner self and (5) the preceptor."
Fire when properly channeled is the most benevolent and rewarding force one can have at his disposal. But the same fire, if neglected or made angry can destroy the whole world including the one who has fomented it.
Right from birth we are all taught that the most important things in our life in the order of priority should be mother, father, preceptor and the God. This is because the first three are before us as the physical manifestation of God while God himself stays in the background as a noble but invisible presence.
The parents always work for the benefit of their offspring and would happily sacrifice everything they have for their benefit. They may not think of any rewards for this. However all their lives, dreams and expectations are hovering around their children. Spontaneous love is flowing from them like the nectar of the rays of moonlight soothing the child....for them we are only children whatever our ages might be. But when their feelings get disturbed involuntarily because of some wrong actions and deeds of the children, a destructive fire springs out from sorrow, and this fire, if not assuaged in time can burn up the son or daughter. Applying value standards and criticism to justify disrespectful treatment are of no use when it comes to our parents. No one can become superior to his parents. After all we originated from them.
The fire itself is very potent. Through fire, we cook food, through fire we offer oblations to all Gods, through fire we dispose off the garbage. Fire was the first god we started worshipping..." agnimeelee purohitam... is the beginning of the Rg vedam". But the same fire inundates forests, the same fire in the hands of a terrorist as gunpowder of a bomb causes terrible explosions and destroy life and all good things in the shortest possible time. The leader of the armed forces shouts "Fire.." as his first war command.
The subtle self, innate in ourselves is also like fire. Tended with calmness, this inner self gives us peace and bestows some purposefulness for our life. If this soul is neglected, we are lost for ever.
The preceptor or Guru is also to be equated to our parents. Every person who has, at any point of time, enriched our knowledge or helped us out in directing our own lives in a better direction is a Guru. The neighbour, the boss, the colleague, the subordinate, the friend, all in addition to our teachers in academics should be treated as gurus. God himself has manifested as guru in the shapes of Krishna, Shankara, Dakshinaamoorthy, Vyasa, Hayagreeva, Dattatreya, Ramanuja, Jesus, The Prophet..the list is very lengthy. Will it be possible for us to fight the enraged fire coming from a provocated preceptor and continue our existence?
पिता माताग्निरात्मा च गुरुश्च भरतर्षभ॥६२॥
महाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि प्रजागरणपर्वणि विदुरवाक्ये अध्यायः ३३
pañcāgnayo manuṣyeṇa paricaryāḥ prayatnataḥ|
pitā mātāgnirātmā ca guruśca bharatarṣabha||62||
mahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi prajāgaraṇaparvaṇi viduravākye adhyāyaḥ 33
The great scholar and minister Vidura is rendering his learned treatise on statecraft and lifestyle management to his King and elder brother Dhritaraashtra.
"O bull of Kuru race, every man should serve with due diligence and sincerity the following five fires. They are (1) his father (2) his mother (3) the fire itself (4) his own pure inner self and (5) the preceptor."
Fire when properly channeled is the most benevolent and rewarding force one can have at his disposal. But the same fire, if neglected or made angry can destroy the whole world including the one who has fomented it.
Right from birth we are all taught that the most important things in our life in the order of priority should be mother, father, preceptor and the God. This is because the first three are before us as the physical manifestation of God while God himself stays in the background as a noble but invisible presence.
The parents always work for the benefit of their offspring and would happily sacrifice everything they have for their benefit. They may not think of any rewards for this. However all their lives, dreams and expectations are hovering around their children. Spontaneous love is flowing from them like the nectar of the rays of moonlight soothing the child....for them we are only children whatever our ages might be. But when their feelings get disturbed involuntarily because of some wrong actions and deeds of the children, a destructive fire springs out from sorrow, and this fire, if not assuaged in time can burn up the son or daughter. Applying value standards and criticism to justify disrespectful treatment are of no use when it comes to our parents. No one can become superior to his parents. After all we originated from them.
The fire itself is very potent. Through fire, we cook food, through fire we offer oblations to all Gods, through fire we dispose off the garbage. Fire was the first god we started worshipping..." agnimeelee purohitam... is the beginning of the Rg vedam". But the same fire inundates forests, the same fire in the hands of a terrorist as gunpowder of a bomb causes terrible explosions and destroy life and all good things in the shortest possible time. The leader of the armed forces shouts "Fire.." as his first war command.
The subtle self, innate in ourselves is also like fire. Tended with calmness, this inner self gives us peace and bestows some purposefulness for our life. If this soul is neglected, we are lost for ever.
The preceptor or Guru is also to be equated to our parents. Every person who has, at any point of time, enriched our knowledge or helped us out in directing our own lives in a better direction is a Guru. The neighbour, the boss, the colleague, the subordinate, the friend, all in addition to our teachers in academics should be treated as gurus. God himself has manifested as guru in the shapes of Krishna, Shankara, Dakshinaamoorthy, Vyasa, Hayagreeva, Dattatreya, Ramanuja, Jesus, The Prophet..the list is very lengthy. Will it be possible for us to fight the enraged fire coming from a provocated preceptor and continue our existence?
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