Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

Opening Prayer

ॐ सह नाववतु ।

सह नौ भुनक्तु ।

सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।

तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु ।

मा विद्विषावहै ।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ।

हरिः ॐ ।

Transliteration (IAST):

Om Saha Nāvavatu

Saha Nau Bhunaktu

Saha Vīryaṃ Karavāvahai

Tejasvi Nāvadhītamastu

Mā Vidviṣāvahai

Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ

Hariḥ Om

Translation:

Om, may Brahman protect us both.

May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge.

May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge.

May what we both study reveal the truth.

May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other.

Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.

Introduction to Educational Sacraments

We have discussed some of these saṁskāras—sacraments—and there are three which belong to prenatal, and there are many others which belong to childhood. Now we will be discussing the sacraments belonging to education. Education forms a very important part in a man's life. In fact, a man is what his education is—not in the academic sense, but according to the definition of Swami Vivekananda.

The Definition of True Education

He defined education as that which makes a person of character and purity. This character has four characteristics:

First, the person will be grounded in truthfulness.
Second, he becomes unselfish.
Third, he becomes equanimous.
Fourth, all his efforts should be directed only towards God realization.

These are the four characteristics of a real man of character.

The Development of Character

How can one get it? The ancients believed that character cannot be developed from academic education. It can only be developed by following the example of another great person. Two important truths we have to keep in mind.

One is that this character can be got only from a person of character. This is a well-known truth: when a person is happy, then only can he make others happy. When a person is unhappy, he can only make other people unhappy. Happiness and unhappiness are infectious. Similarly, goodness and evil are also infectious. That is why Sri Ramakrishna used to say: cultivate satsaṅga, holy company.

The Meaning of Holiness

What is holy company? That which promotes holiness. Now we have to have a clear idea what is holiness. Putting on some ashes and hanging round big thick beads, rudrākṣa beads, rosary—this is not what is called holiness. True holiness consists in tremendous joy. A person who is holy is absolutely the happiest, because he depends upon God. He is absolutely pure, unselfish, and he only lives for the well-being of other people.

Now when we come across such people, unless we are terribly bad people, some of it rubs off on us, at least temporarily. But if we go on cultivating this company, then in course of time we also get a lot of it—unconsciously, how much we absorb.

Modern Psychology and the Need for Character

Now only psychologists are discovering: happy families produce happy children, and unhappy families, evil-minded people produce evil-type children. So if a society is not so good, is not happy, and our society at the moment doesn't seem to be too good, what is the indication? Why is it that there are so many mental hospitals, psychologists, psychiatrists? Their number is growing and treatments are growing. One in three in the USA, here also one in four is mentally sick.

We have so many comforts. Then why are we suffering? Because we are not holy, we are not pure, we are not grounded in truthfulness. Our character is not formed. That is why, you know, Hinduism—and every religion for that matter of fact, Christianity or Judaism, Semitic religions, the Ten Commandments—that is character-building principles. You study, you look at other people's examples.

The Two Principles of True Education

This is the first purpose: that education is meant for the formation of a perfect character. Second, it cannot be got from books. It can only be got from a teacher.

And the psychological truth is that when we are young, then we can easily mould our mind. That is why in the olden days, Hindus had the habit of sending their children after eight to a guru. Now look at Sri Ramakrishna—he is not an old-time ṛṣi. He is just 150 years back. These young people used to come to him, and their parents used to complain: "Are you going to turn them into monks?" He said, "No, everybody is not going to become a monk. What I would like to do with them is form their character. Once their character is formed, let them get married or let them take to monastic life. I do not mind."

And you know, this is the most wonderful thing. He has not turned everybody into monks. There are some people—by yogic insight he knew they were bound to be monks. Suppose Sri Ramakrishna were not to be there. Do you think those sixteen direct disciples would get married and get involved in saṁsāric life? They would have become monks because they were destined to be monks, whether there is Sri Ramakrishna or not. Of course, he was also destined to mould their lives.

The Three Essential Principles

This is what Swami Vivekananda has preached:

First, education must be for the formation of character.
Secondly, it can only be got from a living person.
Thirdly, it can only be got from childhood.

You can't go to an old person of eighty years and say, "I want to be a good character now." That is possible, but very difficult.

Vidyārambha: The Beginning of Education

Hindu parents—it was obligatory for them, for the three upper castes: Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, and Vaiśya—at about the age of eight, then they will have to perform a special ceremony. It is called the sacred thread ceremony. This boy is, as it were, reborn.

But just before that, there is another ceremony about which I have dealt in my last class. It is called Vidyārambha, beginning of the education. And that is done by the parents themselves.

At the age of two and a half or three, the child is taken to a temple, and some rice would be there in a plate, a writing material would be there, and a holy person or an elderly person or the priest, after saying prayers, he will make the child hold the pen or pencil. We used to call it in olden days—that's one slate. And write first the name of God. In our ABC, write the name of God, Om, or the name of God. Everything should be connected with God. That is the speciality of religion, every religion practically.

Why Age Eight?

But this—what we are talking about—the child becomes about eight years old, and that is the time people thought... Now I was thinking about this: why wait until eight years of age? Why not earlier? Now I found out something very interesting. Do you know what it is? You know, a child must get the love of the parents at the beginning of his or her life. If he can get five years, six years, seven years, eight years, a strong bond develops, and that will help that person in future to become a loving person and also loving God.

Our scriptures have fixed the age of about eight years old, and he should be sent to the gurukula, to the house of the teacher. But before doing that, he must undergo this sacred thread ceremony. Then he is considered as twice-born, dvija.

Upanayana: The Sacred Thread Ceremony

Now this is a wonderful ceremony. Those who are Brahmins, they know it, but those who are not Brahmins, I will just very briefly describe it: there is a lot of ceremonies and other things are gone through, and Prajāpati, etc., are worshipped. There would be a sacred fire lit, and then at the end of it, the child is—in the ears of the child—this Gāyatrī mantra is uttered three times.

Gāyatrī mantra is uttered three times. Then the child is asked to step on a stone, put his foot on the stone, and then say—there is a Sanskrit mantra there—say, "Be as firm and as strong as this stone in your life." That means never deviate from this rule. So he is supposed to utter Gāyatrī mantra.

The Gāyatrī Mantra and Its Purpose

Now what is this Gāyatrī mantra for? In general, and also specifically at the time of Bhakti Yoga talks, I gave you the elaborate explanation of upāsanā. What is that, briefly? It is a prayer to the Goddess of Wisdom or God of Wisdom: "O Mother, or O Lord, may you enlighten my intellect. May you give me the right understanding. If I can understand things rightly, I will never again go wrong in my life."

Why do people go wrong? Because they do not understand. It has nothing to do with goodness. Good people and stupid people can often go together. Goodness is different. There are very good people, but intelligence is a different matter.

Intelligence and Divine Grace

How do I know? Because Thakur himself used to caution his devotee: "Bhakta hole bhoka hobi kano"—"You may be a devotee, but on that account you are not licensed to be a fool." The point is we have to get intelligence, and it is not ordinary intelligence. It is a divine intelligence. And how do we get this intelligence? Only through God's grace. Therefore this prayer is there. Gāyatrī mantra is a prayer.

I am sure most of you know what is the mantra: "I meditate on the splendor of this divine Lord, and may the Lord bless me with understanding. May He guide my intellect." That means may He give me my intelligence. So that if I am intelligent, that is the instrument. Through that I can understand anything. An intelligent person can understand everything. If a person is spiritual, he can understand everything.

The Nature of Spiritual Knowledge

So in our scriptures it is said: if a person attains the knowledge of Brahman, because everything is Brahman, that means he knows everything. So somebody was asked, "Does Ramakrishna know the secrets of nuclear fusion?" What is the answer? Does he know, or does he not know? The answer is: yes, he knows. But he doesn't pay attention to it. Or rather, I would say, he has the instrument—if he wants to know, in a trice, as it were, in no time, he will know. But then he is not interested in it. Why should he be? But if he wants to know, he can know everything.

Suppose Ramakrishna takes a fancy: "I must become a pickpocket." Will he become an expert pickpocket or not? In fact, he did that. Immediately after his marriage, so adroitly he removed the jewelry of his wife—you know, Śāradā Devī—she did not even know. The point is, a person must have intelligence either to be good or bad. And if somebody wants to be bad, he must have even more intelligence. Intelligence cannot be bought, cannot be borrowed, cannot be stolen. It has to come only through God's grace.

Prayer for Intelligence: Medhā Sūktam

That is why there is a beautiful prayer. It is called Medhā Sūktam: "Medhā Devī"—like that it goes. It is a beautiful prayer for the generation of intelligence. We suffer because we are not intelligent. We are happy when we are intelligent, but that has nothing to do with the saying "ignorance is bliss." Ignorance is negative bliss. You don't know something, so you don't enjoy, you don't suffer. In deep sleep also you enjoy, but not that kind of enjoyment—knowingly, consciously. You are a master, you know it, you are happy. This can come only through God's grace.

Sri Ramakrishna on Divine Intelligence

How can it come? On the one side, prayer—this Gāyatrī Mantra every day: "O Lord, make me intelligent." If a person becomes intelligent, then what does that person become? He becomes a perfect instrument in the hands of God, because he knows this intelligence which I have is the intelligence actually belonging to God.

Sri Ramakrishna used to talk so beautifully, such profound truths in such simple language. In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, the listeners sometimes—they are excited, carried away—then they say, "Oh, you have spoken so wonderfully well." Instantaneously, Sri Ramakrishna's retort: "I don't know anything. I only know how to eat and make merry. My mother knows—it is she who has spoken through me." He was not being modest; he was telling the truth.

Once you know, somebody disturbed him regarding his visions. He said, "These are all your hallucinations." Haji Ramasaheb... Sri Ramakrishna—he believed he had the nature of a child. If somebody says something, he never doubts, "This fellow is a rogue, this fellow is a scoundrel." We don't trust anybody, but he trusts everybody until that person proves to be untrustworthy. He went to the Divine Mother: "Mother, have you cheated me?" Then Mother revealed to him, "No, whatever you have seen is absolute truth." Then he understood. Then he said, "First I got very angry—that rascal has disturbed me. Next moment he said, 'But no, how can the poor man know? Unless Mother bestows her grace upon him, how can he know these things?'"

You see what Sri Ramakrishna is telling: unless God's grace comes, we cannot understand anything. And this works not only with regard to spiritual intelligence—any type of intelligence. In Hinduism we don't make any distinction between secular knowledge and spiritual knowledge. Knowledge is knowledge. Knowledge is truth. And that goddess of knowledge is normally called Sarasvatī, Śāradā, Śāradā, etc.

The Structure of the Gāyatrī Mantra

So this student will be sent to a gurukula after the Upanayana ceremony, but first he has to undergo this sacred thread ceremony, and then this Gāyatrī Mantra is given. From that day onwards, he has to repeat this Gāyatrī Mantra.

Now what most of you may not know is that this is not—there is some extraneous part in this mantra which has nothing to do with Gāyatrī Mantra. These are the three parts of the mantra, consisting of eight letters each. Three into eight is twenty-four. That is why it is called Gāyatrī chandas. And the first part belongs to Ṛg Veda, the second part belongs to the Yajur Veda, the third part belongs to the Sāma Veda. The idea is: by the repetition of this mantra, this boy would in course of time master the essence of the three Vedas. That is the idea.

The Symbolism of the Sacred Thread

Now when he is invested with the sacred thread, usually he is given the sacred thread. From that day onwards, he has to put on that sacred thread. It consists of three threads. So many people, they wonder: why three? In Hinduism, this three is very important. So in this particular instance, each thread stands for one particular item.

First Meaning: Self-Control

I will have self-control over my actions, over my speech, over my mind—thought. This is a constant reminder that I have taken this vow so that I can maintain perfect self-control. A brahmacārī or a novice who has no self-control is not a twice-born. He is an unregenerate śūdra, fourth-caste person. We are all fourth-caste persons by birth, as I said, but when we get the sacred thread ceremony, we become twice-born. That is the idea.

Second Meaning: The Four Puruṣārthas

Another idea is—that is the most beautiful idea—what are the ultimate goals of human life? Supreme values of human life according to Hinduism? It is said there are four: dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa. Mokṣa means liberation, spiritual enlightenment. Now what are the other three? Dharma, artha, and kāma.

Now this boy, by wearing these three threads, he takes a vow that "I would like to conquer these three. I would like to be a master of dharma. I would like to be a master of wealth. I would like to be a master of happiness."

Understanding Dharma, Artha, and Kāma

Now to understand this concept, I have to elaborate slightly. In the Upaniṣad, this is an Upaniṣadic idea: there are two worlds—the spiritual world and the saṁsāric world, transmigratory world, this world belonging to Māyā and the world belonging to the Divine Lord.

Right now, these three—dharma, artha, and kāma—belong to which world? To the world of Māyā, saṁsāra. The belief—I say belief because we don't know the truth, but it's a fact from our ancient seers—is that from dharma spring both wealth and enjoyment. In order to acquire it, I must lead a dharmic life.

Now how do I know what is dharma? Righteous life. The first part of the Vedas—its business is to teach us what is dharma: do this, don't do this. That is why it is called śāstra. Śāstra means what? Śāsati iti śāstra—it commands you. Ten Commandments—no question of begging you. Do this, don't do this.

Why We Need Scripture for Dharma

So the scripture tells us: "You don't know what is dharma. Why? Because the simple fact is, as we can see through our five sense organs, the knowledge that we get—it's very limited. We don't know where from we came. We don't know why we are born in a particular family with a particular type of body which may be healthy or unhealthy, particular mind which is intelligent, unintelligent, happy, unhappy, etc. We don't know."

But our ancient ṛṣis, they know that it's because of what we have done in the past. If somebody is having ill health, sick body, physically disabled, mentally retarded, and whole life unhappy—what does it indicate? If this is the effect, there must be a cause, even though we do not see it. This is one part.

The second part is: we don't know what effects our actions are going to bring to us, not only in this life but in the next life. How do we know about that? If we only knew—let me just give an example. Suppose a person is about to cheat others because he is very clever, and he doesn't know what's going to be the consequence of his cheating. Supposing suddenly some great seer comes and gives him the insight: "Look, if you do this action, after fifteen years this is the suffering—terrible, horrible suffering—you are going to undergo." Just take it—he comes to know. Will he do that?

This is what the scripture is telling. If we argue with the scripture: "We don't know what is dharma, what is right thing, what is unright thing, but so how are we going to conduct our behavior?" Then the scripture is telling, "I am here to tell you. Have faith in me. Do what I command you to do and refrain from doing what you should not do." Vidhi and niṣedha—this is what is called a scripture. This is the subject matter of the first part of the Vedas. So that is why it is called Dharma Jijñāsā. Another name for the first part of the Vedas is called Dharma Jijñāsā. Why does a student approach the guru? To get Dharma Jijñāsā—to know what is right and what is not right.

The Need for a Living Example

For that, two things are necessary, as I had already mentioned. The guru himself must be practicing in his own life; otherwise others will not do it. Ramakrishna, in his own funny manner, he used to say: he used to go to the mother's temple, he used to take off the shoes, and he used to bow down. He used to receive prasāda. And then somebody might have had a doubt: "You are a man of realization, you see God directly. Where is the need for you to go and do all those things? Why do you observe certain things even though it is not necessary?"

Then Ramakrishna told, in a funny way—I will only tell in Bengali, but translate it in a very decent English language: "If I stand and spit, you people go around dancing and spit." What is he telling? He is telling in simple, straight, simple words that if I do not set an example, you will not follow. If I set an example of doing good—hundred goods—if I do every day, you are likely to do maybe one good in your lifetime. But if I do one bad thing, then you are likely to do a hundred bad things every day of your life until you breathe last. That's why he sets an example.

Third Meaning: The Three Worlds

Second also, the point: the three strands are there in that thread, and this is one meaning—I will acquire dharma, I will acquire artha with dharma, I will enjoy the life according to a dharmic way. There are elaborate rules. If you wish to understand this, you read Manu Dharma Śāstra. You will be able to get these details. I will not go into the details now.

There is a third meaning of this. It is most important for us. In the Upaniṣad it is said: there are two worlds, and ordinary people, which are called prākṛta—unregenerated, uncultured (it has nothing to do with university degrees; a most prolific university scholar could be most uncultured in his spiritual sense)—he always runs after this world. He wants to enjoy this world. And this world again consists of three parts. What are those three parts?

This planet on which we are living; then another loka called world called pitṛ loka—it is also called heaven, svarga loka; third part of the saṁsāric world, highest enjoyable world, is called Brahma loka. So how many? Human world, heavenly world, then the world of Brahmā—not Brahman, Brahmā. Brahma loka.

These are the three worlds, and every enlightened person, worldly person, dreams or he aspires: how I can achieve happiness in this world, happiness in the heavenly world, happiness in the world of Brahmā?

The Means to Attain the Three Worlds

Now to achieve something, to goal, there must be an appropriate instrument. To achieve these three, there are three instruments. These are the three sādhyas. There must be three sādhanas. What are those three means, instruments, pathways by which we can go to these or enjoy happiness in these three worlds? Putra, karma, vidyā. These are the three words used.

Putra means—some symbolic—if anybody wants to be happy in this world, he must have children. That means he must have—how can he have children unless he gets married? So he must get married, and he must lead a proper married life. That is why vivāha is another great saṁskāra. Then he must get children—such children that they will be the greatest joy to the parents. In order to be able to get such children, he has to do lot of austerities. That is the part of this beauty of this topic we are discussing. So how can he get it? Only through following that particular righteous way of life. That is one.

Second: how do I know after death I will go to heavenly world? I may go to hell. How do I know? I want to go to heaven, but how do I know that? I will have to—we have to rely on the scriptures. What do the scriptures say? "You do this kind of actions"—that is called karma—"do these kind of actions, these kind of actions. If you perform properly, then you are hundred percent assured that you will go to heavenly world." You see, this is what Hindus believe: you do some meritorious acts, you do philanthropic activities, you do charities, and you serve other people. As a result, what do you get? Puṇya. And what happens when you get puṇya? Either in this life or in the other life, you will—you are assured of happiness, you are made sure. This is what I call, you know, dharma. What is dharma? Do you know it's an afterworld insurance company? It not only insures our life in this world, it also insures our life in the other world. You cannot do that by hook or crook. What is the premium? Dharma. Dharma is the monthly payments, daily payments you make so that you are insured, and they will—this dharma will protect you in this world, in the other world. All the incarnations come only for this purpose.

Attaining Brahma Loka

Right now, there is another world which is called Brahma loka—the world—that's the highest imaginable happiness in this māyic saṁsāric world. And how to attain it? Not by any karma will not lead us to there, but karma combined with upāsanā, contemplations. There are certain types of contemplations, and the person will go there.

I don't know whether I will be right to give this example. You know, when Madhur Babu—Sri Ramakrishna's, you know, supplier—he died, Sri Ramakrishna was in an ecstatic state at that time, and he was at Dakshineswar. Madhur Babu died in Calcutta. Then immediately he said, "Madhur Babu had gone to the world of Divine Mother. Devī herself sent a chariot for him to go there."

Now we believe there are these kind of worlds are there. Now tell me, how did he go to that world? What is it that made him go to that world? You know why? First of all, he did lot of good karmas. Secondly, he was always thinking of Devī in the form—both in the form of the image who is in the temple and of Sri Ramakrishna. It is said, it is written in the chart of Madhur Babu, that his chosen deity will be moving in a visible form in his life. And he believed. He had visions that he saw Sri Ramakrishna as Mother Kālī. He saw many times, many wonderful things he witnessed. He had firm faith that the Divine Mother has assumed the form of Sri Ramakrishna and she is protecting him always, even if he did something roguish things. Once he committed a murder, and then he came and prayed to Sri Ramakrishna, but Sri Ramakrishna protected him. He need not have gone to see what benefits are there in religion.

So the point we are making is: to attain to Brahma loka—Brahma loka means it is Kailāsa, it is Vaikuṇṭha, it is Goloka, it is Ramakrishna loka, whatever you want it to be. Whichever devotee of particular god or goddess—if you go to Brahma loka, you will see Brahman in that form only, and you will enjoy supreme bliss that is possible in this world. To attain that, this third type of wealth one should acquire—what is that? Karma conjoined with contemplation, upāsanā.

Now how do I—you may ask, how do you know about this? Because the scriptures tell.

The World of Liberation: Mokṣa

Now we will go to the other world. What is the other world? The world of spiritual liberation. There is no coming back. Even if you go to Brahma loka, you will have to come back. But if you attain mokṣa, liberation, knowledge, self-knowledge, you need not come back.

Now to attain that one, there is a condition. What is the condition? One must give up all these three worlds. The faintest desire: "I want to enjoy in this world, I want to go to heaven and enjoy, I wanted to go to Brahma loka and enjoy"—one should not have it. "I have nothing to do with this world. I would like to attain complete cessation of this ignorance. I would never like to come back again." If that is the ardent desire, then what is the condition? That person should give up these three worlds.

The Symbolism of Burning the Sacred Thread

Now when this boy who has remained a novice—he might marry, he might have children, he might take to the third stage of life which is called vānaprastha—but when he comes to enter into the fourth stage of life which is called saṁnyāsāśrama, what does he do? He gives up the sacred thread and then burns it into the fire. What is he doing? "I burn my desire for this world. I burn my desire for heavenly world. I burn my desire for even Brahma loka. I will not want it even in my faintest imagination. I will not want it." Only such a person will attain to that. If there is the slightest, you know, desire, then he will have to be reborn—not to speak of, you know, the desire for Brahma loka.

Sri Ramakrishna said: if you have the desire to eat even green leaves, then he will have to be reborn.

Summary of the Three Meanings

Why these three threads are given? So let us recall:

First, to have control over the actions, over the speech, over the thoughts.
Then one must acquire, make ardent efforts: dharma, artha, kāma.
So by giving up these three worlds, he is giving up dharma, artha, and kāma. I only want one supreme value which is liberation. So he goes after this.

Upanayana: Going to the Teacher

There is a saṁskāra called Upanayana. Nowadays it is combined. Upanayana means leading one to the teacher. Nayana means to lead. Upa means near—nearer to the teacher who is going to mould his life. There he stays for some time, acquires all the knowledge that the teacher has to impart. But the most important part of this education, educational process is the formation of what? Character.

The Teacher's Final Instructions

How does this happen? Having taught the Vedas, the teacher instructs the people thus:

Speak the truth. Practice dharma—that is, religious duties, righteousness, and ritualistic worship. Do not neglect the study of the Vedas. Having brought to the teacher the gift desired by him, conduct the line of progeny so that your progeny will continue. Do not swerve from the truth. Do not swerve from dharma. Do not neglect your welfare. Do not neglect prosperity. Do not neglect the study and teaching of Vedas.

Samāvartana: The Completion Ceremony

He completes his studies. Then there is another ceremony is done—that is called the shaving of the head. The first shaving is different. This is to indicate that he had completed his shaving. Why this ceremony? Because most of the time in the olden times, the student will not shave, because first of all, beard and other things are not there, but he would not shave his head. He will tie the head like that, and with a kind of tuft will be there, and he has to keep a tuft.

The Symbolism of the Śikhā (Tuft)

You know why the tuft is kept? This tuft has got symbolism is there. The symbolism is: when a baby is born, we believe that pure consciousness, after the formation of the body, descends through the top of the head. And that's why if you feel the baby's—some part of this here—you will see very, very soft spot, as though if you press hard, there will be a hole like that. It's called Brahma randhra. So it takes some time. Brahma randhra means through which Brahman or Ātman enters into the body. Therefore it is very soft, tender. After a few days, you know, after birth, slowly it becomes. So that part has to be well protected.

That is why in South India, priests and others, you know, half head they shave, etc. The śikhā is also a kind of vow. You know, those who take a vow, they tie their head. You know, Rama, when he went to Daṇḍakāraṇya, he did that, and the priests and others do that. It is said this śikhā is an indication that I have taken a vow and I will lead a dharmic life according to the instructions of the scriptures.

But there is also a practical use for it. It is said: "Brahmacārī śatamarkhaṭaḥ"—Brahmacārī is equivalent to a hundred monkeys. He will be doing—you know, small children—lot of mischief. The guru wants to catch him. How difficult it is to catch hold of him. So one easy way is to catch hold of him there. As first of all, as a spiritual symbolism, that I have taken a vow, and whenever householders see this kind of novice, they have to give help, the novice, in some way by giving food, etc.

Completion of Studies and Return Home

Now this person is growing beard. First he entered at the age of eight. By the time he comes out, he might be twenty, twenty-five, depending upon how long he will be with the teacher. Then he will be growing the beard, etc. This is the indication that he has completed his studies and he is about to return home. There is a first shaving of the head will be there. That is a very important ceremony there. And after that, after receiving instructions from the teacher how he should behave, he will come, and he will have his gṛhastha. Usually that is the usual order. He will get married, etc.

Mantra Dīkṣā: Spiritual Initiation

Now one important point is: it is not mentioned in our scriptures, but indirectly approved in every scripture. There is one saṁskāra which is very special to spiritual people. Those who are very serious in spiritual life, they will have to go through this ceremony, and that is called—we call it in our usual way—Mantra Dīkṣā, initiation ceremony.

This has nothing to do with your sacred thread ceremony, etc. This is a very special saṁskāra, and we also become twice—second time born, as it were, or even I would say, third time born. I would say third time born if ordinary people, those who have not sacred thread, they are twice born. But if they are upper-class caste persons, then they are thrice born. That is to say, "I have taken initiation from my guru. From this day onwards, I will pursue my seriously spiritual disciplines." This is the third janma.

And there is a fourth janma, fourth birth. When a person takes to saṁnyāsa life, that would be the fourth birth. First, as we are all born; second, sacred thread ceremony; third, this initiation, Mantra Dīkṣā ceremony; and last of all, it is the saṁnyāsa ceremony. That is why as a saṁnyāsī ceremony, he cuts off the head, complete shave. That means even that desire, slightest desire, is completely gone. Why? Because this tuft, it indicates, "Oh, this person is an upper-class person. He is a special person." No speciality. That's why widows, they shave their head. Those who take saṁnyāsa, they shave their head. That is why the greatest offering we can give to God is complete shaving of this head. In South India, this Tirupati Balaji temple.

Samāvartana: The Return Ceremony

So having done this, he will have his—then he will take a bath, special bath—that is called Samāvartana ceremony. Samāvartana means he is returning. Upanayana means he is going to the teacher. Samāvartana means he is returning from the teacher's house to his own home. There is a ceremony is there. A person who comes back that way is called a snātaka—completed.

Vivāha: The Marriage Ceremony

Then immediately—sooner, sooner—he will undergo through one of the most important ceremonies in any man's life: that is vivāha, marriage ceremony. Now most important thing about this marriage ceremony: a husband and a wife together, they join like co-pilgrims, both for happiness or unhappiness. They become the—what is called—part of each other. That is the idea.

So in our ancient times, they have coined a kind of understanding that if two persons take seven steps together, then they become for eternally combined together. That's why there is a special ceremony in the marriage ceremony that the husband and wife—there are lots of other ceremonies—but after having done all those ceremonies, finally they draw seven circles, and then they will go round the fire through each of those circles. They draw these figures with rice, and at that time they will take seven special vows, both of them.

The Seven Vows: Brief Version

And in brief they go like this:

With the first step, the couple invokes the gods for the plenitude of pure and nourishing food and a life that is noble and respectful.
With the second step, the couple prays for physical and mental strength and to lead a healthy and peaceful life.
The third step is taken for the fulfillment of spiritual obligations. The gods are invoked for blessing the couple with spiritual strength.
The fourth step is taken for the attainment of happiness and harmony through mutual love and trust and a long, joyous life together.
The fifth step is taken to pray for the welfare of all living entities in the entire universe and for begetting noble children.
The sixth step is for bountiful seasons all over the world. The couple prays for bountiful seasons and see that they may go through these seasons together, just as they would share their joys and sorrows.
With the last step, they pray for a life of understanding, loyalty, unity, and companionship, not only for themselves but also for the peace of the whole universe.

It's a very noble seven vows they take, as it were. First they have to be happy, they have to be harmonious, they have to be pure, they have to be together, peaceful. Then only they can impart that to their children, and then only there is a chance that they will also help the world. Of course, nobody can help the whole world, but each one of us, by creating a small beautiful atmosphere around us, we can help in our own small way.

The Seven Vows: Elaborate Version

How these seven steps help people—here are the little more elaborate type of steps:

First Vow: My beloved, may our love become firm by our commitment to each other. May we live in harmony. May we help each other in every way. May we work together for the welfare and happiness of each other, our children, our elders, and the world.

Second Vow: May God fill our hearts with devotion, strength, peace, charity, happiness, and courage.

Third Vow: My beloved, may our wealth and prosperity grow. May we look upon all men and women as brothers and sisters. Together may we bring up our children worthy of our hopes and ideals.

Fourth Vow: My beloved, it's a great blessing that you are walking with me. May we bring auspiciousness and sacredness into our lives. May we be blessed with obedient and noble children. May they live long.

Fifth Vow: My beloved, may we help each other in the spiritual path. May we reach God together. May we fulfill the noble ideals enjoined in our sacred scriptures.

Sixth Vow: My beloved, in despair fill my heart with courage. Support me if I falter. Nurse me in my sickness. Remind me if I happen to slip from the sacred ideals.

Seventh Vow: My beloved, with this seventh step, our love and friendship have become eternal. May we experience spiritual union in God. Now we belong to each other completely. I offer my life to God through you. Let us travel together in holiness and purity until we reach God and become one with him.

The Universal Beauty of Marriage Vows

What beautiful, meaningful vows—whether it is in Christianity or whether it is Hinduism or any religion—these are the most wonderful vows. And if we really stick to these vows, our life will be blessed, and the whole world also will be recreated. What ruins people is selfishness, untruthfulness, unrighteousness. Somehow this māyā makes us think we can be happy people doing wrong things. That is never—it is possible. This is the married life. And there are so many restrictions, so many rules, so many regulations. If one lives with these seven type of vows, lead a good married life, then what happens? Their mind becomes pure, they get good children, and their life—slowly their minds will turn towards God, and then they will be fit for the next stage of life.

Vānaprastha: The Third Stage of Life

What is that? Slowly retire from this māyic or karmic or saṁsāric world and try to fix the mind more and more on God—vānaprasthāśyam.

Saṁnyāsa: The Fourth Stage of Life

Then comes the last step, you know. Many Hindus do not do it nowadays—even in the past they were not doing really. So the last step is: when the mind becomes very enlightened, it understands that self-knowledge is the highest, only goal of life. Through that alone we can fulfill the last supreme value of Hindu ideal. What is that? Liberation. And for that purpose, some people take to that fourth stage of life which is called monastic life. They do that, and that is over.

Now more or less the saṁskāras are over. There is only one saṁskāra left out, called antyeṣṭi or funeral ceremony. Antya means last, iṣṭi means ceremony—last ceremony. But this is done after the person is dead.

Antyeṣṭi: The Funeral Ceremony

So a time will come when we have to pass. This passing away is most important. It is said in all our scriptures, especially in the Gītā: whatever would be the last thought before we die, that would be the opening door for our next birth. It is very important to follow these sacraments or saṁskāras so that we are able to remember God when we leave this world. This body means leaving the body means leaving this world altogether.

Prayers for the Departed Soul

Now some people may not be able to really pray for themselves because of ignorance. So the religion also provides a means for that. "Okay, you have not been able to do it, but let your family members do it. Let them say prayers on your behalf. Let them perform, worship God. Let them invite people. Let them feed." And that's why piṇḍadāna, vikara, śrāddha ceremony.

Do these prayers really help? Yes, they really help. Do these ancestors receive this offering? I think—I am sure they receive it. How do I know? Because we all believe in Sri Ramakrishna. What happened when Sri Ramakrishna went to Gayā and then offered these prayers, piṇḍa, etc., to his ancestors? They were so happy. They came in his dream. They blessed him, and then Lord himself was pleased, and he said, "I will be born as your son."

Two Types of Funeral Rites

There are two ways of doing this. For a person who becomes a monk, there would be no family members, because he is cutting off all his relationships with his pūrvāśrama, we call it, earlier life. Saṁnyāsa life is a new birth, as though nobody belongs. Still the man is alive. So who is going to pray for him? That is why a saṁnyāsī, before taking saṁnyāsa, he himself performs this last rite for himself. Both he does it for his ancestors and also for himself, and after that there is one day gap. It's a most wonderful ceremony.

But those who are not saṁnyāsīns, their children will perform this particular time period. That also again based upon belief in the scriptures: that the soul—it cannot easily cut off its attachments to the family. Still it will be moving nearby, because, you know, just the mind is very freshly attached. So on the thirteenth day or fifteenth day—different families, lineages do in different ways—they make a wonderful ceremony, pray to God and feed all their relatives, poor people, etc., and especially the prayer that, "O Lord, please lift up this soul and may good befall him wherever he may be."

So with this prayer, our attachment to the departed soul and the departed soul's attachment to us, that thread is, as it were, symbolically cut, just as the umbilical cord of the baby is cut after the birth of the baby. So this attachment cord is cut at this particular time, and this is the last ceremony that we get. What a beautiful concept.

Conclusion: Sri Ramakrishna's Example

I would like to end this talk with only one important thing. I told you that when this sacred thread ceremony takes place, the person gets these three strands of a thread. It is a vow. What is the vow? "I will be established in dharma. I will be established in truth."

Now you have read the life of Sri Ramakrishna. You know what happened? When his time came for getting invested in the sacred thread, there was a woman, blacksmith woman, and she loved Gadai, and she told, "I will be blessed if I can be your first mother who would give you the—what is called—alms, after immediately after the sacred thread ceremony." There is a tradition: after the Gāyatrī mantra is given, the first alms should be given by the mother, or if mother is not there, somebody who is elderly, who loved him, who only wished well of him. The idea is: mother's alms would be the purest alms because no mother would ever wish ill of her own child.

So Sri Ramakrishna, out of love for this woman—she was practically, you know, she was like his godmother, and it was not merely worldly relationship, she was a very pure-hearted lady, she loved him like God—then he promised, "I will take." You know the story. His elders, his family members did not agree. Sri Ramakrishna said, "What are you trying to tell me? You are trying to give me sacred thread. What is the purpose of sacred thread? To observe truthfulness. And the first thing you are asking me to do, even before I have taken, is to break the truth. I promised this woman. How can I break the promise?"

You know, he did not yield. He said, "I will not want this sacred thread ceremony if I cannot fulfill my promise." And they had to agree with that. What a wonderful example. Sri Ramakrishna was a perfect novice, brahmacārī, and how much he learned from his teachers. He outshone his teachers in everything—in their character, in their realizations, in their knowledge. He outshone them. How did he do it? He was so much attuned with his teachers, and, you know, it was a perfect life.

He was a brahmacārī. He was a married man. He was a vānaprastha. He was a saṁnyāsī. All rolled into one—the most wonderful model for humanity. And that is why Swami Vivekananda had been forced, as it were, to compose this hymn: "Avatāra variṣṭhāya Rāmakṛṣṇa yathena mahā"—such a perfect character the world has never seen.

The Journey of Life Through Saṁskāras

Now Sri Ramakrishna's life illustrates all the thoughts we had during this discussion of the sacraments. Sacraments are the most important steps. As I said to conclude this topic: life is a journey. This journey is ultimately to get liberation, but before that we have to attain three stages—dharma, artha, and kāma—and this journey requires preparation. And this preparation is the saṁskāras. These sacraments are a wonderful way of purifying us and making us fit instruments so that our journey becomes a fruitful, profitable journey.

That means we enjoy world here. We also enjoy the bliss, supreme bliss of spiritual liberation. What a marvelous concept it is. Dharma leads to artha, wealth. Artha leads to most wonderful happiness in this world, also in heavenly world, also in the world of Brahmā. And from lower joy to the higher joy, one progresses. Through joy, from joy, through joy, to joy—from a lower joy to the highest bliss that is possible. That is the journey that is possible only through these sacraments.

Next class, perhaps we will discuss something very intimately connected with the study of Hinduism, which is the ceremonies, sacred festivals, which are part and parcel of Hindu's life.

Closing Prayer

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

Om Śānti, Śānti, Śāntih.

Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.

Hinduism 18