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Re: Morality

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ramia pichumani • January 26, 2000 


Om Namo Narayanaya
Dear Mukunda Vijaya Raghavan,
Read your queries on morality. Sri Madhavakannan had more than answered 
them.
This is the story which suddenly cropped up as soon as I read your posting.
Please take time to read it fully:
There was a time when Sage Vashista & his wife were living on one bank of 
river Gauthami performing tapas. Sage Agastya was on the other bank 
performing tapas. Sage Agastya had taken the vow of not-eating.
But Vashistar regularly sent food to Agatsyar through his wife & Agastyar 
used to regularly partake the food brought to him by the rishi pattini. This 
went on for a few days.
One day, the river Gauthami was in spate and the rishi pattini could not 
cross the river. So she went back to her husband with her problem. Vashistar 
immediately asked her to pray to the river thus:
"Mother Gauthami, please give me passage as I am carrying out the orders of 
my husband, the Eternal brahmachari"
she followed it & wonder of wonders - the river parted to give her passage. 
So she completed her task of feeding Agastyar & came back to see that the 
floods had not subsided.
She went back to Agastyar & told him her problem. She also told him how she 
got passage earlier that day. Immediately Agastyar replied,
"Dont hesitate mother, pray to river Gauthami that you are returning after 
feeding one on eternal fast."
Its no wonder that this time also she got safe passage. She went back to her 
huband with her confusion, "why lord, this morning you told me to pray to 
the river gauthami in a manner that made one believe that you were a 
bramachari while we have lived a long life together & have begotten more 
than 100 children. But the river however gave a passage. Then Agastyar says 
that he is on eternal fast while everyday he has been eating at at my own 
hand. I am bewildered, do enlighten me."
The good sage replied, " One who lives with his wife & seeks her company 
only for the sake of begetting children on prescribed days only, though he 
is a grihasta he is a bramachari. And one who does not go in search of food 
7 eats whatever comes his way to sustain his life only - he though eating is 
a NIRHARi ( a non-eater ). "
Such were the great seers who have become the salt of our nation & seeds of 
our religion.

So I stand to conclude, whatever food is essential to sustain life so that 
we can perform our Kainkariyam to the Lord Sriman Narayanan, that food alone 
is good food. It is for you to determine if drinks are something essential.

About your second query :
No narrow minded religion will ever preach tolerance. I once had the fortune 
of reading the preachings of Kanchi periyavar. He said, " I respect all 
religions but this respect is born from my faith in mine."
Let us all bow down to our own Sri Vaishavam, the only purpose of which was 
to dispell internal darkness in each jivatma.
Nowhere else will we find a culture in which, for every man every woman 
except his wife is his mother and for every woman, every man except her 
husband is her son.
Sarvam Krishnarpanam.
Ramia P

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