Sri Tandavaraya Swami
Disciple:
Master! Why should the Veda, which says the jnana is the sole means of Supreme Bliss, classify karma, in the karmakhanda, as merit, sin, and a mixture of the two, which make the doers reincarnate as celestial beings, animals and human beings respectively, and further prescribe special duties for different castes and orders of men as conferring happiness when properly done?
Master:
Like the coaxing of a loving mother concerned with the sickness of her child who has eaten earth, and offers it a tempting sweet in which a medicine is wrapped, the cheering statement of the Vedas, 'Do your household duties - perform sacrifices - they are good!' means something different. It is not understood by seekers of pleasures in heaven. It is only natural that pleasure-seekers eat what they get and embrace whom they can. Would the scriptures dictate what is after all natural to everyone? Do they not know so much? No one need order: Crow, be black! Fire, burn! Neem, be bitter! Fleeting wind, blow!
When the Vedas enjoin: 'If you desire fermented drinks and meat, have them by performing sacrifices; if you have sexual impulse, embrace your wife', the person is expected to desist from other ways of satisfying his desires. The Vedas aim at total renunciation only.
Disciple:
In that case, why should there be these commandments at all?
Master:
They are only preliminary and not final. Note that the Vedas which advise thus: 'Drink the fermented juice, eat the meat', say later on 'smell it'. Note also the commandment: 'Desire sexual union for the sake of a child.' Note again: 'Give up this also (i.e., sacrifice, marriage, wealth and other possessions)'. Note further that complete renunciation is not a slur on a sannyasin or a brahmachari. Understanding the scheme as a whole, give up any desire for action, and thus you will gain beatitude.
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