June 2021 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami--Harischandra

[Srivatsa Ramaswami]

June 2021 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami--Harischandra

On May 30th 2021, I started teaching a five-day 10 hour program on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the first and second chapters. This on line program is hosted by Omyogashala in New Delhi, On June 5th and 6th 20, I will be teaching a two-day four-hour program on Complete Sarvangasana with vinyasas and pratikriyas.  This program is hosted by AtmaYogashala  in Chennai. Here is the link. 

https://atmayogashala.com/sarvangasanapranayamaworkshop/?fbclid=IwAR1B1i6__AiTWMQH8ukjD54SlUgSexCGKfar7iSDNWpAy_JMYcCYWbU1Brc

Then from 24th of June for 8 days I will be again teaching Yoga sutra the complete text, This is being hosted by Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, USA. Here is the link

https://registration.xenegrade.com/lmucrs/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=7127

And in August I will be teaching Hatayogapradipika. This 20 h eight day on line program is hosted by Ananta Yoga from Ireland. Here is the link about the program and registration

https://www.anantayogastudio.com/workshops/hatha-yoga-pradipika-with-srivatsa-ramaswami-online-event/

Harischandra

From time immemorial well-meaning parents at different times in different communities have been forcefully telling their children to speak the truth. Likewise, teachers in various communities in various places at different times have been telling their wards to speak the truth always. So, most people by and large speak the truth, very uncomfortable when feel compelled to tell a lie. Some parents tell the children the virtue of telling truth while some others use threat so that the younger ones will fall in line and speak truth. My mother used to say when I was very young that God likes those who speak the truth and He would bless those who do not tell lies. My grand aunt on the other hand would say that if I tell a lie God will pierce my eyes. Different approaches! Many tell the story of Harischandra, the embodiment of satya/truth to drive home the virtue of truth

The Lord took the avatar as Sri Rama in the Ikshvaku dynasty also known as Surya dynasty. In the same lineage was a great king named Harischandra. He and his wife Chandramati had no children even as the couple was endowed with all good things in life. They undertook pilgrimages to all holy places but of no avail. Finally, they approached Lord Varuna for a child. Varuna devata said he would fulfill their wish but with a caveat. Once the child is born, they should dedicate or offer the child to him. In the moment of joy of the blessing, they did not realize the sugar quoted poison pill. Harischandra gave his word that he would offer the child once born as a sacrifice to the god.

In due course Chandramati became the proud mother of a lovely child and they named him Lohitaksha or Lohidasa. But Harischandra was so overcome with love for his son, he failed to honour his own words of giving the child away. Soon the King started experiencing the adverse consequences of his lack of truthfulness.  His son Lohitaksha suddenly disappeared from the country and he himself was afflicted with inflammatory disease especially of joints and suffered greatly. Soon he realized his Himalayan blunder and decided to pray to Varuna for forgiveness. Varuna gave his son back, cured him of all ailments but asked him to take the vow of truthfulness thereafter. Harischandra took the vow to truth and soon came to be known as satyavrata, vrata meaning unshakable vow. Soon he became very famous for speaking the truth and adhering to honouring one's word. 

In the divine world, devaloka, there was a discussion about the way things were going on the human world. The topic of satya came up for discussion. It was debated if there was a single human being who followed satya completely. All the sages assembled there opined that there was not a human soul who would speak the truth tread the path of truthfulness all the time, on all occasions. Then Vasishta the sage who was also the guru for Ikshvaku dynasty said that Harishchandra was one, the only one who would meet the strict observance of satya. Sage Viswamitra, Vasishta's bête noire, immediately countered by saying that Harischandra  broke the promise to Varuna and is incapable of maintaining satya all his life. Vasishta said that Harschandra is a satyavrata and would never ever again deviate from his vow of satya. Viswamitra countered by saying that there is a limit to human forbearance and sooner or later Harischandra would breakdown and utter a lie or conduct himself in an untruthful manner. It became heated and finally Vasishta said that if ever Harischandra would break his satyavrata, Vasishta would give up his sainthood and Vishwamitra said that if Harischandra would stick to satya against all odds he, Viswamitra would give half of his tapas and make Harischandra immortal and make him an example of truthfulness. With that the Harishchandra's ordeals began

Viswamitra sent some of his disciples who were experts in a certain yagnya or sacrificial rite called svarna yagnya. Only very prosperous kings can do that and it was for universal good. They came and persuaded Harischandta to perform the yagnya. The king readily agreed. One of the requirements was that the performer of the yagnya at the end of the ritual should gift whatever is asked for by deserving people. So, at the end of the yagnya many deserving scholars and poor people got what they wanted from the king and left

Enter Viswamitra. When everyone had come and gone, Viswamitra came and asked the King to give the gift he would want. The king readily and happily agreed and asked Viswamitra what he would be happy with. The sage asked for a certain amount of gold and jewellery equal to the height when a coin is tossed up by one standing on top of an elephant. This was unheard of or unthought of. If someone would ask me, I would have said "Come on old man! Be reasonable." Viswamitra expected the King would demur and decline and thereby break the promise he had made to all at the beginning of the yagnya. But without blinking an eye, Harischndra agreed to give what the sage asked for which would completely empty his treasury. The unhappy Viswamitra unable to make Harischandra break his satyavrata, ordered Harischandra to keep the gift until he would come back and claim it at a later date.

The unhappy Viswamitra became more desperate. He then drove many wild animals into the kingdom of Harischandra and these animals destroyed the crops and subjects and then the people ran towards the king to handle the wild animals. Harischandra chased the animals out of the kingdom and they all ran into the vast ashram of the sage, In the encounter many animals were killed and there was a huge collateral damage to the sage's ashram. Visamitra angrily admonished the king for trespassing into his property and also killing his animals. "You must compensate for it " the sage said. Harschandra readily agreed and the price was the kingdom itself. Soon Viswamitra took over the reins of the country and the King was reduced to an ordinary penniless common man. But still he held his head high having maintained his satyavra

He thought that he wa done with Viswamitra, but the sage reminded him of the riches that he was supposed to hold in safe custody, the huge wealth that he got at the end of the yagnya done earlier..  Maybe Harischandra should have gone to court but he reasoned that he owed the wealth to the sage and asked for time to earn and pay him in due course, Viswamitra gave him some time and asked the ex-king to pay up by the deadline. Unable to find any work in his own place Harischandra decided to migrate to Varanashi to try to find work. So, he with his wife Chandramati and son Lohidasa went to Varanasi. In the meantime, finding Harichandra leaving the kingdom, Viswamitra asked a debt collector called Nakshatreya to keep a tab on the debtor and pester him for the money. Nakshatreya kept asking for money at odd moments. Finally, Chandramati suggested to Harischandra to sell her as a slave and with that money could pay off the debt that arose out of his own gift. Unable to find another way out he sold Chandramati along with Lohidasa  as a slave. Chandramatti worked very hard as a slave and so did the former prince Lohidasa. In the meantime, Harischandra gave the money to Nakshatreya who pocketed the money saying that would be to meet the fees for the work of collecting debt. However, if only he would break the vow and tell a lie he would be released from all obligations by the sage. But Harishchandra would not do it. Modern day debt collectors are contemptuously referred to as Nakshatrayeas by the harassed debtors.

Then Harischandra decided to sell himself as a slave. From being a King to become a slave was a steep price to pay for speaking the truth and nothing but the truth. Finally, one rich person by name Virabahu decided to buy him. Harischandra asked for so much wealth up to the extent of tossing a coin on top of an elephant. Virabahu asked him what could he do and Harischandra vowed to do anything Virabahu would ask. Virabahu paid him and Harischandra in turn paid it to Nakshatreya. Nakshatreya could not help admiring the greatness of Harischandra while at the same time cringing at the fate of working for a mean sage like Viswamitra.

Harischandra was asked to take care of the cremation grounds of Virabahu where dead bodies would be cremated for a fee. And Harischandra would do the work taking the appropriate fees.  He with his yogic powers changed his beautiful appearance to that of a rustic and nobody could recognize him as the former king. Viswamitra felt defeated and the apparant loss of face while confronting Vasishta made him more vicious.  Then Lohidasa while collecting wood pieces for the master, was struck by a cobra and he died. Chandramati was not allowed to take the body for cremation by the masters. After completing all the day's work, she left for the cremation ground and started collecting a few pieces of wood to start cremating the body of her dead son. Harischandra appeared before her and immediately asked her for the cremation charges. She wept and said she had nothing to pay. Harischandra saw her mangalsutra and demanded that she give it to him as the charges. It is said that the mangalsutra  of Chandramati would be visible only to her husband and with that she immediately recognized that the rustic was her own husband. But now that she knew her husband was alive, she could not part with the mangalsutr. But Harischandra refused to budge as his duty was to cremate bodies only after the payment of appropriate fees. 

Just then there was a deep cry of anguish of a boy nearby where she had kept the body of Lohidasa. She ran to find out what happened. There she found the young prince of the kingdom badly wounded by robbers and his jewels removed. Finding someone coming towards them the robbers left the wounded prince and also the jewels and took to their heels. Soon enough the King with his soldiers came there in search of the prince only to find that the prince was dead with the jewellery thrown around and Chandranati standing there completely perplexed. The King quickly and wrongly determined that Chandramati was the killer of the prince and immediately ordered the execution of the former queen. The order of execution was passed on the Virabahu the hangman of the state and he in turn gave the task to Harischandra. Harishchandra took the axe and for a moment thought about his fate, From being an undisputed and highly revered king with a happy family he has now the onerous job of executing his own wife for no fault of hers and with dead son yet to be cremated. Viswamitra appeared before him from nowhere and asked if he would break his vow and everything, he lost would be with him in jiffy. Harschandra smiled ruefully and raised the axe and directed the blow to the neck of the hapless woman. She was asked to make a final prayer and she prayed that her husband's name would be known all over the universe as a stickler of truth or satya for ever, and closed her eyes in anticipation of the fatal blow. Just as Harischandra was about to forcefully strike at his loving wife, the axe turned into a garland and adorned the neck of the queen. Virabahu became Lord Siva himself. The Lord praised him for his steadfastness in upholding truth. Viswamitra having lost the cruel bet gave half of his tapas. Harischandra become an embodiment of truth. 

The story of Harischandra has been told over and over again. In the olden days the story of Harischandra used to part of school studies, I remember to have seen a black and white movie of Harischandra when I was young, very young. It would run in theaters for months and then come back for reruns. Many street plays of Harischandra would be staged all over India those days. The whole audience watching the drama would feel a lump in the throat at the last seen where Harischandra would be doing his duty as a hangman. Harischandras are a rare species.

The word satya is not merely speaking the truth but also honouring one's words. The speech should not only be truthful but also promote goodwill, harmony and wellbeing of others. Backbiting, rumor mongering, using harsh words are all considered to be blemishes of speech and eschewing them all will be covered under the broad term satya

And Satya is considered an important yama for ashtanga yogis.