Ethics: The Vedic Way

Vedas have always insisted on sacrificing selfish gains and devoting oneself to ethical life. It emphasizes that one must lead a stainless life full of moral virtues for one’s own good and karmic cycle.

They ask us to make the divine consciousness and will our consciousness and will . This implies that the real self should stop being just about itself and evolve into a higher state by sacrificing ego, surrendering its very nature and characteristics to the divine.

Dr. Radhakrishnan in his book ‘The Principal Upanisads’ wrote, “Evil is the free act of Individual who uses his freedom for his own exaltation. It is fundamentally the choice which affirms the finite, independent self, its lordship, and acquisitiveness against the universal will. Evil is the result of our alienation from the Real. If we cannot break from evil, we cannot attain freedom.”The freedom talked of here is the freedom from the cycle of birth and attaining salvation. This further was explained by Ramanuja: 'People have an impression that vedic culture requires world denial in the name of scarifice which is not right. Indifference to the world and freeing oneself from duties is not asked for.' The focus here is completely on the spirit of ‘Vairagya’ (detachment). It is not the abandoning of things dear to you but a state where you find yourself non-attached to any of it. Also, renunciation or sannyasa doesn’t mean neglect of social duties. It is just freedom from the rituals of this world. Thus, we can say that detachment doesn’t oppose enjoyment but only attachment. Isa Upanishad advises enjoying this world and nature through renunciation.

Good work is prerequisite to achieving salvation. It itself does not gives one liberation but cleanses the mind, body, and spirit for illumination of the heart which will lead us to salvation. However, to meet the goal different methods are suited for different temperaments and they all are permitted in the Vedas.

Taittriya Upanishad tells us that a student must not neglect the truth, virtues, welfare, prosperity, study, and teaching and should perform only irreproachable acts. When the Buddhists are asked to put out the fire of infatuation, greed, and resentment, Buddha is actually emphasizing the virtues enjoined by the Upanishads. Those are Dama (self-control), Tapas ( severe self-discipline for spiritual gains), Dana (self- sacrifice where we sacrifice all the selfish desires), Daya (compassion for everyone), Mauna (silence to lead the soul to contemplation).

When we talk of teachings of Upanishads adopting a spiritual view of the world and life we live, it absolutely does not mean that they despise the mind, body and this life in any way for latter are the modes of life of the spirit. But one should be clear that they are not end in themselves. The higher state of the spirit which is the Real self has not to be separated from this life but one should strive to reach the level where one finds Him in oneself (antar Yamin). The whole point of living the ethical life the vedic way is to achieve the unity with the Absolute Reality.