Brahmasri Sundar Kumar's Ramayana Pravachanam @ Vani Mahal

Brahmasri Sundar Kumar on his Ramayana Pravachanam on Ayodhya Kandam at Vani Mahal on 5th June 2012, was referring to various curses inflicted upon the person responsible for Rama going to forest. Due to some personal reasons, his lecture was restricted to just one hour.

Bharata quotes various Dharma Sastras and says “Let the sin applicable to the person deviating from the sastra become applicable to the person who was responsible for sending Rama to forest” and quotes the minimum dharmas to be followed by individuals,. He also quoted another sruti vakyam which states the same dharmas in the order of severity.(i.e) Severity of punishment for missing out the subsequent point is more than the earlier point:

1. Do not lie down (not only sleep) during dawn
2. Do not lie down (not only sleep) during dusk
3. Ladies to comb hair, have kumkum, lit lamp before sunset.
4. Do not stop the agni karyam which is started once….and not to use agni for any other purpose – of course except cooking.

This he said, most of us are doing without our knowledge – because we have promised on the day of our marriage that from that day onwards we will continue doing the agni santhanam on daily basis without fail. We do this on all subha and punya muhurthams when purohit comes. Wife keeps one handful of rice, 60% is given in the first lot…Agnaye Svishtakrite..Swaaha:… and then  the balance 40% is dropped on the northern part of agni accompanied by the relevant mantra…. The only other place where agni is permitted to be used is during the pyre on the demise of either of the individual’s parents which at no cost should be delegated to anybody else.

5. Do not over eat
6. Do not marry younger sister when elder sister is unmarried: This he said has become common now-a-days because, if there are 2 daughters, marriages are fixed simultaneously and sometimes due to special reasons, the second daughter gets married few months/days earlier than her elder sister. In this case the bridegroom, who married the younger daughter gets the sin.
7. Younger brother not to get married prior to elder brother. Exception: elder brother decides to become a naishtika brahmachari or happens to be a mentally ill patient.
8. Treat Guru Patni as equivalent to mother and all other women except one’s dharma patni either as matha or sister depending on the age. This he said is possible once we understand the fact that we are all the children of Loka matha, say Lakshmi and  Narayana. Then automatically makes all other human beings become our siblings.
9. Avoid rotten nail and skin diseases in the body as these are symptoms of poorva janma dosha.
   5. An individual when he has performed certain deeds in his previous births, get these problems in the present birth. By observing the dharmas applicable to the present birth sincerely, he/she can definitely not only get rid of these problems but also attain salvage. Getting rid of these ailments becomes the apparent symptom of recognition of his sincere devotion by the divine. Seeking medical help is permitted.
10. Do not betray a trusted friend.
11. Do not get into Brahmahatti Dosha.

Looking at the severity, the last point seems to be very bad but at the same time, we feel highly relieved because to the extent possible, we will not get Brahmahatti Dosha, because as per the common perception, it comes only to a person who kills a Brahmin which we would never venture to do. But alas! Sastra does not mean this literal translation only.

Brahmopadesam is a function in which a Brahmachari is initiated into brahminhood and given the Gayathri mantra. While changing the Yagnopaveedam, he says,

Nithya karmaanushtaana Yogyadha sidhyartham, Brahma theja: abhivridhyartham….

So, Brahmopadesam has to be followed by its ritual of Sandhyavandhanam on a daily basis during the stipulated time. Ultimately, Non-performance of Sandhyavandanam amounts to Brahmahatti Dosha.  Let us not get into point 11.