In Book 12, Section 254 (Sanskrit) (section 261 and 262 in English) is the story of Jajali and Tuladhara. Jajali is a Brahmin ascetic who gets his
lessons on virtue and wisdom from Tuladhara, a merchant or a Vaishya. The main
message in this episode is that non-injury is the greatest virtue and the
foundation of Sanatana Dharma. (Hinduism was known as Sanatana Dharma for
millenia before western visitors came to India)
Jajali performs all kinds of
severe austerities, yogic meditation and beneficial acts. He comes to consider
himself as the best in wisdom and virtue. Yet he keeps hearing that a village
merchant by name Tuladhara is the one who knows what dharma is. Jajali goes to
Varnasi to meet Tuladhara.
To digress a little, we grew up learning the name of this holy
city as Benaras or Banaras. In fact, it is known by several names, each name
referring to a smaller unit of the city in a concentric fashion. Kashi is the
old name and refers to the entire region. Varanāsi is the region between the
two rivers – Varanā and Asi. Avimukta is the name from Puranas, to indicate
that Lord Shiva does not let go of this place even at the end of a Yuga. Then
comes Antagraha, surrounding the Temple of Kasi Vishwanatha.
To go back to the story of Jajali,
while performing penance or noble acts, he is motivated by a desire to be the
best in doing dharmic actions (desire).
He entertains pride when he let birds
build nest in his matted hair even as he stood still for years. Finally, he
shows anger when he is told that
Tuladhara is better at knowing what dharma is. Tuladhara knows all this and explains
to Jajali that one has to let go of desire, pride and anger to be considered
virtuous and wise.
When asked by Jajali how Tuladara, a merchant is known for his
virtues and wisdom Tuladara answers: “My actions are based on universal
friendliness and beneficence to all creatures. It is based on total
harmlessness to all creatures or in case of absolute necessity upon a minimum
of such harm. I am always engaged in the good of all creatures, in thought,
word, and deed. I never quarrel with any one or favor any one. I never desire
for anything. I look upon all things and all creatures with evenness of mind.
My scales are perfectly even to all creatures. I neither praise nor blame the
acts of others, viewing them as natural variety in the world, like the variety
observable in the sky. I see no difference between a piece of stone and a lump
of gold”.
Jajali continues: “I do not have any need for wealth or
pleasure or enjoyments. When a person fears nothing and is not a source of fear
for others, when he does not experience any desire or aversion for anything, he
is then said to have attained Brahman”.
The main message of the discourse is that non-injury is the
greatest virtue. The importance of not harming any creatures is emphasized and
the slaughter of the cow and the bull are specifically condemned. He even
criticizes the practice of restraining the bull by piercing its nose and
passing a rope through it to use it for ploughing. May be this section was
added after Buddha’s time.
Tuladhara says that in his scale no one is superior and no one is
inferior. Everyone is equal (the word tula in Sanskrit means a scale). In
Sanskrit it reads as: तुला मे सर्वभूतेषु समा तिष्ठति जाजले
He says: “I have no quarrel with anyone. I do not hate anyone. I
do not desire anything. Gold and clay are equal to me. I am not afraid of
anyone and no one is afraid of me. I accept variety of people with varieties of
behavior because variety is the way of Nature. God manifests in variety”.
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