SHIVOPADESHA 4

Na muktih shástravyákhyáne na muktirvidhipújane;
Kevalaḿ Brahmaniśt́ho yah sah mukto nátra saḿshayah

[Salvation cannot be attained merely by interpreting the
scriptures, nor by worshipping deities according to specific
scriptural injunctions;
One can attain salvation only by surrendering oneself to Brahma
– there is no doubt about it.]

Shásanát tárayet yastu sah shástrah parikiirttitah [“That which liberates through discipline is called shástra, scripture”]. Each and every structure should have a controlling force, for in the absence of that controlling force, the different parts of that structure dissociate from the parent body, and this erosion ultimately results in its destruction. Now, these controlling forces of the parent body are of three types, since there are three spheres of existence. The controlling force of the physical sphere is either a living being or any mechanical device controlled by a human being. In the psychic world, the controlling force is a realistic and practical philosophy, and in the spiritual sphere, the controlling force is the intense urge towards God-realization.

Those who are endowed with this intense urge can say,

Ámrái jay kariba ei bhuban
Rańamukhii nay harimukhii kari’ man.

[We shall conquer this world
Not by military might, but through God-realization.]

Victory by swords lasts only a short time. Before the swords become rusty, the victory vanishes into nothingness.

I was explaining the necessity of a controller of this physical world, and that controller is either an individual or a mechanical device made and controlled by an individual. A human individual is short-lived, and so is a mechanical device. So anything controlled by them cannot last long.

I just said that not by the sword nor any other military force, nor by manufacturing iron chains or coats of mail, can humans or machines or military weapons maintain any structure.

Svaráj shudhu átmá hatei antarete mukti cái,
Asir bale, masiir bale, peshiir bale mukti nái.

[One can attain freedom only spiritually, for freedom lies in the mind. One cannot attain freedom with the help of sword, or pen or muscle.]

I said long ago, and I repeat, that human beings have no reason to worry about hydrogen bombs. A hydrogen bomb is only a mechanical device made by humans. One day, in the course of time, it will also be destroyed – its present importance, its current horror, will all vanish into nothingness. The same human intellect which invented these bombs will one day, in the natural course of events, invent a deterrent force against them.

Yes, it is true that all weapons can destroy a certain number of people – some kill a hundred, some a thousand, some a hundred thousand. That is how the lethal capacity of a weapon is measured. But however terrible a weapon might be, one day all its might will vanish into the void. There was a time when human beings were frightened by bows and arrows; today’s humans, when they hear of battles with bows and arrows, simply laugh. This shows that however great might be the strength of weapons in a war of any age, or however powerful their controllers might be, their grip will one day be loosened, and the structure will decay into dust – just as the plaster on the wall gradually crumbles into the ground.

Still, a controller is necessary in the physical sphere, highly necessary, because in this physical sphere, those of animal nature seize the morsels of food from others’ mouths like mad dogs. In this material sphere, living beings in human form, driven by dogmas, dash the only children of widows to the ground. In this material sphere, demons greedy for wealth starve the simple, innocent and disunited people to death, bit by bit. In this material sphere, the mighty rip out the tongues of the weak and silence their voices forever; they deprive them of the opportunity to express their inner urges. Thus there is a great necessity of a strict disciplinary code for this physical world. It is not necessary for this code of discipline to be always in the form of a book. Rather, a benevolent person of spirited intellect can work more effectively than a book in this regard.

I have often repeated that in this material world no structure can be maintained for long. It may be maintained somehow, but this maintenance becomes possible only when constant metamorphosis of the structure removes it far from its original form. This means that when a structure maintains its existence for long, it is found that it is surviving through constant changes. If this metamorphosis does not occur, even then it can survive – but this is very rare, and that existence is not like the glorious existence of enlightened and powerful people: the maintenance of such an existence is just like that of an earthworm – lowly and downtrodden.

If a person, rather than a written scripture, seeks to maintain any structure through the power of administration, then he or she must be as benevolent as the scripture. Where the question of benevolence and malevolence is concerned we will not deviate an inch from our ideology, nor will we allow others to do so. One cannot promote human welfare if one bothers too much about public criticism, about the reaction in the papers or among the voters.

The structures in the psychic world are created on the basis of specific ideals. These ideals are either a set of guidelines or an exemplary personality whose life is a beacon to others. But what really happens in the practical world? When we deeply analyse these ideals, we find two aspects – external and internal.

When ideals are propagated in such a way as to create a sweet synthesis between the internal and external worlds – that is, when that internal sweetness is expressed externally and there is a harmonious parallelism between internal and external – then those ideas become permanent. It will not be wrong to say that there has never been such an ideal. Thus people, while trying to express so-called ideals, have met with opposition at every step.

By opposition here I do not mean that opposition which seeks to thwart one’s progress – that opposition is a helping force. Here by opposition I mean that difficulty which emerges from the so-called ideology itself – when the ideology itself is a block to progress. We have seen many apostles of non-violence in this world of ours who gave the impression by their writings and speeches that they had come to transform the very dust particles of the earth into spiritual essence, into a spiritual paradise. People offered all the sweetness of their hearts, and all the benevolent thoughts of their minds, unto their feet. But later they discovered that those apostles, making an abrupt about-face, deserted them at the time of crisis. They polluted their tongues with their hypocritical statements, and the people felt helpless and betrayed.

Generally people use the empty words of philosophy like tinsel to cover their internal blackness of character. Some of this tinsel is golden, some silver, some of a variety of colours. At first, people who have lost their way, or strayed from the path, are attracted by these bright colours, like those deceived by a mirage. Later on they lose everything, and their knees broken, they fall and meet their deaths in the scorching heat of frustration. Sometimes, before their deaths, they are able to recognize the illusion of the mirage, but in most cases they are unable to discover it before they breathe their last. The lethal nature of these defective philosophies remains unknown to them forever. In the psychic world, the implementation of these fatuous philosophies can wreak havoc.

Human beings are predominantly mental beings. Psychic urges and mental preoccupations influence them much more than the stimuli of the physical world, and bring them greater opportunities for self-expansion. But if there is the slightest defect in the drives and urges that guide them in the psychic world, then this not only affects a single individual, it affects the larger community, and that too not only for a short while – it submerges the entire community in the quagmire of frustration for an extended period of time. And when the people discover that they are immersed in this all-engulfing morass, and try to save themselves by pulling themselves out of it, step by step, they sink more and more deeply into it. Thus the system of control in the psychic world should be even stricter than in the physical world.

If one is not able to give the people proper guidance, then at least one should not misguide them. One must not divert them from the proper path by exploiting the tender and delicate sentiments of the human mind. In the physical world there should be a strict controller as a shástra⁽¹⁾ – and it is better to have a strong personality than a written book – but in the mental sphere the scripture and the person who upholds the scripture have equal importance as far as their utility and practical value is concerned. There must be an excellent and all-embracing philosophy, in which there should be no loophole in any sphere of mind as far as possible. Exactly in the same way, to implement that philosophy, there must be a pioneering personality of high integrity and superb intellect. If there is any defect in philosophy, but if there is no defect in that great personality, then during the lifetime of that personality the defect of the philosophy will not be able to do any considerable harm to the community: normally the harm will come after his or her demise.

But even if there is no defect in the philosophy but the person who takes the responsibility of implementing the philosophy is full of defects (actually we cannot call such a person a “pioneer”), then that high philosophy will remain confined to books only. The society will rush headlong to the depths of degradation, and no one will remain to save it. The people’s copious tears will drench their clothes, and they will die, banging their heads against the closed doors of human liberation. For them there will be no escape.

In the past, hundreds of philosophies emerged on this earth; these philosophical treatises developed the psychic structures of human beings and became the fountainhead of human thought; even if they tried, people could not avoid the influence of those philosophical ideas. Whatever they might say or write, their thoughts always hovered around those ideas that were so deeply implanted in their minds. Thus those who seek to provide a lasting philosophy to society will have to shoulder a great responsibility: to be successful, they must combine a profound knowledge of philosophy with a deep sense of responsibility and an unblemished love for humanity.

At one time people were told that this world is for human enjoyment only, so the existence of all the plants, of all the birds and animals, in the world is intended merely to provide objects of enjoyment for human beings. Their hopes and aspirations, their intense desire to live, their pains and pleasures, their affectionate family or community lives are simply without value. However much a baby goat may wish to live, the main consideration is how much meat that kid carries on its frame. This defective philosophy has made people ruthlessly violent – even more dangerous than blood-thirsty tigers. Tigers kill only to fill their stomachs, to preserve their physical existence; whereas human beings kill animals mostly out of greed. Generally people have resorted to hypocrisy to camouflage this instinct of greed; they have killed animals on the pretext of pleasing the gods, while actually their main motive in doing so was to please their own tongues. These are all the inevitable results of such defective philosophies.

Some philosophies have taught their own [religious or caste] communities, “The members of this community are the favourite children of Parama Puruśa – others are cursed and unwanted.” Due to this defective teaching the people of one community have even considered the destruction of the members of another community as an act of virtue, and stained the stony altar of human society with the blood of innocent people. In the blood of these innocent victims, the blind adherents of such defective philosophies have taken a holy bath of “liberation”. What a horror! Such false philosophies have taught, “Well, if we exploit the people with our intellect, what’s the harm? It is also a labour to apply the intellect, and we have the right to do so!” On the basis of this argument a handful of parasites have gorged themselves on the blood of millions of people, while countless people have been reduced to living skeletons. Such fraudulent philosophies have diverted many people from the path of morality and left them devoid of dharma, addicted to carnal pleasures – infernal creatures. By providing such a distorted interpretation of dharma, they have deliberately prevented people from gaining a correct understanding of dharma, and thus they have betrayed humanity in the most inimical manner. They have taught people to view each other with suspicion. By restricting social welfare activities to their community, they have kept the rest of the people in the dark about the true state of affairs. They have not let the people know whether they were actually the promoters or detractors of human welfare. By raising an iron curtain, a veil of dark ignorance, before them, they have taught people to chatter a few chosen, tutored sentences. They have confined them within a small dungeon, with its doors and windows locked – they have converted them into owls of darkness. This is the inevitable outcome of those pseudo-philosophies.

I said a little while ago, and I say again, that the psychic structures of human beings should be created by an all-encompassing philosophy which combines the magnanimity of the sky with the vibrational vastness of the ocean, ruffled by endless waves. A philosophy which fails to do so plunges people into the dark caverns of dogma and stifles their mundane, supra-mundane and spiritual progress under its crushing weight. People forget that the unlimited expansion of intellect is the predominant quality of human beings. When they lose this quality and become like beasts drawn to sensual pleasures, then regardless of what they might have achieved, they hardly deserve to be called human beings. Thus it is the duty of human beings to embrace with open heart and outstretched arms that all-inclusive philosophy which will never encourage them to harm humanity, either directly or indirectly.

It is universally true, for all ages and all realms, that dharma is the main current of human life. It is the impetus of living beings; it is also their source of wealth and the guidance for their journey through life. In the pervasive sense of the word, all objects, animate and inanimate, have their respective dharma: that is, dharma denotes the very existence of an object. In its narrow sense, dharma is less manifested in inanimate entities and more manifested in animate ones. In animate entities, the manifestation of the dharma of non-human creatures is instinctive and inborn. But the dharma of human beings is much more than this: it permeates and penetrates each and every sphere of life. Hence in the realm of dharma, the only true guide and controller, motivating force and protector of the people, is an excellent and comprehensive ideology which provides definite, clear-cut and bold directions for all aspects of human life – from one’s personal daily routine, to one’s social activities and collective motivation, to the spiritual inspiration which brings one closer and closer to God. A scripture which does not fulfil these conditions is not worthy of being called a scripture at all. Such a scripture does not contain the light of consciousness according to the definition Shásanát tárayet yastu sah shástrah parikiirttitah [“That which liberates through discipline is called shástra, scripture”]. We should also remember that in the realm of dharma there must be clear-cut injunctions in the form of dharma shástra [scriptural treatises], and simultaneously there must be strict guardians who during their lifetimes guide themselves as well as others according to those scriptural injunctions. After their demise, they will live forever in their teachings, which, though given for a particular age, will become a code of conduct for all time.

The spiritual world is the source of all the actions of passion and dispassion in human life and is the life-giving current of all the codes of conduct of existence. Thus in the spiritual world, there should not be anything which will divert human beings from the path of synthesis to that of analysis, which will provoke divisive tendencies and restrict collective existence within narrow confines.

Nothing should ensnare people in the illusory net of pettiness in any sphere of life, from the general code of spiritual conduct to the universal and eternal principles of life – lest the voracious fangs of the all-consuming Máyá devour them. Thus the scriptures containing spiritual injunctions must be totally flawless, and the pioneering personality must be a strict and benevolent guardian with unyielding conviction.

Thus I repeat: Shásanát tárayet yastu sah shástrah parikiirttitah. There is the necessity of scripture in all the four vargas of human life.⁽²⁾

The scripture which is required in the spiritual field is called dharma shástra, the treatise of spiritual injunctions, as discussed above; and Brahma in the form of guru is the controller of the scriptures. The third factor is the philosophical treatise relating to the mental world, called darshana shástra; and with this third factor there must also be a fourth factor, darshana pravaktá, that is, a propounder who will train the people in philosophy, for the philosophical treatises may be wrongly interpreted.

For instance, it was written, Vidhavá agre gamiśyati [“A widow should go (die) before (her husband)”]. But later, due to a defective interpretation, this was misread as Vidhavá agne gamiśyati [“A widow should go into the fire”]. As a result, hundreds of thousands of innocent widows were burnt alive on the funeral pyres of their husbands. Hence the necessity of a proper trainer, well-versed in philosophy.

In the scripture of the psychic world, generally called darshana shástra, there should not be the least sprinkling of dogmas, because this sort of philosophically-oriented dogma cumulatively increases the distortions in the psychic world. These dogmas enter the human mind like fine needles and come out like iron ploughs. If one tries to cast them out, then the whole psychic structure is demolished. If a tender banyan plant grows at one corner of a fine mansion, and if its growth is unchecked for long, then that small plant develops into a gigantic tree, and when one tries to tear it down, the entire mansion crumbles to the earth.

In the mundane sphere, as well, there is the necessity of a scripture which will systematically control the undulating waves of the psychological, political, social and economic aspects of human life. There must not be the least dissonance in the social harmony. Along with a scripture for the mundane world, there must be the powerful control of an enlightened and fiery personality; otherwise the swarms of self-seeking ants, greedy for enjoyment, will devour all the sugar prepared with such arduous human labour; otherwise the gluttonous cattle, thrusting their heads through the holes in the hedgerows beside the road, will ravage the tender green plants of the psychic world of human beings.

This controlling scripture is the samája shástra, or social code [the fifth factor of shástra vyákhyána], and the special spirit which this social code generates in human minds is the social spirit.

When a particular shloka or sútra [aphorism] or any expression is presented to an inquiring person in a particularly dignified way, this is called vyákhyá or vyákhyána. The readers or audience cannot properly grasp the inner essence of a succinct shloka or aphorism; thus for the easy understanding of the readers or audience, the shlokas should be properly explained with relevant commentaries and annotations. The words which are usually neglected are thus given new significance and presented to the readers with special dignity. This is the inner spirit of vyákhyá or vyákhyána [scriptual interpretation].

I have already said that there are various types of scripture pertaining to the different spheres of life, and in the scriptures, too, the ideas are presented in a few words. In very few cases only are they elaborated. To present dharma shástra [spiritual scriptures], dharma guru [spiritual preceptor], darshana shástra [philosophical treatises], darshana pravaktá [propounder of philosophy], samája shástra [social code], samája neta [social leaders] and samája ádarsha [social ideals] in the proper perspective is the main purpose of shástra vyákhyána. Without proper interpretation, the shástras remain difficult to understand and sometimes unintelligible. Thus the scriptures should always be interpreted by qualified scholars, competent philosophers, and penetrating thinkers. If one tries to interpret a profound scripture with superficial knowledge, the interpreter appears ridiculous and the audience is confused.

There are some people who are neither scholars, nor philosophers, nor penetrating thinkers, but merely wander about interpreting scriptures as a means of livelihood. They utterly fail to present the proper matter in the correct perspective before the audience. Such people may be successful in earning a living in the name of shástra vyákhyána, but they do more harm than good to the society. There are still others who interpret the scriptures just to exhibit their intellect – to procure for themselves a certificate of erudition. They too remain far from the living spirit of the scriptures, from the One who is their fountainhead of inspiration. So how can one attain liberation through scriptural interpretation? Rather, some interpreters become inflated with vanity and stray from the supreme goal of life. They become more degenerated than common people; and thus it has been said by Shiva, Na muktih shástra vyákhyáne [“Scriptural interpretation does not lead to liberation”].

Vidhi means the code of discipline, anushásana. What is anushásana? Hitárthe shásanam iti anushásanam – “The rule of regularity against irregularity, of discipline against indiscipline, of integrity against characterlessness, or moral rectitude against moral degeneration – the injunction of all progressive and synthetic movements against any degrading and analytic momentum – is termed anushásana.”

This anushásana varies from person to person. For some, a small offense may result in a severe penalty; for others a serious crime may meet with light punishment. Neither of these is desirable. Thus when those of wisdom, intelligence, and balanced intellect formulate a code of discipline based on justice, this is called vidhi [decree].

Regarding reactions of actions, vanity of authority, and the lofty arrogance of doership, even learned scholars and wise people together cannot frame laws – only Parama Puruśa can. This is the Cosmic law. That is, reactions of actions and other matters which are under providential decree are not controlled directly by Parama Puruśa but through His Cosmic laws. Nor does He interfere in these matters. Vidhilipih akhańd́aniiyá vidhátápi khańd́ane asamarathah [“The Cosmic decrees are inexorable, even Parama Puruśa cannot violate them”]. As Parama Puruśa has made these inexorable vidhis, one of His names is “Vidhátá”.

When in difficulty, people beat their heads and moan with tears in their eyes, “Oh, Parama Puruśa, why have You done this to me?” But in fact it is an injustice to complain thus to Parama Puruśa when one is tormented by afflictions, because in all the supra-mundane matters of the universe, Parama Puruśa does everything by means of His Cosmic laws; He does not do anything by Himself. It is because of His decree that fire burns. Fire burns the fingers of an innocent child as well as of an adult: Parama Puruśa does not burn anyone’s fingers. If He wants to do anything directly, violating His own laws, the entire system of the Cosmos will collapse. So although He can do so, He will not.

If Parama Puruśa wants to forgive someone, to remove one’s afflictions, He does so indirectly by inspiring him or her to perform some good deeds. But one should remember in this case that everyone is bound to reap the good consequences of good deeds and the bad consequences of bad deeds. The reactions of actions are never reaped in exact proportion to the original actions. One can develop the capacity to bear sufferings at the time of hardship by the grace of Parama Puruśa: it is indeed a great blessing from Him.

At a time of great difficulty, when agony swells people’s hearts and they are unable to restrain themselves, the sufferers should say only one thing to Parama Puruśa: “O my Parama Puruśa, the life of my life, the pupil of my eyes – give me the strength to endure.”

Now, what is pújá or pújana? When a person, with or without any selfish motive, offers his or her deep reverence to an entity with undivided concentration, with or without external paraphernalia such as flowers, bel leaves, sandalwood paste, Ganges water, basil, bananas, rice, etc., that is called pújá or pújana. And the type of worship which is performed with selfish motive and external paraphernalia is called arcá or arcaná. The type of worship which is performed with or without selfish motive, but certainly without any specific external paraphernalia, is called prárthaná. And the special type of pújá which is performed without any selfish motive or external paraphernalia is called Brahmasadbháva [ideation of Brahma]. Now, these systems of worship are further divided into certain stages of priestly ritual, for instance: auṋganyása [bodily gestures], karanyása [hand positions], ácamana [sipping holy water], shikhábandhana [tying ritual hair-knots], áváhana [invoking the deity], mályadána [garlanding the deity], tilakadhárańa [smearing the forehead with vermilion or sandalwood paste] and visarjana [immersion of the deity in water]. This systematic mode of worship is called vidhipújana [systematic worship].

It does not require much mental effort to understand that while performing this latter vidhipújana, the worshipper’s mind does not at all flow towards his or her iśt́a, nor does it even flow towards the idol of that iśt́a; the mind rather flows towards the physical gestures which must be performed, etc. And if the priest has to conduct worship in ten places in the morning without taking any food or drink,⁽³⁾ then we may not comment on those pújás performed during the first part of the day; but regarding those pújás performed in the latter part of the day, certainly there is a tug-of-war between the demands of the digestive juices and the demands of the rituals! And the worshipper’s mind will certainly flow towards this internal tug-of-war. So the pújás performed during the last part of the day are not at all vidhipújana in the strict sense of the term – they are not even so-called ordinary pújás. And this is the natural psychology of human beings performing vidhipújana without food or drink. Moreover, if the priest glances over to verify if all the necessary paraphernalia have been assembled according to the regulations, the priest’s mind will flow towards material objects – certainly not towards his iśt́a. Thus it has been rightly said, Na muktih vidhipújane [“Ritualistic worship does not lead to liberation”].

The literal meaning of Brahma is “One who is great”, and its metaphorical meaning is Brhattvád Brahma, Brḿhanattvád Brahma: “One who is great and has the capacity to make others great also”. Now, there may be a person who tries to destroy others by squashing them like ants or trampling them underfoot. Such a person may be “great” according to the word’s literal meaning, but certainly not in the noble spirit of the term. One who opens new paths for the development of others, one who elevates them from degradation, is great. This is the underlying spirit of the word Brahma: He does not wish the destruction of anyone; He wants to establish all in the exalted state of expansion. He wants all to shine in the brilliance of their existence. Thus to all the entities of the universe, He is Púrńa Brahma [Full Brahma] – only He is Brahma. He is the unparalleled Brahma, the incomparable.

Púrńamadah púrńamidaḿ púrńád púrńamudacyate;
Púrńasya púrńamádáya púrńamevávashisyate.

[This is whole, that is whole. From the whole, the whole has
emerged.
If the whole is removed from the whole, he whole remains.]

He is whole, púrńa. The term púrńa has two meanings. One meaning is “flawless” or “unblemished”, the second is “immeasurable”. Brahma is púrńa in both meanings. This Entity is established in His “whole”-ness – here, there, everywhere, in all directions, in all the lokas [realms of existence] and beyond. If for the sake of argument we remove from this Whole Entity not only one or two finite entities but the Infinite Entity – still what remains is whole. All the entities of the universe have emerged out of that Whole; they are all being maintained in that Whole; and they will all finally dissolve in that Whole. He is not only that Entity de grande, He is also the aggrandizing entity; He also wants to make others great by loving them and bringing them nearer and nearer to Him. If at all living beings have any goal in life, it is He; He is the culminating point of all creatures. He is also the target of all life’s urges, of all the inner vibrations of the mind, of all the struggles of the heart. Tini pramatha náth, tini manmathanáth [“He churns the innermost core of our hearts, He churns the innermost core of our minds”]. He is the dearest and most benevolent entity for all living beings confined in bondage on the lower levels of existence; and for those whose minds have evolved to subtler realms through proper psychic churning, He is dearer than life.

When intelligent people channel all their thoughts, all their goading propensities, and all the detachment of their minds towards that benevolent Entity, this auspicious movement is called niśt́há. Those of balanced wisdom, discerning intellect, and profound insight who direct all the noble impulses of their minds, and all the sincerity of their hearts towards this Brahma, will start their Brahma sádhaná at the first stage of niśt́há, and in the last stage finally establish themselves in Brahmasadbháva [God-realization]. Even in the early stages of Brahma sádhaná, one does not require any external paraphernalia.

Jagat ye máyer chele tár ki áche par bhávaná?
Tumi trpta karte cáo máyere hatyá kare chágalcháná?
Prasád bale bhakti mantre shudhui re tár upásaná
Tumi lokdekháno karbe pújá má to káro ghus khábe ná.
Man tomár e bhram gelo ná
Kalii keman tá ceye dekhle ná.

[This entire creation is the child of the Divine Mother – all
are equal for Her;
Can you please this Mother by sacrificing goats?
Prasád says you can worship Her only with devotion;
How can you worship Her with external pomp and show? Mother will
not accept such a bribe from anyone.
O mind, you could not remove this error–
You never really understood Kálii at all.]

One can easily understand that here the Divine Mother, Kálii, refers to Parama Puruśa, to Parama Brahma.

A spiritual aspirant who is blessed with this type of niśt́há for Brahma sádhaná will certainly attain this most exalted state of God-realization, Brahmasadbháva. There is not the least doubt in this instruction of Shiva. Thus it has been said, Kevalaḿ Brahmaniśt́ho yah sah mukto nátra saḿshayah. [“One can attain salvation only by surrendering oneself to Brahma – there is no doubt about it”].

Footnotes

(1) Literally, “scripture”; more broadly, a guiding entity, whether a person or a book. –Trans.

(2) The four vargas are the four basic drives of human beings: physical, psycho-physical, psycho-spiritual and spiritual. In addition to shástra itself, there is the necessity of shástra vyákhyána; the various factors of which the author now proceeds to enumerate. –Trans.

(3) Pújás are traditionally performed without eating anything on the day of the ceremony. –Trans.