Extreme dharma - Universal compassion - Rantideva

 

            Our itihasapuranas are filled with excellent role models who went to great extremes to uphold high ideals. We are already aware of the importance of Speaking Truth at all costs – Harischandra. Usually the brilliance of these characters or the emphasis on their life is so great that we end up with a singular idea like Harischandra stood for speaking Truth at any cost. We will now study the story of Rantideva who took compassion to the extremes.

Note: Rantideva is a popular name. There is an equally popular king from Drona Parva, renowned for his dana, but our focus is from Srimad Bhagavatam.

 

Storytime:

            Srimad Bhagavatam provides us a wonderful incident from which we will benefit about the peaks of compassion scaled by Rantideva in Skanda IX, Chapter 21. Bharata, the son of popular King Dushyanta, in the illustrious lineage of Puru and Shakuntala, was very just. He rejected his sons born to his three queens (princesses of Vidarbha) as they were not upto his standards. To avoid his line from getting extinct, he performed Marutstoma yajna and was blessed with a son, Bharadwaja, who was also referred as Vitatha. His son Manyu had five sons – Brihadkshatra, Jaya, Mahavirya, Nara and Garga. Nara had a son Sankriti who had two sons – Guru and Rantideva.

            One must note that Puru’s lineage was filled with Rajarishis and Brahmarishis. Not all ended as Kings. Rantideva lead a life of tapas, seeking nothing and being content with what he had. Even when he or his family was hungry, he put the needs of who sought whatever food he could offer. He never had money or even food saved for the next meal. His heart was contented. Despite the untold sufferings, he never let the situation affect his mind. Owing to his influence, his family members too cultivated similar high virtues. Once, the entire family went on a forty eight day period without food and water. Though it was not preplanned fasting, their attitude was centered on Paramatma and HIS grace. He managed to obtain some payasa cooked with ghee, some grains and water.

            The starved and miserable family were about to eat, when a Brahmana came there seeking food. Realizing Hari in every living being (हरिं सर्वत्र संपश्यन् hariṁ sarvatra saṁpaśyan SB-IX-21-6) and life as an expression of Paramatma, Rantideva gladly shared his meal, after showing great cordiality. Having satisfied the Brahmana left thankfully.

            Eager to share the remaining food, the family gathered even as a hungry sudra arrived there as a guest. Rantideva saw Hari even in the Sudra (वृषलाय हरिं स्मरन् vṛṣalāya hariṁ smaran  SB-IX-21-7) and treated him with dignity and offered him a share of his food. Once the Sudra left, another guest arrived with a pack of dogs. He requested food for himself and his dogs. Rantideva shared the remainder of the food and prostrated before them seeing them as a form of Hari.

            There was only water left for a single person. When Rantideva was about to drink, a chandala appeared seeking some water to drink and that he was an outcaste and low born. The chandala was looking fatigued and pitiable. Rantideva addressed him very kindly with words like nectar.

न कामयेऽहं गतिमीश्वरात् परामष्टर्द्धियुक्तामपुनर्भवं वा । आर्तिं प्रपद्येऽखिलदेहभाजामन्त:स्थितो येन भवन्त्यदु:खा: ॥

na kāmaye ’haṁ gatim īśvarāt parām aṣṭarddhi-yuktām apunar-bhavaṁ vā । ārtiṁ prapadye ’khila-deha-bhājām antaḥ-sthito yena bhavanty aduḥkhāḥ ॥ (SB IX-21-12)

I do not pray to the highest Ishwara to obtain ashta siddhis (eight mystical powers) or even Moksha from samsara. I only desire to live amongst all living beings and suffer all their sufferings they accrue. By taking over their misery, they can all be freed of theirs.

क्षुत्तृट्‍श्रमो गात्रपरिभ्रमश्च दैन्यं क्लम: शोकविषादमोहा: । सर्वे निवृत्ता: कृपणस्य जन्तो- र्जिजीविषोर्जीवजलार्पणान्मे ॥

kṣut-tṛṭ-śramo gātra-paribhramaś ca dainyaṁ klamaḥ śoka-viṣāda-mohāḥ । sarve nivṛttāḥ kṛpaṇasya jantor ijīviṣor jīva-jalārpaṇān me ॥ (SB IX-21-13)

By having the opportunity to provide this little water to a thirsty, pitiable person, I have been freed from all the sufferings – hunger, thirst, fatigue, physical ailment, misery, sorrow and delusion.

            Rantideva gladly shared whatever water was left to the athithi, though he was dying of thirst. At this point, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara revealed themselves shedding their false forms as the Brahmana, Shudra, the hunter and the chandala. He prostrated and respected them and finally rested his mind on Vasudeva. His mind was unattached and risen above desires. Despite his pathetic worldly state, he prayed for no boons. He rose above the sattva-rajas-tamas gunas. His mind rose above the worldly Maya, as if waking from a dream, as it was fixed on Vasudeva, by discarding every desire. Due to the association with Rantideva, all around him also became yogis and highly devoted to Sriman Narayana.

 

Practical applications:

Annadana:  Giving food to the hungry is perhaps at the core of Sanatana Dharma tradition. As annam gives the life force, Taittiriya Upanishad glorifies it in detail. The Rishis were able to connect the food and the Consciousness it cloaks and given in depth emphasis to the extent of calling eating as Yagna in Chandogya Upanishad. It is no wonder that Sanatana Dharma exalts anna dana (giving away food) and athithi-satkara (worshipping the unexpected guests), who give us the opportunity to share food, a lot. We get numerous references in the Mahabharata stressing the importance of annam, its danam and celebrating the one who gives the opportunity to share it with them.

            Rantideva is obviously operating at stratospheric heights of this dharma. Yet we can contribute at our level by:

• Avoiding food wastage at all levels

• Respecting farms, farmers and helping balance the sensitive ecosystem, avoid and prevent myopic exploitation.

• Share whatever we can to the underprivileged

• Avoid processed foods that kill not our lives but also the livelihoods of many by altering our consumer patterns besides the way we think and live.

• Understand that we are what we eat, at least our physical body level and also correlate the impact on our mind and brain. Intake, share and promote only Saatvic foods.

Universal compassion: Rantideva did not differentiate between the different recipients of his food. Unlike the western idea of compassion as sympathy or empathy, the root cause of karuna has deep connections with one’s spiritual progress. It opens the doors for cleansing the mind and also connects with our own atma besides seeing how it is connected with others. Feeling this Universal Connect makes one realize the Paramatma shining in all is the same. Interestingly we cease to see others as the body, so the compassion that bubbles within flows towards all beings equally, just as sun radiates its light in all directions.

            Selective compassion for family or the ones we like is based on our likes and dislikes, raga-dvesha. When we cleanse them, the bias gets replaced with Universal compassion. His declaration to the last athithi before he shared the water informs us of his mind. He is ready to suffer on behalf of every living being so they can enjoy. 

Satsangha: Rantideva with his focus on his tapasya and behavior had a very deep influence on all those around him. They never questioned him, though they shared his hunger and thirst. They underwent similar austerities even as their practice got deep rooted by the attitude and example of Rantideva. This positive influence peaked when Rantideva got Moksha from the samsaric maya. All the fortunate ones saw the highest benefit from the biggest example in him and got transformed into Yogis themselves.

            As we struggle to raise our bar, by constantly associating with Satsangha, whether it is a live person or studying itihasapuranas, Upanishads, Gita we slowly start benefiting in proportion to our association. As this starts bringing a transformation in us, we slowly become the conduits of a wondrous spiritual change in all around us.

Rise above desires: Rantideva despite fasting for forty eight days had a mind devoid of any wants, even for his survival. He was ready to share whatever meager food he had to anyone who sought. When the Trimurthis appeared, his mind was absorbed in celebrating the darshana rather than whip out a list of wants. Due to the strong extreme practice, his mind was accustomed to seeing Paramatma in every form. The test from the Trimurthis merely showcased his spiritual ascendance to the world. Desires are mere projections of the ahamkara or I-ness. Having risen above the I-ness and operating the universality, the shackles of maya fall right away.

Seeing Paramatma in all: To have this universal connection is impossible without cleansing the mind or first realizing one’s own true nature. The mind needs continuous training which Rantideva provided by pushing the dharma to the extremes. Having realized his real nature as Atma and having risen above Body-Mind-Intellect, Rantideva was oozing with compassion. This made him perceive the true nature of every living being as Hari.

            Seeing Hari in every being made him rise above his own personal needs and wants. This rapid spiritual progress was rooted in his strong adherence and practice of Dharma. Rantideva provides us with the best example of how Dharma practice culminates in Moksha and that it is a different dimension of the same concept. Challenges in the practice of Dharma strengthen Dharma itself, leading to quicker and bigger results. The attitude behind is more critical than the mechanical observance of Dharma as it results in the transformation and evolution of the mind.

            May we strive to emulate Rantideva by placing others’ basic needs ahead of ours. May we cleanse our mind through various practices to minimize our I-ness and ahamkara thus paving way to realize our real nature, Atman. Realizing our nature will lead us to the understanding that every being is operating as Atma and not the body-mind-intellect. Understanding this commonness will pave way to realizing the Paramatma that is behind all these individual reflections called Jivatma. May this Paramatma guide us to deepen in our spiritual practices.

 

ॐ तत् सत