Ethics of The Shikshapatri (An Old and Rare Book)

Man not only wants to live, but live well. This living-well is possible, to an extent only, by knowing and mastering the outer world, but to a great extent by being true to oneself and to others. Hence it is that Ethics has a central place in human life. It is the foundation of all religions and politics. Not what one believes in, but how one behaves is of all importance. A consistency in belief and behaviour, in concepts and conduct, ensures a purer, and therefore, a truly happier life. Moral purity is the sine qua non of all peace, progress and prosperity. This, in nutshell, is for what Swaminarayana stood and worked.

Here is an humble attempt to present the ethics as reflected in his Shikshapatri.

I am thankful to the authorities of the M. S. University of Baroda for publishing this book.

My thanks are due to Shri Babubhai Jashbhai Patel, former Vice-Chancellor, Sardar Patel University, and an enlightened follower of the Swaminarayana Sampradaya, for writing a foreword.

Towards the end of the 18th Century and in the beginning of the 19th Century a powerful Saint from Uttar Pradesh had a marvelous effect by his life and teachings in Gujarat. Those were the days of darkness and to a certain extent lawlessness and malpractices prevailed in several quarters in the name of religion. These were the days of the decline of the Peshwa rule and the rise of the British power in this area. Lawlessness, resulting in dacoities, debauchery and animal sacrifice in the name of religion as also the custom of Sati were noticeable in Gujarat.

Swami Sahajananda, popularly known as Shri Swaminarayan Maharaja established his religion during those days. He drew his inspirations from the main Hindu Shastras-the Bhagwat, the Gita, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Upanishadas and the Puranas. He tried to retrieve Hinduism of some of the malpractices that were inconsistent with the Hindu way of life and yet had grown considerably through usage and custom. He laid very great stress on the code of conduct for his followers. He preached devotion to God, daily worship, faith in the preceptor and pursuit of knowledge unfolded through the Shastras. But at the same time, he laid very great stress on the mode of life for his followers. The daily prayers in his temples included recitation of the virtues and qualities that his followers should develop. The prayer, while praising Lord Krishna, simultaneously stressed on the ethical part of life to be lived by the devotees.

Man isolated from the society has no moral existence, Man "lives, moves and has his being" in the society. It is in this sense that man is regarded as a social animal.

Ethics is the science of morality concerned with the systematised principles on which a man should act. The goal of Ethics is the establishment of harmonious relations between man and men; between man and nation and between man and man his inner and outer self. Starting with the establishment of this internal harmony, Ethics gradually proceeds on to establish harmonious relations between an individual and the family; between families constituting a community; between communities making up a nation; between nations leading to humanity; between human beings and other inhabitants of the earth and finally between the inhabitants of this earth and those of the other worlds.

By the establishment of harmony, to whatever extent and at whatever stage, it is possible, there is achieved to that extent and at that stage, happiness-understood in the sense of the summum bonum. This, it is the recognised goal of all systems of Indian thought.

1. The Shikshapatri:

The Shikshapatri of Swami Sahajananda, to me, is a document of ethical precepts. Any religion, and for that matter, any philosophy, has its footing in morality. No one, who is not moral, can be either religious or philosophical. Hence it is that great thinkers of the world, both Indian and Western, have emphasised the need of Ethics. An individual, perfected unto himself, can be a sound unit of the social structure. Society could not be perfected unless the individuals who constitute it are perfected. No reconstructed society could ever be built up on unreconstructed individuals.

**Contents and Sample Pages**