What is Śāstra (शास्त्र)

The word Śāstra (शास्त्र) is derived from the Saṃskṛta (संस्कृत) root Śās (शास्), meaning to rule, to command, to dictate, or to control. Accordingly, one meaning of Śāstra (शास्त्र) is शासनात् शास्त्रं, śāsanāt śāstraṃ, that which rules over you. You are essentially ruled or controlled by your Ahaṃkāra (अहंकार), your individuality, by your values, goals, ideals, notions, or prejudices. Your likes and dislikes control you. They dictate your life. In other words, the Gati (गति) of the Jīvātmā (जीवात्मा), the movement of the individual, all that is ruled by them. That is Śāsanaṃ (शासनं). In a nutshell, you are bound, ruled over, or driven by your own Ahaṃkāra (अहंकार), that Kartābhoktā (कर्ताभोक्ता) Jīvātmā (जीवात्मा). How are you bound? Being a doer, when you engage in Karma (कर्म), you give rise to Karmaphala (कर्मफल). To exhaust those Karmaphalāni (कर्मफलानि), you have to take innumerable births. That is the order. The master seems to be your own Ahaṃkāra (अहंकार). To release yourself from that Śāsanaṃ (शासनं), from the rule of Ahaṃkāra (अहंकार), you have to submit yourself to the rule of Śāstra (शास्त्र). What kind of ruling must one submit to? One must submit to live a life of Śāstra (शास्त्र). Living a life of Śāstra (शास्त्र) means to do Vihitakarma (विहितकर्म) and refrain from doing  Niṣiddhakarma (निषिद्धकर्म). Vihitakarma (विहितकर्म) means prescribed or ordained duties. One must do whatever  Śāstra (शास्त्र) asks one to do. Niṣiddhakarma (निषिद्धकर्म) means forbidden acts. One must not do whatever is prohibited by Śāstra (शास्त्र). This submission, allowing oneself to be ruled by the demands of Śāstra (शास्त्र), living as per ordained injunctions and prohibitions, leads one to complete freedom, शासनात् त्रायते इति शास्त्रं, śāsanāt trāyate iti śāstraṃ, that which releases one from Śāsanaṃ (शासनं), from ruling or from bondage is Śāstra (शास्त्र). How does  Śāstra (शास्त्र) free one from bondage? It does so by providing knowledge,  शिष्यते शिक्षते अनेन इति शास्त्रं,  śiṣyate śikṣate anena iti śāstraṃ, that which teaches, that which provides knowledge is Śāstra (शास्त्र).

We are all ruled or dictated by our likes and dislikes, our values. Our value for Karma (कर्म) and Karmaphala (कर्मफल), our desire to enjoy, our desire to fulfill certain Bhogāḥ (भोगाः), and certain Kartavyakarmāṇi  (कर्तव्यकर्माणि), certain do’s, push us to do certain things. That is bondage. To release ourselves from the bondage of Ahaṃkāra (अहंकार), the rule of Ahaṃkāra (अहंकार), we need to submit to the rule of Śāstra (शास्त्र), and that rule is such that it will lead us like an assembly line, where the product is led from the beginning to the end. It leads you to a point where you want to be free from the rule of Śāstra (शास्त्र). How to be free? That methodology, that means of freedom from the rule of Śāstra (शास्त्र), is also given by Śāstra (शास्त्र) itself.

Śāstra (शास्त्र) rule is twofold. One, it rules over you to release you from the rule of Ahaṃkāra (अहंकार), and at the same time, it helps you to discover the means or lead you to the means to release yourself from the rule of Śāstra (शास्त्र). It provides the means,  शिष्यते इति शास्त्रं, śiṣyate iti śāstraṃ. The same Śāstra (शास्त्र) gives Upaniṣad (उपनिषद्) by which you are released from any ruling. There is a Vākya (वाक्य), निस्त्रैगुण्ये पथि विचरतां को विधिः को निषेधः, nistraiguṇye pathi vicaratāṃ ko vidhiḥ ko niṣedhaḥ,[1] there is no injunction, Vidhi (विधि), or any prohibition, Niṣedha (निषेध) for the one tredding on the path that is free from the three Guṇāḥ (गुणाः), the constituents of Prakṛti (प्रकृति). There is nothing that you are told to do, and there is nothing that you’re told not to do.  Bhagavāna Śrī Kṛṣṇa (भगवान श्री कृष्ण) says the same thing in the third chapter of Gītājī (गीताजी), “ न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन, नानवाप्तमवाप्तव्यं वर्त एव च कर्मणि,  na me pārthāsti kartavyaṃ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana, nānavāptamavāptavyaṃ varta eva ca karmaṇia.[2] Hey Arjuna! Even though there is no duty for me in all three worlds and no unacquired thing to acquire, I am engaged solely in action. निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन, निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान्, nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna, nirdvandvo nityasattvastho niryogakṣema ātmavān. [3] Hey Arjuna! You be free from the three constituents, free from dualities, without desire for gain and preservation, always remain in virtuosity, and focused on the self. Accordingly, the teaching of Śāstra (शास्त्र) gives you the means for freedom.

It is exactly like how children were brought up in a typical Indian family a few decades ago. Today, though, it is different with the influence of Western culture. In those days, children were often asked by their parents to do or avoid certain things. They had to live under their parents’ rule. No independence, “Do it this way. Don’t do it that way.” The child had to ask their parents what to do. The parents’ rule was imposed. Later on, the parents never ruled, but submitted to the rule of the child when they became old. In the same way, Śāstra (शास्त्र) ordains us to follow certain injunctions and not to do certain things. As of now, our lives are governed by our likes and dislikes. Śāstrika (शास्त्रिक) injunctions release one from the hold of likes and dislikes. In other words, they may look a little hard, but the Śāstra (शास्त्र) makes a person a human being. It is a very loaded statement. Each one of us is born human. But what is to be human in our conduct? Who is a human being, and what is so special about humans? It is certainly not the physical appearance or the physical differences we have with other physical sentient beings. One thing that sets us apart is our freedom of choice. We are not governed or programmed by nature. In the modern jargon of programming, a dog has a dog’s program software, or a cat has a cat’s program software. A cat never wants to be a dog, and a dog never wants to be a cat. Each one of them has its own software. A cat eats certain things and behaves in a certain way, and it never wants to be a fish. Even though the master has a swimming pool, they never feel like going for a swim every day. It doesn’t want. We humans have freedom. However, one characteristic of freedom is that it is also available for misuse and abuse. There is a possibility, and there is a potential for misuse and abuse. What is the proper use of freedom? When  can we say “I’m free?” As very aptly said by Pūjya Svāmī Paramātmānanda Sarasvatījī (पूज्य स्वामी परमात्मानन्द सरस्वतीजी)[4], “I am free when I have the capacity not to do the things when I feel like doing. When I like doing something and I know, either through common sense or Śāstrika Darśana (शास्त्रिक दर्शन), that it is wrong or improper, I can hold myself. I am free when I have the capacity to push myself to do the things I need to do, even if I don’t feel like it. That’s what I call freedom. To do things I don’t feel like doing, and not to do things I feel like doing if they’re against Śāstra (शास्त्र) rules. When you become what is in the Śāstra Draṣṭi (शास्त्र द्रष्टि), you gain freedom; you become a relatively free person. That is a human being. That person who can live a life of Dharma (धर्म) is a human. आहार निद्रा भय मैथुनं च सामान्यमेतत् पशुभिर्नराणाम्, धर्मो हि तेषां अधिकोविशेषो धर्मेण हीनाः पशुभिः समानाः, āhāra nidrā bhaya maithunaṃ ca sāmānyametat paśubhirnarāṇām, dharmo hi teṣāṃ adhikoviśeṣo dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ.[5] Hunger, sleep, fear, and sexual desire are the instincts that are common to humanity and animals. It is especially Dharma (धर्म) that humanity possesses additionally, and a person bereft of Dharma (धर्म) is like a beast. There is no difference between animals and such human beings when they don’t live a life of Dharma (धर्म). That is called spontaneous living.

To begin with, we are instinctual; then we become deliberate, “I deliberately do certain things and I don’t do certain things.” Through that deliberate practice, one becomes a spontaneous person, so that one cannot just do anything other than what is righteous, what is Dharma (धर्म). A classic example is Mahatma Gandhi, who confessed that in his childhood, he spoke untruths, committed some cheating, did Hiṃsā (हिंसा), and even ate non-vegetarian food. Then, when he decided, “From now on I have to live a life of Dharma (धर्म), I have not to do any Hiṃsā (हिंसा), I need to speak truth,  I should not cheat or steal,” he became a deliberate person. He tried to push himself deliberately to live a life of Dharma (धर्म), and later on, he became a spontaneous person, so that he could not speak untruth. It is said,  “रामो विग्रहवान् धर्मः, rāmo vigrahavān dharmaḥ.” Rāma (राम) was spontaneously committed to Dharma (धर्म). When you are a spontaneously Dhārmika (धार्मिक) person, or in terms of modern lingo, when you are a spontaneously ethical person committed to values,  committed to duties, that person becomes a human being. That human being with that Śāsanaṃ (शासनं) discovers the knowledge to be free from the bondage of Saṃsāra (संसार), to be free to do and not do. Duryodhana (दुर्योधन) had a mentality, “जानामि धर्मं न च मे प्रवृत्तिर्जानाम्यधर्मं न च मे निवृत्तिः, jānāmi dharmaṃ na ca me pravṛttirjānāmyadharmaṃ na ca me nivṛttiḥ.  I know what Dharma (धर्म) is, but I cannot abide by it. I know what Adharma (अधर्म) is, but I cannot escape it. I know what I should be doing, but I’m unable to do it. I know what I should not be doing, but I can’t stop doing it.” That is a total lack of growth. Internal growth comes when you live a life of Dharma (धर्म), duty, giving, and contributory life, not going by your fancies, not going by what is improper, and going by what is proper. When you don’t become a Duryodhana (दुर्योधन), you become an example of an instinctual person.  Yudhiṣṭhira (युधिष्ठिर) is an example of a spontaneous person. He could not speak untruth, even though he tried deliberately to speak untruth on the battlefield of the Mahābhārata (महाभारत) when Droṇācārya (द्रोणाचार्य) asked, “अश्वत्थामा हतः, aśvatthāmā hataḥ? Is Aśvatthāmā  (अश्वत्थामा) killed?” Yudhiṣṭhira (युधिष्ठिर) responds, “अश्वत्थामा हतः, aśvatthāmā hataḥ.” Yes, Aśvatthāmā  (अश्वत्थामा)is dead. But then he could not stand himself telling untruth, so he added, “नरो वा कुञ्जरो वा, naro vā kuñjaro vā, I don’t know a man or an elephant.”  But at that time Bhīma (भीम) made so much noise that Droṇācārya (द्रोणाचार्य) did not hear नरो वा कुञ्जरो वा, naro vā kuñjaro vā. Everybody knew that in spite of pushing Yudhiṣṭhira (युधिष्ठिर) to tell untruth, he would not be able to do so. Even if he was convinced by whatever means, he couldn’t speak untruth. That is a spontaneous person. And, in between, there is a person with conflicts – this or that – धर्मसम्मूढचेताः, dharmasammūḍhacetāḥ, like Arjuna (अर्जुन), an instinctual person.

All of us are born instinctual.  We have to be deliberate and later on, spontaneous. Spontaneous living means submitting oneself to the rule of Śāstra (शास्त्र). When you submit to that rule, after some time, you discover an urge to be free from the rule of Śāstra (शास्त्र). You feel like releasing yourself from the rule of Śāstra (शास्त्र). That is called Mokṣecchā (मोक्षेच्छा). For a person with Mokṣecchā (मोक्षेच्छा), the Śāstra (शास्त्र) itself gives the means to attain total or absolute freedom. That means is called Upaniṣad (उपनिषद्) or  Vedānta (वेदान्त).  That is Śāstra (शास्त्र). That which teaches, that which enlightens, that which gives knowledge, शिष्यते शिक्षते अनेन इति शास्त्रं,  śiṣyate śikṣate anena iti śāstraṃ. One of the traditional meanings of this is परमात्म वचनं शास्त्र, paramātma vacanaṃ śāstra – ईश्वर वाक्य, īśvara vākya. The Vedāḥ (वेदाः) are nothing but ईश्वर निःश्वास, īśvara niḥśvāsa, revealed through the Ṛṣayaḥ (ऋषयः), who never claimed that this is what we are writing or telling.  They all have said that it is from Īśvara (ईश्वर). Therefore, it is said ऋषयो मन्त्रदृष्टारः न तु मन्त्रकर्तारः, ṛṣayo mantradṛṣṭāraḥ na tu mantrakartāraḥ. Ṛṣayaḥ (ऋषयः) are not the creators, but the seers of the Mantrāḥ (मन्त्राः). Those Mantrāḥ (मन्त्राः) got revealed to them because they lived a life full of purity. They lived a life of penance, a life of devotion, a life lived in the awareness of Īśvara (ईश्वर). Most religions claim their holy book to be a revelation from their subjective God.  However, there is a major difference between their revelation and what is revealed to the Ṛṣayaḥ (ऋषयः). Their revelations are all non-verifiable beliefs and certain dos and don’ts.  What is revealed in the Veda (वेद) is knowledge.  When it is knowledge, it is verifiable. It is not something that you have to just believe in.

Pūjya Svāmī Paramātmānanda Sarasvatījī (पूज्य स्वामी परमात्मानन्द सरस्वतीजी) often says, “Over the last two decades, I have attended many international religious conferences, wherein, without exception, the host always introduces the speakers as leaders of various faiths. It pains me to hear when someone introduces me as a leader of the Hindu faith. Hindūdharma (हिन्दूधर्म) is a teaching tradition.  I am not a leader of a faith-based religion. I represent the religion of wisdom, of knowledge.  We have a teaching tradition, and therefore, Veda (वेद) was called Vedajñāna (वेदज्ञान), the book of knowledge.  That which gives knowledge, that which releases one from bondage, and that is Śāstra (शास्त्र). So when the word used is Śāstraṃ (शास्त्रं), it primarily means knowledge to gain total freedom. Discovering the fact that I am ever free, नित्यमुक्तोऽस्मि, nityamukto’smie. Discovering the fact that I am Ānanda (आनन्द), आनन्दोऽहं, ānando’haṃ. Discovering the fact that I am complete, I am Pūrṇa (पूर्ण), पूर्णोऽहं, pūrṇo’haṃ. Discovering the fact that I am limitless, अनन्तोऽस्मि,  ananto’smi. That is  Śāstra (शास्त्र).”

Ṛṣayaḥ (ऋषयः), who had the vision of the Śāstra (शास्त्र), also had the tradition of teaching, and out of sheer Karuṇā (करुणा) or compassion, they thought of teaching and writing to help fellow human beings to discover their true nature, a nature that is fullness. What they wrote was साक्षात्भगवद्वाक्य, sākṣātbhagavadvākya. It is a revelation of Īśvara (ईश्वर). It is not only the revelation of Īśvara (ईश्वर), but it is Īśvara (ईश्वर). Knowledge is Īśvara (ईश्वर), and the Jñeyaṃ (ज्ञेयं), the thing to be known by this knowledge, is Īśvara (ईश्वर) – वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यः, वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् vedaiśca sarvairahameva vedyaḥ vedāntakṛdvedavideva cāham.[6] By all Vedas, I am the one to be known. I am the knower of the Vedas and the cause of the Vedānta (वेदान्त). Śāstra (शास्त्र) is given by Bhagavāna (भगवान) himself. The subject matter is he, and he himself gives this wisdom to the Ṛṣayaḥ (ऋषयः), and then we receive this in tradition.  That knowledge is called Upaniṣad (उपनिषद्). That is Śāstra (शास्त्र).

Pūjya Svāmī Paramātmānanda Sarasvatījī (पूज्य स्वामी परमात्मानन्द सरस्वतीजी) emphatically says, “When Śāstra (शास्त्र) says you have to do, you have to do.” Śāstra (शास्त्र) says, “वेद्धव्यं, veddhavyaṃ. You have to pierce it. You have to know it.” Why? The reason is that the goal revealed by our Śāstra (शास्त्र) is Mokṣa (मोक्ष). None of the other religions, other than the Hindu religion, talks about Mokṣa (मोक्ष). They all talk about salvation or going to heaven. We never say that. Our Śāstra (शास्त्र) talks about going to heaven, but at the same time, it says that you will come back having gone there. You cannot go to heaven just by being faithful. You go to heaven by doing Dharmakarmāṇi (धर्मकर्माणि), which are certain specific Karmāṇi (कर्माणि) for going to heaven. Having gone there, you will come back. Heaven is not the end. Our goal is Mokṣa (मोक्ष). Mokṣa (मोक्ष) is knowledge, and knowledge is Mokṣa (मोक्ष). Knowledge of what? Knowledge of the absolute truth that is “me.” What does that mean? The knowledge that, “अहम् अनन्तः, aham anantaḥ. I am limitless.” The knowledge that the self is limitless, the self is non-dual, is Mokṣa (मोक्ष). That should be known, because “I want it.” Look at the difference: our Śāstra (शास्त्र) doesn’t give you a goal. All other religions give a goal: “Do this, and you will go to heaven. Or, do this, and you will go to Jannat and have some Hoors.” Our Śāstra (शास्त्र) doesn’t say, “The goal is Mokṣa (मोक्ष).” It just clarifies the goal that you want. Śāstra (शास्त्र) is not adding a new end. Śāstra (शास्त्र) says, “This is what you want.” Śāstra (शास्त्र) provides clarity on exactly “What I want.” What one ultimately wants is clarified by Śāstra (शास्त्र).

You may say, “How do you say I want Mokṣa (मोक्ष)? I don’t want Mokṣa (मोक्ष). No, no, no. I want a car. I want a mobile. I want a house. I want a good job.” Someone may say, “I want to get married.” Another one may say, “I want to travel; I haven’t traveled in a long time.” They may say, “That is our Mokṣa (मोक्ष).” That is true, but the goal is to obtain a car, a mobile, a house, a job, marriage, or travel. The question is, why do you want those things?  Why do you want a car? Why do you want a mobile? Why do you want a house? Why do you want a good job? Why do you want to get married? Why do you want to travel? Because “I am unhappy. I am incomplete without them.” Each one of us wants Mukti (मुक्ति), freedom to be released, to be free. Free from what? Each one of us is looking for freedom from Duḥkha (दुःख). Every moment of our life, every pursuit of our life, right from childhood, all the pursuits for toys, cars, mobiles, homes, or other things, whatever one wants, is only from one objective: “Freedom from  Duḥkha (दुःख). I want total happiness. That’s what I want.” That is what every human being is seeking. Śāstra (शास्त्र) also says, “That is what you want.” What we are seeking unknowingly, Śāstra (शास्त्र) helps us to discern the problem. It also gives the solution. That solution is not somewhere hereafter. “It is you. The problem is you, and the solution is you.” You don’t need to look for a solution. You just need to know yourself; the Ātmā (आत्मा) is Pūrṇa (पूर्ण). पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यते पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते, pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇātpurṇamudacyate pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate.^[7] You are complete, and that is the solution. That is what each one of us wants. Therefore, that is the goal revealed by our Śāstra (शास्त्र).  Śāstra (शास्त्र) is not adding a new goal. It provides clarity on what we are seeking. We want that, and Śāstra (शास्त्र) is providing the solution that what you are seeking is you. “तत् त्वम् असि, tat tvam asi.”^[8]That thou art. What you are seeking is you.

Pūjya Svāmī Paramātmānanda Sarasvatījī (पूज्य स्वामी परमात्मानन्द सरस्वतीजी) says, “We Hindus should know what Hinduism is?” The Indian Supreme Court and many politicians say, “Hinduism is a way of life.” It is not a way of life. The way of life is not the end; it is just the means. Hinduism is the vision of the truth. And the truth is you. That is what is revealed. The truth revealed is Brahman (ब्रह्मन्). Truth is Ātmā (आत्मा). That is the truth. To own up to the vision of truth, our Śāstra (शास्त्र) has provided a view of life and a way of life. View of life is Caturvidhapuruṣārtha (चतुर्विधपुरुषार्थ) – Dharma (धर्म), Artha (अर्थ), Kāma (काम), and Mokṣa (मोक्ष). It is how you look at your life. Kāma (काम) and Artha (अर्थ) are natural Puruṣārtha (पुरुषार्थ). But they should be on the foundation of Dharma (धर्म). Dharma (धर्म) itself is not the end. Mokṣa (मोक्ष) is the end. So view of life is the Prāpti (प्राप्ति) of Dharma (धर्म), Artha (अर्थ), Kāma (काम), and Mokṣa (मोक्ष). And the way of life is our Varṇāśrama (वर्णाश्रम), Brahmacarya (ब्रह्मचर्य), Gṛhastha (गृहस्थ), Vānaprastha (वानप्रस्थ), and  Saṃnyāsa (संन्यास). But the goal is discovering, “I am  नित्य मुक्त, nitya mukta,  चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम्,  cidānandarūpaḥ śivo’ham śivo’ham.” That discovery is the goal. That is what Hinduism is.

Since it is a matter of knowledge, every knowledge presupposes certain qualifications. Qualification means to gain the frame of mind, which in the Śāstrika (शास्त्रिक) language means to gain an Antaḥkaraṇa (अन्तःकरण) that is  Śuddha (शुद्ध) and Ekāgra (एकाग्र), a mind which is pure and focused. The mind is the means by which we understand, gain, and possess this knowledge. For that, Śāstra (शास्त्र) requires Karma (कर्म). If you want Mokṣa (मोक्ष), you better do Karma (कर्म). Mokṣa (मोक्ष) is the goal where you have no choice. It is not subjectivity. It is universal. You have a choice in what you want to eat and what not to eat, what dress you want to wear and what dress not to wear, where you want to go and where not to go. You have all the choices. But you have no choice in whether you want to be happy or not. Should you not have a choice to be unhappy? There is no choice. “I don’t want to be unhappy.” It is choiceless. Nobody wants to be unhappy. And “I want to be happy” is also a choiceless thought. It is not subjective. It is universal. To gain this universal urge within you, you require a frame of mind to understand Śāstra (शास्त्र). That frame of mind is gained by performing certain Karmāṇi (कर्माणि). Therefore, Karmāṇi (कर्माणि), as the Veda (वेद) told us, are to be done. You have no choice but to do so if you want Mokṣa (मोक्ष). However, it is not a matter of choice. You have already chosen. Choicelessly, you are seeking Mokṣa (मोक्ष) because choicelessly you are seeking Ānanda (आनन्द), choicelessly you are seeking happiness.