Morality – Basis, Necessity, and Implementation

Abstract:

The paper discusses the precarious state our civilization has landed into and the most important cause of it, i.e., the absence of morality. It takes up the various issues associated with morality, discussing the basis of morality, its need in the society and the right way to inculcate it among people.

Introduction:

    Last two and half centuries of the ever-accelerating pace of scientific and technological development has come to a state which has forced us to rethink about our methods, direction, and wisdom. The very issues of poverty, illiteracy, health, harmony, individual's freedom, and happiness, etc. which we attempted to solve forever with science and technology, have either remained adamant or taken more complex forms. There seems to be no hope for humanity in sight. There are helplessness, desperation, and anger all around.

In this scenario, we shall, once again, look back, lookout and more importantly look within to find where we have gone wrong. Fortunately, Indian scriptures and literature, full of spiritual knowledge and the spirit of universal brotherhood (i.e., वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्, (1)), which we have ignored so far under the impact foreign domination and self-pity, provide us with the solution.

The major reason for the precarious situation we have landed in is that while science and technology have extended the vision and power of man, they have failed to inculcate self-restraint in man. As a result, man has become over exploitative towards Nature as well as fellow beings. This disturbed the harmony that existed between Nature and Man since man was born on earth, as also the harmony between man and man.  This disturbance or disequilibrium has led to a situation where climatic catastrophes are looming large over humanity on one hand and on the other hand, human relations have been diluted and stretched to the extent that a harmony that existed only a few decades before as a joint family is almost over and the idea of a nuclear family is on the verge of becoming a taboo. Helplessly, we are moving towards a society where nobody cares for anyone; a society in which parents have become a liability and children a burden, a society in which friends have become competitors and fellow beings enemy, a society in which each one is surrounded by an abundance of goods and services that serve his vital desires but do not give him the happiness he has been looking forever. 

Before this situation explodes, this trend must reverse. While it is not possible to do away with scientific and technological innovations humanity has achieved so far or restrain its growth, there is a way out. It is to learn to restrain ourselves, to avoid merciless exploitation of Nature and fellow beings and to learn to live harmoniously with Nature and Man. This is why moral education is the need of the day.

The present paper discusses some basic issues related to morality, such as what is morality, what is the basis of morality, need for morality and how to impart moral education to the new generation.

Morality:

         Man is made up of multiple levels of consciousness. They can be broadly classified as physical, vital, emotional, mental and spiritual.  Physical consciousness, represented by the body, provides an identity to a man, housing for the play of consciousness and a means to act and interact with the outside world. While physical consciousness primarily provides the base or the field for action, it is the vital, emotional and mental consciousness that moves the man. The spiritual consciousness, which is still latent at the current stage of evolution, remains in the background, oversees and sanctions all his acts.

 Vital impulses in the form of Fears, Lusts, Needs and Desires, emotional impulses in the form care of the loved ones or mental ideas in the form of value-system or Ideals move the man. Any of these impulses, emotions, or ideas may assume prominence and may force a man to move mountains. So long as the action of man is confined within limits, it is accepted by society. However, the moment the action of man begins to threaten harmony within and with Nature and peace and harmony in the society there is a need for controlling these impulses.

 The set of rules society imposes on itself and its constituents for a harmonious and sustainable living is called Morality. These rules are ingrained in our culture and our religion. Morality tries to limit and control unbridled human action which may prove harmful to Nature or itself.  These rules evolve with time and vary with society and culture.

        “Morality is a part of the ordinary life; it is an attempt to govern the outward conduct by certain mental rules or to form the character by these rules in the image of a certain mental ideal.” (2)

        “Morality is a question of man’s mind and vital, it belongs to a lower plane of consciousness.” (3) 

         Morality does not have the sanction of Spiritualism, yet it is necessary for the pursuit of spiritualism.

Rules, Morals, Tenets, and Laws:

      The need to govern the action of man has been widely perceived. Wherever and whenever there is an association of people in action, certain rules and regulations have to be enforced for the smooth functioning of the system. 

In organizations, it comes in the form of rules and regulations applicable to its employees.  For example, (i) employees are supposed to reach office in time, leave office at the proper time and observe common holidays (ii) there is a hierarchy for the flow of orders (iii) there is a system of rights and responsibilities depending upon the position of the employee in the organization, etc.  

In society, it comes in the form of Morals. For example, its members ate expected (i) to take care of women, children, weak, poor, downtrodden, aged, etc. (ii) to follow the laws of the land, (iii) to shun from cheating, violence, etc. (iv) to maintain harmony in the society (v) to maintain cleanliness and (vi) to protect the environment, etc.

In religion, it comes in the form of Tenets. Religious tenets and rules are the means trying to turn away from the earth towards the Divine. They attempt to govern human impulses which bind him to earth. (2)

In the country, it comes in the forms of Laws along with Judicial and Police system. For example (i) tax laws, (ii) civil laws, (iii) criminal laws, and (iv) rights and duties of its citizens, etc.

Glimpses of Moral Education in Indian Culture:

         India had long before realized the principle of interdependence of Man and Nature, and interdependence of man and man, the purpose of human life and the principle of man’s happiness. Consequently, it had ingrained moral education in its culture and religion. We find hundreds of Shlokas / Sutras from its scriptures to guide our life. Although many of the shlokas also give spiritual truths, which we shall not undermine, we are focusing, here, only on the wisdom and guidance, they give to conduct our social life. Some of the shlokas that are more relevant in today’s world are -

One of the reasons that crimes against women are increasing these days is that we no longer respect women and treat them as an object of pleasure. Our ancestors had realized it long before and said that women should be worshipped for where women are not worshipped, no work turns fruitful.

यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवताः ।

यत्रैतास्तु न पूज्यन्ते सर्वास्तत्राफलाः क्रियाः ||

(अर्थात् - जहां पर स्त्रियों की पूजा होती है, वहां देवता रमते हैं । जहाँ उनकी पूजा नहीं होती, वहाँ सब काम निष्फल होते हैं ।) मनुस्मृति /3-56/ (4)

Apart from crime against women, another major crime is stealing the property of other persons. Scriptures, guide us against this too.

मातृवत परदारेषु पर द्रव्येषु लौष्ठवत् |

आत्मवत् सर्वभुतेषु यः पश्यति सः पण्डितः ||

(अर्थात् - दूसरे की पत्नी को माता के समान,  दूसरे के धन को मिट्टी के ढेले के समान और संसार के सभी प्राणियों को अपने समान जो देखता और मानता है, वही विद्वान है, पण्डित है ।)

One of the reasons for the conflict between man and man and man and nature is that a man has become selfish and self-centred. He no longer cares for fellow beings and treats plants and animals as objects for his enjoyment. Following shlokas ask him to consider this world as one family and pray for the happiness of all men. 

अयं निज: परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम् । 

   उदारचरितानाम् तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ॥ (1)

(अर्थात् – यह मेरा है, वह पराया है, इस प्रकार की गणनाएँ तो छोटे चित्त (मन) वाले लोग करते हैं, उदार चित्त वाले व्यक्तियों के लिए तो सारी पृथ्वी ही परिवार है ।)

सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामया।

सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चित् दुःखभाग् भवेत्।।

(अर्थात् - सभी सुखी होवें, सभी रोगमुक्त रहें, सभी मंगलमय घटनाओं के साक्षी बनें और किसी को भी दुःख का भागी न बनना पड़े।)

There are some attributes that promote harmony within society. They are listed in the following shlokas. Further, in any society, all members can't be equal. Therefore it becomes important that the rich, the wise and the powerful shall take care of the unfortunate ones. It is only by taking care of the underprivileged members of the society, harmony can be established in any society.

येषां न विद्या न तपो न दानं, ज्ञानं न शीलं न गुणो न धर्मः ।

ते मृत्युलोके भुवि भारभूता, मनुष्यरूपेण मृगाश्चरन्ति।।

(अर्थात् - जिसके पास विद्या, तप, ज्ञान, शील, गुण और धर्म नहीं है वह मनुष्य ऐसा जीवन व्यतीत करते हैं जैसे एक मृग।)

परोपकाराय फलन्ति वृक्षाः परोपकाराय वहन्ति नद्यः ।
परोपकाराय दुहन्ति गावः परोपकारार्थ मिदं शरीरम् ॥

(अर्थात् - परोपकार के लिए वृक्ष फल देते हैं, नदीयाँ परोपकार के लिए ही बहती हैं और गाय परोपकार के लिए दूध देती हैं, (अर्थात्) यह शरीर भी परोपकार के लिए ही है ।)

Teachers and Gurus are very important members of any society. They preserve the knowledge and wisdom and pass it on to the next generation. Although much is expected of the Teachers and Gurus of the present time, they shall be duly respected. For by respect, we not only receive knowledge from them easily, but we also elevate their stature. This would make the best people in society to take up the work of Guru and make them prove themselves worthy of respect.

गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः, गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः।

गुरु साक्षात् परब्रह्म, तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नमः।।

(अर्थात् – गुरु ही ब्रह्म हैं, गुरु ही विष्णु हैं, गुरु ही शिव हैं | गुरु साक्षात् परमब्रह्म हैं, मैं ऐसे गुरु को प्रणाम करता हूँ | )

However great a man is, he is a product of family, society, civilization, and nation. The contribution of his parents and his country shall be recognized. It is only when he has respect for his parents and his country, he would return it in kind. This would make family, society, and nation great. The world moves by exchange (यज्ञ) and prospers by exchange (यज्ञ). Following shlokas enunciate importance of mother, father, and motherland.

अपि स्वर्णमयी लङ्का न मे लक्ष्मण रोचते ।

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी ॥

(अर्थात् - लंका पर विजय हासिल करने के बाद मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम राम अपने छोटे भाई लक्ष्मण से कहा, “यह सोने की लंका मुझे किसी तरह से प्रभावित नहीं कर रही है। माँ और जन्मभूमि स्वर्ग से भी बढ़ कर है।")

भूमे गरीयसी माता, स्वर्गात् उच्चतर:पिता ।

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी ॥

(अर्थात् - भूमि से माता श्रेष्ठ है, स्वर्ग से पिता श्रेष्ठ है, जननी और जन्मभूमि स्वर्गसेभी श्रेष्ठ है |)

The basis of Morality and its Necessity:

         The highest idea that forms the basis of Morals can be best stipulated as "Principle of Peaceful Coexistence." It can be explained as harmony between Nature and Man, harmony among Nations and Civilizations and harmony within societies ensuring sustainability and opportunities for the development of every individual.

Morals are not sacrosanct; they change with time and adjust to ever-changing collective wisdom. (5) “Morality is not divine or of the Divine; it is of man and human. Morality takes for its basic element a fixed division into the good and the bad, but this is an arbitrary notion. It takes things that are relative and tries to impose them as absolutes; for this good and this bad differ in differing climates and times, epochs and countries.  The moral notion goes so far as to say that there are good desires and bad desires and calls on you to accept the one and reject the other.” (5)

The dynamic nature of morals shall not be taken as an excuse to do away with morals. “The majority of those who reject human laws and proclaim their liberty and their decision to “live their own life” do so only in obedience to the most ordinary vital movements which they disguise and try to justify, if not to their own eyes, at least to the eyes of others. They give a kick to morality, simply because it is a hindrance to the satisfaction of their instincts.” (5)

Thus morals, form an essential part of our life. For without morals, we would have no controls over the destructive power of individuals, societies or nations and the existence of our civilization will remain ever precarious. (6)  

Moral Education:

          As discussed above, Morality is not sacrosanct. It is neither "Absolute" not "Static." It is dynamic and changes with times, epochs and countries (5). Even the Idea that forms the basis of Morality is not the highest conception of the human mind or his highest experience. Therefore Morality is not undisputable. Yet it serves an important role in the life of man, society, and nation. It is essential for peaceful and sustainable co-existence and progress of human civilization. Therefore the question arises that how shall we inculcate moral values in our society.

The people can be divided into three types, (i) sattvic men, those who follow reason, (ii) rajasic men, those who follow desires, and (iii) tamasic men, those who don’t make efforts, don’t want to change and just move on. The remaining are governed by a mix of two or more of these principles at the same time.

The men of reason can further be divided based on the Ideal they pursue - there are people who seek Knowledge and God, there are people who seek good for humanity, there are people who seek good for the nation or society and then there are people who seek good for themselves. The first three of these, normally, voluntarily follow rules of good conduct, it is the last category which is in conflict with the good of society. These are the people who are rational but have misplaced guiding principle. It is these people who have to be convinced that following morality is in their personal good. Even if we keep aside the goodness of society, morality brings peace and harmony to the people who pursue it. It is by this logic that such people have to be convinced.

 

A vast majority of men are followers. They follow noble and wise. Such men are to be led by example. (7) It is the duty of parents, teachers, leaders in every walk of life such as social, business, political, education, sports, and arts, etc. to lead by example. 

The men who have decided to follow the path of morality but repeatedly fail because of old habits of the vital, have to be taught to be patient. It is by practice that such men can change their character. (8) (9) (10)

There is another category of people, who are dominated by their desires and prejudices and rigidly follow their personal interest at the cost of society, nation or humanity. Such people need to be disciplined through social or legal force, if not necessarily by physical force.

It is, thus, we must proceed to morally educate our society.  

References:

(1)        अयं निज: परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम् ।  उदारचरितानाम् तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ॥
(अर्थात् – यह मेरा है, वह पराया है, इस प्रकार की गणनाएँ तो छोटे चित्त (मन) वाले लोग करते हैं, उदार चित्त वाले व्यक्तियों के लिए तो सारी पृथ्वी ही परिवार है ।)

(2)        “Religion, Morality, Idealism and Yoga”, Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga, Volume 1. Part- 1.

(3)        “Letters on Yoga”,  // SABCL, Volume 22. (≈ 28 vol. of CWSA), Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1971, pp. 502.

(4)        मनुस्मृति /3-56/

(5)        “Collected Works of The Mother”, Vol.12, 2 ed., pp. 166, ISBN 81-7058-670-4

(6)       “The miseries of the world cannot be cured by physical help only; until man's nature changes, these physical needs will always arise, and miseries will always be felt, and no amount of physical help will cure them completely. The only solution of this problem is to make mankind pure. Ignorance is the mother of all the evil and all the misery we see. Let men have light, let them be pure and spiritually strong and educated, then alone will misery cease in the world, not before. We may convert every house in the country into a charity asylum; we may fill the land with hospitals, but the misery of man will still continue to exist until man's character changes.”  The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 1.53.

 (7)       यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जन: | स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते || Gita 3-21, Whatever actions great persons perform, common people follow. Whatever standards they set, all the world pursues. http://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/3/verse/20-21.

 (8)      “It is said, "Habit is second nature", it is first nature also, and the whole nature of man; everything that we are is the result of habit. That gives us consolation, because, if it is only habit, we can make and unmake it at any time. The Samskaras are left by these vibrations passing out of our mind, each one of them leaving its result. Our character is the sum-total of these marks, and according as some particular wave prevails one takes that tone. If good prevails, one becomes good; if wickedness, one becomes wicked; if joyfulness, one becomes happy. The only remedy for bad habits is counter habits; all the bad habits that have left their impressions are to be controlled by good habits. Go on doing good, thinking holy thoughts continuously; that is the only way to suppress base impressions. Never say any man is hopeless, because he only represents a character, a bundle of habits, which can be checked by new and better ones. Character is repeated habits, and repeated habits alone can reform character.” The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 1.207-8.

(9)      अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्याम् तन्निरोध: (Abhyasavairagyabhyan tannirodhah.) “Their control is by practice and non-attachment.”, Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Smadhipada (12).

(10)     असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् | अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते || Gita 6-35, the mind is indeed very difficult to restrain. But by practice and detachment, it can be controlled.

Source:    Rohatgi, N. (MNIT, Jaipur), National Conference on 'Science & Technology for the Moral Development of Youth: Challenges and Opportunities',  Abhyutthanam, September 02 2017, Jaipur.