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== परिचयः ॥ Introduction ==
== परिचयः ॥ Introduction ==
=== In Shakta Sampradaya ===
=== In Shakta Sampradaya ===
In Shakta philosophy, shraddha is one of the names attributed to Devī, as chanted by the Vedas in their hymns, who were at the time incarnated in their personified forms. (''Devī-bhāgavata-purāṇa'' chapter 5.51-68, called “the narrative of Hayagrīva”.) (Wisdom library)
In Shakta philosophy, shraddha is one of the names attributed to Devī, as chanted by the Vedas in their hymns, who were at the time incarnated in their personified forms. (''Devī-bhāgavata-purāṇa'' chapter 5.51-68, called “the narrative of Hayagrīva”.) (Wisdom library)
== Śraddhā: Construct Definition from the Bhagavad-Gītā by Dharm P. S. Bhawuk ==
The analysis of Bhagavad Gita resulted in nine themes, and many behavioural outcomes of śraddhā such as not finding faults in others.
Jñāna or knowledge is seen as mediating between śraddhā and moksa or liberation. This relationship is moderated by tatparah (or eager engagement in the spiritual practice one has chosen) and samyatendriyah (or practicing self-restraint).
Śraddhā is considered as one of the highest virtues. It is a gift of the Supreme. It always bears fruits which carry over to the next life.
The highest quality of śraddhā is that of a devotee. From interpersonal perspective, śraddhā is an emotion one has for another person, a deity or śāstra (scriptural text or instructions in such texts that guide human behaviour).
Śraddhā reflects the basic nature of people. Absence of śraddhā causes all efforts to go in vain.
It is hoped that explication of the indigenous construct, śraddhā, will also enrich our understanding of adhyātma or spirituality.
In this article, the construct of śraddhā is derived from the Bhagavad-Gītā, a dialogue between Shri Krsna and Arjuna, which takes place in the Mahābhārata after Arjuna shares his quandary with him relating to fighting his kins.
=== Deriving the meaning of the construct of śraddhā from the Bhagavad-Gītā. ===
Śraddhā appears in the Bhagavad-Gītā 17 times in 15 verses of eight cantos, specifically, 3.31, 4.39, 6.37, 6.47, 7.21 (twice), 7.22, 9.23, 12.2, 12.20, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3 (twice), 17.13, 17.17 and 18.71.
The opposite of śraddhā, which is aśraddhā, also appears four times in three cantos, specifically in verses, 4.40, 9.3, 17.13 (as a compound word, śraddhā virahitam or without śraddhā) and 17.28.
In Canto 17, śraddhā is defined with respect to the three gunas (quality or innate tendencies) of sāmkhya darśana or philosophy.
Further, śraddhā is also used to explicate other constructs like yajña, tapas (austerities), dāna (charity) and karma (action), thus highlighting the importance of this construct in understanding Indian worldview and psychology.
The analyses of śraddhā gave eight themes, and the analysis of aśraddhā gave one theme. The nine themes derived from the analyses of the 19 verses from the Bhagavad-Gītā are presented in the next section.
=== Śraddhā: Not finding faults ===
In verse 3.313, Krsna tells Arjuna that those people who always follow Krsna’s directive (given in verse 3.30), who have śraddhā in him (śraddhāvantah) and who are not jealous of him (anasuyantah), become free of the bondage of karma. In this verse, Krsna contrasts śraddhā with asūya (envy, jealousy or indignation caused by happiness of others), illustrating that when we have śraddhā for someone, we do not find fault with that person or envy the achievements of that person. Thus, śraddhā is associated with ansūya (absence of envy/jealousy), and a behavioural outcome of śraddhā is not finding faults in others. This has implications for practice in that spiritual practitioners should cultivate śraddhā and ansūya. Thus, śraddhā can be viewed as the fruition of not harbouring asūya or jealousy for anyone, thus breaking the boundaries between self and others.
=== Śraddhā and moksa ===
In verse 4.394, Krsna tells Arjuna that a person who has śraddhā, is eagerly engaged in the spiritual practice that one has chosen, is in control of his or her senses and achieves jñāna or knowledge of the self. In a spiritual journey, one has to be eagerly engaged in the practice one has selected, and the effort must lead to control of the senses. However, without śraddhā, all the effort and control of senses go in vain. Śraddhā is considered a necessary condition for spiritual practices. Ādi Śankar emphasises in his commentary that external practices can be performed by even fraudulent or deceitful people, but such practices would not lead to knowledge. He indicates that śraddhā is an internal quality.
The importance of śraddhā for the practice of spirituality is clearly laid out in this verse. The second line of the verse points out to the consequence of achieving jñāna—one immediately achieves unparalleled or supreme peace, which is interpreted as moksa by Ādi Śankar. Thus, we see in this verse a model where śraddhā is seen as the antecedent of jñāna. However, this relationship is moderated by tatparah or eager engagement in a spiritual practice and samyatendriyah or practice of self-restraint5. Jñāna (or knowledge) mediates between śraddhā (reverence) and moksa or liberation. Since moksa is the highest pursuit of life in India (the other three are: dharma or duty, artha or wealth and kāma or pleasure), śraddhā occupies an important place in the worldview of Indians.
In verse 18.716, Krsna tells Arjuna that those who have śraddhā and are also not envious (ansūyah), even by listening to the dialogue (in the Bhagavad-Gītā), definitely become free and go to auspicious places (beyond earth) because of their meritorious karma or actions. In this and the previous verse (18.70), Krsna emphasises the merit of studying the Bhagavad-Gītā, and in doing so employs śraddhā and ansūya (absence of envy) as the two virtues. It builds on what is presented earlier in the analysis of verse 3.31, where ansūya was also emphasised along with śraddhā. Thus, the importance of śraddhā is emphasised for achieving moksa, which is one of the four purusārthas or life pursuits prescribed for the Indians. It should also be noted that people can have śraddhā for texts like the Bhagavad-Gītā.
=== Śraddhā: The highest of virtues with everlasting outcomes ===
The question Arjuna asks of Krsna in verse 6.377 is one of the many important questions he asks in the Bhagavad-Gītā. He asks Krsna what happens ultimately to the person who has śraddhā but fails to make the necessary effort. This question builds on verse 4.39, though after many things have been explained in between. In verse 4.39 śraddhā was presented as necessary condition for achieving jñāna, and it is in this context that Arjuna asks Krsna about what happens when śraddhā is present but one does not succeed in the path of spirituality because of unsteady manas or mind8. In verses 6.39–6.47, Krsna explains that nothing is lost for the person who has śraddhā and who has made some effort. Such a person picks up in the next life from the same state that he or she has been in the present life; that is, no merit is lost in transitioning to a new life. Thus, śraddhā is not only the necessary condition, but always bears fruits that are never lost.
In verse 6.47,9 Krsna eulogises śraddhā as the highest virtue and says that even among yogins (practitioners of yoga) the best is one who chants the name of Krsna surrendering with śraddhā. It can be seen that śraddhā is a bhāva (or emotion) that one has for another person, and it is often expressed as—I have śraddhā for X (where X is a target person, or a text as noted earlier). Considering that Krsna is considered God personified, śraddhā is something that one has for God. Thus, śraddhā is one of the highest virtues, and it bears fruits that do not diminish in value with rebirth.
=== Śraddhā: A divine grace ===
In verse 7.21,10 Krsna tells Arjuna that any devotee who wants to worship with śraddhā, whatever form of deity it may be, Krsna bestows acalam or unflinching śraddhā to that devotee so that he or she can worship that deity. There are two points to be noted in this verse. First, Krsna does not discriminate among devotees who have śraddhā; they can worship whichever form of deity they want to. In other words, we are free to choose the spiritual practice, and Krsna endows us with the necessary śraddhā, based on what we bring to the practice. Second, Krsna blesses people who have śraddhā. In other words, śraddhā shown by human beings begets divine śraddhā or śraddhā from Krsna.
Verse 7.2211 continues from the previous one, and Krsna states that when the devotee worships the deity of his or her choice with the divine śraddhā provided by Krsna, his or her desires are fulfilled by Krsna himself. Therefore, śraddhā is not only something that brings one to Krsna but also continues to bring the blessings of Krsna to the devotees, whoever and however they worship. Thus, śraddhā is a gift of God, or a divine grace.
=== Śraddhā: Always bears fruits ===
In verse 9.23,12 Krsna tells Arjuna that those devotees who worship other devas (Śiva, Indra, Rudra and so forth) with śraddhā are still worshipping Krsna, albeit not following proper procedure. This verse elaborates on the ideas presented in verses 7.21 and 7.22, and states that even if śraddhā is placed in other deities, and not Krsna, such ‘misplaced’ śraddhā is still placed in him. Thus, śraddhā never gets misplaced and always bears fruit.
This verse is in effect similar to verse 2.40,13 where Krsna proclaims that effort invested in the practice of karmayoga (a spiritual practice in which action is emphasised without attachment to rewards also called niskāma karma), one of the practices of spirituality, neither suffers a loss, nor is there an adverse effect; and even a little bit of practice helps a person to get over his or her biggest of fears. Thus, śraddhā is integral to the procedure that makes efforts bear fruit in the practice of spirituality.
=== Devotees’ śraddhā: The highest ===
In verse 12.2,14 Krsna tells Arjuna that the best spiritual practitioner is one who fixes his or her mind on Krsna and is always engaged in worshipping Krsna with deep śraddhā. This verse is in response to Arjuna’s question about who is a better spiritual practitioner, one who follows bhaktiyoga or the path of devotion, or one who follows jñānayoga or the path of knowledge. Since śraddhā is used to characterise bhaktiyoga, its relevance to both the paths of knowledge, as noted earlier in verse 4.39, śraddhāvān labhate jñānam (only those who have śraddhā obtain knowledge) and devotion (as noted in verse 12.2) is unequivocal.
Canto 12 of the Bhagavad-Gītā is called bhaktiyoga, and in verse 12.2 Krsna firmly states that the path of devotion is superior to the path of knowledge and uses śraddhā to define devotion. Further, in the concluding verse Krsna employs śraddhā again to describe the person that is dearest to him. Thus, śraddhā is what describes a spiritual practitioner, both who practices bhaktiyoga or the path of devotion and jñānayoga or the path of knowledge.
=== Śraddhā: For person, deity or śāstra ===
Confused about his duty, when Arjuna was inclined to act in a cowardly manner, he surrenders to Krsna as a student, which is captured in verse 2.7.15 He beseeches Krsna to instruct him firmly to do what was best for him. This reflects the śraddhā one places in another person, especially a guru or teacher. At the end of the Bhagavad-Gītā in verse 18.73,16 Arjuna tells Krsna that by Krsna’s grace his confusion was dispelled, he was free of doubts and he had gained his discriminatory faculty. Further, Arjuna tells Krsna that he was ready to follow his instructions. This shows that a student surrenders to his or her teacher, listens to the instructions and carries out the instructions of the teacher. This is showing śraddhā to a person. Thus, śraddhā is an emotion that a student has for a teacher. It should also be noted that people can have śraddhā for any of the various Hindu deities as noted in verse 7.21 presented in section four earlier. In other words, śraddhā is needed in worshipping a deity or pursuing any spiritual practice. Thus, śraddhā is also an emotion one has for a deity.
In verses 12.13–12.19 many attributes like being in a balanced state, not having any negative feeling towards other beings, always being content with whatever comes one’s way, and so forth, are presented to characterise devotees who are dear to Krsna. In the concluding verse of the Canto (12.2017) another quality that is highlighted is that devotees who worship Krsna by surrendering to him with deep śraddhā, and follow the dhārmika or pious and nectar-like (amrta-like) instructions meticulously are dearest to Him. Such instructions refer to what is stated in śāstras or scriptures. What is meant here is that it is not enough to have śraddhā for a person, deity or God but an individual needs to have it also in śāstra (or scriptural text) that guide human behaviour.
=== Śraddhā shapes a person ===
In verse 17.118Arjuna says to Krsna, “People who do not follow the method given in śāstras or scriptures, but worship with śraddhā, what is their nature? Are they sāttvika (calmness or illumination), rājasika (or dynamism), or tāmasika (or inertia)?” This question allows us to synthesise the three gunas as enunciated in sān˙khya darśana with śraddhā. In verse 17.2,19 Krsna tells Arjuna that śraddhā is of three types, sāttvika, rājasika and tāmasika, and it depends on the inner nature of a person, thus providing the typology of śraddhā from the perspective of sān˙khya philosophy. In verse 17.3,20 Krsna tells Arjuna that śraddhā reflects the basic nature of people, and whatever is the nature of śraddhā of a person, so becomes that person. Śraddhā is used twice in this verse, and it captures two important points. First, śraddhā reflects the basic nature of people. And second, people are the personification of śraddhā.
People with sāttvika śraddhā worship deities, those with rājasika śraddhā worship lesser deities, and those with tāmasika śraddhā worship evil spirits.21 Based on one’s śraddhā and inherent qualities, one not only chooses what one eats but also the kind of yajña, tapas, and dāna one performs.<ref>Dharm P. S. Bhawuk, [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0971333620906758 Sraddha: Construct Definition from the Bhagavad-Gita], SAGE Journals, Volume 32, Issue 1.</ref>
== References ==