6.4. The concept of Acara or Sadacara (good conduct)

[Full title: Human values: A mirror to Indian culture (4): Acara or Sadacara]

Indian tradition has laid great emphasis on acara or sadacara, good conduct, so much so that it has been proclaimed as the highest virtue: acarah paramo dharmah. One not observing it even the Vedas, the purest of the pure, cannot redeem: acarahinam na punanti vedah.2 The sastras proclaim the supremacy of acara which comprises practising a set of rules sanctified by tradition and codified in the texts. These rules are meant to regulate individual conduct for improving the quality of human life by making him fall in line with the order devised to uphold smooth and normal functioning of society. The goodness in the conduct of the individual is relative to his usefulness in social well-being. By following acara, the time-tested long-evolved code, one leads a more peaceful life. It is acara, which exercises control on him, and this springs from within. One who follows it is according to the Devibhagavatapurana always pure, always happy: acaravan sada putah acaravan sada sukhi³1 As per the Visnudharmottara-purana, a person, even though possessed of (good) marks, does not imbibe knowledge, nor anything else he aspires, if he is devoid of acara. Such a man goes to hell: sarvalaksanayukto 'pi naras tv acaravarjitahi na prapnoti tatha vidyam na ca kincid abhipsitami A person of good conduct, acaravan purusa, however, enjoys heaven, fame, long life, honour and all the worldly pleasures:

acarah svargajanana acarah kirtivardhanahi acaras ca tathayusyo dhanyo lokasukhavahahi acarayuktas tridivam prayati acaravan eva bhavaty arogahi acaravan eva ciram tu jived acaravan eva bhunakti laksmim 611 Manu terms acara as the source of dharma: acaraprabhavo dharmah. 22 10 6169 A All this fulsome praise of acara leads us to the question as to what this acara is. Its etymology is two-fold: acaryate anena and acarati asmin, 'one through which is conducted (life)' and 'in which one conducts oneself.' ails or doum oz obnoo boog Manu while emphasizing the importance of his work draws attention to the fact that it fully states the law as well as the immemorial (sasvata) rule of conduct, acaras caiva sasvatah." Kulluka, the Manu' commentator explains sasvatah as paramparyagatah, which has come down from generation to generation. Proceeding further Manu terming it as the transcendant law points to its framework; it is the one which is taught in the revealed texts in the sacred tradition, srutyuktah smarta eva ca, and enjoins that a man having regard for himself should always be careful to follow it, tasmad asmin sada yukto nityam syad atmavan dvijah.? 8 A Brahmana who departs from the rule of conduct, acara, 3/ does not reap the fruit of the Veda while he who follows it obtains its full reward. To use the Mahabharata imagery the Vedic mantras leave the person devoid of acara at the time of death as do the birds the nest when they develop wings: nidam sakunta iva jatapaksas chandamsy enam prajahaty antakale.10 Sadacara is what acara is though the sat part of it is explained differently. The compound in it is dissolved in three ways: sams casau acaras ca sadacarah, the acara, the conduct as it exists; sad-samyak acarah sadacarah, good conduct; satam=sadhunam acara iti sadacarah, the conduct of the good people, the dissolution acceptable to the Visnupurana as should be clear from the explanation of it that it furnishes: sadhavah

Acara or Sadacara 119 ksinadosas tu sac chabdah sadhuvacakah, tesam acaranam yat tu sadacarah sa ucyate,11 the sadhus, the good people are those who have no infirmities, the word sat conveys those very people, the sadhus, the conduct, the acara, of those people is what sadacara is. According to Manu sadacara is what is srutismrtyudita, 12 declared in the revealed texts and in sacred tradition, the same thing as he said in the case of acara, srutyuktah smarta eva ca;13 only the words are slightly different here. According to Manu the custom handed down in regular succession, paramparyakramagatah, 14 among the four castes and the mixed races of the country called Brahmavarta, the country made by gods and lying between the divine rivers Sarasvati and Drsadvati is called sadacara, the conduct of virtuous people, sadacara ucyate.15 Acara or sadacara can be of three types: kayika, vacika and manasika, physical, verbal and mental called by Jain Acaryas as samyak jnana, samyak drsti and samyak caritrya. Physical cleanliness through bath, snana, the observance of celibacy, brahmacarya, non-violence, ahimsa, doing good to others, paropakara, worship of gods, devapuja, etc. is physical acara. To speak truth, satyabhasana, to speak gently without injuring the feelings of others, priyabhasana, to read or recite holy texts, to sing the praise of God, isvarastavana is verbal sadacara. Gentleness, compassion, fortitude, steadfastness, forgiveness and keeping away from six types of weaknesses, dosas, is mental sadacara. There is emphasis in old texts on the inculcation of acara. An acarya is directed to teach his pupils acara along with imparting knowledge of different disciplines: sadacarams ca siksayet. As a matter of fact, that is his primary duty, he being acarya, acaryah kasmat, acaram grahayati, 16 why is acarya called so, because he teaches acara. Apart from his teaching of it, he also conveys it to his pupils through his personal conduct, which is expected to set the example to him. The parting advice of the acarya at the end of the period of instruction to his pupil is satyam vada, dharmam cara, svadhyayan ma pramadah,

matrdevo bhava, pitrdevo bhava, acaryadevo bhava, atithidevo bhava, 17 speak truth, follow dharma, do not neglect the study of the Vedal look upon your mother as a deity, your father as a deity, your teacher as a deity, the guest as a deity. Lastly realizing that he being just human might have faltered in maintaining proper conduct himself, he cautions the pupil that he should follow all his good deeds and not others, yany asmakam sucaritani tani tayopasyani no itarani. The Niti texts, every one of them, are full of instructions as to how one is to conduct oneself in life. So are the works on tales and fables like the Pancatantra and the Hitopadesa where each tale or fable carries a moral. The Mahabharata, the veritable repertory of Indian wisdom, has enough of statements about the ideal human conduct individually and societally. So has the sister epic the Ramayana. They provide guidelines about the acceptable norms of conduct which acara or sadacara is. It needs no emphasis that most of these norms are universal in nature, not being limited to any particular region or period of time. Take, for instance, the norm of showing of respect to elders. A younger person would hold his breath high till he had left his seat and bowed to the elderly: urdhvam prana hy utkramanti yunah sthavira ayatil pratyutthanabhivadabhyam punas tan pratipadyaten 18 It is in line with this feeling of respect for the elders that the Mahabharata prohibits the use of Thou-Thee for the elders and addressing them by their name: tvankaram namadheyam ca jyesthanam parivarjayet. 19 19 The Upanisad enjoins: Treat the guest as a deity, atithidevo bhava. Any guest coming to the house has to be shown proper courtesy. He is to be received with pleasant looks, cheerful heart and sweet words. One should get up, advance towards him and offer him a seat; that is the established practice: caksur dadyan mano dadyad vacam dadyac ca sunrtam! utthaya casanam dadyad esa dharmah sanatanahi 20 The houses of the good are in no want of grass (seat made of

Acara or Sadacara 121 it, the mat), space (the place to sit), water (to wash feet and to drink) and sweet and pleasant words: trnani bhumir udakam vak caturthi ca sunrtal satam etani gehesu nocchidyante kadacanal 21 The honour for guests is so ingrained in Indian psyche that it is enjoined that even if an enemy were to visit somebody, due hospitality should be extended to him: arav apy ucitam karyam atithyam grham agate.22 The acara demands that due consideration be shown to womenfolk. For this the one evidence is not Manu's oft-quoted injunction: yatra naryas tu pujyante ramante tatra devatah, 23 "where women are shown respect, the gods revel there". The evidence is found also in the etiquette prescribed in the Mahabharata of giving them the right of the way. The same also holds good for the physically handicapped, the blind and the deaf and the carriers of load. The turn of the king, howsoever mighty he may be, comes after all the above with Brahmana, the intellectual, stealing the palm over all others: andhasya pantha badhirasya panthah striyah pantha bharavahasya panthahi rajnah pantha brahmanenasametya sametya tu brahmanasyaiva panthah1124 The right of the way also extends to cows, a pregnant woman, an elderly person and a weakling. The right of the way, spoken of here, is symbolic of the consideration the society has to give to certain sections of it which are incapable of fending for themselves to deserve to be called a civil society. That is acara. It is a part of good conduct that one should not speak unasked nor should one answer anybody's question if put with a bad intent: naprstah kasyacid bruyan na canyayena prcchatah.25 It is also imperative that one should be correct and forthright in one's speech in an assembly and not to keep mum or speak falsely which would mean courting sin: sabham va na pravestavyam vaktavyam va samanjasami abruvan vibruvan vapi naro bhavati kilbisir²6

Since the toilets in the modern sense of the term did not exist in the ancient period, people would ease themselves out in the open as they do even now in the countryside in India. Proper hygiene and environmental purity desired the practice of certain norms in the matter of urination and defecation. The urination has to be at a distance from a habitation and also not in the direction of the sun, the fire, the cows, a Brahmin, nor has it to be on a thoroughfare, nor in water. One has not to urinate and defecate in water, nor spit in it, nor should take bath naked. The water after the feet have been washed in it and the left overs of the food have to be disposed of at a distance from the living place: durad avasathan mutram durat padavasecanami ucchistotsarjanam caiva dure karyam hitaisinasbive ob There is clear disapproval for sleeping, studying and eating during the twilight: bego bus boog ablod yarigi sandhyayam na svaped rajan vidyam na ca samacareti na bhunjita ca medhavi tathayur vindate mahati28 Bharata in the Ramayana while embarking on vows to clear himself of the insinuation of being a party to the design of sending Rama in exile makes a pointed reference to sleeping during the twilights. Says he: May I court that sin as would accrue to one who sleeps during the twilight.29 It is never good manners to ridicule the physically handicapped; the blind, the lame and the deaf as also the miserable: dinandhapangubadhira nopahasyah kadacana. 30 This norm also extends to those who are destitute of knowledge, are weighed down with age, are ugly and poor as also of low birth: hinangan atiriktangan vidyahinan vayodhikani rupadravyavihinans ca jatihinans ca naksipet³¹ || As a matter of fact, acara demands proper regard and consideration to the aged. In no case are they to be considered a burden on society. With experience behind them, they are an object of veneration. There are countless references in ancient texts where anyone deviating from established conduct is specifically charged in not having served the aged and the elderly.

Acara or Sadacara 123 In no case are they to be addressed by name nor in the tenor of Thou-Thee: tvankaram namadheyam ca jyesthanam parivarjayet. 32 The acara concerns itself with every department of human life, not leaving anything untouched. It goes to the extent of laying down does and don'ts with regard to such small things as chewing nails and clipping hair. It prohibits drinking water through joined palms, jalam nanjalina pibet, 33 scratching the head with both hands at the same time, na samhatabhyam panibhyam kanduyet jatu vai sirah, 34 sitting with legs and feet wide open, na ksiptapadajanghas ca prajnas tisthet kadacana, putting one foot over the other, padam padena nakramet, 35 spread the feet in the direction of the elders and the deities, gurudevan prati tatha na ca padau prasarayet.36 There are norms for everything: In which direction is one to sleep, what one has to do after getting up in the morning, how one has to pass urine and defecate and in which direction and in which part of the day, how one has to take bath and where, how one has to eat and in which direction and which food and so on. The Smrtis like the Manusmrti and the Puranas like the Vamana,37 the Padma, 38 the Visnu³9 and the Markandeya 40 have full sections in them on acara. A brief synopsis of the same from one of them, the Vamana is presented here to form an idea of the ancient Indian perception of acara or sadacara: Getting up in the morning a person should recite the Suprabhata sukta. After that he should go out to ease himself. In no case should he do so on the path where there are (idols) of deities or cows or Brahmanas or on the highway or on a square or in a cow-pen. He should be facing the north if he were to pass urine or ease himself during the daytime or in the twilights and the south during the nights. He is not to pass urine on a road or on ashes or in a cow-pen or in a ploughed land or in water or on altar of bricks or a mountain or on the ruins of a temple or on an anthill or in holes inhabited by living creatures; nor has he to pass it standing or walking, nor on reaching the bank of a river. He is not to take bath naked and eat with one garment only. He is not

to associate himself with the wicked. He is to avoid food during twilights and sex during the daytime. He should not move about aimlessly, give charity and kill animals for no reason. He should keep away from the wealth and wives of others nor should he steal a glance at somebody else's wife if she is naked, nor should he exchange words with thieves. He should avoid the sight of a woman in menses, nor should he have contact with her, nor talk to her. He should not sleep naked nor should he look at his wife while she eats, sneezes or yawns or sits at ease, nor when she applies collerium to her eyes, has anointed or uncovered herself. He should not throw urine or faeces into water nor saliva (Compare the Manusmrti injunction: napsu mutra purisam va sthivanam va samutsrjet)41 nor clothes defiled by impure substances, nor any other impure thing, nor blood, nor poisonous things. He should not look at the sun when it rises and sets, is eclipsed or is reflected in water or is in the middle of the sky. Were he to touch anything impure, he should have bath. So should he have it if he were to mix with people who had carried a dead body. He should not interrupt a cow who is suckling her calf, nor tell anybody of it. He should not eat anything from which oil has been extracted. He should not be a glutton. He should not eat very early in the morning, nor very late in the evening. He should not drink water out of his joined palms, nor eat food placed in lap or show (idle) curiosity. He should never wash his feet in a vessel of white brass. He should not eat out of a broken dish or out of which the appearance of which is defiled. He should not use shoes, garments, string, ornaments, garland and water vessel if used by others. He should not clip nails or hair. The list goes on and on. A civil man is expected to talk gently, help others, observe family traditions, show respect to elders and so conduct himself as not to court frowns of others. He is to invoke deities for their blessings. This is acara, the law sanctified by tradition and recorded in the Sruti and the Smrti which people, the decent ones, follow and win fame thereby in this world: srutismrtyuditam dharmam anutisthan hi manava iha kirtim avapnoti 42 and which occupies the center stage in Indian life.

Acara or Sadacara 125 1. Vasisthasmrti, 6.3. 2. Manusmrti, 1.108. 3. 2. 24.98. 4. 3.250.4. 5. ibid. 271. 1.4. 6. ibid. 7. Manusmrti, 1. 107. 8. ibid.1. 108. i 9. ibid. REFERENCES 10. Udyogaparvan, 35. 42. The lines are found with a slight difference in the Vasisthasmrti, 6.3: chandamsy enam mrtyukale tyajanti nidam sakunta iva jatapaksah. 11. Visnupurana, III.11.3. 12. IV.155. 13. 1.108. 14. II.18. 15. II.17. 16. Nirukta, I.4.12. 17. Taittiriyopanisad, Siksavalli. 18. Anusasanaparvan, 104.64. 19. Santiparvan, 193.25. 20. Vanaparvan, 2.56. 21. ibid. 2.54. 22. Santiparvan, 186.5. 23. III.56. 24. Vanaparvan, 133.1. 25. Santiparvan, 28735. 26. Manusmrti, VIII.13. 27. Anusasanaparvan, 104.82. 28. ibid., 104.19. 29. Ayodhyakanda, 75.44 30. Sukraniti, III.15. 31. Manusmrti, IV.141. 32. Santiparvan, 193.25. 33. Markandeyapurana, 34.113. The drinking of water, however, is permitted out of one hand, the right one: daksinam tu karam krtva gokarnakrtivat punah trih pibed ipsitam toyam, Haaritasmrti, 4.26.

. ibid., 34.44. 233 35. ibid., 34.45. 36. 34.112 37. Chapter IV. 38. Svargakhanda, Chapters 29-31.. 39. 3.11. 40. Chapter 34 41. Manusmrti, 4.56. 43. ibid., 2.9. 80 bidi o bidi .9 conil od! 221 V 1 1 2011 £1 21.44 31 hvache Angangast 10.101 A MI d nsvisque st EX FE 1401 buck 35 21.101 no.08 SVE TE to bro