….contd…..
Well coming to
Chaturmas – it’s the period to go within and get connected to self. Why is this
period selected by Rishis for this type of acts? Simple! It’s rainy season. So
outdoor activities become difficult. Next, since marriages and such functions
are not performed, people have more time in hand. Staying at home because of
weather – should be properly utilised and hence such of activities that can be
performed at home and easily.
Rishis, seers,
sages and Brahmans who were teachers would with their students do ‘Deshatan’
(journeying through the length and breath of the Bharatavarsha (India as it
was called in those days!). The classes were taught as they would be walking –
enroute. They were classed as “moving Ashrams”. A Guru with all his shishyas
(disciples) would start the journey at around 4am after completing their
morning routine and after performing ‘Agnihotra’. A group of 10-12 students
would walk behind a senior student who would be teaching the group allotted to
him. Since everything was taught orally, everyone would be chanting and
walking, learning in groups. Imagine
such groups being taught various subjects depending upon their abilities to learn
– somewhat like classes. One thing was each could learn at his pace. This was
headed by the Guru. Many such descriptions are found in Mahabharata of Guru
Vyasa’s moving ashrams and how they were welcomed by the locales and their
needs met by them.
They would walk
till 8am and eat whatever was offered by the people of the village that they
happened to cross at that time. The people in the village would be informed
well in advance and they would be ready with all the requirements. Guru with
his shishya’s would eat, talk to villagers, guide them, help them in their
conflicts if any, heal any sick person and would continue walking from 9.30-10
am onwards. They would stop only around 12.30-1 pm for lunch. This again was
provided either by the locales or the kind depending upon the place that they
reached. After doing “afternoon sandhya” and after having lunch all would rest
till around 3pm. At around 3pm – no they never had tea/biscuit, they would
continue walking till 5-6pm. At 6pm they would make tents and do sandhya
(evening Agnihotra & Pooja) have dinner (those days dinner would be completed
before sunset. This is one of the traditions that jains follow even today.
Staunch or religious jains even today follow this tradition even in marriages.
Their reception is completed before sunset. It is very good for health and the
obesity can be kept at bay if one eats before sunset and takes nothing till 4am
next day. 10-12 hrs of fasting at night keeps cholesterol level at check and
diabetes can be totally avoided by just following this food habit.
Coming to our
‘Moving Ashrams’ or ‘Ashrams on move’ all students would gather around the Guru
and he would clear all their doubts etc till 9pm. They would retire to get up
at 3am next day. And the routine would be same.
In rainy season,
it would be very difficult to do this. Hence, they would rest in one of the
capital for 4 months and teach the local students and the princes various vidya
and the kings would be every so eager to cater to such ashrams. These were
called as “rainy retrests”.
Even jains and
Buddhist monks or other sanyasis would find they couldn’t be safe during
travels in such season and that fulfilling their needs also took most of their
time and energy and hence preferred to stay in one place.
Thus, we have
climatic, religious, social reasons for following these rituals during
Chaturmas.
…contd…
2 comments:
This is really wonderful how every thing was done actually it is awesome now a days for us even though our guru is ready to give we the students have a lack of concentration to receive the knowledge it is really amazing that the disciples learnt the knowledge while roaming about in the streets and forest
Thank you for imparting this knowledge
Fasinating & Unbelievable it is.. the concept of "Moving Ashrams"....
Concentrating while sitting in one place & that too inside a Closed Room (which has less distractions)
itself becomes difficult...
and here these ppl learn things while Walking!!
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