Miscellaneous DOs and DON'Ts

Sanak Jee said - "Hey Naarad Jee, All Varn should follow their Varn and Aashram Dharm, otherwise they fall from all Dharm. All Dharm should be followed as Smriti has prescribed, but they could be amended according to place and time without going against them. Four Varn have been described in Shaastra - Braahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shoodra. The first three Varn have been known as Dwij. Their first birth is from their mother and the second birth is from Upanayan Sanskaar. Because of these two reasons they are called Dwij. hey have to follow four Aashram - Brahmcharya, Grihasth, Vaanprasth and Sanyaas. There is no other fifth Aashram for them.

After Birth

All Sanskaar for Dwij should be performed with Vaidic Mantra, while women's Sanskaar should be performed at the right time but without Mantra. One should not seek a name of the child, which is not clear, which has no meaning, which contains more long letters, or which contains odd number of letters.

Old people should be greeted in the order - first who is more Gyaanee, then who has performed more Tap, then who is older in age. While greeting, one should introduce himself as "I am the son of such and such". A Braahman should not greet anybody. Who is atheist, doesn't follow Dharm, unfaithful, thief, fallen, astrologer, sinner, mad person, running man, unclean, doing Jaap; one should not greet such people. Among women, who is a killer of her husband, keeps relation to other men, mother of a newborn child (up to 6 days), angry, one should never greet her. Who is quarrelsome, of angry nature, is vomiting, is standing in water, is sleeping, one should never greet him. Who is busy in doing Shraaddh, Tarpan, Vrat, worship, Yagya, one should never greet him, because who cannot bless properly, one should not greet him also.

One should always greet old and elderly people. Elderly people are of three types, (1) Gyaan Vriddh - who have more knowledge; (2) Tapo Vriddh -who have done more Tap; and (3) Vayo Vriddh - who are older in age.

One who desires fruit of his all Karm should never study when - a great Braahman is welcomed, a quarrel is broken, at the time of Sandhyaa and falling stars, if a Braahman is insulted, on the dates of starting Manvantar and Yug. Vaishaakh Shukla 3, Bhaadrapad Krishna 13, Kaartik Shukla 9, and Maagh Poornimaa - these are the dates when Yug started. Donations given on these dates are immortal. Dwij should do Shraaddh on these dates.

As a Grihasth

A Dwij, after finishing his stay with Guru, should marry with Braahm method, Daiv method is next, and some say that Aarsh method is also not bad. But the rest five methods are not recommended. A Grihasth should have his haircut regularly. He should also cut his nails regularly and maintain his look lovely. He should not press money with his foot, should not jump over the unclean food, should not speak ill about others, should not itch his head with his both hands, should not ride donkey, should not seek fault in others, should not be jealous, should not mention others' sins and his own Punya, should take bath along with his clothes after touching wet bone, unclean thing, dead body, dog, pyre, and pyre wood. One should not wake up a sleeping person, an unclean person should not touch Agni (fire) and worship Devtaa and Guru, one should not drink water by his left hand or by mouth only, one should not disobey Guru.

A Dwij should care for Shauch - internal and external. Everyday he should take bath, worship Soorya, do Sandhyaa, with Gaayatri Mantra. In the afternoon the same Gaayatree takes the form of Saavitree, and in the evening she becomes Bhagavatee Saraswatee. In the morning and at mid-day, Gaayatree Jap should be done standing position; and in the evening it should be done sitting. 1,000 times Gaayatree Jap is considered the best, 100 times medium and 10 times has been considered as ordinary. A Brahmchaaree or Vaanprasthee should use 6 Aum in the Chhand, or use two Aum - one in the beginning and other in the end, while doing Jaap; but A Grihasth should use only one Aum. in the beginning itself. One should do its Jaap according to his capacity and then offer it to Bhagavaan Soorya Dev. Then he should offer one handful water for both Gaayatree and Soorya Dev.

A Grihasth should take bath two times - in the morning and in the afternoon, but Vaanprasthee and Sanyaasee should take bath three times a day - morning, afternoon and evening. Who does not do Panch Mahaa-Yagya or Panch Yagya (Dev Yagya, Bhoot Yagya, Pitra Yagya, Manushya Yagya, and Brahm Yagya), he is called Braahman killer. Who eats his half-eaten Laddoo or any other food he eats cow's meat. A Dwij should not make sound while eating, drinking, and doing Aachaman. While excreting, one should not speak. If he does that, he goes to Narak. One should eat food keeping Maun (silently without speaking) and without speaking ill about it. One should properly felicitate his Atithi with food, water, bed etc required things. Any Atithi, if is returned from one's house, he gives his sins to him and takes away his Punya with him. That is why one should treat him as Vishnu.

After Being a Grihasth

When he sees himself as an old man, he should leave his wife in the protection of his sons and go to forest, or take his wife along. There he should take bath three times. He should not trim his beard, mustache, hair and nails. Sleep on the ground, do Panch Mahaa-Yagya, eat fruits and roots everyday and study, eat eight morsel food everyday and keep fast in the night. He should leave Ubatan, oil massage, sexual pleasure, sleep and laziness. When he has developed enough Vairaagya, then only he should adopt Sanyaas, otherwise he becomes Patit (fallen).

As a Sanyaasee

One should opt for Sanyaas only when one is detached completely, otherwise he becomes fallen. A Sanyaasee should be busy in reading Vedaant. He should be away from all kinds of faults. He should live either naked or wear old lower cloth. He should shave his head. He can live maximum one night in a village and three nights in a city. He should live upon only on alms, but not from only one house. When the people have eaten food then only he should go to some Dwij's house where people live affectionately, for alms. He should take bath three times a day. If any Sanyaasee lives on the food from one house, then he cannot be uplifted even after 10,000 Praayashchit.