| Q5
Contd.
Everyone
of us has to perform his or her duty designated as
Svadharma to please God, to serve the world and to repay one's debt
to the society. Svadharma implies ambition commensurate with one's
capacity and the necessary inclination as also the drive to achieve
it. Our well being lies in performing our Svadharma.
Paradharma, duty suitable for others but not for us, will
positively harm us if chosen by us.
The Smritis are treatises composed by the sages like Manu,
Yajnavalkya and Parasara. Keeping the eternal truths of the Vedas in
view, the Smritis controlled and guided the Hindu society through
the various vicissitudes brought about by time. They depict the code
of conduct for every Hindu both at the individual and at the social
level.
The Agamas concern themselves mainly with
ritualistic worship of the various deities, rites connected with
temples and Places of worship as well as modes of spiritual
practices. Though containing some historical
material the Puranas have devoted themselves mainly to the
propagation of ethical principles and spiritual truths, often
through stories, allegories, similes and symbolism. They have been
the chief source of religious and cultural education for the masses.
The Vishnupurana and the
Bhagavatapurana dealing with the story of Sri Krishna, are more
well known. The Darshanas six in number are
systematic treatises of different philosophies which deal
with basic questions like the origin and creation of the world, God
and Soul. Out of these, the Yoga System of Patanjali and the Vedanta
system of Badarayana Vyasa are Popular even today.
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