190609-MOKSHA & SWARGAM : POORTHA & ISHTA

श्री  गणेश  मंदिर   -  शिक्षा वाणी – 9th June 2019
Serene Sunday Reflections


MOKSHA & SWARGAM : POORTHA & ISHTA

KEYWORDS :: Sanathana Dharma, Swarga, Moksha, Ishta, Poortha, Dharma, Karma

Bharatheeya Dharma talks about two activities - Ishta and Poortha; Or to be precise Sanathana Dharma is Ishta-Poortha. Ishta will take people to swarga and poortha can give moksha.
ishtathelabhathe swargam poorthe mokshamavapuyeth

Ishta karma is the activity that one does for the self, salvation, peace, better life, prosperity etc.
agnihothram thapa sathyam vedaanaam chaanupaalanam
aadithyam vaisyadhevam cha ishta ithyabhitheeyathe
Agnihothra (Fire Offering), Thapa (Penance), Reading Vedic Texts, Welcoming Guests, Developmental Activities in Society are all ISHTA Karma.

The Poortha karma is more of a Social Commitment, caring for the Environment, Protecting Earth for Future Generations etc. Service comes under “poorth karma” and it includes digging wells and ponds, feeding the poor, building temples for the spiritual well-being, laying out gardens. Excavating wells and ponds have been mentioned first. Next comes Annapradhanamudhyannam which means Fruit Bearing Trees – Meaning one should plant fruit bearing trees that will serve all animals, flies, birds apart from humans – to get Mokhsa.
vaapee koopa thadakaani dhevathanayathanani cha
anna pradhanamudyannam poortha ithyabhitheeyathe

Swargalokam - heaven is the place of the world after death for the good people and naraka – hell for the bad ones. The swargaloka is not the place of gods. The gandharvas used to be some time at the swarga loka too as guests from their gandhrvaloka.

Moksha (Freedom or Salvation) from the cycle of birth and death is the ultimate goal of Hindu religious life. Moksha is the state of supreme bliss and there is no quest beyond it. Moksha releases from all attachments. It is a state in which the self remains ever in untrammeled freedom and blessedness to be in bliss. The chief purpose of religion is to teach us how this supreme state may be attained.

The mention of feeding and educating are not seen as poortha karma directly, but had given much importance and could be rated as higher than many of the other karma. Thus, reading between the lines and analyzing the relevance in today’s context poor feeding and educating are to be considered as the greatest Dhana Dharma and added into the Poortha Dharma.

----- Next Week 16th June 2019 – PARAM DHAANAM – Best Offering -----

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Previous editions of Serene Sunday Reflections can be found below:
02JUN19 - Moksha
26MAY19 - PURUSHARTHA The Blue Print of Practical Life
19MAY19 - Vedic ways of PURUSHARTHA
12MAY19 - Sanathana Dharma in Vedic Views
05MAY19 - HINDU’s SANATHANA DHARMA