FIVE CARDINAL SINS IN HINDU TRADITION AND REMEDIES

DR. E. S. NEELAKANTAN

Five major sins are reckoned in the Hindu tradition. In general, it is said that doing good to others is Punya, while doing bad to others is Paapa. This is evidenced by the verse, which I quote as follows;

The essence of the 18 Puranas of Maharshi Veda Vyas is that doing good to others conduces to merit and doing harm to them leads to Sin.
Having said that, it is difficult to form a judgement on what basis the five major sins have been culled out and given greater value in terms of the sin quotient attached to it but I would like to share my thoughts on why these five have been highlighted by the scriptures.

The five types of evil deeds are:
1) Killing of a learned person
2) Drinking Liquor and other Alcoholic Beverages
3) Stealing
4) Transgressing the modesty of the Guru's wife
5) Being in the company of evil doers

The scriptural injunctions are followed through instructions (Sruti and Smriti). We have injunctions both oral (Sruti) and written (Smriti). Basically it requires a healthy intellect to understand and follow the instructions. Anything that hurts the intellect or the intelligentsia or the intellectual tradition is considered a heinous sin. Why? Because it cuts at the root of tradition. Once, a society becomes intellectually impoverished, the traditions would register a steep decline. Today, due to the influence of Kaliyuga we are exactly witnessing that exact trend which the Rishis wanted to arrest.

A learned person is required to spread knowledge. Once he is killed the dissemination of knowledge gets arrested. Alcoholic beverages are bad for the functions of the brain. The aim of knowledge is to transcend the mind. Alcohol has the exact opposite effect; it makes a person go below the level of the mind. An inebriated man behaves like a lunatic. No doubt, the absence of mind gives rise to much happiness, but in this case once the effect of alcohol wears out, the man is back at the same place and the body and mind are both affected. On the other hand, the spiritual man, who has transcended the mind, continues to remain happy on a higher plane. While all forms of theft produce sin, the stealing of riches from a learned person, affects his life and the consequent spread of knowledge.. Misbehaving with the spouse of a preceptor has an adverse effect on the Guru's family and hence highly condemnable. Last but not least, a man's mind gets corrupted in the company of evil doers and his intellect gets spoiled by such association. In this context it is worth remembering the following verse in Sanskrit

tyaja durjana-sa?sarga?
bhaja sadhu-samagamam
kuru pu?yam aho ratra?
smara nityam anityatam

One should give up the company of the wicked and should always associate with good people. One should always do good and also remember that this life is temporary.
There is a need to educate people on what is a sin and what is not. Today in most parties alcohol is served and only a few orthodox people either abstain from drinks or skip the party altogether.

ASTROLOGICAL GRAHA COMBINATIONS

TRANSMISSION OF SINS

Just like a drop of oil spreading over water, the sin gets transmitted from one person to another just by association with a sinner.
Raja (the king) shares the sins of his citizens. Raja Purohita (priest of the king) shares the sins of the Raja. The husband shares the sins of his wife. Guru shares the sins of his disciples. The papa (sin) done by a self -realized person eventually gets distributed to his critics and the punya (good deed) to his followers.
One who blesses the sinner also gets infected by the sins of the latter.
By giving dakshina(fee) the sins get transferred to the Pundit who receives it and through the recitation of the Vedas, the sins of the Pundit gets nullified.
All the lineal descendants including sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters may get impacted depending upon the severity of the Sin. The extent and nature of the impact is very difficult to predict.
Like a calf which clearly recognizes its mother cow despite being amidst thousand other cows, the karma phala (fruit of action) done by a person correctly recognizes him and reaches him meticulously.
If the gravity of the Sin is so powerful, the entire generation itself can get affected. It has to be kept in mind that a person who has to experience the agony based on his sins alone would be born as a son or be born in that family (based on their own individual karma phala) and hence it gets duly transmitted to the right persons only. Thus, there is no discrimination or bias in the way in which Karma operates.

Before we venture into case studies a few important planetary factors need to be highlighted.

1. Malefic in the 5th indicates Sins of earlier births which continue to operate in the present birth also.
2. Divine grace is deemed to be absent when either the 9th Lord is weak or in 6, 8, or 12 or if the 9th house is occupied by malefic. Afflicted Jupiter is also an indicator of divine wrath.
3. 4th house rules over purity of mind while 10th house rules over Karma. Afflictions to these houses are due to Sins of earlier births.
4. A horary chart can also be erected to confirm the existence of Sins,if there is some ambiguity in the chart.

CARDINAL SINS AND THEIR EFFECTS ACCORDING TO DHARMA SASTRAS:

After death, the soul of the sinner is first sent to hell with a body which is designed to experience pains and sufferings. Thereafter the person returns to lower plane of animal existence. Thereafter he has to pass through the bodies of a dog, an ass and a camel.

A person who steals gold is born as a Worm or an Insect in his next existence. A person who violates the modesty of the Guru's wife is born as a blade of grass in his next birth. For omission of doing good or commendable acts and commission of heinous deeds, one has to undergo the torments of hell.

EXPIATION OF SINS

A person can escape punishment of sins committed by him only if due prayascitta (vedic remedy) is done by him as per dharma sastra .

A person who has transgressed the modesty of the wife of one's Guru shall expiate his sin with the performance of a Candraya?a or with a continuous recitation of the Veda Samhitas for an unbroken period of three months.
The sin of accepting a gift from an evil or a dishonest giver, is atoned for by his constantly repeating the Gayatri Mantra, for a month in a cowshed with perfect mastery over the senses. A wine-drinker or a stealer of gold shall fast for three days, recite the Mantra sacred to Lord Rudra, and cast libations of clarified butter into the fire by chanting the Ku?ma??a Mantra. Chanting of Sri Rudram and Gayatri Mantra relieves one from various types of sins. The chanting of Gayathri Mantra 1008 times is also considered as a panacea for all ills.

DONATING A COW:

Among various items of donations, the donation of a cow or “Godhan” holds the pride of place. It is specifically mentioned in Garuda Purana, that a person who fails to give the “Vaitarini Godhan” allows the deceased person to drown in the Vaitarini River. Therefore I would like to make a specific mention here that all those who do the funeral rites should also give a cow as charity as part of “Vaitarini Godhan”. The other suggestion given in Garuda Purana is that we should donate a cow even when we are hale and healthy.

The Vaitarini Godhan is given at the time of performance of the twelfth day of a person's death.In all there are four Godhans which need to be done in connection with a funeral.One is when a person is about to die and this is known as Ukrandi Godhan.The secomd one is when the person dies and Godhan forms part of Dasa dhan.The third one is the Vaitarani Godhan.The fourth one forms part of the Dasa dhan which is given on that day.Howver in present day times people rest content with just the Vaitarani Godhan and even there are people who substitute the same with donation of a Coconut which is cheaper and this donation ritual is also easy to follow.

CHANTING OF SRI RUDRAM

Sri Rudram Chamakam, occupies an important place in Vedic literature, forming part of the Krishna Yajur Veda. It is said, among Vidyas (science), Vedas is supreme; In Vedas, Rudram is supreme; In Rudram, the Siva Panchakshari Mantra is supreme; In this mantra, the two letters Shi-va is supreme; As by watering the roots of a tree, all branches are nourished, the Chanting of Rudram - Chamakam pleases all the Devas.

Rudram is the best form of atonement for all sins and the best way to attain all the cherished desires. It is said that a person who chants the Rudram and Chamakam daily along with Purusha Suktam is honoured even in Brahma Loka.
The Rudram is chanted eleven times usually. If it is recited in multiples of eleven, say 121 times it is called “Rudra Ekadashi”. If it is chanted 1331 times it is known as “Maharudram”. When chanted 14641 times, it is called “Athi Rudram”. For this 121 Vedic Pundits are engaged to recite the Rudram over a period of 11 days each day 11 times preceded by Mahanyasam.

ITEMS OF CHARITY:

Usually the items given in charity are divided into two categories and they come under:
i) Dasha Dhanam (Donating Ten items) or
ii) Pancha Dhanam(Donating Five items)
Now we will have a look at the various forms of charity as per dharma sastras:-

DASA DHANAM: (TEN ITEMS OF CHARITY)

1. Cow - Has manifold benefits.
2. Land - Gives comfortable living.
3. Sesame - Removes Sins.
4. Gold - Removes Sins.
5. Ghee - Pleases the gods.
6. Clothes - For Health.
7. Food Grains - For abundance.
8. Jaggery - For Health.
9. Silver - Pleases the manes.
10.Salt - Pleases Lord Rudra.

PANCHA DHANAM:
(FIVE ITEMS OF CHARITY)

The five items of charity are;
1. Lamp.
2. Religious Book.
3. Bell.
4. Clothes.
5. Brass or Copper vessel with water (Udaka Kumbham).

SHAD DHANAM:
(SIX ITEMS OF CHARITY)

1. Umbrella.
2. Fan (Manually used fan as in olden times).
3. Chappal.
4. Walking Stick.
5. Mat.
6. Blanket.
Certain items are given on the 11th day as part of funeral rites. These items are as follows;
1) Sesame.
2) Gold.
3) Clothes.
4) UDAKA KUMBHAM
5) Conch.
According to Garuda Purana, a person undergoes great deal of suffering in the after life on account of sins committed in the present birth. To overcome this suffering, certain items are given as charity. These items are as follows;
1) Iron.
2) Cotton.
3) Buttermilk and a drink called as Panakam.
4) Curd in a vessel made of lead.
5) Rudraksha beads.
6) Shivaling (Panchayatana Set).
7) Pada Dhanam (Bronze vessel, Plate and Spoon and grocery items).
8) Vegetables
9) Navadhanyam or the Nine Grains – Wheat, rice, red gram, green gram, chick pea, hyacinth beans, sesame, black gram and horse gram.
10) Supadi Dhanam (red gram, black gram, green gram, cumin, pepper etc,)
11) Bed (SayyaDhanam).
12) Dwadasa Shravanal dhanam (donation of 12 vessels). This is done to please the twelve attendants of Yama Dharmaraja and Chitragupta.
In addition, we must also mention two items of charity which are given to scholars who grace an occasion. These are Bhoori Dakshina (Fee) and Phaladhana (Gift or Fruits). These two donations are given to obtain the blessings of the Vedic pundits.

CHANDRAYANA VRATA

A morsel of food to the size of a hen's egg, should be increased by one from the first day of the light fortnight to the day of the full moon, decreasing by the same number each day from the commencement of the dark one to the day of the new moon. This is what is known as Cândraya?a Vrata. The practitioner of the penance shall thrice bathe each day, observing a regimen of diet as in the preceding case, recite the sacred Mantras, take morsels of food consecrated by reciting the Gayatri Mantra.A Candraya?a Vrata is the atonement for sins of all kinds and characters, and its performer is purified both in body and spirit and goes to the region presided over by the Moon-God in the event of his undertaking the same out of a purely religious motive.

Fire rituals( Homams) to nullify sins

Mrta Sanjivini Homam is meant for recovery of persons who are terminally ill. The Mrta Sanjivini Veda Mantras are given in Rg Veda Samhita X-161-1 to 5. Mrtyunjaya Homam is intended for having a long life. This Mantra appears in Rg Veda Samhita VII-59-12 Kushmanda Homam is performed as prayascitta (remedy) to remove all types of sins from mind, speech and action through various parts of the body. This Homam is prescribed for expiation of a wide range of sins. This is mentioned in Second Chapter of Taittiriya Aranyaka of Krishna Yajur Veda. Performing Rudram homam, chanting Aghamarshana Suktam while bathing, chanting Trisuparna Mantra while eating, reciting Purusha Suktam while praying and performing Trikala Sandhyavandanam daily three times verily remove the sins of various types, During the modern age of the dreaded Kali yuga, chanting of the name of the Supreme Lord Krishna is the final atonement for all sins. This is evidenced by the following Sanskrit verse which forms part of the Trikala Sandhya worship.


It has to be clearly kept in mind that the remedies prescribed for the various sins under the dharma sastras are over and above the punishment that the sinner has to necessarily undergo and suffer at the hands of the rulers as per the law of the land applicable.

CASE STUDIES:

Harshad Mehta, was the Big Bull of the Stock Market and Architect of the massive Stock manipulation scheme worth about 100 Billion Rupees. In his chart Sun occupies Cancer aspected by Saturn in Libra. This is a combination for Swarnastheya (Stealing of Gold), one of the Pancha Maha Paapas mentioned in scriptures. He was on trial for about 9 Years and was also convicted by the Supreme Court. He died at the age of 47 due to a heart attack in December 2001. In his chart, the 4th house which rules purity of mind is afflicted by both Mars and Rahu. This was the major factor for his death due to heart attack as 4th house rules over the heart region. At the time of passing away, he was in Venus dasha, which is the dasha of the 9th Lord in 12, reflecting negation of divine grace. Overall, this chart can be studied by students of Astrology, as one that instigates a person to do Sins and eventually pay the price as a consequence.

The Italian dictator, Mussolini was born on 29th July 1883 at 14.00 hours in Predappio, Italy. A number of intellectuals were killed during his fascist rule in Italy which extended from 1925 to 1945. A large number of people were also killed during Italy's colonial invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. Poison gas was used to kill the Ethiopian Soldiers and great deal of suffering was inflicted on the Ethiopians by Mussolini.
In Mussolini's chart Saturn as 5th Lord is afflicted in the 8th. Mercury in Cancer is also indicative of the Sin of harming or killing learned people. The Lord of 10 (Moon) hemmad between Mars and Saturn is also indicative of a cruel mindset. Perhaps as a consequences of his Sins, Mussolini was killed by the Partisans on 28th April 1945, at the fag end of Saturn dasha which also coincides with the fag end of Sade Sathi, Saturn as a giver of Karmic consequences gave him a sad end.

HOROSCOPE OF MEENA KUMARI

With Moon in Cancer, one can consider the chart of Meena Kumari to explain the adverse influence of alcoholism, which forms part of the “Five major sins”. In her chart the Fifth house is afflicted by Rahu, while Mars as Fifth Lord from Moon, is in the 12th. In the category of sins giving rise to doshas, we have the Sun in Cancer, aspected by Saturn. Though Saturn as Lord of 4th is well placed it is afflicted by Martian aspect, while the 4th Lord from Moon (Venus) is relegated to the 12th. She was the winner of Four Filmfare awards in the “Best Actress” category. At a relatively young age Meena Kumari died of Cirrhosis of the Liver, while in her late thirties.