20. Morality Is Customized!

Are you confused with the rules for leading a good life? Look deeper for clarity.

On the outside every religion seems to be saying different things. For Hindus vegetarianism is right; for Christians non vegetarian food is no taboo. A Hindu can marry only once; but in Islam you can marry four times. A Hindu can't drink alcohol and liquor; but in Christianity, Jesus himself consumed wine.

In South Bharat, fish is considered as non vegetarian food. In Bengal, they call it Gangaphal (fruit from the Ganga). Bengali brahmins (priestly class) eat fish. There is no Bengali house which doesn't have a small pond in front of their house. They grow fish. They eat fresh fish. The enlightened master Ramakrishna used to eat fish. Bengali brahmins eat fish every day and fish is considered as vegetarian food. For Bengalis, fish, sweet, and tobacco are the basic requirements. Ramakrishna used to smoke. Vivekananda used to smoke. They were enlightened masters, without a doubt.

There are so many rules, so many regulations in different places, different situations and different societies. As we look deeper, we begin to realize that our understanding about what is right and what is wrong isn't always the same.

Yet, our guilt begins with our understanding of what is right and what is wrong. Let us analyze, what is the scale to measure right or wrong?

We measure it based on local customs and traditions. A custom, during the course of several years, becomes solidified into a moral code, or morality.

If we read the ancient scriptures, epics of Bharat, such as Mahabharata, Princess Draupadi was married to five men! Today she would be behind bars! Kunti was married to five men! Kunti's sons, all five of them, were born of different men! Draupadi lived with five men! Neither Kunti nor Draupadi were considered immoral in their times or place.

Let us open our eyes to explore, observe, and appreciate the plurality around us. There are so many kinds of life systems, so many different customs around the world. Each of these has led to so many different kinds of morality; so many different kinds of life structure and so may different kinds of thinking systems.

At different times special rules were prescribed by leaders. What is morality in one society is immorality in another. In some society some thing is right and in some other society the same thing is wrong.

Life is full of contradictions. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says, Don't let them rule you.