Concept of Pancasila in Indian Thaought

Author(s): Kamla Jain
Publisher: P V Research Institute Varanasi

Page 22

Sila and its Allied Problems
difference indicates the real contrast between the two prominent cultures of India, Brāhmaṇical and Śramaņical. By Brāhmaṇical culture is meant not only the Brāhmaṇas, but all ritualistic Vedic literature, where renunciation or asceticism is not the main theme. Similarly by Śramaņical culture is meant not only Jaina and Buddhist systems (though they undoubtedly occupy the main position) but all those schools of thought which lay stress on renunciation and asceticism, even if they later on merged into Vedic or orthodox trend.
The Brāhmaṇical system, ever since the time of the Rgveda, held society or social well-being as the basis of the fundamental ingredient of morality. The social set up is the central pivot around which the whole Vedic literature is clustered, Society is the whole for which the individuals, the parts, are supposed to work; it is the whole which is important, the parts are important but only secondarily. The institutions of āśrama (stages of life) and the varņa (caste system) stand for the orderly progress of society whose individuals have high socio-ethical morale. Though varṇa system does appear in Rgveda, prominent scholars believe it to be a later devel. opment while the aśrama system is not at all existent in Rgveda. However, the life of the householder is most respected, and it is the common feature of both Ķgvedic and Upanişadic literature. Even in the āśrama system sanyāsa or renunciation has been introduced, yet it is not as significant as the householder's life. Only those rituals were held in prominence which were valuable for the people in society.
Thus with social happiness as the basis of morality certain standards of valuation of actions were evolved. These standards in the main are two, (i) the authority of the scriptures and (ii) tradition. The authority of the scriptures is sometimes understood as the sole criterion to justify or reject an action, that is an action is good, only if it is recommended in the