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The Concept of Pancasila in Indian thought
compassion for demons and daman or self-control for the gods.1 This shows that dana is particularly a human virtue. By 'dāna' or charity he meant equality, and love should be cultivated for all human beings. In the Chandogya also dāna occupies the foremost position among the three cardinal virtues. Mahānārāyaṇa also regards dāna equivalent to yajña, and it is said that däna is praised by every living being.*
The Upanisads speak not only of the value of dana but also of the aparigraha. The distinction occupied by the worldly possessions in the Vedas and the Brahmanas seems to lose strength in the Upanisads. Non-attachment for such possessions gained appreciation. Here a celebrated conversation between Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi may be quoted from Bṛhadaranyaka Upanisad. When Yajnavalkya wanted to make a partition of his estate between his two wives, Maitreyi is said to have chosen the spiritual portion of his estate, and said "supposing I obtain the possession of the whole earth full of wealth, by that I shall not attain immortality." "Cerainly not" replied Yājšavalkya, "Thy life will be only like the life of those who have all kinds of conveniences but there is no hope for immortality by the mere possession of wealth. It is not for its own sake that everything is dear, but for the sake of 'atman' that everything is dear." This is a clear clue to aparigraha. Even more clear examples of aparigraha are found in the Upanisads like Īsāvāsya and Bṛhadāraṇyaka, where Iśāvāsya says that one should not covet and be greedy for others' wealth; on the other hand,
1. एतत्र्य शिक्षद्दमं दानं दयाम् । – Brhad. 5.2.3.
2.
यज्ञोऽध्ययनं दानमिति प्रथमं । —Chando. 2.23. दानं तपो यज्ञस्तपः । — Mahānārāyana, 8.1.
anfufa qaifa yaıfa xiefa amaanfagon¿ deurzacà 1
-Ibid., 21.2.
3.
4.
5.
ईशा वास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किंच जगत्यां जगत्
तेन त्यक्तेन न भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्य सिद्धनम् । – Iso. 1.
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