Starting the day
1. Wake up early in the morning at Usha-kala i.e one and half-hours before the sunrise.
2. The first act on rising from the bed should be meditating on the Glory of God and praying for His Grace.
3. Next is to plan one’s religious (daily rituals) and secular duties to be performed during the course of the day. Time management is very important.
4. One should not start once daily activities (except those in concurrence with elders and teachers) before offering the morning rituals, prayers and worship of deities at home.
Rituals, Scriptures and Faith
5. The prayers and the Japa (daily rituals) should be offered at the time of sunrise and sunset without fail everyday. Daily rituals bring the Balance into your life.
6. No disrespect should be shown to Vedas and other allied scriptures.
7. The meaning of Vedic mantras, epics (like Ramayana and Mahabharatha), Puranas and Gayathri Mantra should be understood with the help of a competent teacher. You should constantly contemplate on those words of wisdom.
8. You should never be an atheist, rejecting the existence of God. Faith in Him is one thing that provides you everything else in this World.
Respect of elders and teachers
9. The advice offered by your parents, elders and teachers should be readily followed without delay. Time should not be wasted in analyzing the pros and cons of their advice. Their love and affection always protects us. Most of the time it is our arrogance that makes us neglect the timely advise of our elders.
10. When elders approach a youngster, the Prana (Life force) of the young one begins to move upwards. The Prana regains its normal position, when youngster stands up and shows respect to the elder. Youngsters should always treat elders with more respect; follow them humbly when they move away. Grass bends and survives the tempest whereas the trees that stand upright are uprooted.
11. Never should you desert the Gurus (teachers) even if they are found to be dishonest. Sometimes it is to test your faith. Dishonesty to teacher is sure to cut short your life span.
12. Every day you should hear, read and contemplate on the life and deeds of great Mahatmas (Great spiritual personalities). The life of great souls and their and good deeds provide us the strength to face the turmoil of Life without fear or anxiety and provide us the most required Faith on Him.
Speech, attitude and manners
13. There should be great restraint in speech. Telling lies, caustic remarks, critical attitude, bursting with anger, rebukes and tale bearing should be avoided. Most of our energy in a day is wasted due uncontrolled utterances.
14. You should never laugh at persons in distress, sorrow or in a fallen, disabled condition. “Nana janasya shushroosha” should be our goal.
15. When you move about whether on a road or in a vehicle, you should leave enough space for the old, elders and teachers, sick persons, pregnant women, persons carrying heavy loads and weak persons. Similar attitude is to be shown to Gomatha, the cattle, when you move about on a road. It is these little actions of kindness that makes your day happy.
16. Those with bad manners like biting one’s nails or unnecessarily tasting and wasting the food by making it unclean and inconsumable, do not live a long life. Similarly it is in auspicious to scratch ones head with both hands simultaneously.
17. Manners required at a particular time and place are to be taught early in the life. Habits are difficult to break later.
Care for Nature
18. Those who spoil or abuse the Nature like recklessly breaking the rocks or clusters of soil or cutting the grass or trees needlessly, do not live a long life “Prakriti (nature) is Goddess Lakshmi. How one becomes rich by being ungrateful to the Abundance provided by Her?
Food, Sleep, Purity and Cleanliness
19. Sacred objects should not be touched with hands unclean or with unwashed hands after consuming food. The Sun, Moon and the Stars are the light bearing spheres of the sky. They should not be viewed when your body is not clean. Even the bright rays of light when passed through tainted glass become dull and tainted. Hence the glass (your body) should also be pure to receive the healthy rays of Sun.
20. The sun should not be seen at the time of sunrise and sunset and even during the solar eclipse
21. Before taking meals, you should wash your hands, legs, mouth and face. While eating, observe silence and eat with a calm mind, without anger and restlessness. Food is a sacred image of God. It should not be disgraced with. adverse comments. Ultimately what, where, when and how you eat decides your Health.
22. The Achamana (purifying act) is to be performed after taking the food, after returning home from a walk, after urinals or movement of bowels so that your body is always clean and pure.
23. The food at night should light. Heavy meals to be avoided at night.
24. Raising early in the morning leads to good health
25. Sleeping in day time shortens ones life-span
Marriage and family life
26. Adultery leads to dangers and miseries untold. Marriages do not survive. Entire family suffers due to adultery of any kind. It is sure shorten one’s life span.
Even if a person was born with misery, disabilities, diseases, if he were to follow these SADACHARAs (Code of Conduct) he is sure to lead a long and prosperous life.
This is not an exhaustive list of SADACHARAs. Additional details of good conduct should be learnt from the competent elders who have practiced Dharma and have good practical wisdom of its subtleties.
– by Late Prof. Shreesha Ballal
[Source: Bhishmacharya’s Initiation To Pandavas’s Chief Dharamaraja In The Epic “Sri Mahabharatha” –Anushasanika Parva, Adhyaya-16]
Late Prof. Shreesha Ballal’s collection and translation, which was published in Sugunamala in Kannada, which has been remodeled.
This is a wonderful article I have come across. Since it is a small one, it makes me read again and again and keeps reminding my cultures and values. Thanks for sharing such wonderful articles and hope to see many more.
Prof Shresha Ballal of Ambalpadi Beedu, during his life time, followed fully the sadacharas he had preached. I am having great admiration for him and congratulate you for publishing the article.
It is good to see these type of articles……….but do you think , it is possible to follow all the mentioned above ………because most of the brahmins come out from their own city and go to other places for thier bread and butter.l….In this modern era………it is not possible….it was possible when brahmins had a respect in the society….I dont thinks so, there is a respect to brahmins in this society.
secondly………..if we follow two things in our daily life………it gives more spiritual knowledge than anything……………that is – not to go against nature and not to hurt any living being in this universe.
rest comes all the statue poojas or japa,tapas etc……..
if human being or specilay brahmin, do this two things…i think we will be having the respect which we use to get olden days.
I have heard that, one of the sadachara is not to cross Seas. So it is actually against the Sadachara to go to US?