Of Saligia And Shadripu. How East And West See The Sins Of Mankind And Why Does It Affect Us?

Religions intrigue me. I believe that Religions were started to systematize the society. The fundamental religious beliefs moulded the way the rules were set. Hence, a comparative study between different philosophies might just explain the way certain societies behave. This is an attempt to look at one particular point of convergence between 2 philosophies. Due to paucity of time and space, some relevant details might have been missed or not treated with apt detail. I invite you to this short contemplation while I apologize for slips if any. 

The base thought of religion in general can simply be put as follows :

"Guiding mankind to decide what's good and what's not; what a man should or should not do."

How mankind's vices are described in disparate schools of theologies is a good way to determine the degree of authority religious texts enjoy - thus making us ponder what sect is apparently orthodox and which one is lenient. A quick glance at the '7 Seven Deadly Sins' as explained in Catholicism and 'Shadripu' as enlisted in Hindu texts reveals much about the philosophies that underpin the distinct ways of life; separates, so to speak, the very foundation of the Eastern and Western religions.

Having said that, let's be clear that both ways of life are equally pertinent and have stood test of times for centuries now. Thus, proving one better than the other is neither called for nor intended here. Comparison however is done to make ends meet at the end.

Let's examine the Christian (Catholic to be precise) Deadly Sins first. There are 7 of them together abbreviated to SALIGIA. The Latin name is followed by the English one:

1. Superbia - Pride (Ego)

2. Avaritia - Greed

3. Luxuria - Lust (Lechery)

4. Invidia - Envy

5. Gula - Gtuttony (Eating more than required)

6. Ira - Anger (Wrath)

7. Acedia - Sloth (Discouragement towards work)

Committing these sins damns one to what is called a 'Purgatory' in hell. Purgatory is nothing but a brief (how brief depends on the scale of the sin) period of torment and suffering in Hell. Also depends on the scale of the sin, whether the soul reaches Heaven at all. Some sins are unpardonable and damns one to Hell forever. Thus rife is the belief of some people in what are called 'Mortal Sins' - from where there is no return. 

These 7 deadly sins have inspired in a queer way a lot of fine literature in western countries. One that comes out at the top of the head is 'The Divine Comedy' by an Italian Poet Dante Alighiery  - the theme of the latest book from Dan Brown - Inferno. This piece of grisly art from Dante describes in detail the plight of sinful souls through Hell. Some interesting afterthoughts about Saligia; while 'Alcohol' is not permitted by Catholicism, it is not separately mentioned as a sin. Also, the word Luxuria from Latin lends itself to the word 'Luxury' in English. (It was used originally to mean 'more than what one needs.' In modern terms, it is the most sought after pleasures.) What this evokes is that Lust does not only stand for 'craving for carnal pleasures' but also for 'avarice for all other Earthly pleasures.' - Chocolates included? Maybe.

For more details, here's the Wikipedia page : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins

Now let's turn to the Hindu texts. The Sins so to speak in Hinduism are not sins per se. They are explained as Enemies. Shadripu literally translates to 'Six Enemies.' It is also noteworthy that Ancient Hindu religion (called the Vedic Dharma) did not have a concept of heaven or hell at all. Hence the way Hinduism explicates the consequences is different.These enemies are enlisted below:

1. Mada - Pride (Ego)

2. Lobha - Greed

3. Kaama - Lust (Lechery)

4. Matsara - Envy

5. Krodha - Anger (Wrath)

6. Moha - Attachment

If one believes ancient Vedic culture, The 6 enemies are not deadly if committed and do not summon one to hell. (Well concept of Heaven or Hell didn't exist.) Instead, they make living miserable, obviously while one is alive. A remarkable fact here is that Shadripu lack Gluttony (Overeating) as a sin. This could be because the Shadripu were conceptualized to set minds wandering astray from socially amiable paths onto a pious way by offering a benchmark of behavioural traits. Bodily attributes like eating was not assumed important a virtue to be imparted in the social set up where food was abundant.

It is observed that the concept of heaven and hell developed much later in Vedic culture through a natural attempt to counter the arguments from proponents of Western religion. However, the concept of rebirth was not altered in Vedic culture. Instead, an alternate purgatory in the form of low-pedestal lifeform was introduced. A sinful soul from one life would face torment in hell briefly before being dispatched to Earth again to live as a subaltern insect or rodent. Human life life, of course, was reserved for most pious souls with the final aim to achieve salvation once one dies as a human.

The Wikipedia page is a stub, nonetheless, describes bare essentials of Shadripu. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadripu.

Differences in these expositions of sins, though not stark, provide an interesting cogitation. It is observed that 5 of the sins are common to both philosophies viz., Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy and Anger.

Moha (Attachment) has no directly co-related word in Catholic philosophy and not detailed in its texts. As a result, it does not make it to the 7 sins in Catholic literature. On the other hand, Gluttony and Sloth lack apt words in Hindu Literature. As mentioned above, Hindu sins focus more on bringing about mental balance and do not deal with physical attributes of behaviour. The theories of sins per se in both ways of life stem from the fundamental standpoints of resp. religions.

The differences in the sins and their consequences can be a result of one belief central to resp. philosophies. Western thought believes that Humans have a single life; whereas, the Eastern Vedic thought believes that Man has many lives. How this fundamental fact affects the aforementioned would conclude our discourse.

Since Catholics believe there is no rebirth, the duration of striving for salvation or atonement is limited to One Lifetime. This explains the stricter approach it has towards specifying the consequences. 'Mortal Sins' make sure that there is no way to return to the path to piousness. Life is seen as the period of action - good deeds. One's achievements in a lifetime is the sum-total of all subjects. The report card once printed is irrevocable. Thus is seen the urge of people to prove their achievements. Thus a thought is given to each and every action. Thus the sharpening of the axe is prolonged, to not fail when it matters. One might wonder whether this is the cause for taking proverbs like "First Time Right", "First Impression is the Last Impression", "You live only once, Make it count" are stood by. Hence the focus on results, achievements. Linear rules define the course with no room for 'adjustments.' This philosophy also to a large extent explains the western concepts ranging from adhering to traffic lights to business strategies. Western culture's tagline may very well be - 'Life comes once. Make sure you do all good things right here right now.'

Vedic philosophy on the other hand believes in multiple lives till a soul attains salvation. Thus, there is a never ending space for corrections. A bad guy in this life can turn out to be a good insect in next life, hence returning as a good natured horse in consequent life finally achieving humanity in life after that.Life's own torments rather than hell are detrimental to evils. And nothing is a mortal sin here. Thus a life in itself is not an achievement. It is seen just as a step to the next level. The sum-total of achievements in one life only guarantee promotion to next level and need not affect the journey in entirety. One life's sins can be atoned in the next life, or simpler, in this life itself. One bad deed can be balanced by a good one. Daan Dharma, Pooja, Yatra are instant atonements. A monologue with God "Adjust karo. Kal Prashad chadhaunga" it seems is sufficient to clean your slate. Thus are people okay with bending the rules, petty larcenies, disdain towards laws - cos in the end, everything can be rectified. Vedic culture's tagline may be the starkly opposite - 'Life is eternal. Just keep happily doing good things.' 

Pondering over the 2 philosophies, I could not help but reach the aforementioned possible results of the underlying philosophies. These might be correct or way off the target. But what remains the fact is that the 2 religious thoughts under discussion have affected our lives to a large extent. How else do you explain no Indian voyage to foreign lands ever? While countless westerners have touched Indian shores? That is because of the westerns' resolve to make their single life count. 

As I said before, both have stood for centuries and cannot be adjudged correct or false. What can be safely said however is that both have made sure mankind does not derail from the righteous path ever. One confirms it in ONE lifetime, the other for all of them.