The Shiva Vishnu Temple at
Livermore, CA
Core Values
It is strongly recommended that every
individual put in writing a personal set of core values to
guide the actions of his or her life. We offer an example of
such a set of Core Values that I use to guide my life, but
such a set must be tailored to the mix of Gunas that the
individual is endowed with. While most of the values are
universal in nature , there may be some that are not.
1. Integrity(1) Sattwa,Suddhi XE
“Sattwa,Suddhi” \b . A hankering for the truth is
essential in this kind of endeavor (or any field of
endeavor). Truth is conceptualized in many ways. What is the
real truth? What is the ultimate truth? What is metaphysical
truth or, what lies beyond? In seeking answers to all these
questions, what is stressed upon is that one should be true
to oneself, not just when interacting with another outside
the Self.
The study of History (or any other
endeavor) must be accompanied by a hankering for the truth.
Such a narrative must have few if any inconsistencies and
none which are major.
2. Celebration of Diversity
(ability to synthesize opposing viewpoints, inability to do
so is a sign of weakness and a sign of Avidya where one
falls prey to Ahankara). “Ekam sat Vipraa, bahudha vadanti.”
“Truth is one, the wise call It by various names.”
For many if not the vast majority,
diversity signifies primarily if not exclusively diversity
of ethnicities or races. But such a viewpoint ignores the
very real diversity that exists in differing ideologies,
opinions, experiences regardless of ethnic or class
diversity. We maintain that the real test of being
completely at home in a diverse environment, lies in
synthesizing diverse viewpoints , while not necessarily
agreeing with them.
Celebration of Diversity or at least
the recognition of such diversity and its enthusiastic
acceptance must remain a fundamental obligation of all
nation states and the responsibility of all the individual
citizens of a nation state and not just those of its
citizens who are deemed to belong to a majority. Those who
view themselves as a minority have to bear such an
obligation in equal measure and cannot shirk such a
responsibility with a plea that they are a minority and
hence do not have to shoulder the same responsibilities as
the rest of the populace.
At the same time celebration of
diversity does not mean that one should tolerate the
intolerant or accept egregious behavior, simply to observe
political correctness .
3. Courage(dhairya, dhiratva XE
“dhairya, dhiratva” \b ) to think outside the box and
adopt new paradigms (Viswakarma), to admit your mistakes,
show remorse and apologize where applicable and move on to
persevere in the face of great odds and to fight against
evil (Thithiksha). This also includes a reverence for the
traditions of our ancient civilization and the courage to
defend such traditions against tyranny and terrorism. We
should be explicit in stating in a fashion reminiscent of a
statesman in the west,
“Let it resound in the distant regions
of this planet, whether there are those that wish us well or
ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any
hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the
survival of the cherished values and traditions of the Hindu
4. Detachment or VairAgya XE
“Vairagya” \b When faced with the consequences of one’s
action, Hinduism XE “Hinduism” \b asks you to stand aside
and become a witness (sAkshI bhAva). Rather than respond
with extreme excitement or deep depression, accept what
comes to you, without your intervention, with a certain
detachment. In victory and failure, reflect, understand, and
inquire. The way you think influences your way of life and
helps you motivate yourself without external aids. VairAgya
is a core value which is perhaps emphasized to a greater
degree than it is in the Occident.
5. Viveka, XE “Viveka,” \b to
discriminate between what is good and what needs to be
discarded. To preserve enduring traditions and values and
discard those which are no longer relevant using Viveka
6. Compassion for those who need
help and who cannot help themselves and those who are
disadvantaged in society and who need a helping hand
7. Reverence for all life forms
, and in particular human life is a central core value. The
taking of a human life is a grave matter and is permitted to
societies (and nations) only under conditions of extreme
provocation, such as self defense. To wage war to reclaim
lost territory or to avenge past wrongs becomes highly
problematic under the prevailing charter of internationally
acceptable behavior. It is all the more imperative that when
one is forced into war that the fight be fought with valor
,courage and single minded determination to win, since the
alternative could be very costly, as India has learned from
past experience.
8. Tolerance for Ambiguity.
Contrary to Einstein, the world and the events that take
place in this world are not deterministic. One can only
describe certain phenomena in a probabilistic paradigm. The
certainty in ones belief system may be a luxury only
Prophets can afford. For, the rest of us we have to rest
content with a degree of belief and tolerate the inherent
ambiguities of many facets of life
9. Respect for the individual and
his/her individuality. We thank Ishwara for blessing the
human species with the gift of diversity and we believe in
dealing with each individual based on his/her actions and
behavior and not on the basis of their status or class or
Varna in society
10. It is our belief that a study of
history in general and our history in particular has lessons
to teach us. We make no apology therefore for our emphasis
on history in these pages, and our quest to unravel an
account of our history that is accurate. It behooves us
therefore to study history in order to cull those actions,
policies, principles and values that have stood the test of
time ,while at the same time learning from those instances
deemed generally to be failures. In short the purpose is not
so much to dwell on the ‘glories’ of the past but to learn
and continue to be inspired so as to aspire to reach even
greater heights.
11. Reverence for Knowledge,
both Para and Apara Vidya XE “Paara and Apaara Vidya” \b
and a determination (Thithiksha) to pursue the studies of
the ancient knowledge in Sanskrtam. The manuscript wealth of
India exceeds over 5 million. About a million of these have
been catalogued. These staggering numbers indicate, that
there is much that we are not cognizant of when it comes to
the knowledge of the ancients.
12. Freedom to know and be yourself
. It is our strong conviction bolstered by extensive studies
of our ancient scriptures, and vetted by the stringent
requirements of Logic, that the single greatest gift that
the Sanaatana Dharma XE “Dharma” \b bestows upon us is the
freedom to be our Self and the freedom to exercise choices
(Free will). Freedom however is accompanied by
responsibilities, the responsibility to ‘Know thyself’ and
to be accountable for our actions
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