Deekshaant Mahotsav

Hindu Baccalaureate Service

Organized by
The Hindu Student Association of Duke University
Kishor Trivedi
kst@ee.duke.edu
May 12, 2007

Hari Om and good afternoon graduates, families and friends.

I am a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering here at
Duke. I thank HSA for giving me this opportunity to say a few
words to the graduates on this occasion of their Deekshaant
ceremony.

Let us begin by first congratulating the graduates and their parents

and by reciting a prayer to Lord Shri Ganesha. Let us also wish them
the very best that life has to offer.

Vakra tunda mahaakaaya, Surya koti samaprabha

Nirvighnam kuru me deva, sarva kaaryeshu sarvadaa

Meanings
O Bhagwan Shri Ganesha of large body, curved trunk, with the brilliance of a
million suns, please make all my work free of obstacles- always.

We started this Baccalaureate service when my daughter Smita was a

Duke undergraduate. Searching through the literature and with the
advice of friends, I located this reading that we use for the service
today. Let us thank Dr. Vamsee Pamula and Dr. Vijay Srinivasan for
the beautiful chanting of these verses (actual verses in Sanskrit and
their English Transliteration is given on the last page of this
document).

The chosen reading is from the Vedas, know as Shruti, primary

scriptures of Hinduism. The word Veda literally means knowledge;
it contains both sacred and secular teachings. There are four books
of the Vedas: Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. Yajurveda is further
divided into two branches: Krishna and Shukla. This reading is
from Krishna Yajurveda. In particular, it is from Taittiriya
Upanisad, Shikshavalli portion. This is a time tested (over 5,000
years) convocation address that is also used today in Banaras
Hindu University and parts of it by Director S. G. Dhande in IIT
Kanpur.

Vedamanoochya acharyah antevasinam anusasti

In ancient times, the teacher (Vaishampayan) has just completed
teaching the Vedas over twelve years and is making concluding
remarks to his pupils. He gives his parting advice, a convocation
address in 25 parts. Besides the individual parts, the sequence is
also important. I will attempt to explain a few of his main points
and thereby give some parting advice to you as you get ready to
plunge into either a job or go to graduate school.

Satyam vada, Speak the truth, but a caution may be added not to
speak unpleasant truth.

(Satyam Bruyat, Priyam Bruyat na Bruyat Asatyam Apriyam)

All that you speak must be truth but you do not have to say all that
is true.
Dharmam chara
Practice righteousness -- act according to your Dharma. Now
Dharma is a complex word with many meanings. Here I like to
interpret it as duty. So the teacher says, do your duty. We have a
normal tendency to emphasize our rights. This verse tells us that
along with these rights come many duties and responsibilities. To
drive a car is your right but your duty is to obey the traffic laws.
Owning a vehicle, you may think, is your right but arranging to
pay for the cost of the vehicle, insurance, maintenance and gas is
your duty.

You have a duty to yourself, to your family, and to the

society/nation/humanity.

Svadhyayan ma pramadaha.
Your first duty is to the scriptures. You should read, understand
and inculcate their teaching in your daily life. An excellent
exposition on Srimad Bhagvad Gita by Eknath Easwaran that is
being used every Sunday by HSA is appropriately titled, Bhagvad
Gita for Daily Living.

Acharyay priyam dhanam ahrutya.

Your next duty is to earn and pay off debt to your teachers. In the
olden days, you paid your fees at the end of your studies. In the
present context it means paying back any loans that you may have
taken on for the privilege of this education. Only then you may
think of marriage and start a family.

Prajatantum ma vyavachchetseehi.
Do not cut off the family line. It is your duty to propagate the
family lineage.

Satyan na pramaditavyam. Dharman na pramaditavyam.

May you lead a righteous life (right thoughts, right speech, right
actions).
Kushalan na pramaditavyam.
May you always remember duty to yourself. Take care of your
own health – physical, mental and financial. Protect yourself.

Bhootyai na pramaditavyam.
May you not neglect propitious activities (duty to society at large).
One who wants to do something will find a way; one who doesn’t
will find an excuse. Those who bring sunshine to the lives of
others cannot keep it away from themselves. In short develop a
social consciousness. Teacher basically says that you should shift
from being primarily consumer to being primarily a contributor.

Svadhyaya pravachanabhyaam na pramaditavyam.

May you not neglect the study and propagation of scripture.
Learning, both sacred and secular, is a lifelong pursuit; it does not
end with graduation.

Devpitrkaryabhyam na pramaditavyam
May you not neglect your duty to the environment; recall here the
three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Do not neglect your duty to
your forefathers by maintaining your culture, religion and
traditions. HSA is a very good example here.

Matrudevo bhava.
Treat your mother with great respect.

Pitrudevo bhava.
Treat your father with great respect.

Acharya devo bhava.

Treat your teachers with great respect.

Atithi devo bhava.

Treat your guests with great respect.
Yani anavadyani karmani. Tani sevitavyani. No itarani. Yani
asmakam sucharitani. Tani tvayopasyani. No itarani.
As you gain more freedom, you also have responsibilities. You
will be responsible for the consequences of your actions. So the
teacher says: Those actions which are free from blemish should be
undertaken and not others. Only noble and virtuous actions should
be followed and not others. This is an example of your duty to
yourself, to your family and to society.

Now that you have fulfilled your primary duties, next comes
charity.

Sraddhaya deyam, asraddhayaa adeyam, sriya deyam, hriya

deyam, bhiya deyam, samvida deyam.
Always volunteer; don’t get so wrapped up in your other duties
that you don’t find any time to volunteer. Give to worthy causes.
Give with sympathy and respect to the recipient, not with
disrespect. Give plenty (give till it hurts). Give with modesty and
humility. Give with full understanding and knowledge of the
recipient (organization).

In conclusion, even though these verses were composed more than

5,000 years ago, they relate to our lives today. Hari Om and God
bless you all.

At this point the assembly blesses the graduates with following

stanza:
“May your desire for a long, healthy life with fame, wealth and
progeny be fulfiled.”

We now give the original Sanskrit verses from Shiksha Valli of the
Taittiriya Upanishad:
v:ðdm:n:Ücy:ac:ay::ðünt:ðv:aes:n:m:n:ØS:aest: .
s:ty:ö v:d . D:m:üö c:r . sv:aDy:ay:anm:a )m:dH .
A:c:ay:aüy: e)y:ö D:n:m:aÆty: )j:at:nt:Øö m:a vy:v:cCðts:iH .
s:ty:aÀ )m:edt:vy:m:Î . D:m:aüÀ )m:edt:vy:m:Î .
kÙS:l:aÀ )m:edt:vy:m:Î . B:Üty:ò n: )m:edt:vy:m:Î .
sv:aDy:ay:)v:c:n:aBy:aö n: )m:edt:vy:m:Î
dðv:ep:t:àkay:aüBy:aö n: )m:edt:vy:m:Î . m:at:àdðv::ð B:v: .
ep:t:àdðv::ð B:v: . A:c:ay:üdðv::ð B:v: . Aet:eT:dðv::ð B:v: .
y:any:n:v:½aen: km:aüeN: . t:aen: s:ðev:t:vy:aen: . n::ð Et:raeN: .
y:any:sm:akú s:Øc:ert:aen: .t:aen: tv:y::ðp:asy:aen: n::ð Et:raeN: .
y:ð kñ c:a,m:cCÕðy:aús::ð b:ÒaÉN:aH .t:ð\:aö tv:y:a||s:n:ðn: )Ã:es:t:vy:m:Î .
Â:¹y:a dðy:m:Î .AÂ:¹y:a|dðy:m:Î . eÂ:y:a dðy:m:Î . eÆy:a dðy:m:Î . eB:y:a dðy:m:Î .
s:öev:da dðy:m:Î .

English Transliteration of the above Sanskrit verses:

Vedamanucyacaryo'ntevasinam anusasti. Satyam vada, dharmam
cara, svadhyayan ma pramadah, acaryaya priyam dhanam ahrtya
prajatantum ma vyvacchetsih. Satyanna pramaditavyam,
dharmanna pramaditavyam kusalanna pramaditavyam, bhutyai na
pramaditavyam, svadhyaya-pravacanabhyam na pramaditavyam,
deva-pitr-karyabhyam na pramaditavyam. Matrdevo bhava,
pitrdevo bhava, acarya-devo bhava, atithi-devo bhava,
yanyanavadyani karmani tani sevitavyani, no itarani,
yanyasmakam sucaritani tani tvayopasyani, no itarani.
Ye ke casmaccchreyamso Brahmanah. Tesam tvayasanena
prasvasitavyam. Srddhaya deyam. asraddhaya'deyam, sriya deyam,
hriya deyam, bhiya deyam, samvida deyam.

Below we give two quotes that are very appropriate. The first one
is from the Convocation address of Prof. Dhande, who is the
Director of IIT Kanpur, India.

“Remember that your knowledge and intellectual attainment is the

most sacred wealth of the nation. You shall, therefore, use it in a
manner befitting the honor and dignity of your country and of your
alma mater. You shall make every effort, in all circumstances, to
uphold the dignity of your profession and integrity of your
character. You shall endeavor, in every way, through thought,
word and action, to bring about the well being of people. You
must live a well-disciplined life. Never forget the commandment
of the sacred scriptures:” (Director Dhande)
The second quote is from Swami Chidanand Sarswati’s interview
published by Hinduism Today:
Q: Have you got any special message for Hindu youth who may be
reading this interview?
A: "Never give up. You CAN do it all. You CAN be successful
and also spiritual, professional and also pious, courageous and also
compassionate. You do not have to forsake your rich, beautiful,
ancient tradition in order to succeed and thrive in the West. In fact,
it is your anchor to your Indian and Hindu roots which will provide
you with the deep, inner happiness and meaning in your life to
parallel your external success and prosperity. You have a great
amount to share with the world. Let yourself be strongly rooted in
your divine spiritual and cultural tradition, and you will prosper,
thrive and succeed in every area of life. May God bless you all."