What’s morals …….What’s Ethics

The difference between ethics and morals is multidimensional. This makes it difficult to understand and introduces situations difficult to analyze and cause bewilderment. Let us sum up the confusion regarding ethics and morals.
Ethics originates from (Greek tà ēthiká, ) and morals from (Latin morālis ) but are exactly the same in English. ethics according to Dictionary is “the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture” .Morals on the other hand means “founded on the fundamental principles of right conduct rather than on legalities, enactment, or custom: moral obligations.”. The difference is coming in the word legal. Bad Morals is wrong in all situations to all people. But with ethics involves legal implications and social implications of society and interpreted differently according to jurisprudence and the societies stated objectives. For example in earlier times Freedom was less important than rights of possession of wealth as compared to present times. Hence even changes with time.
The Greek word “Ethos,” meaning character or personal disposition while the word moral is derived from the Latin “Mos,” meaning custom. Therefore it should be argued that ethics are the individual’s ability to determine between right and wrong while morals are the societal values collectively. Morals define personal character, while ethics stress a social system in which those rules are applied.
So ethics point to standards or codes of behavior expected by the group to which the individual belongs. This could be national ethics, social ethics, company ethics, professional ethics, or even family ethics. So while a person’s moral code is usually unchanging, the ethics he or she practices can be other-dependent.
Morality based on things such as the 10 Commandments, whereas ethics are based on fairness, and acting justly– basically the same thing but in effect Clearly the violation of ethics cause minimal damage to the society but violation of morals cause a huge damage to the humanity itself. The difference in these word will be seen from the effect. If a powerful person is unethical then the damage could be heavy. Say a minister being corrupt etc. But at the same time when a powerful person is immoral then the damage to the society could be immense and irreparable for long time.

Vali’s accusations………of Rama

Vali accosts Rama with following accusations. Many people question Rama’s ethics of shooting from back. But first let us see what Vali accuses Rama of. The list below is very exhaustive and comprises of many sins.
1. What merit is achieved by you, in sending me to death when I am facing away from you. sloka (4-17-16) ,sloka (4-17-21)
2. This senseless murder is not the job of a King . sloka (4-17-19)
3. You have strayed from the path of righteousness sloka (4-17-22)
4. You are a sinner sloka (4-17-23)
5. I have not committed any crime in your country or in mine. sloka (4-17-24)
6. No learned person will commit a crime like this sloka (4-17-27)
7. I am an animal whose parts are of no use to humans so why did you killwantonly. sloka (4-17-30) ,sloka (4-17-38) ,sloka (4-17-39)
8. You killed out of self interest sloka (4-17-33)
9. You did this in distress without thought sloka (4-17-34)
10. You have defamed your father who was great sloka (4-17-43)
11. You are a coward and not a valorous person. sloka (4-17-46) ,sloka (4-17-47)
12. If only you had depended on me you would have achieved your goal easily. sloka (4-17-51)
13. Please answer me if you can sloka (4-17-53)
It should be noted that Vali did not accuse Rama of hiding while shooting Vali. Many Preachers tell he was hiding behind 7 trees etc. This is wrong. He is accused of shooting when Vali was preoccupied and unaware of Rama. He also accuses him of killing him without confronting him.

List of Slokas

Sanskrit	English
4-17-16
त्वम् नराधिपतेः पुत्रः प्रथितः प्रिय दर्शनः | पराङ्मुख वधम् कृत्वा को अत्र प्राप्तः त्वया गुणः | यदहम् युद्ध सम्रब्धः त्वत् कृते निधनम् गतः ||	You are a renowned prince with pleasing looks.. but, which kind of death I am getting now, that too when I was in the commotion of conflict with another, alas, that ignoble death is owing to you, and what merit is achieved by you in this undertaking of yours to kill someone who is facing away from you…. Back
4-17-21
न माम् अन्येन संरब्धम् प्रमत्तम् वेद्धुम् अर्हसि | इति मे बुद्धिर् उत्पन्ना बभूव अदर्शने तव ||	“When you have not appeared before me when I confronted Sugreeva my concept was, ‘it will be inapt of Rama to hurt me while I am combating with another combatant, besides, when I will be unvigilant in that fight…’ Back
4-17-19
दमः शमः क्षमा धर्मो धृति सत्यम् पराक्रमः | पर्थिवानाम् गुणा राजन् दण्डः च अपकारिषु |	“To be able to control senses and will, forgiveness, conscientiousness, resoluteness, truthfulness, and adventurousness, oh, king, are the aptitudes of a king, and even punishing the wrongdoers, too. Back
4-17-22
न त्वाम् विनिहत आत्मानम् धर्म ध्वजम् अधार्मिकम् | जाने पाप समाचारम् तृणैः कूपम् इव आवृतम् ||	“Not known that your soul is put to death, not known that you are the unrighteous flag bearer of righteousness, to me not known that you are insidious like straw covered well. Back
4-17-23
सताम् वेष धरम् पापम् प्रच्छन्नम् इव पावकम् | न अहम् त्वाम् अभिजानामि धर्म छद्माभि संवृतम् ||	“I have no knowledge that you are a sinner, one in the garb of a benign soul, and explicitly mantled under the garb of probity like ash covered fire.;”> Back Back
4-17-24
विषये वा पुरे वा ते यदा पापम् करोमि अहम् | न च त्वाम् अवजाने अहं कस्मात् त्वम् हंसि अकिल्बिषम् || फल मूल अशनम् नित्यम् वानरम् वन गोचरम् | माम् इह अप्रतियुध्यन्तम् अन्येन च समागतम् ||	“I am non-guilty as I have not committed any misdeed either in your country or in your city, nor I have taunted you; I am a vanara subsisting on fruits and tubers and always moving in forests alone; such as I am, what made you to torture me when I was not combating with you en face, furthermore, when I was involved with another? . Back
4-17-27
कः क्षत्रिय कुलेजातः श्रुतवान् नष्टसंशयः | धर्म लिंग प्रतिच्छन्नः क्रूरम् कर्म समाचरेत् ||	“Will anybody born in Kshatriya’s family, a learned one in Veda-s, thereby who is rid of ambiguities with respect to right and wrong, and who is cloaked in an air of probity, execute such a ruthless deed like this? Back
4-17-30
वयम् वनचरा राम मृगा मूल फल अशनाः | एषा प्रकृतिर् अस्माकम् पुरुषः त्वम् नरेश्वरः	“We as animals live in forests while you are city dwellers, we live by eating fruits and tubers while you enjoy feasts and banquets, our nature is such to kill and get killed, thus you and me have no correlation. And you, even if you are a man and a prince for humans, you resorted to this animalistic way of killing me lying in the wait, thus your action is worse than that of an animal, if not subhuman or un-princely. Back
4-17-38
अधार्यम् चर्म मे सद्भी रोमाणि अस्थि च वर्जितम् | अभक्ष्याणि च मांसानि त्वत् विधैः धर्मचारिभिः ||	“My skin is unwearable, holy people forbid my hair and bones, and uneatable is my meat for your kind of reputable people. Back
4-17-39
पंच पंच नखा भक्ष्या ब्रह्म क्षत्रेण राघव | शल्यकः श्वाविधो गोधा शशः कूर्मः च पंचमः ||	“Raghava, five kinds of five-nailed animals, viz., a kind of wild rodent, a kind of wild-boar, a kind of lizard, a hare and fifthly the turtle are edible for Brahmans and Kshatriya-s. Back
4-17-33
त्वम् तु काम प्रधानः च कोपनः च अनवस्थितः | राज वृत्तेषु संकीर्णः शरासन परायणः ||	“But, to you your self-interests are primary, and you are a wrathful, capricious, contriver of kingcraft, and an impetuous shooting-happy archer. Back
4-17-34
न ते अस्ति अपचितिः धर्मे न अर्थे बुद्धिर् अवस्थिता | इन्द्रियैः काम वृत्तः सन् कृष्यसे मनुजेश्वर ||	“Oh, king, you have no devotion to probity, nor your mind is firm about material gains, but as a free-willed one you are distracted by senses. Back
4-17-43
शठो नैकृतिकः क्षुद्रो मिथ्या प्रश्रित मानसः | कथम् दशरथेन त्वम् जातः पापो महात्मना ||	“How are you borne to that great-souled Dasharatha when you are artful, felonious, knavish, disposed to a false modesty subconsciously, and an evildoer? Back
4-17-46
दृश्यमानः तु युध्येथा मया युधि नृपात्मज | अद्य वैवस्वतम् देवम् पश्येः त्वम् निहतो मया ||	“The valour that which is displayed on the unprejudiced few like us, oh, Rama, I do not see that sort of valour is shown by you in respect of your enemies. Back
4-17-47
अर्थेन हि वियुक्तस्य पुरुषस्याल्पतेजसः | व्युच्छिद्यन्ते क्रियाः सर्वा ग्रीष्मे कुसरितो यथा ||	“Had you been in combat with me en face oh, prince, you would have been killed by me and by now you would have seen the death-god Yama. Back
4-17-51
न्यस्ताम् सागर तोये वा पाताले वा अपि मैथिलीम् | आनयेयम् तव आदेशात् श्वेताम् अश्वतरीम् इव ||	“I would have brought Maithili at your order even if she is lodged in oceanic waters or in nether worlds, as with the White Horse of Vedic lore. Back
4-17-53
अर्थ धर्मौ परित्यज्य यः कामम् अनुवर्तते | एवम् आपद्यते क्षिप्रम् राजा दशरथो यथा ||	“Admittedly the world is this way, and if possible a relevant reply may gently be thought ofabout your propriety in killing me…” So said Vali to Rama. Back

                                              Back To Ramayana Topics List

All Sloka Translations are from the site Valmiki Ramayana

Hazare ……a Stage managed show!

Right from Common wealth Games attack on Kalmadi a stage managed show (No action has been taken against Kalmadi though including his servants many are in Lockup) was done through TV by Congress. Parties like BJP/RSS fell for it. They never questioned where the TV Channels got the documents and as long it was against Congress they had fun and joined the tirade. But suddenly from nowhere Hazare popped in and it was called peoples (Insignifinat 5% educated people) movement. Congress has launched itself and this country into a new course. Now the status is that anti corruption Ombudsman will be launched. What have the people got to loose? All small parties will not be able to operate as they will not be able to raise funds. This is death knell to parties led by people like Mulayam, Kumaraswamy etc. In Today’s morning paper Kumaraswamy has already cried that this is foul. When parties like DMK are being finished this is just a beginning for new politics – Congress dominated.-in India. The way Hazare praises Modi shows that they are trying hard to get BJP’s concurrence. What more is required to show that this is stage managed. BJP without the support of small parties is no match to Congress. And Congress will coolly rule for at least next 15 years. It is high time the intelligentia reacted and stop this nonsense. For all you know Hazare may have been promised Bhrat Ratna. If the rule is cobbled then it will be difficult to stop it. Please see that corruption by itself is not as bad as anti corruption crusade of Communists. Congress party has huge funds and they don’t need to be obviously corrupt but smaller parties like Telugu Desam etc. get defunct if they are not in the ruling for more than 10 years. That is the status of politics in India. Moving into 2 party system like in USA and UK where both the parities jointly rob and nobody will be able to do anything. Many may be attracted by 2 party system but in Politics known devil is always better than unknown one. See Egypt.

Family Structure

Normally a family tree does not go 3 generation behind, and does not track the entire tree. Luckily some elders in my family have tracked from 1700 and the full tree is available minus of course the daughters lineage (Yes we are male chauvinistic pigs). This is almost impossible and more difficult than Alex Haley’s roots. In Roots he traces only his elders. Of course it is not up to date and with little effort present generation can be updated. Hope this will encourage many to take effort to track their lineage also. Please see the tree in XL format heredity