SIDDHARTH S. SINHA

BRAHMAN - SOME EXCEPTIONAL QUOTES FROM SCRIPTURES

2015-05-11T12:18:00.001+05:30

BRAHMAN

~The Supreme Soul~

BEFORE CREATION OF UNIVERSE TRUTH DID NOT EXIST,

NOR DID THE UN-TRUE; NEITHER SPACE NOR THE HEAVENS,

WHAT WAS HIDDEN, WHERE, WHO HAD COVERED IT,

IN THAT TIME WHERE WAS THE LAND, THE SKY!

WHO IS THE DOER OF THE UNIVERSE, OR IS HE NOT,

STAYS IN THE HIGH HEAVENS, EVER REMAINS THE LORD,

HE TRULY KNOWS, OR PERHAPS HE KNOWS NOT,

THE WORLD DOESN'T KNOW... NONE KNOW OF IT!

HE EXISTED BEFORE THE GOLDEN EMBRYO OF THE UNIVERSE,

HE IS THE GREAT LORD OF ALL THE PAST,

HE WHO EXISTS BY COVERING HIMSELF WITH EARTH AND HEAVENS,

TO WHICH SUCH GOD DO WE PRAY WITH OUR HOLY OFFERING;

ON WHO'S MIGHT AND BRILLIANCE,

THE HEAVENS ARE BRIGHT, EARTH IS LUSH GREEN

THE HEAVENS AND SUN ARE CONSTANT,

TO WHICH SUCH GOD DO WE PRAY WITH OUR HOLY OFFERING;

HE WHO CREATED WITH THE ETERNAL FIRE IN HIS WOMB,

HE WHO SPREAD THE WATER AND ROCK HERE, THERE, BELOW AND ABOVE,

HE WHO REMAINS THE SOLE SOUL OF WORLDS,

TO WHICH SUCH GOD DO WE PRAY WITH OUR HOLY OFFERING;

'THE' CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, BUILDER OF HEAVENS,

PROTECTOR OF THE ANCESTORS, HE WHO PERVADES TRUTH AND DHARMA, PROTECTOR OF THE ELEMENTS,

SPREAD IN EVERY DIRECTION LIKE HIS MIGHTY ARMS,

TO SUCH GOD WE PRAY WITH OUR HOLY OFFERING

TO HIM WE PRAY WITH OUR HOLY OFFERING;

~THE RIG VEDA~

***

O BRAHMA, LEAD US FROM THE UNREAL TO THE REAL;
O BRAHMA, LEAD US FROM DARKNESS TO ENLIGHTENMENT,
O BRAHMA, LEAD US FROM DEATH TO IMMORTALITY!
PEACE, PEACE, PEACE - AUM!

~BRHADARANAKYA UPANISHAD~

***

I BOW WITH EXTREME HUMBLENESS, OH SUPREME BEING,

TO YOU WHO COMMANDS THE MOVEMENTS OF MIGHTY TIME,

TO YOU WHO IS ETERNAL, AND BEYOND ETERNITY!

~ATHARVA VEDA~

***

THE ONE WHO LOVES ALL INTENSELY,
BEGINS PERCEIVING IN ALL LIVING BEINGS, A PART OF HIMSELF,
HE BECOMES THE LOVER OF ALL,
A PART AND PARCEL OF THE UNIVERSAL JOY,
HE FLOWS WITH THE STREAM OF HAPPINESS,
AND IS ENRICHED BY EACH SOUL!

~YAJUR VEDA~

***

THE HUMAN BODY IS THE THE TEMPLE OF GOD,
ONE WHO KINDLES THE LIGHT OF AWARENESS WITHIN GETS TRUE LIGHT;
THE SACRED FLAME OF YOUR INNER SHRINE IS CONSTANTLY BRIGHT;
THE EXPERIENCE OF UNITY IS THE FULFILLMENT OF HUMAN ENDEAVORS!

~RIG VEDA~

***

SING THE SONG OF CELESTIAL LOVE, O SINGER!
MAY THE DIVINE FOUNTAIN OF ETERNAL GRACE AND JOY
ENTER YOUR SOUL;
MAY BRAHMA PLUCK THE STRINGS OF YOUR INNER SOUL
WITH HIS CELESTIAL FINGERS,
AND FEEL HIS OWN PRESENCE WITHIN,
BLESS US WITH A DIVINE VOICE THAT WE MAY TUNE
THE HARP-STRINGS OF OUR LIFE
TO SING SONGS OF LOVE TO YOU

~RIG VEDA~

***

O SEEKER, KNOW THE TRUE NATURE OF YOUR SOUL,
AND IDENTIFY YOURSELF WITH IT COMPLETELY;
O LORD, MAY WE ATTAIN EVERLASTING CONSCIOUSNESS
OF SUPREME LIGHT AND JOY,!
MAY WE RESOLVE TO DEDICATE OUR LIFE TO THE
SERVICE OF HUMANKIND, AND UPLIFT THEM TO DIVINITY!

~YAJUR VEDA~

***

ALL IS CHANGE IN THE WORLD OF SENSES,
BUT CHANGELESS IS THE SUPREME LORD OF LOVE;
MEDITATE ON HIM, BE ABSORBED BY HIM,
WAKE UP FROM THIS DREAM OF SEPARATENESS!

~SHVETASHVATARA UPANISHAD~

***

MEDITATE ON THE LOTUS OF YOUR HEART,
IN THE CENTER IS THE UNTAINTED;
THE EXQUISITELY PURE, CLEAR, SORROWLESS,
THE INCONCEIVABLE; THE UNMANIFEST OF INFINITE FORM;
BLISSFUL, TRANQUIL, IMMORTAL -
THE WOMB OF BRAHMA!

~KAIVALYOPANISHAD~

***

OF EVERYTHING HE IS THE INMOST SELF;
HE IS THE TRUTH - HE IS THE SELF SUPREME!

~CHANDOGYA UPANISHA~

***

'AUM' - The Eternal Chant,
symbol of Brahman

IN THOSE WHOSE HEARTS 'AUM' REVERBERATES UNCEASINGLY
ARE INDEED BLESSED, AND DEEPLY LOVES AS ONE WHO IS THE SELF:
THE ALL-KNOWING SELF WAS NEVER BORN, NOR WILL IT DIE,
BEYOND CAUSE AND EFFECT, THIS SELF IS ETERNAL AND IMMUTABLE;
WHEN THE BODY DIES, THE SELF DOES NOT DIE!

~KATHA UPANISHAD~

***

THE ALL ENCOMPASSING MANTRA OF 'AUM', INDIVISIBLE, INTERDEPENDENT,
CONSTANTLY REVERBERATES IN THE MIND,
ESTABLISHED IN THE COSMIC VIBRATION,
THE SAGE GOES BEYOND FEAR, DECAY, DEATH
TO ENTER THE INFINITE PEACE!

~PRASHNA UPANISHAD~

***

O ALMIGHTY! YOU ARE THE INFINITE, AS IS THE UNIVERSE;
FROM INFINITE EMERGES THE INFINITE!
HAVING TAKEN INFINITE OUT OF INFINITE, INFINITE REMAIN,!
O ALMIGHTY! MAY THERE BE PEACE, PEACE, PEACE!

~ISHAVASHY UPANISHAD~

***

LOOK TO THIS DAY FOR ITS LIFE, THE VERY BREATH OF LIFE,
IN ITS BRIEF COURSE LIE ALL REALITIES OF YOUR EXISTENCE;
BLISS OF GROWTH, GLORY OF ACTION AND SPLENDOR OF BEAUTY!
FOR YESTERDAY WAS A DREAM, AND TOMORROW BUT A VISION,
BUT TODAY WELL LIVED, MAKES EVERY YESTERDAY A DREAM OF JOY,
AND EVERY TOMORROW A VISION OF HOPE.
LOOK WELL, THEREFOR TO THIS DAY!

~Quoted from an Ancient Sankrit Shloka~

***

THE HIGHEST SELF, ALL ENDLESS BLISS, UNCONDITIONAL, LIMITLESS CONSCIOUSNESS, BEING REALIZED WHETHER THROUGH GREAT TEXTS,
OR THROUGH YOGA, IN ALL EXISTENCE WHATSOEVER -
LET ONE LOSE HIMSELF IN THE ECSTASY OF REALIZATION;
FOR HE HAS FOREVER LOST ALL TOUCH
WITH BONDAGE OF EVERY DESCRIPTION!

~SVARAJYASIDDHI~

***

A PARTICLE OF ITS BLISS SUPPLIES THE BLISS OF ALL UNIVERSE,
EVERYTHING BECOMES ENLIGHTENED IN IT LIGHT;
ALL ELSE APPEARS WORTHLESS AFTER A SIGHT OF ESSENCE.
I AM INDEED OF THIS SUPREME SELF!

~VIGNYAN-NANAKA~

***

THE KNOWER CATCHES IN ECSTASY OF HIS HEART THE FULL LIGHT
OF THAT BRAHMAN WHICH IS INDESCRIBABLE - ALL PURE BLISS,
INCOMPARABLE, TRANSCENDING TIME, EVER FEE, BEYOND DESIRE!

~VIVEKA-CHUDAMANI~

***

BRIGHT BUT HIDDEN, THE SELF DWELLS IN THE HEART, ALL THAT MOVES, BREATHES, OPENS AND SHUTS, LIVES IN THE SELF;
HE IS THE SOURCE OF LOVE, AND MAY BE KNOWN THROUGH LOVE BUT NOT THROUGH THOUGHT. HE IS THE GOAL OF LIFE. ATTAIN THIS GOAL!

~MUNDAKA UPANISHAD~

***

O MYSTERIOUS AND INCOMPREHENSIBLE SPIRIT;
IN THE DEPTHS OF MY HEART THERE IS ONLY YOU - YOU FOREVER!

~Ancient Sankrit Prayer to Brahman~

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compiled by;
Siddharth S. Sinha
ssselan@yahoo.in

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES - VII

2014-04-04T13:15:00.002+05:30

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES - VII

Rukmini Rani Arundale (1904-1986) Bharata Natyam dancer of world fame. She was part of Annie Besant's Theosophical Movement. She traveled all over the world as an ambassador of Indian culture. She was nominated the Rajya Sabha member twice. She married the well-known British Theosophist Dr. George Arundale. She founded the Kalakshetra Academy of Dance and Music in 1936.

She defended the Hindu worship of various deities images:

"All the songs we dance to are of Gods and Goddesses. You may ask, why so many Gods and Goddesses? the only reply I can give is, Why not so many Gods and Goddess?"

"Some people say, ‘I believe in universal religion but when I ask them whether they know anything about Hinduism, they answer in negative. They know nothing about Christianity, or about Buddhism or about any other religion either. In other words,

universality is knowing nothing of anything. Real internationalism is truly the emergence of the best in each….But in India when I say India I mean the India of the sages and saints who gave the country its keynote, there arose the ideal of one life, and of the divinity that lives in all creatures; not merely in humanity.”

She explained the deep meaning of the symbolism in Kallidas' ballad Kumarasambhava: "Why does the story of Kumarasambhava please me? It is because of the symbolism. Finally what Parvati wins is not passion but the devotion and sublimation of herself. Parvati wins Shiva and she becomes united with Him, because she has discovered the greater, indeed the only way of discovering God. This is very beautiful symbology. Shiva burnt to ashes all that is physical. So must a dancer or musician burn to ashes all thought which is dross and bring out the gold which is within."

Rukmini Devi established an approach to dance-drama based on the tenets of the "Natya Shastra".

This was completely new to the genre of Bharatanatyam. Whether it was crossing the Ganga or Ravana carrying Sita on a flying machine, she portrayed them in suggestive movements.

She speaks of the Ramayana and Mahabharata as the 'essential expressions of Indian dance'. Far from being man made stories, she speaks of Sri Rama, Sri Krishna and Buddha in the following manner: "Why was India a world power? Because Sri Krishna had lived in this country, Sri Rama had lived here and so had Lord Buddha. It was their Teaching that made India a great world power."

***

Fred B Eiseman Jr ( ) author of Bali: Sekala and Niskala: Essays on Religion, Ritual and Art. He has lived in Bali since 1961 and has adopted Hinduism.

"Hinduism is founded on the belief that there is order in the world, that the universe is not random. Left entirely to itself, any natural system will tend toward a state of maximum disorder; rocks roll downhill, cold things warm up, living cells die. There exists everywhere in the universe a disordering force. Because order does exist, there must be an equivalent organizing force. What Hinduism seeks is an equilibrium, a
balance, between these forces or tendencies. Order is personified as the gods, dewa and dewi or bhatara and bhatari. Disorder is personified as the earth demons, bhutas and kalas. One can think of order as good, or positive, and disorder as evil or negative. Or you can call order dharma, and disorder adharma. "

"Hinduism recognizes the universe as an ordered whole of which each person, each animal, and each thing is an integral part. And each of these parts stands in a definite and established relationship to every other part - this relationship is dharma. A Hindu feels that his actions, his karma, must be in harmony with his dharma, "duty" or "order." A Hindu cannot look at the world from the point of view of his own interests, without regard for those of his fellow men, his fellow living creatures, and his fellow inanimate objects. His karma must be related to them and to his own dharma. If his karma fulfils his dharma, he contributes toward order and harmony. If it does not, he contributes towards disorder, chaos, and adharma."

"The five fundamentals of Hindu philosophy are: Brahman, the one God, atman, the imperishable spirit, samsara, reincarnation; karma-pala, action and resulting reward and punishment; moksha, uniting with God after the disappearance of desire. These are called the Panch Crada, or "five principles."

"The Gayatri mantra is very popular mantara and is called the Trisandhya. It is considered so important that for example, it is recited every day when the Denpasar television station, TVRI, opens its broadcast schedule. This mantra comes from the most sacred verse of the most ancient religious text extant - The Upanishads."

"The two greatest epics of Hindu literature, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, were hugely influential. Three thousand years after they were composed, one has only to visit a Wayang Kulit - shadow puppet - performance in one of the villages in Bali and see the rapt attention of the audience to understand the grip that these wonderful stories have upon Hindus even today."

"In Bali, Siwaism is by far the most important than Wisnu. Hindu man, faced with the overwhelming problems of life, sees Siwa as a vigorous force that energetically breaks down everything that Wisnu has protected and Brahma has produced. Why the lingam as the symbol of Siwa? The lingam is symbolic of creativity, not of destruction. Siwa not only a destroyer, but also a creator, and the dance is an accompaniment to the perpetual dissolving and reforming of the world. There is nothing obscene about the linggam symbol to the Hindus. Siwaism is a system of beliefs which requires the most extreme self-discipline, asceticism, and intellectualism. Mahatma Gandhi wrote that the first time he
learned that linggam were obscene was when he was studying a missionary's book."

***

Josiah Royce (1855-1916) American objective idealist philosopher. He was "America's first academic philosopher seriously to study Indian thought" and "he was also" as rightly pointed out by Professor D M Riepe, "one of the first Americans to show interest in Sankhya philosophy, presumably because he took each different development of realism as a target on which to practice his idealistic gunnery". Though he clearly acknowledges Buddhism to have "given us some of the best expression of Titanic individualism," he had declared Buddhism to be a "religion wholly grounded in self-denial."

Royce also made numerous references to Hindu philosophies and criticized Vedanta schools of

Hinduism and the Upanishadic philosophies as untenable mysticism, while curiously enough his own views are hardly different from Ramanuja's Vedanta. It is an established fact that Royce had read
Indian philosophies and was deeply influenced by them. Riepe wrote: "He felt much of Indian
thought to be close to his own and he used it to clarify his own visions.."

***

Kurt F Leidecker (1902 - 1991) professor of philosophy observed this about Royce:

"Despite several inaccuracies and misinterpretations on the part of Royce of Indian concepts he must be given credit for having called attention to the Indian world of thought and its deep significance. He made it clear that it had some relevance to western religious thinking. Above all, he educated the intellectuals among the Christian laity to an appreciation of another realm of religious and philosophical thought not usually studied by them. In a sense, then, he continued the work so heroically started by Emerson and Thoreau."

***

Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya (1861 -1946) An Indian politician, educationist, and freedom fighter notable for his role in the Indian independence movement and his espousal of Hindu nationalism. He was the founder of 'Banaras Hindu University', in Varanasi. He wrote on theBhagawad Gita, "It brings to men the highest knowledge, the purest love and the most luminous action. It teaches self-control, the threefold austerity, non-violence, truth compassion, obedience to the call of duty for the sake of duty. It is a treasure house of Dharma not only for Hindus but for all mankind."

***

Lt. Col. Hamendar Bhisham Pal ( ) served in the Indian army - in the Artillery and Infantry Regiments and was on active service during Indo-Pak Wars of 1956 and 1971. He wrote several books including 'The Temples of Rajasthan' and 'The Plunder of Art'. He has observed most eloquently about the on going and relentless plunder of Indian art to satisfy the Western greed and cultural vandalism. "A nation’s ancient treasures and monuments are the soul of its history and culture. They are part of a nation’s pedigree and mute chronicles of change and refinement as society moves through a process of challenge and response into its current character and mores. India has a rich past. Temples and

other edifices are standing monuments which prove beyond doubt the existence of a rich culture and lively society. These places contribute much to enrich the culture of the soil, for it was here that devastation as well as construction moved almost side by side. History was written and rewritten, made and remade. Hordes of invaders kept the people and their Hindu rulers engaged in battlefields, yet their faith in their religion was never lost. Invasion, no doubt, molded the people’s way of life but it helped them rely on their religion in a more vigorous form for solace and contentment. Hindu
temples were pulled down by the invaders but they were rebuilt sooner than they were destroyed. The statues from these temples were taken to safer places by the people so that they could continue to pursue their religious faith. Despite the passing of many centuries, these temples have remained intact to tell us the story of the past."

"The temples were built not only to meet the religious needs of the people but also to satisfy the spiritual urges of the rulers. Defaced and mutilated figures in these shrines tell us of pathetic tales of barbarity of the iconoclast invaders. Iconoclasm could not shake the faith and will of the worshippers. New shrines are still being constructed. Men come and go but religion and its monuments remain. The temples of Khajuraho, Konark, Ramgarh and Ranakpur are notable for their erotic sculptures. One really wonders, why these temples have sculptures displaying varied postures of sexual union? It is not unusual to find a western beholder standing aghast at sight of such erotic sculptures which have no place in the Christian Church. A foreigner finds himself confronted with the sacred principles of Suchita on the one hand and frank sexual representations on the other hand. The explanation is found in Hindu mythology. The creation of universe is based on the consummation of the male and female. An open representation of this sexual union is not a symbol of degeneration of licentiousness but it signifies the philosophy of creation."

"Whatever may be the origin of erotic sculptures it is certain that these marvels in stone were products of sublime inspiration. There can be no two opinions that philosophy and religion were the base of these exquisite pieces of sculpture. It would be unjust to consider them as patterns of sex behavior,representing the moral and social degradation of the age. These monuments were dedicated to the discovery of truth and beauty. In fact, coital scenes were to serve as a‘catharsis’ to the worshippers.

***

Britain, France and Spain rose to power in the medieval darkness. They conquered countries of far and near and traded with them and soon the history of the victim country became the grandeur of the ruler’s home. The process was repeated four hundred years later–that is in the 20^th century – when the United States of America and a few European nations amassed so much wealth that they could buy or steal the culture which they lacked. In the thirties, the national museums and State governments of the USA went on a treasure hunt. They bought copiously valuable treasures in India from unscrupulous traders and the money-hungry princes. Art pieces like paintings and old scriptures were also not spared.
The colonial powers, to reinforce their dominance and add a veneer of respectability, collected art objects from the colonies. Thus, one sees the famous Cleopatra’s Needle ending up in London. The modern technique of plundering, bribery and corruption is a ‘civilized’ extension of the old hectoring spirit of the colonial powers of the 18^th century.

According to Fredrick Engels: “The old plundering and buccaneering spirit which distinguished our common ancestors of the 16^th and 17^th centuries. It is this spirit that made Colin Mackenzie (1754–1821) was Surveyor General of India, in the 18^th century to take away the best pieces ofAmaravati sculpture to the British Museum. India’s art heritage cannot be evaluated in terms of money, it is priceless and cannot be replaced.

***

Adlof Kaegi (1849-1923) - Swiss India scholar and classicist. He studied ancient languages and Indian studies, taking a focus of its work on the study of Greek and Sanskrit thought. Among his academic teachers were Rudolf von Roth and Karl Geldner.

"Rig Veda is permeated by a lively sympathy and love of nature." He adds: "We have, in the Rig Veda, a literature which well deserves, at least in extracts, to be known to every student and lover of antiquity. The chief importance of the Vedas is not, indeed, found in the history of literature, but it lies elsewhere. It lies in the extraordinary fullness of disclosures, which this unique book gives to the student of philosophy and the history of civilization. In this regard, no other literature can be compared with it, and though the aesthetic value of this relic of long-vanished time has sometimes been exaggerated, yet its historical importance, its value for mankind cannot be easily overrated....It best displays the first development of intellectual activities of our race."

***

Swami Dayananda Saraswati ( ) Ishwar Sharan (alias) of Canadian author, a Smarta Dasanani sanyasi who took his Vedic initiation from a renowned Mahamandaleswar at Prayag in 1977. He was brought in the foothills of western Canada in a God-fearing Protestant Christian family. He was excommunicated from his small Christian congregation. His experience of Christian institutions and West Asian Muslim society helped him turn against the monolithic Abrahamic creeds which he saw as imperialistic, belligerent, and life-threatening. He came to India in search of spiritual direction and because Hindu civilization still gave an honorable place to the Mother Goddess. The fact that Hindu civilization has withstood centuries of Muslim and Christian aggression and survived where other civilizations had failed was to his mind a very impressive cultural achievement. He reached India in 1967 and immediately went to Kashi where he lived on the ghats as a beggar. In his interview with Rajeev Srinivasan he has stated:

“I had fallen in love with Mother India and Hindu civilization. It is the best civilization of the Great Mother Goddess. Like the great guru Adi Shankara I believe she is the liberator of man and the reveler of truth. I became a sannyasi because of Her. It is a sacrifice of love that I am still trying to perfect.”

"Christian missionaries and Marxist intellectuals have a mantra: There is nothing Hindu in Hindustan and nothing Indian in India. According to them everything of value in Indian civilization came from outside, from someplace beyond the pale of Sindh. They are aware of the Hindu’s low self-esteem and seek to undermine it further."

"Devotion to a personal god is there in the Rig Veda itself: “Oh, Agni, be easy of access to us, as a father to a son.”

***

Dr. Dipak Basu ( ) Professor in International Economics at Nagasaki University in Japan has this to say: "Self-criticism is the fundamental part of the Indian philosophy."

"Thousands of years ago in the Rig Veda, the most important book of the Hindu religion and the first book composed in Indo-European language group, it is written, "Only that God in highest heaven knows whence comes this universes. He only knows or perhaps he knows not" (Rig Veda Book 10, Verse 129). Indian philosophy was developed through continuous criticisms of existing ideas. Hegel and Karl Marx did not invent Materialism. It was already there in 7th century BC philosophy of Brishaspati, Kapil and Kanad in India. They along with Gautam Buddha and Mahavir have denied the existence of God, nearly 2600 years before Nietzsche. Chinese philosopher Confucius also denied the existence of God. Zorathustra denied the existence of Mitra, considered to be the God in ancient Persia and made a revolution in religious ideas. Thus, self-criticism is not an exclusive Western virtue."

"Equality of Gender was not a Western virtue either as women were denied even right of education until the middle of 19th century in the West and they did not have civil rights even in Britain until 1928. However, in ancient India, one of the seven stars of Ursa Major is named after a famous astronomer of ancient India, Arundhuti. Rig Veda has mentioned the three women philosophers of ancient India, Lopamudra, Gargi and Maitreyi, who have challenged their philosopher husbands and others in open debates. Gender equality was a part of the ancient India, but not of the West."

Talking of Ayodhya verdict he has observed that Ram was a Historical Person.

"Ram was mentioned not only in Valmiki"s Ramayana, but also in Vyas"s Mahabharata at four places -- Ramopakhayan, Aaranyak Parva, Drona Parva and Dashrath Kathanak. In Rig Veda (10.60.4.4), there is a mention of Iksvaku, the ancestor of Ram and the founder of Ayodhya. The Atharva Veda mentions Ayodhya as having nine gates. The Atharva Veda (18.3.16) mentions the name of Vishwamitra, Vashista the preceptor of Ram, and Bhardwaj."

***

According to ancient Indian chronology and Puranic tradition Ram was born in the 24th Treta Yuga (Great Age). The Valmiki Ramayana (Bal Kanda 18.8.9) mentions at the time of Lord Ram"s birth as "the ninth lunar day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, Punarvasu was in the ascendant and five planets (the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Venus) appeared in the zodiacal signs of Mesa or Aries, Makara or Capricorn, Tula or Libra, Karka or Cancer, and Mina or Pisces respectively. Jupiter in conjunction with the Moon appeared in Karka. From these, it is possible to calculate that Ram was born on January 10, 5114 BC, which means to say 7,122 years ago."

"According to Vedas, the world is 4.32 billion years old, and man arrived on earth approximately two billion years ago. Man was created on earth in the seventh manmantar of Vaivasvat Manu. The sun, planets, stars, earth, sea, vegetation, flora and fauna were created in the earlier six manmantars. Western scholars now agree that the earth is aged between 3.96 and 4.3 billion years."

In Europe, epics of Homer and The Bible are not considered as myths, but informal history. The ruin of Troy, described by Homer, is already excavated. Israel government made serious efforts to excavate every places mentioned in The Bible to find out its ancient past. In India as well, S.R. Rao, former chief of the Archaeological Survey of India, has discovered the ruins of Dwarka submerged in water off the coast of Gujarat. Japanese ground Radar Company Tojo-Vikas has found out ruins of huge places 30 meter under the ground of Ayodhya.

Thus, it is most unscientific to rule out Ramayana, Mahabharata and Purana as just myths, but not informal history of the ancient India.

***

V Sundaram (1942-) worked as Lecturer in Economics in Delhi University for two years till he joined the Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S.) in 1965. He was allotted to Tamil Nadu Cadre and has served with distinction in several high positions in Tamil Nadu Government from 1966 to 1994. He sought his voluntary retirement from the I.A.S. in 1994. He was the first Chairman of Tuticorin Port Trust. He has authored several books including Rama Setu—Historical Facts and Political Fiction, Bandemataram Album, and Paramount cry for a Hindu Nation.

He writes passionately about Hindu affairs and the future survival of Hinduism thus:

"Are Hindus helpless refugees in their own ancestral homeland? It is my inalienable, indivisible, inexorable and immutable birth right to demand the creation of a Hindu Nation. I am not ashamed or afraid of declaring from the housetop that I am a political Hindu, a cultural Hindu, a spiritual Hindu, an economic Hindu, a nationalist Hindu, an internationalist Hindu and above all a cosmopolitan Hindu. I am forced to assert on these lines because Sanatana Dharma, Hindu Religion, Hindu Society, Hindu culture and Hindu ethos are under the siege of certain lethal international(!) forces today. The whole of India is getting converted into a 'Nazi Land' of pseudo-secularism with a clearly defined and declared agenda for the decimation and destruction of Sanatana Dharma, Hindu Society and Hindu culture. In Nazi Germany, there was only one criminal gang consisting of one 'Herr' Hitler, one Goebbels, one Goering, one Ribbentrop, one Von Papen, and one Himmler. But in the wretched India of today, we have more than half a dozen similar gangsters in each political party, all united in their resolve to destroy all remnants of Sanatana Dharma and Hindu culture.

There are many Hindus who cherish the great spiritual traditions of Hinduism and its scriptures like the Gita and Upanishads in which this glorious tradition is enshrined. But they do not cherish with an equal conviction, much less enthusiasm, the Hindu society which has honored and preserved these traditions and scriptures against the onslaughts of external invaders and influences down the Ages. Again, there are many Hindus who proclaim with great confidence that Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism can never die. Finally there are many Hindus who are legitimately proud of Hindu art, architecture, sculpture, music, painting, dance, drama, literature, linguistics, lexicography and so on. But all of them fail to notice the fact that this great wealth of artistic, literary and scientific heritage will die if Hindu society which created it is no more there to preserve, protect and perpetuate it.

The sudden death of Hindu society is no longer a theoretical eventuality which is either remote or cannot be envisaged. This great society is now besieged by the same dark and deadly forces which have overwhelmed and obliterated many ancient societies. Suffering from a loss of its 'élan', Hindu society has become a house divided within itself. Its beneficiaries seem to be impotent in taking necessary steps for ensuring its survival because they themselves have fallen victims to hostile propaganda from the wicked forces of Islam, Christianity, Nehruvian Secularism, menacing Marxism, and above all Hindu-baiting Macaulayism. Presiding over all these forces with a determined agenda for destroying all things Hindu, we have the Islam-embracing, Christianity-coveting and Hindu-hating UPA Government in New Delhi under the triangular stranglehold of Roman Catholicism, Pan-Islamism and Communism in the name of 'pseudo-secularism'.

Hindu society which has survived the onslaught of Islamic marauders and Western freebooters for centuries should indeed be regarded as one of the great wonders of world history. In the normal course Hindus should have come into their own after 1947 and created a new era of social and cultural renaissance in free India. Thanks to the politically motivated policy of Nehruvian Secularism, Hindus have become third class citizens in our own country. They are no longer the honored citizens of our land. Like leprosy in British India, a permanent stigma seems to have stuck to the terms 'Hindu' and 'Hinduism' in today's India. They have become terms of abuse in the mouth of that very elite which the dumb Hindu millions have raised to the pinnacle of power and prestige with their blood, toil, sweat and tears. "

"No one can dispute that the traditional homeland of Hindus is the Bharatavarsha. It is a distinct geographical entity. There are few nations in the world the natural boundaries of whose homeland are as clearly drawn as that of ours. And the Hindus have been intimately associated with this land, lived on it, developed their culture and civilization on it, and regarded it as sacred soil for at least 6000 years, if not more. When I say Bharatavarasha in the sense of the Motherland of the Hindus, I do not refer to the boundaries of the truncated India created by Jinnah, and Nehru in 1947, but to those of our traditional homeland which extends continuously from Gandhara to Kamrup and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. This basically has been the concept of Hindu Nationhood or what we call Hindutva or Hindu Rashtra from times immemorial. "

"We Hindus are a nation. The Hindus have been the primordial citizens of Akhand Bharat from the beginning of pre-history and they cannot be denied a spiritual and physical space of their own in their own native land. The saddest part of the story is that the dastardly policy of pseudo-secularism has made all the peace-loving Hindus neglected, sidelined and discarded refugees in their own native land."

"The fact that 'We Hindus are a nation' is by no means a new idea. This idea has been with us from the dawn of history. Nations do not get destroyed. We Hindus are a nation just as the Germans are a nation, the Armenians are a nation, the Kurds are a nation, the Jews are a nation. Germany was divided into two after the II World War. But this did not abate their nationhood. Within 50 years, they achieved reunification of their motherland and the nation has been restored to its original character and complexion. "

"During the first National movement in 1905 'Swadeshi Movement' in undivided Bengal. No one at that time had the slightest doubt that 'We Hindus are a Nation'. That is why in Calcutta city, on the first day of the agitation 50,000 people took a collective oath before Goddess Kali in the Holy Kalighat Temple to the effect that 'we shall throw the British out of our homeland'.

The famous historian R.C. Majumdar rightly concluded that he saw no difference in those days between Sanatana Dharma and Indian Nationalism. "

"All the Roman Catholics have their own nations. All the Protestant Christians have their own nations. All the Muslims have their own nations. The Hindus have been the primordial citizens of Akhand Bharat from the beginning of pre-history and they cannot be denied a spiritual and physical space of their own in their own native land. The saddest part of the story is that the dastardly policy of pseudo-secularism has made all the peace-loving Hindus neglected, sidelined and discarded refugees in their own native land."

***

S K Kulkarni ( ? ) was in the Indian Audit and Accounts Service and is presently the director of finance and administration at the Nehru Center, Mumbai. He is also the author of the book, Hinduism: Triumphs and Tribulations and is a prolific writer.

"Upanishadic roots have given rise to a strong tree of philosophy, which has grown many branches. A variety of interpretations are the hallmark of Hindu philosophy. The basic profound philosophy has something for everyone depending on his or her approach and interest. Even today, scholars continue to interpret the Bhagawad Gita, and surprisingly, gain new perspectives each time. Different perspectives of the fundamental principles of the philosophy have given rise to five major schools of Upanishadic interpretation. They are Advaitavada or Monism of Shankaracharya, Vishistadvaitavada or Pure Monism of Vallabhacharya, Dvaitadvaitavada or dualism-non Dualism of Nimbarkacharya and Dvaitavada or Dualism of Madhavacharya. These are, however, not contradictory to, or opposing, each other. These are different paths leading to a common destination.

Many more men of wisdom have, during the last hundred years, interpreted the philosophy of the Vedas, and the Upanishads in particular. They are of the view that the Upanishads basically attempt to unravel the mystery of the universe, which surrounds us systematically and in a comprehensive manner. A burning spirit of inquiry characterizes them more than anything else. The following hymn is an indication of the zest to explore the unknown.

From the unreal lead me to the real,

From darkness lead me to light,

From death lead me to immortality.

- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28-

The Upanishads contributed tremendously to the development of Indian culture by laying the foundation of Hinduism. They went far ahead of theVedas in terms of metaphysical speculation and enunciated most of the basic doctrines of Hinduism. In every Upanishad, one comes across hymns expounding one or more of these doctrines, the important ones being,

1. The concept of all pervading which is immutable and eternal.

2. The concept of an omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, personal God.

3. Concept of salvation, defining it as emancipation from the cycle of life and death.

Whatever lives is full of the Lord, Claim nothing, enjoy, do not covet anyone's wealth. Of a certainty the man who can see all creatures in himself, himself in all creatures knows no sorrow. "

This asserts that the entire human race is linked together by virtue of possessing a common soul.

"It is a heartening historical fact that the ancient Hindu civilization has shown a tremendous capacity to face and survive internal conflicts and external onslaughts. Many scholars have expressed surprise that the Vedic religions should have survived for thousands of years in spite of great and social and political upheavals and the terrible onslaught of invaders.

Radha and Lord Krishna of the Bhagawad Gita in the forest. It is a heartening historical fact that the ancient Hindu civilization has shown a tremendous capacity to face and survive internal conflicts and external onslaughts.

***

Unfortunately, some modern Indian historians and intellectuals, influenced by western culture and imported "isms", have attempted to demean the flow of ancient civilization by highlighting only its temporary negative aspects. But, as on many occasions in the past, the civilization, with its tremendous capacity to absorb the mudslinging, still continues its eternal flow."

***

Michael Comans aka Sri Vasudevacharya ( ) He is a senior disciple of Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati, one of the great contemporary teachers of Advaita Vedanta. Michael Comans attended Swami Dayananda Saraswati's two-and-a-half year residential course in Advaita Vedanta in the early 1980s. He later received a Ph.D. from the Australian National University, Canberra, and taught in the Department of Indian Studies at the University of Sydney. He is the author of two books including The Method of Early Advaita Vedanta: A Study of Gaudapada, Sankara, Suresvara and Padmapada published by Motilal Banarsidass.

He has observed that: "Only the Hindu life's ideal based on Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha can save humanity from its distress. The solution to the problems of the world is not Socialism but Hindu way of life. This is such a science of life, which, while studying about life, does not divide it into bits and pieces but considers the whole life as an indivisible unit."

Hinduism has a deep philosophy that appeals to me. While initially it was only the philosophy that brought me into its fold, today I am comfortable with much of its religious aspects as well.

"As regards Advaita, it has a view of tolerance. Because of the profundity of the Advaita understanding of God, it can allow others to be as they are."

***

Siddharth S. Sinha

ssselan@yahoo.in

(to be continued...)

THE BHAGVAD GITA

2013-05-17T18:58:00.002+05:30

THE BHAGVAD GITA
(Shrimad-Bhagvatam)

श्रीमद-भागवतम - (भगवत-गीता)

The Bhagavad-Gita is part of the epic The 'MahaBharat' - the longest poetry ever written in terms of words, verses or characters it contains. The Bhadvad Gita, (also called 'Srimad Bhagvatam' or 'The Gita'), like the whole of MahaBharat, is written in verses, in poetry form like all other Hindu scriptures. This epic was dictated by Ved Vyasa महर्षि वेद व्यास and written by God Shri Ganesha भगवान श्री गणेश. The MahaBharat is the story of the descendants of the great King Bharat and fight between warring cousins, the evil Kauravs कौरव - children of the blind king Dhritrashtra and the righteous Pandava princes, the children of Dhritrashtra's brother, Pandu.

In modern times two Hindu scriptures are most widely read and followed; The Ramayana- रामायण and The Srimad Bhagvad Gita- श्रीमद भग्वतम-गीता). For the spiritual guidance, The Gita - as it is most popularly called, is considered the most important. It is the center-piece of modern Hindu philosophy, and it spirituality although God Krishna provides many references to the Vedas in sermon to Arjuna.

Probably the MOST important aspect of The Gita is that it is the 'only' scripture among all religions of the world where the 'God' himself has instructed how to live a life and how to conduct one'self in his/her lifetime.

It is the only instance where a human was able to witness 'God' (when Krishna shows His Universal splendor -Vishwaroop - विश्वरूप to Arjuna).

ERA/TIME: Although the precise date/year of the sermon of The Gita cannot be determined, we can safely state that it is at least 11,000 years old. This is not a guess work (it is based on the scientific findings through carbon dating and floro-luminescence test proofs of the discovery of Krishna's capital city of Dwarka which was submerged around 9000 BCE).

THE SCENE/SETTING: As the vast armies on both sides of the warring cousins took positions, Arjuna, the Pandava-पांडव warrior prince had self doubt; not about his ability but about the futility of war. His doubts and dilemma were compounded when he saw his dearest ones including his dearest grand-father, the revered great-grandfather Bhishma-भीष्म, his Guru Dronacharya -द्रोणाचार्य, his uncles and friends and his very own cousins, in the opposite ranks, and he wondered if his victory upon their deaths was worth the war, or the cause for which he was there on the battlefield. God Krishna had accepted Arjuna's request to become his charioteer (but Krishna had sworn He would not actively participate in any manner, throughout the war). In his self-doubt and uncertainty about his duty, Arjuna turns to Krishna for advise and solicit. The conversation between God Krishna and him is called the 'Song of God (Bhagvan-भगवान)' - The Bhagvad Gita.

The Bhagvad-Gita is a dialogue between God Krishna-भगवान श्री कृष्ण and Prince Arjuna-अर्जुन.

The chapters of Gita begin with the blind Kuru King Dhritarashtra ध्रितराष्ट्र requesting his minister and confidant, Sanjaya संजय (who had been blessed with divine vision), to narrate the battle between his sons, the Kauravas, and their cousins, the Pandavas (sons of his Dhritarashtra's brother, Pandu). As Arjuna surveys the opposing ranks and files, and prepares to fight, he sees the sons of Dhritarashtra drawn in military array and requests infallible Krishna to draw his chariot between the two fighting forces. There in the midst of both armies, Arjuna’s mind reels as he foresees the imminent death of his teacher, relatives, friends and dear ones. He puts down his arms and decides not to fight.

***

In chapter One and in the beginning of Chapter Two, Arjuna presents his arguments for reasons of refusing to fight. He fears the sinful reactions of killing. Arjuna surrenders to Lord Krishna and requests the Lord to guide him. Krishna begins countering Arjuna’s objections by first, analytically explaining that fighting is his Dharma धर्म,-His eternal duty - and it is transcendental and it will be no sin because he will be fighting for just cause and for his right.

Krishna also explains the Vedas’ purpose to gradually elevate souls to God consciousness and thus encourages Arjuna to keep his focus on his duty, his Dharma, and fight – and ignore his mind’s desires.

Krishna’s explains why Arjuna should fight. Krishna glorifies both ‘buddhi-yoga’ बुद्धि योग, (intelligence used in spiritual advancement of knowledge) (2.45, 2.49-50), and ‘karma’ कर्म, action - (2.47-48, 2.50), Arjuna becomes confused and wishes to use Krishna’s instruction to perform ‘buddhi-yoga’ as an excuse to retreat from the battlefield for a life of contemplation. Arjuna therefore opens Chapter Three asking Krishna why He is encouraging fighting if intelligence is better than fruitive work. Krishna then explains ‘karma-yoga’ कर्म-योग- reaction-free devotional work- and clears Arjuna’s mistaken idea that all work is fruitive and leads to bondage. Krishna also instructs Arjuna to fight to set forth an example of duty. Krishna therefore tells Arjuna to fight, but with knowledge and detachment (3.29-30), without falling victim to his own attractions and aversions.

In response to Arjuna’s question on the 'cause of a soul’s existence' impelled to improper action or neglect of duty, Krishna names the enemy: lust. He then recommends Arjuna to regulate his senses, become fixed in his pure identity as a servant of Krishna, and thereby avoid material desire’s control. Then, with spiritual strength, and focused intelligence, he should conquer that forceful enemy – material desire.

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः ।
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥
matra-sparsas tu kaunteya sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah
agamapayino 'nityas tams titiksasva bharata

O Son of Kunti! The interaction of sense and sense objects which are temporary experience

give pleasure, happiness, sorrows, cold and heat, O scion on Bharata!

Try to tolerate them without being disturbed.
Ch2:Sh14

***

While in Chapter Three, Krishna recommends that Arjuna fight with absolute knowledge of Him (3.30), the Lord, in Chapter Four, explain different aspects of transcendental knowledge.

First, Krishna explains how to attain spiritual knowledge through disciplined succession. Later Krishna explains the reason for His appearance and then of His mission. He explains His devotional service as the goal (Krishna had already referred to the importance of performing ‘yajna’ यज्ञ-sacrifice, in 3.9). Krishna next explains a soul’s relationship with Him - as eternal - His part and parcel, which one must approach a knowledgeable spiritual master to learn. Chapter Four ends with Krishna glorifying transcendental knowledge and requesting Arjuna to arm himself with this knowledge – which burns all sinful reactions to ashes – and fight!

यदि उत्सीदेयुरिमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेदहम्‌ ।
संकरस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमाः प्रजाः ॥
Yadi Utsideyurime Lika Na Kuryan Karma Chedaham;

Sankarasya Cha Karta SyamuPahanYamimah Prajah:

Thus if I do not perform my duties, mankind will take it as an example and forego their duties.

Then the difference between truth and lie will cease to exist,

illusion will increase and in the end society will be destroyed.

Ch3:Sh24

***

After Arjuna has been impressed upon by the importance of both, work (which requires activity) and seeking knowledge (which tends to be inactive), Arjuna is perplexed. His mind is confused, and he sees fighting and knowledge as contradictions. Thus opens Chapter Five where Arjuna asks Krishna to clearly define whether the renunciation of work (speculation, ‘sankhya संख्य, gyana-ज्ञान’, inaction-in-knowledge), or work in devotion is superior. Krishna states that one who is detached from his work’s results is the one who is truly renounced; such a person knows that while the body acts, he - the soul, actually does nothing. Arjuna should therefore, do his duty steadily act for the satisfaction of Krishna. Impartially viewing the external world, he should reside in his body aloof from bodily activities. By fixing his consciousness on the Supreme and knowing that Krishna is the true enjoyer, the goal of sacrifice and austerity, and the Lord of all planets, he, the pure soul, will find true peace beyond this material world.

In the first five chapters, Krishna has explained ‘buddhi-yoga’ बुद्धि योग, working with consciousness focused on Krishna without fruitive desires. The Lord has also explained ‘sankhya’, ‘karma-yoga’,and ‘gyana-yoga’ ज्ञान-योग to obtain liberation and as steppingstones to Krishna consciousness. Now, at the end of the Fifth Chapter अध्याय (5. 27-28) and continuing on to the Sixth Chapter (wherein Krishna explains practical points for a practicioner), Krishna explains ‘dhyana- yoga’ ध्यान-योग concluding that ‘dhyana’, or meditation upon Krishna, is meditation’s final goal.

Krishna begins the Sixth Chapter by explaining that the neophyte yogi engages in fruitive sitting postures while the advanced yogi, the true ‘sannyasi’ सन्यासी, works without attachment. Such a yogi liberates, not degrades, himself by his mind’s activities. Carefully controlling his mind and engaging it body, and his self in Krishna’s service, the yogi strictly practices ‘dhyana- yoga’ in a secluded place. Fixing his mind on the self and on Krishna, he attains transcendental happiness in the kingdom of God. Arjuna then points out the main difficulty in practicing yoga is controlling the mind. Krishna responds by saying that one can overcome the obstinate mind through constant practice and determination. In responding to Arjuna’s about the fate of an unsuccessful yogi, Krishna answers that one unsuccessful in his practice will still take birth in a family of wise transcendentalists and automatically become attract yogic principles. Krishna finally states in the last two verses of the chapter that the yogi is greater than the ascetic, the jnani and the karmi-कर्मी (the one acting). And the greatest of all yogis is he who always thinks of Krishna and with great faith and worships Him in loving service.

At the end of Chapter Six, Krishna states that one should initiate his practice of yoga from the point of concentrating of one's mind on Krishna.

***

Chapter Seven thus opens with Krishna explaining knowledge of Himself and His opulent energies. Thus Arjuna can fully worship Krishna, as described at the end of Chapter Six, and think of Krishna with devotion as he fights. Krishna first explains that as He is the Supreme Truth, everything in

GOD KRISHNA with RADHA-RANI,
and RAMA with SITA and LAXMAN

existence is a combination of His material and spiritual energies. He is the active principle within all and is all- pervasive through His diverse material and spiritual energies. Because the world’s activities are conducted by the three modes of nature which emanate from Him, (Although Krishna is independent and above them) only those who surrender to Krishna can cross beyond these modes to know Him. Four kinds of impious souls never surrender to Krishna while four kinds of pious souls do surrender. Krishna also covers Himself from the impersonalists, who are less intelligent, and from those who surrender to the demigods. But those who are truly pious, the undeluded, serve Krishna as the governor of the material manifestation, the demigods, and sacrifice, can know and understand Krishna – even at the time of death.

बीजं मम सर्व भूतनं

BEEJAM MUM SARVA BHUUTANAM - "I AM THE ORIGINAL SEED OF ALL BEINGS"

***

Chapter Eight begins by Arjuna asking Krishna about Brahmam-ब्राह्मण, karma, the demigods, the material world, and knowing Krishna at the time of death. Krishna first briefly answers Arjuna’s first five questions and then begins explaining in detail how to know Krishna at the time of death. Since one attains what one remembers at the time of death, if one remembers Krishna, one goes to Him. Krishna then explains how He can be constantly thought of as the transcendental person who knows everything, the oldest controller, the smallest, the maintainer. Thus by practicing yoga and remembering Krishna, Krishna explains, one will go to the eternal spiritual world and never return to this temporary, miserable material world (one finds Moksha-मोक्ष-freedom from cycle of life and death). Then, after describing the different yogic ways in which one may leave this world, Krishna advises Arjuna not worry about other paths – either Vedic study, yoga, austere sacrifices, charity, jnana, or karma – for the results of these will all be obtained through performing devotional service. And in the end, such a yogi in devotion, reaches the supreme eternal abode.

Ch8:Sh14
अनन्यचेताः सततं यो मां स्मरति नित्यशः ।
तस्याहं सुलभः पार्थ नित्ययुक्तस्य योगिनीः ॥
ananya-cetah satatam yo mam smarati nityasah
tasyaham sulabhah partha nitya-yuktasya yoginah

O Arjun! A person whose mind is unbounded by pleasures, who continuously

and perpetually remembers me, he can reach me easily.

Ch8:Sh15
मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम्‌ ।
नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥

mam upetya punar janma duhkhalayam asasvatam
napnuvanti mahatmanah samsiddhim paramam gatah

Having attained me, the great souls never return to this house full of sorrows

and take transitory rebirth as they have reached the final delight.

***

In Chapter Nine Krishna states further provides more knowledge about Himself. Krishna thus prefaces Chapter Nine by stating that the knowledge He’ll now reveal is most confidential, for it is about His actual position, which only the non-envious and faithful can understand. Krishna continues explaining that although independent and aloof, He pervades, creates and anihilates the entire cosmos through His material energy. Those mahatmas who know Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead take shelter in Him and serve Him as the only enjoyer and the supreme object of worship.

Krishna then explains the fortunate position of such devotees: If one worships Krishna, Krishna cares, compensates for his deficiencies, and preserves his strengths. And all Krishna asks for is an offering of a leaf, a flower, or some water – if it is offered with devotion. Thus His devotee comes to Him. Even if a devotee unintentionally commits a horrendous act, he will be rectified, for Krishna promises that His devotee will never perish.

PITMAH ASYA JAGATO-

पितामह अस्य जगतो -

"I AM THE FATHER OF THIS UNIVERSE"

(Chapter 9: verse/Sholka 17)

patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyo prayacchati,

tad aham bhakti-upahratam asnami prayatmanah:

पत्रम पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्यो प्रयच्चति

तद अहम् भक्ति-उपहारतम असनामी प्रयत्यनामः

a leaf, flower, fruit or water offered to me

with devotion and love, I accept it

(Chapter-9: Shloka-26)

***

In Chapter Ten, Krishna explains His opulence elaborately and thereby reveals Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all. Krishna also tells how His pure devotees know that He is the unborn Supreme Lord, the source of all sages, the source of the material and spiritual worlds, and the source of all qualities and attitudes. Thus pure and wise devotees worship Krishna, converse about Him, and with thoughts dwelling in Him, undeluded and free from sin, engage in His service. Out of compassion, Krishna within their hearts destroys any existing ignorance.

After learning of Krishna’s opulence, Arjuna acknowledges Krishna as the Supreme Lord by quoting authorities and explains that only Krishna can truly know Himself. Krishna then tells of His divine manifestations within this world – as the Supreme soul परमात्मा / ब्राह्मण, the ocean, the Himalayas – which merely indicate His limitless opulence, for a single fragment of Krishna’s energy pervades and supports this entire universe! Arjuna, although acknowledging that Krishna in the two-armed form that he now sees before him is Supreme, still requests Krishna to reveal that all-pervading Universal Form that supports the Universe. Thus, in Chapter Eleven, Krishna proves Himself as the Supreme Lord and He establishes the criteria that anyone who claims to be God must also show a Universal Form. Krishna then reveals to Arjuna His wondrous effulgent, all-expansive form, and Arjuna sees all soldiers on both sides dying within it. Krishna explains His form as time, the destroyer of all world, and requests that Arjuna, knowing in advance the inevitable d of all the warriors, become His instrument. In answer to Arjuna’s fearful prayers, Krishna first shows His multi-armed form before again returning to His original two-armed form. Krishna then states that his two-armed form can only be seen by pure devotees, and such pure devotees, working for Krishna, free from desiring fruitive activities, and who make Krishna the su goal of their lives, certainly come to Him. Krishna reveals His Vishwaroop विश्वरूप (the supreme form of Brahman). Then He states 'Aham Brahmasmi' - अहम् ब्रह्मास्मी - (I am Brahman - The Supreme power, the supreme soul). Krishna also states that He is the 'Ek Aakshar - One Word' - AUM! ॐ'

***

In Chapter Twelve, Arjuna, after witnessing Krishna’s awesome Universal Form, wishes to understand his own position as a devotee, the highest worshiper of the Supreme. He asks whether worshiping Krishna through devotional service or worshiping the impersonal is superior. Krishna immediately responds saying that one engaged in His personal service is the topmost. One should therefore engage in Krishna’s service and fix his mind solely upon Krishna, and, if that cannot be done, one should follow the rules and regulations of ‘bhakti-yoga’ भक्ति-योग-(devotional yoga), which purifies one so he is later able to do so. Krishna then describes other processes that eventually lead to His pure devotional service.

Then qualities that endear a devotee to Krishna, which Krishna next mentions, such as equality in both happiness and distress, independence from the ordinary course of activities, satisfaction, and the faithful following of the path of devotional service, are also part of the process of worshiping Krishna in devotional service.

***

Arjuna asks in Chapter Thirteen about the sphere of activities and the knower of that field. Krishna

answers that the conditioned soul’s body and that body’s interactions within the material world are his limited field of activities. By understanding the difference between the body, the soul, and the Supersoul and by acquiring knowledge, the soul can transcend the good and bad he meets, realize his eternal subordination to Krishna, and attain the supreme destination.

The Thirteenth Chapter clearly explained that by humbly developing knowledge one can become free from material entanglement. It is also explained that the living entity’s entanglement within the material world due to his association with the modes of material nature (13. 20-22).

***

In Chapter Fourteen, Krishna explains in detail, the three modes – goodness, passion and ignorance – those forces that bind and control all conditioned souls within this world. A soul can, however, transcend these modes through devotional service (All other processes are contaminated by the modes). Thus the limitations imposed by his field of activities can be overcome and the soul can be elevated to the Brahman platform, the constitutional position of purity and happiness – a platform of which Krishna is the basis. Thus achieving 'Nirvana' निर्वाण- a mental state of absolute bliss.

To achieve Nirvana one must be detached from the modes and their results in order to be attached to the service of the Lord, Krishna describes in Chapter Fifteen the process of freeing oneself from matter’s grip. He begins by comparing the material world to a gigantic, upside-down banyan tree, invoking Arjuna to detach himself from it through surrender. Thus, the soul can end its trans-migrations and return to Him in the spiritual world. Although the foolish cannot understand that the soul transmigrates (quitting one body to obtain a new body) based on his mind’s desires, transcendentalists see this clearly. The foolish can learn to

see properly by understanding that it is Krishna who is the splendor of the sun, moon, and fire, as the one keeping the planets in orbit and making vegetables succulent. They can see Krishna as the fire of digestion; as the Paramatma in everyone’s heart; as the giver of remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness; and as the goal of the Vedas and the compiler of Vedanta. Krishna then reveals that knowing Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engaging in His service is the ultimate purpose of the Vedanta वेदान्त and the most confidential part of the Vedas.

सर्वस्य चहम ह्रदि संनिविस्तो-

SARVASYA CHAHAM HRDI SANNIVISTO - "I DWELL IN EVERY HEART"

***

In Chapter Sixteen, after mentioning twenty-six godly qualities, Krishna explains the demoniac nature which degrades the soul through arrogant, ignorant, and conceited pursuits of sense gratification and power. Krishna explains the demonic mentality as follows: The world is unreal and is produced only of sex desire. Taking shelter of lust, they think of sense gratification as the goal of life and scheme to illegally increase their wealth. While plotting to kill their ‘competitor’ enemies, they think themselves powerful and happy, and they, surrounded by their relatives, use sacrifices and charity only to further increase their happiness. Perplexed by illusory anxieties, bewildered by self-complacency, impudence, and wealth; and envying the Supersoul within their own bodies and within the bodies of others, demons blaspheme real religion. These mischievous, lowest amongst men are repeatedly cast by Krishna into demonic species to gradually sink to the most abominable forms of existence. Krishna ends the chapter by explaining that because lust, anger and greed are the beginnings of demonic life, all sane men should therefore give them up and understand their duty through faithfully following the scriptures.

Krishna has concluded Chapter Sixteen by declaring that the ultimate difference between the divine and the demoniac is that the divine follow the scriptures while the demons do not.

LUST, ANGER AND GREED ARE THE THREE GATES TO HELL

chapter16: Shoka 21

***

In the beginning of Chapter Seventeen, Arjuna inquires more about those who don’t follow scriptures, but who worship according to their imaginations. Krishna answers by describing how the combination of the modes of material nature that control a particular person will dictate a person’s faith, worship, eating, sacrifices, charity and austerity. The chapter ends with Krishna explaining the syllables ‘Aum-Tat-Sat' -ॐ-तत-सत’ and how these syllables indicate that any sacrifice, austerity, or charity dictated by the modes and performed without devotional service is useless in this life or the next.

One should therefore directly take to Krishna’s consciousness.

***

The entire Bhagavad-Gita is concluded in seventeen chapters, and in the Eighteen Chapter, Krishna reviews the knowledge already presented. In this chapter Krishna concludes, as He has done througout the Bhagavad-Gita, that one should practice devotional service – Krishna conciousness.

Since Arjuna’s basic desire to renounce his duty of fighting was fear of sinful reaction, Krishna explains true renunciation and how to transcend sinful reactions by
(1) being indifferent from the fruits of activities
(2) abiding by the order of the Supersoul
(3) worshiping the Lord through one’s fruits of work by acting either as ‘brahmana’,'ksatryia’,'vaisya’, or ‘kshudra’ according to one’s mode of nature. (Each leads Arjuna to fight) Thus, one can achieve the self-realized position of ‘brahma-bhuta-ब्रह्म-भूत’ and that position, detached from all material things, one can practice pure devotional service.

Krishna can only be known through surrendering to Him in devotional service, and by this direct process – free from karma or jnana, Arjuna should need not fear any sinful reactions. Under Krishna’s protection, such a pure devotee will reach “Krishna-loka-कृष्ण-लोक (The abode of Krishna)”. Krishna instructs Arjuna that he should surrender to the Supreme Lord within his heart and thus attain peace in His supreme, eternal abode. The most confidential knowledge is then explained by Krishna: “Become My devotee, always think of Me, act for Me, worship Me, and offer all homage unto Me. Surrender unto Me alone. Do not fear sinful reactions.”

After hearing the instructions of Sri Krishna, Arjuna is fixed and ready to fight. Sanjaya, after narrating this conversation to Dhritarashtra, ecstatically thinks of the wondrous two-armed form of Krishna and predicts victory for Arjuna, the supreme archer, for he is surrendered to Krishna, the master of all mystics.

सर्व धर्मं परित्याग्यम मम एकम शरणम् व्रज अहम् त्वं सर्व-पापेभ्यो मोक्षयिसमी म सुचः

FORGEGO ALL FORMS OF RELIGION AND JUST SURRENDER UNTO ME,

I WILL RELIEVE YOU OF ALL SINS. YOU SHOULD FEAR NOT!

chapter-18: Shloka-66

***

Note: It is impossible to write such an esteemed and voluminous scripture in brief. However, this has been my humble attempt to write in brief about The Bhagvad-Gita.

***

SUMMARY:

To write in very brief is virtually impossible but I am trying here to simplify it.

The Bhagavad Gita is the essence of the Vedas-वेद and Upanishads-उपनिषद्. It is a conversation between God Krishna-भगवान श्री कृष्ण and His devotee, Arjuna-अर्जुन - the Pandava prince. The Gita can be called a universal scriptures (not just for the followers of Sanata Dharma) - but for all of mankind. It is a moral and principle guide to all humans. The Gita is considered as the 'most' revered scripture among Hindus because it contains sublime thoughts and practical instructions on Yoga-योग, Bhakti-भक्ति-Devotion, Vedanta-वेदान्त (the essence of The Vedas), a guide to one's Karma-कर्म-actions and guide to mankind's duty-Dharma-धर्म!

In The Gita, Krishna speaks about virtually all aspects of man's life. He speaks about the creation of the universe and how it was created and the purpose of existence of humans. He speaks about the soul and explains how the soul is immortal and indestructible (as Krishna says, it can't be burnt, it can't be cut and it can't die). The soul migrates from one body to another (like we change cloths, the soul changes bodies). Each incarnation of the soul is called - Sansara (संसार).

God Krishna guides us how we must perform our 'Dharma' and do our 'Karma' without expecting fruitful returns and leave the rest in hands of God. He guides us towards a pious and fruitful life by living a life of simplicity and devotion to God. This in return helps us in achieving Nirvana-निर्वाण (a state of absolute mental bliss) and Moksha-मोक्ष (freedom from the cycle of life and death) through numerous ways. The simplest way to put it would be... One must perform one's Dharma-duty as a human being and adhere to all of one's responsibilities, as a family man, as a member of society, or as a man with power (ruler/administrator/etc). We should do our duties with detachment while concentrating solely on God Himself. Our actions result in what we get in return (God always ensures we get what we deserves). His greatest reward to the most pious of men, is Moksha - which is the ultimate goal of man. When a soul achieves Moksha, it merges with the supreme soul- Parmatma (परमात्मा). Krishna stresses on the importance of recognizing that - Aatma-आत्मा is part of Brahman-ब्राह्मण - (Parmatma).

While one does one's Karma and performs one's Dharma, he/she should totally dedicate himself/herself to God and offer his actions as his service to God.

***

Krishna, in Bhagvad Gita, to Arjuna

Yada Yada hi dharmasya, glanir bhavati Bharata,

Abhyuthanam adharmasya tadatmaanam shryujaamyaham;

Paritranaaya Saadhunaam, Vinashaayaka cha dushkritam,

Dharma Sansthapanathaay, Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge

Hey, Bharat (Arjuna), Whenever faith declines, and it is under attack,

Whenever adharma (sin) is on ascendancy without control,

I re-incarnate myself with all my powers to restore faith,

age after age!

Ch3:Sh21

यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः ।
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ॥

Yadyada Charit ShresthasttaDeveTaro Janah;
Sa YatPranaaman Kurute LokastaDanuvartate:

When a great human behaves, common man follows his example.
That great man sets a standard and the society follows him.

Ch3:Sh22

न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किंचन ।
नानवाप्तमवाप्तव्यं वर्त एव च कर्मणि ॥
Na Me Paarthasti Kartavyam Lokesu Kinchan;

NaanaVaptaMavaptavyam Vara Ave Cha Karmani:

O Arjun! There is nothing left for me to do in the three worlds,
yet (for the sake of mankind to follow, I set excellent example) I perform my duties.

Ch3:Sh23

यदि ह्यहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्यतन्द्रितः ।
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥
Yadi Hyaha Na Varteyam Jaatu Karmannyatindratah;

Mam VatarmanuVartante Manushyah Parth Sarvashah:

Because O Arjun, if do not perform my duties with utmost caution
then all of mankind will follow that course.

***

What has happened was Good,

What is happening is Good,

What will happen will be Good,

What was your's for which you cry?

What did you bring with you which you have lost?

What have you produced which is destroyed?

What you toook, you got from here

What you gave, you got it here,

What is your's belonged to someone earlier

and it will belong to someone else later!

CHANGE IS THE LAW OF THE UNIVERSE!

~Shri Krishna~

"yada yada hi dharmasya

glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 7)

"Sri Krishna said: Whenever and wherever there is a decline in virtue/religious practice, O Arjuna, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself, i.e. I manifest Myself as an embodied being."

"paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya cha duskritam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 8)

"Sri Krishna said: To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium."

"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"Sri Krishna said: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty."

"na jayate mriyate va kadacin
nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah
ajo nityah sasvato ’yam purano
na hanyate hanyamane sarire" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said: The soul is never born nor dies at any time. Soul has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. Soul is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. Soul is not slain when the body is slain."

"vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya
navani grhnati naro ’parani
tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany
anyani samyati navani dehi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 22)

"Sri Krishna said: As a human being puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones."

"nainam chindanti shastrani
nainam dahati pavakah
na chainam kledayanty apo
na sosayati marutah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 23)

"Sri Krishna said: The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind."

***

QUOTES ON 'BHAGVAD-GITA'

Albert Einstein with Gurudev
Rabindranath Tagore

Albert Einstein: When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous.

Mahatma Gandhi (right) with
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru (first Prime
Mininster of free India)

Mahatma Gandhi: When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.

Henry David Thoreau: In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.

Dr. Albert Schweitzer: The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions.

Sri Aurobindo: The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization.

Carl Jung: The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states…” behold we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant.” This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in chapter 15 of Bhagavad-Gita.

Prime Minister Nehru: The Bhagavad-Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander purpose of the universe.

Herman Hesse: The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life’s wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.

Rudolph Steiner: In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it.

Adi Shankaracharya: From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures.

Aldous Huxley: The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity.

Ramanuja: The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is the essence of all spiritual knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna’s primary purpose for descending and incarnating is relieve the world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are opposed to spiritual development, yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be perpetually within reach of all humanity.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati: The Bhagavad-Gita is not seperate from the Vaishnava philosophy and the Srimad Bhagavatam fully reveals the true import of this doctrine which is transmigation of the soul. On perusal of the first chapter of Bhagavad-Gita one may think that they are advised to engage in warfare. When the second chapter has been read it can be clearly understood that knowledge and the soul is the ultimate goal to be attained. On studying the third chapter it is apparent that acts of righteousness are also of high priority. If we continue and patiently take the time to complete the Bhagavad-Gita and try to ascertain the truth of its closing chapter we can see that the ultimate conclusion is to relinquish all the conceptualized ideas of religion which we possess and fully surrender directly unto the Supreme Lord.

Madhvacarya: The Mahabharata has all the essential ingredients necessary to evolve and protect humanity and that within it the Bhagavad-Gita is the epitome of the Mahabharata just as ghee is the essence of milk and pollen is the essence of flowers.

***

Siddharth S. Sinha

सिद्धार्थ स. सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES - VI

2013-05-10T20:22:00.003+05:30

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES - VI

George Harrison (1943-2001) former Beatle and rocker. He was the most instrumental Beatle member who led the rock band's spiritual quest in the 1960s, which brought them to India. In 1965, he discovered the Indian string instrument, the sitar, and learned to play it under the renowned sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar पंडित रवि शंकर. Harrison reminds people of the era when the West turned to India for inspiration and enlightenment.

In his 1992 interview he stated why he became interested in India. He said, "India unlocked this enormous big door in the back of my consciousness".

Eventually he became a devotee of God Krishna, donating large sums of money to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON - also called the 'Hare Krishna Mission') and even donating a 23-acre site outside London to the movement. He also incorporated the trademark Hare Krishna chants in his music. The ISKCON in a statement said, "During his last days, Krishna devotees were by his side and he left his body to the sounds of the Hare Krishna Mantra."

Harrison became deeply interested in India. The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, left £700,000 to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi in India according to Hare Krishna devotees हरे कृष्ण भक्त. His real interest remained Indian spirituality. In 1976, he said that the most influential book he had ever read was Yogananda Paramahansa’s योगानंद परमहंस 'Autobiography of a Yogi' (एक योगी की जीवनी). “None of this will last. In the end, there’s only God-consciousness.”

George Harrison "Beatle yogi" who linked Western pop to the strains of the sitar, wanted to be remembered as the man who spread the message of Indian spirituality to the decadent West. The 'Quiet Beatle' was the most Indian of the quartet. It was his spiritual yearning that brought the Fab Four to the banks of the Ganga (Ganges-गंगा) and to the feet of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi - महर्षि महेश योगी and Pandit Ravi Shankar. Harrison introduced a whole generation of western performers and entertainers to Indian music and mysticism following a 1966 visit to Rishikesh ऋषिकेश where he drank deeply of ragas and religion.

At a time before Westerners were flocking to yoga classes, Harrison became one of the first proponents of Eastern culture, studying meditation and Indian

In 1973, he came up with a neatly arranged album aptly titled, Living in the Material World. The songs reflect the Hindu view of the world and a culmination of his quest for self-realisation. The song, The Art of Dying for instance, deals with the philosophy of Karma-कर्म and reincarnation. He even inculcated in himself the orthodox-Hindu way of life by waking up at the crack of dawn, bathe in cold water and study Bhagvad-Gita. He passed away to the sonorous tone of Hare Krishna chants. He was a lifelong follower of Hinduism and was closely associated with the Hare Krishna movement. Harrison had produced the Chants of India, a recording of Indian religious music. A collection of mantras and prayers from the Vedas वेद, Upanishads -उपनिषद्, and other scriptures powerfully transports the listener to a place of peace where it's possible to be one with the universe.

In an Interview in Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire, 1982, this is what the rocker said on His Personal Spirituality: "I always felt at home with Krishna. You see it was already a part of me. I think it's something that's been with me from my previous birth…. I'd rather be one of the devotees of God than one of the straight, so-called sane or normal people who just don't understand that man is a spiritual being, that he has a soul."

The Mansarovar lake and Mount Kailash in the
background (the abode of God Shiva)
कैलाश पर्वत और मानसरोवर झील

In his album Brainwashed, George Harrison’s answer is “God, God, God” and we eventually get a reading from 'How To Know God' (The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali) and a chant seemingly called Namah Parvati - नमः पार्वती performed along with his son Dhani.

It is the perfect end to a final album of the man who took the world to the feet of the Maharishi and became Krishna’s most famous devotee. "Namah Parvati" was appended it as the album's spiritual benediction, a touching reminder that while musicians come and go, music can truly embody their spirit forever. The album is dedicated to the Yogis of Hinduism.

***

Rizwan Salim - reviewer, New York Tribune, Capitol Hill reporter, Engineering Times, assistant editor, American Sentinel, published in Hindustan Times has wisely observed:

Muslim invaders destroyed thousands of
temples. A great treasure of classical Hindu
architecture has been lost forever.

"Given the reality that Hindustan is the longest surviving ancient civilization and Hindus have to their credit so many unaccountable and such astonishing achievements of architecture and painting, music and dance, poetry and drama, epics and narratives, intellectual systems and philosophical doctrines, healing systems and mind-body disciplines, Hindus of every caste and class today should have possessed a well-informed and well-developed, intense and, fully conscious cultural pride.

But one of the principal tragedies of contemporary India is that the majority of even the educated and otherwise affluent Hindus do not possess a deep and extensive knowledge of their culture-and do not give evidence of an intensely felt cultural pride.' Lacking profound cultural knowledge and intense cultural pride, India's intellectuals regard the fashionable ideas and ideologies from Europe and America as unquestionably superior to Bharat's thousands of years old Hindu culture and wisdom. There are not very many scholars of high ability and international reputation in India today who illuminate Hindu culture and Hindus' past great accomplishments. It is an embarrassing truth that the best Indologists are found in the Netherlands and Sweden, Germany and France, Japan and Italy-not in Delhi and Ujjain, Varanasi and Puri, Madurai and Mysore."

The Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi
(Benaras/Kashi) which is built on the
original site where the original
Vishwanath Temple stood.

"It is clear that India at the time when Muslim invaders turned towards it (8 to 11th century) was the earth's richest region for its wealth in precious and semi-precious stones, gold and silver; religion and culture; and its fine arts and letters. Tenth century Hindustan was also too far advanced than its contemporaries in the East and the West for its achievements in the realms of speculative philosophy and scientific theorizing, mathematics and knowledge of nature's workings. Hindus of the early medieval period were unquestionably superior in more things than the Chinese, the Persians (including the Sassanians), the Romans and the Byzantines of the immediate preceding centuries. The followers of Siva and Vishnu on this subcontinent had created for themselves a society more mentally evolved - joyous and prosperous too - than had been realized by the Jews, Christians, and Muslim monotheists of the time. Medieval India, until the Islamic invaders destroyed it, was history's most richly imaginative culture and one of the five most advanced civilizations of all times."

"The descendants of those who built the magnificent temples of Bhojpur and Thanjavur, Konark and Kailas, invented mathematics and urban surgery, created mind-body disciplines (yoga) of astonishing power, and built mighty empires would almost certainly have attained technological superiority over Europe."

http://www.islam-watch.org/Rizwan_Salim/What-Islamic-Invaders-Did-to-India.htm

***

François-Auguste-René Rodin (1840-1917) - French sculptor, who imbued his work with great psychological force, which was expressed largely through texture and modeling. He is regarded as the foremost sculptor of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In a magnificently poetic outburst about the Mahesamurti (Trimurti, three headed -त्रिमूर्ति) of the Elephanta Caves: "This full, pouting mouth, rich in sensuous expressions, these lips like a lake of pleasure, fringed by the noble, palpitating nostrils."

Rodin described the statue of Nataraja or King of Dance - as the perfect embodiment of rhythmic movement.

He was overwhelmed when he saw the Chola sculptures in 1913. "There are things that other people do not see: unknown depths, the wellsprings of life," he said. "There is grace in elegance; above grace, there is modelling; everything is exaggerated; we call it soft but it is most powerfully soft! Words fail me then."

***

Gerald James Larson, An American scholar who points out that there are in a manner of speaking almost

as many Gitas as there are readers of it and that: "What the Gita is, finally is inseparable from its many contextual environments, ancient and modern, Eastern and Western, scholarly and popular, corporate and personal, secular and sacred - contextual environments that have emerged in an on-going historical process and will continue to emerge as that historical process unfolds."
He adds: "An interesting monograph could be written on the Gita as symptomatic of trends in nineteenth-and twentieth-century European and American scholarly thought."

***

Dorothea Chaplin mentions in her book, Matter, Myth and Spirit or Keltic and Hindu Links:
"Long before the year 460 B.C. in which Hippocrates, the father of European medicine was born, the Hindus had built an extensive pharmacopoeia and had elaborate treatises on a variety of medical and surgical subjects...The Hindus' wonderful knowledge of medicine has for some considerable time led them away from surgical methods as working destruction on the nervous system, which their scientific medical system is able to obliviate, producing a cure even without a preliminary crisis."

***

Alexandra David-Neel (1868-1969): French explorer, writer, Orientalist and mystic. She had studied

Sanskrit and Buddhism at the Sorbonne University and made her first journey alone to India. Though educated in a convent, she became interested in spiritualism and theosophy and joined a group with similar interests, one of this group was Mirra Richard, the future "Mother" of Pondicherry. She had remarked that the role Gods play in India is remarkable. She has said: "because the images of statues are like a battery which is charged over the ages by the adoration of the devotees, who in turn can draw energy, inspiration, or grace from these statues." She goes on: "As a battery, the energy in the statue will not get discharged, as long as the faithful continue to worship it by their adoration." And she concludes: "Gods are thus created by the energy given out by the faith in their existence."

***

Rev. William Robertson: He could not but praise "the ancient and high civilization of the inhabitants of India."

***

Professor Rudolph Otto (1869-1937) Was associate professor at Göttingen. Eventually he became a professor of systematic theology, first at Breslau in 1915, then at Marburg in 1917.

He is emphatic in his statement "that the idea of a Son of God is certainly not from Israel....The figure of a being who had to do with the world, is of high antiquity among the Aryans....and points back in some way to influences of the Aryan East."

"These materials are found in India, in more primitive forms not merely as a late period but in the remotest pre-Christian Kausitaki Upanishad."

***

Sir John Malcolm (1829-1896) Was the Governor of Bombay and author of A Memoir of Central India including Malwa and Adjoining Provinces and also worked for the East India Company and he remarked:

Nature! It is considered as God's greatest creation and blessing to all mankind and living beings on Earth!

"The Hindoo...are distinguished for some of the finest qualities of the mind; they are brave, generous, and humane, and their truth is as remarkable as their courage." also known as Pandit Vamadeva Shastri, the American eminent teacher and practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine and Vedic astrology and author of several books, including Arise Arjuna : Hinduism and the modern world and Awaken Bharata: A Call for India's Rebirth - in which the need for a new intelligentsia, 'intellectual kshatriya' or intellectual warrior class trained in Vedic dharma, to handle challenges was emphasized."

He further writes: "The Hindu mind represents humanity's oldest and most continuous stream of conscious intelligence on the planet. Hindu sages, seers, saints, yogis and jnanis have maintained an unbroken current of awareness linking humanity with the Divine since the dawn of history, and as carried over from earlier cycles of civilization in previous humanities unknown to our present spiritually limited culture."

"The Hindu mind has a vision of eternity and infinity. It is aware of the vast cycles of creation and destruction that govern the many universes and innumerable creatures within them."

***

DAVID FRAWLEY: A Westerner who has sloughed off the Western world view, Frawley looks Eastwards, finding in the ancient Indo-European tradition of the Vedas spiritual nourishment and superior insights into the moral, environmental and political questions faced by all mankind. He sees in Western monotheism the basis for the present commercial monoculture of "globalisation". That is to say, the singularity and certainty underlying so much of the Judaeo-Christian mindset is finding new and secular outlets. Those who promote Western notions of "democracy" and "human rights" above all other forms of social organisation, who regard "market forces" as all-powerful (surely a modern superstition) and who wish to impose a politically-correct blandness on the world are "secular missionaries" as fanatical as their religious antecedents, if not far more so.

Frawley values the ancient wisdom of the Vedas above the mainstream Judaeo-Christian tradition because the latter has falsely enthroned man over nature. The Vedic tradition, by contrast, is pluralistic and ecologically aware. Frawley, whose native "civilisation" (the USA ) is ethically challenged, calls for a renaissance of Indian culture. He believes that there should be a new form of "truth struggle", or satyagraha, to use Gandhi's word, against the soul-destroying influence of global monoculture.

He considers Hinduism to be a religion of the Earth, because, as he describes beautifully: "…it honors the Earth as the Divine Mother and encourages us to honor her and help her develop her creative potentials. The deities of Hinduism permeate the world of nature…they don't belong to a single country or book only. It is not necessary to live in India to be a Hindu. In fact, one must live in harmony with the land where one is located to be a true Hindu."

"I see Hinduism as a religion eminently suited for all lands and for all people because it requires that we connect with the land and its creatures - that we align our individual self with the soul of all beings around us. Hinduism finds holy places everywhere, wherever there is a river, a mountain, a large rock, or big tree, wherever some unusual natural phenomenon be it a spring, a cave, or a geyser."

"True religion, whether it predominates in the Eastern or Western parts of the world, is not a matter of geography," says Frawley. "All the religions of the world are followed in areas far beyond the geographical locale of their origin. Religion speaks of the ultimate issues of life and death and should orient us to the Eternal and the Universal. In this respect, Hinduism with its universal view has greater relevance for all human beings than any belief system, which divides humanity into believers and non-believers."

The Indian tradition is pluralistic and has always offered freedom of worshiping the divine in the name and form of one's choice and according to one's individual samskaras (cultures/traditions-संस्कार). It is pluralistic both at the level of religious practices as well as philosophical teachings. For this reason we find more religions inside Hinduism than among all of the world's religions put together.

Pluralism means freedom. It means that we should accept religious differences as a fact of life, like other natural variations. We need freedom to arrive at the truth. The pursuit of dharma, the urge for self-realization and desire for liberation are common to all paths. Rather than as a cause for confusion, I see Indian pluralism as constructively facilitating an individual's spiritual quest.

David Frawley has convincingly argued, the central value of Hinduism is not “tolerance” (as interested parties try to make Hindus believe) but truth.

***

Pierre Loti (1850-1923) Pseudonym of Louis-Marie-Julien Viaud, a novelist whose exoticism made him

popular in his time and whose themes anticipated some of the central preoccupations of French literature between World Wars. Loti's career as a naval officer took him to the Middle and Far East, thus providing him with the exotic settings of his novels and reminiscences. Some of his books include Voyages and L'Inde sans les Anglais.

He expressed his esteem for India in the following pregnant words: "And now I salute thee with awe, with veneration, and wonder, ancient India, of whom I am the adept, the India of the highest splendor of art and philosophy. May thy awakening astonish the Occident, decadent, mean, daily dwindling, slayer of nations, slayer of Gods, slayer of souls, which yet bows down still, ancient India, before the prodigies of thy primordial conceptions!"

***

William Edward Hartpole Lecky (1838-1903) Irish historian, essayist, author of The Substance of History of European Morals (From Augustus to Charlemagne).

He quotes an old tradition in Greece that Pythagoras himself had come to India and learnt philosophy from the gymnosophists. It seems he believed in an "all-pervading soul" which is at least one important attribute to Hindu atman. Pythagoras believed in rebirth or transmigration ; he taught and practiced harmlessness or no-injury, he taught silence; he taught that the end of man is to "become like God". Orphic mysteries taught release (lysis) from all material entanglements, which is close to moksha of the Hindus.

***

Paul Hubert, a French Theosophist, was to write in glowing terms of Charles Wilkins translation the Bhagavad Gita. In his book Histoire de la Bhagavad Gita he said it was one of the 'striking events in the universal history of philosophy'

***

Prince Muhammad Dara Shikoh (1627-1658 AD) the favorite Sufi son of Moghul emperor, Shah Jehan.

Known the world over for his unorthodox and liberal views. He was a mystic and a free thinker. Dara Shikoh's most important legacy is the translation of fifty Upanishads, known under the title of Sirr-i-Akbar ("The Great Secret of God"). It was completed in 1657, together with paraphrases and excerpts from commentaries which in various cases, though by no means thorough, can be traced back to Shankaracharya.

He had learned Sanskrit and studied the Hindu scriptures in the original. He studied the Torah, the Gospels and the Psalms, but it is the "Great Secret" (Sirri-i-Akbar) of the Upanishads which, in his view, represents the most original testimony of the oneness of God or the Absolute.

His personal fate is well-known: in 1659, two years after the completion of the Sirr-i-Akbar, he was executed by order of his brother, Aurangazeb, and with the consent of the Islamic orthodoxy community (Ulama), who claimed that he was a heretic and a danger to the state, the faith and the public order.

He translated the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Yoga-Vashishtha into Persian directly from Sanskrit and called it Sirr-e-Akbar (The Great Mystery). Titled "The Upanishads: God's Most Perfect Revelation" and then into Latin by Anquetil Duperron (1801 and 1802) under the titleOupnekhat, contained about fifty. This translation introduced Western readers to the Upanishads. Schopenhauer's reaction to it is well-known.

The Quran itself, he said, made veiled references to the Upanishads as the "first heavenly book and the fountainhead of the ocean of monotheism."

"After gradual research; I have come to the conclusion that long before all heavenly books, God had revealed to the Hindus, through the Rishis of yore, of whom Brahma was the Chief, His four books of knowledge, the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda."

Dara Shikoh, wrote in his Persian translation of the Upanishads. "After gradual research; I have come to the conclusion that long before all heavenly books, God had revealed to the Hindus, through the Rishis of yore, of whom Brahma was the Chief, His four books of knowledge, the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda."

In his Majma al-Bahrain, he sought to reconcile the Sufi theory with the Vedanta.

He was able to affirm that Sufism and Advaita Vedantism (Hinduism) are essentially the same, with a surface difference of terminology.”

And in introduction to this work he says that one finds in Upanishads the concept of tawhid (the doctrine of Unity of God, the most fundamental doctrine of Islam) after the Qur'an and perhaps the Qur'an refers to Upanishad when it refers to Kitab al-Maknun (The Hidden Book). His work Majma`ul Bahrayn (Mingling of the Two Oceans i.e. Hinduism and Islam) is very seminal work in the history of composite culture of India.

Two years after the completion of the Sirr-i-Akbar, Dara was executed on the orders of his brother - Aurangazeb.

***

More to come....

Siddharth S. Sinha

ssselan@yahoo.in

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES - V

2013-04-14T02:02:00.000+05:30

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES - V

Dr. Koenraad Elst (1959 -) Though he was born in Leuven, Belgium in a Flemish Catholic family, he is a renowned Dutch historian. He graduated in Philosophy, Chinese Studies and Indo-Iranian Studies from the Catholic University of Leuven. He is the author of several books including ‘The Saffron Swastika, Decolonising The Hindu Mind - Ideological Development of Hindu Revivalism’ and ‘Negationism in India: Concealing the Record of Islam’.

During a stay at the 'Benares Hindu University', he discovered India’s communal problem and wrote his first book about the budding Ayodhya conflict.

A strong advocate for ‘Hindu revivalism in the West’, he wrote: "The struggle of Hindu society is not primarily with the Muslim community. The most important opponents of Hindu society today are not the Islamic communal leaders, but the interiorized colonial rulers of India, the alienated English-educated and mostly Left-leaning elite that noisily advertises its 'secularism.' It is these people who impose anti-Hindu policies on Hindu society, and who keep Hinduism down and prevent it from proudly raising its head after a thousand years of oppression."

"The Hindu fight is not at all with Muslims; the fight is between Hindus anxious to renew themselves in the spirit of their civilization, and the state, Indian in name and not in spirit, and the political and intellectual class trapped in the debris the British managed to bury us under before they left."

"The worst torment for Hindu society today is this mental slavery, this sense of inferiority which Leftist intellectuals, through their power positions in education and the media, and their direct influence on the public and political arena, keep on inflicting on the Hindu mind."

"Pride in being Indian means, for 99%, pride in Hinduism. So, this legitimate pride has to be nourished with broad and in-depth knowledge of Hindu culture. The two enemies of this effort are the pseudo-secularist morbidity that glorifies the destroyers of Hindu culture, and discourages its study altogether...Most Western scholars positively dislike Hinduism when it stands up to defend itself. They prefer museum Hinduism, or innocent Gandhian kind of Hinduism, and they readily buy the secularist story that an assertive Hinduism is not the 'real Hinduism'."

Elst notes that Eastern philosophy has appeal in the West these days because "of rationality and the absence of a conflict between science and religion as there is in Islam or Christianity."

"Hinduism applauds diversity and consequently accepts that people of different temperaments, circumstances and levels of understanding develop different viewpoints and different forms to express even the same view point. In that sense, it has always paid equal respect to shramanas and brahmanas, to jnana (ज्ञान-knowledge) and bhakti (भक्ति-devotion) etc. It showed samabhava (समभाव-equality) to all traditions which counted as dharma (धर्म -duty & religion). This respect was never extended to adharma (अधर्म -non-religious/sinful) practices and doctrines such as Christianity and Islam, the religions for whose benefit the slogan is used mostly."

"The fundamental mistake of Indian secularism is that Hinduism is put in the same category as Islam and Christianity. Islam and Christianity's intrinsic irrationality and hostility to independent critical thought warranted secularism as a kind of containment policy. By contrast, Hinduism recognizes freedom of thought and does not need to be contained by secularism. Historically, Hindus have quickly recognized Islam and missionary Christianity as maleccha (मलेच्छ), barbaric predatory religions, not as instances of dharma to which any respect is due. Until Swami Dayananda Saraswati स्वामी दयानंद सरस्वती, they didn't even consider these religions as worthy of a detailed critique. Christianity and Islam are wrong in their central truth claims and can immediately be discarded. Humanity has lived without these pretentious doctrines for long, and that it is a matter of mathematical certainty that it will resume doing so. The question is only how much damage they will be allowed to add to their record before expiring. A very optimistic objection could be that Hindu society need not bother about Christianity and Islam, because the thrust of their historical aggression against Hinduism is weakening and will weaken further in the future. It has happened before; while Communists were plotting the death of Hinduism and the dismemberment of India, the Hindutva (हिन्दुत्व-the Hindu way of life) movement did very little to counter Communism, yet Communism collapsed under its own failure in its very stronghold."

"The Hindu revivalist movement perceives itself as the cultural chapter of India's decolonization. This means that it tries to free the Indians from the colonial condition at the mental and cultural level, to complete the process of political and economic decolonization. The need for 'reviving' Hinduism springs from the fact that the said hostile ideologies (mostly Islam) have managed to eliminate Hinduism physically in certain geographic parts (like present day Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh etc) and social segments of India, and also (mostly Western ideology) to neutralize the Hindu spirit among many nominal Hindus."

He advocates the intellectual mobilization of Hindu society. He stated: "Consider the situation in Africa: in 1900, 50% of all Africans practiced Pagan religions; today, Christian and Islamic missionaries have reduced this number to less than 10%. This is the kind of threat Hinduism is up against. So far, the biggest success of these aggressors is at the level of thought: many Hindus have interiorized the depreciation of Hindu culture and society which their enemies have been feeding them from the relative power positions...."

"Hindu tradition is based on the experience of sages, sane men and women who observed the world and explored consciousness. Its approach is scientific: the Vedic truths are verifiable, universal and repeatable, not dependent on the views of privileged individuals (“prophets”) but apaurusheya, “impersonal”.

***

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) British statesman, parliamentary orator and political thinker. He played a prominent part in all major political issues for about 30 years after 1765, and remained an important figure in the history of political theory. In all his speeches in Parliament on India - those made in connection with his Impeachment of Warren Hastings and others - Edmund Burke invariably represented the civilization of India as high. In his speech on the East India Bill, he said: "This multitude of men (the Indian nation) does not consist of an abject and barbarous populace, much less of gangs of savages; but of a people for ages civilized and cultivated; cultured by all the arts of polished life while we (Englishmen) were yet dwelling in the woods. There have been in (India) princes of great dignity, authority and opulence. There (in India) is to be found an ancient and venerable priesthood, the depositary of laws, learning and history, the guides of the people while living and their consolation in death. There is a nobility of great antiquity and renown; a multitude of cities not exceeded in population and trade by those of the first class in Europe; merchants and bankers who vie in capital with the banks of England; millions of ingenious manufacturers and mechanics; and millions of the most diligent tillers of the earth."

***

Radha-Krishna
राधा-कृष्ण

Fredrick von Schiller (1759-1805): A friend of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's, who otherwise took little interest in Indian literature, was also moved to enthusiastic praise of Shakuntala, which he found in some respects un paralled in the classical literature of Greece and Rome. He published part of the Shakuntala in Thalia, and in a letter to Wilhelm von Humboldt he wrote that: "in the whole of Greek antiquity there is no poetical representation of beautiful love which approaches Sakuntala (शकुन्तलम -the great love story epic by Kalidas-कालिदास) even afar."

***

H. M. Hyndman (1842-1921): An eminent British publicist.
He thus describes the important place of India in the world's history and civilization: "Many hundreds of years

before the coming of the English, the nations of India (भारत-वर्ष-The Indian sub-continent) had been a collection of wealthy and highly civilized people, possessed of a great language with an elaborate code of laws and social regulations, with exquisite artistic taste in architecture and decoration, producing beautiful manufactures of all kinds, and endowed with religious ideas and philosophic and scientific conceptions which have greatly influenced the development of the most progressive races of the West. One of the noblest individual moralists who ever lived, Sankya Muni (मुनि-sage) was a Hindu; the Code of Manu (from the ManuSmriti-मनुस्मृति), dating from before the Christian era, is still an essential a study for the jurist....and there are in India, in this later age, worthy descendants of the great authors of the Vedas, of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana."

"...and yet, nine-tenths of what has been written by the British about India is so expressed that we are made to believe the shameful falsehood that stability and civilized government in Hindustan (हिंदुस्तान India was called thus, meaning land of the Hindus) began only with the rule of the British."

***

Professor Kakuzo Okakura (1862 -1913) a Japanese philosopher, art expert, curator and author of 'The Book of Tea and The Ideals of the East', with Special Reference to the Art of Japan says:

"We catch a glimpse of the great river of science which never ceases to flow in India. For India has carried and scattered the data of intellectual progress for the whole world, ever since the pre-Buddhist period when she produced the Sankhya philosophy and the atomic theory; the fifth century, when her mathematics and astronomy find their blossom in AryaBhatta; the seventh when Brahmagupta uses his highly-developed Algebra and makes astronomical observations; the twelfth, brilliant with the glory of Bhaskaracharya, and his famous daughter, down to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries themselves with RamChandra, the mathematician and Jagdish Chandra Bose the physicist."

Okakura adds that in this scientific age: India had faith. "Such a faith in its early energy and enthusiasm was the natural incentive to that great scientific age which was to produce astronomers like Aryabhatta, discovering the revolution of the earth on its own axis, and his not less illustrious successor Varamihira; who brought Hindu medicine to its height, perhaps under Susruta; and which finally gave to Arabia the knowledge with which she was later to fructify Europe. The religion and culture of China are undoubtedly of Hindu origin. At one time in the single province of loyang there were more than three thousand Indian monks and ten thousand Indian families to impress their national religion and art on Chinese soil."

"Asia is one,” says Okakura “The Himalayas divide only to unite."

***

Sir Michael Sadler (1861-1943): a British historian, educationalist and university administrator. He worked

at the universities of Manchester and Leeds. He was a champion of the public school system.
He wrote: "One cannot walk through the streets of any center of population in India without meeting face after face which is eloquent of thought, of fine feeling, and of insight into the profound things of life. In a very true sense the people of India are nearer to the spiritual hearts of things than we in England are. As for brain power, there is that in India which is comparable with the best in our country."

***

Dr. Arthur Versluis (1959 - ) Associate Professor of American Thought and Language at Michigan State

University, a scholar and researcher of several currents of the hermetic, gnostic, theosophic and mystic traditions and author of 'The Egyptian Mystery',

He says: "It is necessary that we turn to the Vedanta....because the Upanishads provide the purest metaphysics available to us from the primordial past."

***

Count Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949) Belgian poet and essayist. Nobel laureate for literature in 1911. In his book Mountain Paths, in the doctrine of Karma, he finds "the only satisfactory solution of life's injustices."

"He falls back upon the earliest and greatest of Revelations, those of the Sacred Books of India with a Cosmogony which no European conception has ever surpassed."

Maeterlinck writes in his book 'The Great Secret': "We cannot tell how the religion of the Hindus came into being. When we become aware of it, we find it already complete in its broad outlines, its main principles. Not only is it complete, but the farther back we go, the more perfect it is, the more unadulterated, the more closely related to the loftiest speculations of our modern agnosticism." He continues, "When the world had emerged from the darkness," says the Bhagvat Puranam, भग्वत पुराण "the subtle elementary principle produced the vegetable seed which first of all gave life to the plants. From the plants, life passed into the fantastic creatures which were born of the slime in the waters; then, through a series of different shapes and animals, it came to Man."

"They passed in succession by way of the plants, the worms, the insects, the serpents, the tortoises, cattle, and the wild animals - such is the lower stage," says Manu again, who adds, "Creatures acquired the qualities of those that preceded them, so that the farther down its position in the series, the greater its qualities. Have we not here the whole of Darwinian evolution confirmed by geology and foreseen at least 6,000 years ago? On the other hand, is this not the theory of Akasa (आकाश) which we more clumsily call the ether, the sole source of all substances, to which our science is returning? Is it true that the recent theories of Einstein deny ether, supposing that radiant energy - visible light, for example - is propagated independently through a space that is an absolute void. But the scientific ether is not precisely the Hindu Akasa which is much more subtle and immaterial being a sort of spiritual element or divine energy, space uncreated, imperishable, and infinite."

The Ganga Aarti on the ghats of Ganges in Benaras (Varanasi/Kashi)

Commenting on the Vedic hymns Maeterlinck says: "Is it possible to find, in our human annals, words more majestic, more full of solemn anguish, more august in tone, more devout, more terrible? Where, from the depths of an agnosticism, which thousands of years have augmented, can we point to a wider horizon? At the very outset, it surpasses all that has been said, and goes farther than we shall even dare to go. No spectacle could be more absorbing than this struggle of our forefathers of five to ten thousand years ago with the Unknowable, the unknowable nature of the causeless Cause of all Causes. But of this cause, or this God, we should never have known anything, had He remained self-absorbed, had He never manifested Himself." Thus it is, say the Laws of Manu, (मनु-स्मृति- Manu Smriti) "that, by an alternation of awakening and repose, the immutable Being causes all this assemblage of creatures, mobile and immobile, eternally to return to life and to die." He exhales Himself, or expels His breath, throughout the Universe, innumerable worlds are born, multiply and evolve. He Himself inhales, drawing His breath, and Matter enters into Spirit, which is but an invisible form of Matter: and the worlds disappear, without perishing, to reintegrate the Eternal cause, and emerge once more upon the awakening of Brahma ब्रह्मा - that is, thousands of millions of years later; to enter into Him so it has been and ever shall be, through all eternity, without beginning, without cessation, without end."

Maeterlinck in his book The Great Secret, calls The Bhagavad Gita (श्रीमद भागवतम/गीता-The Gita) or 'Song of the Blessed', "a magnificent flower of Hindu mysticism."

***

John Adam Cramb (1862-1913) : Lecturer in Modern History at Queen Margaret College, Glasgow.
In London he gave private courses on history, literature and philosophy.
He is the author of 'The Origins and Destiny of Imperial Britain'. In his book he writes: "India is not only the Italy of Asia, it is not only the land of romance of art and beauty, it is in religion, earth's central shrine. India is religion."

***

James Bissett Pratt (1875-1944) American author of 'Why Religions Die' and 'India and its Faiths', makes these observations about Hinduism, which according to him, is the only religion which tends to survive the present crisis in the life of all religions. Hinduism, he calls the 'Vedic Way' is a 'self perpetuating' religion. The Vedic way...the way of constant spiritual re-interpretation.. leads to life - life which is self perpetuating, self-renewing and which for the individual and for the world may be eternal.

"Unlike other religions 'not death, but development' has been the fate of Hinduism ... that which in it was vital and true cast off the old shell and clothed itself in more suitable expression, with no break in the continuity of life and no loss in the sanctity and weight of its authority."

Generalizing on the secret of longevity of the Vedic religion, Professor Pratt says: "If a religion is to live it must adapt itself to new and changing conditions; if it is to feed the spiritual life of its children, it must have the sensitivity and inventiveness that shall enable it to modify their as their needs demand."

Another secret of the vitality of Hindu religion, is its catholicity. He says: "Mutually contradictory creeds can and do keep house together without quarrel within the wide and hospitable Hindu family."

"Hindu thought....because of its ingrained conclusiveness, its tolerance, and its indifference to doctrinal divergences, stressed the essential unity of all Indian Dharmas, whether Hindu or Buddhist, and minimized differences."

"For most Westerners “histories of philosophy” begin with the Greeks and end with the Americans,

Every life form on this planet, is considered divine,
without any exception. That is the basic philosophy
of Sanatana Dharma

and convey not the least suggestion that anyone outside of the West ever had a philosophical idea. A glance at the curricula of most our colleges and universities would seem to indicate that the one principle on which they are planned might be phrased: nothing east of Suez ! To one who has had a taste of the riches which Indian thought and Indian literature can contribute to our intellectual life and our spiritual experience, this deprivation which we Westerners inflict upon ourselves and upon our young people seems pitiful in the extreme. Indian philosophical literature, taking its rise several centuries before the time of Thales, has swept down through the ages, retaining always a characteristic point of view of its own, but developing in a great variety of fresh forms. Indian thought constitutes today the one type of living philosophy independent of our Western tradition. Neither China nor Japan possesses a living philosophical movement of its own. The tendency of nearly all the schools of Western philosophy is more and more steadily setting in the direction of naturalism, and often of a rather crude naturalism. The victories of natural science have hypnotized most of our philosophers. From such a world as Western naturalism usually offers, the thoughtful mind which craves something more than a scientific pattern of space-time evens may be glad to take refuge in the eternal insights into a spiritual realm, spread out before us in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Vedantic philosophy."

***

William Harten Gilbert (1904 - ) author of Peoples of India has said: "In the history of human culture the contribution of the Indian peoples in all fields has been of the greatest importance. From India we are said to have derived domestic poultry, shellac, lemons, cotton, jute, rice, sugar, indigo, the buffalo, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, sugar-cane, the games of chess, Pachisi, Polo, the Zero concept, the decimal system, the basis of certain philological concepts, a wealth of fables with moral import, an astonishing variety of artistic products, and innumerable ideas in philosophy and religion such as asceticism and monasticism."

***

Arun Shourie (1941- ) is a Rajya Sabha member and among India's best known commentators on current and political affairs. His writings are backed by rigorous analysis and meticulous research. Shourie has been an economist with the World Bank, a consultant in the planning commission and the editor of Indian Express. Among the many honors and awards, he has received the Magsaysay Award, the International Editor of the Year, the Dadabhai Naoroji and the Astor Award. Author of several books, including Secular Agenda, Eminent Historians, Harvesting Our Souls, Religions in Politics. Shourie writes:

"The traditions of India were rich as can be. They had attained insights of the first water...And they were inclusive. A person devoted to a tree was not traduced as an 'animist', a person devoted to a bull or an elephant, or a lion or a snake or even the lowly mouse was not laughed away. The objects of his devotion were received with reverence - they became part of a pantheon.. Nor was this artifice. The inclusiveness flowed from deep conviction, from what had been experienced at the deepest.. But no one could impede reform by an appeal to 'fundamentals', for these fundamentals made the individual's own experience the ultimate referrent. That everything should reform and transform, the tradition regarded as natural. Differences were harmonized through discourse..."

***

Prof. Brian David Josephson (1940 - ) Welsh physicist, the youngest Nobel Laureate. He states: "The Vedanta and the Sankhya hold the key to the laws of mind and thought process which are co-related to the Quantum Field, i.e. the operation and distribution of particles at atomic and molecular levels."

"He has turned to meditation and Indian Philosophy especially the Vedanta and Smakhya philosophy to find" scientific explanations" for the laws of mind and thought processes and their correlation to the quantum field in physics, which deals with creation and destruction of particles at atomic and molecular levels. 'Indian philosophy shows the relationship between mind and matter. Mind as seen in Indian philosophy enables one to describe subjective reality or the process of decision making as a wave function in terms of quantum physics".

Samkhya and Vedanta propound the evolution of universe in it inanimate and animate aspects, more comprehensively than modern science does. Vedananta derives it from primal Divine Energy or Sakti and Samkhya from proto-Nature or Prakriti.

***

Michael Wood (1948 - ) British historian/host/writer of 'The Barbarian West', a TV documentary. At the heart of the Western Civilization, says Wood, lies a deep streak of violence which drives them to exploit nature and mankind.

"Usually it is said that the East is hopelessly backward and needs to catch up with the West. But, a consideration of the legacy of these great civilizations suggests," says wood, "that the West has some catching up to do. It needs to learn from the East a way of cultivating its inner space, of accepting limits and desires in an increasingly finite world. "In the past 200 years one form of civilization, that of the West, has changed the balance of nature for ever. And now it is civilization itself which has become a central problem of our world."

Taking the Eastern perspective of life, Wood leads us through Western history from its Greco/Roman beginnings to Sir Francis Bacon's and momentous treatise declaring science's supremacy over God. Wood says this is where the West really got off-track, into matter, away from spirit. Final frames of this uncomplimentary portrait of Western societies-and their claims of superiority over Eastern cultures-are cuts from NASA spaceships to a worship scene in Meenaskhi temple, South India, where Wood suggests real civilization has been flourishing for millennia.

"India was one of the earliest of the great civilizations and it defined the goals of civilized life very differently from the West. The West raised individualism, materialism, rationality, [and] masculinity as it ideals. India's great tradition insisted on non violence, renunciation, the inner life, [and] the female as pillars of civilization. And through all the triumphs and disasters of her history she hung on to that ideal, an eternal quest to identify humanity with the whole of creation, a unity in diversity ... History is full of empires of the sword but India alone created an empire of the spirit."

"Ancient India is with us today in the living tradition of the Hindu religion, the basis of Indian culture. The traditions that are honored by millions of Hindus in the present were born in the Indus Valley 5,000 years ago."

***

Gary Zukav (-/-) author of The Dancing Wu Li Masters: an overview of the new physics. He says, "Hindu mythology is virtually a large scale projection into the psychological realm of microscopic scientific discoveries." "The Wu Li Masters know that physicists are doing more than 'discovering the endless diversity of nature.' They are dancing with Kali, the Divine Mother of Hindu mythology."

***

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) British statesman, parliamentary orator and political thinker, played a prominent part in all major political issues for about 30 years after 1765, and remained an important figure in the history of political theory.

In all his speeches in Parliament on India - those made in connection with his Impeachment of Warren Hastings and others - Edmund Burke invariably represented the civilization of India as high. In his speech on the East India Bill, he said:

"This multitude of men (the Indian nation) does not consist of an abject and barbarous populace, much less of gangs of savages; but of a people for ages civilized and cultivated; cultured by all the arts of polished life while we (Englishmen) were yet dwelling in the woods. There have been in (India) princes of great dignity, authority and opulence. There (in India) is to be found an ancient and venerable priesthood, the depository of laws, learning and history, the guides of the people while living and their consolation in death. There is a nobility of great antiquity and renown; a multitude of cities not exceeded in population and trade by those of the first class in Europe; merchants and bankers who vie in capital with the banks of England; millions of ingenious manufacturers and mechanics; and millions of the most diligent tillers of the earth."

***

Fredrick von Schiller (1759-1805) was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's friend, who otherwise took little interest in Indian literature, was also moved to enthusiastic praise of Shakuntala, which he found in some respects un paralled in the classical literature of Greece and Rome.

He published part of the Shakuntala in Thalia, and in a letter to Wilhelm von Humboldt he wrote that: "in the whole of Greek antiquity there is no poetical representation of beautiful love which approaches Sakuntala even afar."

***

H. M. Hyndman (1842-1921) the eminent British publicist thus describes, the important place of India in the world's history and civilization:

"Many hundreds of years before the coming of the English, the nations of India had been a collection of

wealthy and highly civilized people, possessed of a great language with an elaborate code of laws and social regulations, with exquisite artistic taste in architecture and decoration, producing beautiful manufactures of all kinds, and endowed with religious ideas and philosophic and scientific conceptions which have greatly influenced the development of the most progressive races of the West. One of the noblest individual moralists who ever lived, Sankya Muni was a Hindu; the Code of Manu, dating from before the Christian era, is still an essential a study for the jurist....and there are in India, in this later age, worthy descendants of the great authors of the Vedas, of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana."

***

Ernest E. Kellett (1864-1950) author of A Short History of Religions:

"On the other hand there seems to be an increasing number of persons who have been led by natural and acquired sympathy to adopt in some form one of the Eastern religions." The new German faith is said to have for its main source of interpretation Eckhart and the Bhagavad-Gita.

***

Sister Nivedita - Margaret Noble (1867-1911). Her first literary achievement was Kali the Mother, in which she expounds the conception of Kali. There are many 'educated Indians - of Christian missionaries we need not speak - who think that Kali is some blood-thirsty deity worshipped by barbarous people. to such

people this book ought to be a revelation. The Web of Indian Life, may be at once said that it is the greatest in the English language upon India. It is not a travel book, but a revelation of the soul of a people.

Sister Nivedita probed into the heart of Indian womanhood and reflected in her rhythmic and eloquent prose the natural simplicity and spiritual fervor of the women of India. Women, she contended, are the embodiment and repository of the ancient wisdom of the East. They are the inheritors of a radiant orthodoxy, unspoilt by age and undimmed by the passing fashions of the day to which men so easily succumb.

"Hinduism would not be eternal were it not constantly growing and spreading, and taking in new areas of experience. Precisely because it has this power of self addition and re-adaptation, in greater degree than any other religion that the world has even seen, we believe it to be the one immortal faith."

In the chapter on the Bhagavad Gita, she writes: "The book is nowhere a call to leave the world, but everywhere an interpretation of common life as the path to that which lies beyond. "Better for a man is his own duty, however, badly done than the duty of another, though that be easy. "Holding gain and loss as one, prepare for battle." That the man who throws away his weapons, and permits himself to be slain, unresisting in the battle, is not the hero of religion, but a sluggard and a coward; that the true seer is he who carries his vision into action, regardless of the consequences to himself; this is the doctrine of the "Gita" repeated again and again....Not the withdrawn, but the transfigured life, radiant, with power and energy, triumphant in its selflessness, is religion. "Arise!" thunders the voice of Sri Krishna, "and be thou an apparent cause!"

Sister Nivedita talked about the task before India. "We must create a history of India in living terms. Up to the present that history, as written by the English, practically begins with Warren Hastings, and crams in certain unavoidable preliminaries, which cover a few thousands of years...The history of India has yet to be written for the first time. It has to be humanized, emotionalized, made the trumpet-voice and evangel of the race that inhabit India."

"Beauty of place," writes Sister Nivedita, "translates itself to the Indian consciousness as God's cry to the soul. Had Niagara been situated on the Ganga, it is odd to think how different would have been its valuation by humanity. Instead of fashionable picnics and railway pleasure-trips, the yearly or monthly incursion of worshipping crowds; instead of hotels, temples; instead of ostentatious excess, austerity; instead of the desire to harness its mighty forces to the chariot of human utility, the unrestrained longing to throw away the body, and realize at once the ecstatic madness of Supreme Union. Could contrast be greater?"

Sister Nivedita realised that India's unrivalled, integrating culture that had spread from the Himalayas in the North to Kanyakumari in the South was due to this closeness with the ancient epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, a closeness that had been attacked and almost severed by Colonial style of education: "These two great works form together the outstanding educational agencies of Indian life. All over the country, in every province, especially during the winter session, audiences of Hindus and Mohammedans gather round the Brahmin storyteller at nightfall, and listen to his rendering of the ancient tales. The Mohammedans of Bengal have their own version of the Mahabharata."

This is why she would never call Indian women as ever having been illiterate. They had imbibed the best in the Indian tradition and strove to bring up their children as a Rama or Krishna, Arjuna or Karna, Sita or Savitri.

***

Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904) poet and scholar. Author of The Song Celestial, which is a translation of the Bhagavad Gita. It has great elevation of tone and majesty and dignity of style. There are many translations of the Gita but Arnold's translation has a place apart among them by its accuracy and the grave harmony of the verse. The translation is dedicated by the poet to India.

The dedicatory verses are in Arnold's own translation: "So have I read this wonderful and spirit-thrilling speech, by Krishna and Prince Arjuna held, discoursing each with each; So have I writ its wisdom here, its hidden mystery, For England; O our India! as dear to me as she!"

He wrote in his preface: "This famous and marvelous Sanskrit poem occurs as an episode of the Mahabharata, in the sixth - or "Bhishma" - Parva of the great Hindu epic. It enjoys immense popularity and authority in India, where it is reckoned as one of the "Five Jewels" - pancharatnani - of Devanagari literature. In plain but noble language it unfolds a philosophical system which remains to this day the prevailing Brahmanic belief blending as it does the doctrine of Kapila, Patanjali, and the Vedas."

Arnold already well known for the Light of Asia, wrote in India Revisited of the rite of bathing in the Ganga, and he described with emotion the people he observed at their prayers: "Some are old and feeble, weary with long journeys of life, emaciated by maladies, saddened from loses and troubles; and the morning air blows sharp, the river wave runs chilly. Yet there they stand, breast-deep in the cold river, with dripping cotton garments clinging to their thin or aged limbs, visibly shuddering under the shock of the water, and their lips blue and quivering, while they eagerly mutter their invocations. None of them hesitates; into the Gunga they plunge on arrival, ill or well, robust or sickly; and ladle the holy liquid up with small, dark, trembling hands, repeating the sacred names, and softly mentioning the sins they would expiate and the beloved souls they would plead for."

***

Acharya Jiwatram Bhagwandas Kriplani: आचार्य कृपलानी (1888-1982): Noted Gandhian, and Eminent National Leader. During the transfer of power in 1947, from the British to India, Acharya Kriplani, as he is popularly known, was the President of the Indian National Congress.

When speaking as the President of the Congress in India, he said: "I am a Hindu and am proud of the fact. But this is because Hinduism for me has stood for tolerance, for truth and for non-violence...."

***

Guy Sorman (1944 - ) French intellectual, writer, economist and a professor of political science at Paris University, visiting scholar at Hoover Institution at Stanford and the leader of new liberalism in France. He has observed India with a keen eye, a great deal of intelligence and genuine affection. He has written: "Temporal notions in Europe were overturned by an India rooted in eternity. The Bible had been the yardstick for measuring time, but the infinitely vast time cycles of India suggested that the world was much older than anything the Bible spoke of. It seem as if the Indian mind was better prepared for the chronological mutations of Darwinian evolution and astrophysics."

He has commented on the wise division of life in India: "Here is a philosophy far removed from the grotesque refusal to grow old in the West, where wisdom has been replaced by cosmetic surgery and psychiatric help."

"The Indian tradition, on the other hand, is that men submit to nature and form part of it, there nature preserves its sacredness, lost in the West since the Industrial Revolution." He further states that the idea of feminism and ecology came from the 1968 movement, from the meeting between India and the West. He says: "There is hardly anything in European thought to predispose the West to reject virility, the respect for authority, the mastery over nature. India too has a warrior (khastriya) tradition of virility as exemplified in the Mahabharata, only it is secondary. First, comes the veneration of thousands of goddesses - for the Indians, India is above all Mother India. India's femininity and sexual ambiguity, is the very antithesis of Western virility. For example, when the British scaled earth's highest peak, the exploit was widely hailed as the "conquest of the Everest." It was not realized and is often not realized still, that the word "conquest" was totally out of place in the context of the peak which is considered an object of reverence by many.

"The Brahmins attached to knowledge and learning is what has helped the Indian civilization endure

Aum ॐ symbol of piety,
Satya सत्य (truth) and
Dharma (duty) are the three
basics of Sanatana Dharma

and allowed the arts to flourish. If comparisons have to be made, it may be said that the endurance of the Brahmins in India has kept her elite intact, whereas in neighboring China the anti-intellectualism of communist peasants has completely wiped out the intelligentsia of that country. The Brahmins kept knowledge and art alive in India, preserving not only their savant but also their popular forms. The Brahmin elite is perhaps egoistical and domineering, nonetheless it has preserved a sense of dignity and beauty that has disappeared from China where all that remains is vulgarity and crass ignorance."

"The more decentralized, diversified and ritualized a religion is the better it can withstand the onslaught of rationalist thought. Hinduism, derives its strength from the fact that it is not a single unified religion but the sum total of thousands of local faiths. Every village has its own cult, rooted in the local culture without any universalist pretensions."

"India is a marvelous example of the art of living together at a time when Westerners are apprehensive about the future of their society."

"You cannot be a Hindu fundamentalist. It does not mean anything...The concept of fundamentalism does not exist in Hinduism." No one man embodies the spirit of universalism, it runs through the whole of India and there is a place for all religious groups and communities. The spiritual message of India is her capacity to let so many divergent practices coexist. The Enlightenment philosophers seemed to have grasped this profound originality...This the real message of India."

He says, "India has a strong cultural image in the west; unfortunately, it is not being commercially exploited." This should sink into the heads of those of us who are happy to be third-rate imitators of the US.

Sorman asserts that India is not a rogue state when he talks of the nuclear option. But there seem to be some Indians who are not so sure of their own country. He points out that "Nobody knows what is right. Each civilization...has its sense of the right. No one can impose his perception of right over others."

"Each Indian looks for God in his own way and worships one or several of the millions of deities who are the supposed reincarnation or expression of God, a Spirit or a Force. This has never led to a religious war. There have been communal clashes, but India has never had to face religious wars or crusades save those that were thrust on it from outside. The multiple revelation of the East has proved to be in many ways more advantageous than the single revelation of the West."

***

Siddharth S. Sinha,

सिद्धार्थ स. सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES - IV

2013-03-27T21:27:00.002+05:30

QUOTES ON HINDU SCRIPTURES - IV

SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMANIYASWAMI: (1927-2001) American born. He was one of Hinduism's foremost spiritual teachers, a prolific author and publisher of Hinduism Today magazine.

He called Hinduism, the Greatest Religion in the World.

"Hinduism is so broad. Within it there is a place for the insane and a place for the saint...There is a place for the intelligent person and plenty of room for the fool. The beauty of Hinduism is that it does not demand of every soul perfection in this life, a necessary conclusion for those who believe in a single lifetime during which human perfection or grace must be achieved. Belief in reincarnation (avatar-अवतार) gives the Hindu an acceptance of every level of humanity. Some souls are simply older souls than others, but all are inherently the same, inherently immortal and of the nature of the Divine."

"Hinduism, the Eternal Way (or Sanatana Dharma- सनातन धर्म), has no beginning, therefore will certainly have no end. It was never created, and therefore it cannot be destroyed. It is a God-centric religion. The centre of it is God. All of the other religions are prophet-centric. It is the only religion that has such breadth and depth. Hinduism contains the deities and the sanctified temples, the esoteric knowledge of inner states of consciousness, yoga and the disciplines of meditation. It possesses a gentle compassion and a genuine tolerance and appreciation for other religions. It remains undogmatic and open to inquiry. It believes in a just world in which every soul is guided by karma to the ultimate goal of Self Realization (aatma-gnyan-आत्म-ज्ञान), or moksha-मोक्ष , freedom from rebirth. It rest content in the knowledge of the divine origin of the soul. It cherishes the largest storehouse of scripture and philosophy on the Earth, and the oldest. It is endowed with a tradition of saints and sages, of realized men and women, unrivaled on the Earth. It is the sum of these, and more, which makes me boldly declare that Hinduism is the greatest religion in the world.

***

Dr. HEINRICH ZIMMER - (1890-1943): The great German Indologist, a man of penetrating intellect with keenest aesthetic sensibility. One of his famous works in the Bollingen series include ‘Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization and Philosophies of India’.

"We of the Occident are about to arrive at a crossroads that was reached by the thinkers of India some seven hundred years before Christ. This is the real reason, why we become both, vexed and stimulated, uneasy and yet interested, when confronted with the concepts and images of Oriental wisdom."

"It is well known that our Christian Western tradition has long refused to accept the wisdom of the pagans on an equal footing with the body of revelation that it cherishes and worships as its own. The fact that there are virtue, wisdom, and inspiration to be found even among the historical enemies of Christianity."

"The whole edifice of Indian civilization is imbued with spiritual meaning. The close interdependence and perfect harmonization of the two serve to counteract the natural tendency of Indian philosophy to become recondite and esoteric, removed from life and the task of the education of society. In the Hindu world, the folklore and popular mythology carry the truths and teachings of the philosophers to the masses. In this symbolic form the ideas do not have to be watered down to be popularized. The vivid, perfectly appropriate pictorial script preserves the doctrines without the slightest damage to their sense."

God SHIVA in His Nataraja
(with the Cosmic dance)
नटराज

Regarding the Cosmic Dance of Shiva, he has said: "His gesture wild and full of grace, precipitate the cosmic illusion; his flying arms, and legs and the swaying of his torso produce – indeed, they are – the continuous creation-destruction of the universe, death exactly balancing birth, annihilation the end of every coming-forth."

“In one of the Puranic accounts of the deeds of Vishnu in his Boar Incarnation or Avatar (Varah Incarnation -वाराह अवतार ), occurs a casual reference to the cyclic recurrence of the great moments of myth. The Boar, carrying on his arm the Goddess Earth whom he is in the act of rescuing from the depths of the sea, passingly remarks to her: “Every time I carry you this way….” For the Western mind, which believes in single, epoch-making, historical events (such as, for instance, the coming of Christ) this casual comment of the ageless god has a gently minimizing, annihilating effect. It is easy for us to forget that our strictly linear, evolutionary idea of time is something peculiar to modern man. Even the Greeks of the day of Plato and Aristotle, who were much nearer than the Hindus to our ways of thought and feeling did not share it. Indeed, St. Augustine seems to have been the first to conceive of this modern idea of time."

***

IRWIN BABBITT - (1865-1933): Harvard literary scholar and cultural thinker, will always stand as a monument to American intellectual culture at its finest. Babbitt was fascinated with Asian religion and philosophy. He was one of the principal critics of the twentieth century, and an influential teacher of T. S. Eliot.

"East bowed low before the blast in humble deep disdain, It let the legions thunder past, and plunged in thought again."

***

Dr. ANANDA KENTISH COORASWAMY - (1877-1947): Late curator of Indian art at the ‘Boston Museum of Fine Arts’, was unexcelled in his knowledge of the art of the Orient, and unmatched in his understanding of Indian culture, language, religion and philosophy. He wanted India to remain Indian and continue to demonstrate that a pattern of life rooted in religion and philosophy can also be elegant, graceful and fully satisfying. In India philosophy has been the key in the understanding of concrete life, not a mere intellectual exercise in abstract thought.

He is the author of ' The Dance of Shiva: Essays on Indian Art and Culture'

Praising this grand achievement of art, he writes about the image of the Nataraja: "This conception itself is a synthesis of science, religion and art. In the night of Brahma, Nature is inert, and cannot dance till Shiva wills it. He rises from His rapture, and dancing sends through inert matter pushing waves of awakening sound, and lo! matter also dances appearing as a glory round about Him. This is poetry; but nonetheless, science.
Whatever the origins of Siva's dance, it became in time the clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of.”

“How amazing the range of thought and sympathy of those rishi-artists who conceived such a type as this, affording an image of reality, a key to the complex tissue of life, a theory of nature, note merely satisfactory to a single clique or race, not acceptable to the thinkers of a country only, but Universal in its appeal to the philosopher, the lover and the artist of all ages and all countries…”

“Every part of such an image as this is directly expressive not of any superstition or dogma, but of evident facts. No artist of today, however great, could more exactly or more wisely create an image of that Energy which science must postulate behind all phenomena. “It is not strange that the figure of Nataraja has commanded the adoration of so many generations past; familiar with all scepticisms, expert in tracing all beliefs to primitive superstitions, explorers of the infinitely great and infinitely small, we are worshippers of Nataraja still.”

"Hindus have grasped more firmly than others the fundamental meaning and purpose of life, and more deliberately than others organized society with a view to the attainment of the fruit of life; and this organization was designed, not for the advantage of a single class, but, to use a modern formula, to take from each according to his capacity, and to give to each according to his needs." " If it be asked what inner riches India brings to aid in the realization of a civilization of the world, then, from the Indian standpoint, the answer must be found in her religions and her philosophy, and her constant application of abstract theory to practical life."

The essence of the Indian experience, rooted in “a constant intuition" of the unity and harmony of all life. Everything has its place, every being its function and all play a part in the divine concert led by Nataraja (Siva), Lord of Dancers.

He has described the Bhagavad Gita as "a compendium of the whole Vedic doctrine to be found in the earlier Vedas, Brahmanas and Upanishads, and being therefore the basis of all later developments, it can be regarded as the focus of all Indian religion."

"There are many gods in Hindu pantheon, but they are no more than the imaginative shadowing forth of all-compassing, all penetrating spirit."

"Hinduism emerges, not as a post-Vedic development, atheistic declension from the lofty visions of the Upanishads, but as something handed on from a prehistoric past, ever-changing and yet ever essentially itself, raised at various times by devotional ecstasy and philosophic speculation to heights beyond the grasp of thought, and yet preserving in its popular aspects the most archaic rites and animistic imagery."

He detected in India “a strong national genius...since the beginning of her history.”

He found Indian art and culture “a joint creation of the Dravidian and Aryan genius.”

Of Buddhism, he wrote:’ “the more profound our study, the more difficult it becomes to distinguish Buddhism from Brahmanism, or to say in what respects, if any, Buddhism is really unorthodox. The outstanding distinction lies in the fact that Buddhist doctrine is propounded by an apparently historical founder. Beyond this there are only broad distinctions of emphasis.” No right-wing historian could dare put it so boldly in Indian today

"Almost all that belongs to the common spiritual consciousness of Asia, the ambient in which its diversities are reconcilable, is of Indian origin in the Gupta period."

"Hinduism is not only the oldest of the mystery religions, or rather metaphysical disciplines, of which we have a full and precise knowledge from literary sources .....but also perhaps the only one of these that has survived with an unbroken tradition and that is lived and understood at the present by millions of men..."

The Indian tradition is one of the forms of the Philosophia Perennis, and as such, embodies those universal truths, to which no one people or age can make exclusive claim. "....We must, however, specially mention the Bhagavad Gita as probably the most important single work ever produced in India; this book of eighteen chapters is not, as it has been sometimes called, a "sectarian " work, but one universally studied and often repeated daily from memory by millions of Indians of all persuasions; it may be described as a compendium of the whole Vedic doctrine to be found in the earlier Vedas, Brahmanas, and Upanishads, and being therefore the basis of all the later developments, it can be regarded at the focus of all Indian religion.”

***

ROBERT ARNETT: professor, has lectured widely throughout America including the Smithsonian Institute and Harvard and Yale Universities. He has been interviewed on National Public Radio, Voice of America and various television programs. In his new book’ India Unveiled’, he says:

"Hinduism is greatly misunderstood in the West. Most occidentals do not realize that Hinduism is a monotheistic belief in only one God, who as Creator is beyond time, space and physical form. The entire pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses are merely representations of different attributes of the One, Unmanifested Spirit. Hinduism created a different deity for each of God's numerous qualities to make God seem more real and approachable."

"Hinduism is a very tolerant religion. It does not have claim exclusivity of the true God for only itself.'

The Rig Veda, clearly states: "Though men call it by many names, it is really One."

***

PIERRE SIMON DE LAPLACE - (1749-1827): French mathematician, philosopher, and astronomer. A contemporary of Napoleon. Laplace is best known for his nebular hypothesis of the origin of the solar system.

"It is India that gave us the ingenious method of expressing all numbers by ten symbols, each receiving a value of position as well as an absolute value, a profound and important idea which appears so simple to us now that we ignore its true merit. But its very simplicity, the great ease which it has lent to all computations, puts our arithmetic in the first rank of useful inventions, and we shall appreciate the grandeur of this achievement the more when we remember that it escaped the genius of Archimedes and Appollnius, two of the greatest men produced by antiquity."

***

ALBERT WEBER - (1825-1901): Author of The History of Indian Literature, London 1878.

He writes: “When we compare the doctrines, aims, organization of this (Pythagorean) brotherhood with Buddhistic monarchism, we are almost tempted to regards Pythagoras as the pupil of the Brahmins…Dualism, Pessimism, metempsychosis, celibacy, a common life according to the rigorous rules, frequent self-examination, meditation, devotion, prohibitions against bloody sacrifices, kindliness towards all men, truthfulness, fidelity, justice, and all these elements are common to both.”

***

FRANCESCO CLEMENTE: Italian born Indophile, New York artist Clemente was born in 1952.

His art was displayed at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum recently. He is the youngest artist ever to receive a full-museum retrospective at the Guggenheim. Clemente arrived in India in 1973 and since then he made more than ten trips, immersing himself deep in India's philosophy, religion, art and crafts.

"The Gods who left thousands of years ago in Milan (Europe) are still in India."

"In Indian diversity there is still the memory of very refined expressions which we have lost."

***

GEOFFERY MOORHOUSE (1931-??): author of several books including India Britannica, and Om: an Indian Pilgrimage

He has observed: "No other country has lived with so complicated a past so equably, assimilating everything that has happened to it, obliterating naught, so that not even the intricate histories of European states have produced such a rich pattern as that bequeathed by the Mauryas, the Ashokas, the Pahlavas, the Guptas, the Chalykyas, the Hoysalas, the Pandyas, the Cholas, the Mughals, and the British - to identify a few of the people that have shaped India's inheritance."

"Religion, flourishes here as it does nowhere else. Other lands may surrender themselves totally to a particular faith, but in India most creeds are deeply rooted and acknowledged fervently. Virtually the whole population practices some form of devotion: the Indian without the slightest feeling for the divine, without a spiritual dimension to his life, is exceedingly rare."

"Incomparable and inimitable she is, India is also our great paradigm."

***

GOLDSWORTHY LOWES DICKINSON (1862-1932): Son of portrait painter Cato Lowes Dickinson. He was brought up in a Christian Socialist environment and though he later rejected Christianity he saw his work in the context of its social utility. He was a pacifist during World War I, and he was later instrumental in the conception of the League of Nations

He is the author of 'An Essay on the Civilizations of India, China & Japan'. In this essay he seeks with justice to define the character of Indian civilization. He profoundly remarks, "that it is so unique that the contrast is not so much between East and West as between India and the rest of the world. Thus India stands for something which distinguishes it from all other peoples, and so she calls Herself a Karma-bhumi (land of Karma - कर्म-भूमि) as opposed to the Bhoga-bhumi (land of consumers-भोग-भूमि of all other peoples. For this She has been wonderfully preserved until today. Even now we can see the life of thousands of years ago. Standing on the Ghats घाट at Benares (Varanasi-वाराणसी-बनारस) or by any village well we are transported into the beautiful antique world."

Dickinson, a friend of E. M. Forster, in his "Essay on the Civilizations" thesis, wrote: "The real antithesis is not between East and West, but between India and the rest of the world. Only India is different; only India un spools some other possibility fantastically. India is the odd man out of the global citizenry."

Dickinson firmly believed, "because religion, religion, religion everywhere had transported the land to somewhere nearly extraterrestrial. All other countries were located on planet Earth, in present time, in specific material conditions- which were so much 'maya' (illusion-माया) or secondary reality in India, where what was important had migrated over the mountaintops into the clouds."

"Indian religion has never been a system of dogma, and is not entangled in questionable history. Indian philosophy and religion have always affirmed that there is; that by meditation and discipline an internal perception is opened which is perception of truth."

"In the first place, India has never put Man in the center of the universe. In India, and wherever Indian influence has penetrated, it is, on the one hand, the tremendous forces of nature, and what lies behind them that is the object of worship and of speculation; and, on the other hand, Mind and Spirit; not the mind or spirit of the individual person, but the universal Mind or Spirit, which is in him, but which he can only have access by philosophic mediation and discipline....It is very much in harmony with the spirit of western science than with that of western religion. And this fact is exemplified not only by the religious and philosophic literature of India, but by its art."

***

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (1856-1950): a vegetarian and Nobel Laureate for Literature. He was an active socialist on the executive committee of the Fabian Society along with Annie Besant. Famous British Author and Playwright, of books such as Pygmalion.

G. B. Shaw remarked: "The Indian way of life provides the vision of the natural, real way of life. We veil ourselves with unnatural masks. On the face of India are the tender expressions which carry the mark of the Creators hand."

"In the face of an Indian, you can see the natural glory of life, while we have covered ourselves with an artificial clock."

"The apparent multiplication of gods is bewildering at the first glance, but you soon discover that they are the same GOD. There is always one uttermost God who defies personification. This makes Hinduism the most tolerant religion in the world, because its one transcendent God includes all possible gods. In fact Hinduism is so elastic and so subtle that the most profound Methodist, and crudest idolater, are equally at home with it."

***

W.CROOKE: (-/-) in his book, in 1896, 'The Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India' he wrote: "Among all the great religions of the world there is none more catholic, more assimilative, than the mass of beliefs which go to make up what is popularly known as Hinduism."

***

Sir CHARLES NORTON EDGCUMBE (1864-1931): British diplomat and colonial administrator, a famous scholar and linguist of Oxford, observed on his book Hinduism and Buddhism - An Historical Sketch:

"Let me confess that I cannot share the confidence in the superiority of Europeans and their ways which is prevalent in the West."

"European civilization is not satisfying and Asia can still offer something more attractive to many who are far from Asiatic in spirit."

"Indian religions have more spirituality and a greater sense of the Infinite than our western creeds and more liberality. They are not merely tolerant but often hold that different classes of mankind have their own rules of life and suitable beliefs and that he who follows such partial truths does no wrong to the greater and all-inclusive truths on which his circumstances do not permit him to fix his attention....and are more penetrated with the idea that civilization means a gentle and enlightened temper - an idea sadly forgotten in these days of war."

"I do not think that Christianity will ever make much progress in Asia, for what is commonly known by that name is not the teaching of Christ but a rearrangement of it made in Europe and like most European institutions practical rather than thoughtful. And as for the teaching of Christ himself, the Indian finds it excellent but not ample or satisfying. There is little in it which cannot be found in some of the many scriptures of Hinduism..."

"The claim of India to the attention of the world is that she, more than any other nation since history began, has devoted herself to contemplating the ultimate mysteries of existence and, in my eyes, the fact that Indian thought diverges widely from our own popular thought is a positive merit."

"Hinduism has not been made, but has grown. It is a jungle, not a building. It is a living example of a great national paganism such as might have existed in Europe if Christianity had not become the state religion of the Roman Empire, if there had remained an incongruous jumble of old local superstitions, Greek philosophy, and oriental cults such as the worship of Sarapis or Mitras."

"Compared to Islam and Christianity, Hinduism’s doctrines are extraordinarily fluid, and multiform. India deals in images and metaphors. Restless, subtle and argumentative as Hindu thought is, it is less prone than European theology to the vice of distorting transcendental ideas by too stringent definition. It adumbrates the indescribable by metaphors and figures. It is not afraid of inconsistencies which may illustrate different aspects of the infinite, but it rarely tries to cramp the divine within the limits of a logical phrase. The Hindu has an extraordinary power of combining dogma and free thought, uniformity, and variety. Utmost latitude of interpretation is allowed. In all ages Hindus have been passionately devoted to speculation. It is also to point out that from the Upanishads down to the writings of Tagore in the present day literature from time to time enunciates the idea that the whole universe is the manifestation of some exuberant force giving expression to itself in joyous movement. Thus the Taittiriya Upanishad (III. 6) says: “Bliss is Brahman, for from bliss all these being are born, by bliss when born they live, into bliss they enter at their death.”

***

Sri SWAMI SIVANAND SARASVATI MAHARAJ (1887-1963): founder of The Divine Life Society, with headquarters in Rishikesh, Himalayas, began as a physician before he turned sanyasi.

Swami Sivananda said: "Hinduism stands unrivaled in the depth and grandeur of its philosophy. Its ethical teachings are lofty, unique and sublime. It is highly flexible and adapted to every human need. It is a perfect religion by itself. It is not in need of anything from any other religion. No other religion has produced so many great saints, great patriots, great warriors, great Pativratas (chaste women devoted to their husbands). 'The more you know of the Hindu religion, the more you will honor and love it. The more you study it, the more it will enlighten you and satisfy your heart.'

***

JUAN (Joan) MASCARO (1897 - 1987): Lectured at Oxford University, Parameshvara College in Jaffna, the University of Barcelona, and Cambridge University.

He is the author of The Bhagvad Gita - translated By Juan Mascaro. There he pays rich tribute to the glory of the Sanskrit literature: "Sanskrit literature is a great literature. We have the great songs of the Vedas, the splendor of the Upanishads, the glory of the Upanishads, the glory of the Bhagavad-Gita, the vastness (100,000 verses) of the Mahabharata, the tenderness and the heroism found in the Ramayana, the wisdom of the fables and stories of India, the scientific philosophy of Sankhya, the psychological philosophy of yoga, the poetical philosophy of Vedanta, the Laws of Manu, the grammar of Panini and other scientific writings, the lyrical poetry, and dramas of Kalidasa. Sanskrit literature, on the whole, is a romantic literature interwoven with idealism and practical wisdom, and with a passionate longing for spiritual vision."

"Amongst the sacred books of the past, the Upanishads can be called the truth the Himalayas of the soul. Their passionate wanderings of discovery to find that sun of the spirit in us, from whom we have the light of our consciousness and the fire of our life; the greatness of their questions, and the sublime simplicity of their answers; their radiance of joy..."

"In the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna becomes the soul of man and Krishna the charioteer of the soul."

"The greatness of the Bhagavad Gita is the greatness of the universe, but even as the wonder of the stars in heaven only reveals itself in the silence of the night, the wonder of this poem only reveals itself in the silence of the soul."

"the essence of the Bhagavad Gita is the vision of God in all things and of all things in God."

"The Gita is like a little shrine in a vast temple, a temple that is both a theatre and a fair of this world. Self harmony, or self-control, is again and again praised in the Bhagavad Gita - All perfection in action is a form of self-control, and this sense of perfection is the essence of the Karma yoga of the Gita. The artist must have self-control in the moment of creation, and all work well done requires self-control. But the Bhagavad Gita wants us to transform our whole life into an act of creation."

"If Beethoven could give us in music the spirit of the Bhagavad Gita, what a wonderful symphony we should hear."

***

Madame ALICE LOUIS-BARTHOU writes: "I look upon the Occident (Europe) with abomination. It represents for me fog, grayness, chill, machinery, murderous science, factories with all the vices, the triumph of noise, of hustling, of ugliness...The Orient is calm, peace, beauty, color, mystery, charm, sunlight, joy, ease of life, and reverly: I find the exact opposite of our hateful and grotesque civilization..... If I had my way, I should have a wall built between the Orient and the Occident to keep the latter from poisoning the former; I should go and live where you can see clearly and where there are no Europeans."

***

Professor H. G. (Hugh George) RAWLINSON (1880 - ) author of several books including India, a short cultural history

He remarks: "almost all the theories, religious, philosophical, and mathematical, taught by the Pythagoreans were known in India in the sixth century B.C."

***

W. J. GRANT writes in his book The Spirit of India:

"India indeed has a preciousness which a materialistic age is in danger of missing. Some day the fragrance of her thought will win the hearts of men. This grim chase after our own tails which marks the present age cannot continue for ever. The future contains a new human urge towards the real beauty and holiness of life. When it comes India will be searched by loving eyes and defended by knightly hands."

"The religion of the Hindus is rich in legend and stupendous allegory. It is a religion of great dignity and beauty. Its wrestlings with reality are as courageous as any in the whole history of mankind..' Indian thought has generally been contemplative, it has seldom been enamored of the material side of life."

"In the realm of religious philosophy she has given to us the most searching examination of the ethical law the world is ever likely to have. No Greek was more splendid in his scientific fidelity than the quiet company of Indian thinkers who made the Upanishads and traced the whole beauteous outline of the Eastern spirit."

"There are cities in India whose grace and charm are matched only by the sweetness of an immemorial religion. Nowhere else in the world have I been so exquisitely invaded by the mystic quality of life."

"She is grave and old and stupendous. Her accents are for the calm and gracious. Her temples are laden with symbolism....and internal beauties. It is true, that India is royal...India has been royal at heart from her very foundations of her memory."

The ASHOKA CHAKRA
A symbol of India, signifies
constant progress and a sign of
Dharma & Knowledge

"Our sublimest delusion is that India is backward. This predicates, of course, that we are progressive. If backwardness and progress depend on the rate at which one can gobble up vanities perhaps India does not need our aid.....India's devotion to being good rather than being clever comes nearer the heart of a true civilization. Cleverness dies on the tongue like a social pleasantry, goodness echoes round the universe in an un extinguishable reality. We in the West are too busy to see that science without soul is like words without meaning."

"India's greatness is in her humility; her weakness is her strength. She is both wiser and more effective than the West, for she does not declare that reform is not a new shirt on Sunday morning but a clean heart at the Throne of Grace. Justice without spirit of justice is as much of an achievement as a river without its water."

***

Dr. A. L. BASHAM: One of the leading authorities on ancient Indian culture. He is the author of The Wonder That Was India

He states: "Our over-all impression is that no other part of the ancient world were the relations of man and man, and of man and the state, so fair and humane. In no other early civilization were slaves so few in number, and in no other ancient law book are their rights so well protected as in the Arthashastra... In all her history of warfare, Hindu India has few tales to tell of cities put to the sword or of the massacre of noncombatants...To us the most striking feature of ancient Indian civilization is its humanity....Our second general impression of ancient India is that her people enjoyed life, passionately delighting both in the things of the senses and the things of the spirit...India was a cheerful land, whose people, each finding a niche in a complex and slowly evolving social system, reached a higher level of kindliness and gentleness in their mutual relations than any other nation of antiquity. For this, as well as for her great achievements in religion, literature, art, science and mathematics, one European student at least would record his admiration of her ancient culture."

"India was cheerful land, whose people, each finding a niche in a complex and slowly evolving social system, reached a higher level of kindliness and gentleness in their mutual relationships than any other nation of antiquity."

"The procession of the equinoxes was known, and calculated with some accuracy by medieval astronomers, as were the lengths of the year, the lunar month, and other astronomical constants. These calculations were reliable for most practical purposes, and in many cases more accurate than those of the Greco-Roman world. Eclipses were forecast with accuracy and their true cause understood. These were achieved without the help of a telescope. Accurate measurement was made possible by the decimal system of numerals, invented by the Indians. It is certain that the Vedic Indians knew something of astronomy and that it had a high utilitarian value for them as it did for all peoples of antiquity. The Vedic priests had to make careful calculations of times for their rituals and sacrifices, and also had to determine the time of sowing and harvest. Moreover, astronomical periods played an important role in Vedic thought for they were considered to be successive parts of the ever returning cosmic cycle."

"The Rig Veda lists a number of stars and mentions twelve divisions of the sun's yearly path (rashis) and also 360 divisions of the circle. Thus, the year of 360 days is divided into twelve months. The sun's annual course was described as a wheel with twelve spokes, which correspond to the twelve signs of the zodiac."

"The theory of the great cycles of the universe and the ages of the world is of older origin than either Greek or Babylonian speculations about the "great year," the period within which all the stars make a round number of complete revolutions. But there is remarkably close numerical concordance in these theories. The Indian concept of the great year (mahayuga) developed from the idea of a lunisolar period of five years, combined with the four ages of the world (yugas) which were thought to be of unequal perfection and duration, succeeding one another and lasting in the ration of 4:3:2:1.

The last, the Kaliyuga, was one-tenth of the mahayuga or 432,000 years. This figure was calculated not only from rough estimates of planetary and stellar cycles, but also from the 10,800 stanzas of the Rig Veda, consisting of 432,000 syllables. The classical astronomers calculated the great period as one of 4,320,000 years, the basic element of which was a number of sidereal solar years, 1,080,000 a multiple of 10,800. According to Berossus, the Babylonian great year was a period of 432,000 years, comprising 120 "saroi" of 3,600 years apiece. The Rig Veda talks about the annual motion of the earth. The diurnal motion is described in the Yajur Veda. The Aiteriya Brahmana explains that "the sun neither sets nor rises, that when the earth, owing to the rotation on its axis is lighted up, it is called day" and so on."

***

More Quotes to follow...

To be continued...

Siddharth S. Sinha
सिद्धार्थ स सिन्हा
ssselan@yahoo.in

MOST POPULAR MANTRAS of Sanatana Dharma

2013-03-23T00:59:00.001+05:30

THE MANTRAS

मननात त्रायते इति मन्त्रः

"Mananaat traayate iti mantrah"

(That which uplifts with constant repetition (through chanting), is called a Mantra.)

*********************************************************************************

Without the existence of mantras, Sanatana Dharma would lose it's philosophy because every important scripture is written in verses (mostly these are the Mantras).

Some of the MOST IMPORTANT MANTRAS of Sanatana Dharma.

AUM

ॐ

Aum, this 'one letter mantra' is the most important mantra of Sanatana Dharma.

For more on this, kindly read my blog posted of 23rd November, 2012, dedicated to this Matra, on this blog.

***

2:

GAYATRI MANTRA
गायत्री मंत्र

‘OM’

Bhuur-bhuvah Swaha-Tatsa-Vitur Varennyamm,

Bhargo-Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo-Yonah-Prachodayaat

Translation:
Aum! O Supreme Creator, You are the provider of life,
remover of pain and sorrow and the bestower of happiness;
O Creator of the Universe, may we receive Thy supreme sin-destroying light;
may You channel our intellect to the right path.

The Gayatri mantra is one of the most venerated mantra in Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism). It finds mention in every Veda but comes from the Rig Veda,, first and most revered of the four Vedas. It also finds its esteem and relevance in other important scriptures like the 'MahaBharat' and 'Srimad Bhagvatam', The Bhagvad Gita and the 'Ramayana'.

Importance: This mantra is most common mantra recited to achieve purity and piety in life. It helps to calm thoughts and brings peace to our minds. Many people chant this mantra 108 times each day. It is also used at each and every auspicious occasion.

The Gayatri Mantra is also chanted daily by many to achieve higher level of Intellect, wisdom, knowledge and to achieve greater spirituality, calmness and divine consciousness. People who chant this mantra certainly feel peace and contentment.

***

3:

ॐ श्री गणेशाय नमः
Aum Shri Ganeshay namah:
&
ॐ गनगणपतये नमः
Aum Gan-Ganpataye namah:

These mantras symbolize auspiciousness, and devoted to Lord Ganesha, the venerated son of God Shiva. Before every puja or ceremony (religious or social), any situation (auspicious or inauspicious), God Ganesha's mantra is chanted. The above two mantras (either one is chosen) are used for chanting at such occasions.

Both Mantras are also used by many individuals and businessmen to begin their daily work. These mantras are also commonly found at the top of many invoices, greeting and invitation cards, among Hindus.

***

4:

God Shiva

ॐ नमः शिवाय।
Aum Namah Shivay

This Shiva mantra is most widely chanted after AUM. Along with the Gayatri mantra this is one of the two most important mantras for chanting, especially by the devotees of God Shiva.

This mantra also has an extended 'stotra'-chant, which is more commonly famous as the 'Panch-aakshar-Stotram' पञ्चाक्षर स्तोत्रं, meaning a chant of five syllables: 'NA, MAH, SHI, VA & YA'!

The Panch-Aakshar Stotram:

Aum Shri - Nagedndra Haaraay Trilochanaay Bhasmaangraay Maheshwaraay l

Nityaay Shudhaay Digambaraay Tasmai “Na” Kaaraay Namaah Shivaay ll

Mandaakini-Salilam-Chandan-Charchitaay Nandishwar-Pramathnaath-Maheshwaraay ll

Manddar-Pushy-Bahupushy –Supujitaay Tasmai “Ma” Kaaraay Namaah Shivaay ll

Shivaay Gaurivadanaabjvrand-Suryaay Dakshadhwar- Naashkaay l

Shrineelkanthaay Vrashdhvajaay Tasmai “Shi” Kaaraay Namaah Shivaay ll

Vasishth-Kumbhodbhav Gautamary-Munindr-Devarchit-Shekhraay l

Chandrark-Vaishvanar-Lochnaay Tasmai “Va” Kaaraay Namaah Shivaay ll

Yagyaswaruupaay Jataadharaay Pinaak-Hastaay Sanaatanaay l

Divyaay Devaay Digambaraay Tasmai “Ya” Kaaraay Namaah Shivaay ll

Panchaaksharmidam Punyam Yah Pathet Shiv Sanidhau l

Shivlokamvaapnoti iven Sah Modate ll

श्री शिव पंचाक्षरस्तोत्रम्

ॐ श्री नागेन्द्रहाराय त्रिलोचनाय भस्मांगराय महेश्वराय l नित्याय शुद्धाय दिगम्बराय तस्मै “न” काराय नम: शिवाय ॥

मंदाकिनी-सलिल-चंदन-चर्चिताय नंदीश्व प्रमथनाथ-महेश्वराय l मंदार-पुष्य-बहुपुष्य–सुपूजिताय तस्मै “म” काराय नम: शिवाय ॥

शिवाय गौरीवदनाब्जवृन्द-सूर्याय दक्षाध्वर-नाशकाय l श्रीनीलकंठाय वृषध्वजाय तस्मै “शि” काराय नम: शिवाय ॥

वसिष्ठ-कुम्भोद्भव गौतमार्य-मुनीन्द्र-देवार्चित-शेखराय l चंद्रार्क-वैश्वानर-लोचनाय तस्मै “व” काराय नम: शिवाय ॥

यज्ञस्वरुपाय जटाधराय पिनाक-हस्ताय सनातनाय l दिव्याय देवाय दिगम्बराय तस्मै “य” काराय नम: शिवाय ॥

पंचाक्षरमिदं पुण्यं य: पठेत् शिव संनिधौ l

शिवलोकमवाप्नोति शिवेन सह मोदते ll

***

5:
Maha-Mrityunjaya Mantra
महामृत्युंजय मंत्र

Aum tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭi-vardhanam

urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt

Maha-Mrityunjaya Mantra is chanted to Shiva, and believed to have the power to ward off untimely death. This mantra is also called 'Rudra-mantra', Mitra-Sanjivani Mantra' and 'Trayambakam mantra'. It is considered to be one of the most potent mantras ever recited.

While its energy protects and guides the initiates, a mantra re-links consciousness to its deeper and more abiding nature and repetition of the mantra constitutes Japa, which develops concentration that leads to transformation of awareness. While the Gayatri Mantra is for purification and spiritual consciousness, the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is meant for healing rejuvenation and protection.

6:

Hari Mantra:

Lord Chaitanya MahaPrabhu
(15th Century CE)

हरे राम हरे राम,
राम राम हरे हरे।
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण
कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे।।

Hare Rama Hare Rama,
Rama Rama Hare Hare;
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.

God Krishna
भगवान श्री कृष्ण

This Mantra was first chanted by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (the great devotee of Lord Krishna). Many believe him to be an incarnation (avatar) of God Krishna. This mantra is chanted many many people, especially by the followers of Krishna (more so by the devotees of the ISKCON - International Society for Krishna Consciousness)

***

God Ganesh
The idol of the famous 'Laal Baug che Raja' (The Lord of Laal Baug)
भगवान श्री गणेश-लाल बाग के राजा

Ganesh Vakratunda Mantra

Vakra-Tunndda Maha-Kaaya Surya-Kotti Samaprabha
Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarva-Kaaryessu Sarvadaa

Meaning:
O Lord Ganesha, of Curved Trunk, Large Body, with Brilliance of ten million Suns,
Please Make All my Works Free of Obstacles, Always.

IMPORTANCE: This is a very auspicious mantra addressed to God Ganesha. It is considered so auspicious that no invitation card for any auspicious occasion is printed without this mantra. This Mantra helps in removing all obstacles or hindrances and presents good luck and fortune.

***

GURU MANTRA

गुरु मंत्र

Maha-Rishi Ved Vyas

(Guru among Rishis)

।
॥१॥

Gurur-Brahmaa Gurur-Vishnu-Gururdevo Maheshvarah |
Gurureiva Param Brahma Tasmai Shri-Gurave Namah ||1||

Meaning:
The Guru is Brahma, the Guru is Vishnu, the Guru Deva is Maheswara (Shiva),

The Guru is Verily the Para-Brahman (Supreme Brahman); Salutations to that Guru.

This mantra is considered important because it praises the Guru who is knowledgeable. Without His knowledge we would have gained no knowledge. In that respect He is of great knowledge and has the knowledge of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

***

SURYA NAMASKAR

सूर्य नमस्कार

॥ ॐ ध्येयः सदा सवित्र मण्डल मध्यवर्ती नारायण सरसिजा सनसन्नि विष्टः
केयूरवान मकरकुण्डलवान किरीटी हारी हिरण्मय वपुर धृतशंख चक्रः ॥

ॐ मित्राय नमः। ॐ रवये नमः। ॐ सूर्याय नमः। ॐ भानवे नमः।
ॐ खगाय नमः। ॐ पुषणे नमः। ॐ हिरण्यगर्भाय नमः। ॐ मरीचये नमः।
ॐ आदित्याय नमः। ॐ सवित्रे नमः। ॐ अर्काय नमः। ॐ भास्कराय नमः।
ॐ श्रीसवित्रसूर्यनारायणाय नमः।

॥ आदित्यस्य नमस्कारन् ये कुर्वन्ति दिने दिने
आयुः प्रज्ञा बलम् वीर्यम् तेजस्तेशान् च जायते ॥

|| om dhyeyaḥ sadā savitra maṇḍala madhyavartī nārāyaṇa sarasijā sanasanni viṣṭaḥ
keyūravāna makarakuṇḍalavāna kirīṭī hārī hiraṇmaya vapura dhṛtaśaṁkha cakraḥ ||

|| ādityasya namaskāran ye kurvanti dine dine
āyuḥ prajñā balam vīryam tejasteśān ca jāyate ||

'Surya (Sun) Namaskar(-Salutations)' is widely practiced as a yogic exercise and this mantra is simultaneously recited or chanted in praise of Sun God. It has numerous benefits. As one of the best yogic exercises, this sequence of exercises (see illustration above) includes vitally important exercise of 'pranayam', probably the most important yogic exercise for concentration, mental peace, calmness, enlightenment and mental & physical harmony. As a routine, those who chant and perform the 'Surya Namaskar', the reciters wake at crack of dawn, cleanse themselves and then perform the 'Namaskar'. By doing so one is mentally peaceful and calm, has pure thoughts and thus his activities throughout the day are righteous and pious. This also helps in keeping one'self physically fit and active.

Surya Namaskar is performed by millions of people each morning. This can be witnessed mainly at the banks of the river or near other water bodies.

***

10:

Aum Astoma Mantra
ॐ अस्तोमा मंत्र

– बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् 1.3.28 -

- bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad -1.3.28 -

***

11:

Shani Mula Mantra

शनि मूल मंत्र

ॐ शं शनैश्चराय नमः

"Om Sham Shanaiscaryaye Namah."

One can chant these mantra's minimum 7 times a day. But chanting 108 times is more ideal for those troubled by Shani.

***

ॐ नमो भगवते वसुदेवायः

Aum Namo Bhagvate Vasudevayah

Translation: I surrender (with salutations) to the Supreme God Krishna.

This mantra is very commonly used in praise of God Vishnu - (and His incarnation - Krishna). This mantra was originally advised by Sage Narada to a five-year-old child (Balak) Dhruva for penance (tapasya). Dhruv's devotion elevated him to be one of the Sapt-Rishis (The Seven Rishis - The seven Seers). This mantra was prominently used by Swami Vivekanand, owing to which it is as popular as it is today.

***

(Goddess, Mother Lakshmi)

ॐ ऐम श्रीम ह्रीम श्रीम कमले कमालाय प्रसीध प्रसीध।

श्रीम ह्रीम श्रीम ॐ महालाक्ष्मिये नमहे।।

Om Aim Shreem Hreem Shreem Kamlai kamalayaya preseetha preseetha

Shrim Hreem Shee Om Mahalakshmiayai Namahae.

Then chant the following 9 names of Mahalakshmi:

ॐ महालक्ष्मी नमहे, ॐ गजलक्ष्मी नमः

ॐ जयलक्ष्मी नमः ॐ थनलक्ष्मी नमः

ॐ सन्तन लक्ष्मी नमः ॐ सीथा लक्ष्मी नमः

ॐ थैरेय लक्ष्मी नमः ॐ थन्न्य लक्ष्मी नमः

ॐ विद्या लक्ष्मी नमः ॐ महाविशु महालक्ष्मी नमहे।

Om Mahalakshmi Namahae, Om GajaLakshmi Namah!,

Om Jay lakshmi Namahae, Om ThanLakshmi Namah!
Om Santan lakshmi Namah, Om Seetha-Lakshmi Namah!
Om Thairaya-Lakshmi Namah, Om Thannya-Lakshmi Namah!
Om VIdya-Lakshmi Namah, Om Maha-Vishnu Maha-Lakshmi Namah!

Goddess Maha-Lakshmi is the console of God Vishnu, and one of the three Supreme Goddesses of Sanatana Dharma along with Maha-Saraswati and Maha-Kali. Maha-Lakshmi is prayed to, for wealth, prosperity, beauty, devotion and happiness in life. This matra ends with -

सर्व मंगल मंगलेय शिव।

सर्वथा सथेक, सरेनीय थ्रिययम्बगे गौरी नारायणी नमशोथ।

ॐ सौभागीय वरलक्श्मिय मबिगहे नमहे।।

sarva managala mangalyea siva, sarvatha satheka,
sareneeya thriyeyambagae gauri narayannee namashotha.

Om Saubhagiya Varalakshmiya Ambigahae Namahae.

ॐ महदेवियाए सगल सौभागियम धेहिमे साथ।।

Om Maha Deviyai Sagala Saubagiyam dhehimei satha!

May Goddess Mahalakshmi bless all of us.

***

ॐ कराग्रे वस्ते लक्ष्मी करमूले सरवती। ॐ

ॐ करमधे तू गोविन्द प्रभाते करदर्शनम ॐ ।।

Translation:

On the upper portion of the palms dwells Maha-Lakshmi;

At the center of palms, dwells Maha-Saraswati;

At the joints dwells Govind (Krishna);

Take a Darshan (pious look) at dawn!

This mantra is chanted when people wake up, and the first thing they do is, bring their palms close to their eyes, look at the palms and chant.

***

to continue......

ATHARVA VEDA - Part of the Four Vedas

2013-03-11T01:03:00.002+05:30

THE ATHARVA VEDA

-Part of the four Vedas-

SANATANA DHARMA - सनातन धर्म

Hinduism-part 4

SCRIPTURES -Part 2-C-IV - (ग्रन्थ)

THE ATHARVA VEDA

The Atharva Veda अथर्व वेद is fourth in the series of The Holy Vedas. Although, it is commonly believed that all the four Vedas are older than the 'Maha-Bharat' and thus also older than the 'Srimad Bhagvatam' श्रीमद भग्वतम -गीता, The Gita, it is not correct.

The hymns and verses of this Veda did exist prior to 'The Maha-Bharat'-महाभारत, however, the compilation was done much later, if we use common logic. During the 'Updesh-उपदेश (sermon)' by God Krishna भगवान श्री कृष्ण to Arjuna अर्जुन on the battlefield of Kurukshetra कुरुक्षेत्र, Krishna mentions only three Vedas, namely The Rig Veda ऋग वेद, The Sama Veda सम वेद and The Yajur Veda यजुरवेद. So, we can safely assume that this Veda was compiled after the 'MahaBharat'.

The word 'Atharva' अथर्व means non-changeable, constant and unwavering - Permanent. The word 'Veda' वेद means knowledge. This Veda is a mixture, a great fusion of prose and poetry.

Atharva Veda is called 'BrahmaVeda' ब्रह्म्वेद (because it describes Oneness of God). It is also known as ChhandoVeda चंदोवेद (so called because it provides 'Anand' आनंद-happiness) and 'AtharvaAangirash Veda' अथर्व-आङ्गिरश वेद (because it was supposedly compiled by Rishi Angira ऋषि-आंगिर).

This Veda consists of twenty Khandas खंड, with 731 Shuktas शुक्त and 5977 mantras मन्त्र).

THERE IS ONLY ONE RELIGION,
THE RELIGION OF LOVE
~Atharva Veda~

It is commonly believed that this Veda erases all doubts and imperfections, and helps human beings in achieving mastery/expertise in every sphere of life.

It is astonishing how less knowledgeable, early Indologists especially, maligned Atharva Veda. Some even went to the extent of calling it 'a manual of white and black magic'. These are examples of prejudice and bias (I am not stating that all Indo-logists did so -I have posted appreciation of some of the great minds on the scriptures of Sanatana Dharma in earlier blogs).

The Atharva Veda provides
numerous cures from medicinal
plants and herbs for many
diseases and ailments
ailments

On the contrary, The Atharva Veda has more social messages than any of the previous three. The most impressive aspect of Atharva Veda is its wide range of subjects, the credibility of which has stood the test of time. It deals with a vast array of subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Cosmology (including the creation of Universe), Medical sciences (these also include human physiology and anatomy), various diseases and ailments and their treatments, Agriculture, Engineering, Military sciences, Political science, Sociology, Economics, Aeronautics, Vedic history and some more and yet it maintains the high level of Vedic philosophy and spirituality.

In some subjects Atharva Veda provides more clues to various problems we face presently in modern times. It fascinatingly speaks of healing properties of atomic and solar energy, water and electricity and at the same time it speaks of the state of Supreme Consciousness. One of the most exciting topics covered in this Veda is electricity and specifically, the detailed description of various applications and ways of harness and uses of the immense source of energy, including specifications for a control system that harnesses the intense power of electricity to be used as weapons and utilization o f hydroelectric power for manufacturing and fission properties of electricity. It also suggests harnessing of lightening. These are just some of the amazing mentions of scientific value in Atharva Veda.

A great credit is given to Atharva Veda for providing the basics for two important books on 'medicines', the Charaka Samhita and the Sushrut Samhita. These two later were the principle books which formed a part of Atharva Veda's 'Up-veda', the 'AyurVeda'. Even in modern times, AyurVeda is as popular and effective as any other forms of medicines. Some practitioners and experts of Ayurveda challenge that it has more effective cures for diseases than modern medicines without any side-effects.

Atharva Veda has great relevance in modern life because it doesn't just preach piety and Dharma, spirituality and philosophy, it stresses greatly on human relationship (as a male/female member of a family). These verse are perfect to highlight how Atharva Veda guides humans towards an amiable, happy and successful family life with harmony.

सह्रिदयम समनास्यमाविद्वम क्रिनोमी वह।

अन्यो अन्यमभि वत्सम जत्मिवाघ्न्य।।

Sahridayam samanasyamavidwesham krinomi wah|

Anyo anyamabhi haryata watsam jatmiwaghnya| |

The union of hearts and minds, and freedom from hate I'll bring you.

Love one another as the cow, loves the calf that she has borne.

अनुव्रतः पितु: पुत्रो मात्रा भवतु समानः।

जाया पतये मधु मातीम वाचं वदतु शान्तिवं।।

Anuvratah Pituh Putro Maatraa Bhavatu Samanah|

Jaayaa Patye Madhu Mateem Vaacham Vadatu Shaantivam||

Let son be loyal to father, and of one mind with his mother;

let wife speak to husband words, that are honey-sweet and gentle.

The Atharva Veda greatly
promotes family and social life

म भ्राता भरतराम द्विक्षण म स्वसर मुत स्वसा।

सम्यांचा सव्रता भूत्वा वाचं वदत भद्राय।।

ma bhrata bhrataram dwikshan ma swasara muta swasa|

Samyanchah savrata bhutva vacham vadata bhadraya||

Let not a brother hate a brother, nor a sister hate a sister;

unanimous, united in aims, speak you words with friendliness.

येन देवा न वियन्ति नो का विद्विश्हते मिथः।

तत्करीनमो ब्रह्म वो ग्रीहे संग्यनम पुरुश्हेभ्यः।।

yena deva na viyanti no ca vidvishhate mithah|

tatkriNmo brahma vo griihe sangyanam purushhebhyah||

I will make the prayer for that concord among men at home

by which devas do not separate, nor ever hate one another.

ज्ययास्वन्ताससित्तिनो म वि युता सम्रध्य्यांतः सधुरास्क्रेरंतः।

अन्यो अन्यस्मै वल्गु वदंता इत सधिर्चिनान्वः स्सम्मानासस्क्रिनोमी।।

Jyayasvantascittino ma vi yausta samradhyyantah sadhurascarantah|

Anyo anyasmai valgu vadanta eta Sadhirchinanvah sammanasaskrinomi||

Don't part - growing old, taking thought, thriving together, moving under a common yoke,

come speaking sweetly to one another; I'll make you have one aim and be of one mind.

समनि प्रपा सह वओन्नभघ सामने योक्तरे सह वो युनाज्मी।

सम्यचोग्निम सपर्यतारा नाभिमिवाभितः।।

Samani prapa saha voannabhagha samane yoktre saha vo yunajmi|

Samyachognim saparyataara naabhimivabhitah||

Common be your water-store, common your share of food; I bind you together to a common yoke.

United, gather round the sacrificial fire like spokes around the nave of a wheel.

सध्रिचिनानावः सममानासस्क्रिनोमी एकाश्नुश्ह्तीं समवानानेना सरवन।

देवा इवाम्रितम रक्षामनाह अयाम्प्रतः सुमनसो वो अस्तु।।

sadhricinanvah samamanasaskrinomi ekashnushhtin samavananena sarvan|

deva ivamritam rakshamanah sayampratah saumanaso vo astu||

With your common desire I'll make you all, have one aim, be of one mind, following one leader,

like devas who preserve their immortality. Morning and evening may there be the loving heart in you.

ॐ शांतिः शांतिः शांतिः

"Om Shanti Shanti Shanti"

The Atharva Veda has too many gems to be put into one blog. There will be more on Atharva Veda in future.

I wish all my readers a pious and peaceful Maha-Shivratri!

AUM NAHAM SHIVAY !!

ॐ नमः शिवाय।

***

Siddharth S. Sinha

सिद्धार्थ स सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES - III

2013-02-28T00:17:00.003+05:30

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES- III

A verse from the Holy Srimad Bhagvatam (The Bhagvad Gita)

MIHAI EMINESCU: The greatest Romanian poet, learnt about Indian philosophy through Schopenhauer.

The Hindu approach to reality and beauty is found in his verses. The title of his poem "Tat twam asi," indicates his familiarity with Upanishadic thought, but the content deals with the identity of Atman and Brahman.

Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889)

Hindu Monoism is reflected in his poem:

"So it is that bird and man,
        Sun and moon
        Are born and die in Brahma
        the Sacred -
        Where all things become one."

Eminescu's poetry also contains many erotic themes, such as Kamadeva, after the Hindu god of love, the spark of creation. That Eminescu chose an Indian symbol to express one of his intimate sentiments is held as " yet another proof of the deep and wide contact he had with the ancient literature of India."

***

COUNT LEO TOLSTOY (a.k.a. Count Lev Nikoevish Tolstoy: The mystic literary voice of Russia: He was also a herald of Indian thought. He was a champion of nonviolent protest; and an "an influential factor in the social restlessness that swept Russia before the revolution." He started Russia's first vegetarian society. After the Bolshevik revolution in 1971, his followers were persecuted and all vegetarian communities were closed.

Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828-1910)

Tolstoy, a late-comer, was also deeply influenced by Indian religious thought. Like Wagner, his introduction to it was through Burnoff and Schopenhauer.

He was greatly influenced by the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tamil Tirukkural and the modern Indian spiritual literature of his time.

Milan Markovitch, author of Tolstoi et Gandhi, wrote that: "there is not one of Tolstoy's works written after this period" of his life referred to in the Confessions "which is not inspired, in part, by Hindu thought . . . His was a Christianity underpinned by the great Hindu doctrines."

He further adds that Tolstoy also "remains the most striking example, among a great many , of these who sought a cure for the western spirit in India."

Count Tolstoy famous Russian author of 'War and Peace', responded to India with sensitivity. Ancient Indian literature and the writings of Swami Vivekanada made a deep impression on him. In a letter to Gandhi in 1909, he quoted from the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tamil Kural, and Swami Vivekananda.

His philosophy contradicted official church doctrine and was deemed heretical. Tolstoy is only one of the many Western writers and thinkers to find much of illumination within Hinduism's pages. Tolstoy wrote, in response to his excommunication by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church: "To regard Christ as God, and to pray to him, are to my mind the greatest possible sacrilege."

He urged Indians to adopt what he called: "The Law of Love," and not to give up their ancient religious culture for the materialism of the West."

Mr. Alexander Shifman Research scholar of Tolstoy Museum in Moscow wrote in his article entitled A Leo Tolstoy and the Indian Epics' published in several papers during Tolstoy centenary celebrations in 1963.

"Leo Tolstoy was deeply interested in ancient Indian literature and its great epics. The themes of the Vedas were the first to attract his attention. Appreciating the profundity of the Vedas, Tolstoy gave a particular attention to those cantos which deal with the problem of ethics, a subject in which interested him deeply."

Tolstoy not only read the Vedas, but also spread their teachings in Russia. He included many of the sayings of the Vedas and Upanishads (Vedic expositions) in his collections "Range of Reading", "Thoughts of wise men" and others. It would have been an ideal time to introduce this great learning with the birth of Marxism where all dogmas were outlawed. The intellects were freer of perversion and could have been easily found acceptance by a great many young Russians.

***

ABRAHAM HYACINTHE ANQUETIL-DUPERRON: He gave up studying for the priesthood to pursue his deep interest in Eastern languages.

Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil- Duperron
1731-1805

In India he learned Persian, Sanskrit, Zend, Avestan, and Pahlavi. He also translated the Upanishads into Latin (1804) and wrote several works on India.

He spent seven year in India, had recorded in his moving testimony in 1778: "Peaceful Indians,... did the rumor of your riches have to penetrate a clime in which artificial needs know no bounds? Soon, new foreigners reached your shores; inconvenient guests, everything they touched belonged to them....

"If the British ...neglect any longer to enrich Europe's scholars with the Sanskrit scriptures...they will bear the shame of having sacrificed honor, probity, and humanity to the vile love for gold and money, without human knowledge having derived the least lustre, the least growth from their conquests."

***

LOUIS FRANCOIS JACOLLIOT: 1837-1890): who worked in French India as a government official and one time President of the Court in Chandranagar. He had translated numerous Vedic hymns, the Manu Smriti, and the Tamil work, Kural. His masterpiece, 'La Bible dans l'Inde', stirred a storm of controversy. He praised the Vedas in his 'Sons of God', and said: "The Hindu revelation, which proclaims the slow and gradual formation of worlds, is of all revelations the only one whose ideas are in complete harmony with modern science."

Jacolliot feels India has given to the West much more than she is credited with when he says: "Besides the discoverers of geometry and algebra, the constructors of human speech, the parents of philosophy, the primal expounders of religion, the adepts in psychological and physical science, how even the greatest of our biological and theologians seem dwarfed! Name of us any modern discovery, and we venture to say that Indian history need not long be searched before the prototype will be found on record. Here we are with the transit of science half accomplished, and all our Vedic ideas in process of readjustment to the theories of force correlation, natural selection, atomic polarity and evolution. And here, to mock our conceit, our apprehension, and our despair, we may read what Manu said, perhaps 10,000 years before the birth of Christ: The first germ of life was developed by water and heat.' (Book I, sloka 8,9 )

'Water ascends towards the sky in vapors; from the sun it descends in rain, from the rains are born the plants, and from the plants, animals.' (Book III, sloka 76)

"Aware of the resentment I am provoking, I yet shrink not from the encounter. We are no longer burnt at the stake, as in the times of Michael Servetus, Savanarola, and of Philip II, of Spain, and free thought may be freely proclaimed in an atmosphere of freedom.

Soil of Ancient India, cradle of humanity, hail! Hail, venerable and efficient nurse whom centuries of brutal invasions have not yet burned under the dust of oblivion! Hail, farther land of faith, of love, of poetry and of science! May we hail a revival of thy past in our West in future!'

Sanatana Dharma firmly believes that every Human
Being and creature is Divine...A divinity connected
to, and part of the Divine Conciousness - God (Brahman)

"I have dwelt midst the depths of your mysterious forests, seeking to comprehend the language of your lofty nature, and the evening airs that murmured midst the foliage of banyans and tamarinds whispered to my spirit these three magic words: Zeus, Jehova, Brahma."

"How glorious the epoch that then presented itself to my study and comprehension! I made tradition speak from the temple’s recess. I enquired of monuments and ruins, I questioned the Vedas whose pages count their existence by thousands of years and whence enquiring youth imbibed the science of life long before Thebes of the hundred gates or Babylon the great had traced out their foundations.”

“And then India appears to me in all the living power of her originality – I traced her progress in the expansion of her enlightenment over the world – I saw her giving her laws, her customs, her morale, her religion to Egypt, to Persia, to Greece and Rome – I saw Jaiminy and Veda Vyasa precede Socrates and Plato, and Krishna, the son of the Virgin Devajani (in Sanskrit, created by God) precede the son of the Virgin of Bethelehem.'

"Very few travelers have sought to understand India, very few have submitted to the labor necessary to a knowledge of her past splendor, looking only at the surface they have ever denied them and with an unreasoning confidence of criticism that made them the easy victims of ignorance.”

He has said in his book, Bible in India: Hindoo origin of Hebrew and Christian revelation: "India of the Vedas entertained a respect for women amounting to worship; a fact which we seem little to suspect in Europe when we accuse the extreme East of having denied the dignity of woman, and of having only made her an instrument of pleasure and of passive obedience." He added: "What! here is a civilization, which you cannot deny to be older than your own, which places the woman on a level with the man and gives her an equal place in the family and in society."

The Supreme Soul (God-Brahman) is within us, within our grasp

Regarding the branching out of the primeval human family, he confirmed his views in his book Bible in India:

"In returning to the fountainhead do we find in India all the poetic and religious traditions of ancient and modern peoples. India is the world's cradle. Thence it is that the Common Mother in sending forth her children even to the remotest West has in an unfading testimony of our original, bequeathed us the legacy of her language, her laws, her morals, her literature, her religion."

“In point of authenticity, the Vedas have incontestable precedence over the most ancient records. These holy books which, according to the Brahmins, contains the revealed word of God were honored in India long before Persia, Asia Minor, Egypt, and Europe, were colonized or inhabited.”

“Of the Sastras and the Mahabharata, which profess the same doctrines, the dates are lost in the night of time. If we accept the chronology of the Brahmins, as calculated by the learned Orientalist, Halhed, they must possess, the first an antiquity of Seven and the second of four million years – a chronology which strikes point blank at all our European ideas or matter. Such things easily excite laughter, especially in France, the country of superficial spirits and of inconsiderate affirmation. We have made a little world for ourselves, dating from scarce 6,000 years, and created in 6 days, that satisfies all, and needs no thought.”

***

Novalis ( 1772-1801)

NOVALIS: 'Novalis' was the pseudonym of the young Baron Friedrich von Hardenberg.

He was a pioneer of the early German Romantics, one of Germany's greatest Romantic poets.

Novalis wrote in his essay, "Christendom in Europe" in 1799: "that poetry, pure and colorful like a beautiful India, stood opposed to the cold and deadening mountains of philistine reason.

For him Sanskrit was "the most mysterious linguistic symbol of any human expression: Sanskrit took him back to the original people who had been forgotten."

***

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: One of the master musicians, a genius of 'western romantic/classical music':

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

He was attracted by the Indian thought, as it is clearly attested by numerous passages and notes referring to Indian ideas and texts found in the Beethoven's papers. He was first introduced to Indian literature by Austrian Orientalist, Hammer-Purgstal, who founded a periodical for the dissemination of Eastern knowledge in Europe as early as January 1809.

Beethoven was deeply interested in Indian knowledge long before Indological studies began in Germany.

The fragments of Indian religious texts that have been discovered in the Beethoven manuscripts are 'part translations' and 'part adaptations' of 'the Upanishads' and 'the Bhagavad Gita'.

***

FREDRICH RUCKERT: Professor of Oriental languages at University of Erlangen.

Friedrich Ruckert(1788-1866)

Inspiration by August Wilhelm von Schlegel, Ruckert produced numerous skilful translations from Sanskrit. His published translations from Indian classical poetry made Indian lyrics and poems widely popular in Germany.

Amongst his translations are Nalopakhyana नलोपाख्यन, the Amarusataka अमरुसतक, the Raghuvamsa रघुवन्श, and the Gita Govinda गीत गोविन्द, which lost nothing of its beauty, color and atmosphere in Ruckert's German version.

The Indian poem is such a complex work from the viewpoint of rhyme, alliteration, and allusion that Ruckert's version represents a brilliant accomplishment. Of all the German poets, it was he who best understood the character of Indian poetry.

Ruckert's translation of the Gitagovinda, Bonn 1836, is a work of art. Written in beautiful language, it comes very close to the original in spirit and form. In his Brahmanische Erzaehlungen ('Brahmin stories'), Leipzig 1836, he brought out free renderings of Hindu legends from the epics.

His translation of the Savitri episode is particularly noteworthy.

***

HENRICH HEINE: a late German Romantic lyric poet, whose influence was enormous not only in Germany but in most countries of the Western world, describes the India of his imagination: "...in the glass I saw the dear motherland, the blue and sacred Ganga, the eternally shining Himalayas, the gigantic forests of Banyan trees on whose wide shadowy paths quietly walk wise elephants and while pilgrims ...

Henrich Heine(1797-1856),

Heine's Poem:

"Auf Flugeln des Gesanges,
Am Ganga duftet's und leuchtet's
        Und Riesenbaume bluhn,
        Und schone, stille Menschen
        Vor Lotosblumen knien."

An English translation of this verse would be:

At the Ganga the air is filled
with scent and light
And giant trees are flowering
And beautiful, quiet people
Kneel before lotus flowers.

This created a picture of India widely familiar in Germany.

Heine's acquaintance with Indian thought, acquired in Bonn under Schlegel and Bopp, remained important to him throughout his life. He had a particular feeling for Indian scenery, as is revealed by his verses in his famous Buch der Lieder (Book of Songs). He remarked: “The Portuguese, Dutch and English have been for a long time year after year, shipping home the treasures of India in their big vessels. We Germans have been all along been left to watch it. Germany would do likewise, but hers would be treasures of spiritual knowledge.”

PAUL VERLAINE: The French lyric poet known for the musical quality of his verse, wrote the French poem, "Savitri."

Verlaine became keenly interested in Hindu mythology during his high school days. His enthusiasm was such that he said:

"Par Indra! que c'est beau, et comme ca vous degotte la Bible, l'Evangile et toute la degueulade des Peres de l'Eglise."

Translation in English:

"By Indra! how beautiful this is and how much better than the Bible, the Gospel and all the words of the Fathers of the Church."

WOLFGANG GOETHE: German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist, Natural Scientist.
His own enthusiasm for Shakuntala शकुनतलम was no less exuberant than Herder's.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

He wrote in 1792:
"Wouldst thou the young year's blossomsand the fruits of its decline

And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured feasted, fed,
Wouldst thou the earth and heaven itself in one sole name combine?
I name thee, O Sakuntala! and all at once is said."

Goethe expressed this admiration for Kalidasa's 'Shakuntalam' more than once. Nearly 40 years later, in 1830 when 'de Chenzy' sent him his edition of the original with his French translation, he wrote to the Frenchman expressing his gratitude: "The first time I came across this inexhaustible work it aroused such enthusiasm in me and so held me that I could not stop studying it. I even felt impelled to make the impossible attempt to bring it in some form to the German stage. These efforts were fruitless but they made me so thoroughly acquainted with this most valuable work, it represented such an epoch in my life, I so absorbed it, that for thirty years I did not look at either the English or the German version....It is only now that I understand the enormous impression that work made on me at an earlier age."

No wonder he modeled the prologue of his 'Faust' (1797) on the prologue to Sakuntalam. The jester in the prologue of Faust is reminiscent of one of the vidusaka (joker-विदूषक) in the Indian drama, a parallel first noticed by Heinrich Heine. Goethe's friend Schiller, was moved to enthusiastic praise of Sakuntala, he wrote, "in the whole world of Greek antiquity there is no poetical representation of beautiful love which approaches even afar."

He also admired other Indian poems such as Jayadeva's Gita Govinda (song of Govinda-Krishna) जयदेव-गीतगोविन्द and Kalidasa's Meghduta (Cloud Messenger-मेघदूतम) which he read in Wilson's English translation in 1817 and welcomed as "a great treasure."

The Sakuntala furor has lasted till almost today. One of the noblest "overtures" in European music is the Sakuntala overture of the Hungarian composer Carl Goldmark (1830-1915).

***

LOUIS REVEL: French author of 'The Fragrance of India': landmarks for the world of tomorrow and

Les Routes Ardentes de L'Inde.

He went a long step further when he remarked that if Greek culture had influenced Western civilization, the ancient Greeks themselves were the "sons of Hindu thought."

He stated: "If Greek culture has influenced Western civilization, we must not forget that, in spite of the inestimable benefits of Greece to India, the ancient Greeks themselves were also sons of Hindu thought. As has already been mentioned, Pythagoras went to India in order to draw from the very source the principles which constituted the foundation of his doctrine and which in its turn influenced Plato, Socrates and even Aristotle to a certain degree. Apollonius of Tyanae, Plotin, did they not follow in the footprints of their predecessors, in directing themselves towards far-off India? China, Persia, Islam – the three-fourths of Asia – these civilizations which had already been influenced by the missions of Asoka, were they not attracted by India’s wisdom? That is the reason why ancient India is our Mother. In the measure that we Westerners make our intellectual and spiritual genealogy reach back to India shall we learn to love her and to consider in its true light her wisdom, the patrimony of every man."

He has dedicated his book The Fragrance of India : landmarks for the world of tomorrow to the Great rishis of India:

“These pages are a humble offering,
To the Great rishis of India,
Those wise men who loved the people,
lived for the people,
and who taught the brotherhood of peoples.

He wrote: The soul of the world is in danger. It is a banal truth to write but, nevertheless, it ought to be ceaselessly repeated. When we seek in the buried centuries for vestiges of these columns of glory, a name, among others, emerges: INDIA.

Lord RamaChandra
Hero of the epic; Ramayana

It is a fact, whether we wish to accept it or not, that India is the Mother of all of us. She has given us everything: religion, philosophy, science, art. All that has been truly great, noble, and generous, throughout the ages has come from India. At this moment when a hurricane of violence and hate is raging across the world, and will rage still more through the world of the future, making the very frame-work of our civilization crack, at this moment when intellectual and moral values are being trampled upon by the hordes of egotism, brutality, and lying, let us go together, towards India from whom we can learn so much.

Ramayana रामायण is one of the greatest epic poems of the world and that, correctly understood, it leads us, scholars tell us to an understanding of the evolution of humanity: The Ramayana shows us also, in the story of Rama and Sita राम-सीता , the ideal of human love, love which is inspired by the noblest of ideas. The Illiad and Odyssey have touched many Western hearts; nevertheless, those epic poems which contain so much truths, when translated into our modern languages, fail unfortunately, to influence intimately the lives of people. In India, on the other hand, there is scarcely a Hindu family or dwelling where the divinity of Rama राम and of Krishna कृष्ण are not adored; where the chastity of Sita सीता or of Draupadi द्रौपदी is not extolled; or where the courage of Hanuman हनुमान – the monkey god who aided Rama to vanquish his enemies – is not a subject of conversation. These heroes for Hindus, are living personages, as are those of the Gospel for Christians, modeling, kneading India’s thought, even in our modern times of upheavals and violence, and it is they, these heroes, who preserve perhaps, or who help to preserve the glory of ancient Aryavarta आर्यव्रत in the India of today.

Every civilization which is not based on the culture of the spirit is doomed to perish in brutality and blood. Oh! Rama and Sita, noble human heroes, you who give the example of a sublime spiritual ideal, in your atmosphere of peace and infinite tenderness there reigns a hope, the hope of the regeneration of humanity through the understanding of these ancient symbols and by their realization in the inner lives of men.

God Shri Krishna
(incarnation of God Vishnu),
the Hero of the epic
MahaBharat & Bhagvad-Gita,
with His console Radha (Sakhi)

"The Bhagavad Gita is par excellence the Book of Democracy; that is what gives it its peculiar radiance. It is not necessary to be a great scholar on the subject to perceive this. It unites all men in the same Principle which “resides in all hearts.” If Krishna makes no distinction between races, castes, sects, he also shows us how men, nations, can sink in the typhoon of unchained passions. The message of the Gita is a universal call to Democracy, liberty for the peoples, liberty for each individual. The great affirmation of the Bhagavad Gita is that every individual, whatever he may be, rich or poor, can and must raise himself on life’s path and that he has a right to his emancipation, social, intellectual, and spiritual."

“Even if thou were the greatest of all sinners, thou shalt be able to cross over all sins in the bark of spiritual knowledge.” (BG iv).

….in the temple of Somanthpur, the stone figure looms out from the shadows. A ray of light rests on the face of Krishna. Above the wind of the plains swirling under the vaults, it seems to me that the flute of Shri Krishna sings melodies on this day of fete, the glory of life, the dawn of a new world, in the eternal verses:

"Know, son of Pritha, that I am the pure fragrance of the earth, sound in the air; in the fire, its splendor; life in all beings; continence in ascetics. Oh! Govinda. The Friend! May we find, we also, the resting-place, the refuge, the friend who guides and inspires our life!"

***

HERMAN HESSE: German poet and novelist, awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1946

Herman Hesse(1877-1962)

In Indian scriptures he found an answer to his yearning for deliverance from "ego" and from the tyrannical dictates of temporality. Indian thought offered the most radical possibility of undoing the curse of individuation, of annihilating the "idiotic one-after-the-other" by the postulation of the eternal simultaneity of 'Nirvana'.

The positive attitude of the Bhagavad Gita also appealed to Hesse. "The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life's wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion."

Hesse claimed that Yoga had an invaluable effect upon him as a means of improving his powers of concentration. Yoga and Maya are the background to the events portrayed in The Glass Beads Game

He visited India in 1911 and the study of ancient Hindu texts affected Hesse deeply and had great influence on his works. The threefold sequence of sensual love, wisdom, and self-denial experienced by the poet Bhartrihari is interpreted by Hesse as the result of humble and wise humanity. In the Journey to the Orient, Hesse says about India: "It is not only a country and something geographical, but the home and the youth of the soul, the everywhere and nowhere, the oneness of all times."

It is significant that Hesse, although a Christian, repeatedly substituted the Upanishadic tat tvam asi, literally "love your neighbor for he is yourself. In Siddhartha which is subtitled "Indic Poetic Work (1922) he tried to reconcile Christian and Indian piety. There are many parallels in Siddhartha and Bhagavad Gita."

FRIEDRICH NIETZCHE: the great German Philosopher, poet, classical philologist.

Friedrich Nietzsche(1844-1900)

Nietzche became one of the most provocative and influential thinkers of the 19th century. He was deeply influenced by Schopenhauer in his youth. Deeply disillusioned by his native faith Christianity, he called it the immortal blemish of mankind. One of the great European philosophers, Friedrich Nietzsche's beliefs were best expressed in his Thus Spake Zarathustra, in which his teachings are put into the mouth of the wandering prophet Zarathustra.He was very appreciative of the Upanishads and, indeed, contemptuous of those Europeans who, devoid of intellectual discernment, wanted to convert and "civilize" the Brahmans.

When Paul Deussen told him his plan of translating ancient Hindu texts and expounding their wisdom, he expressed great enthusiasm saying that Indian philosophy was the one parallel to their own European philosophy.

He found in the Manusmriti one of the source of his own philosophy of superman. The Laws of Manu have been hailed by Friedrich Nietzsche, as ' a work which is spirited and superior by comparision."

Nietzsche so highly esteemed the Hindu text that he declared all other ethical codes to be imitations and even caricatures of this. "One draws a breath of relief when coming out of the Christian sick-house and dungeon atmosphere into this healthier, higher wider world. How paltry the 'New Testament' is compared with Manu, how ill it smells! One sees immediately that it has a real philosophy behind it, in it, not merely an ill-smelling Jewish acidity compounded of rabbinisim and superstition.......All the things upon which Christianity vents its abysmal vulgarity, procreation, for example, woman, marriage, are here treated seriously, with reverence, with love and trust."

"Christianity has been up till now mankind's greatest misfortune." Nietzsche angrily denounced Christianity as a "slave morality," created by the weak as a means of checking the strong."

"One breathes more freely, after stepping out of the Christian atmosphere of hospitals and poisons into this more salubrious, loftier and more spacious world. "

In Nietzsche's estimation Manu is also better because more frank teacher of political science than the philosophers, insincere as they are, of the Western world. Nietzsche himself had read the Vedas, which he admired profoundly, could quote from the Laws of Manu and thought that "Buddhism and Brahmanism are a hundred times deeper and more objective than Christianity."

MIRCEA ELIADE: born in Bucharest, Romania and was educated as a philosopher and lectured in the Ecole des Hautes-Etudes of the Sorbonne.

Mircea Eliade (1907-1986)

He is the author of Yoga: Immortality and Freedom: "Yoga, as a 'science' of achieving this transformation of finite man into the infinite One, has to be recognized as something intrinsically Indian or, as 'a specific dimension of the Indian mind."

"Yoga constitutes a characteristic dimension of the Indian mind, to such a point that whatever Indian religion and culture have made their way, we also find a more or less pure form of Yoga. In India, Yoga was adopted and valorized by all religious movements, whether Hinduist or 'heretical.' The various Christian or syncretistic Yogas of modern India constitutes another proof that Indian religious experience finds the yogic methods of "meditation" and "concentration" a necessity.

"Yoga had to meet all the deepest needs of the Indian soul. In the universal history of mysticism, Yoga occupies a place of its own, and one that is difficult to define. It represents a living fossil, a modality of archaic spirituality that has survived nowhere else. Yoga takes over and continues the immemorial symbolism of initiation; in other words, it finds its place in a universal tradition of the religious history of mankind."

"From the Upanishads onward, India has been seriously preoccupied with but one great problem - the structure of the human condition. With a rigor unknown elsewhere, India has applied itself to analyzing the various conditionings of the human being."

"The conquest of this absolute freedom, or perfect spontaneity, is the goal of all Indian philosophies and mystical techniques; but it is above all through Yoga, through one of the many forms of Yoga, that India has held that it can be assured."

"Yoga is present everywhere - no less in the oral tradition of India than in the Sanskrit and vernacular literature....To such a degree is this true that Yoga has ended by becoming a characteristic dimension of Indian spirituality."

Commenting on history which has no metaphysical significance for either Hinduism or Buddhism, he states that: "Profane time must be abolished, at least symbolically, so that man forgets his "historical situation". The highest human ideal is the jivamukta - one who is liberated from Time. Man, according to the Indian view, 'must, at all costs, find in his world a road that issues upon a tran-historical and atemporal plane.'

SHRI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMHANSA: the surreal Hindu Bengali Saint spent a lifetime seeking spiritual enlightenment

Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886)

Mahatma Gandhi said: "The story of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's life is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face."

Romain Rolland wrote "Ramakrishna was a rare combination of individuality and universality, personality and impersonality. His word and example have been echoed in the hearts of Western men and women. His soul animates modern India."

His influence was felt throughout the social life of Bengal, where he passed his life in continuation of the bhakti tradition so deeply rooted in that region. ...Among the crowds that went to see Sri Ramakrishna were Keshub Chunder Sen.

He experimented with the truths of Vedanta. Ramakrishna said, "In Hinduism, there can be as many spiritual paths as there are spiritual aspirants & similarly there can really be as many Gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions & social background of the devotees."

"The Eternal Religion, the religion of the Rishis, has been in existence from time immemorial and will exist eternally. There exists in this Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) all forms of worship -- worship of God with form and worship of the impersonal Deity as well. It contains all paths--the path of knowledge, the path of devotion and so on. Other forms of religion, the modern cults, will remain for a few days and then disappear."

He was addressed as Master by his disciples. Once one of his disciples asked him: "Do you believe in God, sir?"

RamaKrishna Paramhansa's
greatest known disciple:
Swami Vivekanand

"Yes," the Master replied.

"Can you prove it, sir?"

"Yes,"

"How?"

"Because I see Him just as I see you here, and rather more intensely." The Master said: "So long as God seems to be outside and far away, so long there is ignorance. But where God is realized within, that is true knowledge."

"In the kingdom of God, reason, intellect and learning are of no avail. There the dumb speaks, the blind sees, and deaf hears."

Years of aspiration, meditation and adoration in silence ripened into Ramakrishna's realization of the Divine Mother. The great disciple of Ramakrishna was Swami Vivekananda whose message has inspired, influenced and transformed thousands of lives around the world. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekananda started the renaissance of Hinduism at this time.

***

Abraham Seidenberg: American historian of mathematics, has said: "Ancient Egyptian, Babylonian and Greek geometries derive from the mathematics recorded in the Sulbasutras"

***

SEVERUS SEBOKHT: Bishop of Kenneserin, a Syrain astronomer

The Numerical decoding of
The Dharma Chakra

He wrote the following in A.D. 662: "I shall now speak of the knowledge of the Hindus...of their subtle discoveries even more ingenious than those of the Greeks and Babylonians - of their rational system of mathematics or of their method of calculation which no word can praise strongly enough - I mean the system using the nine symbols. If these things were known by the people who think that they alone have mastered the sciences because they speak Greek, they would perhaps be convinced that every folk, not only Greeks, but men of a different tongues, know something as well as they."

***

BAREND VAN A. NOOTEN: Translator of Rig Veda, a metrically restored text with an introduction

The Ramayana
also translated by
Barend Van Nooten

Barend Van Nooten also translated The Ramayana and The Mahabharata; attributed to Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa. He writes: "Borrowings by western scholars in the sphere of literature and philosophy are obvious and well-known. There are near virtual; copies of plots, characters, episodes, situations and time duration from the Mahabharata in Homer and Virgil."

***

CARL GUSTAV JUNG: He studied Indic traditions, conducted summer institutes on yoga philosophy and kundalini कुण्डलिनी योग in Zurich for a few years.

Carl Gustav Jung(1875-1961)

A student of Sigmund Freud, he interpreted Hinduism in terms of his psychological system, and pointed out the great significance of Indian thought for the modern West: "We do not yet realize that while we are turning upside down the material world of the East with our technical proficiency, the East with its psychic proficiency, is throwing our spiritual world into confusion. We have never yet hit upon the thought that while we are overpowering the Orient from without, it may be fastening its hold upon us from within."

Jung found out in 1909 that myth and dream were linked, but it had been well known in India forever. It is implicit in the syllable OM, or A-U-M ॐ according to Mandukya Upanishad माण्डुक्य उपनिषद्

No system of thought or body control is more widely known today than Yoga. "When a religious method recommends itself as 'scientific', it can be certain of its public in the West. Yoga fulfills this expectation. "Quite apart from the charm of the new and the fascination of the half-understood, there is good cause for Yoga to have many adherents. It offers the possibility of controllable experience and thus satisfies the scientific need for 'facts'; and, besides this, by reason of its breadth and depth, its venerable age, its doctrine and method which include every phase of life, it promises undreamed of possibilities."

Jung says: "The Christian West considers man to be wholly dependent upon the grace of God, or at least upon the Church as the exclusive and divinely sanctioned earthly instrument of man's redemption. The East (India), however, insists that man is the sole cause of his higher development, for it believes in "self- liberation."

"While we are overpowering the Orient from without, it may be fastening its hold upon us from within."

"The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states..." behold we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant."

What is of special interest to us is the surprising affinity between Jung’s conclusions and Hindu thought. He himself was aware of it. He thought that it was no mere accident that soon after the French Revolution the Frenchman Anquetil du Perron brought to Europe a translation of the Upanishads “which gave the Western world its first deep insight into the baffling mind of the East.”

He says, “To the historian this is mere chance without any factors of cause and effect. But in view of my medical experience I cannot take it as an accident…In the crowds that poured into the Notre Dame, bent on destruction, dark and nameless forces were at work that swept the individual off his feet; these forces worked also upon Anquetil du Perron and provoked an answer which has come down in history. For he brought the Eastern mind to the West, and its influence upon us we cannot measure. Let us beware of under-estimating it!” He had a great respect for the Eastern civilizations which had discovered and learnt to use the resources of the subliminal mind. In his own words, Great andenduring civilizations like those of the Hindus and the Chinese were built upon this foundation and developed from it a discipline of self-knowledge which they brought to a high pitch of refinement both in philosophy and practice.”

As the Upanishad describes it, the Self is that which being known all else becomes known. He admired Hinduism. He said: "if Rama can cry in the forest when he lost Sita and if still Rama could be an altar of worship, that is why Hindu society is a sane society. He said the Hindu society legitimised sorrow, while other religions do not do that."

Jung says: “We have not yet clearly grasped the fact that Western Theosophy is an amateurish imitation of the East. Our studies of sexual life, originating in Vienna and England, are matched or surpassed by Hindu teachings on the subject, Oriental texts ten centuries introduce us to philosophical relativism."

Jung in Psychological Types examines Indian Philosophy from a psychological perspective in glowing terms. His theories have some intuitively and aesthetically resonant qualities. Simple but precise and partially derived from Indian Thought: "If the attainment of the middle path consisted in a mere surrender to instinct, as the bewailers of “naturalism” suppose, the profoundest philosophical speculation that the human mind has ever known would have no raison d’être. But, as we study the philosophy of the Upanishads, the impression grows on us that the attainment of this path is not exactly the simplest of tasks. Our Western superciliousness in the face of these Indian insights is a mark of our barbarian nature, which has not the remotest inkling of their extraordinary depth and astonishing psychological accuracy. We are still so uneducated that we actually need laws from without, and a task-master or Father above, to show us what is good and the right thing to do. And because we are still such barbarians, any trust in human nature seems to us a dangerous and unethical naturalism. Why is this? Because under the barbarian’s thin veneer of culture the wild beast lurks in readiness, amply justifying his fear. But the beast is not tamed by locking it up in cage. There is no morality without freedom. When the barbarian lets loose the beast within him, that is not freedom but bondage. Barbarism must first be vanquished before freedom can be won. This happens, in principle, when the basic root and driving force of morality are felt by the individual as constituents of his own nature and not as external restrictions. How else is man to attain this realization but through the conflicts of opposites?"

***

WALT WHITMAN: He championed American intellectual independence

Walt Whitman(1813-1892),

Walt Whitman was among those who came under the influence of the American Transcendentalists.

He wrote his famous poem Leaves Of Grass in 1855. The continuing success of his Leaves of Grass led to the publication of its fifth edition which included his poem entitled 'Passage to India'.

According to some, Whitman is claimed to have read ancient Hindu poems before writing his 'Leaves of Grass'. There is a reference to Brahma and the following verse in his Salut Au Monde:

"I hear the Hindoo teaching his favorite pupil he loves, wars, adages, transmitted safely to this day from poets who wrote three thousand years ago."

Whitman turned to the East in his anxiety to escape from the complexities of civilization and the bewilderments of a baffled intellectualism.

In "Passage to India" he wrote:

Passage O Soul to India!
Passage, immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins!
Away O soul! hoist instantly the anchor!
Cut the hawsers - haul out - shake out every sail!
Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough?
Have we not grovel'd here long enough, eating and drinking like mere brutes?
Have we not darken'd and dazed ourselves with books long enough?

Sail forth -steer for the deep waters only,
Reckless O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me,
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

O brave soul!
O farther farther, sail!
O daring joy, but safe! are they not all the seas to God?
O farther, farther, farther, sail!

O Thou transcendent,
Nameless, the fibre and the breath,
Light of the light, shedding forth universe, thou centre of them...
Athwart the shapeless vastness of space,
How should I think, how breathe a single breath, how speak, if out of myself,
I could not launch, to those, superior universes?

Whitman had poetically expressed a philosophy which some had said was similar to Krishna's teachings in the Bhagavad Gita. The relationship of Walt Whitman to Vedic thought is considerably complex.

In his reminiscing essay, "A Backward Glance O'er Travel'd Roads" (1889) Whitman claims to have read "the ancient Hindu poems" and there is enough evidence to show that in 1875 he had received a copy of the Gita as a Christmas present from and English friend, Thomas Dixon.

Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) English poet, indicated parallels between Whitman's Leaves of Grass and the Upanishads.

Leaves of GrassThe nest of languages, the bequeather of poems
The race of old
Florid with blood, pensive, rapt with musings, hot with passion,
Sultry with perfume,
with ample and flowering garments,
With sunburnt visage,
with intense soul and glittering eyes
The Race of Brahma Comes!

Ralph Waldo Emerson described Whitman's Leaves of Grass as a blending of Gita and the New York Tribune Herald.

***

This is my third posting on 'QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES'. I hope the readers like it and send me their comments. There are many more to come. Keep following this blog.

HARI OM !!!

हरी ॐ !!!

Siddharth S. Sinha

सिद्धार्थ स सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES - II

2013-02-22T11:08:00.001+05:30

QUOTES ON SCRIPTURES: II

The KNOWLEDGE !!
The Philosophy of Sanatana Dharma

In an earlier blog I had posted some quotes by some of the greatest intellectual minds of modern times. This posting is a continuation of the same.

Alan Watts (1915-1973)

ALAN WATTS: A professor, graduate dean and Research fellow of Harvard University. He was a Vedanta follower. In 1960s he became well known as a pioneer who brought Eastern Philosophy to the west.

"There is an unrecognized but mighty taboo--our tacit conspiracy to ignore who, or what, we really are. Briefly, the thesis is that the prevalent sensation of oneself as a separate ego enclosed in a bag of skin is a hallucination which accords neither with Western science nor with the experimental philosophy religions of the East--in particular the central and germinal Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism. This hallucination underlies the misuse of technology for the violent subjugation of man's natural environment and, consequently, its eventual destruction. It is rather a cross-fertilization of Western science with an Eastern intuition".

"To the philosophers of India, however, Relativity is no new discovery, just as the concept of light years is no matter for astonishment to people used to thinking of time in millions of kalpas, (A kalpa is about 4,320,000 years). The fact that the wise men of India have not been concerned with technological applications of this knowledge arises from the circumstance that technology is but one of innumerable ways of applying it."

"It is, indeed, a remarkable circumstance that when Western civilization discovers Relativity it applies it to the manufacture of atom-bombs, whereas Oriental civilization applies it to the development of new states of consciousness."

"It was once customary to refer to these people of India and China as heathens....apart from Sufism, the Near East produced nothing to approach the high level of mystical and psychological philosophy attained in India and China."

"Hinduism, therefore, is perhaps the most catholic of all religions, for it has not become so in the course of its evolution but was based on the principle of catholicity from the beginnings. Those who laid down the code of Manu made provision both for different mentalities and different vocations in the most through going manner; they showed an understanding of the social organism which in subsequent times has seldom been equaled..."

"It is almost certain, however, that Taoist Yoga was derived in great measure from India, and it is here that we must look for the greater wealth of information."

***

A Stone carving
of Shri Krishna
on a temple wall

FREIDRICH MAJER (1771-1818) a disciple of Johann Gottfried Herder, an Orientalist found that:

" It will no longer remain to be doubted that the priests of Egypt and the sages of Greece have drawn directly from the original well of India," that it is to 'the banks of the Ganga and the Indus that our hearts feel drawn as by some hidden urge."

And again:

"Towards the Orient, to the banks of the Ganga and the Indus, it is there our hearts feel drawn by some hidden urge - it is there that all the dark presentiments point which lie in the depths of our heart...In the Orient, the heavens poured forth into the earth."

***

Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803)

JOHANN GOTTFRIED HERDER: German philosopher, poet and critic, clergyman, born in East Prussia. Herder was an enormously influential literary critic and a leader in the Sturn und Drang movement.

He saw in India the: "lost paradise of all religions and philosophies," 'the cradle of humanity,' and also its 'eternal home,' the great Orient 'waiting to be discovered within ourselves.'

According to him, "mankind's origins can be traced to India, where the human mind got the first shapes of wisdom and virtue with a simplicity, strength and sublimity which has - frankly spoken - nothing, nothing at all equivalent in our philosophical, cold European world."

Herder regarded the Hindus (because of their ethical teachings) as the most gentle and peaceful people on earth. Herder's "Thoughts of Some Brahmins "(1792) which contains a selection of gnomic stanzas in free translations, gathered from Bhartrihari-भार्तिहारी, the Hitopdesa हितोपदेश and the Bhagavad Gita भग्वद गीता , expressed these ideals.

He pointed out to the spiritual treasures of India in search of which later German Sanskritists and Indologists had devoted their lives. Herder admired India, as did Novalis and Heine, for its simplicity, and denounced the Europeans for their greed, corruption, and economic exploitation of India.

When George Forster sent him his German translation of the English version of the Sakuntalam शकुन्तलम in 1791, Herder responded: "I cannot easily find a product of human mind more pleasant than this...a real blossom of the Orient, and the first, most beautiful of its kind! ....Something like that, of course appears once every two thousand years."

A scene of Kalidasa's love classic,
AbhignyanShakuntalam which shows
Dushyant and Shakuntala

Note: MahaKavi Kalidasa महाकवि कालिदास was a poet and one of the earliest dramatists in Sanskrit. He has many classics still quite popular in modern times. Two specifically can be found on stalls: 'Abhignana-Shakuntalam' अभीज्ञानशकुंतालम and 'Meghadutam. मेघदूतम'

Herder published a detailed study and an analysis of AbhignyanSakuntalam, claiming that this work disproved the popular belief that drama was the exclusive invention of the ancient Greeks. "O holy land (India), I salute thee, thou source of all music, thou voice of the heart' and "Behold the East - cradle of the human race, of human emotion, of all religion."

Like Sir William Jones, Herder, a Lutheran pastor, was also attracted by the Vedic ideas of pantheism and of world-soul (Atman), both of which came to be viewed by the German Romantics as providing support for their own views about the transcendent wholeness and the fundamentally spiritual essence of the natural world.

He characterized Indian art as "a monument of a philosophical system in the history of mankind." He doubted therefore "whether any other people on earth have treated symbolism in art as thoroughly as Indians."

***

TROY WILSON ORGAN a professor at Ohio University and author of The Hindu quest for the perfection of man and Hinduism; its historical development, wrote: "Hindu thought is not a philosophy. It is a philosophical religion... "Hinduism is a sadhana which seeks to guide man to integration, to spiritualization, and to liberation......The concept of reincarnation is the Hindu way of asserting that there are no temporal nor developmental limits to the perfecting. Hindu thought is natural, reasonable, and scientific. It is a process, not a result - a process of perfecting man. In the Hindu Monism (Advaita-NonDual-अद्वैत ) God is not anthropomorphic being. He is All; He is not a despot or autocratic God."

SARASVATI - सरस्वती
The Goddess of
Knowledge & Wisdom

"In the Hindu world, the folklore and popular mythology carry the truths and teachings of the philosophers to the masses. In India, the mythology never ceased to support and facilitate the expression of philosophic thought. The rich pictorial script of the epic tradition, the features of the divinities whose incarnations and exploits constituted the myth, became the vehicles of communication for the priests. In this way a wonderful friendship of mythology and philosophy was effected; and this has been sustained with such result that the whole edifice of Indian civilization is imbued with spiritual meaning. The close interdependence of the two has served to counteract the natural tendency of the philosophy to become esoteric, removed from solving life's problems. In this symbolic form, the ideas have not been watered down to become popular. The vivid, perfectly appropriate pictorial script preserves the doctrines without the slightest damage to their senses."

***

Andre Malraux (1901-1976)

ANDRE MALRAUX: author of Anti-memoir, profound thinker and French writer, essayist, novelist, art-historian, and political speech writer, Malraux did give his readers a philosophy.

"The problem of this century is the religious problem and the discovery of Hindu thought will have a great deal to do with the solving of that particular problem".

“Europe is destructive, suicidal,” said André Malraux to Nehru in 1936, whom he would meet several times until 1960s, trying in vain to persuade him of the relevance of India’s spirituality in today’s world.

Malraux also reflected: "...The West regards as truth what the Hindu regards as appearance (for if human life, in the age of Christendom, was doubtless an ordeal it was certainly truth and not illusion), and the Westerner can regard knowledge of the the universe as the supreme value, while for the Hindu the supreme value is accession to the divine Absolute. But the most profound difference is based on the fact that the fundamental reality for the West, Christian or athiest, is death, in whatever sense it may be interpreted --- while the fundamental reality for India is the endlessness of life in the endlessness of time: Who can kill immortality?"

Dr. KARAN SINGH
(1931- -)

Dr. KARAN SINGH: heir apparent to the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir, Indian Ambassador to the U.S. and an outstanding thinker and leader. He is a philosopher, environmentalist, statesman, orator, author and politician.

He is the author of Essays on Hinduism (1990) and he has remarked: "The Entire Brahmand (ब्रह्माण्ड-Cosmos) is all pervaded by the same divine power. there is no ultimate duality in human existence or in consciousness. This is a truth which in the West is only recently being under stood after Einstein and Heisenberg and quantum mechanics. The Newtonian-Cartesian-Marxist paradigm of materialistic universe has now been finally abolished, it has collapsed in the face of the new physics. Our ancient seers had a deeper insight into the nature of reality than people had even until very recently".

He further wrote: "The master principles upon which Hinduism is based are to be found essentially in the Upanishads, which represent the high watermark not only of Indian but of world philosophy. It is in these luminous dialogues that the great issues confronting humanity have been addressed in a manner that seems to grow in relevance as we move into the global society."

"The first and most basic concept is that of the all-pervasive Brahman (ब्राह्मण-The Supreme God) - “Isavasyam idam sarvam yat kincha jagatyam jagat” इशावास्यम इदम सर्वम यत किञ्च जगत्यम जगत - (Whatever exists and wherever it exists is permeated by the same divine power.)

While many philosophies have postulated unbridgeable dichotomies between god and the world, matter and spirit, the Upanishadic view is that all that exists is a manifestation without the light of consciousness behind it, and this, in a way, is the realization of the new science.

KALPA कल्प - A Day in the Life of Brahma-The Creator

The second concept is that this Brahman resides within each individual consciousness, in the Atman. The Atman is the reflection of this all-pervasive Brahman in individual consciousness; but it is not ultimately separate from the Brahman. The concept of “Isvarah sarvabhutanam hriddese tishthati” इश्वरह सर्वभूतनम हृद्देसे तिष्ठति (The lord resides within the heart of each individual) is the second great insight of the Upanishads उपनिषद्, and the relationship between the Atman and the Brahman is the pivot upon which the whole Vedantic teaching revolves.

Another important Vedantic concept is that all human beings, because of their shared spirituality, are members of a single family. The Upanishads have an extraordinary phrase for the human race, ‘Amritasya putrah’ (अमृतस्य पुत्रः - Children of immortality), because we carry within our consciousness the light and the power of the Brahman regardless of race, colour, creed, sex, caste or nationality. That is the basis of the concept of human beings as an extended family — ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’- वासुदेव कुटुम्बकम which is engraved on the first gate into our Parliament House.

"It is certainly true that Hinduism has provided the broad cultural and religious framework that has held India together despite its astonishing linguistic, ethnic and political diversity and divisions. Hinduism is as essential for an understanding of Indian culture and civilization"

***

August Wilhelm von Schlegel (1767-1845)

AUGUST WILHELM VON SCHLEGEL: German Scholar and Poet who also learnt Sanskrit. The impulse to Indological studies was first given in Germany, through his book, 'The Language and Wisdom of the Indians' which appeared in 1818. He wrote The Bhagavat-geeta, or, Dialogues of Krishna and Arjun : in eighteen lectures.

"The divine origin of man, as taught in Vedanta, is continually inculcated, to stimulate his efforts to return, to animate him in the struggle, and incite him to consider a reunion and re-incorporation with Divinity as the one primary object of every action and reaction. Even the loftiest philosophy of the Europeans, the idealism of reason as it is set forth by the Greek philosophers, appears in comparison with the abundant light and vigor of Oriental idealism like a feeble Promethean spark in the full fold of heavenly glory of the noonday sun, faltering and feeble and ever ready to be extinguished."

Schlegel edited original text of the Bhagavad Gita भगवद गीता, together with a Latin translation, and paid tribute to its authors: "I shall always adore the imprints of their feet"

In his book, Wisdom of the Ancient Indians, he wrote, "It cannot be denied that the early Indians possessed a knowledge of the God. All their writings are replete with sentiments and expressions, noble, clear, severely grand, as deeply conceived in any human language in which men have spoken of their God..."

Hindu philosophy in comparison with which, in the words of Schlegel, "even the loftiest philosophy of the Europeans appears like a feeble Promethean spark in the full flood of heavenly glory of the noonday sun faltering and feeble and ever ready to be extinguished. The Divine origin of man is continually inculcated to stimulate his efforts to return, to animate him in the struggle and incite him to consider a re-union and re-corporation with Divinity as the one primary object of every action and exertion."

***

Jawaharlal Nehru(1889-1964)

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU: The first prime minister of free India. He was particularly drawn to Swami Vivekananda and the Sri Ramakrishna Ashram. The Upanishads fascinated him. Nehru called the Vedas as: "The unfolding of the human mind in the earliest stages of thought. And what a wonderful mind it was!"

"It is the first outpourings of the human mind, the glow of poetry, the rapture at nature's loveliness and mystery." A brooding spirit crept in gradually till the author of the Vedas cried out: 'O Faith, endow us with belief'. It raised deeper question in a hymn called the ' The Song of Creation'.

"The Bhagavad-Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander purpose of the universe."

"I am proud of this noble heritage which was and still is ours, and I am aware that I too, like all of us, am a link in that uninterrupted chain which finds its origin in the dawn of history, in India's immemorial past. It is in testimony of this and as a last homage to the cultural heritage of India that I request that a handful of my ashes be thrown in the Ganga (Ganges-गंगा) at Allahabad (formerly known as Prayag) so that they may be borne to the vast ocean that bears on the shores of India."

Jawaharlal Nehru, in his book - A Discovery of India wrote: "The statue of Nataraja (dance pose of Lord Shiva) is a well known example for the artistic, scientific and philosophical significance of Hinduism."

***

A. E. GEORGE RUSSEL
(1867-1935)

A. E. GEORGE RUSSEL: Irish poet, essayist, painter, Nationalist leader, mystic, and economist; a leader in movement for cooperation among Irish farmers; editor The Irish Statesman 1923-30.

Russel paid an eloquent tribute to the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. "'Goethe, Wordsworth, Emerson, and Thoreau among moderns have something of this vitality and wisdom but we can find all they have said and much more in the grand sacred books of India."

"The Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads contain such godlike fullness of wisdom on all things that I feel the authors must have looked with calm remembrance back through a thousand passionate lives, full of feverish strife for and with shadows, ere they could have written with such certainty of things which the soul feels to be sure."

***

PAUL DEUSSEN with wife
(1845-1919)

PAUL DEUSSEN: disciple of Arthur Schopenhauer, preferred to be called in Sanskrit, Deva-Sena देवा सेना (Army of God), was a scholar of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, has observed: "Whatever may be the discoveries of the scientific mind, none can dispute the eternal truths propounded by the Upanishads. Though they may appear as riddles, the key to solving them lies in our heart and if one were to approach them with an open mind one could secure the treasure as did the Rishis of ancient times"

About Vedanta, he said : "It is now, as in the ancient times, living in the mind and heart of every thoughtful Hindu."

He writes in the Philosophy of the Upanishads, "God, the sole author of all good in us, is not, as in the Old Testament, a Being contrasted with and distinct from us, but rather.....our divine self. This and much more we may learn the lesson if we are willing to put the finishing touch to the Christian consciousness, and make it on all sides consistent and complete. The Vedanta gives profoundly based reasons for all charity and brotherliness." Dr. Deussen says, "the fact is nevertheless that the highest and purest morality is the immediate consequence of the Vedanta. The Gospels fix quite correctly as the highest law of morality 'love your neighbor as yourself'. But why should I do so, since by the order of nature I feel pain and pleasure only in myself and not in my neighbor?"

"The answer is not," he says, "in the Bible, but it is in the Veda, in the great formula: 'That thou art' (Tat tvam asi-तत त्वं असि ) which gives in three words, metaphysics and morals together."

In his Philosophy of the Upanishads, recently translated by Rev. A. S. Geden, Prof. Deussen claims, for its fundamental thought "an inestimable value for the whole race of mankind." It is in "marvelous agreement with the philosophy founded by Kant, and adopted and perfected by his great successor Schopenhauer." differing from it, where it does differ, only to excel.

The DHARM-CHAKRA
धर्म-चक्र

"It was here that for the first time the original thinkers of the Upanishads, to their immortal honour, found it when they recognized our Atman, our innermost individual being as the Brahman, the inmost being of universal nature and of all her phenomenon."

"the Upanishads have tackled every fundamental problem of life. They have given us an intimate account of reality."

"On the tree of wisdom there is no fairer flower than the Upanishads, and no finer fruit than the Vedanta philosophy,' and he added, 'The system of Vedanta, as founded on the Upanishads and Vedanta Sutras and accompanied by Shankara's commentary on them---equal in rank to Plato and Kant---is one of the most valuable products of the genius of mankind in his researches of the eternal truth.'

Regarding the Cosmological hymn in the Rig Veda, he wrote: "In its noble simplicity, in the loftiness of its philosophic vision it is possibly the most admirable bit of philosophy of olden times. .. .. .. No translation can ever do justice to the beauty of the original."

***

F. C. Frederick Crossfield Happold: Author of several books, including Mysticism: a study and an anthology and Religious faith and twentieth-century man, said about the Upanishads: "The most profound and revolutionary statement on the nature of reality, which mankind has as yet made"

***

THE TREE OF LIFE
& KNOWLEDGE

JOHN ELIGNTON: author of A Memoir of A E Russell, wrote: "The Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads contain such godlike fullness of wisdom on all things that I feel the authors 'Goethe, Wordsworth, Emerson and Thoreau among moderns have something of this vitality and wisdom, but we can find all they have said and much more in the grand sacred books of the East. TheBhagavad Gita and Upanishads contain such godlike fullness of wisdom on all things that I feel the authors must have looked with calm remembrance back through a thousand passionate lives, full of feverish strife for and with shadows, ere they could have written with such certainly of things which the soul feels to he sure."

***

VISHNU - The Lord of the Universe

ASHBY PHILIPS: Princeton University echoes: "The Hindu argument that all religions are equally valid may well sweep the world in the next 25 years. It may well be that within the foreseeable future, it will be Hinduism which will be challenging Christianity not only in India but in the west as well. Hinduism indeed has a new vitality not only suitable for defense but also adaptable for offense against Western religions."

***

Nani Ardeshir Palkhiwala(1920-2002)

NANI ARDESHIR PALKHIWALA: brilliant lawyer and philanthropist. Former prime minister Morarji Desai had described him as 'India's finest intellectual'. Former Director of Press Trust of India (PTI) representing public interest since 1985. C Rajagopalachari had once observed, ''Nani is God's gift to India''. India's best known constitutional lawyer, author, former Indian ambassador to the US, has said: "India is eternal. Though the beginnings of her numerous civilizations go so far back in time that they are lost in the twilight of history, she has the gift of perpetual youth. Her culture is ageless and is as relevant to this present 20th century as it was to the 20th century before Christ."

"Our culture is primarily concerned with spiritual development is of special significance in our age which is marked by the obsolescence of the materialistic civilization. Ahimsa, peace and non-aggression were the hallmarks of Indian culture. In her crowded history of over 5,000 years during which she had thrown up vast and puissant empires, India never practiced military aggression on countries outside her borders. Thanks to our ethos, even today the Indian people patiently suffer miseries and endure injustices which would result in devastating explosions in any other country. In these days of spiritual illiteracy and poverty of the spirit, when people find that wealth can only multiply itself and attain nothing, when people have to deceive their souls with counterfeit after having killed the poetry of life, it is necessary to remind ourselves that civilization is an act of the spirit."

THE ASHOKA CHAKRA
अशोक-चक्र
The symbol on India's flag.

Material progress is not to be mistaken for inner progress. When technology outstrips moral development, the prospect is not that of a millennium but of extinction. Our ancient heritage is a potent antidote to the current tendency to standardize souls and seek salvation in herds.

"It has been my long-standing conviction that India is like a donkey carrying a sack of gold - the donkey does not know what it is carrying but is content to go along with the load on its back. The load of gold is the fantastic treasure - in arts, literature, culture, and some sciences like Ayurvedic medicine - which we have inherited from the days of the splendor that was India."

"Indian culture encouraged the cultivation of the intellect, not as a commodity for sale in the market-place, but for the inner joy experienced by the questing mind."

"Modern India will find her identity and the modern Indian will regain his soul when our people begin to have some understanding of our priceless heritage. A nation which has had a great past can look forward with confidence to a great future. It would be restorative to national self-confidence to know that many discoveries of today are really re-discoveries and represent knowledge which ancient India had at her command. World thinkers have stood in marvel at the sublimity of our scriptures."

***

HUSTON SMITH: China born, to Methodist missionaries, a philosopher, most eloquent writer, world-famous religion scholar who practices Hatha Yoga. Has taught at MIT and is currently visiting professor at Univ. of California at Berkley. Smith has also produced PBS series.

He has written various books, The World's Religions, "Science and Human Responsibility", and "The Religions of Man".

What he found in Vedantic Hinduism he described as: "a profundity of world view that made my Christianity look like third grade." He was "perfectly content" with Christianity until the Vedanta came into his life some five decades ago. "When I read the Upanishads, I found a profundity of world view that made my Christianity seem like third grade."

"Men and women that are lining the Bathing Ghats are all Hindus, but how different they are. But India looked past their bodies into their minds where she found the prolific ness of the infinite exploding like a Roman cantle. No other civilization saw, appreciated, and classified so precisely the full spectrum of human personality types…an achievement that has earned for India – the title of the world’s introspective psychologist. The key to this psychological perceptiveness is her recognition to the extent to which people will differ and the degree to which these differences are to be respected."

The knowledge from the Sanskrit
scriptures is vast and comprehensive.
It covers virtually every aspect of human life
and vast fields of sciences

"The stages of life - The kind of person and way we approach God – affective – loving him, reflective person – by knowing him, active person – by serving him, contemplative – by meditating. All four of these way to yoga – union reach the same summit – which you follow depends on your spiritual temperament. Side of the mountain – which you start climbing.Hinduism’s cosmology was prodigious in scope and depth, but India did not stop there. She went on to advance what was probably the most daring hypothesis man has ever conceived. We are ourselves are the infinite, the very infinite from which the Universe proceeds. Everything in Hinduism works to drive the point home."

Here are Smith's views on Symbols and Idols of Hinduism: "Enter Hinduism’s myths, her magnificent symbols, her several hundred images of God, her rituals that keep turning night and day like never-ending prayer wheels. It is obtuse to confuse Hinduism’s images with idolatry, and their multiplicity with polytheism. They are 'runways' from which the sense-laden human spirit can rise for its "flight of the alone to the Alone".

Even village priest will frequently open their temple ceremonies with the following beloved invocation:

O Lord, forgive three sins that are due to my human limitations:

Thou art everywhere, but I worship you here;

Thou art without form, but I worship you in these forms;

Thou needest no praise, yet I offer you these prayers and salutations,

Lord, forgive three sins that are due to my human limitations.

“The invisible excludes nothing, the invisible that excludes nothing is the infinite – the soul of India is the infinite.”

- AUM -

The greatest symbol of
Sanatana Dharma

“Philosophers tell us that the Indians were the first ones to conceive of a true infinite from which nothing is excluded. The West shied away from this notion. The West likes form, boundaries that distinguish and demarcate. The trouble is that boundaries also imprison – they restrict and confine.”

“India saw this clearly and turned her face to that which has no boundary or whatever.” “India anchored her soul in the infinite seeing the things of the world as masks of the infinite assumes – there can be no end to these masks, of course. If they express a true infinity.” And It is here that India’s mind boggling variety links up to her infinite soul.”

“India includes so much because her soul being infinite excludes nothing.” It goes without saying that the universe that India saw emerging from the infinite was stupendous.”

While the West was still thinking, perhaps, of 6,000 years old universe – India was already envisioning ages and eons and galaxies as numerous as the sands of the River Ganga. The Universe so vast that modern astronomy slips into its folds without a ripple.”

***

Rudyard Kipling(1865-1936)

RUDYARD KIPLING: Imperial poet of British India. Nobel Laureate (Literature) and famous for his poem, The White Man's Burden
A writer who spent his earliest years blissfully happy in an India full of exotic sights and sounds.
He said this to Fundamental Christian Missionaries:

"Now it is not good for the Christian's health to hustle the Hindu brown for the Christian riles and the Hindu smiles and weareth the Christian down ; and the end of the fight is a tombstone while with the name of the late deceased and the epitaph drear , "A fool lies here who tried to hustle the east".

***

William Macintosh wrote: "All history points to India as the mother of science and art,"

"This country was anciently so renowned for knowledge and wisdom that the philosophers of Greece did not disdain to travel thither for their improvement."

***

Albert Einstein - (1879-1955)

ALBERT EINSTEIN: The renowned Physicist. Nobel Laureate.

In 1905 after he published his 'theory of Relativity', he declared: "When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous."

"We owe a lot to Indians who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made."

***

Pierre Sonnerat(1748 - 1814)

PIERRE SONNERAT: a French naturalist, and author of Voyage aux Indes Orientales et a la Chine, concurred about ancient India, when he wrote: "We find among the Indians the vestiges of the most remote antiquity....We know that all peoples came there to draw the elements of their knowledge ... India, in her splendor, gave religions and laws to all the other peoples; Egypt and Greece owed to her both their fables and their wisdom."

"Ancient India gave to to the world its religions and philosophies: Egypt and Greece owe India their wisdom and it is known that Pythagoras went to India to study under Brahmins, who were the most enlightened of human beings."

Pierre Sonnerat's engravings of Gods of India from his book - Journey to the Indies Eastern and China. "Egypt and Greece owe India their wisdom and it is known that Pythagoras went to India to study under Brahmins, who were the most enlightened of human beings."

***

SIR WILLIAM JONES: Came to India as a judge of the Supreme Court at Calcutta. He pioneered Sanskrit studies. His admiration for Indian thought and culture was almost limitless. Even at a time when Hinduism was at a low ebb and it was quite fashionable to run it down, he held it in great esteem.

While he believed in Christianity, he was attracted to the Hindu concepts of the non-duality of God (Advaitism-अद्वैत), as interpreted by Sankara (Adi Shankaracharya -आदि शंकराचार्य), and the transmigration of the human soul. The later theory he found more rational than the Christian doctrine of punishment and eternity of pain. Writing to his close friend, Earl Spencer, in 1787, he said: "I am no Hindu, but I hold the doctrine of the Hindus concerning a future state to be incomparably more rational, more pious, and more likely to deter men from vice, than the horrid opinions, inculcated on punishments without end"

He further wrote about the Hindus: "...they are a people with a fertile and inventive genius, who in some early age...were splendid in arts and arms, happy in government; wise in legislation, and eminent in various knowledge..."

"I am in love with the gopis," he wrote to Wilkins in 1784, "charmed with Krishna, an enthusiastic admirer of Rama and a devout adorer of Brahma. Yudhisthir, Arjuna, Bhima and other warriors of the Mahabharata appear greater in my eyes than Agamemnon, Ajax, and Achilles appeared when I first read the Iliad."

PEACE (on Buddha's face)
The essence and aim of Sanatana Dharma

In 1794, he published a translation of the Ordinances of Manu. He said about Manu: "A spirit of sublime devotion, of benevolence to mankind, and of amiable tenderness to all sentient creatures pervades the whole work: the style of it has a certain austere majesty, that sounds like the language of legislation and extorts a respectful awe; the sentiments of independence on all beings but God, and the harsh admonition even to kings are truly noble: and the many panagyrics on the Gayatri, the mother, as it is called, of the Veda, prove the author to have adored not the visible material sun, but the divine and incomparably greater light, to use the words of the most venerable text in the Indian Scripture, which illumines all, delights all, from which all proceed, to which all must return, and which alone can irradiate not our visual organs merely but our souls and our intellects."

"To read the Vedanta, or the many fine compositions in illustration of it, without believing that Pythagoras and Plato derived their sublime theories from the same fountain with the sages of India." He also gave arguments to show that "a group of Egyptian priests had settled down in India and borrowed much from it."

Equally interesting are his poems. A Hymn to Narayana, in which he describes the Hindu theory of creation. A Hymn to Lakshmi and A Hymn to Ganga are equally fine.

Shiva (Mahadeva)
महादेव
Also called The Lord of the
Devas (Demi-Gods)

A Hymn to Ganga

"How sweetly Ganga smiles, and glides,

Luxuriant o'er her broad autumnal bed!

Her waves perpetual verdure spread;

Whilst health and plenty deck her golden sides."

"The analogies between Greek and Pythagorean philosophy and the Sankhya school are very obvious."

Jones' firm belief in the Vedas is challenging and at the same time illuminating: "I can venture to affirm, without meaning to pluck a leaf from the never-fading laurels of our immortal Newton, that the whole of his theology, and part of his philosophy, may be found in the Vedas".

"The six philosophical schools, whose principles are explained in the Darsana Sastra, comprise all the metaphysics of the old Academy, the Stoa, the Lyceum; nor is it possible to read the Vedanta, or the many fine compositions in illustration of it, without believing that Pythagoras and Plato derived their sublime theories from the same fountain with the Sages of India."

"We are told by the Greek writers that the Indians were the wisest of nations, and in moral wisdom, they were certainly eminent."

Of Sankara's (Shankaracharya's) commentary upon the Vedanta, Sir Jones says that "it is not possible to speak with too much applause of so excellent a work."

The Ganga Ghats
at Varanasi वाराणसी (Kashi/Benaras) (कशी/बनारस)
It is called the city of God Shiva

Sir Jones says of Vedanta: "The fundamental tenet of the Vedantic school consisted not in denying the existence of matter, that is, of solidity, impenetrability and extended figure (to deny would be lunacy), but in correcting the popular notion of it, and in contending that it has no essence independent of mental perception, that existence and imperceptibility are convertible terms, that external appearances and sensations are illusory and would vanish into nothing if the divine energy, which alone sustains them were suspended but for a moment: an opinion which Epicharmus and Plato seem to have adopted, and which has been maintained in the present century with great elegance, but with little applause, partly because it has been misunderstood, and partly because it has been misapplied by the false reasoning of some popular writers, who are said to have disbelieved in the moral attributes of God, whose omnipresence, wisdom, and goodness are the basis of the Indian philosophy."

He added: "The system is built on the purest devotion."

"Human life would not be sufficient to make oneself acquainted with any considerable part of Hindu literature."

THE DIYAs दिये (LAMPS)
These represent the various aspects of the virtues
of Sanatana Dharma
[Knowledge, Tranquility, Peace, Light, Wisdom]

I hope you like the quotes on Scriptures of Sanatana Dharma. I will be adding some more at a later stage.

Note: While I use the quotes from the intellectuals in these postings, there are some comments made on other religions. I do not intend to make any criticism or speak dis-respectfully about other religions. I have utmost respect for all religions, sincerely.

Siddharth S. Sinha

सिद्धार्थ स सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

ISHA UPANISHAD - YAJUR VEDA - part of Four Vedas

2013-02-06T22:09:00.002+05:30

SANATANA DHARMA

सनातन-धर्म

(Hinduism)

SCRIPTURES

ISAVAASYA UPANISHAD

(ISHA UPANISHAD-YajurVeda)

ईशा-उपनिषद्..यजुर-वेद

The ISHA ईशा (or also called ISHA-VAASHYA-ईश-वास्यउपनिषद्) Upanishad starts with the famous and insightful verse:

Om
Purnamadah Purnamidam
Purnat Purnamudachyate
Purnasya Purnamadaya
Purnameva Vashishyate
Om shanti, shanti, shantih!!

ॐ

पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम

पूर्णत पुर्नामुदचयते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमदय

पूर्णमेव वाशिश्यते

ॐ शांति शांति शांतिः

Though there are numerous translations of this verse (mainly due to lack of precise meaning of the Sanskrit words), the essence of each translations do not do justice to the verse.

I am making an attempt to get the precise meaning of the verse, here:

TRANSLATION:

This is Infinite, That is Infinite,

From the Infinite, the Infinite emerges,

Whence Infinite subtracted from Infite,

The Infinite remains Infinite

Om Peace, Peace, Peace!

The Sanskrit word 'Purna-पूर्ण' in this verse is a wholesome word which has numerous meaning. The word has immensely vast expansive meaning to it without an English term which can provide the wholesome or precise meaning to the word. To make sense of the above verse we should replace the noun ‘Infinite’ from the above translation and replace it with other nouns: Absolute, Complete, Whole, True, Real, Perfect, Absolute Knowledgeable, Absolute Peaceful, Omnipresent, Immanent, etc., When we do it and club them all together we can get close to the precise meaning (translation) of the verse.

When we compound all the nouns above, we arrive at a Term which has been used to describe The ‘Brahman’-ब्राह्मण (God, absolute).

The Philosophy of the hymn: When we know that the Supreme soul, the Brahman, is complete, full of joy, infinite, non-describable, how can we limit such a supreme entity? Whatever we may say or so, the Brahman remains Brahman – The Supreme! This is the ‘Essence’ of this ‘hymn’ and philosophy of ‘Isha Upanishad!

List of Fifteen most important
Upanishads

The word ‘Isha’ is one of the numerous words used in Sanskrit to describe ‘Brahman-God’! It is also used to describe ‘Self’ and ‘Atman-the soul-आत्मा’. This narrates in detail how ‘each soul’ and ‘God’ are one, and connected. It further goes on to mention how the ultimate goal of achieving ‘Moksha’- मोक्ष (freedom from cycle of death and re-birth) can be achieved through various routes. It specifically professes that although through work (Karma) alone may bring great joy and happiness, but it would be temporary. Only through knowledge of one’self and thereby, knowledge of God Himself, permanent bliss can be attained. This Upanishad helps the reader to acquire that knowledge and attain the highest goal...MOKSHA!

This Upanishad of The Yajur-Veda is considered to be among the most important once when it comes to discussing Sanatana Dharma philosophy. It is considered next to the Srimad Bhagvatam (The Gita-भाग्वद-गीता) and the ‘Rig-Veda-ऋग-वेद’ for its philosophy.

The Isha Upanishad states that all living beings, and non-living elements which exist in the universe, are a part of, and covered by God! One must renounce the unreal (materialistic objects and desires), one must live with the real (knowledge of absolute truth). One must not covet the wealth of any man. We cover all things with the Lord by perceiving the Divine Presence everywhere and in every object. When the consciousness is firmly fixed in God, the conception of diversity naturally fades away because the One Cosmic Existence shines through all things. As we gain the light of wisdom, we cease to cling to the unrealities of this world and we find all our joy within the realm of true reality. This Upanishad also stresses greatly on acquiring knowledge that we are a part of Brahman, The Supreme Absolute! Thus, it is necessary that we should also learn about our self, which is a manifestation of Him. It we possess the true knowledge of our true Self it becomes the greatest protector and sustainer. If we do not have this knowledge, we cannot be happy; because nothing on this external plane of phenomena is permanent or dependable. He who is rich in the knowledge of the Self does not covet external power or possession.

In a nutshell we can understand the philosophy through this statement: A Divine statement:

IF YOU DON'T FIND ME WITHIN YOU, YOU WILL NEVER FIND ME

BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN WITH YOU, WITHIN YOU,

SINCE THE BEGINING OF TIME!

The principle philosophies, as stated by this Upanishad are:

- If one wishes to live a happy and contented life one should perform one’s ‘Karma-कर्म righteous deed’ By doing so one becomes ‘Karma-Nishtha-कर्म-निष्ठा’ (one dedicated to our Karma). Karma here also includes one duty towards God. When man performs only his materialistic duties, he is restricted to the life of materialism which will not help him attain ‘Moksha’. By also performing his duties towards God one can be liberated from and purified.

- Mankind should follow the paths of ‘Gyana-Nishthaa ज्ञान-निष्ठा’ (dedication to acquire knowledge, spiritual and worldly).

- A soul is ‘immortal’ and thus it cannot be destroyed. According to Isha Upanishad, a man’s actions are only finite and thus the results of his actions can also be only ‘Finite’. The journey of a soul to heaven or hell is only for a limited time till one re-incarnates as a life form in a continuous journey in the cycle of death and re-birth, unless one achieves the ultimate goal, Moksha’. When a soul achieves Moksha, it merges with ‘Brahman’ – God!

So, the cycle of death and re-birth ends and the soul achieves a permanent peace in HIM!

- One should never neglect the quest of the aatma (soul), our real self. We are only a temporary form in the soul’s journey, thus we should keep its wishes as a priority and work towards liberating it from the continuous troubles through being born in different life forms and dying and being re-born. Our aim should be Liberation!

That One, though motionless, is swifter than the mind

The senses can never overtake It, for It ever goes before

Though immovable, it travels faster than those who run

By It the all–pervading air sustains all living beings.

This verse explains the character of the aatma-आत्मा-Self. A finite object can be taken from one place and put in another, but it can only occupy one space at a time. The Atman, however, is present everywhere; hence, though one may run with the greatest swiftness to overtake It, already It is there before him. Even the all–pervading air must be supported by this Self, since It is infinite; and as nothing can live without breathing air, all living things must draw their life from the Cosmic Self.

It moves and It moves not, It is far and also It is near

It is within and also It is without all this

It is near to those who have the power to understand It

for It dwells in the heart of every one

but It seems far to those whose mind is covered

by the clouds of sensuality and self– delusion

It is within, because It is the innermost Soul of all creatures;

and It is without as the essence of the whole external universe,

infilling it like the all–pervading ether.

He who sees all beings in the Self and the Self in all beings

he never turns away from It (the Self)

- He who perceives all beings as the Self’ for him how can there be delusion or grief, when he sees this oneness (everywhere)? He who perceives the Self everywhere never shrinks from anything, because through his higher consciousness he feels united with all life. When a man sees God in all beings and all beings in God, and also God dwelling in his own Soul, how can he hate any living thing? Grief and delusion rest upon a belief in diversity, which leads to competition and all forms of selfishness. With the realization of oneness, the sense of diversity vanishes and the cause of misery is removed.

- He (the Self) is all–encircling, resplendent, bodiless, spotless, without sinews, pure, untouched by sin, all–seeing, all–knowing, transcendent, self–existent; He has disposed all things duly for eternal years. This text defines the real nature of the Self. When our mind is cleansed from the dross of matter, then alone can we behold the vast, radiant, subtle, ever–pure and spotless Self, the true basis of our existence.

- They enter into blind darkness who worship Avidya (ignorance and delusion); they fall, as it were, into greater darkness who worship Vidya (knowledge).

- By Vidya one end is attained; by Avidya, another. Thus we have heard from the wise men who taught this.

- He who knows at the same time both Vidya and Avidya, crosses over death by Avidya and attains immortality through Vidya. Those who follow or “worship” the path of selfishness and pleasure (Avidya-अविद्या), without knowing anything higher, necessarily fall into darkness; but those who worship or cherish Vidya-विद्या (knowledge) for mere intellectual pride and satisfaction, fall into greater darkness, because the opportunity which they misuse is greater. In the subsequent verses Vidya and Avidya are used in something the same sense as “faith” and “works”; neither alone can lead to the ultimate goal, but when taken together they carry one to the Highest. Work done with unselfish motive purifies the mind and enables man to perceive his undying nature. From this he gains inevitably a knowledge of God, because the Soul and God are one and inseparable; and when one knows himself to be one with the Supreme and Indestructible Whole, he realizes his immortality.

- They fall into blind darkness who worship the Unmanifested and they fall into greater darkness who worship the manifested.

- By the worship of the Unmanifested one end is attained; by the worship of the manifested, another. Thus we have heard from the wise men who taught us this.

A diya (clay lamp) for a 'Puja'

- He who knows at the same time both the Unmanifested (the cause of manifestation) and the destructible or manifested, he crosses over death through knowledge of the destructible and attains immortality through knowledge of the First Cause (Unmanifested). This particular Upanishad deals chiefly with the Invisible Cause and the visible manifestation, and the whole trend of its teaching is to show that they are one and the same, one being the outcome of the other hence no perfect knowledge is possible without simultaneous comprehension of both. The wise men declare that he who worships in a one–sided way, whether the visible or the invisible, does not reach the highest goal. Only he who has a co–ordinated understanding of both the visible and the invisible, of matter and spirit, of activity and that which is behind activity, conquers Nature and thus overcomes death. By work, by making the mind steady and by following the path as guided by the Scriptures, a man gains wisdom. By the light of that wisdom he is able to perceive the Invisible Cause in all visible forms. Therefore the wise man sees Him in every manifested form. They who have a true conception of God are never separated from Him. They exist in Him and He in them.

In one of the main verses, a hymn states: May my life–breath go to the all–pervading and immortal Prana, and let this body be burned to ashes. Om! O mind, remember thy deeds! O mind, remember, remember thy deeds! Remember! Seek not fleeting results as the reward of thy actions, O mind! Strive only for the Imperishable. This Mantram or text is often chanted at the hour of death to remind one of the perishable nature of the body and the eternal nature of the Soul. When the clear vision of the distinction between the mortal body and the immortal Soul dawns in the heart, then all craving for physical pleasure or material possession drops away; and one can say, let the body be burned to ashes that the Soul may attain its freedom; for death is nothing more than the casting–off of a worn–out garment.

Pusanne-karse yama surya praja-patya,
Vyuha rasmin samuha tejah
Yatte rupam kalyana-tamam tatte pasyami
Yo’sa vasau purusah so ‘ham-asmi. (16)

~The Isha Upanishad~

Translation:

O Pushan, Sun, the sole pilgrim of solitude, Controller and absorber of all,
Off spring of Prajapati; Withdraw thy rays and gather up Thy radiant brilliance.
That form of Thine, Most gracious, Through Thy grace, I may behold.
He, the Purush in the solar ark, I am.

SUMMARY

This Upanishad is called Isa–Vasya Upanishad, that which gives Brahma–Gyana (knowledge about Brahman-The Supreme Soul (God). The dominant thought which runs through this Upanishad is that we cannot enjoy life or realize true happiness unless we consciously ‘cover’ all with the Omnipresent Lord. If we are not fully conscious of that which sustains our life, how can we live wisely and perform our duties? Whatever we see, movable or immovable, good or bad, it is all “That.” We must not divide our conception of the universe; for in dividing it, we have only fragmentary knowledge and we thus limit ourselves.

He who sees all beings in his Self and his Self in all beings, he never suffers; because when he sees all creatures within his true Self, then jealousy, grief and hatred vanish. He alone can love in the true meaning of it. That All–pervading One is self– effulgent, birthless, deathless, pure, un-tainted by sin and sorrow. Knowing this, he frees himself from the bondage of matter and transcends death. Transcending death means realizing the difference between body and Soul and identifying oneself with the Soul. When we actually behold the undecaying Soul within us and realize our true nature, we no longer identify our self with the body which dies and we do not die with the body.

Knowledge about Self has always been the principle thought of the Sages; and the Upanishads deal especially with the knowledge of the Self and also with the knowledge of God, because there is no difference between the Self and God. They are one and the same. That which comes out of the Infinite Whole must also be infinite; hence the Self is infinite. That is the ocean, we are the drops. So long as the drop remains separate from the ocean, it is small and weak; but when it is one with the ocean, then it has all the strength of the ocean. Similarly, so long as man believes himself to be separate from the Whole, he is helpless; but when he identifies himself with It, then he transcends all weakness and partakes of Its omnipotent qualities.

Thus ends the ISHA UPANISHAD!

The readers and visitors to this page are requested to kindly send your feedbacks and comments on this post. I humbly welcome more information on this.

Hari Aum!

हरी ॐ।

Siddharth S. Sinha

सिद्धार्थ स सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

The BRAHADARANAYAK UPANISHAD of YAJUR VEDA

2013-01-29T01:49:00.000+05:30

SANATANA DHARMA
सनातन धर्म

Hinduism-part 4

SCRIPTURES -Part 2-C-II
(ग्रन्थ)

YAJUR VEDA

- THE UPANISHADS -
यजुर वेद
उपनिषद्

BRIHADRANYAKA UPANISHAD

The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad - बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् is one of the older, 'primary'-mukhya मुख्य Upanishads. It is contained within the Shatapatha Brahmana, and its status as an independent Upanishad is considered a secondary extraction of a portion of the Brahmana text. This makes it one of the oldest texts of the Upanishad corpus of the 108 Upanishads. This is one of the few which are extant. It is largely the oldest Upanishad, excluding some parts which were composed after the Chandogya Upanishad and the Jaiminiya Upanisad Brahmana.

The Upanishad means 'sitting at the feet' (of the Guru, to acquire knowledge). The Word 'Brihad' - बृहद + 'aranayak' - आरण्यक' means, 'the great forest/wilderness'. This Upanishad is thus called 'The Great forest of Knowledge'. It is one of 'the' most important Upanishads purely for it's philosophical content.

This Upanishad has three 'Khandas' - खंड sections:

Madhu-khand- मधुखण्ड, Muni-khand मुनिखण्ड and Khila-khand खिलखण्ड

In the Brahadaranyaka Upanishad, we find the great spiritual quote which equates a soul-aatma आत्मा (human being) to the Supreme Soul, Brahman-God ब्राह्मण... when it says:

Aham brahmāsmi- अहम् ब्रह्मास्मी - (I AM BRAHMAN)

Aatma आत्मा (soul) = Brahman ब्राह्मण (God)

Through the above quote this Upanishad gives us one of the most important spiritual guides to the path of soul's journey in search of the ultimate goal of life. It states that each human being is 'Divine' and a part of The Supreme Soul - (God: Brahman). God is within us and not detached from us.

(Being divine ourselves, and being a part of Him at birth, we go on to make ourselves who we are, through our 'Karma-Action-कर्म').

In the Brahadaranayaka Upanishad we also find one of the most popular hymns which is recited in most schools which have Sanskrit-संस्कृत in their syllabus. This again, spells the Sanatana Dharma philosophy beautifully.

The Spiritual Power of Human Mind

ॐ असतोमा सद्गमय । तमसोमा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय । ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्तिः ।।

– बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् 1.3.28 -

oṁ asatomā sadgamaya, tamasomā jyotirgamaya
mṛtyormā amṛtaṁgamaya, oṁ śānti śānti śāntiḥ

- bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad -1.3.28 -

Translation:

Lead Us From the Unreal To the Real,
Lead Us From Darkness To Light,
Lead Us From Death To Immortality,
Let There Be Peace Peace Peace.

– Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28 -

The Ethics of this Upanishad revolves around the five primary Yagnyas -यज्ञ. These are a human being's duty and responsibilities towards God-ब्राह्मण, The Rishis-ऋषि, The Ancestors-पूर्वज, fellow Human Beings-मनुष्य and Nature-निसर्ग (including animals and plants). These also include three disciplines which are described as 'Damyata'-दम्यता (self-control), 'Data'- दत्त (charity) and 'Dayadhvam'-दयाध्वं (compassion).

This Upanishad also discusses psychology in some detail where it describes the various material desires of humans, for material comforts. Various human organs and limbs are mentioned as instruments of wealth, along with the senses. Eyes and ears are mentioned as the instruments of wealth because through the eyes and ears we learn the names and shapes of objects which are considered to be wealth. The Upanishad symbolically represents food as object of wealth. It enunciates that food stuff is never exhausted because the consumers create food themselves. This implies that objects of desire never exhaust till the desire is persistent in the subject. The Brahadaranayaka Upanishad also mentions eight senses Grahas - (also called 'Rathas' or 'Indriya') and extra-senses 'Ati-grahas', namely, Nose-odour, speech-name, tongue-taste, eye-color, ear-sound, mind-desire, hands-work and skin-touch. The mind is mentioned as a desire because it is the basis for pleasure.

In the process it also analyses dreams and deep sleep and goes on to explain that the state of deep sleep is because of lack of sensory experience is due to merger of senses with the perceiver. It concludes that one does not love an object for the sake of the object but for the sake of one's self.

Upanishadic metaphysics is further highlighted and explained how the essence of every object the essence of every other object which is held to be Brahman (meaning, Brahman exists in every object).

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad looks at reality as being indescribable and its nature to be infinite and consciousness-bliss. Human beings are looked upon as the synthesis of the organ of speech, mind, prana (cosmic energy) and the twin cosmic desires of differentiation and unison. The cosmic energy is thought to integrate in the microcosm various sensations like sound, smell and sight and in the macrocosm integrate the individual to the universe.

It acknowledges that metaphysical statements in the Upanishads are meant to guide the reader from the unreal to the real. Its metaphysics is non-dual. It further asserts that everything in the universe is covered with 'Self'. (Once again the Upanishad stresses on the 'Only Supreme God - Brahman' and also that every living being is a manifestation of 'Brahman' - God!)

The nature of reality or Self is described as 'consciousness' - Bliss!

The Brihadaranayak Upanishad concludes in a hymn beautifully, as an invocation:

पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णत पूर्णमउदीच्याते

पूर्णश्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवाशिश्यते

PuranamAdah, PurnamIdam, PurnatPurnamUdacyate

Purnasya Purnam Adaya Purnam Evavasisyate

Translation:

“From infinite or fullness, we can get only fullness or infinite”

The verse describes the nature of the Absolute (Brahman),

Who is infinite, complete... i.e., it contains everything.

इति

~The End~

A humble presentation by:

Siddharth Satchidanand Sinha

सिद्धार्थ सत्चिदानन्द सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

The YAJUR-VEDA - part of the Four Vedas

2013-01-26T18:13:00.000+05:30

SANATANA DHARMA
सनातन धर्म

Hinduism-part 4

SCRIPTURES -Part 2-C-I
(ग्रन्थ)

YAJUR VEDA

(यजुर्वेद)

YAJURVEDA is the second of the four Vedas. The other three are The Rig Veda, The Sama Veda and The Atharva Veda.

The word ‘Yajur’ यजुर means offerings, and ‘Veda’ वेद means knowledge. ‘YajurVeda’ means ‘knowledge of offerings’. This was the most widely and commonly used Veda for chantings at ceremonies by priests in Vedic era.

This Veda discusses and ponders mainly about the knowledge (and understanding) about life and our own existence and the purpose of our existence and also discusses in detail about the soul and how the soul of the deceased can have a comfortable ‘afterlife’, or life in a new ‘avatar’-अवतार- incarnation (rebirth in a different ‘yoni’ योनि -[a lifespan in different life-form/human form]). The Veda also discusses about human psyche and cosmic energy of a human being and how it can be used to achieve greater consciousness. Finally it states how a human being can attain ‘Moksha’-मोक्ष (freedom from the cycle of death and re-birth) by being humble (sacrificing one’s ego and vices) and being devoted to the Supreme Soul (Parmatma-Brahman पर्मात्मा-ब्राह्मण).

THE GAYATRI MANTRA

The 'Savitur Gayatri Mantra' - गायत्री मंत्र comes from the Yajurveda. Though the mantra is based on a verse, AUM BHUR BHUVAH - ॐ भूर्भुवः from the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda mentions the Gayatri Mantra in its complete present form and recension.

ॐ भूर्भुवः॒स्वः तत्स॑वितुर्वरे॑ण्यं।

भ॒र्गो॑_दे॒वस्य॑_धीमहि।।

धियो॒यो नः॑ प्रचो॒दया॑त्॥।

Oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ

tát savitúr váreṇ(i)yaṃ

bhárgo devásya dhīmahi

dhíyo yó naḥ prachodáyāt

A Guru in meditation (Yoga-pose)
गुरु-योग मुद्रा में

Through the chanting of YajurVeda hymns, the recite of the hymns is elevated to a higher level of consciousness. It helps in purifying the mind and body through yogic practice.

A great piece of work in this Veda is its stress on the pronunciation and grammar of Sanskrit language. This book is principally responsible in making Sanskrit the most grammatically perfect and scientifically best pronounced language ever spoken or used by mankind.

Verses of Vedas

This book has four sections like all other Vedas:

The Samhitas - सम्हिता

The Aranyakas - आरणक्य

The Brahmanas - ब्राह्मण

The Upanishads.- उपनिषद्

The SAMHITAs of YajurVeda has two principle versions: The Shukla -शुक्ल सम्हिता (bright/white) Samhita and The Krishna (dark/black) Samhita- कृष्ण सम्हिता. The Krishna Samhita contains some of the most important hymns which are used in ‘Yagnyas’-यज्ञ like the Ashwa Medha - अश्वमेध यज्ञ (this was prominently highlighted in The Ramayana-रामायण where Lord Ramchandra - भगवान श्री रामचन्द्र performed the AshwaMedha Yagya to claim His undisputed superiority over the land He ruled).

The Samhitas also contain some of the other important Yagnyas like the Agnihotra-अग्निहोत्र , SomaYagnya -सोमयज्ञ, RajaSuya- Yagnya- राजसूययज्ञ, The Purush Medha Yagnya - पुरुषमेधयज्ञ, Pitri-Yagnya- पित्रीयज्ञ, The SarvaMedha Yagnya-सर्वमेध यज्ञ and The Sautramani -सौत्रमणियज्ञ (this deals with dealing with the effects of the Soma-Ras-सोम रस an intoxicating drink of the Devas- देव , derived from Soma plant). This Veda, like the other three is also a compilation of hymns and chants. Like the Sama Veda, Yajur Veda too has many hymns borrowed from the Rig Veda, but unlike Sama Veda, this Veda also has many hymns from the Atharva Veda. Like Sama Veda, Yajur-Veda also mentions a liturgical system of chants for various religious ceremonies and sacred offerings while performing rituals and pujas, like 'Yagnya's-(यज्ञ)-[a ritual offerings with libations of Soma-ras, flowers, fruits, honey and other ceremonial offerings are made while chanting of sacred 'Shokas'-श्लोक and 'Mantras' मंत्र ]. The Yagnyas were ceremonial occasions which were held on large, massive scales.

It is amazing to notice here that the society in that ancient era was almost near to perfection which allowed such ‘Yagnyas’ to be performed where the Royal families, the ministers, the priests, the citizens of the country and people of every section of the society participated in these ‘Yagnyas’. The Yajur Veda literally describes how these should be performed, step-by-step. While doing so, it also puts great impetus on basic mathematics-गणित, geometry-रेखागणित and algebra -बीजगणित because, to perform such massive ‘Yagnyas’, certain geometric formations were required and had to be calculated accordingly.

Among the other Samhitas which are popular to this day, are the Vajasaneyi and the Taittariya Samhitas.

***

The BRAHMANAs
(section of Vedas)वेदों का ब्राह्मण खंड

Some BRAHAMANA chapters of Yajur Veda are incorporated in the Samhita section of this Veda.

The Shatapatha Brahmana-शतपथ ब्राह्मण (a Hundred paths to Brahman - God): This chapter highlights the Sanatana-Dharma philosophy of approaching towards one's goal through one of the many paths which one can choose. It provides various spiritual ways to reach the ultimate goal; the soul's unity with God through 'Moksha'. This highlights the spiritual democracy which is abundantly professed by various scriptures.

In this chapter, the equally interesting and absorbing parts are the sections where creation of the universe is discussed. This chapter also has various similarities to some other religious books about the creation of the Universe which includes the primordial water, explanations of light and darkness and differentiation between good and evil.

This book also discusses and explains the concept of ‘Time’-(Kaal-काल).

The Yajur Veda also briefly speaks about curative methods in medicine. Though Atharva Veda is purely dedicated to science and more specifically to medicine, the Yajur Veda also has a ‘Charak Samhita’ - चरक सम्हिता, (which many consider it to be a part of Atharva Veda).

Regarding medicinal aspects of the Vedas, we shall be reading about them in the Atharva-Veda, my next posting on the blog after this one.

The Upanishad manuscript
(an ancient, undated scroll)

The UPANISHADs section of this Veda has some famous ones:
The Maitraayani Upanishad - मैत्रायणी उपनिषद्
The Katha Upanishad-कथा उपनिषद्
The Taittiriya Upanishad तैत्तरिया उपनिषद्
The Shvetashvatara श्वेताश्वतर उपनिषद्
The Brihadramanaya Upanishad-बृहदरमणआय उपनिषद्
The Brihadaarankya Upanishad-बृहदआरणक्य उपनिषद्, ...and the more famous
The Isha Upanishad-इशा उपनिषद्.

etc.,

The Brihadkaranya Upanishad is of vital importance, so I will be writing about it in my next posting along with some other important books of Yajur Veda.

Kindly follow this one. It is of great relevance.

***

Some 'Shlokas'-श्लोक (verses) from this Veda and the Rig Veda have been used to compile the 'Purush Shuktam' -पुरुष शुकतम, a venerable and widely chanted verses, for it's philosophy.

I hope this has been of some information and importance to the readers.

You are requested to send me your comments and provide additional information.

Thank You,

Siddharth S. Sinha,

ssselan@yahoo.in

The SAMA VEDA ~ Part of the Four Vedas

2013-01-14T00:38:00.003+05:30

SANATANA DHARMA
सनातन धर्म

Hinduism-part 4

SCRIPTURES -Part 2-B
(ग्रन्थ)

THE SAMA VEDA
साम वेद

Among the four Vedas, the first and the most important Veda is the Rig-Veda. Although Yajur-Veda is the second listed Veda, I present the 'Sama-Veda' here as the second in the list. I do so because the Mantras and the hymns of the Sama-Veda are totally borrowed from the Rig-Veda. The Sama-Veda is also considered second in sanctity and liturgy in the list of Vedas.

The Sama-Veda, or Veda of Holy Songs, third in the usual order of enumeration of the three Vedas (The fourth, the ‘Atharva-Veda’ was compiled later, and dealt mainly with different fields of sciences), ranks next in sanctity and liturgical importance to the Rig Veda or Veda of Recited praise.

The Sama-Veda is a compilation of hymns taken from the ‘Rig-Veda’. The primary difference between the two is the manner/style of chanting/recitation of these hymns. The Sama-Veda is also called ‘The knowledge of Music’.

UNESCO proclaimed the tradition of Vedic chants as a ‘Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (November 7, 2003). Wayne Howard noted in the preface of his book, ‘Veda recitation in Varansi (Benaras)’, “The four Vedas (rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva_ are not books in usual sense, though within the past hundred years each Veda has appeared in several printed editions. They are comprised rather of tonally accented verses and hypnotic, abstruse melodies whose proper realization demand oral instead of visual transmission. They are robbed of their essence when transferred to papter, for without the human element the innumerable nuances and the fine intonations – inseperable and necessary components of all four compilations – are lost completely. The ultimate authority in Vedic matters is never the printed page but the few members... who are today keeping the centuries-old tradition alive.”

ADI SHANKAR-ACHARYA - आदि शंकराचार्य
He revived. and re-established
the Sanatana Dharma when Buddhism was
in ascendance in India

The oral tradition of the Vedas (Shrauta-श्रौत) consist of several ‘pathas-पाठ’ (recitations) or ways of chanting the Vedic mantras or hymns. This tradition of chanting is the oldest continuing oral tradition in existence. This has also helped in preserving the Vedic texts (especially the Samhitas) in their original form.

Sama Veda contains two Parts. In each part there are Mandalas-मण्डल (sections). In each section has Adhyayas-अध्याय (chapters). This is the structure of Sama Veda. There are variations in the structure based on the different recensions or versions of Sama-Veda available today.

The Samhita-सम्हिता mainly consists of hymns to chanted by priests at the performance of important offerings (normally these are called ‘sacrifices’, which is an incorrect term because there were no animal sacrifices, instead the offerings-'Aahutis-आहुति' were made of fruits, flowers and leaves etc. along with the juices of the Soma* plant, clarified and mixed with milk and other ingredients, was offered) in libation to various deities.
* The 'soma' plant is considered to be an intoxicating plant, from which the 'Soma-ras-सोम-रस, (ras-juice) was extracted. It was called the drink of the Gods.

The Samhitas are a collection of hymns-(stuti-स्तुति), parts of hymns, and detached verses, taken mainly from the Rig Veda, transposed and re-arranged musically, without reference to their original order, to suit the religious ceremonies in which they were to be employed. Some of these hymns and mantras however, seem to be much older and more original than they are in the Rig-Veda.

This is best described by a quote by ALAIN DANIELOU:

Godess SARASWATI
माता सरस्वती
The Goddess of Knowledge

"Under the name of Gandharva Vedas, a general theory of sound with its metaphysics and physics appears to have been known to the ancient Hindus. From such summaries: The ancient Hindus were familiar with the theory of sound (Gandharva Veda), and its metaphysics and physics. The hymns of the Rig Veda contain the earliest examples of words set to music, and by the time of the Sama Veda a complicated system of chanting had been developed. By the time of the Yajur Veda, a variety of professional musicians had appeared, such as lute players, drummers*, flute** players, and conch*** blowers."

* Indian traditional percussion instruments include, the tabla, the mridangam, dholak, pakhawaj, etc.,
** The Indian flute is called 'Bansuri'
*** the conch is blown at the start of end of a religious ceremony. It was also blown at the start or end of any important event, even wars

The Mridangam
(मृदंग)

The Pakhawaj
(पखावज)

An important aspect of the Sama-Veda is that it is the first ever musical guides through the way in which the mantras/hymns are chanted, or from the verses therein. These are the first ever guides to music, in any form. The ‘ganas’ (the words ‘Gaan’ -singing, and ‘Gaana’, meaning ‘song’ has its origins here) is a section of this Veda which deals with various modulations, pauses and modifications of the verses which are altered by prolonging and inserting of various syllables.

The Sama-Veda typesetting

This Veda primarily describes and guides, in detail, towards ideal ways of preparation of offerings and ceremonial objects, ritual recitations, and libation of ‘Soma’, and attributes of each aspect of rituals. The best guide to offerings is found in the Shatapatha Brahmana - (one hundred paths towards Brahman).

The other important aspect of the Sama-Veda are the verses which search for the creation of the universe-(Brahmand-ब्रह्माण्ड) and all other creation of nature, including the primeval water. It also deals with light and darkness, differences between good and evil... and deals with the concept of ‘Time’.

The Sama-Veda has been instrumental in making the chanting of the Vedas more popular and engaging. For this, the section of 'SamaVeda-Samhita' deserves all the credit. There were numerous sections (books) in the Samhita originally off which only three are extant, presently. If all sections of Samhita were available, the value of this Veda would have multiplied many folds.

***

If there is more information available on this subject, kindly send me your comments and feeds.

Best Regards,
Siddharth S. Sinha
ssselan@yahoo.in

The RIG VEDA - Part of the Four Vedas

2013-01-08T23:53:00.001+05:30

SANATANA DHARMA

HINDUISM: Part-4

SRCIPTURES: Part-1

A BRIEF HISTORY

Indian heritage and culture is as old as history itself. The finest example of it are the Vedas. There are numerable scriptures in Sanatana Dharma.

Maha-Rishi Ved Vyasa
महर्षि वेद व्यास

Firstly, we must bear in mind that at the time when ‘Sanatana Dharma’ was being practiced during the Indus valley civilization (सिन्धु घाटी सभ्यता), and the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization (सिंधु-सरस्वत सभ्यता), no other religions existed. For millennia Sanatana Dharma (सनातन धर्म) was the only way of life for the people of the world; other pagan/primitive religions which existed in the intermediate time span, have faded and disappeared, till the arrival of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (I did not mention Buddhism or Jainism which were established around 500bce, are incorrectly called religion; these are sects of Sanatana Dharma-Hinduism). Sanatana Dharma therefore, could be termed as a way of life since the time of its ancient origin to present day. Religions have dogmas and edicts, tenets and rules. The Sanatana Dharma however, does not; it gives liberty to all individuals to follow/pursue their spiritual goals through his/her own will and path. The scriptures are philosophical guidance to one’s own goals through several routes.

मैक्स म्यूलर
Max Mueller

Early Indologists intentionally misinterpreted the Sanskrit texts to make them look primitive. There was a systematic attempt to make the Indians feel ashamed of their culture and history. (Surprisingly, they succeeded to a very large extent; the effects can be felt to this day among many Indians). Thomas McColley, an Indologist, said that India should be transformed and that the Indians should be ’Indian in blood and colour, and English in taste, opinion, morals and intellect.” When Max Mueller first read the Sanskrit scriptures, he had stated, “Vedas are worse than savage. India must be conquered again by education. Its religion is doomed.’ However, as he read more and understood the depth and beauty, the philosophy and spirituality of these scriptures Max Mueller became the greatest glorifier of the Sanskrit scriptures, its philosophy and unparalleled spirituality. The same Max Mueller, when he read the scriptures more and in depth, and became more knowledgeable about the beauty and richness of its content, in science, spirituality, philosophy and immense knowledge it provided, stated, "The Vedic literature opens to us a chamber in the education of human race to which we can find no parallel anywhere else. Whoever cares for the historical growth of our language and thought... whoever cares for the first intelligent development of religion and mythology... whoever cares for the first foundation of Science, Astronomy, Metronomy, Grammar and Etymology... whoever cares for the first intimation of the first philosophical thoughts, for the first attempt at regulating family life, village life and state life as founded on religion, ceremonials, traditions and contact must in future pay full attention to the study of Vedic literature."

Sanskrit Texts-संस्कृत ग्रंथ

Before we begin to understand about the Hindu scriptures, we need to clearly understand the concept and basics of the Hindu philosophy and its ‘way of life’. In every religion there is a principle text which spells the philosophy and provides the edicts of that particular religion. Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) however, on the other hand, believes in spiritual democracy. Hinduism is not founded by any historical or divine personality like virtually all other religions. Hinduism has evolved with times but the core philosophy and spirituality has remained unchanged despite influences of various religions and numerous invaders like Nadir Shah and the Mughals who brought with them Islam, and occupants and colonizers such as the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British, who brought Christianity into India. The Hindu religion believes in infinity, in every way. Sanatana Dharma has no founder. Instead, the Vedas are considered 'the divine scriptures' with divine expression received by the great Rishis during their meditations and these are revelations.

All through this period of occupation of India, its oppression and cultural ravaging, Hinduism retained its identity, spirituality and originality through the horrors of massive forced conversions, and thrived despite mass dis-information and derogation of the scriptures by the vested interests of the early Indologists.

The Guru-Desciple Traditionगुरु शिष्य परम्परा
How the early knowledge was handed
down orally, through memories
these are known as the 'Smriti'

The influence of Hindu spiritualism was such that religions which came into India embraced and merged with the local culture and its philosophy, and created their own variations of the principle religion. Sufism, a sect of Islam, which originated and thrived in India, has a great Indian influence in its arts and literature, philosophy and spiritualism. The spread of Islam in the Indian sub-continent is greatly credited to Sufism.

The Hindu scriptures, The Rig-Veda and the Srimad Bhagvatam (The Bhagvad Geeta), in particular, are the most revered texts for their spiritual and philosophical contents.

What is Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism)? If I were to put it in one sentence and over simplify it, I would say it is the way to finding one’s spiritual identity and follow one’s eternal duty.

Sanatana Dharma is spiritual liberation and spiritual democracy!

A classic example of Architecture
as defined in the VEDAS

These texts help us to understand who we are and what is our purpose of life. Hinduism does not force any individual to do daily prayers or follow dogmatic guidelines. It is not rigid. The Sanskrit literatures guide us to how to optimize our ability and capacity through our daily Karma and Dharma. Santana Dharma never ceases or relents in pursuit of knowledge in any form. This un-quenching thirst for acquiring knowledge has resulted in the great Rishis and Seers being able to acquire knowledge and thus write scriptures which cover every aspect of human life. The four Vedas, (Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Artharva Veda and Yajur Veda-(ऋग्वेद, समवेद, यजुर्वेद & अथर्ववेद), within them provide us vast knowledge in philosophy- and spirituality-आध्यात्म, physics-भौतिक विज्ञान (the word atom comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Anu’-अणु), biology-जीव विज्ञान, cosmology and astronomy-अन्तरिक्ष विज्ञान, medicine-औषधि विज्ञान and surgery-शल्य चिकित्सा (The Charak Samhita -चरक सम्हिता describes even the most complex surgical procedures like brain surgery), architectural sciences-वास्तू शिल्प विज्ञान, mathematics-गणित शास्त्र , economics-अर्थशास्त्र, politics-राजनीति, astrology-ज्योतिष शास्त्र, and even speaks of conservation of nature and ecology-पर्यावरण संरक्षण और विज्ञान .and virtually every other subjects we can think of including .

Through their vast knowledge, the scriptures guide us to live a life of a good human being.

To give an example, here is a little story which shows how a man should live his life.

THE HERMIT AND THE POTTER

There was once a hermit who used to wake up at dawn, cleanse himself and set about singing hymns and chanting God’s name and wandering around, accepting alms or any food stuff which people would offer him. He would return to his little thatched hut in the evening, have his meal and retire for the night.

Adjacent to his hut was a shack where lived a potter with his parents, wife and two children. The potter was a devoted son, an ideal husband and a wonderful father. He would chant God’s name only when he did his work.

Bhagwan Shri Krishna
भगवान श्री कृष्ण

When the hermit died his soul reached the gates of the heaven. God Krishna - कृष्ण sent for him and he was presented in front of Krishna. Krishna asked the hermit to wait and went away. A little while later Krishna returns with the potter in tow. The hermit was surprised. He asked why God had sent an angel to fetch him while God Himself had gone to fetch the potter. The hermit argued that the potter hardly ever chanted God’s name while he had done it all his life.

A sage standing next to the hermit explained that God is immanent and ever glorious. By chanting God’s name, or singing hymns or praises God’s Divinity or status can not be enhanced any further. If one does not sing God’s praises God’s divinity cannot be diminished either. God is omnipresent -सर्वव्यापी, and immanent (Ananta - अनंत) God is God!

The sage continued to explain that the hermit was presented before God because the hermit had never harmed anyone nor had he ever sinned. The only virtuous act that the hermit had done was to chant God’s name. The potter on the other hand had lived the life of a good human being and not wasted his life. The potter had taken good care of his parents, married a girl from a poor family and given her a good happy life full of love and he had raised his children, provided them a good life, educated them and taught them to be good human beings. He earned his living by means of honest labour and hard work. Yet, when he had time he used to chant God’s hymns. The potter had made good the life he was gifted as a human being. The potter, through his Karma was thus a greater human being than the hermit.

Moral of the story: Rarely does a soul get a human life form so the humans should strive to live this life by doing their Karma, following their Dharma and at the same time never forget God who has bestowed them the life of a human being. Only a perfect human being can achieve ‘Moksha’, which is the ultimate goal for any human being. Moksha is the freedom from the cycle of death and re-birth. It is here when our soul ‘Aatma’, merges with the Supreme soul, ‘Parmatma’ (Brahman).

Thence comes the equation in its in true essence: AATMA=BRAHMAN (Soul = Supreme Being/God)

***

No other living tradition can claim scriptures as numerous or as ancient as Hinduism; none of them can boast of an unbroken tradition as faithfully preserved as the Hindu tradition. Hindu literature is the most ancient and extensive religious writings in the world. Sanatana Dharma is not derived from a single book. It has many sacred writings which serve as a source of doctrine. The most important texts include the Vedas-वेद, Upanishads-उपनिषद्, the Puranas-पुराण, the Epics (महाकाव्य) -Ramayana-रामायण , Mahabharata-महाभारत and the Bhagavad Gita-भगवद गीता.

Under water ruins of KHAMBHAT,
off the coast of Gujarat, west coast of
India, in the Arabian Sea. (Bay of
Khambhat was earlier known as
the Bay of Cambay)

The under water ruins of the city of
DWARKA, (the capital city of
Lord KRISHNA)

The modern Krishna Temple
of Dwarkadheesh in Dwarka

Sanatana Dharma is very much a religion of revelation. Hindu scriptures and literatures are characterized by constant concern with humanity's spiritual destiny. In response to this concern they have created elaborate philosophical concepts and written great epic poems, narrative literature and fiction. These vast epics, and the four 'books' of the Vedas, were originally transmitted by a phenomenal human chain of memory, and only written down centuries after their actual compilation. This oral tradition still exists in India today. The early phase of the Vedic tradition in India is dated between 15,000 - 7,000 BCE. Going by the excavations in various parts of the 'Sindhu-Sarasvat' river belt, the Indus valley civilization and more importantly also in the Arabian sea, off the coast of west Gujarat, in modern India, the dates can be pre-dated by up another 20,000 years (pre-ice age). [This is not an exaggerated number. It is based on scientific proves from archaeological evidences and simple logical reasoning]

The list of Hindu scriptures is phenomenal. Its is an exhaustive list so here some of the most important ones which are read, recited and sung in modern times.

THE MOST IMPORTANT SCRIPTURES:

As mentioned above, the Hindu scriptures have numerous and voluminous scriptures. There are over one hundred Upanishads and many hundreds of other well renowned texts. In many religious scriptures there are huge some sections which are so important that these are known as separate texts. For example, in the the 'MahaBharat', the greatest epic in the number of verses or word contents, has probably the most important part in it than any, as used in modern times - 'The Bhagvad Gita'.

All Sanskrit texts/scriptures are divided into two categories: The SHRUTIs (श्रुति) and the SMRITIs (स्मृति).
(see below)

The Scriptures of Hinduism Classification

Distinction between Shruti and Smriti: Both Shruti and Smriti represent categories of texts that are used to encapsulate Hindu Philosophy. Each reflect a different kind of relationship that can be had with this material. Shruti is considered solely of divine origin. Because of the divine origin, it is preserved as a whole, instead of verse by verse. Smriti on the other hand may include all the knowledge that has been derived and inculcated 'after' Shruti had already been received by the great seers or Rishis. The Smritis are scriptures which were memorized and handed down from the Gurus to their Shishyas.

The VEDAS-Manuscript (18th Century)

The Vedas are a prime example of Shrutis. The Vedas had been in existence for thousands of years and te knowledge was handed down from Guru to Shishya (student), in the Guru-shishya tradition-(गुरु-शिष्य परम्परा). These were written down about four to five thousand years ago. (For further details, like read the section ‘Vedas’, below. There were other scriptures like some of the Upanishads which were also written much later than their origins (some as late as the 18^th century CE.)

Following are some of the most important scriptures:

THE FOUR VEDAS:

The word ‘Veda’ in Sanskrit means 'vision', ‘knowledge’ and ‘wisdom’

There are four Vedas: Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda & Yajur Veda

A satellite image of the dried bed
of the Sarasvati river

At this instance, I wish to point out that contrary to common belief or how history is being taught today, it is said that the Aryans invaded India and occupied the northern lands, along the Sindhu, Indus, Sarawati and the Ganga rivers. It is also taught and commonly believed that these 'nomads' who settled down in India brought vedic knowledge with them and that the Vedas are the result of their knowledge. The contradiction lies there in. Firstly, the Aryans were not 'nomads'. Aryans were highly skilled and knowledgeable, so much so that they created great civilization prior to the dates given for the 'invasion' by the Aryans. I would like to point out there that 'not one' archaeological evidence has been found to support the theory of Aryan invasion of India. This idea was implanted falsely by early Indologists and historians without any evidence. Contrary to what is taught that Aryans arrived from foreign lands, the Vedas do not mention any place as their land of origin or about their migration into India (or Bharat Varsha, at they called India). Instead, every Veda sings gloriously about he mighty Sarasvati river as their 'ancestral' land and place of the 'divine' demi gods (these are the lands on the banks of the above mentioned rivers). There are irrefutable archaeological evidences that Aryans (the word 'Arya' is a Sanskrit word form where 'Aryan' comes - has various meanings 'noble', 'excellent', 'truthful' and 'great') were of Indian origin and they migrated east/westwards when the Saraswati river dried up and then returned to India and occupying the banks of the Ganges and Yamuna. Presently, there are over 2100 archaeological sites in the Sindhu-Saravat region which confirm this theory.
Sanskrit language is indigenous to India and it was the language used by the Rishis, seers, priests and sages of the Vedic era. All the religious scriptures are in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is now considered to be the mother language to virtually all widely spoken modern languages in the world like Latin, Germanic and all the Indian langauges. Aryans were of Indian origin.
Historian and novelist Bhagwan S. Gidwani presents compelling evidences in his books, 'The March of the Aryans' and 'The Return of the Aryans'.

Each Veda has four sections or divisions: Samhitas सम्हिता, Brahamanas ब्राह्मण, Aranyakas अरन्यक and The Upanishads उपनिषद्. A section believes that the Upanishads are parts of the Aranyaka. Also, it is a common, and false belief that the Upanishads are distinctly separate texts altogether. These Vedas are considered 'Apaurusheya' अपौरुषेय (not of human creation - literally meaning, 'of divine creation').

The philosophical and mystical depth of this hymn is unsurpassed.

Paul William Robert has written: "The Bible begins with the Creation. Before the Creation, however, there was the Creator, but does even He know what was there before He existed ? Long before such philosophical questions occurred to other historical peoples, Vedism posited the existence of something more ultimate than the one God. Whatever must have created Him. That is presuming the absolute and basic reality. Or is it?

This is mysticism that is simultaneously metalogic and the kind of thing those bardic sages living some twenty-five thousand years ago thought about a great deal, according to Hindu tradition. The Vedas are the very first compositions mankind produced dating back at least twenty thousand years. Most orthodox historians and anthropologists strongly dispute such a view. They confuse writing with civilization and deny meaningful history to any people who did not leave a written record. A rich culture does not necessarily depend on writing, as the Celtic civilization proves. The hymns are the most sophisticated, most profoundly beautiful, and most complete presentations of what Aldous Huxley termed the “perennial philosophy” that is at the core of all religions. In modern academia, of course, there is not supposed to be any “ancient wisdom”. The Vedas go much further in outlining the nature of reality than any other religious texts still in use. Some Vedic hymns paint the exquisite glories of the natural world: the preternatural beauty of predawn light, its rosy fingers holding the iridescent steel-blue sky; some celebrate the welcome cool of evening the scented breeze of a calm and refreshing night, its basalt dome studded with shimmering pearls and diamonds. Beauty permeates them, a reflection of Truth. The Vedas hold within them enough information to rebuild human civilization from scratch, if necessary. I think someone did believe that might be necessary one day.

1: THE RIG VEDA

The Rig-Veda-ऋग वेद means 'Book of Knowledge'; it is the Fountainhead of Sanatana Dharma-सनातन धर्म. It is also the oldest scripture anywhere in the world and the first Veda. Rig Veda is a compilation of 10,520 veres and hymns in 1028 'Suktas'-सुक्त (a Sukta is a collection of hymns- and 'mantras'-मन्त्र). This Veda is a compilation of hymns dedicated to many Demi-Gods, called 'Devas' देव, but primarily to Lord Indra (इन्द्र देव) and Lord Agni (अग्नि देव). The hymns are to invoke (aavahan)-आवाहन to these demi gods.

The Rig Veda is the also the primary and perennial philosophy of Sanatana Dharma. Today the present day it is considered as the holiest book on philosophy, practice and culture of Sanatana Dharma. Only the Srimad Bhagvatam is considered to be at par with the Rig Veda.

This Veda, like other three Vedas has four 'khands' (sections); The Samhita, The Aranayak, The Brahmana and the Upanishad. Each of these have great importance and relevance because it discusses almost every aspect of human life; from Creation of the Universe and Astronomy to bhakti (devotion), from medicine to mathematics, from biology to liturgy, etc.,
It is worth mentioning that though this book is thousands of years old and the hymns of this book are much much older, modern scientists are amazed at the precision of the astronomical definitions contained in this book.
Here are some examples:
-In this Veda we find the sages discussing issues like the creation of the universe and through divine knowledge they state that the universe originated from a 'Golden Embryo' (Brahm-and~ब्रह्म-अंड), 'Hiranya Garbha'-हिरण्य-गर्भ, from 'Tapas'-तपस- or 'extreme heat', almost mentioning the grand explosion (Big bang). The 'Hymn of Creation', which is the oldest surviving record of the philosophical speculation on the origin of the universe, describes a mysterious chaos before creation.

-Shape of Earth is like an Oblate Spheroid. (the Greeks thought that the earth was flat)

-‘Earth is flattened at the poles’ (until late 18th century the scientists believed that the earth was a perfect sphere)

- It asserted that the 'Gurutva-aakarshan'-गुरुत्वाकर्षण (force of gravity) holds the universe together (thousands of years before Isaac Newton [discovered] it for modern science)

- This Veda mentions the earth's age as 4.3 billion years old (which the scientists today believe to be true), whereas the British scientists of 19th century were convinced it was only 100 million years old.

There numerous such facts mentioned.... which I will be mentioning in another specially dedicated post.

It is not common knowledge that two of most important 'mantras' very commonly recited today come from the Rig-Veda; the' Gayatri Mantra' गायत्री मंत्र and the 'Maha-Mrityunjaya Mantra' महा-मृत्युंजय मंत्र. The Gayatri Mantra is recited by many people as a daily chant (जाप). No puja-पूजा ceremonial offerings is considered complete without this mantra.
The Maha-Mrityunjaya mantra is considered a very powerful mantra which has powers to ward off death. It is normally chanted by many Shiva bhaktas and other people when their loved one is in on death bed.

A manuscript of
the RIG VEDA

Most importantly, The Rig Veda describes the divine 'Brahman'. Brahman is the supreme soul, the all beautiful, all knowledgeable, the immanent and the omnipresent, and exists in all living beings and non-living entities. He is the God Almighty! This has been reiterated by God Krishna, when He showed His Divine form, (the 'Vishwa-Roop') विश्वरूप, during His speech to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruskshetra-कुरुक्षेत्र, in the 'MahaBharat'-महा-भारत.

The Rigveda points out that 'sat' (the real) or 'Brahma' is the supreme god who is sexless and formless, and is known by various names such as Varuna, Indra, Agni, etc. God is one but he has several manifestations. This philosophy led to the concept of 'One Absolute' which served as the basis of Vedanta.

From the Rig Veda, we get the most important symbol of Santana Dharma; 'OM' ॐ

Some 'Shlokas'-श्लोक (verses) from Rig Veda have been used to compile the 'Purush Shuktam' -पुरुष शुकतम, a venerable and widely chanted verses, for it's philosophy.

The Rig-Veda also has great mentions about the creation and present state of our Solar system and Universe.
The procession of the equinoxes was known, and calculated with some accuracy by medieval astronomers, as were the lengths of the year, the lunar month, and other astronomical constants. These calculations were reliable for most practical purposes, and in many cases more accurate than those of the Greco-Roman world. Eclipses were forecast with accuracy and their true cause understood.

These were achieved without the help of a telescope. Accurate measurement was made possible by the decimal system of numerals, invented by the Indians.

It is certain that the Vedic Indians knew something of astronomy and that it had a high utilitarian value for them as it did for all peoples of antiquity. The Vedic priests had to make careful calculations of times for their rituals and sacrifices, and also had to determine the time of sowing and harvest. Moreover, astronomical periods played an important role in Vedic thought for they were considered to be successive parts of the ever returning cosmic cycle.

The Rig Veda lists a number of stars and mentions twelve divisions of the sun's yearly path (rashis) and also 360 divisions of the circle. Thus, the year of 360 days is divided into twelve months. The sun's annual course was described as a wheel with twelve spokes, which correspond to the twelve signs of the zodiac.

The theory of the great cycles of the universe and the ages of the world is of older origin than either Greek or Babylonian speculations about the "great year," the period within which all the stars make a round number of complete revolutions. But there is remarkably close numerical concordance in these theories. The Indian concept of the great year (mahayuga) developed from the idea of a lunisolar period of five years, combined with the four ages of the world (yugas) which were thought to be of unequal perfection and duration, succeeding one another and lasting in the ration of 4:3:2:1.

The last, the Kaliyuga, was one-tenth of the mahayga or 432,000 years. This figure was calculated not only from rough estimates of planetary and stellar cycles, but also from the 10,800 stanzas of the Rig Veda, consisting of 432,000 syllables. The classical astronomers calculated the great period as one of 4,320,000 years, the basic element of which was a number of sidereal solar years, 1,080,000 a multiple of 10,800. According to Berossus, the Babylonian great year was a period of 432,000 years, comprising 120 "saroi" of 3,600 years apiece.

The Rig Veda talks about the annual motion of the earth. The diurnal motion is described in the Yajur Veda. The Aiteriya Brahmana explains that "the sun neither sets nor rises, that when the earth, owing to the rotation on its axis is lighted up, it is called day" and so on.

***

In this blog I only write about RIG-VEDA.

In my next I will be writing about the SAMA-VEDA.

If any reader has any comment and added information, I will be glad to receive them and respond.

***

Siddharth S. Sinha

सिद्धार्थ स सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

QUOTES ON HINDU SCRIPTURES - I

2013-01-01T21:53:00.000+05:30

SANATANA DHARMA

Hinduism - part 4-A

SCRIPTURES

Quotes
by the Most Knowledgeable

I dedicate this blog to my late Mother, Srimati (Mrs.) Kusum Satchidanand Sinha, who passed away on the 1^st of January, 1999.

The Four Vedas
Rig, Sama, Yajur & Atharva

I have written about what ‘Sanatana Dharma’ 'सनातन धर्म' stands for, in the first blog. Then, in the following two posts I wrote about the two symbols, the 'Aum ॐ' and the 'Swastika स्वस्तिक' which represent the ideology and philosophy of Hinduism.

In my fourth blog on the subject I started by writing about the scriptures of Sanatana Dharma. However, as I was researching and learning more about them something struck me dramatically. I came across some profound intellectual quotes from some of the greatest minds of last two centuries. It convinced me that I should be putting these on the blog before I write about the scriptures. These quotes are great insights into great intellectual minds who despite being renowned Scientists, Public figures, great thinkers, Philosophers and Theologists of their times, read these scriptures and were greatly influenced by them.

Before I write about the scriptures, this is my tribute to these great visionaries who have/had greater knowledge than I do presently.

FRIEDRICH MAXIMILIAN MULLER : (1823-1900) German philologist and Orientalist.

Max Muller

"If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered over the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions of some of them which well deserve the attention even of those who have studied Plato and Kant, I should point to India."

"And if I were to ask myself from what literature we who have been nurtured almost exclusively on the thoughts of Greeks and Romans, and of the Semitic race, the Jewish, may draw the corrective which is most wanted in order to make our inner life more perfect, more comprehensive, more universal, in fact more truly human a life ... again I should point to India."

"I maintain that for everybody who cares for himself, for his ancestors, for his history, for his intellectual development, a study of Vedic literature is indispensable ".

^"The Upanishads उपनिषद् are the.....sources of .....the Vedanta वेदान्त philosophy, a system in which human speculation seems to me to have reached its very acme."

"I spend my happiest hours in reading Vedantic books. They are to me like the light of the morning, like the pure air of the mountains - so simple, so true, if once understood."

- The MahaBharat -
The Scene when Lord Krishna sermons Arjuna
(this sermon is the Srimad Bhagvatam (Bhagvad-Gita)

"The Vedic literature opens to us a chamber in the education of human race to which we can find no parallel anywhere else. Whoever cares for the historical growth of our language and thought, whoever cares for the first intelligent development of religion and mythology, whoever cares for the first foundation of Science, Astronomy, Metronomy, Grammar and Etymology, whoever cares for the first intimation of the first philosophical thoughts, for the first attempt at regulating family life, village life and state life as founded on religion, ceremonials, traditions and contact must in future pay full attention to the study of Vedic वैदिक literature."

"In the Rig Veda ऋग वेद we shall have before us more real antiquity than in all the inscriptions of Egypt or Ninevah...the Veda is the oldest book in existence..."

"Historical records (Sanskrit litratures) संस्कृत ग्रन्थ extend in some respects so far beyond all records and have been preserved to us in such perfect and legible documents, that we can learn from them lessons which we can learn nowhere else... and supply missing links."

In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as the Upanishad. It has been the solace of my death... If these words of Schopenhauer required any endorsement I should willingly give it as the result of my own experience during a long life devoted to the study of many philosophies and many religions."

"It is surely astounding that such a system as the Vedanta वेदान्त should have been slowly elaborated by the indefatigable and intrepid thinkers of India thousands of years ago, a system that even now makes us feel giddy, as in mounting last steps of the swaying spire of a Gothic cathedral. None of our philosophers, not excepting Heraclitus, Plato, Kant or Hegel, has ventured to erect such a spire, never frightened by storms or lighting. Stone follows on stone after regular succession after once the first step has been made, after once it has been clearly seen that in the beginning there can have been One, as there will be but One in the end, whether we call it Atman (soul) आत्मा or Brahman (God) ब्राह्मण ."

Romain Rolland (1866-1944): French Nobel laureate, Author, Thinker and Professor of the history of music at the Sorbonne

Nobel Laurette
Romain Rolland

"If there is one place on the face of the earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India....For more than 30 centuries, the tree of vision, with all its thousand branches and their millions of twigs, has sprung from this torrid land, the burning womb of the Gods. It renews itself tirelessly showing no signs of decay."

(Note: Until recently it was believed that the Vedas were written between 1500-2500 bce. However, scientific evidences prove that these are at least 11,000 years old)

"Let us return to our eagle's nest in the Himalayas. It is waiting for us, for it is ours, eaglets of Europe, we need not renounce any part of our real nature...whence we formerly took our flight."

"Religious faith in the case of the Hindus has never been allowed to run counter to scientific laws, moreover the former is never made a condition for the knowledge they teach, but there are always scrupulously careful to take into consideration the possibility that by reason both the agnostic and atheist may attain truth in their own way. Such tolerance may be surprising to religious believers in the West, but it is an integral part of Vedantic belief."

"The true Vedantic spirit does not start out with a system of preconceived ideas. It possesses absolute liberty and unrivalled courage among religions with regard to the facts to be observed and the diverse hypotheses it has laid down for their coordination. Never having been hampered by a priestly order, each man has been entirely free to search wherever he pleased for the spiritual explanation of the spectacle of the universe."

SWAMI VIVEKANAND: (1863-1902) Founder of VEDANTA SOCIETY, Preacher and Philosopher

Swami Vivekanand

"The Vedas teach that the soul is divine, only held in the bondage of matter; perfection will be reached when this bond will burst, and the word they use for it is, therefore, Mukti (freedom) मुक्ति, freedom from bonds of imperfection, freedom from death and misery."

The Lord has declared to Hindus in His incarnation as Krishna: "I am in every religion as the thread through a string of pearls. Wherever thou seest extraordinary holiness and extraordinary power raising and purifying humanity, know thou that I am there."

"I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance."

“The time has come for the Hinduism of the Rishis ऋषि to become dynamic. Shall we stand by whilst alien hands attempt to destroy the fortress of the Ancient Faith?…shall we remain passive or shall we become aggressive, as in the days of old, preaching unto the nations the glory of the Dharma? (धर्म). In order to rise again, India must be strong and united, and must focus all its living forces. To bring this about is the meaning of my sanyasa (renunciation) - सन्यास !”

"To my mind', our religion is truer than any other religion, because it never conquered. Because it never shed blood, because its mouth always shed on all, words of blessing, of peace, words of love and sympathy. It is here and here alone that the ideals of toleration were first preached. And it is here and here alone that toleration and sympathy become practical; it is theoretical in every other country; it is here and here alone, that the Hindu builds mosques for the Mohammedans and churches for the Christians.”

JULIUS ROBERT OPPENHEIMER - (1904-1967): Scientist, philosopher. A theoretical physicist and the Supervising Scientist for the Manhattan Project, the developer of the atomic bomb.

He says about the Bhagvad Gita: “the most beautiful philosophical song existing in any known tongue.”

Oppenheimer,
The Nuclear Physicist

"Access to the Vedas is the greatest privilege this century may claim over all previous centuries."

"The general notions about human understanding… which are illustrated by discoveries in atomic physics are not in the nature of things wholly unfamiliar, wholly unheard of or new. Even in our own culture they have a history, and in Buddhist बौद्ध and Hindu thought a more considerable and central place. What we shall find [in modern physics] is an exemplification, an encouragement, and a refinement of old wisdom.In this context it is worth emphasizing that India’s contribution of Buddhism to China (and other countries of the region) is by no means insubstantial. These civilizations would hardly exist without the Indian contribution in all aspects of culture— from science and technology, the arts, philosophy and spirituality.”

Oppenheimer's spontaneous conjunction of a Hindu mystical poem with a nuclear explosion was of great symbolic significance. Nowhere in Western literature could he have found an almost clinical description of mystical rapture that also fits the description of a nuclear explosion in the outer world."The general notions about human understanding...which are illustrated by discoveries in atomic physics are not in the nature of things wholly unfamiliar, wholly unheard of, or new. Even in our own culture, they have a history, and in Buddhist and Hindu thought a more considerable and central place. What we shall find is an exemplification, an encouragement, and a refinement of old wisdom."

"Where can we look for sages like those whose systems of philosophy were prototypes of those of Greece: to whose works Plato, Thales & Pythagoras were disciples? Where do I find astronomers whose knowledge of planetary systems yet excites wonder in Europe as well as the architects and sculptors whose works claim our admiration, and the musicians who could make the mind oscillate from joy to sorrow, from tears to smile with the change of modes and varied intonation?"

ALAIN DANIELOU: a.k.a Shiv Sharan (1907-1994):
son of a French aristocrat, author of numerous books on philosophy, religion, history and arts of India

Alain Danielou

"Under the name of Gandharva Vedas गन्धर्व वेद, a general theory of sound with its metaphysics and physics appears to have been known to the ancient Hindus. From such summaries: The ancient Hindus were familiar with the theory of sound (Gandharva Veda), and its metaphysics and physics. The hymns of the Rig Veda ऋग वेद contain the earliest examples of words set to music, and by the time of the Sama Veda सम वेद a complicated system of chanting had been developed. By the time of Yajur Veda यजुर वेद, a variety of professional musicians had appeared, such as lute players, drummers, flute players, and conch blowers."

"Hinduism especially in its oldest, Shivaite form, never destroyed its past. It is the sum of human experience from the earliest times. Non-dogmatic, it allows every one to find his own way.”

Shiv-Shankar -शिव -शंकर

He also noted as early as 1947 that "the Egyptian myth of Osiris seemed directly inspired from a Shivaite story of the Puranas and that at any rate, Egyptians of those times considered that Osiris had originally come from India mounted on a bull (Nandi) नन्दी , the traditional transport of Shiva शिव ."

‘Ultimate reality being beyond man's understanding, the most contradictory theories or beliefs may be equally inadequate approaches to reality. Ecological (as we would say today), it sees man as part of a whole, where trees, animals, men and spirits should live in harmony and mutual respect, and it asks everyone to cooperate and not endanger the artwork of the creator. It therefore opposes the destruction of nature, of species, the bastardization of races, the tendency of each one to do what he was not born for. It leaves every one free to find his own way of realization human and spiritual be it ascetic or erotic or both. It does not separate intellect and body, mind and matter, but sees the Universe as a living continuum. "I believe any sensible man is unknowingly a Hindu and that the only hope for man lies in the abolition of the erratic, dogmatic, unphilosophical creeds people today call religions."

"The Hindu lives in eternity. He is profoundly aware of the relativity of space and time and of the illusory nature of the apparent world. Hinduism is a religion without dogmas. Since its origin, Hindu society has been built on rational bases by sages who sought to comprehend man's nature and role in creation as a whole.”

HENRY DAVID THOREAU - (1817-1862): American Philosopher, social critic, transcendentalist, Unitarian and writer

He alluded often to water---the metaphor is clear---the Gita's wisdom teachings are the purifier of the mind: "By a conscious effort of the mind we can stand aloof from actions and their consequences; and all things, good and bad, go by us like a torrent."

Living by The Ganga and trying to "practice the yoga faithfully" during his two years at Walden, he wrote: "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavat Geeta, since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial; and I doubt if that philosophy is not to be referred to a previous state of existence, so remote is its sublimity from our conceptions. I lay down the book and go to my well for water, and lo! there I meet the servant of the Brahmin, priest of Brahma ब्रह्मा, and Vishnu विष्णु and Indra इंद्र , who still sits in his temple on the River Ganga गंगा reading the Vedas, or dwells at the root of a tree with his crust and water---jug. I meet his servant come to draw water for his master, and our buckets as it were grate together in the same well. The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganga (Ganges)."

At Walden he put the Bhagavad Gita भग्वद-गीता to the test, while proving to his generation that "money is not required to buy one necessary for the soul."

In the 1840s Thoreau's discovered India, his enthusiasm for Indian philosophy was thus sustained. From 1849-1854, he borrowed a large number of Indian scriptures from the Harvard University Library, and the year 1855 when his English friend Thomas Chilmondeley sent him a gift of 44 Oriental books which contained such titles as the Rig Veda Samhita ऋग वेद सम्हिता, and Mandukya Upanishads मन्दुक्य उपनिषद् , the Vishnu Puranas विष्णु पुराण , the Institutes of Manu, the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagvata Purana भग्वद पुराण etc.

In Indian contemplation he found a "wonderful power of abstraction" and mental powers which were able to withdraw from the concerns of the empirical world to steady the mind and free it from distractions. "What extracts from the Vedas I have read fall on me like the light of a higher and purer luminary, which describes a loftier course through purer stratum. It rises on me like the full moon after the stars have come out, wading through some far stratum in the sky."

"Whenever I have read any part of the Vedas, I have felt that some unearthly and unknown light illuminated me. In the great teaching of the Vedas, there is no touch of sectarianism. It is of all ages, climes and nationalities and is the royal road for the attainment of the Great Knowledge. When I am at it, I feel that I am under the spangled heavens of a summer night."

A verse from the -Bhagvat Gita'
in the epic 'Maha-Bharat'

"I would say to the readers of the Scriptures, if they wish for a good book, read the Bhagvat-Geeta. It deserves to be read with reverence even by Yankees...."Besides the Bhagvat-Geeta, our Shakespeare seems sometimes youthfully green... Ex oriente lux may still be the motto of scholars, for the Western world has not yet derived from the East all the light it is destined to derive thence."

"How much more admirable the Bhagavad Geeta than all the ruins of the East.'

"The Vedas contain a sensible account of God." "The veneration in which the Vedas are held is itself a remarkable feat. Their code embraced the whole moral life of the Hindus and in such a case there is no other truth than sincerity. Truth is such by reference to the heart of man within, not to any standard without."

“The Hindoos are most serenely and thoughtfully religious than the Hebrews. They have perhaps a purer, more independent and impersonal knowledge of God. Their religious books describe the first inquisitive and contemplative access to God; the Hebrew bible a conscientious return, a grosser and more personal repentance. Repentance is not a free and fair highway to God. A wise man will dispense with repentance. It is shocking and passionate. God prefers that you approach him thoughtful, not penitent, though you are chief of sinners. It is only by forgetting yourself that you draw near to him. The calmness and gentleness with which the Hindoo philosophers approach and discourse on forbidden themes, is admirable.”

"I cannot read a sentence in the book of the Hindoos without being elevated as upon the table-land of the Ghauts. It has such a rhythm as the winds of the desert, such a tide as the Ganga (Ganges), and seems as superior to criticism as the Himmaleh Mounts. Even at this late hour, unworn by time with a native and inherent dignity it wears the English dress as indifferently as the Sancrit."

ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER - (1788-1860): German philosopher and writer. Among his disciples were such thinkers as Nietzsche and Wittgenstein, as well as Sigmund Freud, who takes a large part of his psychological theory from the writings of Schopenhauer.

"There is no religion or philosophy so sublime and elevating as Vedanta."

Arthur Schopenhauer

About Upanishads Schopenhauer writes: "The Indian air surrounds us, the original thoughts of kindled spirits.....And O! how the mind is here washed clean of all its early ingrafted Jewish superstition! It is the most profitable and most elevating reading which is possible in the world."

"How entirely does the Oupnekhat (Upanishad) breathe throughout the holy spirit of the Vedas! How is every one, who by a diligent study of its Persian Latin has become familiar with that incomparable book, stirred by that spirit to the very depth of his Soul!”

Schopenhauer was in search of a "philosophy which should be at once ethics and metaphysics. In the Upanisads he found - "tat twam asi" (तत त्वं असी ), "that thou art".

"From every sentence (of the Upanishads) deep, original and sublime thoughts arise, and the whole is pervaded by a high and holy and earnest spirit...."In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. They are destined sooner or later to become the faith of the people."

About the Upanishads, he said: "It has been the solace of my life - it will be the solace of my death."

To Schopenhauer the Upanishads were documents of 'almost superhuman conception,' whose authors could hardly be thought of as 'mere mortals.' He remarked: "How every line is of such strong, determined, and consistent meaning! And on every page we encounter deep, original, lofty thoughts, while the whole world is suffused with a high and holy seriousness."

The War of 'Kurukshetra'
in MahaBharat

He wrote in his book: "We, on the contrary, now send to the Brahmans English clergymen and evangelical linen-weavers, in order out of sympathy to put them right, and to point out to them that they are created out of nothing, and that they ought to be grateful and pleased about it. But it is just the same as if we fired a bullet at a cliff. "In India, our religions will never at any time take root; the ancient wisdom of the human race will not be supplanted by the events in Galilee. On the contrary, Indian wisdom flows back to Europe, and will produce a fundamental change in our knowledge and thought."

Schopenhauer regarded the Hindus as deeper thinkers than Europeans because their interpretation of the world was internal and intuitive, not external and intellectual. For intuition unites everything, the intellect divides everything. The Hindus saw that the "I" is a delusion, that the individual is merely phenomenal, and that the only reality is the Infinite One "That art Thou"

"According to me, the influence of Sanskrit literature on our time will not be lesser than what was in the 16th century Greece's influence on Renaissance. One day, India's wisdom will flow again on Europe and will totally transform our knowledge and thought."

Schopenhauer, had extracted from Indian philosophy its contempt for the mere intellect. He admitted “extracting philosophical outlook from the Vedanta and attempting to weld "empirical realism" with transcendental idealism."

It is well-known that the book 'Oupnekhat' (Upanishad) always lay open on his table and he invariably studied it before retiring to rest. He called the opening up of Sanskrit literature 'the greatest gift of our century', and predicted that the philosophy and knowledge of the Upanishads would becomes the cherished faith of the West. The Upanishads came to Schopenhauer as a new Gnosis or revelation. "That incomparable book," he says, "stirs the spirit of the very depths of the soul."

Ralph Emerson

RALPH WALDO EMERSON-(1803-1882) author, essayist, lecturer, philosopher, Unitarian minister who lectured on theology at Harvard University.

The first time he read the Bhagvad Geeta, the same evening he wrote: "I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-Gita. It was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us."

"By the law of contraries, I look for an irresistible taste for Orientalism in Britain. For a self-conceited modish life, made up of trifles, clinging to a corporeal civilization, hating ideas, there is no remedy like the Oriental largeness. That astonishes and disconcerts English decorum. For once, there is thunder it never heard, light it never saw, and power which trifles with time and space. I am not surprised to find an Englishman like Warren Hastings, who had been struck with the grand style of thinking in the Indian writings, depreciating the prejudices of his countrymen while offering them a translation of the Bhagavat Gita. "

"All science is transcendental or else passes away. Botany is now acquiring the right theory - the avatars of Brahman will presently be the text-books of natural history."

"And of books, there is another which, when you have read, you shall sit for a while and then write a poem--[it is] the "Bhagvat-Geeta,"

WILHELM VON HUMBOLDT - (1767- 1835) Prussian minister of education, a brilliant linguist and the founder of the science of general linguistics

Wilhelm Von Humbolt

“I read the Indian poem for the first time when I was in my country estate in Silesia and, while doing so, I felt a sense of overwhelming gratitude to God for having let me live to be acquainted with this work. It must be the most profound and sublime thing to be found in the world. “

MARK TWAIN (a.k.a. Samuel Clemens) - (1835-19..) as Adventures of Huckleburry Finn, Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Following the Equator.10): Legendary American writier. Author of classics

"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked."

"Land of religions, cradle of human race, birthplace of human speech, grandmother of legend, great grandmother of tradition. The land that all men desire to see and having seen once even by a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of the rest of the globe combined."

"India had the start of the whole world in the beginning of things. She had the first civilization; she had the first accumulation of material wealth; she was populous with deep thinkers and subtle intellects; she had mines, and woods, and a fruitful soul."

"Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India."

Twain was awed by Hindu tradition. He said, "the one land that all men desire to see, and having once seen, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined."

Dr. ARNOLD JOSEPH TOYNBEE - (1889-1975) the great British historian

"It is already becoming clear that a chapter which had a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not to end in self-destruction of the human race. At this supremely dangerous moment in human history, the only way of salvation is the ancient Hindu way. Here we have the attitude and spirit that can make it possible for the human race to grow together in to a single family."

“So now we turn to India. This spiritual (आध्यात्मिक)gift, that makes a man human, is still alive in Indian souls. Go on giving the world Indian examples of it. Nothing else can do so much to help mankind to save itself from destruction.”

‘‘There may or may not be only one single absolute truth and only one single ultimate way of salvation. We do not know. But we do know that there are more approaches to truth than one, and more means of salvation than one.’’

‘‘This is a hard saying for adherents of the higher religions of the Judaic family (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), but it is a truism for Hindus. The spirit of mutual good-will, esteem, and veritable love ... is the traditional spirit of the religions of the Indian family. This is one of India’s gifts to the world.’’

"At the close of this century, the world would be dominated by the West, but that in the 21st century India will conquer her conquerors."

"I guess that both the West and the world are getting to turn away from man - worshipping ideologies - Communism and secular individualism alike - and become converted to an Oriental religion coming neither from Russia nor from the West. I guess that this will be the Christian religion that came to the Greeks and the Romans from Palestine, with one or two elements in traditional Christianity discarded and replaced by a new element from India, I expect and hope that this avatar of Christianity will include the vision of God as being Love. But I also expect and hope that it will discard the other traditional Christian vision of God as being a jealous god, and that it will reject the self-glorification of this jealous god's "chosen people" as being unique. This is where India comes in, with her belief that there may be more than one illuminating and saving approach to the mystery of the universe."

Dr. ANNIE WOOD BESANT - (1847-1933): Freedom fighter for Indian Independence, member of the Indian National Congress, and of the Theosophical Society. She was a housewife, a propagator of atheism, a trade unionist, a feminist leader and a Fabian Socialist (and on its executive committee along with George Bernard Shaw), and a friend of Swami Vivekanand.

"After a study of some forty years and more of the great religions of the world, I find none so perfect , none so scientific, none so philosophical and none so spiritual that the great religion known by the name of Hinduism. Make no mistake, without Hinduism, India has no future. Hinduism is the soil in to which India's roots are stuck and torn out of that she will inevitably wither as a tree torn out from its place. And if Hindus do not maintain Hinduism who shall save it? If India's own children do not cling to her faith who shall guard it. India alone can save India and India and Hinduism are one. "

"among the priceless teachings that may be found in the great Indian epic Mahabharata, there is none so rare and priceless as the Geeta (श्रीमद भग्वतम )."

"This is the India of which I speak - the India which, as I said, is to me the Holy Land. For those who, though born for this life in a Western land and clad in a Western body, can yet look back to earlier incarnations in which they drank the milk of spiritual wisdom from the breast of their true mother - they must feel ever the magic of her immemorial past, must dwell ever under the spell of her deathless fascination; for they are bound to India by all the sacred memories of their past; and with her, too, are bound up all the radiant hopes of their future, a future which they know they will share with her who is their true mother in the soul-life."

The MahaBharat
The Epic

"India is the mother of religion. In her are combined science and religion in perfect harmony, and that is the Hindu religion, and it is India that shall be again the spiritual mother of the world."

"The religion based on the Vedas, the Sanatana Dharma सनातन धर्म or Vaidika Dharma वैदिक धर्म , is the oldest of living religions and stands unrivalled in the depth and splendor of its philosophy, while it yields to none in the purity of its ethical teachings, and in the flexibility and varied adaptation of its rites and ceremonies. It is like a river, which has shallows that a child may play in, and depths which the strongest diver cannot fathom. It is thus adapted to every human need, and there is nothing which any religion can add to its rounded perfection. The more it is studied and practiced, the more does it illuminate the intellect and satisfy the heart."

VICTOR COUSIN - (1792-1867) eminent French philosopher

"When we read with attention the poetical and philosophical monuments of the East--above all, those of India, which are beginning to spread in Europe--we discover there many a truth, and truths so profound, and which make such a contrast with the meanness of the results at which European genius has sometimes stopped, that we are constrained to bend the knee before the philosophy of the East, and to see in this cradle of the human race the native land of the highest philosophy."

He has observed: “The history of Indian philosophy is the abridge history of the philosophy of the world.”

"India contains the whole history of philosophy in a nutshell."

JULES MICHELET - (1798 -1874) French writer and historian

"At its starting point in India, it was the birthplace of races and religions, the womb of the world."

While seeking for the wisdom of ages, he cried at the commencement of his work, “The Bible of Humanity”: “The year 1863 will remain dear and blessed to me. Why? Because, I had read India’s sacred poem, the Ramayana.”

"Ramayana is the Divine poem, ocean of milk!" he had said on discovering this ancient Scripture.

“Each year, it is necessary to respire, to take breath again, to revive ourselves at the great living sources that forever keep their eternal freshness. Where can we find them if not at the cradle of our race, on the sacred summits from where descend the Indus and the Ganga....?

"That year will always remain a dear and cherished memory; it was the first time I had the opportunity to read the great sacred poem of India, the divine Ramayana. If anyone has lost the freshness of emotion, let him drink a long draught of life, and youth from that deep chalice."

रामायण - The Ramayana

"Whoever has done or willed too much let him drink from this deep cup a long draught of life and youth...Everything is narrow in the West - Greece is small and I stifle; Judea is dry and I pant. Let me look toward lofty Asia, and the profound East for a little while. There lies my great poem, as vast as the Indian ocean, blessed, gilded with the sun, the book of divine harmony wherein is no dissonance. A serene peace reigns there, and in the midst of conflict an infinite sweetness, a boundless fraternity, which spreads over all living things, an ocean (without bottom or bound) of love, of pity, of clemency."

Voltaire, Francois

FRANCOIS MARIE AROUET VOTAIRE-(1694-1774)

French writer, philosopher and a theist

"We have shown how much we (Europeans) surpass the Indians in courage and wickedness, and how inferior to them we are in wisdom. Our European nations have mutually destroyed themselves in this land where we only go in search of money, while the first Greeks travelled to the same land only to instruct themselves."

"I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganga-astronomy, astrology, metempsychosis, etc."

"It is very important to note that some 2,500 years ago at the least Pythagoras went from Samos to the Ganga (Ganges) to learn geometry...But he would certainly not have undertaken such a strange journey had the reputation of the Brahmins' science not been long established in Europe..."

He described India as a country "on which all other countries had to rely, but which did not rely on anyone else." He also believed that Christianity derived from Hinduism. He wrote to and assured Fredrick the Great of Prussia that "our holy Christian religion is solely based upon the ancient religion of Brahma."

WILL DURANT - (1885-1981) American historian

“Would like the West to learn from India, tolerance and gentleness and love for all living things”

Will Durant

"It is true that even across the Himalayan barrier India has sent to us such questionable gifts as grammar and logic, philosophy and fables, hypnotism and chess, and above all our numerals and our decimal system. But these are not the essence of her spirit; they are trifles compared to what we may learn from her in the future."

"Perhaps in return for conquest, arrogance and spoliation, India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of the mature mind, the quiet content of the unacquisitive soul, the calm of the understanding spirit, and a unifying, a pacifying love for all living things."

"India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe's languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all. Nothing should more deeply shame the modern student than the recency and inadequacy of his acquaintance with India....This is the India that patient scholarship is now opening up like a new intellectual continent to that Western mind which only yesterday thought civilization an exclusive Western thing."

"As flowing rivers disappear in the sea, losing their name and form, thus a wise man, freed from name and form, goes to the divine person who is beyond all." Such a theory of life and death will not please Western man, whose religion is as permeated with individualism as are his political and economic institutions. But it has satisfied the philosophical Hindu mind with astonishing continuity.”

Maha Rishi Ved Vyasa
The sage who Penned the Vedas
and dictated the MahaBharata

"Even in Europe and America, this wistful theosophy has won millions upon millions of followers, from lonely women and tired men to Schopenhauer and Emerson. Who would have thought that the great American philosopher of individualism would give perfect expression to the Hindu conviction in his poem 'Brahma', that individuality is a delusion?"

He wrote this about the Upanishads, and how they had begun to stir Western thought: "They are the oldest extant philosophy and psychology of our race; the surprisingly subtle and patient effort of man to understand the mind and the world, and their relation. The Upanishads are as old as Homer, and as modern as Kant."

“But hardly had the British established themselves in India before editions and translations of the Upanishads began to stir Western thought. Fichte conceived an idealism strangely like Shankara’s शंकर; Schopenhauer almost incorporated Buddhism, the Upanishads and the Vedanta into his philosophy; and Schelling, in his old age, thought the Upanishads the maturest wisdom of mankind. Nietzsche had dwelt too long with Bismark and the Greeks to care for India , but in the end he valued above all other ideas his haunting notion of eternal recurrence – a variant of reincarnation.”

ALDOUS HUXLEY - (1894-1963) the English novelist and essayist

“Gita is for the whole world”

"The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive summaries of the spiritual thoughts ever to have been made."

He observed that while historical religions have been violent, eternity-philosophies like "Hinduism and Buddhism have never been persecuting faiths, have preached almost no holy wars and have refrained from that proselytizing religious imperialism, which have gone hand in hand with the political and economic oppression of the colored people."

"The Gita occupies an intermediate position between scripture and theology, for it contains the poetical qualities of the first with the clear-cut methodicalness of the second."

"The religions whose theology is least preoccupied with events in time and most concerned with eternity, have been consistently less violent and more humane in political practice. Unlike early Judaism, Christianity and Mohammedanism (all obsessed with time) Hinduism and Buddhism have never been persecuting faiths, have preached almost no holy wars and have refrained from that proselytizing religious imperialism which has gone hand in hand with political and economic oppression of colored people."

"The Perennial Philosophy is expressed most succinctly in Sanskrit formula, tat tvam asi तत त्वं असि ('That art thou'); the Atman, or immanent eternal Self, is one with Brahman, the Absolute Principle of all existence; and the last end of every human being, is to discover the fact for himself, to find out who he really is."

JOSEPH CAMPBELL - (1904-1987): prolific writer, dedicated editor, beloved teacher, inspiring lecturer, avid scholar of spiritual and cultural development.

The Four Vedas

"It is ironic that our great western civilization, which has opened to the minds of all mankind the infinite wonders of a universe of untold billions of galaxies should be saddled with the tightest little cosmological image known to mankind? The Hindus with their grandiose Kalpas कल्प and their ideas of the divine power which is beyond all human category (male or female). Not so alien to the imagery of modern science that it could not have been put to acceptable use."

"There is an important difference between the Hindu and the Western ideas. In the Biblical tradition, God creates man, but man cannot say that he is divine in the same sense that the Creator is, where as in Hinduism, all things are incarnations of that power. We are the sparks from a single fire. And we are all fire. Hinduism believes in the omnipresence of the Supreme God in every individual. There is no "fall". Man is not cut off from the divine. He requires only to bring the spontaneous activity of his mind stuff to a state of stillness and he will experience that divine principle with him."

"There is an illuminating story told of the deity Krishna कृष्ण , who, in the form of a human child, was raised among a little company or tribe of herdsmen. One day he said to them, when he saw them preparing to worship one of the great Gods of the Brahminical pantheon: "But why do you worship a deity in the sky? The support of your life is here, in your cattle. Worship these!" Whereupon, they hung garlands around the necks of their cattle and paid them worship. This wonderful art of recognizing the divine presence in all things, as a ubiquitous presence, is one of the most striking features of Oriental life, and is particularly prominent in Hinduism."

"I have found no people in Europe more religious, none more patiently persevering in common duties."

"Starting from the Vedas, Hinduism has ended in embracing something from all religions, and in presenting phases suited to all minds. It is all tolerant, all-compliant, all-comprehensive, all-absorbing."

Lord Shri RamaChandra
(incarnation of Vishnu)
Hero of the epic 'Ramayana' - The most
widely read scripture in Modern times

"It must be admitted, however, that, in exhibiting pictures of domestic life and manners, the Sanskrit epics are even more true and real than the Greek and Roman. In the delineation of women the Hindu poet thrown aside all exaggerated coloring and drawn from nature - Kaikeyi कैकेई , Kausalya कौशल्या , Mandodari मन्दोदरी (favorite wife of Ravana रावण ), and even the humble-backed Manthara मंथरा are all drawn to the very life. Sita सीता, Draupadi द्रौपदी, and Damayanti दमयन्ती engage our affections and our interest for more than Helen or even Penelope. Indeed Hindu wives are generally perfect patterns of conjugal fidelity; can it be doubted that, in these delightful portraits of the Pativrata पतिव्रता or purity and simplicity of Hindu domestic manners in early times."

"Indeed, in depicting scenes of domestic affection, and expressing those universal feelings and emotions which belong to human nature in all time and in all places, Sanskrit epic poetry is unrivalled even by Greek Epics.....In the Indian epics, such passages abound, and besides giving a very high idea of the purity and happiness of domestic life in ancient India, indicate a capacity in Hindu woman for the discharge of the most sacred and important social duties."

"Yet there are not wanting indications in the Indian Epics of a higher degree of civilization than that represented in the Homeric poems. The battlefields of the Ramayana रामायण and Mahabharata महाभारत ...are not made barbarously wanton cruelties; and the description of Ayodhya अयोध्या and Lanka लंका imply far greater luxury and refinement than those of Sparta and Troy."

Laxman, Rama & Sita, Hanuman, (kneeling)
The RAMAYANA

"He (Rama) is the type of a perfect husband, son, and brother. Sita also rises in character far above Helen and even above Penelope, both in her sublime devotion and loyalty to her husband, and her indomitable patience and endurance under suffering and temptation.....it may be affirmed generally that the whole tone of the Ramayana is certainly above that of the Iliad."

"It may be with truth be asserted that no description of Hinduism can be exhaustive which does not touch on almost every religious and philosophical idea that the world has ever known. It is all-tolerant, all-comprehensive, all-compliant, all-absorbing. It has its spiritual and its material aspect; it’s esoteric and exoteric; it’s subjective and objective; it’s rational and irrational. It has one side for the practical; another for the severely moral; another for the devotional and the imaginative; another for the philosophical and speculative."

Sir MONIER WILLIAMS - (1819-1899) Indologist and head of the Oxford's Boden Chair

Monier WIlliams

"Indeed, if I may be allowed the anachronism, the Hindus were Spinozites more than two thousand years before the existence of Spinoza; and Darwinians may centuries before Darwin; and evolutionists many centuries before the doctrine of evolution had been accepted by the scientists of our time, and before any word like 'evolution' existed in any language of the world."

“Pythagoras and Plato both believed in this doctrine, and that they were indebted for it to Hindu writers.”

"Anyone who has studied the great Hindu writings cannot but be struck by the moral tone which everywhere pervades them...constantly represent the present condition of human life as the result of actions in the previous existence. Hence a right course of present conduct becomes an all-important consideration as bearing on future happiness...."

“Whatever conclusions we form as to the source of the first astronomical ideas in the world it is probable that we owe to the Hindus the invention of algebra and its application to astronomy and geometry. And that from them the Arabs received the numerical symbols and decimal notation, which now used everywhere in Europe have rendered untold services to the cause of science.”

“The motions of the sun and moon were carefully observed by the Hindus and with such success that their determination of the moon’s synodical revolution is a much more correct one than the Greeks ever achieved. They introduced the period of Jupiter with those of the sun and moon into the regulation of their calendar in the form of sixty years common to them and the Chaldeans. They were keenly interested in logic and grammar, and in medicine and surgery they once kept pace with the most enlightened people of the world.”

"The Panini grammar reflects the wondrous capacity of the human brain, which till today no other country has been able to produce except India."

SYLVAIN LEVI-(1863-1935) French scholar, Orientalist-wrote on Eastern religion, literature, and history. Taught Sanskrit at Sorbonne, lecturer at the school of higher studies in Paris

"The Mahabharata is not only the largest, but also the grandest of all epics, as it contains throughout a lively teaching of morals under a glorious garment of poetry."

GEORGE WIHELM FREIDRICH HEGEL-(1887-1961): German philosopher, philosophical predecessor of the New England Transcendentalists.

HEGEL

He wrote in his "lectures on the Philosophy of History." Hegel belongs to the period of "German idealism" in the decades following Kant. He wrote: “India has always been an object of yearning, a realm of wonder, a world of magic.”

“India is the land of dreams. India had always dreamt - more of the Bliss that is man's final goal. And this has helped India to be more creative in history than any other nation. Hence the effervescence of myths and legends, religious and philosophies, music, and dances and the different styles of architecture."

"India has created a special momentum in world history as a country to be searched for."

He was the first to proclaim that, alongside Greece and Germany, India had produced the greatest and most profound philosophers. And the great Hegel himself, who understood India far more profoundly, was to remark in his work on The Philosophy of History: "It strikes everyone in beginning to form an acquaintance with the treasures of Indian literature, that a land so rich in intellectual products and those of the profoundest order of thought..."

ERWIN SCHROEDINGER-(1887-1961) Austrian theoretical physicist, professor at several universities in Europe. He was awarded the Nobel prize Quantum Mechanics, in 1933.

“the stages of human development are to strive for Possession (Artha-अर्थ), Knowledge (Dharma-धर्म ), Ability (Kama-काम), Being (Moksha-मोक्ष )”

“Nirvana - निर्वाण is a state of pure blissful knowledge.. It has nothing to do with individual. The ego or its separation is an illusion. The goal of man is to preserve his Karma and to develop it further – when man dies his karma lives and creates for itself another carrier.”

"insight is not new...From the early great Upanishads the recognition Atman = Brahman (the personal self equals the omnipresent, all-comprehending eternal self) was in Indian thought considered, far from being blasphemous, to represent, the quintessence of deepest insight into the happenings of the world. The striving of all the scholars of Vedanta was, after having learnt to pronounce with their lips, really to assimilate in their minds this grandest of all thoughts."

“Vedanta teaches that consciousness is singular, all happenings are played out in one universal consciousness and there is no multiplicity of selves.”

NOTE: Schrodinger’s influential What is life? the physical aspect of the living cell & Mind and matter (1944) also used Vedic ideas. The book became instantly famous although it was criticized by some of its emphasis on Indian ideas. Francis Clark, the co-discoverer of the DNA code, credited this book for key insights that led him to his revolutionary discovery."insight is not new...From the early great Upanishads the recognition Atman = Brahman (the personal self equals the omnipresent, all-comprehending eternal self) was in Indian thought considered, far from being blasphemous, to represent, the quintessence of deepest insight into the happenings of the world. The striving of all the scholars of Vedanta was, after having learnt to pronounce with their lips, really to assimilate in their minds this grandest of all thoughts."

“Vedanta teaches that consciousness is singular, all happenings are played out in one universal consciousness and there is no multiplicity of selves.”

"The multiplicity is only apparent. This is the doctrine of the Upanishads. And not of the Upanishads only. The mystical experience of the union with God regularly leads to this view, unless strong prejudices stand in the West."

Dr. JEAN LeMee – (1931) Author of the Hymns from the Rig Veda says:

"Precious stones or durable materials - gold, silver, bronze, marble, onyx or granite - have been used by ancient people in an attempt to immortalize themselves. Not so however the ancient Vedic Aryans. They turned to what may seem the most volatile and insubstantial material of all - the spoken word ...The pyramids have been eroded by the desert wind, the marble broken by earthquakes, and the gold stolen by robbers, while the Veda is recited daily by an unbroken chain of generations, traveling like a great wave through the living substance of mind. .."

"The Rig Veda is a glorious song of praise to the Gods, the cosmic powers at work in Nature and in Man. Its hymns record the struggles, the battles, and victories, the wonder, the fears, the hopes, and the wisdom of the Ancient Path Makers. Glory be to Them!"

Dr. CARL SAGAN - (1934-1996) Astrophysict, in his book, Cosmos says:

Carl Sagan

"The Hindu religion is the only one of the world's great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which the time scales correspond, to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion years long. Longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun and about half the time since the Big Bang. And there are much longer time scales still. There is the deep and appealing notion that the universe is but the dream of the god who, after a Brahma years, dissolves himself into a dreamless sleep. The universe dissolves with him - until, after another Brahma century, he stirs, recomposes himself and begins again to dream the great cosmic dream."

(Note: The life time of our star, the Sun is approximately 8.64 billion years- Siddharth S. Sinha)

नटराज
Natraja

"The most elegant and sublime of these is a representation of the creation of the universe at the beginning of each cosmic cycle, a motif known as the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. The god, called in this manifestation Nataraja नटराज , the Dance King. In the upper right hand is a drum whose sound is the sound of creation. In the upper left hand is a tongue of flame, a reminder that the universe, now newly created, with billions of years from now will be utterly destroyed."

“These profound and lovely images are, I like to imagine, a kind of premonition of modern astronomical ideas." Sagan continues, "A millennium before Europeans were wiling to divest themselves of the Biblical idea that the world was a few thousand years old, the Mayans were thinking of millions and the Hindus billions"

The Sun

In the episode entitled "The Edge of Forever" in the "Cosmos" television series, Carl Sagan visits India, and by way of introducing some of the bizarre ideas of modern physics, he acknowledges that of all the world's philosophies and religions those originating in India are remarkably consistent with contemporary scenarios of space, time and existence.

In his book Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science, he remarks:

"Immanuel Velikovsky (the author of Earth in Upheaval) in his book Worlds in Collision, notes that the idea of four ancient ages terminated by catastrophe is common to Indian as well as to Western sacred writing. However, in the Bhagavad Gita and in the Vedas, widely divergent numbers of such ages, including an infinity of them, are given; but, more interesting, the duration of the ages between major catastrophes is specified as billions of years. .”

“The idea that scientists or theologians, with our present still puny understanding of this vast and awesome cosmos, can comprehend the origins of the universe is only a little less silly than the idea that Mesopotamian astronomers of 3,000 years ago – from whom the ancient Hebrews borrowed, during the Babylonian captivity, the cosmological accounts in the first chapter of Genesis – could have understood the origins of the universe. We simply do not know”

The Hindu holy book, the Rig Veda (X:129), has a much more realistic view of the matter:

“Who knows for certain? Who shall here declare it?
Whence was it born, whence came creation?
The gods are later than this world’s formation;
Who then can know the origins of the world?
None knows whence creation arose;
And whether he has or has not made it;
He who surveys it from the lofty skies,
Only he knows- or perhaps he knows not."

*****

These were a few quotes I gathered from the innumerable quotes.

Kindly send me your comments if you would be interested in reading some more.

I am a student of ‘Santana Dharma’, and this is my humble presentation for those who are interested learning more about Sanatana Dharma. I welcome feeds, comments and further quides.

Siddharth S. Sinha

सिद्धार्थ स सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

The SWASTIKA - symbol - Sanatana Dharma - hinduism part 3

2012-12-24T00:37:00.001+05:30

SANATANA – DHARMA

Hinduism

Symbols

The SWASTIKA

(स्वास्तिक)

This is the third presentation in my study of ‘Sanatana Dharma’-सनातन धर्म, after my articles on ‘Sanatana Dharma’ and ‘OM’.

Misconception

In most of the western world, the Swastika is looked at with disgust and abhorrence. For most people in the west the Swastika is a symbol of atrocity, genocide and hatred. It is so because one man, Adolf Hitler and his evil regime, the Nazis, carried out heinous acts under a flag which had this symbol as their mark of superiority over other races.

Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were wrong on many counts.
Firstly, they were not the original (or the purest of) Aryan race. The finest example of the Aryan intellect and their superiority in human sciences and philosophy they had no contemporary parallel (nor it seems that there are any in modern times). These aspects are clearly visible in the Vedas. The Aryans were not oppressors. In fact, the Aryan race respected every individual, the nature, the ecology and just as importantly, it respected the sanctity of existence of every life form. The Nazis however, had absolutely no respect for these.

Secondly, the Nazis were not the 'real' Aryan race. The origins of the Aryan race can be traced back to the 'Sindhu-Saravat' civilization and not the alps as was propagated by the Nazis (and believed/ and taught to this day). This is evident by multiple factors: Aryan is a Sanskrit word and also the word 'Arya' means 'great' in Sanskrit. The Aryans of the Vedic era do not mention a word in the Vedas about them being of European descent. The Vedas speak greatly of the mighty Sarasvati and Sindhu as their holy and venerable rivers, which provides ample proof that these Aryans were of Indian origin (actually, of the Indian sub-continental origin, which includes a great part of modern day Pakistan and Afghanistan). After the Sindhu and Sarasvati rivers dried up, these Aryans migrated westwards towards Europe and eastwards to the plains of the Ganga and Yamuna, and the mighty rivers of present day states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in India.

Thirdly, the Aryans did not believe in discrimination among humans either in caste, creed, skin texture or any other means. The Nazis were a pure contradiction.

It is a shame that one man and one regime's evil deeds have made a symbol of virtue into a symbol of despise.

The Swastika represents auspiciousness and piety,
good luck and virtue, Goodness and Dharma.

‘OM’ is the first step to knowing what Sanatana Dharma (the true name for Hinduism) stands for. It symbolizes all the important aspects of spiritualism. The ‘Swastika’ स्वास्तिक is the second symbol which is extremely important because it is used as widely and commonly like ‘OM’ ॐ .

The Swastika is primarily and originally a Hindu symbol but also equally important in various other religions/sects like Buddhism-बौद्ध, Jainism-जैन, Sikhism-सिख and many other Asian religions/sects etc.,

Various cultures have their own version of the Hindu Swastika. Most of these cultures have adopted this symbol with equal just have the main symbol . In many cases these represent a particular meaning to each.

The Hindu Swastika is always done in Red or Saffron colour.

WHAT IS SWASTIKA?

‘Swastika’ is an equilateral cross bent at ninety degrees on all sides.

The word Swastika is a Hindi pronunciation of the Sanskrit word ‘Su-Vastik’-सु-वास्तिक representing the same in meaning and values. The word ‘Su’ meaning ‘good/ auspicious/ all’ and ‘Astika’ अस्तिक means ‘being / may always be’. ‘Astika’ also means ‘believer’ which enhances the meaning of the Swastika to mean ‘Good-Believer’.

The four sides of the Swastika also symbolize four important aspects of Sanatana Dharma:

- Dharma धर्म (the Duty/Ethic)

- Artha अर्थ (wealth generation and wise usage of it)

- Karma कर्म (action and result of it)

- Moksha मोक्ष (liberation from cycle of death and re-birth)

The Vedic civilization was highly advanced. The sages that oversaw its development, through their Mystic insight and deep meditation, discovered the ancient symbols of spirituality - The Aumkara (\) and The Swastika. They also discovered many scientific principles that they applied to develop highly advanced technology.

They gave the atom its Sanskrit name ‘Anu’-अणु, millennia before modern scientists discovered the atom.

For the followers of Sanatana Dharma, the Swastika represents a Universe in their our own spiral galaxy on the fore finger of Lord Vishnu विष्णु. This carries immense significance as it establishes the 'creation of the Universe'-(सृष्टि की रचना), and the arms as 'kaal' काल, or time, a calendar that is seen to be more advanced than the lunar calendar (symbolized by the lunar crescent common to Islam) where the seasons drift from calendar year to calendar year. The luni-solar solution for correcting season drift is used to adjust an extra month in certain years to restore the lunar cycle to the solar-season cycle. In Hindu calendars these months are called ‘Adhik-Maas’ अधिक मास meaning ‘extra month’.

- There is a school of thought that the Swastika shape represents a monogram formed by interlacing of the

letters of the auspicious words ’su’ and ‘astí’ - (svasti) स्वस्ति written in Ashokan characters. However,

this can’t be true because the symbol pre dates the Ashokan era by a few millennia.

- Swastika is at times, in certain sects, also considered a symbolic representation of Ganesha-गणपति. In
rituals and rites, Ganesha is presented with the first offerings in every ‘pooja’.

- Swastika is made with Vermilion powder -‘Sindoor’-सिन्दूर or ‘Roli-रोली’ during Hindu religious rites.

- Almost throughout, the usage of Swastika has been most widely accepted as a symbol of the Sun. (These are used in many cultures to present date).

Swastika has two variations: one has an opening towards the right, while the other variation has an opening towards the left. (卍 and 卐)

There are many schools of thoughts which argue and debate about one being the right symbol or the other. However, it is quite clear that the Swastika with opening towards the right is predominantly used by the followers of Sanatana Dharma, the Hindus, where as the one with left opening is used by the followers of Buddhism (as shown in the pictures here)

In another school of thought it is believed that the right opening represents a masculine sign while the left opening represents a feminine one. There are some mentions in the Vedas however, which literally prohibit the use of left opened Swastika.

The twin motifs symbolize the two aspects of the creation of the universe by God Brahma. The right opened symbol represents the evolution of universe (Pravritti-प्रवृत्ति) whereas the left opening represents the involution of universe (Nivritti-निवृत्ति).

SWASTIKA

The four angles of Swastika cross point towards the four directions, the North-उत्तर (uttar), the East-पूर्व (poorv), the South-दक्षिण (dakshin) and the West-पश्चिम (paschim) representing wealth, stability, firmness and strength. Within the openings, a dot is used as a motif and also signifies the four other direction, the north-east and the north-west, the south-east and the south-west.

The Swastika is:

- Auspicious! So it is used as a motif and good luck symbol on every door or entrance of a house, temple, work place and even on important documents like letterheads etc.

-Found in virtually every important art and architecture of Hindus

-It adorns an important place at the either side of \ in every temple and household place of worship

-On the auspicious‘Dhan-teras’ धन तेरस – two days before ‘Diwali, it is written on the first page of the account books for good luck

-Used as the symbol of Sun, thereby representing ‘Surya-Deva (the Sun God) सूर्य-देव ‘

-Regarded very sacred and therefore this motif is used to adorn almost all the things associated with the Hindu religion

-Is considered very holy and so it is used in all the Hindu ‘Yantras’ यंत्र in the form of a religious symbol

-Virtually all religious scriptures start with the symbol of Swastika

-God Ganesha is depicted as sitting on a lotus flower kept on the bed of Swastikas

-Swastika is one amongst the 108 symbols of God Vishnu भगवन विष्णु

- Swastika is a symbol of good fortune. On many festivals like Diwali, Holi, Dassehra etc. many Hindus draw this symbol on every object of importance such as doors, utensils used for rituals, ‘Rangolis’ and even on the bonnets of their cars. It symbolizes Wealth and prosperity. Many business enterprises, commercial and residential buildings, areas and colonies are named ‘Swastika’ especially in India.

It is drawn for protection from evil forces and to ward off ill-luck, on every vehicle owned by the Hindus and its sects, on every important festival.

Most houses have a Swastika on their doors as a sign of welcome for the guests, and piety.

***

After ‘Aum’ ॐ, Swastika is considered the most pious sign because it is considered a sign of Divinity. Many business documents have the symbol of Swastika for Good luck

The logo of Ahmedabad
Stock Exchange

- The ‘Ahmedabad Stock Exchange’ in the state of Gujarat in western India, has Swastika as its logo.

-In Nepal (predominantly a Hindu country) Swastika is considered very auspicious. So much so that ‘Nepal Chamber of Commerce’ uses this symbol as its logo.

The seal used for stamping
on the ballot paper

-The circular Swastika is used as a symbol for stamping on electoral ballots in India. The electronic voting machines which have replaced the ballot paper also has this symbol as stamping sign.

The Origin / History of Swastika

Although many historians and archeologists in the west believe that the first sign of Swastika originated and was used in ancient Troy era dating back 4000 BCE (citing excavations with Swastika artifacts in the late nineteenth century by renowned archaeologist Heinrich Schliemannn. He speculated that is was an symbol use by his own ancestors.)

However, as the name itself signifies, it has Vedic origins and thus it is far older than 4000 BCE. The earliest mentions of Swastika are found in the Vedas वेद Puranas पुराण and the Upanishads उपनिषद् .

Artifacts from the excavations of the Indus Valley and from the Sindhu-Saraswat सिन्धु -सरस्वत civilizations prove that the Swastika was as important a symbol and motif in those times as it is today. These artifacts prove that the Swastika was an important symbol even before12000 BCE.,

The more famous ancient civilizations of Harappa हरप्पा Mohenjo-Daro मोहन -जो -दड़ो in the Sindh state of Pakistan also confirm these facts. Though these sites are relatively newer (dating back to 2000 BC) these are significant.

The word ‘Swastika’ is first found as a word, mentioned in the 'Valmiki Ramayan' वाल्मीकि रामायण

The dates can be confirmed by the Ram-Setu (Rama's bridge राम सेतु) built by God Rama’s army. This Setu (bridge) is partly visible with naked and is fully visible from satellites photographs. This bridge submerged around 5500 bce.

SWASTIKA - Adoptions

Various sects of Hinduism have adopted this symbol and to them it is holds more importance and is considered holier than the present day practicers of ‘Sanatana Dharma’.

The BUDDHISTS

A Buddhist Temple
with left side open Swastika

For the Buddhist sect, Swastika is a symbol of good fortune in Buddhist religion. The Sswastika is considered extremely holy for the Buddhists because it represents the footprints, and the heart of Gautam Buddha. So, it is very often found imprinted on the heart, palms and on the feet of Buddha’s statues.

Therefore, the Swastika can be found on every temple site, ancient or modern, almost without exception.

Every Buddhists scripture or text begins with the symbol of Swastika because it is considered a symbol of infinity, affluence, abundance and long life. The symbol of Swastika is abundantly used as a religious symbol and as a motif in most of countries east of India. In Korea, Japan, Laos, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia and almost all other countries to the east of and including India, use this symbol veryabundantly as a sign of good luck, wealth, fortune and general well being of mankind in general and also use it to this day as a motif with good luck charm, especially in their paintings and art in general.

Most importantly, the Swastika is a sign of Nirvana’ निर्वाण , which among the Buddhists means Moksha मोक्ष - the freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth. Here it must be borne in mind that according to Hindus, in Sanskrit or Hindi language, the word Moksha means freedom from Sansaar संसार the cycle of death and rebirth and ‘Nirvana’ means ‘A mental state of absolute bliss’.

It is logical to assume why Swastika is so popular and holy among Buddhists in India and elsewhere because Buddhism was exported to the east and west of India by one of the greatest emperors of India, ‘Ashoka-The Great’, probably the greatest emperor to have ever lived.

***

JAINISM

Jainism sect has adopted the Swastika symbol as religiously as any other sect of Hinduism. It has great relevance and significance of Swastika as it is for the followers of ‘Sanatana Dharma’ or any other sect.

According to the Jainis, Swastika represents the Seventh Jina, more popularly known as the 'Tirthankar Suparshva' तीर्थांकर -सुपर्श्व because He was born with the sign of Swastika on His thigh.

Swastika is one of the most prominent auspicious symbols of the present era in the Jain sect. In the cultural traditions of ‘Shvetambar Jains’, Swastika is one of the main symbols of the ‘Ashta-Mangalas’ अष्ठ -मंगल .

Swastika is the emblem of their seventh ‘ तीर्थंकर (saint).

Swastika is very important for Jains, so:

- Every holy book has the Swastika prominently imprinted on it.

- It can be seen on every temple.

- Every ceremony begins with drawing of the Swastika symbol numerous times around the altar.

- Jains make Swastikas with rice in front of temple deities. It is also called a ‘Rangoli’.

- On the occasion of 2600^th anniversary of the birth of Bhagwan Mahavir, the 24^th and the last Tirthankara, in 2001, a special 100 Rupee coin was minted, as a celebration to mark the occasion, with a Swastika on it.

- ‘Swastika’ is a common name among people of this sect.

For the Jainis Swastika represents the four possible places of rebirth - Heaven, Hell, Earth and Animal/Plant world.

SWASTIKA’s importance in other religions/sects

ASIA

In virtually every Far-East country the symbol of Swastika is most commonly associated with Buddhism. These are commonly found in Buddhist temples and on religious artifacts, texts books and schools founded by Buddhist religious groups.

The Red Swastika Society, a syncretic religious group which aspires to unify different sects like Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, uses the Swastika as its symbol of its aspiration, its moral values and its principles. The society presently runs ‘The Red Swastika Society Tai Po Secondary School’ and ‘Hong Kong Red Swastika Society Tuen Mun Primary School’ in Hong Kong and ‘The Red Swastika School’ in Singapore.

In Japan the sign of Swastika is used to mark a Buddhist Temple on its maps. In Hirosaki, a city in Japan, the Aomori prefecture uses Swastika on it official flag which stems from its use in the emblem of ‘Tsugaru clan’ of Hirosaki Domain in the Edo era.

Tajikistan: In 2005, The President Emomali Rahmonov declared the Swastika as an Aryan symbol and declared 2006 as the ‘The Year of The Aryan Culture’ which was to be used to ‘Study and popularize Aryan contribution to the history of the world civilization and raise a new generation of Tajiks with the national spirit of self-determination and to develop deeper ties with other ethnicities and cultures. In the same year the Tajik authorities also called for widespread adoption of the Swastika as a national symbol.

EUROPE-ASIA

Earliest use of the Swastika in modern Europe can be traced back to the neolithic Vinča culture of South-Eastern Europe. The evidence of pan-European use of this symbol, primarily as a motif . The earliest Swastika from Europe is probably the one found carved on a late paleolithic mammoth ivory in Mezine, Ukraine. This figurine is estimated to be nearly 12,000 years old.

Evidences are also found from the Iron Age of the Celts, Germanics, Greeks, Slavs and Indo-Iranian cultures.

A pendant from Bolsena, Italy,
7th Century bce.

Mosque at Isfahan, Iran

The swastika can be seen on the floor of the synagogue at Ein Gedi, built during the Roman occupation of Judea. It was decorated with a swastika.

Some Christian churches built in the Romanesque and Gothic eras also have Swastikas, carrying over earlier Roman designs. Swastikas are prominently displayed in a mosaic in the St. Sophia church of Kiev, Ukraine dating to the 12th century.

Swastikas also appear as a repeating ornamental motif on a tombs in the Basilica of St. Ambrose, in Milan, Italy.

The Muslim "Friday" mosque of Isfahan, Iran and the Taynal Mosque in Tripoli, Lebanon both have Swastika motifs.

Greek helmet with Swastika - 350 bce

The swastika, also known as the flyfot in northwestern Europe, appears on many pre-Christian artefacts, drawn both clockwise and counterclockwise, within a circle or in a swirling form. The Greek goddess Athena was sometimes portrayed as wearing robes covered with swastikas.

The "Ogham stone" found in County Kerry, Ireland is inscribed with several Swastikas dating to the fifth century AD, and is believed to have been an altar stone of the Druids. The pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo, England, contains gold cups and shields bearing swastikas .

The Swastikas are prominently displayed on graves of many ancient graves. It is believed that the graves belong to some of the most respected and prominent people of their times.

SWASTIKA’s
use by neo-religions/sects

Symbol of Theosophical
Society with Swastika

Since ancient times many religions have come into existence and disappeared over a Period of time.

* The ‘Theosophical Society’ uses a swastika as part of its seal, along with an ‘OM’, a hexagram or (The Star of David), an ‘Ankh (eye-आंख)’ and an Ourobos (or, Uroborous) and is Presently used with a text which states, “There is no religion greater than Truth’.

The Raelian symbol with
the Swastika

* The ‘Raelian Movement’ which believes that the Extra-Terrestrials created all earth on life, have a controversial symbol which includes an interlaced ‘Swastika’ and ‘Star of David’. The two, according to the followers represent the ‘Infinity of time’ and ‘Infinity in space’ respectively.

In 1991, the original symbol was changed. The Swastika was removed from the centre of their symbol, displaying their respect to the millions of Jews who were killed by the Nazis in the WW II holocaust.

However, in 2007, the original symbol was re-instated and continues to remain the same in present day.

Anand-Marg Symbol

*‘Anand Marg’ - आनन्द मार्ग (Path of Bliss) is a ‘Tantra-तंत्र’ based religion. It uses an interesting motif as a symbol. This motif is a ‘Star of David’ (calling it an intersection of Triangles, without any Jewish reference), with ‘Swastika’ at the centre, and an eye above it. The Anand Marg symbol is strikingly similar to that of the believers of the ‘Raelian Movement’.

The Falun Gong symbol

* The Oriental Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa) use a Chinese traditional symbol which has a large ‘Swastika’ at the centre surrounded by four smaller, pin-rounded ones, interspersed with ‘Yin and yang’, making it appear like a ‘Chakra’ surrounding the Swastika.

The followers of the ‘Odinism’ religion (they believe that it was the orignal Indo-European religion in the pre-Christian era) claim that the ‘Swastika’is their holy symbol, as it was originally.

A HOMAGE to the victims of the Holocaust

I dedicate section as a homage to the millions of Jews who were killed by the Nazis during the second World War holocaust, and to their surviving family members as a message of condolence and as a respect to the innocent people who were killed by a despicable regime which used the Swastika as its symbol. A symbol which represents progress, prosperity, peace and knowledge was used by an evil regime for the purely vested interest of ethnic cleansing and political power. The Nazis, and especially the hierarchy, had very little knowledge of the true meaning of Swastika.

The Swastika is a symbol which represents everything good, the virtues of the Human Civilization. It was grossly misused and propagated for every act which is contrary to what the Swastika represents. The fact that the Nazi regime perished is a sign that such a noble and Divine symbol should not be misused in any manner.

I sincerely hope that the world is a much peaceful place, always.

I have intentionally omitted inserting a picture of the 'Swastika' as used by the Nazis because I consider it as a blasphemy. Swastika is a symbol of nobility, honor, good luck and auspiciousness. The Nazis did not use any on these virtues for the motif they used as their symbol.

***

The Swastika is a universal symbol – a symbol which encompasses every corner of the world in one way or another.

This presentation is based on my own understanding of the subject, based on my research.
I welcome further feeds, information and guidance on this subject.

Best Wishes & Good Luck!

Siddharth S. Sinha
सिद्धार्थ स. सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

Swami Vivekanand quotes and Kabir Daas' couplets (Dohe)

2012-12-02T14:07:00.001+05:30

In this blog I am really happy to put some of the best 'Dohas' दोहे (couplets) / Quotes from Sant Kabir संत कबीर & Swami Vivekanand स्वामी विवेकानन्द !!

Swami Vivekanand - Quotes

I am adding some quotes by one of my Idols: SWAMI VIVEKANAND

1. The soul is not free! It is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect; But there is something behind the soul which is free!

2. You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.

3. Where can we go go find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being.

4. You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.

5. The first sign of your becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful

6. The world is a great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.

7. In one word, this ideal is that you are divine.

8. All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have to put our hands
before our eyes and cry that it is dark.

9. To devote your life to the good of all and to the happiness of all, is religion.
Whatever you do for your own sake is not religion.

10. Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.

11. The soul is not free - it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect -
but there is something behind the soul which is free.

12. As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea,
so different tendencies various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God.

Hope you people like it and respond with your comments on them.

***

KabirDas's Couplets - (Dohas)

Sant Kabir Daas

Bada Hua To Kya Hua, Jaisa Ped Khajoor,
Panthi Ko Chhaya Nahin, Phal Lagey Ati Door
बड़ा हुआ तो क्या हुआ , जैसे पेड़ खजूर ,
पंथी को छाया नहीं , फल लागे दूर !!
--- So what if one is big, like a Palm tree,
No shade for traveler and bears fruits too high!

Pothi Padh Padh Jug Mua, Pandit Bhaya Na Koi,
Dhai Ankhar Prem Ka, Padhey So Pandit Hoye!!
पोथी पढ़ पढ़ जग मुआ , पंडित भया न कोय ,
ढाई आखर प्रेम का पढ़े सो पंडित होय!!
--- Reading large volumes makes none a 'Pundit'
One who reads two and half letters of 'Prem' (Love), he becomes a Pundit!!

Kaankar Paathar Jod Ke, Masjid Liyo Banay,
Ta Chadd Mulla Bang De, Ka Behra Hua Khuday!!
कंकड़ पाथर जोड़ के मस्जिद लियो बनाय ,
ता पे मुल्ला बाण दे का बहरा हुआ खुदाय !!
--- Mixing concrete and stone built a mosque,
at the top the Mulla shouts..is the God deaf?

Kaankar Paathar Jod Ke, Murat diyo banay,
Ta se Ram khush hoy to main duun pahad banay!
कांकड़ पाथर जोड़ के मूरत लियो बनाय
ता से राम खुश होय तो मैं दूँ पहाड़ बनाय !!
--- Mixing concrete and stone made a statue,
If Ram is happy with it I would build a mountain!!

Aisi Vani Boliye, Man Ka Aapa Khoy
Auran Ko Sheetal Kerey, Apahun Nirmal Hoy
ऐसी वाणी बोलिए मन का आपा खोय
औरन को शीतल करे , आफु निर्मल होए!!
--- Speak a language which captures the heart,
Calming the others and makes self peaceful!!

Guru Govind Do-u Khadey Hain, Kakay Lagoon Pain
Balihari Guru Apney, Govind Diyo Batai
गुरु गोविन्द दोउ खड़े, काके लागूं पाय ,
बलिहारी गुरु आपने गोविन्द दियो मिलाय!!
--- Guru and Govind (Krishna) stand at the door,
whom do I offer my obeisance first,
Thanks be to Guru for he instructed me ... to God!!

Patthar Puje Hari Milay, To main Pujun Giriray;
Sabse to chakki bhali, pees pees ke khay!
पत्थर पूजे हरी मिले , तो मैं पुजूँ गिरिराय;
सबसे तो चक्की भली, पीस पीस के खाय !
--- If I find Hari (God) by worshiping idol, I will worship mountain;
Better is a stone grinder, which grinds grain for feeding!

Kubudhi ko Sujhe Nahi, Uth Uth Deval Jaaye,
Dil dehra ki khabar nahi, Pathar Kahan Te Pay!
कुबुद्धि को सूझे नहीं उठ उठ देवल जाय ;

दिल देहरा की खबर नहीं , पत्थर कहाँ से पाय !
--- Ignorants don't understand, keep visiting temple,
Didn't seek in the heart, that which he can't find in stone!

Makke Madine mein gaya, wahan bhi hari ka naam,
Main tujhse poochon he sakhi, Kin dekha kis tham.
मक्के मदीने में गया, वहां भी हरी का नाम;
मैं तुझसे पूछूं हे सखी, किन देखा किस धाम!
--- You did pilgrimage to Mecca, Medina, there too is Hari's (God's) name;
Then I ask you, O friend, where did you see God!

Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya Koye
Jo Man Khoja Apnaa, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koye
बुरा जो देखन मैं चला बुरा ना मिल्या कोय,
जो दिल खोजा आपना, मुझसे बुरा ना कोय!!
--- Went searching for bad people, didn't find any,
Having searched my heart, none worse than me!!

Dukh Mein Simran Sab Kare, Sukh Mein Kare Na Koye
Jo Sukh Mein Simran Kare, Tau Dukh Kahe Ko Hoye
दुःख में सुमिरन सब करें सुख में करे न कोय,
जो सुख में सुमिरन करे तो दुःख काहे को होय !!
--- In bad times we pray to God, not in good,
If we pray in good times, there won't be bad times!!

OM - The essence of Sanatana Dharma

2012-11-23T14:22:00.000+05:30

SANATANA DHARMA

Hinduism-Part 2

ॐ

AUM ( OM )

ॐ नमः शिवाय

INTRODUCTION

This is the second presentation in my study of ‘Sanatana Dharma’-सनातन धर्म. I dedicated my first presentation on why my religion is actually Sanatana Dharma not ‘Hinduism’. I am dedicating this presentation to ‘AUM’ ॐ, or ‘OM’ as it is also prounounced, because it is the ‘most’ important symbol of Sanatana Dharma.

ॐ ‘AUM’ is the first step to knowing what Sanatana Dharma stands for.

"The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at,

and which men desire when they lead the life of continence …is ‘AUM’ ...ॐ

---
This syllable ‘Aum’ is the Supreme ‘Brahman’-ब्राह्मण.

Whoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires.

This is the best support; this is the highest support.

Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma- ब्रह्मा.“

~ Katha Upanishad I ~

ॐ Om is also called ‘Om-kara’-ॐ-कार, meaning – ‘I am Existence’ !!

ॐ ‘AUM’ symbolizes the most profound concepts of Sanatana Dharma and it is used constantly and widely, and in daily practice. The followers of Sanatana Dharma सनातन धर्म- the Hindus, begin their day, any work, or a journey by uttering this, which is the most auspicious of all chants… ‘AUM’

Very often, Hindus use this symbol on their letter heads, for good luck, auspicious beginning and piety. Many people wear a pendant as a good luck charm.

Most Hindu houses have the symbol of ‘Om’ at the entrance of their gates, their offices, factory gates and the doors of their houses and on their doors and in places where they perform their daily ‘Puja’ पूजा . (Puja is a ritual ceremony performed among the Hindus, mostly at home)

‘AUM’ is enshrined in every Hindu and Jain temple premises or in some form or another on family shrines.

In some families, when a baby is born the child is washed and cleansed. Then either eldest member of the family or a ‘pundit’ पंडित (Hindu priest) writes the symbol of ‘Om’ on the tongue of the baby, with milk, honey or ‘Ganga-jal’ (Gangetic water).

The Chandogya Upanishad states:

Om ity-etad akṣaram udgītham upāsīta
aum iti hy udgāyati
tasyopavyākhyānam

"The udgi:tā -उद्गीता ["the chanting" of the syllable ‘AUM’] is the best of all essences,
the highest, deserving the highest place, the eighth.”

The SYMBOL

ॐ is the Sanskrit version for the pronunciation of ‘Om’ in 'Aadi-Grantha'. आदि -ग्रंथ

ॐ …many believe is also a symbol of Lord Ganesha. The logic is the clear shape of the symbol which shows the forehead like that of an elephant (sideways), a trunk and the Chandra-bindu-चन्द्र-बिंदु (the crescent moon and the dot) as is worn by the Devas-देव. It can be understood because every puja begins with ‘Om Shri Ganeshaay Namah’.

ॐ symbolizes piety. It holds the same value in other religions which are off-shoots of The Sanatana Dharma

Buddhism, Jainism & Sikhism.

The entire ‘Maandukya Upanishad’-मंदुक्य उपनिषद् is devoted to ‘AUM’ .

The proper pronunciation for ‘AUM’ is in three syllables:

1. long ..’aa’आ .. which symbolizes - Vaishwanara-वैश्वानर

2. long ..’ou’ओउ .. Which symbolizes – Hiranya-garbha-हिरण्य-गर्भ and…

3. Short .. ‘mm’म… symoblizing – Eishwara-ईश्वर

The above three syllables combine to form a symbol which denotes the beginning, duration, and dissolution

of the universe and associated to the Trinity of Brahma-ब्रह्मा, Vishnu-विष्णु & Mahesh-महेश (Shiva-शिव) respectively.

The Origin

The syllable ‘Aum’ is first described as all-encompassing mystical entity in the Upanishads.

According to the Upanishads, the creation of the universe started with the divine, all-encompassing consciousness of Brahma. And it took the form of the first and the original vibration manifesting with the sound of ‘AUM’.

Before the creation - there was "Shunya-ākāsha"-शून्य-आकाश, the emptiness or the void. (Shunyākāsha, meaning literally ‘skyless’ or ‘no-sky’, is more than nothingness, because everything then existed in a latent state of potency. The vibration of ‘AUM’ symbolizes the manifestation of God in form (“Sāguna Brahman"-सगुण-ब्राह्मण). (Saguna means 'All Goodness' and 'The God Almighty' means Brahman). ‘AUM’ is the reflection of the absolute reality, it is said to be "Adi-Anadi" आदि-अनादी - without a beginning or the end,

and embracing all that exists.

The word ‘AUM’ itself means, it has no beginning. . .

Aum is the Eternal sound; the sound of the Universe.

THE CHANT

When a ‘Puja’ or a Prayer begins in any sad or happy occasion, it begins with a mantra, which starts by chanting of the most important mantra…is ॐ !!

There is not a single occasion where an auspicious religious mantra or puja starts without the chanting of Aum first.

The sound of ‘Om’ is called ‘Pranava’प्रणव- (meaning it sustains life and runs through ‘Prana’-प्रण or breath).

In Sanatana Dharma, ‘Om’ is chanted before each prayer because it neutralizes any error or mistake, either in pronunciation or while we chant/sing prayers or while performing a ‘Puja’.

Om … in essence is the beginning, the present (or the continuation), and the end of every living or non-living entity.

Om is an eternal chant. When we chant Om while meditating, we feel a cosmic vibration which is similar to the sound that we can hear throughout the universe. Om is the only sound which is omnipresent in space.

The chanting of Om helps the chanter to be in peace with himself and with the surroundings.

The chanting of Om drives away all worldly thoughts and removes distraction and infuses new vigour in the body.

When you feel depressed, chant Om fifty-one times and you will be filled with new vigour and strength. The chanting of Om is a powerful tonic. When you chant Om, you feel you are the pure, all pervading light and consciousness.

Those who chant Om will have a powerful, sweet voice. Whenever you take a stroll, you can chant Aum. The chant can also be sung in a beautiful way. The rythmic pronunciation of Aum makes the mind serene and focused, and infuses the spiritual qualifications which ensure self-realization.

People who do meditate while chanting Om on daily basis get tremendous spiritual and concentration powers. Such people will always have lustre in their eyes and on their faces.

For Meditation

If you seek peace and you want to meditate this one ‘mantra, one ‘chant’ in one single syllable which will bring you greater peace than chanting of a thousand mantras in all, it is the power of Om. Whenever Om is recited in succession there is an inevitable period of silence between two successive Oms. This silence represents the ‘fourth state’ known as "Turiya" which is the state of perfect bliss when the individual self recognizes his identity with the Supreme.

This is clearly mentioned in the Srimad Bhagwatam!

In Shrimad Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna says to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra:

"I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire.

I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable OM.

I am also the Ṛig, the Sāma and the Yajur Vedas.
Chanting of Om, the eternal world of Brahman,

One who departs leaving the body (at death), he attains the Supreme Goal.

OM, TAT and SAT have been declared as the triple appellation of Brahman,

The God Supreme, who is Truth, Consciousness and Bliss.

The continuous chanting of Om should be done with clear understanding of its meaning".

To chant ...
THE PRIMARY LEVEL

- Take a slow deep breath and chant ‘Om’ slowly as you exhale – exhale slowly while you chant

- Do not let thoughts of any kind distract you. Concentrate your mind on the Supreme Being

- Repeat the chant and keep chanting slowly with absolute consciousness with concentration on God

- If you have problems of any sort, discard them from your mind and concentrate on your chants (eventually,
your chanting will help you overcome your problems, so be calm and happy)

- If you are unable to concentrate, don’t be disheartened or discouraged. Practice it for a minute or two after regular intervals and slowly you will be able to detach your mind from the surroundings and concentrate on your chant when you feel serenity within yourself when you chant ‘OM’. Treat this as an anecdote to your problems.

THE SECONDARY LEVEL

The secondary stage is where the transition begins from being a chanter to a real meditator. While chanting your mind should concentrate and associate with the idea of the infinity, the eternity, the immortality, etc.,

When you reach this stage, automatically, your actions in day-to-day life will be more in line with the principles of ‘OM’. You will be happier and more peaceful.

Gradually, you must begin to chant ‘OM’ with the feeling that you are one with the Almighty, that you are the infinite and the all-pervading. Mere repetition of Om will not bring the desired result. Keep the meaning of ‘OM’ always at heart.

Feel that you are the pure, perfect, all-knowing, eternal, free, Brahman. Feel that you are absolute consciousness, the infinite and unchanging existence. Every part of your body should powerfully vibrate with these ideas. This feeling should be kept up all day long. Practice regularly and steadily with sincerity, faith, perseverance and enthusiasm in the morning, midday and evening.

THE MANTRAS

The Aum Maha-Mantra

There are many mantras used in worship. The first is always the ‘Mool-Mantra’ मूल -मन्त्र. This mantra is the basis for all the other Mantras. It was not written by a person but was given to us directly 'Shakti' शक्ति Herself in Her oracle. This mantra has enormous power. Some of the benefits conferred by reciting the 'Moola Mantra' are:

The Divine energy freely flows from the feet of Amma to the different systems of the body. The holy vibrations penetrate all the cells and revitalize the entire system.

- Helps in forgiveness of one's ku-Karma कुकर्म (immoral acts/sin)

- Provides meritorious benefits

- Helps solve ailments and genuine problems.

- Confers blessings leading to prosperity and a happy life.

- Helps one to reach the highest spiritual pedestal (Mukti).

- Preserves health

There is a specific Mantra for every occasion which should be recited at a certain time during a ritual. The long mantras have either 108 or 1008 lines and are concluded with a short mantra of three lines and three Oms.

The number 108, has been considered auspicious since the Vedic era. The logic of the number 108 lies in the astronomy. The approximate distance from the Sun and moon to the earth is 108 times of their respective diameters. The thought that this was known so long ago is amazing. Like all Mantras, each line is preceded and concluded with Om. These characteristics give the mantras great potency.

The Best way to Meditate - the Primary level

- Finish all your work and relax before you begin

- Retire to a quite place and sit in ‘Samadhi Mudra (posture) - समाधी-मुद्रा

- Close your eyes and completely relax your muscles and nerves

- Concentrate on the space between your eyebrows with a calm and conscious mind

ॐ has immense powers to enhance the potency of any mantra – For example:

We know how to chant the ‘Gayatri Matra’-गायत्री-मन्त्र. However, to enhance its power there can be numerous insertions of ‘OM’. Depending on the situation and necessity, a person can chant the Gayatri mantra with three, five, seven or eleven insertions. Eg. Gayatri Mantra with three 'Aums': (normally it is only at the start of the mantra)

‘OM’ – Bhuur-bhuvah Swaha-Tatsa-Vitur Varennyamm,

‘OM’ - Bhargo-Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo-Yonah-Prachodayaat

- ‘OM’!

ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वःतत्सवितुर वरेण्यम

ॐ भर्गोदेवस्य धीमहि धियो योनह प्रचोदयात ॐ

References to the potency and Importance of ‘AUM’

There are innumerable references to the potency and importance of ‘OM’ in various Upanishads, Purans, other Granths and ‘The Bhagwad-Gita’. Here are some of the important once:

- Only the people who hold the knowledge of OM, sit in peace and concord ~ Rig Veda ~ ऋग वेद

- "tasya vacakah pranavah" - which translates as, "God's voice is Aum." ~ Yog Sutra of Patanjali ~ पतांजलि योग सूत्र

- From OM comes the removal of obstacles. OM is the Supreme name of God and it cannot have any other meaning than God. ~ Yog Sutra of Patanjali ~पतांजलि योग सूत्र

- Remember, Om , the Lord, the Protector ~ Yajur-Veda ~ यजुर-वेद

- Among the words, I am the Ek-akshara (OM) ~Lord Krishna in Bhagvad Gita ~ भगवान श्री कृष्ण-भग्वद-गीता

- Om is the name of the Supreme Lord ~ Adi Shankaracharya ~आदि शंकराचार्य

- That which is manifested by Pranava is the Supreme Being Himself ~Maharishi Ved Vyasa ~ महर्षि वेद व्यास

- The essence of all beings is Earth; The essence of Earth is Water; The essence of water is plant; The essence of Plant is man; the essence of man is speech; the essence of speech is Rig Veda; the essence of Rig Veda is Sama Veda; the essence of Sama Veda is OM. ~ Chandogya Upanishad ~चंदोग्य उपनिषद्

- All that was the past, all that is the present and all that will be the future is the syllable OM. And all there is beyond the three aspects of time, is also OM. ~ Mandukya Upanishad ~ मन्दुक्य उपनिषद्

- OM is the bridge to immortality ~ Mandukya Upanishad ~ मन्दुक्य उपनिषद्

- Om is the bow, self the arrow and Brahman (absolute Reality) is the goal ~ Mandukya Upanishad ~ मन्दुक्य उपनिषद्

- He who knows OM obtains all he desires; This is the best support, this is the highest support ~Kathopanishad~ कथोपनिषद

- The threefold knowledge is based on Omkara. He who knows OM is equal to the learned of the three Vedas because OM is another three Vedas in itself ~ Manu Smirti ~मनु स्मृति

- Through OM one knows what is to be known ~ Brahadaranyaka Upanishad ~ बृहद-आरण्यक उपनिषद्

- Through the resonance of OM peace is established in my heart ~ Yoga Vashishtha ~ योग वशिष्ठ

- OM DEPICTS THE THREE STAGES OF YOGIC DISCIPLINE, NAMELY ASANA, PRANAYAMA & PRATYAHARA. THE THREE STAGES ARE STEPS TO SAMADHI... SAMADHI REPRESENTS – OM ~SRIMAD BHAGVATAM~
श्रीमद-भग्वतम

- BY SINGLE MINDED CONCENTRATION, WITH THE MIND AND HEART, AND CHANTING THE ONE SYLLABLE ‘OM’, AND THINKING OF ME, HE WHO DEPARTS, LEAVING THE BODY, ATTAINS THE HIGHEST GOAL – MOKSHA! ~ SRIMAD BHAGVATAM ~ श्रीमद-भग्वतम

ॐ is:

- Purity - Brahman - Piety

- Divinity - Cosmic Energy - Knowledge

- Omnipresent - Spirit - Eternal

It represents: The Holy Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva

- Eternal Knowledge -

- THE BEST WITHIN US !!

OM is the essence of Life !!

OM IS THE MAHA-MANTRA महा -मंत्र !!

Note: My knowledge is very limited in comparison to the vast and eternal values of ‘AUM’, and to it’s immense potential.

This presentation is based on my own understanding of the subject based on my research. I welcome further feeds, information and guidance on this subject.

Best Wishes & Good Luck!

Siddharth S. Sinha

सिद्धार्थ स सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in

WHAT IS HINDUISM? SANATANA DHARMA part 1

2012-11-14T14:28:00.000+05:30

SANATANA DHARMA

What is Hinduism? - part 1

INTRODUCTION

One busy afternoon I got a rude awakening. A friend of mine corrected me on a ‘Shani-Mantra’- (a mantra dedicated to Demi-God [Devata] Shanti), I had advised Her to chant on Saturdays for Her own benefit. She had religiously followed what I had asked Her to do. However, a few months ago during a casual conversation, She asked me to check if the ‘mantra’ I had asked Her to chant was correct because She had learned otherwise. I searched and researched a lot on the subject. And to my utter amazement I learned that though both versions were correct and were chanted regularly by most people, the version of the mantra I had asked Her to chant couldn't be correct due to its presumptions. My friend was right. I had given Her the incorrect version.

This incident made me realize that I was blindly following the mantras, shlokas etc. which have been handed down to me, without truly understanding their meaning or the reason for them.

At the time I was writing my first novel, ‘NIRVANA’. I traveled frequently for my research on the subject and matter for the contents of the novel. The above-mentioned incident made me think harder, and for that purpose, I met many people. I was surprised at the utter lack of knowledge and trivial understanding by these people, and about a religion which is followed and practiced by nearly a billion people in this country. A vast majority of people had scant knowledge of the very basics of their own religion, yet proclaiming to be knowledgeable. This was applicable to me too. To add to that, I was disappointed to learn that almost every person I met or conversed with, believed and practiced a distorted version of Hinduism. In most cases, it is practiced in direct contrast to what it preaches. I asked most followers of Hinduism as to which religion they followed and the reply I got was 'Hinduism'; they didn't know the true name of the so called 'religion' they followed. It is Santana Dharma - meaning - The Eternal Religion, as mentioned in the scriptures.

‘Satya’-Truth, Dharma-Duty, Karma-Action, ‘Gnyana’-knowledge, 'Prem'-Love, ‘Ahimsa’-peace/ non-violence, ‘Sarva-Sadbhava’ - Affection for all life-forms, ‘Kshama’-(forgiveness) and Moksha - (Freedom from the cycle of life-death-rebirth) are the principal foundations of Sanatana Dharma. However, what people follow is a contradiction.

Contrary to general perception Hinduism is neither obstinate nor dogmatic; instead it is progressive and constantly evolving.

This is a humble attempt to present my thoughts, beliefs, and convictions of the religion I practice through my own understanding of Hinduism-‘Sanatana Dharma’. This is the first article in a series of presentations to retract and find the true beliefs of Hinduism.

Study of Sanatana Dharma could take eons, and understanding it in its full potential would take an eternity. Through this a series, I am glad to share my limited knowledge with the readers. This is an attempt to simplify complexities and clear out misunderstandings/misinformation that have been created by the early Brahmins who wanted to retain their superiority over other people.

In some places, I will be contradicting many theories which have been de-legitimized and inducted into Indian mindset by so called western Indologists. In such cases, I will be using references and scientific proofs. This presentation should be read with an open mind and studied logically.

If anyone has any query or comments, they are welcome to respond through e.mail – ssselan@yahoo.in

THE ORIGIN

Stone Carvings on a Temple wall

The Sindhu civilization had existed a few millennia before 9000 BCE (those who dispute this theory can check on the carbon dating of the under water ruins of the highly advanced port cities of Khambhat (Bay of Cambay) and ‘Dwarka’ off the coast of Gujarat, in western India. Some sites are still being excavated along with various other historical sites of the Vedic era - from the Sindhu-Saraswat civilizationeff the coast of Gujarat, in western India. These are still being excavated along with various other historical sites which belong to the Vedic era – of the ‘Sindhu-Saraswat’ civilization-(सिन्धु-सरस्वत सभ्यता), the carbon dating and Thermo-luminescence proves that the civilization existed between 9-32 millennia BC). The Sindhu civilization was based on the principles of ‘Sanatana Dharma’.

During this period, the citizens of Bharat Varsha भारत-वर्ष (Sanskrit word for the land of India), (the word ‘India’ is derived from ‘Indus’, which meant the inhabitants of Indus valley) acquired great knowledge and skills. After millennia of oral recitation and chanting of the hymns, the mantras and shlokas from Guru गुरु to Shishya शिष्य (Guru-disciple tradition) and one generation to the next, these were penned to be known as the Vedas वेद, Upanishads उपनिषद् , Puranas पुराण etc. as we know them today. The advancement and immense knowledge of the people of this civilization can only be marveled at with amazement today because the four Vedas, the Rig-Veda रिग-वेद, the Yajur-Veda यजुर-वेद, the Atharva-Veda अथर्व -वेद and the Sama-Veda साम-वेद , cover virtually every aspect of human life - from science and medicine to Yoga and meditation, from environment and economics to God and philosophy. In this era books were written on almost every subject and topic. All these were results of the way the people of this era and civilization lived – the Sanatana Dharma!

***

Most Hindus who practice their religion are unawares of the basics of their belief. Hinduism was not a religion when it originated; it was a way of life in the Sindhu-Saravati and the Indus civilizations and it evolved for many millennia before ‘Sindhu-ism’ came to being called as ‘Hinduism’ after the advent of other major religions like Judaism-यहूदी, Christianity-ईसाई, Buddhism-बौद्ध and Islam-इस्लाम. (Though people call Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism as religions, these are actually sects of ‘Sanatana Dharma’).

ॐ (Aum) or OM is the symbol
of God, Nature & Universe

The Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism), is as ancient as the history of mankind. The roots of this religion did not lie in books, they lay in the minds, in the memories, and these through divine visions of the great sages (Rishis-ऋषि) who meditated, discussed, conversed and debated about the basics and philosophy of human life and how it should be lived. Sanatana Dharma has existed since the first moment when mankind started to think about the complexities and various dimensions of life. As the archaeologists have proved, there were cities and civilizations on the northern and western coasts of India. These are proved to be as old as 32 millennia (mainstream archaeologists didn't think that any city existed in that era, but this was proved to be incorrect). However, these existed, and these were civilizations which lived by the principles of Sanatana Dharma. God Krishna quotes the Rig ऋग, Yajur यजुर and Sam साम -Vedas वेद in His sermon to Arjuna - अर्जुन proves that the Vedas existed long before His (Krishna) incarnation - Krishna-Avatar कृष्णावतार. Logically then, the Vedas are at least as old as 32 millennia.

These Vedas are an amalgamation of hymns and mantras which were chanted originally by the sages and Rishis-ऋषि (the great seers). These were passed on from the Gurus (teachers) to their Shishya's (disciples). Many millennia later these were compiled and written down in books, as we know them today. Maha Rishi Ved Vyasa महर्षि वेद व्यास is greatly credited for this. Though the actual ear when these were written is disputed, these are at least 9 millennia old.

THE BASIC

The Meaning of Sanatana-Dharma

Shri Ganesh

In this presentation I will only concentrate on the pure basics of Hinduism and the basic premise of the faith (or belief) on which Hinduism has survived and thrived for, over millennia.

The Sanatana-Dharma!

Firstly, we must know that no religious script of the Hindus mention the term ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hindutva’ or their meanings in any language. In Srimad-Bhagvatam or Ramayana, the Vedas or Puranas, or Upanishads, the term used for present day Hinduism is ‘Sanatana’. The scriptures provide ethics and moralities through which a human being should live a life. These form the core of Sanatana Dharma.

Sanatana Dharma has no edicts. It has a code of ethics, a way of living through which one may achieve moksha (liberation from the cycle of death and re-birth). It is the world’s most ancient culture and the social, spiritual, and religious tradition of almost one billion of the Earth’s inhabitants. Sanatana Dharma represents much more than just a religion; rather, it provides its followers with a worldview. It shows the way of life with coherent and rational view of reality.

The Nature is the finest example of the immanence, omnipresence,
and gift of 'Brahman'-The Supreme Soul- The ParamAatma

Sanatana Dharma, by its very essence, is a term that is devoid of sectarian leanings or ideological divisions. This is evident by the very term itself. The two words, “Sanatana Dharma”, come from the ancient Sanskrit language.

Sanatana Dharma represents a code of conduct and a value system that has spiritual freedom as its core. Any pathway or spiritual vision that accepts the spiritual freedom of others may be considered part of Sanatana Dharma.

Sanatana Dharma is 'Anadi' (without beginning) and 'Apaurusheya' अपौरुषेय (without a human founder). It is defined by the quest for cosmic and eternal truth, just as the quest for physical truth defines science. Its earliest record is the Rigveda, which is the record of ancient sages who by whatever means, tried to learn the truth about the universe, in relations to Man’s place in relation to the cosmos. They saw nature - including all living and non-living things - as part of the same cosmic equation, pervaded by higher consciousness. This search has no historical beginning; nor does it have a historical founder. This is not to say that the Rig Veda always existed as a literary work. It means that we cannot point to a particular time or person in history and say: “Before this man spoke, what is in the Rig Veda did not exist.”

“Sanatana” is a Sanskrit word that denotes that which is Anadi-(अनादी-without beginning), and Ananta-(अनंत-endless/eternal) and does not cease to be, that which is eternal and everlasting. In simple terms ‘Sanatana’ means ‘eternal’ or ‘perennial’, also ‘indestructible’.

Though this means it has no beginning and no end, it is only a part of the meaning. Of these, the most important is the meaning ‘the law of nature’.

Sanatana also has various other meanings. Here are some of the most important ones:

- Binding (or holding) together - the eternal path

- Eternal tradition - Philosophical

- Universal - Omnipresent

- Enduring - Natural

These are the key meanings which manifest themselves in the way the follower should be able to understand and act with the principles accordingly.

DHARMA, with its rich connotations, has no precise or accurate meaning in any language or tongue. The word Dharma is derived from Sanskrit word Dhri-(ध्री), meaning...holding together and also means 'sustaining'.It also loosely means “Natural Law,” or those principles of reality which are inherent in the very nature and design of the universe.

Like ‘Sanatana’, ‘Dharma’ too has various meanings and each has its own relevance and importance. In general perception the word is only understood as ‘duty’.

However, it has various other very important meanings and its variants in relation to our day to day activities.

The wheel of Dharma Chakra

at the center of this emblem of India, (the Ashoka lot)

The guides to ways of life

धर्म चक्र

‘Dharma’ is how we should be practicing and living our lives by following these principles:
-Justice - Truth - Morality -Teaching - Religion - Spirituality -Wisdom - Purity/piety (of soul)
-Knowledge - Harmony - Peace - Righteousness -Compassion - Duty (Dharma) and
-Conformity to the Divine.

The meanings of Dharma (duty) seem abstracts. However, all actions mentioned above are variants of the same word which become the edicts.

Both these words, ‘Sanatana’ and ‘Dharma’, each have various meanings to them and the combined meanings of the term ‘Sanatana-Dharma’ is realized only when it is understood in its totality.

What is Sanatana Dharma? It is Spiritual Democracy!
Sanatana Dharma is the route to follow one’s eternal duty and search for, and understand our spiritual identity and to learn to live according to its principles. This is the essence of the Vedic Literatures, philosophy and culture.

When the word ‘Sanatana’ merges with ‘Dharma’ it combines to form a term the meanings of which grow phenomenally to encompass a huge range of meanings.

The term "Sanatana-Dharma" can be roughly translated to mean “the natural, ancient and eternal way.”

‘Sanatana-Dharma’

God Krishna (भगवान श्री कृष्ण)
The Supreme form of God Vishnu's incarnation (avatar अवतार),
The Manifestation of Brahman ब्राह्मण

The Path to Sanatana Dharma

It has to be/can be followed on a path through:
- Meditation - Yoga
- Caring for all forms of life      - Be Just and Righteous
- Performing one’s duties - Being compassion
- Acquiring knowledge - Spreading knowledge
-  Respecting the elders - Respecting Nature

Following are the four most important principles:
• KAMA काम - Doing one’s Karma – (righteous acts)
• ARTH अर्थ   - earning money and using it for the benefit of others (including other living beings)
• DHARMA धर्म - Doing one’s Dharma – duty and responsibility to be carried out
• MOKSHA मोक्ष - (living one’s life so noble, it relieves himself from the cycle of life and re-birth)

Sanatana Dharma: is based on the ‘Vedic’ philosophies which stresses upon people to spiritually understand who they are. These are some important principles of Sanatana Dharma:

1. KNOWLEDGE - (Gyan-ज्ञान) To know about GOD-(ParamEishwar/Parmeshwar) परमेश्वर that He is:

- BRAHMAN ब्राह्मण - The Supreme Reality: He is the Supreme Being. He is the absolute truth and the
one who is the Supreme manifestation in every living being and non-living material. He is ‘Sat-Chit-Anand Vigrah’, सत्चिदानन्द विग्रह, The eternally blissful, The eternally beautiful, The eternally knowledgeable-सर्व-ज्ञानी and peaceful! He is ‘Omnipresent-सर्व-व्यापी’ and ‘Omnipotent-सर्व-शक्तिमान’

- Param-Aatma परमात्मा- The Supreme Soul: The One who is the only true existence in the Universe.

- BHAGWAN भगवान – The Supreme form of God: The one who can take any form and descends to Earth when His presence is required. He has appeared and will appear in many forms.

2. SCRIPTURES ग्रन्थ : To know, understand and follow the Scriptures of Knowledge: These are the basics of the spirituality of ‘Sanatana Dharma’.

The most important Scriptures are:

- The four Vedas: The Rig-Veda, The Sama-Veda, The Yajur-Veda and the Atharva-Veda!

- The 'Up-Vedas' उप -वेद

- The Upanishads उपनिषद्, (The Upanishads are one of the four divisions [Khands-खंड] of the Vedas)

- The Yoga-Sutras योग-सूत्र and other Puranic literatures

- The ‘Ramayana’ रामायण

- ‘The Maha-Bharata’ महा-भारत

- ‘The Bhagwad-Gita’ भागवद-गीता /‘Srimad-Bhagwatam’ श्रीमद-भग्वातम! (part of ‘The MahaBharata')

- The Hitopdesh हितोप्देश

- The Puranas पुराण

3. AVATAR अवतार: To know about the reasons for ‘Avatars’ (Incarnations) of The Supreme Being in various eras and forms like The Rama-Avatar रामवतार , The Krishna-Avatar कृष्णावतार , The Nataraja-Avatar नटराजव्तर, The Durga-Avatar दुर्गाव्तार etc.,

4. JEEVA जीव : The Spiritual Soul! To learn that our soul undergoes changes and is a result (or consequence) of our actions in our lifetime. Our soul (the Aatma आत्मा) is eternal and constantly in motion. It changes garb in various life forms depending upon our ‘Karma’ कर्म. The Vedas and other Literatures inspire and encourage us to search, understand and identify our ‘Karma-Kshetra’ कर्म-क्षेत्र (the field of Karma) bearing our circumstances.

5. GYANA ज्ञान : Knowledge! Sanatana Dharma encourages people to constantly seek and acquire
knowledge in every and all fields; such knowledge which should be beneficial to mankind and other forms of life. The knowledge should be spread, shared and taught where ever necessary. It also advises us to discuss and debate about our acquired knowledge with those who are knowledgeable in ‘Sat-sangas’ (communions) सत्संग . This helps us to understand with clarity and depth about the knowledge we have acquired.
This principle created the ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’ (Teacher-student tradition) and the ‘Guru-kul’ गुरुकुल schooling in ‘Ashrams’ आश्रम. By reading the scriptures and with the guidance of the ‘Guru’ and elders of the family the acquired knowledge is clearer because it is well understood.

Guru-Shishya Parampara
The Guru-Disciple tradition
(गुरु शिष्य परम्परा)

6. SPIRITUAL ELEVATION: This principle advises us to elevate ourselves spiritually to help us achieve the ultimate goal of achieving ‘Moksha-मोक्ष’. Spiritual elevation also helps us in understanding more about mankind and all other forms of life which helps us in becoming a better human being and compassionate towards all life forms. This can   be achieved through ‘Satsangas सत्संग (communion)’, open minded discussions, debates, deliberations and conversation with more knowledgeable. Reading of various Vedic scriptures is recommended. Spiritual enlightenment comes to us in the company of the learned and knowledgeable.With the knowledge we possess, we can elevate ourselves further through 'Meditation-‘Dhyaana’ ध्यान, ‘Yagna’-(ritual offerings) यग्न्य  and ‘Bhakti Yoga’-(being a devotee) भक्ति-योग etc.,

7.    KARMA (कर्म)- Actions! There are four stages of our life’s Karma. These are:

A. ‘Brahmacharya’ ब्रह्म्चर्य– celibacy! This should be maintained until adulthood, till one reaches the   secondary stage of Grihastha’

B. ‘Grihastha’ गृहस्थ-Having a family! Following the strict norms of family life is a must. This includes taking
care and attending to all necessities of the spouse, children, elders of the family (including the In-laws) and
fulfilling their requirements to the best of our ability without compromising on Vedic values and principles.
This stage has a huge importance and the ‘Grihastha’ life is compared to an ‘Ashram’ by the Vedas.

C. ‘Vanaprasth-वनप्रस्थ-Hermitage! This is ideally the third stage for a family person. In this stage the person
hands over the reins and responsibilities of family to the next generation and retires to a retreat (hermitage) to
spend his time on meditation and acquiring greater spiritual knowledge.

D. ‘Sanyas’ सन्यास'- Renunciation! This is the final stage of our life’s Karma. Here, the scriptures guide us to
renounce all our material wealth and relations and spend our last days in meditation of God. This stage helps
us in achieving the highest goal – Moksha मोक्ष.

8. DHARMA धर्म : The Duty! (Kindly check the chapter dedicated on 'Dharma' further down)

9. ARTHA अर्थ: The Meaning of Life! The 'essence' of life!
The principles of Artha are probably the most relevant in modern life. Here, the scriptures advise people to
enter ‘Grihastha’ life and generate wealth through honest means and use the wealth for the benefit of mankind and nature and all other living beings and also... Ecology and Environment.

10. MOKSHA मोक्ष: Freedom from the cycle of life, death and re-birth! This can be achieved through ‘Sanyas’ and ‘Yoga’ through transcendental meditation.

Moksha is the ultimate goal of the Sanatana Dharma.

Other Principles in SANATANA DHARMA

- The Santana Dharma is a Vedic ‘way of life’. It is the foundation of our way of life and urges us to search for the reason for our existence

- The soul is eternal. It transmigrates and is in constant state of transition even as it inhabits our body

- The Sanatana Dharma adds the highest value to the Soul. It treats all souls as equals excluding none

- The Sanatana Dharma is the Universal spirit of truth and always endeavors to acquire greater knowledge in search of truth

- All living beings have equal right and must get equal opportunity to live in peace, and co-exist. There are no exclusions. Circumstances not withstanding, people of all skin texture, background, caste, creed etc. have equal rights and equal

- All life forms are part of the eternal truth and they combine to become like one family. All these should be respected.

- Every human being has an eternal right to practice spirituality as they deem fit. Every person also has an eternal right to reject any form of practice and there should not be any force, inducement, conversion nor should there be any propagation even in religious activity.

- The Sanatana Dharma gives right to every individual to his personal choice of the route he/she wishes to practice in order to attain spirituality

- Sanatana Dharma is God-centered rather than prophet-centered

- It is experience based rather than belief based

- Beyond any historical date of founding

- The process of growth, which comes from the seed

- Inherent in, and inclusive of all

- In the world, while above the world

- Both immanent and transcendent

- The whole and the parts

- Loving of all and excluding of none.

DHARMA

The Sanatana Dharma has some guidelines which must be followed:

1. DHRITI धृति   *Kindly check below.
2. KSHAMA क्षमा        - Forgiveness
3. DHARMA धर्म - In all aspects the Duty must be performed
4. ASTEYA अस्तेय - Refraining from any evil act like stealing, cheating etc.,
5. SOCH सोच - Thought process: It should be positive and full of pious / good thoughts
6. INDRANIGRIH इन्द्रनिगृह   - Controlling of all senses
7. AKRODH अक्रोध   - Absence of anger
8. DAAN दान   - Donations to the needy
9. ARTHA अर्थ   - Kindly see below*
10. YOGA योग - Meditation and exercise (medical and physical)

In Sanatana Dharma these are the codes of Conduct:

The YAMAs यम - (for Internal Purity)

- SATYA सत्य (Truth): in every way conceivable

- AHIMSA अहिंसा (Non-violence): Violence should be last resort and used only when all other options have

exhausted

- ASTEYA अस्तेय (Refraining from evil/vices like cheating, thieving etc.,

- BRAHMACHARYA ब्रहमचर्य (Celibacy)

- APARI-GRAH अपरिगृह : No selfish accumulation of wealth or accumulation through improper means

The NIYAMAS नीयम (for External Purity):

- SWACHCH स्वच्छ (Purity/cleanliness) of Soul

- TAPAS तपस (Austerity)

- SANTOSH संतोष (Satisfaction/Contentment)

- SWA-JAI स्वजय (Study of the Vedic scriptures)

- SNEH स्नेह (Affection and compassion) for all forms of life

The General Principles of Sanatana Dharma

• Sanatana Dharma recognizes that the greater portion of human religious aspiration has always been unknown, undefined, and outside of any institutionalized belief.

• The universal flow of Dharma, regardless of what name you call it, whether Dharma or some other name, has eternally existed. It has been before any of the great teachers were born. It is not better than, or alternative to, but is inclusive of all. Dharma is that out of which our earth and humanity itself emerged. Dharma not only is, but always was, and always will be. To live in alignment with, and to know the true nature of that Sanatana Dharma is one of the ways of describing the higher goal of life.

• Sanatana Dharma thereby gives reverence to individual spiritual experience over any formal religious doctrine. Wherever the Universal Truth is manifest, there is Sanatana Dharma — whether it is in a field of religion, art or science, or in the life of a person or community. Wherever the Universal Truth is not recognized, or is scaled down and limited to a particular group, book or person, even if done so in the name of God, there Sanatana Dharma ceases to function, whatever the activity is called.

• Sanatana Dharma comprises of spiritual laws which govern the human existence. Sanatana Dharma is to human life what natural laws are to the physical phenomena. Just as the phenomena of gravitation existed before it was discovered, the spiritual laws of life are eternal laws which existed before they were discovered by the ancient rishis (sages) for the present age during the Vedic period. Sanatana Dharma declares that something cannot come out of nothing and, therefore, the universe itself is the manifestation of the Divine being.

• Since Sanatana Dharma is referring to those ways of being which are in concert with the Absolute, and are therefore axiomatic laws, this term is not referring to something which is open to alteration. Just as the laws of gravity, mathematics or logic are not open to sectarian debate or relative opinion (gravity, for example, is an inherent law of nature regardless of whether one believes in the law of gravity or not), similarly the subtle laws of God transcend all partisan concerns.

• The world is made up of three tendencies called gunas: sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Sattvic tendencies are those that are pure, clean, good, wholesome, calming, and peaceful. Rajasic tendencies are those that are active, moving, indecisive, and forceful. Tamasic tendencies are those that are inert, lazy, dull, and dark. If it were not for these three tendencies, we would not exist. Everything is a mixture of them. Even a saint, who is primarily sattvic, has some level of rajas and tamas in him/her, however small.

• Sanatan Dharma makes use of yoga as the means to attain moksha (God-realization). Yoga has been poorly translated to mean “union”. It does mean “union”, but that is a poor definition because it encompasses so much more. Yoga is the union with Brahman (Absolute God). Yoga is also the means to achieving union with Brahman. Therefore, the word yoga is not merely a statement of union, but it encompasses the actual experience of liberation.

Conclusion:

I wish to have a peaceful and satisfactory life and for that I am working my way there through the path I have chosen. I have chosen the simple route… I follow the principles of Sanatana Dharma.

HARI OM !
~ हरि ॐ ~

This was a humble presentation and I hope it helps you understand the concept of Sanatana Dharma. I am far from being perfect in knowledge so I do have my restrictions in many aspects of the faith I follow. Any comment or query is welcome.

Readers are requested to kindly post their comments. Thank you!

Siddharth S. Sinha

सिद्धार्थ स. सिन्हा

ssselan@yahoo.in