by Tirtha Acharya | May 18, 2021 | Spirituals
Veda- The Oldest Scriptures of Hinduism
What is Veda
The Vedas (Sanskrit- वेदः vedaḥ) which means “knowledge, wisdom”, are main eastern religious scriptures originating within the territory of ancient Nepal and India. They are the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Vedic texts forge the most ancient Sanskrit literature. Vedas contain the depth and fundamental knowledge regarding to the prime cause of, function of, and individual reaction to supreme entity.
Vedas are also known as śruti (“what is heard”), which are different from smṛti (“what is remembered”). People regard the Vedas to be apauruṣeya, ie “not of a human, superhuman”. Vedas are believed to be “authorless, impersonal”, manifestation of sacred syllable, sound of God and divine texts experienced by primitive yogis during accomplished meditation.
The term véda is derivated from the root vid which means “to know”. It has some similar meanings with the Proto-Indo-European root u̯eid-, meaning “know” or “see”. The homonymic singular perfect tense, 1st and 3rd person véda, associated to Greek (ϝ)οἶδα (w)oida “I know”. In south India, Vedas are also called Maṛai or Vaymoli. Marai literally means “hidden, a secret, mystery”. According to the hymn of Rig Veda at 10.93.11, “veda” means “obtaining or getting wealth, property”. Similarly the term also means “a bunch of grass together” for ceremony or as in a swab.
Types of Veda, Origin and History
There are four Vedas with special knowledge for the mankind:
I. The Rigveda (Sanskrit- ऋग्वेद) : It is the oldest known Veda with a large collection of hymns in praise of the gods, which are chanted in various rituals. It has Verses of 10,552 mantras and chapters 10 mandalas. It was originated in the period c. 1500–1200 BCE, while rest of the Vedas during 1200–900 BCE.
II. Samaveda (Sanskrit- सामवेद): It is the knowledge about melodies, songs, melodies and music. It is a vedic liturgical scripture with 1,549 verses.
III. The Yajurveda (Sanskrit- यजुर्वेदः) : It is about recitations, methodology of ritual worship, mantras formulas, chants outright embrace in worship services.
IV. The Atharvaveda ( Sankrit- अथर्ववेदः): The term “Atharva” means “knowledge”. It is the youngest among the vedas. It is the of atharvāṇas knowlwdge where the rules for everyday life is are provided. It has 20 chapters in kāṇḍas, 5,977 mantras. It was originated in the period c. 1000–900 BCE.
Each Veda has four subsectors
a) the Samhitas (literally- put together, union, join): They are collection of mantras, hymns litanies, prayers, and benediction.
b) the Aranyakas: They are composed in Sanskrit 700 BC, related with rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolic-sacrifices. The Aranyakas talks on mystical and philosophical aspects and explications of esoteric rites.
c) the Brahmanas: They are about ceremonies, rituals, and sacrifices,
d) the Upanishads: The discuss about meditation, philosophy and spirituality.
Some learned consider the fifth subsector – the Upasanas (worship).
Importance of Vedic Texts
Since the Vedas are the Source of knowledge both scientific and spiritual, also mundane and heavenly, they are the eye and light for life.
- Vedas teach the way of life, rules, and regulations in life- like what is to be done and what should be avoided.
- They teach methodologies, process, and ways about various mantras, chanting, devotion, yoga, spiritual practices, rituals, rites, traditions. You will find about heaven and hell, attainment of heaven with good deeds, and hell with bad deeds.
- One will understand what is to be done and what is to be avoided; what is right and what is wrong, etc.
- Vedas are the source of all the scientific development like automobiles, aeronautics, engineering, engines, building, constructions, etc.
- Vedas are the source of knowledge about art, music, songs, tune, melody, dance, etc.
- The root of the medical science, surgery, Ayurvedic and herbal medicine, treatment, healthy habits, etc. are the Vedas.
- Vedas are the science to predict the future, perfect life in the present, knowledge through the past.
- They have taught about marriage, sex, pregnancy, delivery, male and female role, characteristic of baby etc.
- The knowledge regarding astrology, astronomy, Geology, Biology, Zoology, etc. are found in Vedas.
- Vedas teaches about the law of Karma, the law of nature, and life.
Importance of Vedic mantra
- When Vedic mantras are chanted with full concentration and with correct pronunciation, it changes own spiritual energy and universal energy.
- Vedic mantras are part of every occasion and the ceremony of the Hindus such as- marriages, at the beginning of important work, rituals of newborn, rituals of Vratabanda, rituals at death, etc. for making them successful.
- Mantra creates a marvelous vibration that brings a unique change in the environment in various situations. It expurgates negativity and welcomes positivity.
- Mantras have the capacity to bring divine power, siddhis. It connects with the supreme power.
- It syncs the practitioner with the universal energy through which power to enfold and penetrate each and every living and the non-living things in the universe will arise.
- Mantra chanting awakens complete health. It releases stress, tension, sufferings, disorders, etc. you healthy. Mantras keep you peaceful add calm.
- Vedic mantras are helpful to attain the goals.
- Mantras create healing energies for the self and others.
- Vedic mantras are also practiced for material desires like wealth, prosperity, social power, etc. The mantra chanting with devotion brings protection, security, success, love, enjoyment, pleasure and happiness.
Study and teaching of Vedas
The teaching and study of Vedas, and their transmission has been assumed since the 2nd millennium BCE with the help of elaborate mnemonic techniques. There was “Guru-sishya parampara” ie “the tradition of teacher- disciple” where disciple used to stay in with Guru (teacher) with full of devotion and service for Guru.
There are unlimited knowledge and information in Vedas. The most ancient part of the Vedas are mantras which are recited in the present age for phonology and semantics. Their phonology are treated to be “primordial rhythms of creation”, and pronounced through the mouth of God. Vedas recitation regenerates the cosmos which inspirits and cherish the forms of creation at their foundation.”
The several Eastern philosophies and Hindu delineations have taken distinguishing stands on the Vedas; schools of Vedic philosophy that enter upon the primordial authorization of the Vedas are deal out as “orthodox” (āstika). While some śramaṇa traditions, like Ajivika, Buddhism, Carvaka, Jainism, Lokayata, which consider the Vedas in various ways.
by Tirtha Acharya | Oct 12, 2018 | Spirituals
Loving the self is to respect and accept the self the way you are. If you don’t hurt yourself for the sake of getting love from others, you love yourself. If you don’t think against your mind and body, you love yourself. When you love yourself and others, when you don’t attach to others, you love yourself. When you find the real satisfaction in your life, you love yourself.
Loving the self is not an easy task but it is not impossible if we really want to change ourselves. The most important fact of the world is that people are searching love outside. They want to be happy and successful by finding someone in their life, finding love from other people. But the irony is that they invite more problems in their life in the quest of problem-solving. Is there any solution to this problem? Yes, the real solution to this so-called problem is, loving the self.
Then, there is the question “Do you love yourself?” Someone can give the answer to this question easily, “Why not. Every one of the world loves themselves”. But the reality is different because most of the people don’t understand the meaning of loving the self. They are unable to find the real source of love, the real taste of love and the real beauty of love.
Loving to self is to love you as well as your friends, family, and relatives. When you focus on giving love to others then remember that you love yourself. When you can love yourself, you have enough love to give others. Most of the people of the world ask love to others because they feel the lack of love. If you can produce love within, you can be rich with a lot of love and you can distribute that love whoever needs it.
The most dangerous problem of the people of the world is the feeling of lack of love. They don’t find the ocean of love inside and they search the drop of love outside. By the lack of love, they feel alone in their life. They are retarded from their life. If they can find the love inside, they really thank their life and live happily. It is unworthy to be sad by the feeling of rejection. We have to be the source of love to the people.
To love the self, we have to be the source of love. Our heart is really a source of love but we have to open our heart. There is an unlimited amount of love within us and we can give love to others as much as we want. We should be the healer of the people of their loneliness. We have to make them understand to find the love within them.
Ego is the main barrier to realizing the love within. We have to overcome our ego first to find the source of love within. Our real nature is love, our real being is love. We are the product of love and we have the capacity to product love every time. It is a saying that love is God and that is right because love brings us to the level of God. Love is the quality which leads us to a very high position.
Real love can give us all the satisfaction in our life, all the positive situation in our life. But most of the people don’t understand what the real love is. Fake love is ruling this world and most of the people of this world think that there is the existence of fake love. The pure love cannot be found. The real love can be found inside. If we feel the love inside, we start to give love to the people.
We have the illusion that we love ourselves but in reality, we seek the love and we feel the lack of love in our life. There is a way to get love from others. The way is to give love to the people. Whatever we give to others we get back the abundant amount of that particular thing. To get love back, we have to learn to give love first.
If we love ourselves, we are never betrayed by others because we don’t aspect anything from others. We focus on giving love not getting love. We can make others happy by giving love without any expectation. We never blame others for our misfortune. We never keep enmity with anybody. Our life becomes a blessing if we really love ourselves. Our life becomes very easy and happy by loving to the self.
We can see that people hurt themselves if they don’t get the person they like. They do so because they don’t love themselves. They want to show their ego harming themselves. Harming the self is not the sign of loving someone because it is the sign of not loving the self. Self-love uplifts us into the higher level where we cannot find any discrimination in any form.
Who loves the self; he or she is satisfied with the life he or she has. Self-love gives you the broader level of understanding. The understanding makes you a real human being. Love is the Godly good quality which can give us the chance to experience the heaven in this world.
Loving ourselves is not to harm us from inside and outside source. If we claim that we love ourselves, we don’t give others to be dominant in our life. We love and respect equally others as we love and respect us. We don’t condemn us and others for our bad situation. We accept the situation and move ahead to the positive path.
If we love ourselves, we forgive ourselves and others for everything. We don’t indulge in the past, we utilize the present moment. We become proactive rather than reactive if we can love ourselves. Loving the self is the completeness of life.
Loving is accepting, accepting is to satisfying, satisfying is having the abundant amount of everything. Love is the combination of all the positive feelings. Love is the extreme point of positivity. Love demands nothing and love have the capacity to provide everything. Love can win the heart of everyone. Loving the self is the best way of living in this world.
by Tirtha Acharya | Oct 11, 2018 | Spirituals
Does Spiritual growth by Yoga is possible? Yes, Nepal Yoga Home Provides the package called “Spiritual growth by Yoga” Where you can learn how yoga teaches you to be a spiritual person.
The goal of yoga is to help a person to get enlightened in life. Yoga is the way of spiritual growth to the higher level. Yoga inspires you to live a spiritual life with our daily activities. Nepal Yoga Home is the best platform to learn how to live a spiritual life in this world. Spiritual growth is the most important in your life if you want to have a wonderful life without any stress. This is the practice of living life without the feeling of insufficiency. Spiritual life is the solution of this generation which has been heading towards nowhere, has no any hope.
To generate hope in human life, spirituality is the best medium. Spirituality is the real hope of humanity on the earth. To save humanity on the earth, we must spread the knowledge of spirituality all over the world. We can establish a very beautiful way of life after attending Spiritual Growth by Yoga in Nepal Yoga Home because it teaches you the spiritual lifestyle for spiritual growth. Spiritual growth helps you to be happy and healthy in your life.
Why should you grow spiritually?
Man is a mostly spiritual being because he is the most intelligent creature in this universe. Only a human can achieve enlightenment in this world. Human has the responsibility to save this earth by growing his consciousness. Human should develop his consciousness in this earth through the spiritual upliftment. Spirituality helps in the conservation of the environment and thousands of rare species of the world. Spirituality is the solution to every problem which is facing by the present human civilization. Spirituality should be the new civilization in this world to protect the carrying capacity.
Spiritual growth by yoga gives you everything, the first and most important thing is the satisfaction in life. You can achieve the most beautiful gift in your life with the help of satisfaction. Satisfaction brings you the happiness and health in your life. Satisfaction can make your life very easy in every sector. You will experience the bliss of heaven on this earth when you satisfy with your life as it is. The desire of getting more and more is the reason for sadness and worries in your life. You will have a pure heart and you can connect with a beautiful heart in this world through spirituality. Spirituality is only the answer of restlessness of the mind. If you cannot see the meaning of life, spiritual gives the exact meaning of life.
Nepal is the country where the people have been practised spiritual living as their culture. Every cultural function has been affected by the spiritual touch, so spirituality has become the most common way of living. Therefore, Nepal can be the best destination to have the wonderful experience of yoga and other spiritual activities for your spiritual growth. Spiritual growth matters in your day to day life. You can enjoy your job after your visit to Nepal for the journey of spiritual growth.
When you apply spiritual lifestyle in your life, your day starts with the beautiful thought of hope and your day ends with the deep relaxation. You can achieve the most effective way of living which leads your life to great achievement in the field of spirituality. You can become patient whatever happens in your life after you practice more and more. Your life can achieve the most amazing way of happiness and health with the full of enthusiasm and encouragement.
Spirituality is the alternative way of living which can give you everything to satisfy your mind. If your mind becomes satisfied, you can be happy at any level of your life. Spirituality can create a beautiful world which can promote humanity. When humanity grows up in this world, this world will be able to sustain longer.
by Tirtha Acharya | Apr 23, 2018 | Spirituals
Duties in Bhagawat Geeta are explained practically. A sacred, experimental, practical and scientific text, The Bhagawat Geeta, reveals all the aspects of life and beyond life; the entire dimension of the world and beyond the world. Let us go through the types of duties that are determined for an individual according to nature and innate quality. Nowadays psychologists, motivators, guru, philosopher etc. suggest an individual perform the work as per the innate nature. This thing was already mentioned in Bhagawat Geeta 5000 years ago.
The fortieth verse of the eighteenth chapter says that there is no being on the earth or in another planetary system without some modes of the material world. Even demigod or god or another form of a creature of the higher world has some particular nature for the physical world. Due to these modes, people perform the various action; so, duties in Bhagawat Geeta has necessarily explained. Succeeding verse number 41 says that the caste of the people (Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, or Sudra) is distinguished by their work or natural qualities or modes of nature. Thus, caste is not the determined due to birth but the innate natural quality determines the caste. Verse forty-two says that some people have the qualities like – peacefulness, suzerainty of the mind and sense, self-control, austerity- facing all the difficulties to perform sacred obligations, forgiveness, honesty, external and internal purity, simplicity of mind, sense and behavior, belief in the true scriptures, god, life after death etc., study and teaching of Vedas and scriptures, wisdom, knowledge, realization of truth and God are regarded as Brahman quality. Succeeding verse, forty-three number states that the Kshatriya consists the natural qualities like- brevity, heroism, majesty, power, authority, determination diligence and courage in battle, offering gifts leadership etc. Verse 44- Agriculture, cattle raising, trade, and business are the nature of work for Vaisyas; and Sudras’ nature is labor and service to others. Thus, the scripture says no work is greater and no work is smaller.
According to the explanation of duties in Bhagawat Geeta, the works or duties are distributed according to the qualities they possess, not by birth. All types of duties are equally important. It doesn’t talk about untouchability. These false beliefs are created human itself. Caste, in fact, is not the matter to determine by following the parents. Caste is the product of characteristics, nature, and habits of an individual. So, there is no higher caste and lower caste. All castes are equally important. Verse 45- By performing his qualities of work (skillfully and sincerely), everyone can become perfect. Thus, to achieve perfectness, one need not do this or that; following one’s nature is sufficient. There is the guideline- how to perform the duty. Verse 46- In the performance of the duty man should worship the Lord (who is the origin of all beings, omnipresent) to attain the perfection. He should regard the duty as worship, or as a prayer. He needs to offer both the process and result in the lord. Verse 47- It is better to sign on in own natural duty determined by our character; even though deprived of the good attribute, than the duty of another well-done; for, executing the duty dictated by own innate nature, man does not undergo sin. Chapter 3, verse 35 says-It is better to do one’s spontaneous duty followed by innate quality, though devoid of merits, than to perform another’s prescribed task, though perfectly. Concretely, it is spanking to die in the performance of one’s duty than to propel in another’s path as another’s path is full of danger for one. It means to say death is far more beautiful while performing the natural duty faithfully than to remain alive by doing others’ duty which is unnatural and unfit able for one. Unnatural works just degrade one’s quality.
There is only natural work which enhances the human progress and consciousness. One should not generate greed on others’ duty which seems better. Chapter 18, Verse 48- Every effort is beset by some evil, as fire is veiled by smoke; therefore, one should not forsake one’s endogenous duty even though it contains full of evil. It is clear that no work is free from defects, so it is not reasonable to relinquish innate duty and follow another’s duty which is abnormal for one. Chapter 18, verse 49- One should control self, be unattached everywhere disregarding the material things and material enjoyments, this takes one to the consummation of actionlessness. This is also called the supreme perfectional stage of renunciation. It is the stage of freedom from action and reaction.
“Duties in Bhagawat Geeta” is a clear-cut view to perform duties efficiently. Human is born with different qualities. Each quality is equally important to make the world complete and perfect. Different types of attributes of people are necessary for different sectors of the world. There are no people at all without at least one type of aptitude. Nature provides the at least one skill or ability. The innate aptitude determines the casteism. So, it is not necessary that parents and children belong to the same caste. It also happens that people belong to more than one caste. For example- a person has skill on agriculture and naturally concentrates on the study of scriptures; thus, his caste is Brahman-Vaisya. Sometimes, it happens that a person is 70% Kshetriya and 30 Sudra. Maybe a person can belong to three castes at a time; perhaps the ratio of those castes is different. Whichever the quality the person possesses at the highest level, that type of quality one must perform. Thus, there is no role to determine the race or caste due to skin color they have, or from the parent’s heredity. People are suggested to do the duty according to natural skill; from that their caste system is appraised.
As the person carries out his own duty sincerely, generating no greed and attachment; offering everything (process to result) to the lord, man achieved the supreme knowledge. The regular worship of the lord with one’s natural duty, he reveals the reality. Worship to lord through natural duty means serving all people through the duty with the mind dedicating for the welfare of all. When more and more people start getting advantages through his duty, he finds the path of happiness, blissfulness, and truth. Thus “duties in Bhagawat Geeta” makes the person wise to act in this world and apart from this physical world.
you may like the post: Equanimity in Bhagawat Geeta-Part I and Equanimity in Bhagawat Geeta Part-II
