Miscellaneous - Religion   

Import of the Vedas

CHENNAI: It is believed that the Vedas are the breath of the Supreme Being and were revealed to the seers who were attuned to the revelations. They are hence not in the nature of written texts in their original form. The subtle truths in them remain beyond the grasp of human effort. The earlier sections of the Vedas are comprehensive and contain information on a variety of topics including accurate descriptions of the universe and its mysteries. The later sections, known as the Upanishads, represent the collective thoughts of the seers and are dedicated to the exploration of Self Knowledge.

In a lecture, Swami Mitrananda drew attention to the fact of that the Bhagavad Gita is as esoteric as the Upanishads, for herein Lord Krishna teaches the essential value of human birth as a means to attain salvation through the effort to know the Self. In the manner of the teaching in the Upanishads where there is direct interaction between the Guru and the disciple, Lord Krishna readily answers the questions of Arjuna, allays his fears and clarifies his doubts with regard to practical exigencies as well as the long term goal of salvation. Vasanas are latent impressions in one’s consciousness and continue to influence the life of the Jivatma through the cycle of births. They manifest as desires in the mind and try to find fulfilment through the body (senses), mind and intellect — the agents that are responsible for experiencing the worldly objects. The body perceives the objects, the mind feels the emotions, and the intellect thinks. When the physical presence dominates, the individual identifies with his form, name and attributes rather that the Self.

Because of Vasanas, the truth that the individual’s permanent identity is only the Self is lost in the more viable physical attributes. This is how the ego assumes predominance in an individual and masks the true nature of the Self. Lord Krishna reiterates the truth of the immortal Self and the ever changing aspect of the physical and material world. It may be possible to talk of the truth of the Self in theoretical terms but its value lies only when it is experienced individually by each one. This truth has to be an internalised experience of reality.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword No. 9381
Solution No. 9380
Import of the Vedas
dated November 18, 1958: Coup in Sudan
dated November 18, 1958: Indo-Soviet trade
dated November 18, 1958: “Drunken place”
Weather

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu