The Importance Of Sandhyavandana

Brahmanas and other traivarnika males who have undergone upanayana and wearing
yagnyopaveeta are expected to do three times sandhyavandana, everyday and also
perform other prescribed religious / spiritual activities like vaishwadeva,
and pancha maha yagnya which are considered as nitya karma or daily activities.

Sandhyavandana as a Nitya karma is a duty that they are supposed to do for the good
of the world. There is no personal or individual benefit arising from this activity. Or it
can be said that the individual good is included in the universal good that results from
these activities. So they don't get any puNya or merit for doing this. But they accumulate
pratyavAya papa or (sin for non-performance) when they do not perform these nitya
karma. This is similar to the traffic rules. There is no tangible reward for following
the traffic rules. But there is punishment for not following it.

Every Veda mantra has a Rishi (Seer), Chandas (metre) and Devata (deity).
By the proper performance of Sandhyavandana and other Nitya karmas all the Rishis,
Chandas and Devatas who are the spirit souls behind every entity in nature are worshiped
and humble offering of holy water is made to all devatas and the supreme Brahman
residing in the Sun. This is followed by japa or mental repetition of Gayatri mantra, which
is a plural mantra that brings good to the person meditating as well as all those associated
with him. Finally it is concluded with the chanting of mantras for the good of all. All these
chanting, offerings and meditations are actually made on behalf of all humans and in return
devatas bless humans with proper and timely rains, harvest and material sumptuousness
which benefits the entire society. This is called dharma chakra or the wheel of dharma which
should be kept in motion through performance of prescribed duties and Nitya karma.
This is explicitly taught in the Bhagavad Gita, which involves mutual recognition, respect
and service based on pure love that obtains between devatas and humans. The importance
and respect for Brahmanas in the society is solely because of this and nothing else. The effect
or results of the nitya karma performed by brAhmanNAs is reaped by all, in the form of
proper rains and harvest and all the sumptuousness in nature. The rest of the society is
therefore expected to take care of Brahmanas and provide for their needs thereby indirectly
participating in their nityakarma.

Dharma or religion which is a journey towards spiritual perfection is always two fold.
The first one is to serve the world according to one's capacity which goes by the name
of Pravrutti and the second is to withdraw oneself and meditate or worship the indwelling
God/Brahman through pure Bhakti, which goes by the name of Nivrutti. Both Pravrutti
and Nivrutti form one holistic path of Dharma for all humans. While Nivrutti is common
for all, Pravrutti is different according one's nature and capability.

Q: What is the reason for restricting women and sudras from doing sandhyavandana?

A: As already explained in the Vedic Hindu view pravrutti dharma varies according to one's
varna and gender but Nivrutti dharma is the same for all. Performance of prescribed pravrutti
dharma gives the eligibility to engage in nivrutti dharma.

Sandhyavandana and Nitya karma is the pravrutti dharma prescribed for traivarnika males.
That alone gives them the eligibility to engage in the Nivrutti dharma or pure bhakti through
service to a realized Guru and the supreme God or Ishwara.

On the other hand, Women and Sudras are exempted from the performance of sandhyavandana
and niyta karmas and they are eligible to directly engage in Nivrutti or pure bhakti. Great
examples like Shabari, DharmavyAdha, Vidhura and so on can be given from scriptures like
Ramayana and Mahabharata.

There is philosophical reason also to support this difference in pravrutti darma. From the
Vishishtadvaitic point of view the Supreme God, nArAyaNa is the spirit Soul/Self who
pervades the entire universe of jiva (individual self) and jada (matter) and indwells in it,
just like every individual soul/self that pervades and indwells in the body. Every part of the
body is different and has its own duty or function. But the purpose of all is to serve the
indwelling being.

Similarly, as the entire society and the universe is the body of Narayana, every individual
who forms a part of the universal body of God has it's own duty according to its nature
and capability. Thus the duty of a Brahmana and others differs but ultimately they all
culminate in the service of Narayana.

So good natured or sattvic Women and Sudras in the world could be considered as realized
souls who are eligible to directly engage in Bhakti or loving service to Narayana. It is said
that pure jnana/bhakti/vairagya/love for Narayana arises only through sincere study of Vedas
under an able Acharya/teacher. Accordingly all pious Women and Sudras, in their previous
lives, would have born as traivarnika males and sincerely completed Vedic studies and
performed their prescribed duties or Nitya karma.

As already mentioned Traivarnika males do not get any individual merits or Punya for the
performance of Sandhyavandana. They only accrue sin if they do not do it. Women and
Sudras are totally unaffected by this. Also the benefits of Nitya karma is reaped by all as
already explained.

More details are available in in the blog: Women and Sudras.

So this is not a discrimination as many half baked pseudo scholars want us to believe.

Q: In countries other than India there are no Traivarinika males and so no Sandhyavandana
or Nitya karma happens there. But still they get rains and harvest. So how credible is this
belief? What is the guarantee that Devatas exist behind the workings of nature?

A: It can be said that performance of sandhyavandana by traivarnika males in India
is bringing proper rains and harvest in India and even outside as needed. Veda mantras
bring good for all the three worlds of - gods, humans and sub-human.

Hindu view of existence of devatas behind all entities in nature is based on the belief in
the Vedas. Why should one accept Vedas while there are so many other scriptures in the
world? This itself is a huge topic and is discussed in detail in the following blogs:

1. Authentic Scripture
2. Validity of Vedas

Also for those who want to think independently, here are some thoughts:

Every human experience involves the following three entities:

 1) subject/seer/enjoyer/conscious self
 2) object/seen/enjoyed/matter
 3) The relationship or the third entity or devata that oversees and unites them.

Every perception or experience involves the coming together of the conscious self and matter.
The need for a devata or divinity as a third entity arises to explain the union of the conscious
self (purusha) and matter (prakriti) as they are two distinct and separate entities. This third entity
that unites all is recognized as God or the supreme Ishwara or Brahman who pervades and indwells
in the entire world of subject and object. As there are many entities in nature, that one all
pervading God is said to manifest as many devatas who are the controlling divinities operating
behind every particular sense organs and their corresponding sense objects in nature.

Thus every entity in nature stands for a particular god/devata and the universe as a whole is
the manifestation of that One supreme God or Brahman. These devatas also exist in all of us
as divinities who oversee and enable the functionalities of all the sense organs. As all kinds
of material sumptuousness is a blessing from these divinities, there is great a need for humans
to recognize and worship them as a gesture of thankfulness. Thus all Nitya karmas are essentially thanks giving acts for the favors received by the devatas.

Thus engaging in Nityakarma which is nothing but service to the universe according to one's
nature and capability culminates in the service of indwelling God. The benefit of this selfless
service is reaped by all.

Hope this provides some level of credibility to all pious Hindus who would like to engage in
their sva-dharma in the form of Sandhyavandana and other Nitya karma.

Namaste
Suresh

Samskritam, the language of the Universe

The central teaching of Vedas is that the Brahman or God is the absolute
truth that abides in all as the inner Self. This absolute Brahman shines in
every particular entity sentient or insentient and also in the entire
universe as a whole. It is the source of all existence, consciousness
and bliss.

From this it follows that every particular countless entities and also the
entire universe is the body of God or Brahman who pervades and supports
them all. Thus Brahman as the indwelling Self in all the many name/forms is,
many and as the Self of the universe as a whole, is one. As Brahman is everywhere
it always remains as the origin, abode and destination of all name/forms.

Thus through sAmanAdhikaranya or concomitant coordination, God alone is
identified through all names and forms. Similar to how the Self alone is
identified through the body.

The relationship of body-self is also the same as word-meaning. The entire
universe is thus the manifestation of Vedic words. The entire world cognized
or experienced in the waking, dreaming and deep sleep state is denoted by the
letters A, U and M respectively, forming the sacred syllable OM. All the 33
letters of Samskritam are contained in the single syllable of OM. Each of the 33
letters in Samskritam denotes a reality and the indwelling devata who is the
controlling deity of that reality. The combined single syllable OM denotes the
supreme God, Brahman.

It can also be said that all sounds that humans can produce falls within the
three letters of A, U and M, that spans from the root of belly to the tip of
lips. It also has the silent syllable, denoting the deep sleep or Tureeya state.
All other languages, so called "vernaculars" or otherwise, are mere reflections
or sub-set of Samskritam, which always remains as the mother of all.

So the entire universe is made of the sound of Vedas or Sanskrit which is the
body or manifestation of Brahman or God who pervades and indwells in it
as the Soul or Self.

No other language in the world has this kind of Spiritual origin and universal
structure. Thus Vedas or Samskritam, is the language of God who is the spirit
Self or the Soul of the entire universe.

Everything in Samskritam is etymological. The word Samskritam itself means
 "that which is purified and has the ability to purify". So all humans who would
like to purify themselves must learn Samskritam, before leaving this world.

Namaste
Suresh

Brahman or God as the Material Cause

The Sad vidya explicitly states that Brahman alone was there in the
beginning and the world of name/forms arises from that Brahman. Many
examples like gold-ornaments, mud-pot and so on are given to illustrate
the same. This establishes that  Brahman is the material cause of the
entire world of name/forms.

The mantra - vacharambhanam vikaro namadheyam mrittiketyeva satyam
supports the fact that Brahman is the reality behind all name/forms.

Here Both V.Advaita and Advaita accept that Brahman is the efficient and
material cause of the world in the form of the Self that pervades all
name/forms. In Advaita, ultimately Brahman alone as the individual Self is real
and as the world of name/forms undergoes vikara or change, is unreal.
In V.Advaita the world of name/forms is real in the form of the body that
undergoes vikara, and Brahman as the Self indwells/supports/controls and
provides existence to the body and therefore is efficient and material cause.

But in Dvaita, Brahman is accepted only as the efficient cause for the world.
Material causality of Brahman is not accepted. So the word vikara is interpreted
as words from other languages that are supposed to be false or mithya as opposed
to the samskrit word mrittika which is always satya. The reason is samskrit
words are not just based on usage or rudi but they are etymological.
Another reason could be that all samskrit or vedic words have their
origin, existence and destination in the all pervading and indwelling
Brahman. This is a very interesting interpretation as it brings out the
eternal nature of samskrit words which also helps to establish the
eternal nature of Vedas as opposed to other scriptures. Though Brahman
is not explicitly accepted as the material cause of the world in Dvaita,
the all pervading nature is accepted. When the cause pervades the effect,
material causality automatically follows. But still it can remain
without any vikara or modification in the form of the universal Self.

It is very well known that each of the 33 letters in samskrit stands for
the 33 devatas who are the presiding deities behind the 33 realities in
the universe. All the many infinite name/forms in the universe and the
words denoting them are obviously permutations and combinations of the
33 letters in the samskrit that have their origin in the sacred single
syllable OM. Additionally the four letters A, U and M in the syllable OM
stand for the waking, dreaming and deep sleep states within which the
entire universe is comprehended. It also includes the fourth or tureeya
state of supreme silence which is supposed to be the spiritual abode of
Brahman. So OM is the the seed or cause for this entire universe. This
is common to all humans whatever may be their beliefs.

If samskrit word mrittika denotes the substance of mud then the english
word mud also denotes the same substance. Why is the english word false
while the samskrit word is true? The reason is samskrit word is etymological
and denotes not just the mud but the indwelling devata or deity culminating
in Brahman established as the ultimate Self which is prior to the substance
of mud and therefore the ultimate cause. On the other hand, words from other
languages are not etymological and denotes only the physical entity of mud
that undergoes vikara or deterioration and ignores the unchanging truth or
existence of Brahman indwelling in it.

Q: What is the proof for the existence of Brahman? There is no need for
other religions to accept it. So how can words be considered true or false
based on this unverifiable entity Brahman?

A: Brahman is the Self that abides in all which is indubitable and undeniable.
It is the supreme truth on which all relative truths like mind-speech-body
are absolutely depending. It is also the same as the principle of existence
which is common to the subject, object and the relationship between them
and therefore it is all pervading. Now other religions have no choice but to
accept it. If they accept Brahman then they have no choice but accept Vedas.
If they don't, then they become false as they denote only transient objects
that have no permanent existence.

In other words, the entire world of name/forms could be taken to be made of
shabda or sound energy which is the vibration of OM, the essence of Veda,
that has its origin/abode/destination in Brahman or the supreme Self. So every
particular samskrit/vedic word denotes that particular entity and also culminates
in the identification Brahman which is the supreme reality - parama satya,
indwelling in every particular entity. All non-vedic words that do not recognize
this supreme truth Brahman obviously is false as they denote only the particular
entity which is transient.

This universal Vedic view that looks upon the entire universe as the manifestation
of the mystic sound OM denoting the Supreme truth Brahman eliminates or consumes
or digests all other non-vedic views/words.

Probably that is why it is said that samskrit is the mother of all languages
and Vedic Hindu religion is the mother of all religions!

Namaste
Suresh

Four Maha vAkyas and One Mahamaha vAkya

Sri Shankaracharya has identified four profound Vedic statements called
Mahavakyas, supposed to be the essence of the four Vedas.

Tattvamasi - You are that
Aham Brahmasmi - I am Brahman
Prajnyanam Brahma - Consciousness is Brahman
Ayamatma Brahma - This Self is Brahman

All the above means that the "Absolute I or the Self" that is shining in all is
the all pervading absolute Brahman or the Supreme God who is obviously non-dual.

In Advaita it is very clear that the individual self or jiva = all pervading God
or Ishwara or Brahman which makes the entire dualistic universe an illusion.

But the tradition of Advaita with unbroken line of teacher-student, itself cannot
be there without duality. So there is a need to accept the world of dvaita or duality
with all the hierarchy as real, even for Advaitins. 

If God is accepted as the all pervading Self then the world of duality can still
exist as His body.

The above VishishtAdvaitic view reconciles dvaita and advaita (dualism and
non-dualism). The non-duality of God as the all pervading Self remains unaffected
if the reality of the world in the form of His body is accepted.

Even the hierarchy among jivas with respect to Vishnu as per Dvaita is covered
in this Self-body relationship as there is difference as well as hierarchy among the
various parts of the body, with respect to the Self.

So the Self-body relation between God and the world which is uniquely Vedic,
reconciles all kinds of  Vedic views.

The above also makes all other non-vedic, A-Brahamic views as half truths
(as they carve out a specific name/existence for their gods from the otherwise
all pervading Vedic truth or Brahman).

Only a Hindu who is grounded in this universal view can always SEE the same
divinity, no matter whatever name/form is used to identify the same.
But followers of Abrahamic views who do not SEE God everywhere cannot do that.
Their view is limited or finite as opposed to the unlimited infinite view of Hindus.

But the fact still remains that the existence, consciousness and bliss for all
beings whatever may be their world view, depends absolutely on the Hindu God,
manifesting as the universe.

So sincere truth seekers should not have any qualms in accepting the Vedic Hindu
world view where the entire universe is realized as the body of God.

All the above is summarized in the Vedic teaching - Sarvam khalvidam Brahma -
meaning "Everything is Brahman" - which could be taken as the essence of all
Vedas. The identification of everything with Brahman or God is through
sAmAnAdhikaraNya or concomitant coordination - where one entity alone is identified
through all the many entities. This exactly similar to the fact that the Soul alone is
identified through the body with name/form.

It is the art of looking at the same God enshrined in all as the indwelling Soul.
This God alone is identified through all name/forms.

It is also the art of looking at the whole that transcends all particulars or
dualities. When you are looking at everything, you are not looking at anything
in particular! So Advaita and Dvaita are happily reconciled here.

This one Mahamaha vAkya - Sarvam khalvidam Brahma" is enough for Hindus to make
the religion invincible. It consumes all other particular views and stands out blatantly
un-opposed for all times to come.


Namaste
Suresh

Authentic Scripture

There are so many scriptures in the world in support of their respective views or religion. But which one is authentic?

That which is impersonal, independent, eternal, and continuing for ever as a living tradition and still available for anyone's immediate experience alone could be considered as authentic.

Vedas alone seem to have all the above qualities. Veda means "to know". As a noun it also means knowledge. It is very obvious that knowledge is everywhere. So it is infinite.Vedas themselves declare that they are infinite. But still its manifestation happens through Rishis and its transmission happens through unbroken chain of teachers and students who are all finite. Also the Vedas unanimously declare that the entire universe is that supreme being or God on whom every particular being is absolutely dependent for existence. This gives credibility to Vedas beyond doubt.

Here are some more reasons:

1. Vedas, unlike scriptures of other religions, are author-less and have been preserved through unbroken teacher-student tradition from time immemorial. The Rishis are not their authors as they never claimed so and they are only "SEERS" of the various mantras that form the infinite Vedas.

2. The meaning of Vedas culminate in the absolute Brahman as the universal,  eternal Self, indwelling and supporting the entire universe as the body. The Self of the universe, which is essentially the universe, always remains as the source/abode/destination of all entities with name/forms. Every particular being absolutely depends on this Vedic God manifesting as this universe and this is available for everybody's immediate experience. This cannot be denied by anyone belonging to any faith or no faith. All the many embodied "individual selves" can be said to be reflections or instances of this universal Self. All the many infinite individual 'selves' can also be visualized as inseparably rooted in THAT universal Self as it pervades everything.

3. The entire universe is also looked upon as a manifestation of Vedas and every entity in nature is performing its respective duty which goes by the name of sva-dharma. Humans are supposed to emulate that by engaging in duties according to their nature.

4. The four letters of the sacred syllable OM which is the essence of Vedas, stand for the waking, dreaming, deep sleep and the final absolute state of silence or Bliss, all denoting the absolute Brahman situated as the inner Self which always remains as the absolute.

5. The essence of Veda which is the universal Self that abides in all, by itself is eternal and timeless  and as an entity that seem to be born continuously in various infinite forms of beings, it has both the non-historic as well as historic aspect of truth.

Thus Vedas are authentic and eternal as it has its roots in the universal Self that can never be denied by any one. Every other scripture comes and goes in time.

All that is there in the universe are in the Vedas and there is nothing in the world that is not in the Vedas. All the 33 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet stands for the 33 devatas, who are the divinities working behind 33 tattvas or realities in the world. All these devatas are said to be residing in the body of beings who are vedically knowledgeable. So such people are manifestations of God. There can be crores of such people. Hence the justification for 33 crore devatas.

Every entity in the world is "not Self". So they are teaching Brahman through "neti neti" or "Not this, Not this". This can also be understood as "not just this, not just this" as Brahman is the all pervading spirit Self of the entire universe. This establishes Brahman through anvaya and vyatireka (directly and indirectly). So, the individual self and the entire universe are simultaneously identified with Brahman as the universal Self. This is because the self and non-self have no separate identification apart from the universal Self. The identification of all name/forms thus culminates in the Vedic God, Brahman only.

All kinds of world views are included in this Vedic universal view. Dvaita and V.Advaita are not violated here as the Absolute universal Self is neither the subject/jiva nor the object/jada. Brahman as the universal Self always remains as the substratum of both on whom everything depends. The individual selves could be looked upon as the reflection (in the medium of the body) of the universal Self (Ishwara) (as in Dvaita). The individual embodied self can also be looked upon as an inseparable portion or shareera or body of the universal Self (paramAtma) or God as in Vishishtadvaita. The center of the larger circle (brahmanda or universe) and the center of the smaller circle (pindanda or jiva) coincide in such a way that they are ONE. This is Advaita.

Also the realization that Brahman is my "SELF" (in a possessive sense, just like a body would feel with regard to the Self within) is definitely not opposed to Advaita. All sadhana to attain selflessness" is to locate oneself or exist in Brahman, the universal Self which is always non-dual.

So the idea of svatantra-paratantra as in Dvaita is confirmed by the fact that all jivas (embodied selves) are absolutely dependent on Ishwara or Vishnu manifesting as the universe. This is clearly brought out in the Purusha sukta of Veda, Bhagavad Gita-11th chapter and Vishnu sahasranama dhyana sloka.

As all jivas are in the universe, the individual selves obviously will be an inseparable part of the universal Self or God. The universal Self and individual self can be said to be existing in each other.
The above Vishishtadvaitic view also is satisfied which culminates in the advaitic view where the non-dual Universal Self alone is cognized everywhere as everything else is essentially in That.

The Self of the universe is thus one and has the ability to manifest in infinite forms at the same time. Just like fire though essentially one can manifest in many forms. This may also mean the oneness of nirguna and saguna brahman which Sri Shankara has alluded to many times in his BS bhashya.
Nirgunatva is devoid of prakrithic guna. Sagunatva is the ability to support and sustain the entire universe as His "body".

So Vedic scripture alone that has its ultimate meaning culminating in the absolute universal Self, which is eternal, indubitable and spiritual can be accepted as authentic.

Objection:
There are many situations where the prayers of devotees practicing different religions have come true. There are saints and spiritual people in all religions. Theoretically whether it is a Vedic ritual or a prayer from other religion the results are not always positive. There is always a 50-50 chance of the intended wish to happen. So based on this, why should not other non-vedic scripture be accepted as authentic?

Answer:
In the above example even an atheistic person will have a 50-50 chance in getting his wishes or actions fulfilled. Therefore authenticity should not be based on the criteria that some prayers or vedic ritual yields positive results or not. Instead it should be based on the criteria that it is "impersonal, independent, eternal, and continuing for ever as a living tradition and still available for anyone's immediate experience".

As explained above, Vedas alone will qualify as authentic from that point. Also when prayers from other non-vedic religions come true, it is due to the grace of the Vedic God, Brahman only as He is everywhere. Gods of other religions have no existence apart from the Vedic God who is everywhere.

Even atheists and people of an faiths cannot deny the fact that they are absolutely depending on the Vedic God manifesting as this universe, for their existence. So wherever the God of other religion is, He can never be external to and therefore different from Vedic God who is everywhere.

Objection:
If the authenticity is based on the meaning that culminates in God manifesting as the universe then all other scriptures other than vedas like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas and so on also become equivalent to vedas right?

Answer:
Vedas alone are well known as apourusheya or authorless and as the ultimate meaning culminates in the absolute Self, they are self valid. All other scriptures are known to have authors and so have a beginning in time but still they gain validity as they reflect the Vedic truths.

Namaste
Suresh

Singing compositions on non-Hindu gods in Carnatic music

There are some controversies going on currently where some renowned Carnatic music singers like TM Krishnan, have decided to sing and release CDs praising non-Vedic gods like Jesus and Allah in the traditional carnatic style.

They say that carnatic music is not just for the brahmins/Hindus and their vedic gods..So what is the problem if Kirtanas and bhajans are composed on Jesus and Allah and sung in Carnatic music concerts?

They also tend to make a point that brahmins had monopolized the carnatic music world in the past and this should not be allowed to continue. Great Legendary singers like MS Subbalakshmi had to brahminize herself to become acceptable or popular. But her old songs, recorded much before her brahminization are more soulful and her songs later are kind of filled with fear.

Analysis: 

The above problem can be split to make it easy to comprehend:

1. Is it okay to compose or replace hindu god names in the existing    carnatic songs with non-hindu god names and sing songs on non-vedic gods in both carnatic or hindusthani style?

2. Is the carnatic music world dominated by brahmins and if yes, is it    a problem?

Answer 1:
Carnatic and Hindusthani style of music has been traditionally Hindu and so naturally the early composers and artists could not think any other gods outside of the Hindu religion. But recently many non-Hindu religious leaders, predominantly Christian and possibly some muslims have begun to adopt many cultural aspects of Hindu religion including traditional carnatic music, dance and so on
and obviously the prime purpose is conversion only as it will help new hindu converts to get the feeling that the non-Hindu religion is something not foreign but local.

Some people may also argue that it could be due to pure love for their partcular God and Jesus and so how does it matter if songs are composed and sung in concerts as music is universal. Yes, philosophically for Hindus it is not a problem as God in Hinduism is all pervading and so universal.
There are already many gods in the Hindu religion and adding few more extra names should not matter much. Infact all names and forms point to the same non-dual Hindu God who is the all pervading and indwelling spirit Self of all. All kinds of bhakti is nothing other than expressions of love for God who is the universal Self.

But culturally it may create confusion. Concerts could end up as pot-pourri of various culture which definitely will not be palatable for Hindus or for people of non-hindu faiths too. It is like mixing sweet, sour, bitter and salty dishes together. This will cease to entertain anyone.

There could be a another big problem for Christians and Muslims! As the basis of traditional Carnatic music is sapta swara and the adhara sruthi has its origin in the sacred syllable OM. Whatever may be the lyrics or God that is praised in the song, it is these swaras that finally stick to the mind and these mystic sounds and swaras gradually gives rise to atma-paramAtma jnana. This obviously goes against the tenets of non-Hindu religion.

Answer 2:

Actually people from all castes and traditions within the Hindu tradition have enriched the carnatic music. But it also a fact that majority of the early composers and contributors for Carnatic music were brahmins.

So traditional music naturally flows in the the community and so even today it can be said that it is dominated by brahmins. But true teachers who are also brahmins have never denied teaching non-brahmins. If there are many non-brahmin artists today it is because of their brahmin teachers. Also
these brahmin musicians have been singing songs composed by many non-brahmin saints and composers. So there is no point in trying to bring caste politics in the realm of carnatic music. True Brahmins are ideal practitioners of Hindu cultures comprizing of jnyAna, bhakti and vairagya. So what is the problem if it is dominated by them or if new comers mimic them?

This Brahmin or Hindu domination, is infact very legitimate as it was cherished and nourished by them in all periods of time. The presence of traditional Brahmins along with their non-brahmin students adopting the brahmin culture definitely poses a threat to the non-hindu cultures. Probably it is because of that the non-Hindu musicians are making these objections with the intention to
de-brahminize or de-Hinduize traditional music.

As already said even if non-hindu and anti-hindu practitioners try to separate brahminic or hindu aspects from the carnatic music tradition, they still cannot remove the sapta svaras, ragas and gamakas which has its roots in the sacred syllable OM. They cannot also separate Hindu ideas of all pervading nature of God, karma, dharma, punarjanma, jnana, bhakti and vairagya from the very structure of carnatic music. This definitely poses a threat to non-Hindu religions.

According to Swami Vivekananda, the ideal of Hindu Religion is to make everybody a Brahmin - meaning a spiritual person. So if Brahminism means spirituallty, then it is perfectly alright if carnatic music and dance is dominated by Brahmins and others who are adopting Brahminc culture.
It helps everybody to attain Brahman!

Namaste
Suresh

Is God justified in using His powers

In all the many Vedic Hindu scriptures, various gods use all kinds of weapons
and special powers and they seem to be always invariably fighting, defeating
or even killing rAkshasas or demons.

Vishnu for example is very well known as 'devata pakshapati' - one who is always
partial towards devatas. Rakshasas in general are okay to worship Brahma or Shiva
but they never like Vishnu. Infact they worship other devatas to obtain boons
so that they can fight Vishnu.

But in every incarnation Vishnu uses his powers to defeat the Rakshasas.
His Chakra never knows any failure. Vishnu uses it most of the time to eliminate
Rakshasas. As Vishnu is the Supreme God who is all powerful, there is no real
greatness if he is using his powers to defeat or destroy rakshasas. As those
Rakshasas are jivas anyway, who are always limited.

Due to difference in swarupa between Vishnu and other Rakshasas there is no
level playing field in His fight with Rakshasas. So what real greatness is there
in Vishnu's or any other god/devata's victory over the Rakshasas?

A:

If the president of a country uses his force to fight the criminals who break the
law of the land, is he considered great or not? similar is the case here.

Vishnu is the supreme Lord of the universe and yes, he is partial towards devatas
who always tread the path of dharma. Infact Vishnu sacrifices His own body to
create this universe and so is the very embodiment of Yagya or sacrifice. He is
identified with Yagya itself- Yagyo vai Vishnu. So there is definitely no level
playing field as no being can beat that supreme sacrifice.

Even Rakshasas depend on Vishnu who is manifesting as the entire universe.
So Vishnu has every right to use His powers to fight or control Rakshasas.
Devatas are the controlling divinities behind every natural element in the
universe. They are thus unconditionally offering themselves for all beings
to keep them in existence. This selfless act of devatas is nothing but dharma.
Rakshasas are those who oppose the devatas - meaning they take things from the
world for their existence and enjoyment and seldom give back anything.
So they are essentially selfish and always looking to exploit nature for their
sense enjoyment. Most of the time devatas in the natural elements will be able
to tolerate or even defend themselves. But when things go out of control, Vishnu
incarnates to protect the devatas and destroy the Rakshasas who are actually the
breakers of the law of dharma.

Vishnu is great because He empowers devatas or selfless beings in their fight
against Rakshasas who are essentially bad or adharmic or selfish. He is also
justified in using His powers to control them in order to re-establish the law
of dharma.

Vishnu is also great because He is not completely eliminating Rakshasas.
Infact the entire universe is His body where all the many different beings
including Rakshasas exist. Sometimes devatas may get egoistic also and Rakshasas
are needed to keep devatas in control. So Vishnu never uses His powers for His
personal gain. He always uses it to sustain dharma. Adharma personified by
Rakshasas actually depend or thrives on dharma/devatas only. Some even adharma
is tolerated as it helps to bring out the greatness of dharma.

So the allegation against Vishnu and other devatas that they use their
powers against Rakshasas stands refuted. Dharma is common to all including
Vishnu. All the many Gods including Vishnu will conform to the law of dharma
which is actually the level playing field for all, including Rakshasas.

Rakshasas like Vibheeshana, Bali and Prahlada, who respect dharma, almost
always worship Vishnu. So as a protector of dharma Vishnu and his devotees
or devatas are justified in using their powers to control those who break
the law of dharma.

Namaste
Suresh

Proper Upasana or Meditation

Proper Upasana, meditation or contemplation on Brahman, is based on proper
understanding or jnAna. Proper Jnana is to understand that Brahman is equally
present in all as the antaryAmi or innner Self of all.

This realization should make every sadhaka to seek the supreme truth or Brahman
everywhere and within oneself. Duty or dharma is thus two fold - Pravrutti and
Nivrutti. Serving Brahman who is everywhere through one's own profession with
thoughts, words and deeds aligned in accordance to one's capability or Guna is
Pravrutti and meditating on the supreme God or Brahman within oneself by
withdrawing senses and mind is Nivrutti.

The material returns that is obtained through Pravrutti which is one's own
profession is recommended to be utilized for sustaining oneself and family and part
of should also be given in charity to the deserving.

In Pravrutti there is a need to eradicate adharma or nishiddha or kamya karma.
Similarly in Nivrutti there is a need to eradicate kama and krodha (lust and anger).
In fact Parvrutti (action) and Nivrutti (meditation) are both inseparable and form
the two limbs of Dharma. While Pravrutti forms the service to the external
Brahman indwelling in all, Nivrutti is the service to the same Brahman indwelling
in one's own self. Though the Brahman is non-dual, the path towards the same in
the dualistic world comprising of right and wrong, poses a big challenge.

There is a great need therefore to exercise control over the senses and mind
and lead them on the path of the right Dharma or Svadharma that is compatible
with the nature of the body with which one is born. Controlling oneself from not
engaging in activities that is not prescribed or that which is not compatible
with the nature or guna of the body is very much essential. This self-control
is nothing but tapas or which is a must for yagya or sacrifice or worship. Vedas
are very clear that Brahman can be attained only through tapas (tapasA brahma
vijigyAsasva) which is essentially sense control. All the Vedic scriptures
provide the needed dos and donts for truth seekers but still when any subtle
doubt arises it is recommended to follow the tradition of one's own family, guru
or preceptors.

Our own body, mind and intellect is made of three gunas of prakrithi as opposed
to the jiva or self or atman who is essentially of the nature of knowledge. One
needs to resort to the prescribed profession or svadharma according to the Guna
of the body, mind and intellect (BMI) with which one is born and there is no
high or low feeling as it pertains to the nature of the body and not the self.
The entire society and world is the body of Brahman. There can be harmony only
when all the parts of the body are performing their respective duties. Thus
choosing a duty that is compatible with one's own guna (of BMI) into which one
is born is recommended. Obviously the family in which one is born also would be
of same guna or nature and this provides a proper environment for nurturing the
skills needed for the pravrutti dharma. So pravrutti or sva-dharma (or one's own
duty) as brahmana, kshatriya are different. But none of them are high or low as
they all culminate in the service of the same Brahman. Our own body which is a
fruit of karma should thus be offerred back to Brahman by engaging in one's own
pravrutti dharma or svadharma.

Nivrutti which is meditation on the Brahman within is the same for all as it
involves withdrawal from the senses and world and realizing Brahman within
one's own Self. That is where Jnyana Bhakti and VairAgya becomes ONE. It is
essentially the constant existence in Brahman which is nothing but Brahmacharya.
Brahmani charati iti brahmachari - One who resides/moves in Brahman is a
Brahmachari.

Thus every human endeavor could be a upAsana or meditation or yagya or puja when
one becomes conscious of Brahman or the supreme God who pervades and indwells
in all.

Namaste
Suresh

Realities and their Significance

The universe is the big circle (brahmanda) and every individual is a smaller circle (pindanda).
The individual is a mirror image or reflection of the universe. The mind is the medium or upadhi.
The Self of the universe is Ishwara or God and the self of the individual is jiva. Obviously the jiva
absolutely depends on the universe/God.

It is the ego that virtually separates the jiva from the universe/God. When the jiva blinded by his ego,
takes everything from the universe and does not give back then he will continue to suffer in samsara.
But when the jiva realizes that everything including himself belongs to the universe/God and so
constantly gives back taking only minimum, then he will move closer and closer to selflessness
leading to the Supreme God or Iswara or parabrahman. This process of giving back to the three
worlds of devatas/gods, humans and lower life forms is Yagya or sacrifice.

Man – stands for the body – ahankara - that performs work outside.
Chaturvarna is justified based on the four parts - head, arms, thighs and feet

Women – stands for the mind - mamakara - that resolves or makes sankalpa. Obviously mind is
common for all the body parts. Likewise Women as a tattava is common for all the respective varnas.

Women as a wife is the ardhAngi or better half of her man or husband.
Man is incomplete without women according to the Vedas.

Women is an amsha of Lakshmi who is a manifestation of Veda/dharma.
Man is an amsha of Vishnu who is the Ishwara who possesses and protects Lakshmi.

Lakshmi also stands for Maya and Vishnu for Ishwara.
Maya is also nature or SRI and Ishwara is the indweller of or endowed with Maya.
Maya tu prakritim vidyat Mayinam tu Maheshwaram.
Ishwara is thus Sri-Nivasa, one who indwells in nature.

Intellect stands for the Guru or Rishi

Speech - Veda

Devatas - 33 - five elements, five tanmatras, five pranas, five sense of knowledge,
               five sense of action, eight directions
               Another count - 12 adityas, 11 rudras, 2 ashwinis, 8 vasus

Heart - (source of existence/consciousness/bliss/experience) - God / Ishwara
Absolute Brahman - Ishwara - the origin, abode, destination of all, who illuminates, supports
and controls everything.

The absolute Self is Brahman or Truth or Ananda which is the complete from of Ishwara or God is
revealed when all others like thoughts-words-deeds are aligned. This happens when all activities have
the good of the universe as objective culminating in the service of God / Ishwara manifesting as the
universe. If any one is not aligned it results in untruth resulting in sorrow.

When all the realities are aligned culminating in the service of Brahman/Ishwara manifesting in the
form the universe then it becomes vedic, dharmic, righteous, religious, spiritual, and sustaining. If
not, it becomes non-vedic, adharmic, unrighteous, selfish, prakritik, or A-brahmic - interestingly it
matches with abrahamic views. No offence, it only means a-brahamic views that do not SEE God as Brahman manifesting as the universe are not complete. All non-vedic views are partial that always
leads to conflict and disharmony.

Husband and wife are related as body and mind. Men perform all vedic rites and women take part in
the sankalpam. It only means women who stand for the mind does not engage in any activity directly.
The mind always remains as a witness and it expresses through the body. No action vedic or material
will be fruitful if it is not attended by the mind and performed by the body. Ideally Women therefore
is a sahadharmachari - performer of dharma or duty along with their husband's dharma.

There is no discrimination or competition but only co-operation and diversity in action based on
physical/mental capability. The result in the form of sumptuousness and abundance is reaped by all.
Action compatible to one’s guna - BMI nature is liberating while actions based on one’s desire and
not compatible to one's guna is binding.

Namaste
Suresh

Man versus Machine

Can matter produce consciousness? Is Man (and all other sentient entities) a product of matter?

Going by the theory of big bang, and evolution it appears very obvious that the Self that shines in all as the seat of consciousness must be a product of matter.

But there is one problem.

Matter is inert as opposed to consciousness which is self luminous. If Matter is the cause and consciousness an effect, then it follows that Matter is potentially conscious. The reason is that the nature of the effect cannot be totally different from Or diametrically opposite to the cause.

So the idea that Matter is the cause for Consciousness falls either way!

So does it mean that Consciousness is the cause for matter? This amounts to saying light is the cause for darkness. This is not possible. But another entity in front of light can create a shadow!

Every perception proves the relation or connection between Conscious self and Matter (object) that either leads to pleasure or pain.

This "connecting reality" as the third entity, that establishes the relation between the subject and the object is what Hindus worship as God, who from the particular point of view is a Devata and from the universal point of view is the Supreme Brahman.

Objections:

Q: If God is the connecting third entity then there needs to be another entity that connects this God and other entities and this leads to infinite regression.

A: The problem of infinite regression gets eliminated when God as Brahman is accepted to be all pervading and indwelling in the subject and the object and possessing the unexplainable ability to make this connection.

Q: It could be possible to create consciousness in the form of Artificial Intelligence. Machines could be made as intelligent and even emotional as Humans. So it can still be argued that there is no difference between machine or matter and man. So is there anything that really differentiates Man from such intelligent Machines?

A: No doubt, the body itself is pretty much like a machine as it is possible for humans to continue to live by replacing their body parts from someone else or even with something artificial. But that also proves that man as a subject is essentially different from the body. This cannot be the case with a machine which is just an assemblage of objective matter with no real subject in it. There is no essential something as the 'self' indwelling in the machine, that is different from the machine.

Also the process of birth, growth, reproduction and death could be one glaring difference between man and machine. Even the process of breathing, eating, digestion, circulation and so on...there seems to be something more than just matter that is keeping all the body parts together and all these intriguing biological processes going.

All living beings, endowed with consciousness, though in varying degrees invariably would like to exist, know and enjoy and be free. None of them would like to suffer, get imprisoned or die. But unfortunately everyone of them seem to be going through pain and pleasure and ultimately die. These characteristics would be very hard to find in any man made machine. All living beings in one way or other depend on each other. They are all part of a food chain that maintains itself. But it is very hard to imagine a man made machine to be like that.

So it can be said that consciousness cannot arise from matter.

Namaste
Suresh

Women and Sudras

In General there is always the criticism that Vedic Hindu religion
discriminates against women and shudras.

The reason is vedic education, which is very much essential for

liberation, is denied for them. That means women and sudras have to be

reborn as traivarnika male and then undergo vedic study to attain moksha.

Answer:

Apparently it is true that Vedic education is not given to women and

shudras and it is available only to traivarnika males. In order to correctly 
understand the reason behind it one needs to take an impartial look at 
the vedic world view.

According to vedas the entire universe and human society in particular

is looked upon as the body of God. It is an organic whole exactly similar

to the human body. The four varnas of Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and

Shudra form the face, arms, thighs and feet, respectively. It is very

obvious that all these four parts of the body have their specific

duty or function and they have to engage in their respective duties

with co-operation and unison as a service to the indwelling being.

Similarly the four varnas have to engage in their respective duties

or dharma as a service to God who is indwelling in all.

So the purpose of teaching Veda to only traivarnika males is only to

enable them to engage in their prescribed duty.

Does it mean that Sudras have to always engage in the service of others?

Absolutely No. These duties are not air tight and depending on one's

capability Sudras can engage in the trades of others when need arises.

Women stand for the reality of mind. No service would be fruitful

unless it is attended by the mind. Similarly no vedic ritual or dharma

would be fruitful if women does not provide her consent and co-operate

with their husbands.

Women is also considered as an integral part of Man. So they are

encouraged to co-operate and work with their husbands in the performance

of their prescribed dharma. They are thus called saha-dharmacharini.

Ultimately all individuals from all Varnas including brahmanas have

to engage in the service of a Vedically learned spiritual acharya in

order to get eligibility to meditate on Brahman and engage in

bhakti for liberation.

No Varna and their duties is high or low as all of them culminate

in the service of the supreme God or Brahman indwelling in all.

After Vedic study, traivarnikas have to study Itihasas like Ramayana,

Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Puranas and other scriptures for engaging

in true Bhakti. Women and Shudras can directly study these scriptures

and engage in Bhakti.

Vedic study and service to a Guru removes the ego and gives the adhikara

for traivarnika males to engage in Bhakti towards Brahman.

On the other hand Women and Sudras can directly engage in Bhakti towards

Brahman, in the form of their ishta devata. So not studying Veda is

not a discrimination but an exemption so that women and sudra can directly

engage in Bhakti.

Moreover Traivarnikas while undergoing vedic study have to live by

begging. Brahmanas have to live by begging all through their lives.

Women is a manifestation of Lakshmi and Shudras are manifestation

of a Bhakta. So they should always be taken care so that they never

have to live by begging. Probably this may be one of the reason why

traditional Vedic knowledge is not prescribed for them.

Traivarnikas incur pratyavaya papa for incorrect or non-performance

of their vedic duties. While women and sudras have no chance to

incur pratyavaya papa. On the other hand women and sudras inherit

the merit or punya of performance of vedic duties by traivarnika males.

It is also said that in order to attain moksha one has to render

service to Brahman in all the four varnas and also as a women.

So there is a need for traivarnikas to be born as a shudra and

also as a women to complete their eligibility to attain moksha.

Traivarnikas who have not served devatas properly as part of their

pravrutti dharma may be born as Shudras where they have the opportunity

to serve other devotees who are in the form of devatas.

Traivarnikas who have not properly engaged in nivrutti or bhakti towards

One Brahman, may be born as a women where they get an opportunity

to serve their own husbands as Brahman.

So there is no discrimination but differences in duties or dharma

with regard to Traivarnikas, women and shudras. But when it comes

to engaging in Bhakti towards Brahman, all of them have the same

privilege and status.

The fact that there are many women and sudra saints and spiritual

personalities and people from other varnas including brahmanas adore

them, is the proof against the so called discrimination.

The Lord in the Bhagavad Gita has explicitly stated that anyone

who engages in their respective duty as a service to Him will

attain moksha. Vedas explicitly teach - Mother is God, Father is

God and so on - and this obviously is applicable to all including

women and sudras.

So this refutes the idea that Vedic Hindu religion discriminates

against Women and Sudras.

Namaste

Suresh

Is Hindu religion Secular?

The dictionary meaning of "secular" is to be free from any religious

or spiritual influence. So by definition no religion can be secular.

So this applies to Hinduism also?

Well unlike other religions that originated outside of India, "Hindu

religion" actually consists of many sub religions. The primary Hindu

scripture of Vedas recommend worship of many gods or devatas though

it also talks of one supreme God of all gods, Para-Brahman.

The sub religions differ in their view as to who among the many gods,

is that Supreme Para-Brahman.

But all the many sub-religions accept the validity of Vedic

scripture that teaches that the supreme God or Para-Brahman

is everywhere and exists as the inner Self of the entire universe,

supporting the entire universe as His body. This universal view of

Hindus includes and transcends all particular views. Additionally all

the sub-religions under the Hindu umbrella accept the principle of

dharma consisting of four legs - tapas, shoucha, daya and satya

(sense control, cleanliness, mercy and truth). This morality based on

dharma is so universal that no sane human with or without a religion

can deny. This is because dharma in its simplest form means to

engage in unconditional selfless service for the good of the

universe.  

So as God is equally present in all, there is spiritual equality

behind all the material inequality and differences. So it can be said

that Hinduism alone is a perfectly spiritual and secular religion.

This is not essentially true with regard to other non-Hindu

religions as they are exclusive and divisive as opposed to Hindu

view which looks upon the entire universe as God on whom all beings

absolutely depend. So sevrvice to the universe translates to service

to God. Nar seva is Narayana seva.

Q: But Hindu religion discriminates against women, shudras and

minorities or others. It also has caste hierarchies which is against

liberty, equality and fraternity.

A: This is a misunderstanding and mis-representation of the Hindu

religion. The world is full of differences and variety. Nothing is

equal. There is difference among humans also according to their

gender and the three modes of nature - sattva, rajas and tamas.

Hindu religion recognizes these differences and prescribes

specific duties accordingly that is natural and easy to perform.

In the Hindu view the society and the universe as a whole are looked

upon as the body of God where every individual part has a different

and specific duty or role to play in co-operation with other parts.

All the many castes are actually extended families or groups of people

of same nature. Caste is therefore an identity based on one's nature,

culture, profession and so on...and so it is natural. Caste is also

an institution that sustains these different groups of people of same

nature. Thus it helps to sustain diversity in the society naturally.

Obviously diversity gives strenghth to any organization or society.

Problem arises when there is high low feeling among the many castes

and this needs to be eliminated. As other non-Hindu cultures have no

such caste system, they tend to break the unity by creating this

artificial high low feeling among the diverse Hindu society.

As differences based on the three modes of nature is universal

even in all the many non-Hindu 'casteless' cultures, groupism

and clashes based on class, color, race and so on exists.

It is only in Hindu religion these are given a valid

identity based on varna and related role so that they can

coexist in a harmonious way with the principle of spiritual unity

in diversity.

Ultimately all these different duties from different castes, culminate

in the service of God who is indwelling and manifesting as this very

universe. So the end result is service to God which brings total

happiness even though there is difference in duties according to

gender and nature. This performance of duty is called dharma which

only forms one part called pravrutti. The other part of dharma is

nivrutti which involves control of senses and mind and engage in

meditation on God indwelling in all which is common for all.

This two fold aspect of dharma brings overall development - material

and spiritual for all people.

Those who oppose this dharma are considered as 'others' and all

attempts are always made to educate them without any hatred.

The ideal of Hindu dharma is to bring good for the whole world

including the so called 'others'. The continuous birth and death

cycle gives continuous opportunity for beings to correct themselves

and tread the path of dharma.

On the other hand all non-Hindu religions totally hate their "others'

even if they have lead a morally good life and there is eternal hell

waiting for all non-believers. There is discrimination of women also

in them and unlike Hindu religion, there are no female gods at all.

So to be secular, there is a need to have equal vision based on the

spiritual unity and also recognition of diversity that is naturally

present everywhere. This is possible only when one SEES the same

divinity in all the different entities in the world which is the

basis for Hindu dharma.

Hindu religion alone therefore can be considered as truly secular.

Namaste,
Suresh

Reconciling Differences

This world is full of differences.

There are many different views that are divergent or opposing to each other.

Advaita and Dvaita is one typical example.

In Advaita the individual non-dual self alone is real and the world is unreal.

In Dvaita the individual selves are many and have gradations. The world

of duality and differences and the controlling God are all real.

There is Vishishtadvaita that appears to be reconciling both. May be in a

way, as it accepts inseparable oneness. But essentially it accepts infinite

individual selves that are equal but different from the supreme Self.

V.Advaita is like Dvaita without taratamya or gradations

All the three schools are different and there are many internal varieties

or differences among them also.

Should sincere truth seekers evaluate them to determine which is valid Or

reconcile them all? Or is it good to stay in one's own tradition and just

passively ignore or accept all others as true.

Who is the Brahman of vedanta? Vishnu or Shiva?

Actually the reconciliation is in the Veda itself. It is clearly stated that

Shiva, Indra, and every blessed thing/being in the universe is Narayana only.

The entire universe is that Narayana, the supreme being. Vishwam Narayanam

devam aksharam paramam padam. One needs to look at the whole universe as

that supreme being. He is Brahma, He is Shiva, He is Indra and so on....

All identification of particular name/form culminates in the universe only

as everything is in THAT. There cannot be any opposition to this view as there

is no entity that is external to this non-dual being.

Whenever anything is identified we actually identify the self of that thing.

So when the universe is identified we identify the Self of the universe

Narayana who is the Purusha manifesting as the universe is thus the Self of

all and is the source / abode / destination of all name/forms. He is the root

of all differences and All differences gets reconciled in Him.

Advaita is based on this final non-dual Truth of Narayana who is the supreme

spirit Self of all. All good and bad or dos and don'ts are with respect

to the universal Self which is there in all the many individual selves.

The individual right and wrong may differ from each other. But when it

is looked upon from the point of view of the universal Self it gets

aligned. That which is good for the universe is good for all.

This provides the philosophical basis for the Vedic morality and philosophy.

Advaita states that this Self which is in all has no name/form/attributes.

This is the aprasiddha or unknown aspect of Brahman described in the Veda as

Nishkalo Niranjano and so on...But Advaita also has to accept that this
unknowable unthinkable Self IS the source/abode/destination of all 
name/form/attributes which is the prasiddha aspect of Brahman. This prasiddha 
aspect is also supported by Veda and is brought out more vividly in Dvaita.

Dvaita identifies this Narayana as the Self who is different from every

particular name/form and every such name/form in the universe is different

from each other also and is absolutely dependent on this Narayana who is

independent.

Vishishtadvaita identifies the relationship of Self-body that obtains between

Narayana and the world. So the family, society, Nation and the world as a

whole is the body of Narayana who pervades supports and controls from within.

The Vedic ideal of Varnashrama gets credibility only when the society/world

is looked upon as the body of God. Each part of the body like head, hands,

thighs and feet have their respective duty all culminating as a service to

the Self/Narayana residing in the body.

So Brahman as Narayana or the Self of the universe - Vishwatma is accepted
in all the three traditions of Advaita-Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita.

All the 33 devatas correspond to the 33 alphabets in Sanskrit and they also
denote the 33 tattvas in the human body. So identifying the Vedantic Brahman 
as Narayana who is the inner Self of all supporting the 33 devatas who are 
the presiding deities of 33 different aspects of body/world should reconcile 
and integrate all differences.

The vedic ideal of Yagya as the basis of all Morality makes sense only when

the relationship of Self-body is recognized between God and the world comprising

of jiva/jada. All personal human activities like eating/drinking and so on will

be a yagya or worship of God within and all non-personal activities like service

to the world culminates as a service to the God without. The ideal of dharma as

a limiting adjunct within which one has to restrict his activities also makes

sense as every action involves himsa. One jiva has to depend on another for

existence. The degree of himsa depends on the nature of work/service or
dharma or duty.

Thus there are differences everywhere in the world and one's duty or sva-dharma

also will be different accordingly. But all of that gets reconciled when they all

culminate as the service to Brahman in the form of the universe.

God as the supreme Self indwelling in all is very intriguing. He is One and

many/infinite at the same time. The entire world of differences arises, remains

and returns back to Him. Identifying this Self in all and all in the Self

thus reconciles all kinds of particular views.

Namaste, 

Suresh

The Vedic Self

The pure and simple Self that abides in all is the Supreme Vedic God, 
paramAtma. This Self that is at the core of all is neither the subject, 
nor the object Or even the relationship or devata that enables their 
connection through the process of preception. But it is everything.
as it is the source, abode and destination of all and is inseparable 
and integrally one with everything. As the Vedic Brahman as the universal 
Self is everywhere, that alone is identified through all name/forms.

This universal Vedic view cuts across all other non-vedic views. It is 
the pradhAna pratitantra or primary defense that all Hindus or truth 
seekers can use to effectively reconcile all kinds of differences within 
the Hindu or dhArmic traditions and to counter all non-Hindu or adhArmic 
or abrAhmic views.

As the entire world is in the form of the body for this universal Self, 
varnashrama dharma automatically follows. It is nothing but engaging in 
one's own sva-dharma or duty as per one's own guna or characteristics 
into which one is born into. This is similar to different parts and organs 
in the body engaging in their respective actions or duties in unison as a 
service to God situated as the indwelling Self. 

So it follows that God as the fruit of spirituality is already present 
in all. But the means to attain Him is different for different people 
or beings depending on the nature of the body into which one is born into.
So there is no discrimination in the Hindu view but there is recognition
of differences and duty that obtains accordingly. People who conform 
to this are devatas and those who oppose this varnashrama are rakshasas.
The property of fire is to burn and give light while the property of water
is to cool and quench the thirst. The property of air is to enliven all
beings and the property of earth is to support. So all the primary devatas 
who are the indwelling divinities in all the five elements are teaching this 
varnashrama-dharma by themselves engaging in their respective duties 
according to their nature, as a service to the God indwelling in all. 

Humans therefore are encouraged to emulate them. It is the duty or dharma 
of Brahmanas to worship the devatas through the process of yagya or sacrifice 
and devatas inturn bring rains and harvest which will benefit the entire 
society. So there is a need for the rest of the society to support Brahmanas 
in their duty of yagya. So performance of duty according to the principle 
of varnashrama recognizes differences in duties performed in unison to please 
the indwelling Brahman or God. So the end result of attainment God in the 
form of the supreme Self that is abiding in all is the same for all.

But all of the above needs faith in the Vedas and Brahmanas. As the world
is dualistic there is always scope for skepticism and so there will be 
always a section of people who oppose Brahmanas and their yagya and they 
are called rakshasas who are predominantly materialists. 

The word Akshara means God in the form of letters who is immutable. So 
Sakshara means one who is with God in the form of letters and so it simply 
means a spiritually learned person. When Sakshara is read backwards we get 
Rakshasa. So the word Rakshasa denotes people who are not learned or those 
who use their perverted intelligence to oppose and abuse saksharas or 
brahmanas who are really learned. Pseudo scholars like Sheldon Pollock who 
like to paint Brahmanas as wicked and selfish have come and gone and they 
all belong to the rakshasa category whose only aim is to weaken dharma by 
opposing brahmanas, yagyas and devatas. 

But true Brahmanas do not get affected or even offended and dispassionately 
engage in their sva-dharma of yagya-daana-tapasya, (comprising of sacrifice 
-worship-charity-sense control or renunciation) even if they have no active 
support from anyone. So the actions of such rakshasas only helps to bring 
out the greatness of dharma. 

The fight between devas and rakshasas is nothing but the fight between
spiritual and material. Though this goes on for ever, the ultimate win
is for the Devas who always stand for the principle of truth and dharma.

Namaste
Suresh

Validity of Vedas

Purvapaksha:

Some Vaidhikas claim validity for Vedas based on rituals like

Pumsavana. When Pumsavana is performed it is supposed to bless

the couple with a male child. When sometimes that does not happen

it is said that the ritual may not have been performed correctly.

But this argument does not hold water as other on-vedic or even

athiestic people can also use it to support their views. A

non-vedic religious person can use his prayers and an athiest

can just use some mombo jumbo words or nothing at all and still

have a 50% chance in getting their wish fulfilled.

So vedic validity based on pumsavana is invalid.

Siddhanta:

As the Vedic God is everywhere, God of any other religion cannot

be external to or even different from the Vedic God. So any prayer

or ritual to any other God reaches Vedic God only and they are

answered by Vedic God only. So the claims from other religions

stands refuted or is consumed by Vedas.

But athiests have a point when they question Vaidhikas or people

of any other religion about the validity of their rituals / prayers.

Whether it is Pumsavana ritual or any prayer, the possibility is either

the intended result will happen or not. This is true for an atheist

who never resorts to any ritual or prayer. But still it is hard

to either prove or the disprove the validity of rituals / prayers.

But the validity of vedas lies in the fact that they have their

origin/abode/destination in God as the absolute Self who abides

in all. This universal Self has the ability to validate or invalidate

anything in the world but can never invalidate itself. This recognition

of the existence of God in the form of the supreme Self in every being,

is the basis for the golden rule of morality which even athiests

with an inclination for morality have to accept.

The golden rule of morality states that one needs to treat others

as onself. This requires some level of sacrifice of one's own needs

for the sake of others. The Vedic ritual of Yagya is nothing but

a sacrifice, where the material objects are sacrificed in the fire

that is supposed to reach and propitiate the gods.

 

Infact every human perception or actions like eating, drinking and

so on, is a sacrifice by the Self and for the Self. Sacrifice done

for the sake of 'others' brings true happiness for the Self.

Thus the validity of vedic morality based on God as the inner Self

and yagya or sacrifice as the means to attain the same cannot be

denied by truth seeking humans.

Namaste

Suresh 

Matter and Consciousness

Some are of the view that matter alone is ultimately true as it 
is empirical, objective and verifiable. The Self which is endowed 
with consciousness is an effect of matter. So they do not accept 
the conscious self (or the soul) as an entity different from matter. 
As matter evolves by itself and creates all the conscious beings 
consciousness should arise from matter. There is no need to 
accept some unseen God as the cause for all entities made of
matter and consciousness.

Religious believers, on the other hand, accept the existence of
an eternal self/soul as an entity different from the body or matter.
So belief in life after death resulting in heaven or hell, naturally
follows. Also there arises a need to believe in a creator/controller 
God, as a witness for all individual actions and dispenser of justice. 
Obviously, this belief in God as a justice dispenser, has to be based 
on faith due to lack of evidence.

It is also well known that it is very hard to either prove or disprove 
the existence of God as the creator of the universe, based on pure logic. 
But still many thinkers are of the view that consciousness is a product 
or consequence or epi-phenomenon of matter and therefore intelligent 
people need not take religion and God seriously.

Reply from a Vedic Hindu:

Matter cannot be accepted as the cause for consciousness for
the following reasons:

1. Every individual self/being is a knower or experiencer who
knows or experiences through the medium of the senses or body.
The experiencing self is endowed with consciousness which is
the "light" or power with which everything is known. So it is
self-luminous, while the body including the sense organs are made
of matter which is inert - meaning it has no consciousness. 
Our own eyes for example is only an instrument and it will not 
"see" anything and so it has no consciousness of it's own. 
On the other hand the individual self endowed with consciousness 
"Sees" and experiences through the instrument of the eyes. The same 
argument applies to all other sense organs and also the body as a whole 
which is a product of matter. So body or matter is inert as opposed to 
the Self which is endowed with consciousness. The nature of the cause
cannot be diametrically opposite to the effect. Darkness cannot create
light. So inert matter cannot be the cause for consciousness. 

2. The Conscious Self always remains as a witness for matter
which is always changing. The Self that witnesses change must
be unchanging. So they both cannot be the same.

3. True to it's name, the individual Conscious Self is always singular 
and cannot be divided further, while matter even in its minutest 
sub-atomic level is always heterogeneous.

4. Everything in space/time is changing and as a witness of
change the conscious Self always remains as the unchanging
absolute. Everything else in space-time is relative. In other words,
the Self that shines in all being, defies space/time/matter.

To say that matter or nature alone is the cause for one's 
existence amounts to saying mud alone is the cause for the pot. 
Mud cannot become a pot by itself. So exclusively materialistic 
view is not complete. Religions in general believe that God
is the intelligent or efficient cause for the universe just like
a potter is for a pot. This is also not complete as God as only the
efficient cause becomes dependent on material nature for creation.

In the Vedas, God is defined as both the material and efficient 
cause in the form of the all pervading and indwelling Self of both 
the subjective self (purusha) and material nature (prakrithi).

God as the indwelling unchanging Self of all is the 
source/abode/destination of all name/forms.

Objection 1:
The claim that consciousness is unchanging is hard to accept.
Our awareness and liking and so on keeps changing over time.
So consciousness can change. There is nothing that is constant.

Answer:
This is the classic Buddhist view where everything including
the self is changing and therefore ultimately nothing really 
exists. Everything is unreal.

The above statement contradicts or cancels itself because the
claim that everything is unreal itself becomes unreal. The denier 
of everything cannot deny himself. So indirectly it is supporting
the Vedic view that the Self of the denier is real.

Consciousness as a witness of all changes in space/time is also 
a witness to the changes in one's awareness or liking. So it is 
unaffected by any change.

Objection 2:
Body/Brain is made up of matter. It is seen that when the 
body or Brain is damaged consciousness is affected or lost. 
This proves that consciousness is absolutely dependent on
matter and that supports material causality right?

Answer:
Electricity is not lost when the bulb is destroyed. 
Body/Mind/Memory/Intelligence/Ego are considered material and they
may get affected due to body/brain damage. But pure consciousness
is different and it will not be affected by any material change.

In the deep sleep / coma state consciousness is deeply withdrawn.
Some such thing happens when there is body/brain damage or death. 
It reveals itself when brain/mind/body are functioning normally.

Objection 3:
If matter and consciousness are two different entities then they 
both remain as two separate entities with no relation between them. 
But every human perception and experience proves the coming together 
of both. How is this relation between two dis-similar entities possible? 

Answers:

This is the classic problem of Sankhya where only two 
realities of subject (conscious self) and object (matter) are 
accepted. As they are two separate realities they can never make
contact and so perception cannot be explained in Sankhya.

But Vedic Hindu view resolves this problem by identifying God or 
Brahman, endowed with the power of Maya (inexplicable energy), 
as the "connecting link" between the subject and object. Brahman 
pervades and indwells in both the subject and object as the supreme 
Self thereby enabling all perception and experience. Thus the
entire universe is the body of God or Brahman which literally
stands for that which is the biggest. 

Just like every individual self is identified through the body,
God or Brahman is identified through the universe.

Perception involving the relation between consciousness and 
matter cannot be explained without recognizing Brahman or
God as the connecting third reality who indwells in both
as the inner Self (paramAtma). 


Vedic world view explained:

As Brahman is the inner Self of all, the entire universe is His body. 
The difference and relation between Brahman and the universe is exactly 
similar to the individual self and body. So every individual self is
said to be a reflection of Brahman - the Universal Self.

So for all practical purposes the entire universe is the personality 
of God. All that is there in the Vedic Hindu religion can be deduced 
based on this algorithm of Soul-body relation.

Absolute dependence on this universal God for our existence cannot 
be denied by anyone, including atheists and believers of other 
religions. So having faith in God who is manifesting verily as this 
universe is so simple, profound and immediately verifiable than 
faith in a remote God far removed from the universe.

Every being is individually related to this universal Vedic God 
just like a baby in the womb is related to the mother. The vital 
connection of the breath is the umbilical cord. The interdependence 
among all the many beings in the world also proves the integral or 
spiritual oneness of the apparent diversity. 

Every part of the individual human body are engaging in their respective 
duty or function in total unison and co-operation with others parts, 
for the overall good of the being. In the same way all the many 
humans with different nature and capabilities, who are like various 
parts of the universal body of God, are encouraged to engage in 
their respective duties according to their nature and ability, in unison 
with others for the overall well being of the universe as a whole 
which ultimately culminates as a service onto God, manifesting as the
universe. Thus the institution of varnashrama dharma and the 
phenomenon of yagya or sacrifice or selfless service as the basis for 
morality, which are unique to vedas gets justified with this view. 

Every individual human action performed as part of the varnashrama 
dharma for others and oneself, is thus a yagya or worship onto 
the God indwelling in others as well as oneself, respectively. 

This kind of action in the form of yagya or sacrifice or selfless
service performed for the good of others, alone is liberating as 
opposed to actions performed just for one's own selfish benefit, 
ignoring or at the cost of others, is binding. 

Every entity in the universe like the five elements, Sun, moon, 
planets, stars, mountains, rivers and so on are all teaching this
sanatana dharma as they are spontaneously offering themselves in
sustaining the world of beings. There is no selfishness anywhere 
in the world. Thus God in the form of the universe is teaching by 
example, by himself engaging in selfless service through all the 
many entities in nature. But humans have a choice whether to engage 
in dharma or selfless service or not and so reap the fruits of their
actions good or bad accordingly.

All beings endowed with some consciousness always like to 
exist/explore/enjoy for ever. No being likes to die or suffer or 
get imprisoned. This proves that essentially conscious Self is eternal, 
joyful and free. But in the embodied state this nature of the self 
gets limited according to the nature of the body. The final purpose
of spirituality is to rise above these body/mind limitations and
regain back one's true nature of absolute freedom and joy due to
inseparable relation with the absolute Brahman.

As explained earlier, every perception establishes the relation between 
the subject (sentient self) and object (inert matter). A unique third
entity is a must to explain the relation between self and matter.

Brahman or the Self of the universe that pervades and indwells in all 
is that third entity! Every "individual self" is inseparably rooted 
in that universal Self just like spark in the fire or a drop in the
ocean. It is impossible to separately identify the drop from the
ocean. That ocean is Brahman established as the essential Self of all,
which always remains indubitable and undeniable. 

This Self that abides in all is very intriguing and always remains
as the unchanging absolute in relation to changing realities in the
spatio-temporal world. The final point here is that the identification 
of every name/form must culminate in this non-dual God having
the entire universe as His body. The Vedic name Narayana literally
means that supreme being in whom everything exists and vice versa.

Every other religious or even materialistic view ends up only as an 
approximation to this infinite all encompassing Vedic view. 

Namaste
Suresh