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

Hindu Versus Non-Hindu

The difference between Hindu and non-Hindu view is nothing other

than universal and particular. The Hindu view which is based on

the Vedas look upon the entire universe as that Supreme being.

It is the art and science of looking at the whole or everything

at once. This encompasses everything and excludes nothing.

Another way of saying the same thing is to look upon the family,

society and the entire universe as the body of God. The individual

duty or svadharma which would be different and dependent on the

nature of the individual is analogous to the difference in

the functions according to the nature of each part of the body.

Probably the claim that Vedas are apourusheya (impersonal or has

no author) has its roots in this universal view which always remains

the same.

Every other, particular (and therefore human/spatio-temporal) view

cannot be external and forms a subset of this universal Hindu view.

Every other non-Hindu view is only looking at only a particular

portion of the otherwise universal Hindu view. They are all true in

the sense that they are not external to the Hindu God who is this

very universe. At the same time they are problematic as they restrict

their view to only particular name/form thereby creating an

"artificial split" in the otherwise integral, holistic and unifying

Vedic Hindu view.

Every other religion therefore has a need to convert people and

give/restrict them to a particular name and simultaneously urging

them not to engage in their sva-dharma thereby violating the natural

law of dharma. On the other hand, for a Hindu there is no need for

any such conversion as the dharmic way of life automatically follows

by recognizing one's relationship with God in the form of the universe.

In other words, for those who are interested to "return back" to Hindu

religion there is no need to go through any formal "conversion" process.

It may still be possible to put a process together for psychological

satisfaction. But technically or intellectually it is not needed as

the real "conversion" has to do with one's understanding.  

In other words there is a need to "un-convert" from every kind of

particular views and integrate all such views culminating in the grand

view of God in the form this entire universe.

Nothing in the world, like the earth, water and fire and so on can be

converted and so also is the spirit self. But they all have to perform

their duties according to their nature as a service to that Supreme

universal being. There is no selfishness anywhere in nature. But there

is difference in nature and duties accordingly. Difference never means

high or low or more or less. But performance of one's duty according to

one's nature without hate or greed is very much essential for the overall

well-being of the universe as a whole. This is Varnashrama duties in a

nutshell.

Our existence in the world is made possible by every blessed entity

around us, yes - even the evil or adharma is included as it indirectly

helps in teaching how not to be and by taking away our bad karma.

There is a oblation to adharma - "adharmaya svaha" in the daily

vaishwadeva karma performed by the brahmanas who are expected

to engage in their yagya or nitya karma to propitiate the devatas

so that they can bless the world with timely rains and harvest.

So every entity represented by a devata deserves recognition and service,

according to one's nature and position. Ultimately all the many different

duties or worship of devatas culminates in the service of the supreme God,

Ishwara or Brahman, indwelling in all and and manifesting as the entire

universe. Every particular human transaction therefore, is verily a yagya

or worship of Him alone who manifests in many varieties.

Question: So Should Hindus worship all gods of all religions?

Answer 1: No, because the Vedic Hindu view of looking upon the entire universe

as that supreme God obviously does not exclude all the "so called non-Hindu"

gods wherever they exist. Hindu view is actually looking at the whole as

opposed to the others who are only looking at a part or portion of the

reality. Even all the many particular gods or devatas worshiped by

various sects of Hindus are ultimately cognized within the all pervading

supreme Brahman - "Sarve devah tattra eki bhavanti". Hindus would encourage

people of other religions also to reconcile with them in the same way.

Non-Hindus can happily worship their particular god as long as they allow

Hindus to worship theirs.  

All religions are indirectly worshiping Hindu God, in the form of the

absolute Brahman only. This is because the absolute Brahman is the all

pervading and indwelling spirit self that is manifesting through all

name/forms. So Hindus don't have any problem if people of other religion

have different name/form for "their" God. But other religions have problem

as their vision is limited and so cannot SEE God in all.

The fight between particular (non-Hindu or asura) and universal

(Hindu or devata) is an eternal one and will continue eternally

as the world is always divided based the three gunas. But the universal

Vedic Hindu view of God as the all pervading inner spirit indwelling and

manifesting as this universe, alone ultimately prevails.

Namaste,
Suresh