Vedas - Life Line of Human Beings
In Hinduism since beginning knowledge is shared through non-written way called chanting the Mantras again and again. Afterwards the knowledge is distributed through writing and teaching so that a person can get the knowledge and lead the life in a satisfactory way. Then this knowledge sharing was became "Shruti" called "Vedas". The word 'Veda' is Sanskrit word means knowledge or wisdom and from the word 'veda' is derived the word 'Vid' (to know), 'Vidya' (study or education), 'Vidvan (the scholar or Pandit) and 'Vedavid'(the person one who know "Vedas").
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| Veda - The Manusript |
About "Shruti" and "Smriti"
There are two broad categories namely "Shruti" and "Smriti". 'Shruti' means that which is heard. 'Smriti' means that which is based upon memory. It is the literature produced out of human intellect and penance of Rishis. It is a sacred literature that is intellectual in origin and meant for the purpose of mankind or human welfare.
About Vedas
The Vedas are 'Nitya' i.e., eternal, its the belief that God brings the Vedas into this world at the beginning of every cycle of creation of the "Brahmanda" for the welfare of the mankind and withdraws them again at the end of the "Brahmanda". The Vedas are revealed to the mankind through rishis (rsis or rish) or great seers. The rsis were considered to be the mind born children of Brahma i.e., "Manasputras of Lord Brahma", who were created solely for the purpose of introducing the Vedas to the mankind for the welfare of Human Beings . The word rsi means e who had seen (drs) the Truth.
Hindu scriptures can be grouped into the following 6 categories.
- The Shruti tells about the Vedas
- The Smriti tells about the Dharma Shastras or the law books.
- The Itihasas tells about the two epics called Ramayana and Mahabharata respectively.
- The Puranas tells about the knowledge of ancient traditional life.
- The Agamas dealing with the mechanics of ritual worship.
- The Darsanas dealing with the various philosophical thought.
The Vedas are called 'Apaurusheya', in Sanskrit Apaurusheya means "not of a man" means Vedas are not made or written by man, but Vedas are "superhuman" or "impersonal, author less". The Vedas are considered to be very holy scripture, Brahman Himself appeared in the form of words and sounds. The knowledge in the Vedas is believed to be eternal, non-created, neither authored by human nor by any divine source, but seen, heard and transmitted by 'Rishis' what we called sages.
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| Speed of Light According to Rig Veda |
Practice of Vedas
Exactly no one knows how old Vedas are. Only everyone knows that the Rigvedic Verses were perhaps composed in the early phases of Human Civilisation. For centuries Vedas were passed down from one generation to another through oral tradition i,e., memorising and transmitting, mostly more than a millennia before they were written down into manuscripts. Even now a days also Vedas are transmitted oraly. This verbal tradition of preserving and transmitting Vedas, from one generation to next, continued into the modern era. They were probably rendered into written form during the epic period.
The Vedas become more famous because of its in depth intellectual secrets of the world, Vedas origins and knowledge helps a person to ascend by the exercise of his will and transformation of his consciousness. Vedas speak not just of various Gods and Goddesses or Divine Powers like bringing rains or stoping femine or floods, but of various Divinities and spiritual entities that exist in our psychic awareness and arise and awake as we progress through various stages of spiritual advancement in our life for Self Realisation. Although on the surface, the Vedic hymns appear to be mere ritualistic invocations addressed to various Gods and Goddesses, in reality Vedas are addressed to acknowledge the arrival or descent of specific Divine Forces or Energies of the Higher Worlds into our individual consciousness or to invoke their presence.
The Mantra part contains mantras or hymns addressed to various Gods and Goddesses, which are chanted during ritualistic prayers or invocations according to a particular rhythm. On the time of Mantra, the importance is going to give the pronunciation of the words and the vibrations they create in the minds of the invokers and in the physical atmosphere that surround them so as to render the descent of the divine forces easier and swifter.
The Brahmana part contains information about rites and rituals and serves as a kind of guide book that tells the method and the manner in which the rituals are to be conducted.
The Aranyakas, or the forest books deal with the significance and philosophical back ground of various rituals.
The fourth part of the Veda is called the Upanishad. The Upanishadic wisdom can be grouped under Smriti. The Upanishads are the books of deep spiritual knowledge known as Vedanta. There are hundreds of Upanishads ascribed to the four Vedas of which 12 are considered to be the most important.
1. Brahmacharya Ashram : Brahmacharya is the stage of studentship. During this period a student of the Vedas is expected to live single life i.e., unmarried, bachelor life and memorise the Mantras completely and recite them with utmost accuracy. And he will learn Yogasana and Meditation, so that he can practice "Ekagrata" the concentration and "Sanyamata" control on mind and thoughts. Which is very very important any one's life.
2. Grihastha Ashram : This is the stage of the householder means a person can Marry and live his life with wife and take care of his offspring's education and growth. generally we called Karmakanda. A person can lead a righteous life with performing righteous deeds in the society. Because its his duty towards his parents as well as towards society as a responsible person.
3. Vanaprastha Ashram : This is the stage of forest dwelling. During this stage a person leaves his home attachment, after completely fulfil his duty towards his family and children, then he will go to forest with his wife, to lead a spiritual life.
4. Sanyasa Ashram : This is the stage of rejecting the luxurious life and approaching the "supreme" by chanting the Lords name and performing the penance to go away from the Wordily life completely and spends the rest of his life in the contemplation of God and Self.
The Shruti tells about the Vedas
The Vedas are part of the Shruti literature. Shruti means that 'which is heard'. The vedas are considered to be divine in origin and not man made. In the Hindu Epic the Mahabharata, the creation of Vedas is credited to Lord Brahma. Afterwords, Krishna Dvaipayana also called Bhagvan Vedavyas composed the Vedas. Bhagvan Vedavyas was a 'Maharshi'(Great Seers).The Vedas become more famous because of its in depth intellectual secrets of the world, Vedas origins and knowledge helps a person to ascend by the exercise of his will and transformation of his consciousness. Vedas speak not just of various Gods and Goddesses or Divine Powers like bringing rains or stoping femine or floods, but of various Divinities and spiritual entities that exist in our psychic awareness and arise and awake as we progress through various stages of spiritual advancement in our life for Self Realisation. Although on the surface, the Vedic hymns appear to be mere ritualistic invocations addressed to various Gods and Goddesses, in reality Vedas are addressed to acknowledge the arrival or descent of specific Divine Forces or Energies of the Higher Worlds into our individual consciousness or to invoke their presence.
Vedas are Four
There are four Vedas, namely the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda, of which the Rigveda is the oldest and probably composed at a time when the Vedic Aryans were insearch of a suitable homeland. either in the Indian subcontinent or elsewhere.Each Veda is once again Divided into Four Parts
Then each Veda is once again divided into four parts, namely the Mantra, the Brahmana, the Aranyaka and the Upanishad.The Mantra part contains mantras or hymns addressed to various Gods and Goddesses, which are chanted during ritualistic prayers or invocations according to a particular rhythm. On the time of Mantra, the importance is going to give the pronunciation of the words and the vibrations they create in the minds of the invokers and in the physical atmosphere that surround them so as to render the descent of the divine forces easier and swifter.
The Brahmana part contains information about rites and rituals and serves as a kind of guide book that tells the method and the manner in which the rituals are to be conducted.
The Aranyakas, or the forest books deal with the significance and philosophical back ground of various rituals.
The fourth part of the Veda is called the Upanishad. The Upanishadic wisdom can be grouped under Smriti. The Upanishads are the books of deep spiritual knowledge known as Vedanta. There are hundreds of Upanishads ascribed to the four Vedas of which 12 are considered to be the most important.
Four Stages of Life of Human Being
The Hinduism is the way of life, in this Hinduism, the life is the gift of four "Ashramas". And this gift is practiced from the period of Vedas. These are the four "Ashramas" which boost human life very softly and properly. Namely Brahmacharya Ashram, Grihasta Ashram, Vanaprastha Ashram and Sanyasa Ashram respectively. How this practice leads the life so easily and successfully, is explained as follows.1. Brahmacharya Ashram : Brahmacharya is the stage of studentship. During this period a student of the Vedas is expected to live single life i.e., unmarried, bachelor life and memorise the Mantras completely and recite them with utmost accuracy. And he will learn Yogasana and Meditation, so that he can practice "Ekagrata" the concentration and "Sanyamata" control on mind and thoughts. Which is very very important any one's life.
2. Grihastha Ashram : This is the stage of the householder means a person can Marry and live his life with wife and take care of his offspring's education and growth. generally we called Karmakanda. A person can lead a righteous life with performing righteous deeds in the society. Because its his duty towards his parents as well as towards society as a responsible person.
3. Vanaprastha Ashram : This is the stage of forest dwelling. During this stage a person leaves his home attachment, after completely fulfil his duty towards his family and children, then he will go to forest with his wife, to lead a spiritual life.
4. Sanyasa Ashram : This is the stage of rejecting the luxurious life and approaching the "supreme" by chanting the Lords name and performing the penance to go away from the Wordily life completely and spends the rest of his life in the contemplation of God and Self.
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Ashrama - The four stages of life |
To be continued...
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