When Vedic mantras are
efficacious
Many among us sometimes feel frustrated that
after carrying out various religious exercises (like Pujas and
expiatory rites) to ward off evil and overcome problems, by chanting
the Vedic mantras, we do not achieve the desired results. On the
contrary, the results may be adverse. A little self-introspection
will help us locate the fault.
Our
sages and forbears chanted the Vedic mantras themselves with
perfection, pronouncing the syllables without flaw. The mantras,
which are potent, will fetch the fruits only if the recitors
strictly adhere to tradition. Many not only fail to utter them
properly themselves, but prefer to engage priests paying them a
little money. They neither care to conduct the Pujas nor adhere to
Vedic injunctions with faith and devotion, without which nothing can
be achieved. Often people speak of lack of time to learn the Vedic
mantras. Self-introspection will reveal how they spend hours on
worldly activities after office work.
Sri Bharathi Thirtha of Sringeri Sarada Peetam,
pointed out that strangely people feel they have no time to carry
out even the minimal daily spiritual exercises. “Everyone should
remember that he causes his own good or bad, herein and thereafter”.
Every action causes reaction, and so one's elevation is in his own
hands. Sages who were patient and preserving, maintained their
equanimity and did not show their malice towards even those who
wronged them, though they possessed the power to destroy them. They
did there penance with sincerity and faith. But the patience and
perseverance of present-day people were born out of “weakness”;
their clams to equanimity was due to compulsion.
November
10,
The four Vedic
commandments
Even
at the dawn of Indian history, the familiar questions used to be.
“Who is God?” and ills He visible and perceivable?”
The
Vedas --Divine utterances annotated by sages with reference to
specific contexts --provide the answer. It is possible to experience
God, the seers have assured, provided man becomes really human,
shedding the beastly traits in him. In this connection, the
following four commandments have been given priority: worship your
mother; revere your father; obey your spiritual mentor; and honour
your guest. If all these are observed scrupulously, they will
certainly enable one to have the vision of god.
The
prime dedication should go to the mother, who has delivered us into
the world. “She is a veritable God.” Next is the father who tends
us. The spiritual guide, the third in order, removes our ignorance,
imparts knowledge and shows the path of God realisation. The
Acharya, however , should distinguish himself by the basic
qualifications -- desirelessness and total detachment. Even God,
donning the robes of mortals bowed before Gurus. Then comes the true
guest; he is one who remains indebted to the host for his
hospitality. Lord Krishna chose to stay with the humble Vidhura
instead of with the pompous Duryodhana as it would compel Him to be
ever grateful to him. The difference between the two was while
Vidhura told the Lord, “It is your house, please enter,” the haughty
Duryodhana said “Come to my palace.”
Sri
N. Giridhari Prasad, in his discourse referred to the Nayanmars, the
Azhwars and others who have worshipped God as mother or father or
both, as revealed in their outpourings.
Sri Rama, the ideal son, sacrificed an empire and
smilingly retired to the forest to spend 14 years there, implicitly
obeying His father. Another inimitable character in the scriptures
was Bhishma who remained a celibate till his death to enable his
father to re-marry and enjoy worldly pleasures.
April
8, 1983
Nothing
is greater than spiritual wisdom
God
alone is the judge of all our acts. He alone can extend proper
rewards or punishments for our deeds. To accept His existence and of
the individual soul, we need full belief in scriptures. The Vedas,
which exist from time immemorial, disclose the presence of the
Almighty, the soul and of virtue. Righteous conduct alone can keep
society in a disciplined manner. If it is argued that righteousness
depends on strength, the mightier man can wipe out the less mighty.
Hence mankind has to stand by a principle, other than mere physical
strength, to govern the world and “Dharma” will sustain it. This
follows that we have to submit ourselves to the Lord and worship Him
to obtain release from bondage, through His grace, which is the last
word in scriptures. We should know about His majesty, splendour and
supremacy. Nothing is greater than spiritual wisdom and there is
none greater than the Lord, even according to His own proclamation.
In a lecture Sri Sathyapramoda Thirtha of
Utharadhi Math touched on the divergent views held by the atheists
and believers in God. The former deny everything except those which
can be perceived by the senses. “We see the world and our body but
not our soul and hence we do not accept the existence of the soul”
they say. Apart from the body, they admit of only the elements
-world, fire and water, not even of ether, not to speak of sound.
They disclaim “Dharma”. They do not accept any code of conduct or
creed except to live happily, borrowing money from others, without
the necessity to return it because the soul is destroyed with the
body. This philosophy of the materialists will only promote anarchy.
On this plea even the wealth of a preceptor can be plundered by the
disciples. This will not be conducive to society. Their contention
is that if one cannot lift a stone, two can and thus a number of
elements can produce the soul. Those who abide by the Vedas reply
that the elements are insentient and hence admit the existence of
the individual soul apart from the body.
October
29, 1986
Puranas explain Veda
dictum
Our
noble religious traditions, the hoary heritage and the rich cultural
background are based on the Vedas. But they are terse in nature and
are not easily assimilable by the common man. The privilege of
removing the unwanted matter from this huge pile of truth was
granted to sage Vyasa, who dedicated the 18 Puranas and other works
to enable humanity to follow the guidelines in the Vedas. Some
people may ask whether the Puranas are needed at all and whether
they have any relevance now since their very name suggests their
antiquity. Even as the watch repairer needs a magnifying glass to
examine the delicate mechanism inside or the diamond merchant to
spot out the blemishes in the gems, the Puranas amplify the contents
of the Vedas.
Sri
Kripanandavariar in a discourse referred to the analogy given by the
poet Kamban (who wrote the Tamil adaptation of the Ramayana) that
Vyasa removed the “riddles” in the Vedas even as Sri Sita carefully
separated the strands of
Her coiffeur which got matted owing to lack of attention during
her ten month captivity.
The Vedas give a command “Satyam
Veda” –Utter the Truth. But this requires an elaboration and
commentary. Vyasa's contribution to this by way of writing the
Harischandra Purana wherein the significance and import of the above
dictum are explained. A king who accepted the challenge that he
would never utter a lie had to undergo unimaginable ordeals. He
refused to speak anything contrary to his words even when he was
grilled to such an extent that he was about to collapse. So too was
another king Nala who was driven to the situation of working as a
syce. Similarly in the Ramayana, the poet describes the state of
terror which Sri Sita experienced because of Ravana's threat. She
never slept all the ten months- the poet says, a description that
defies imagination. But annotated properly, Her agony could be
compared to a person who is asked to sleep in a room with all modern
comforts but is gently reminded that a cobra may enter the room by
one window and make its exit by another during the night. Can the
man have his rest?
March
18, 1987
Comprehensible version of the
abstract
God,
who is all powerful, is infinitely merciful; but as one who has to
uphold Moral Law, it becomes His duty to punish those who violate
it. The Divinity's duty is to maintain the stability of social
order. The Vedic commands take care of the welfare of the human
being and are ever vigilant directing the people to follow the
scientific and rational path.
The
God of the Vedas is beyond our thought and words, yet He is made
comprehensible to the human mind. A unique feature of the Vedas is
its adoption of humanistic approach to abstract and difficult
subjects. In a lecture, Sri Agnihotram Ramanuja Thathachariar said
according to the Rig Veda, not even a small particle can move
without God. Religion should first understand the problems of man
and prescribe a scheme for his good life here. In this respect, the
approach of the Vedas is complete. Social, political and economic
problems of life have been taken into account by the Vedas and a
scheme has been framed to attain prosperity in all walks of life.
With this, the common man's mind is fully satisfied.
Vedic religion, philosophy and culture are based
on the Rig Veda only. In the Rig Veda mantras, Gods are not only
given human forms but even human attributes and functions. Vedic
religion brings God nearer to man. From the common man's point of
view, religion is practical while at the intellectual's level, it is
pragmatic. Through the adoption of Vedic religion, divine
consciousness can easily be kept at all times, even in the material
world.
September
8, 1989
Potential of Vedic
utterances
India's culture and her glorious tradition spring
from the Vedas, which are God's gift to mankind. No one can say when
they were first dedicated nor predict when (and whether) they will
end. They are eternal commands for shaping man's good conduct and
for developing an impeccable character. They reveal God and contain
advice as well as correctives. If they are upheld, humanity's
happiness and prosperity will be assured. But the very source of
this fountain is getting dry in the sense that the number of
scholars who take to their study is dwindling.
Those
who protect the Vedas will certainly get divine blessings, according
to a scriptural statement. These revelations spell out the Do's and
Dont's. They have to be learnt only through a traditional style, by
oral instruction by a teacher Its vitality has been maintained over
centuries, continuously. But many are not getting trained since they
do not get support from the public.
Vedic
scholars can indeed be described as those having undergone the
greatest sacrifice as they are not sure of their future prospects.
Hence, it is the duty of religious-minded men to encourage them,
honour them and give them an exalted status so that they can carry
on the task of propagating God's message uninterruptedly.
Sri
Jayendra Saraswathi in a discourse said, Vedic utterances are based
on vibrant sound syllables and hence ought to be pronounced
properly. Even a slight alteration in their structure could spell
disaster, conveying an entirely different meaning. If chanted with
deep knowledge as to what these statements convey, the benefit would
be immense. Even without understanding their meaning, people would
be moved, as they contain Mantras. The Vedas cover the entire gamut
of man's activities. It has six constituents including Astrology.
Adi
Sankara derived his strength to re-establish Hinduism and faced
various forces only from the Vedas. Apart from the Mantras enshrined
in them, they show the path to reach God's kingdom, making a person
recall wherefrom he hailed, where he will go and what are the
obstacles for re-entering God's domain.
Unlike hymns learnt by tapes and played during
personal worship, the Vedas should be mastered only through the
ancient system of Gurukulam. Even the attendance at places where the
Ramanayana and Mahabharatha are being expounded, is becoming thin.
The study of Sanskrit should be encouraged by the people and the
Vedas tell us how to end the cycle of re-births.
February
15, 1990
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