The Vedas The Privilege of Humanity

Regulated activities are prescribed in the Vedas, and the Vedas are directly manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Consequently the all-pervading allTranscendence is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice. BG 3.15

What are the Vedas?

Veda means knowledge. The Vedic literature is a vast body of knowledge comprising of about a hundred billion Sanskrit verses.

The Vedas are compared to a desire tree because they contain all things knowable by man.

They deal with mundane necessities as well as spiritual realization.

The Vedas contain regulated principles of knowledge covering social, political, religious, economic, military, medicinal, chemical physical, metaphysical, and other subject matter and above all specific directs for spiritual realization.

rg-yajuhrg-yajuh-samatharvas ca bharatam paca-ratrakam pacamulamula-ramayanam caiva veda ity eva sabditah puranani ca yaniha vaisnavani vido viduh svatahsvatah-pramanyam etesam natra kicid vicaryate ki

The Rg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Atharva Veda, Mahabharata, Pacaratra and original Pa Ramayana are all considered by authorities to be veda. The knowers also know those Puranas dedicated to Lord Visnu to enjoy the same status. These literatures are self-evident, and there is selfnothing in them to speculate about. Bhavisya Purana

There are eighteen major puranas. Of all the puranas, the Bhagavata Purana (Srimad(SrimadBhagavatam) is considered the most important.

Vedas three departments of activities:

KarmaKarma-kanda: elevation to heavenly planets or achieving material benefits through performance of yajna (sacrifices) for demigods, dana (charity), tapa (penance). This is call pravriti marg.

Vedas three departments of activities:

JnanaJnana-Kanda: Decreasing material involvement and understanding the Supreme Truth through speculative knowledge. This is called nivritti marg.

Vedas three departments of activities:

UpasanaUpasana-Kanda: Decreasing material involvement through worship of the Supreme.

Amongst all types of upasana or worship, The worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, or Krishna, is Considered the topmost and is vividly Described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Four material aspects of the Vedas:

The four material aspects of the Vedas, called Purusarthas are prescribed to elevate human beings to the transcendental platform while allow them to fulfill their material desires with the Vedic guidelines. Dharma-religiosity gaining good karma to become Dharmaeligible for Artha-economic development for a comfortable life. Then Arthaone gains opportunities for Kama-sense gratification; having enjoyed enough sense Kamagratification after having gone through all the purifying processes of the Vedas, one may start to desire Moksa-liberation. From this platform one can more easily Moksaapproach the transcendental subject matters

The Vedic Tree of Knowledge:

Branches-karma Kanda Jnana-kanda, UpasanaKanda Unriped Fruit: Upanishads, Vedanta-Sutra

Flowers: dharma, artha,kama

Ripened Fruit: SrimadBhagavatam

Three-fold revelation of the Vedas: Shruti (aurally received) Nyaya (logic) 4 Vedas, 108 Upanisads Knowledge is revealed in the heart by hear and accepting. Knowledge that can manifest in the heart through logic Histories about realized souls whose example we can follow

Vedanta Sutra

Smrti (that which is remembered)

Puranas, Itihasas, Mahabharata

The Three Spiritual Aspects of the Vedas

Sambandha: Relationship: Who am I? Who is God? What is my relation to God? Abhideya: The process for elevation, bhakti, devotional service. Prayojana: The supreme goal of life, prema, love of God.

The Origin of the Vedas

How the Vedas came to be written:

Krishna first reveals the Vedic Knowledge to Brahma, the first manifested living entity in the material world.

Krishna first expands himself as the Maha-Vishnu for the Mahaperformance of creation. From his exhalation, unlimited universes expand from his pores. The Maha-Vishnu then Mahaexpans himself and enters each individual universe as the Gabhodakasayi Vishnu.

The Garbhodakasayi Vishnu then fills half the universe with the water born of his on perspiration (Gabha ocean) and lies down on the bed of Ananta-sesa. Thereafter, a lotus Anantaflower is born from his navel.

Lord Brahma is born from this lotus flower. He climbs down the lotus stem in search of his origin and is instructed (from within the heart) to perform penance.

Krishna reveal to Lord Brahma his transcendental realm. Lord Brahma inquires from Krishna and Krishna reveals the answers.

Brahma passes the Vedas to Narada

and Narada passes the Vedas to Vyasadeva

Bhautikanam ca bhavanam / sakti-hrasam ca tat-krtam Asraddadhanan nihsattvam / durmedhan hrastitayusah Durbhagams ca janan viksya / munir divyena caksusa Sarva varnasramanam yad / dadhyau hitam amogha-drk

The great sage, who was fully equipped in knowledge, could see, through his transcendental vision, the deterioration of everything material, due to the influence of the age. He could also see that the faithless people in general would be reduced in duration of life and would be impatient due to lack of goodness. Thus he contemplated for the welfare of men in all statuses and orders of life. SB 1.4.17-18

Veda

Rg Veda

Same Veda

Yajur Veda

Atharva Veda

Mahabharata Ramayana 18 Purana

Upanisads

Srimad-Bhagavatam Maha-Purana

Vedanta-Suta

Vyasa, divides the Vedas into four parts, including the 108 Upanisads (philosophical discourses on parts of the Vedas), The fifth Veda, which included Mahabharata (containing the Bhagavad-Gita) and the 18 Puranas, containing the cream of All Vedic literature, the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Who Recorded the Vedas?

in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed. SB 1.1.10; for this reason Vyasadeva compiles the Vedic literature a little over 5000 years ago.

Vedas: Manual for Mankind

The Vedas are directly the word of God revealed at the time of manifest creation. Just as ones computer comes with a manual explaining how to use it, so also, creation comes with a manuscript explaining what is the creation and it purpose and how to accept responsibility in fulfilling that purpose.

Can we put our faith in the Vedas?

Faith is an inseparable part of ones existence. (BG 17.3) Intelligent placement of faith takes place with that which is most authoritative.
It should be infallible (never disproved) It should have stood the test of time

Science and philosophy is not authoritative because of constant paradigm shifts. Person who represent modern day paradigm lack qualities. Can we really place our faith in them.

Disciplic Sucession-The Guru SucessionParampara / Sampradaya

This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession BG 4.2 Knowledge and realization transferred through relationship If one is not actually connected with a bona-fide bonadisciplic succession, whatever mantras he chants will not bring the desired resultresultPadma Purana

Inductive and Deductive Approach to Know the Truth

Inductive / Ascending method: means not accepting any authority and trying to find the truth by ones own endeavor or speculation Inductive ex: If you want to find out by yourself who your father is, you may have to test every man on earth. Everyone says man is mortal. If you want to research to find out rather man is mortal or not, one would have to study each and every man on earth; and still there may be one who was undiscovered who actually doesnt die.

Deductive / descending method: refers to that knowledge that is acquired by hearing. It is not experimental knowledge.
For example, if you want to know who your father is, who can answer you? Your mother. If the mother says, "Here is your father," you have to accept itIf you want to know who your father is and if you accept your mother as the authority, then whatever she says can be accepted without argument Similarly, if you want to know something beyond your experience, beyond your experimental knowledge, beyond the activities of the senses, then you have to accept the Vedas. There is no question of experimenting. It has already been experimented. It is already settled. The version of the mother, for instance, has to be accepted as truth. There is no other way.

Communicate Dont Speculate The Vedic Process of Learning

Ch. 1 BG, Arjuna spends his time speculating to understand truth, only to be led to utter frustration. When he decides to communicate with Krishna on Krishnas terms (parampara, submissive inquiry of guru), he meets with great success.