"Athato Brahma Jijnasa" ( Now it is time to inquire about absolute truth.) is the 1st aphorism of Vedanta Sutra or Brhama Sutra. This is only possible in human form of life.
What is Spiritually is all about? In human form of life we should have some questions to our intelligence beside basic necessities of life.
1. Who am I ? Where is my origin?
2. Why I am happy or sad or why I have lot of struggle here in this material world?.
3. Who is Supreme controller of the Universe or God ? & What is my relationship with him?
4. What is purpose of my life?
It is said that one who is simply conscious of the body is no better than an animal, even though he be in the human form. In Bhagavad-gita (15.15) Sri Krsna says, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: "I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." In human life we should inquiry about all above mention question.
1. Who am I ? I am spirit soul live in material body. How we should understand that we are soul not a body? When we talk about our body organ we say it is my finger, my head, my body etc... We don't say I finger, I head or I body etc... who is that my or me? Me or my dose not change throughout the life since our childhood only thing changing is our body we all experience this. Our body is constantly changing from infancy, childhood, youth, middle age, old age, and finally death, but we always keep our sense of identity as an eternal soul. In whole process of birth, growth, decay and death soul is continuously migrating and enter into new body after death is called transmigration. So soul is eternal, Soul remain in body until body is livable. Primary quality of the Soul is to love & serve to others. If we look at our life either be as a spouce, parents, children, in our profession, even as a President throughout the day we are serving to someone including ourselves. We should serve with love & compassion.
On the platform of eternal soul we have similarities with each other including other species.
Bg 2.13 — As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.
Bg 2.20 — For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.
Bg 2.22 — As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.
2. Why I am happy or sad or why I have lot of struggle here in this material world?.
In material world our mind constantly remain disturbed due to surrounding situation.
Our daily routine life is entangled with three fold of miseries ( miseries created by our own body & mind or some one else body & mind or natural calamities). Everyone of us react differently while facing these three fold miseries are called three modes of material nature( Goodness, Passion and ignorance). These three modes shape up our personality or consciousness.
Bg 14.5 — Material nature consists of three modes – goodness, passion and ignorance. When the eternal living entity comes in contact with nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he becomes conditioned by these modes.
Bg 14.6 — O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.
Bg 14.7 — The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of Kuntī, and because of this the embodied living entity is bound to material fruitive actions.
Bg 14.8 — O son of Bharata, know that the mode of darkness, born of ignorance, is the delusion of all embodied living entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.
3. Who is Supreme controller of the Universe or God? & what is my relationship with him?
Life has to come from other life, no material element can give birth to life. All living and non living entities are made up of 5 basic elements (earth, water, ether, air and fire ) but living entities remain alive due to spirit soul. Just like materially blind person can not experience or see how gigantic tree can grow from tiny seed, spiritually blind person can not understand how an Universe is created and where is the origin of all life or spirit soul. As per Vedic scriptures 1st life originated from Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma came out from Lotus flower from navel of Lord Krishna. ( Lord Krishna is began-less and eternal, SB 1.3.28 kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, Srimad Bhagvatam have very detail scientific logical explanation) So each & every life is part and parcel of Lord Krishna. God or Super Soul along with our eternal soul lives in our heart. Soul and supreme soul remain in body until body is livable. Beside all living entities, non-living entities including nature and 5 basic elements of the Universe are Lord Krishna's energy. All living and non living entities including whole universe are controlled by God (Lord Krishna).
Bg 7.3 — Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.
Bg 7.4 — Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego – all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.
Bg 7.5 — Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.
Bg 7.6 — All created beings have their source in these two natures. Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both the origin and the dissolution.
Bg 7.7 — O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.
Bg 14.4 — It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.
Bg 15.15 — I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.
Bg 18.61 — The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
4. What is purpose of my life?
As we understood before we are eternal soul ( not a body) part & parcel of God just like finger is part & parcel of body. Primary job of finger or any other body organ is to serve the body ( provide food to stomach) same way primary function of soul is to serve the God.
How we can serve the God? Through Bhakti or Devotional service. As per our Sages, Acharya and Gurus the essence of Vedic scriptures is Bhakti means devotional (love & enthusiasm) service to God.
Bg 18.55 — One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.
Bhakti( Devotion) in nutshell: There are two basic principal of Bhakti.: 1. Tattva ( Philosophy, knowledge ) and 2. Rasa ( Past time of Lord Krishna, his qualities, form, his activities, his incarnation, his associates..... etc). Only with the philosophy without Rasa Bhakti can not relish. Scripture hearing & reading and thinking about it ( will help us to understand God, also reflect our development & defect), Deity & Guru worship, Saying prayer, Chanting mantra, Eating prasadam ( eating remnant of fresh satvik food after offering the God 1st. Food affect our mind & body ), Glorifying the God & Guru. All these spiritual activities performed with devotion will help us to build the loving relationship with God and eventually with all other lives including nature (essence of Bhakti).
As mention in Vedic scriptures living entities are his superior energy and non-living entities are his inferior energies, so instead of worshiping everyone & everything our Scriptures, Sages and Acharyas have recommended worshiping Lord Krishna in Deity form that includes everyone & everything.
In Bhagavad-gita [ 9.4] Krishna says, maya tatam idam sarvam jagad avyakta-murtina: “I am spread all over the universe in My impersonal feature.” Mat-sthani sarva-bhutani: “Everything is in Me.” Na caham tesv avasthitah: “But I separate from everything.” This is the philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference ( achintya-bhedabheda-tattva).
Very logical and simple explanation in question & answer format in link below.
Guru worship is essential part of Bhakti. Guru is authorized representative of God. Through the Guru only we can understand Vedic Scriptures.
Bhakti is very active process not a passive, by performing Bhakti daily good quality will absorb passively in our mind. It requires lots of determination and time management skill to practice Bhakti in our daily life. It is all about developing higher taste in our life. Once we develop higher taste in spiritual activities slowly we will detach from mundane worldly activities (ideal speaking it should happen with advancement in our age). By practicing Bhakti daily we remain detach from material bondage in present life and become happy and peaceful. Bhakti leads us toward ultimate goal of human life to get liberated from birth-death cycle ( it is not possible in other forms of lives).
Bg 12.6-7 — But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pṛthā – for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.
False ego ( ego of possessing wealth, power, education, good family, nationality, beauty, fame..etc....and material body which are temporary ) is the biggest challenge to progress toward spiritual path. By daily Bhakti slowly and steadily we can dissolve false ego.
By Bhakti only we can change or modify our materialistic & demoniac consciousness to become Divine. With divine consciousness will have reverence to all living and non living entities including nature. We will develop service attitude to everyone. We will develop harmony with everyone in this world.
In age of kaliyuga common problem in society are disagreement, quarrel, hypocrisy, severe anxiety and fear. Six bad qualities at individual level are lust, anger, greed, illusion (everything is mine), pride and envy.
Srimad Bhagavat Gita is essence & Srimad Bhagavatam is the nectar of Vedic scriptures. All the bad qualities slowly go away from our life by repeatedly hearing/reading/thinking and glorifying these two scriptures: As mention in our scriptures Human life is meant for Tapasya. We will try to leave simple life and spend more time for spiritual enlightenment and encourage others to do same. Simple & spiritual life will take care all environmental , political, health, socio economical ....etc.. and ultimate problem of life that is Birth-Old age-Disease & Death
Basic principal of spiritual life:
1. Books are the basics ( Hearing/reading the scriptures everyday).
2. Purity is the force ( Do your Bhakti everyday)
3: Utility is principal: means by utilizing our intellectual, mind, ego and other skills....etc...how eagerly and affectionately we hear, read, glorify, making prasadam....and all other spiritual activities....we perform to serve the God.
4. Preaching is the essence. Use your intellectual, affluence, skill & efficiency...etc to take Vedic thoughts to the society.
5. Always stay in association of like minded good people to achieve these goals.
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I am inspire to hear & read Vedic Scriptures & other philosophy by regularly listening Sri Pandurang Shashtri Athvale known as Dadaji ( speak on Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Veda based discourses & western philosophy ) and association of Swadhyay Parivar every Sunday in Swadhya Kendra.
FYI: Good source of Vedic literature: Vedabase.com (Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the essence & Srimad Bhagavatam is the nectar of all Vedic scriptures).
I also hear and read discourses & articles on Vedic thoughts & other philosophy from Srila Prabhupada, his disciples & grand disciples (Rasamitra Swami, Chaitanya Charandas Prabhu, Sutapa Das, Amarnath Dasa, Bhakticharu Swami, Urmila Devi Dasi, Radhanath Swami, Lal Govind Prabhu ( Gujarati & Hindi) Prahalad Maharaj in Surat (Gujarati) .......and many more from ISKCON......).
I am posting some article based on Vedic scriptures and literature. Of course I use Google search to collect some data. Thanks to Facebook for providing platform.
It is always good idea to share our good thoughts & knowledge with others. Besides my parents, spouse, teachers, family & friends GREATFUL to EVERYONE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED in MY LIFE.
Hopefully my enthusiasm will continue by grace of Guru & God (Absolute Truth).
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