Understanding ‘Sanaathana Dharma’ or ‘Hinduism’
It is not appropriate to try to understand a particular religion by trying to observe the followers of that religion, because many a times they themselves may not be aware about the teachings of their religion.
There fore the best and appropriate method of trying to understand a religion is to try to understand the authentic scriptures of that religion.
According to Swami Vivekananda :
Three religions now stand in the world, which have come to us from times pre-historic, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism and Judaism.
They have all received tremendous shocks and all of them prove by their survival their inner strength.
But while Judaism failed to absorb Christianity and was driven out of its place by its all conquering daughter and a handful of Parsees is all that remains to tell the tale of their grand religion called Zoroastrianism.
Sect after sect arose in India and seemed to shake the religion of the Vedas to its very foundations. But like the waters of the seashore in a tremendous earthquake it receded only for a while, only to return in an all absorbing flood, a thousand times more vigorous and when the tumult of the rush was over, these sects were all sucked in, absorbed and assimilated, into the immense body of the mother faith. That is the present day Hinduism.
But the word Hinduism is a misnomer.
The word Hindu is a geographical difinition, which refers to the people living on the banks of river Sindhu, or people living in the land watered by the river Indus. According to the Historians, this word was first used by the Persians, when they first came to India through the North-west.
According the Encyclopedia of Religion & Ethics, the word Hindu is not found in any Literature or scripture before the coming of the Muslims to India.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, in his book Discovery of India, says that the earliest occurance of the word ‘Hindu’ can be traced to a Tantrik of 8th Century. It was used to describe the people. It was never used to describe the followers of a particular religion.
Hinduism’s relationship to religion is of late occurance. The word Hinduism is derived from the word Hindu. It was first coined by the Englishmen to describe the beliefs and faiths of the people of India. According to the New Encyclopedia Britanica – the word Hindusim was first used by the British writers in the year 1830 to describe the religion and the beliefs of the people of India. Hence the word Hinduism is a misnomer.
The right word for Hinduism is ‘Sanaathana Dharma’ that is 'eternal religion', or the 'Vedic Dharma' or the 'Religion of the Vedas'.
According to Swamy Vivekananda, ‘the Hindus have received their religion through revelations, the Vedas. They hold that the Vedas are without beginning and without end. It may sound ludicrous to this audience, how a book can be without beginning or end. But by the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different people in different times. Just as the law of gravition existed before its discovery and would exist if all humanity forgot it. So is it with the laws that govern the spiritual world.
The moral, ethical and spiritual relationship between soul and soul and between individual spirits and the father of all spirits, were there before their discovery and would remain even if we forget them. The discoverers of these laws are called Rishis and we honour them as perfected beings'.
Concept of Sanathana Dharma :
“From the high spiritual flights of Vedanta philosophy, of which the latest discoveries of science seems like echoes, to the lowest ideas of idolatry with its multifarious mythology, the agnoticism of the Buddhists and the atheism of the Jains, each and all have place in the Hindu’s religion.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Aanandha Yoga - Chapter-2c
Welcome to a deep study of Sanaathana Dharma
The holy book of the Christians is ‘Holy Bible’, the holy book of the muslims is ‘Holy Quaran’, the holy book of the Sikhs is ‘Gurugranth Sahib’……. and so on…… but if you ask what is the holy book of Hindus, many Hindus itself have a lot of doubt. Many people say it is the ‘Bhagavat Gita’, but acually the holy book of Hindus is the ‘Vedas’, since it is the source of all other scriptures.
Where did we the mankind, come from? Where are we sustained and what for? And where is our end? The secret answers for these question, were seen by the ancient Maharishis and passed on from generation to generation and these accumulated knowledge is known as the ‘Vedas’.
We are now living in the 21st century. We are seeing so many wonders of Science & technology. Man has landed on the moon. Almost all the planets in the solar system are being explored by sending rockets. A common man has almost all facilities and luxuries in his dwelling places. T.V, airconditioners, fridge, washing machines….etc., we are able to do so many wonders using computers. Internet, mobile phones, etc., are making our life wonderful. Many wonders are seen in the field of medical inventions also. New drugs and new replacement surgeries are making our lives easy. On the whole we may get an illusion that science is the end of everthing. And many people’s thinking is also in the same line. But if this state continues where is the end for Science & technology?
“Discovery channel”, brings us many facts about Science & technology. A series by name ‘Blast off’ is one such programme. This has been jointly produced by ‘Discovery’ and ‘NASA’.
The episode starts with these dialogue, ‘Where did we the mankind come from…………… where are we sustained…………………. And where is our end?
The very basic philosophy of NASA seems to be finding the answer for these three questions. Billions of Dollars are being spent to explore the universe to find answers to these questions.
First of all if we have to understand the questions, we have to brush up our knowledge from the basics of Sicence. What we think as our big earth is actually a mere speck of dust in this vast universe. We will see about this later. Before that let us explore the 'Vedas'.
The holy book of the Christians is ‘Holy Bible’, the holy book of the muslims is ‘Holy Quaran’, the holy book of the Sikhs is ‘Gurugranth Sahib’……. and so on…… but if you ask what is the holy book of Hindus, many Hindus itself have a lot of doubt. Many people say it is the ‘Bhagavat Gita’, but acually the holy book of Hindus is the ‘Vedas’, since it is the source of all other scriptures.
Where did we the mankind, come from? Where are we sustained and what for? And where is our end? The secret answers for these question, were seen by the ancient Maharishis and passed on from generation to generation and these accumulated knowledge is known as the ‘Vedas’.
We are now living in the 21st century. We are seeing so many wonders of Science & technology. Man has landed on the moon. Almost all the planets in the solar system are being explored by sending rockets. A common man has almost all facilities and luxuries in his dwelling places. T.V, airconditioners, fridge, washing machines….etc., we are able to do so many wonders using computers. Internet, mobile phones, etc., are making our life wonderful. Many wonders are seen in the field of medical inventions also. New drugs and new replacement surgeries are making our lives easy. On the whole we may get an illusion that science is the end of everthing. And many people’s thinking is also in the same line. But if this state continues where is the end for Science & technology?
“Discovery channel”, brings us many facts about Science & technology. A series by name ‘Blast off’ is one such programme. This has been jointly produced by ‘Discovery’ and ‘NASA’.
The episode starts with these dialogue, ‘Where did we the mankind come from…………… where are we sustained…………………. And where is our end?
The very basic philosophy of NASA seems to be finding the answer for these three questions. Billions of Dollars are being spent to explore the universe to find answers to these questions.
First of all if we have to understand the questions, we have to brush up our knowledge from the basics of Sicence. What we think as our big earth is actually a mere speck of dust in this vast universe. We will see about this later. Before that let us explore the 'Vedas'.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Aanandha Yoga Ch-2d
Today’s date is 9-11-11. This is the Christian era calender date. This denotes that it is 2011 years since the death of Jesus. But according to vedic calender, the year is 5015 in kali Yuga. Bhagwan Sri Krishna lived in Dwapara yuga. Srimad Bhagavatam says that Sri Krishna dissapeared at the end of Dwapara Yuga. Kali yuga started from the day of the dissapearance of Lord Krishna
Maharishi Veda Vyasa, son of Maharishi Parasara, lived in the last stage of Dwapara yuga. During the Kritha yuga and Thretha yuga, Vedas had not been segregated and hence was in a single group. Veda Vyasa saw the future in his foresight and felt that the people of the future, will not be intelligent enough to grasp the Vedas and hence to simplify it, he divided it into four. And these he gave it to four other Rishis to propagate it through Guru-Shishya parampara.
1. Rig Veda – Paila Maharishi
2. Yajur Veda – Vysampayana Maharishi.
3. Sama Veda – Jaimini Maharishi.
4. Atharva Veda – Sumanthu Maharishi.
As mentioned earlier, Vedas are a collection of all knowledge, from thousands of years, given by many Rishis and they are the practical experiences of these people.
“Where did we the mankind come from, why and for what are we born, for what are we living, and where is our end”. The answers for all these questions have been given by these seers. One more important question apart from these is the question as to “how we are living” The answers for all these can be found in the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Bhagavat Gita and many other scriptures.
“How we live our lives is very important”, It is quite natural for everyone to experience, both happiness and misery in one’s life. But, we find that a lot of people are complaining that there is only more misery in life. It is very important to see, as to how we accept the happiness and miseries that come in our life. Is there no other way out of this cycle of happiness and misery? As long as we keep running behind happiness, the opposite of happiness which is the misery, will also keep following us.
That is why our ‘Sanaathana Dharma’ scriptures, tells us to go in search of ‘Aanandha’.
Anandho brahme divya jaanaath. Aanandhadye vakal vimaani bhoothani jayanthe. Aanandhena jathani jeevanthi. Aanandham priyanthyabhishamvishanthithi….. so says the Vedas.
आनन्दो ब्रह्मे दिव्य जानात्, आनन्दाद्ये वकल् विमानि भूतनि
जायन्ते, आनन्देन जतानि जीवन्ति. आनन्दम् प्रियन्त्यभिसम्विषन्तीति
Maharishi Veda Vyasa, son of Maharishi Parasara, lived in the last stage of Dwapara yuga. During the Kritha yuga and Thretha yuga, Vedas had not been segregated and hence was in a single group. Veda Vyasa saw the future in his foresight and felt that the people of the future, will not be intelligent enough to grasp the Vedas and hence to simplify it, he divided it into four. And these he gave it to four other Rishis to propagate it through Guru-Shishya parampara.
1. Rig Veda – Paila Maharishi
2. Yajur Veda – Vysampayana Maharishi.
3. Sama Veda – Jaimini Maharishi.
4. Atharva Veda – Sumanthu Maharishi.
As mentioned earlier, Vedas are a collection of all knowledge, from thousands of years, given by many Rishis and they are the practical experiences of these people.
“Where did we the mankind come from, why and for what are we born, for what are we living, and where is our end”. The answers for all these questions have been given by these seers. One more important question apart from these is the question as to “how we are living” The answers for all these can be found in the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Bhagavat Gita and many other scriptures.
“How we live our lives is very important”, It is quite natural for everyone to experience, both happiness and misery in one’s life. But, we find that a lot of people are complaining that there is only more misery in life. It is very important to see, as to how we accept the happiness and miseries that come in our life. Is there no other way out of this cycle of happiness and misery? As long as we keep running behind happiness, the opposite of happiness which is the misery, will also keep following us.
That is why our ‘Sanaathana Dharma’ scriptures, tells us to go in search of ‘Aanandha’.
Anandho brahme divya jaanaath. Aanandhadye vakal vimaani bhoothani jayanthe. Aanandhena jathani jeevanthi. Aanandham priyanthyabhishamvishanthithi….. so says the Vedas.
आनन्दो ब्रह्मे दिव्य जानात्, आनन्दाद्ये वकल् विमानि भूतनि
जायन्ते, आनन्देन जतानि जीवन्ति. आनन्दम् प्रियन्त्यभिसम्विषन्तीति
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Aanandha Yoga Ch-2e
It means that …… ‘Brahman is Aanandha'. The entire universe came out of this 'Aanandha'. That which was born out of 'Aanandha' is sustained in 'Aanandha'. And finally it merges into 'Aanandha’. (Brahman is the Supreme God, believed by the Sanaathana dharma. This is not to be confused with the four headed Brahma Deva – the creator)
This is a very important sloka in the Vedas. If we have to understand this, first we have to know, what is 'Aanandha', what is 'Brahman', 'who' is the one who reaches it, etc., Vedas is like a big ocean and it is very difficult to understand its depth. Immaterial of the huge amount of information contained in the Vedas, it is enough if we know what is required for us.
Trying to Understand Vedas
Vedas – Vedas can be broadly classified into two. The first ¾ is known as karma kaanda and the remaining ¼ part is know as Gnaana kaanda, and also known as Veda-antha (last part of Vedas) 'Vedhaanta'.
Karma kanda –
Karma kanda explains all the rituals that are to be performed. For every individual From birth to death, there is a mantra for every occasion, yagas, rituals etc.,
When a mother is pregnant, a ceremony called Seemandham or valaikaappu.
When a child is born, its naming ceremony along with Aayush homa, for the longivity of the life. Then the upanayanam, which marks the second birth of the individual. Then the marriage. And finally when a person is dead, the death ceremony. And the Shradda rituals after the death. The details of all these rituals and how to perform it are found in this karma kaanda.
Gnaana kaanda –Gnaana kaanda tries to explain to us that there is a Supreme power, known as the ParaBhrahman, who is the source of all this entire universe. (This ParaBhrahman is not to be misunderstood with the four headed Demi-god BrahmaDeva, who is believed to be the creator god.) It goes on to explain that this Supreme Power is the embodiment of ‘Aanandha’ (Bliss). And that who ever reaches him, will also reach that state of ‘Aanandha’. The meaning for Upa-nishad in Sanskrit is taking one near. Gnaana Kanda, The last part of Vedas is also known as ‘Upanishad’, or taking one nearer to 'Parabrahman or 'Aanandha'.
If one has to go beyond this cycle of birth and death, then one has to take the path of ‘Aanandha’ and reach that Supreme Power ‘Parabrahman’ an embodiment of ‘Aanandha’. And for doing so, one has to understand the ‘Upanishads’.
In our present day eduation system, we aspire to do Master’s degree, M.Phil, Ph.D etc., For doing so one has to spent 12 years of schooling, 3 to 5 years of graduate studies, 2 years of Post graduation, and only after that several years for Ph.D., Upanishads is like the Ph.D., But what is so difficult, our Rishis have made is simple for us, by giving us the Puraanas, ithihaasas, etc., which is actually an extract of the Vedas and upanishads. The following can be considered as our Holy books.
Vedas = 4
Upanishads = 108 (but according to Shri Vaishnava sampradhaaya only 10)
Ithihaasa = 2 (Ramayana and Mahabharatha)
Mahabharatha has about 1,25,000 verses and in it, in the central most part is ‘Bhagavat Gita’ consisting of 700 slokas. ‘Bhagavat Gita’ is the advice of Bhagwaan Shri Krishna to Arjuna. It is actually an essence of the Upanishads.
Savopanishado gavo dhogdha gopala nandhanaha, partho vatsaha sudhirbhoktha dugdham geethamrutham mahat
सवोपनिशदो गावो दोग्धा गोपल नन्दनः, पर्थो वत्सह सुधिर्भोक्ता दुग्धम् गीतम्रुतम् महत्
so says the Gita Dhyaana sloka….
The meaning for this is …… all the Upanishads are like the cows and Partha (Arjuna) is the calf and on his behalf Lord Krishna is milking the cows and giving it not only to Arjuna but to all. Bhagawan Shri Krishna has condensed the Upanishads for us and given it in a simple form.
And for people who cannot understand even Bhagavat Gita, Puranas have been given by our Rishis. There are 18 Puranas and they are –
1. Brahma Purana
2. Padma Purana
3. Vishnu Purana
4. Vaayu Purana
5. Bhaagavat Purana
6. Naradhiya Purana
7. Markandeya Purana
8. Varaha Purana
9. Agni Purana
10. Bhavishya Purana
11. Brahma Vaivartha Purana
12. Linga Purana
13. Vamana Purana
14. Kurma Purana
15. Matsya Purana
16. Garuda Purana
17. Brahmaanda Purana
18. Skaandha Purana
Out of this Shrimad Bhaagavata Purana is very important. There are 12 Cantos in it. The story of Shri Krishna is written in great detail in the 10th Canto of this. Apart from this all the main points described in the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad gita, is given here in very simple story forms.
This is a very important sloka in the Vedas. If we have to understand this, first we have to know, what is 'Aanandha', what is 'Brahman', 'who' is the one who reaches it, etc., Vedas is like a big ocean and it is very difficult to understand its depth. Immaterial of the huge amount of information contained in the Vedas, it is enough if we know what is required for us.
Trying to Understand Vedas
Vedas – Vedas can be broadly classified into two. The first ¾ is known as karma kaanda and the remaining ¼ part is know as Gnaana kaanda, and also known as Veda-antha (last part of Vedas) 'Vedhaanta'.
Karma kanda –
Karma kanda explains all the rituals that are to be performed. For every individual From birth to death, there is a mantra for every occasion, yagas, rituals etc.,
When a mother is pregnant, a ceremony called Seemandham or valaikaappu.
When a child is born, its naming ceremony along with Aayush homa, for the longivity of the life. Then the upanayanam, which marks the second birth of the individual. Then the marriage. And finally when a person is dead, the death ceremony. And the Shradda rituals after the death. The details of all these rituals and how to perform it are found in this karma kaanda.
Gnaana kaanda –Gnaana kaanda tries to explain to us that there is a Supreme power, known as the ParaBhrahman, who is the source of all this entire universe. (This ParaBhrahman is not to be misunderstood with the four headed Demi-god BrahmaDeva, who is believed to be the creator god.) It goes on to explain that this Supreme Power is the embodiment of ‘Aanandha’ (Bliss). And that who ever reaches him, will also reach that state of ‘Aanandha’. The meaning for Upa-nishad in Sanskrit is taking one near. Gnaana Kanda, The last part of Vedas is also known as ‘Upanishad’, or taking one nearer to 'Parabrahman or 'Aanandha'.
If one has to go beyond this cycle of birth and death, then one has to take the path of ‘Aanandha’ and reach that Supreme Power ‘Parabrahman’ an embodiment of ‘Aanandha’. And for doing so, one has to understand the ‘Upanishads’.
In our present day eduation system, we aspire to do Master’s degree, M.Phil, Ph.D etc., For doing so one has to spent 12 years of schooling, 3 to 5 years of graduate studies, 2 years of Post graduation, and only after that several years for Ph.D., Upanishads is like the Ph.D., But what is so difficult, our Rishis have made is simple for us, by giving us the Puraanas, ithihaasas, etc., which is actually an extract of the Vedas and upanishads. The following can be considered as our Holy books.
Vedas = 4
Upanishads = 108 (but according to Shri Vaishnava sampradhaaya only 10)
Ithihaasa = 2 (Ramayana and Mahabharatha)
Mahabharatha has about 1,25,000 verses and in it, in the central most part is ‘Bhagavat Gita’ consisting of 700 slokas. ‘Bhagavat Gita’ is the advice of Bhagwaan Shri Krishna to Arjuna. It is actually an essence of the Upanishads.
Savopanishado gavo dhogdha gopala nandhanaha, partho vatsaha sudhirbhoktha dugdham geethamrutham mahat
सवोपनिशदो गावो दोग्धा गोपल नन्दनः, पर्थो वत्सह सुधिर्भोक्ता दुग्धम् गीतम्रुतम् महत्
so says the Gita Dhyaana sloka….
The meaning for this is …… all the Upanishads are like the cows and Partha (Arjuna) is the calf and on his behalf Lord Krishna is milking the cows and giving it not only to Arjuna but to all. Bhagawan Shri Krishna has condensed the Upanishads for us and given it in a simple form.
And for people who cannot understand even Bhagavat Gita, Puranas have been given by our Rishis. There are 18 Puranas and they are –
1. Brahma Purana
2. Padma Purana
3. Vishnu Purana
4. Vaayu Purana
5. Bhaagavat Purana
6. Naradhiya Purana
7. Markandeya Purana
8. Varaha Purana
9. Agni Purana
10. Bhavishya Purana
11. Brahma Vaivartha Purana
12. Linga Purana
13. Vamana Purana
14. Kurma Purana
15. Matsya Purana
16. Garuda Purana
17. Brahmaanda Purana
18. Skaandha Purana
Out of this Shrimad Bhaagavata Purana is very important. There are 12 Cantos in it. The story of Shri Krishna is written in great detail in the 10th Canto of this. Apart from this all the main points described in the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad gita, is given here in very simple story forms.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Aanandha Yoga - Ch-3
Chapter -3
By studying and understanding all these scriptures like, Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavat Gita, Ithihaasas and Puranas, is it possible to walk in the path towards Aanandha ? Yes, it is certainly possible.
But studying all these and understanding, is ealier said than done and is close to impossibility and one’s life span is also not enough for this. There is lots of water flowing in rivers, but we can take only what we want. There is a proverb in Tamil similar to this. ‘Vendiya Vedhangal Odhi’ meaning take only the vedas that is necessary for you. Once having taken, it is to be studied in detail and also practiced accordingly. And that practice should become one’s life style. If done so, then one’s life will also change and will start marching towards the path of 'Aanandha'.
In everybody’s life, happiness and misery will appear in cycles. We can point out 2 reasons for these. One is our body and the other is our mind. The state of happiness and misery depends on whether our mind and body are in harmony or in disharmony with us. So it is very important that we keep our mind and body very healthy.
There is only one way for this and that is to make our life systematic. Our Rishis have shown us the ways through which one can make one’s life systematic, to keep one’s mind and body healthy. Now let us examine what the Rishis have said in this respect.
‘Vedas’ are ‘a collection of truthful knowledge’ transmitted to us from the ancient times by countless number of Maharishis. The entire collection of this truthful knowledge can be systematically studied. The various divisions for systematic study can be seen in the following table.
By studying and understanding all these scriptures like, Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavat Gita, Ithihaasas and Puranas, is it possible to walk in the path towards Aanandha ? Yes, it is certainly possible.
But studying all these and understanding, is ealier said than done and is close to impossibility and one’s life span is also not enough for this. There is lots of water flowing in rivers, but we can take only what we want. There is a proverb in Tamil similar to this. ‘Vendiya Vedhangal Odhi’ meaning take only the vedas that is necessary for you. Once having taken, it is to be studied in detail and also practiced accordingly. And that practice should become one’s life style. If done so, then one’s life will also change and will start marching towards the path of 'Aanandha'.
In everybody’s life, happiness and misery will appear in cycles. We can point out 2 reasons for these. One is our body and the other is our mind. The state of happiness and misery depends on whether our mind and body are in harmony or in disharmony with us. So it is very important that we keep our mind and body very healthy.
There is only one way for this and that is to make our life systematic. Our Rishis have shown us the ways through which one can make one’s life systematic, to keep one’s mind and body healthy. Now let us examine what the Rishis have said in this respect.
‘Vedas’ are ‘a collection of truthful knowledge’ transmitted to us from the ancient times by countless number of Maharishis. The entire collection of this truthful knowledge can be systematically studied. The various divisions for systematic study can be seen in the following table.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Aanandha Yoga Ch-3b
The art of ‘Yoga’ was given to us by ‘Maharishi Pathanjali’. The normal tendency of anyone is, Oh, Yoga! I know about it. Afterall many millions of people from USA to Japan are practicing yoga. What is there new to know from Yoga?
But it is a pity that many do not know the actual realities of Yoga. Today what ever is taught all over the world in the name of Yoga, is only 1/8th of what Pathanjali Maharishi has given in the ‘Ashtaanga Yoga’. If by learning Just 1/8th of the real Yoga itself is so beneficial, then one can just imagine the real benefits of learning the entire Ashtaanga yoga.
In Sanskrit ‘Ashtaanga’ means eight divisions. They are-
1. Yama
2. Niyama
3. Praanayaama
4. Aasana
5. Prathyaahara
6. Dhaarana
7. Dhyaana &
8. Samadhi.
Generally what is being taught in India and all over the world in the name of ‘Yoga’ and ‘Meditation’ is only ‘Aasana’ and ‘Meditation’. We can see that ‘Aasana’ is the fourth part and ‘Meditation’ is the seventh part of the Ashtaanga Yoga.
All the eight parts in the Astaanga yoga is inter-related to each other and inseparable. Just by doing one or two parts of it will not yield the full results and will not take one to the final destination, where it is intended to take.
So one has to first start from the Yama-Niyama and step by step, learn and practice these. When one wants to learn this technique, he has to first know the complete details about it. One should not get the details from hearsay but through authentic means. One should also see if it is logically right and Scientifically correct, before accepting it. Once we grasp the essence of this and start practicing it as a life style then he can see the changes taking place in his life.
We have already seen that, When one has to face the miseries and happiness in one’s life, his mind and body should be hale and healthy. This Ashtaanga yoga is capable of giving one, such exercise for the mind and body to keep it fit and healthy.
In this 21st Century, the way we are living is against nature. That is the reason why we are facing illness of the mind and body. By giving proper exercise to the mind and body, it is possible to avoid illness and sickness to the mind and body. And this will help us to march in the path towards Aanandha. ‘Ashtaanga yoga’ is such an exercise which is capable of training one’s mind and body. When one wants to know what is ‘Astaanga Yoga’, one has to know the answer to the question ‘who am I’.
End of Chapter -3
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Aanandha yoga - Ch-4
"Who am I"
“Who am I”. This is an unique and peculiar question.
If I ask my self ‘who am I’. I can probably give the following answers. I am Ravikondda alias K.R.Ravindranath, son of Shri.Rajaram and Smt.Shanta, Savithri’s husband, so and so’s brother etc.,…….etc., I am in so and so job etc…… and I can keep on saying a few more.
But in reality, does that ‘I’ denote my body or the ‘me’ that is inside me? There is no answer for this question in Science or the so called rational thinking. The reason for this is that, either Science or the so called rational thinking, cannot answer the questions like, ‘what was I before my birth’ and what will I be after my death’, because Science or the so called rational thinking does not accept the concept of ‘Aathma’ or ‘rebirth’.
The answers for all these questions can be found only in our ‘Sanaathana Dharma’. According to the Vedas, the ‘I’ inside me denotes my ‘Aathma’. My body is made up of ‘pancha bhoothaas’. The pancha bhoothaas are as follows.
1. Pruthvi- earth – denotes all the solid substances in my body.
2. Appu – water – denotes all the liquid that is inside my body.
3. Vaayu – air – denotes all the gasses in my body.
4. Agni – fire-heat – denotes all the heat/warmth in my body.
5. Aakaasam – denotes all the vacant spaces in my body.
“Who am I”. This is an unique and peculiar question.
If I ask my self ‘who am I’. I can probably give the following answers. I am Ravikondda alias K.R.Ravindranath, son of Shri.Rajaram and Smt.Shanta, Savithri’s husband, so and so’s brother etc.,…….etc., I am in so and so job etc…… and I can keep on saying a few more.
But in reality, does that ‘I’ denote my body or the ‘me’ that is inside me? There is no answer for this question in Science or the so called rational thinking. The reason for this is that, either Science or the so called rational thinking, cannot answer the questions like, ‘what was I before my birth’ and what will I be after my death’, because Science or the so called rational thinking does not accept the concept of ‘Aathma’ or ‘rebirth’.
The answers for all these questions can be found only in our ‘Sanaathana Dharma’. According to the Vedas, the ‘I’ inside me denotes my ‘Aathma’. My body is made up of ‘pancha bhoothaas’. The pancha bhoothaas are as follows.
1. Pruthvi- earth – denotes all the solid substances in my body.
2. Appu – water – denotes all the liquid that is inside my body.
3. Vaayu – air – denotes all the gasses in my body.
4. Agni – fire-heat – denotes all the heat/warmth in my body.
5. Aakaasam – denotes all the vacant spaces in my body.
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