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SANATAN DHARMA, THE ETERNAL FAITH

11/30/2017

Sanatan Dharam
Sanatan Dharam or Vedic Dharam is most ancient system and in existence since time immemorial, therefore called as Sanatan Dharam (the eternal faith). It is believed that Vedas are knowledge directly provided by God to ancient rishis. The commentaries on it are propounded by a large number rishis (Scientist) during over 5000 years. Hence, Hindu religion is not signified by one holy book and one prophet as in case of other religions world over but collection of knowledge gathered over thousands of years.
Essence of Hindu Religion

The Hindus found their creed upon the ancient Vedas, a word derived from Vid, "to know". They teach us the immortality of the soul.
In Vedanta, Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss) is the highest concept of God possible to mind. It is essence of knowledge and is by its nature the essence of Bliss.
Blessedness, eternal peace, arising from perfect freedom, is the highest concept of religion underlying all the ideas of God in Vedanta — absolutely free Existence, not bound by anything, no change, no nature, nothing that can produce a change in Him.
God is self-evident, impersonal, omniscient, the Knower and Master of nature, the Lord of all. He is behind all worship and it is being done according to Him, whether we know it or not.
Through lower forms of worship, man's material thoughts rise to spiritual worship and the Universal Infinite One is at last worshipped in and through the spirit.
The Upanishads have declared, "Arise ! Awake ! and stop not until the goal is reached." We will then certainly cross the path, sharp as it is like the razor, and long and distant and difficult though it be. Man becomes the master of gods and demons. No one is to blame for our miseries but ourselves.

Hindu Scriptures
Hinduism consists of an extensive collection of ancient religious teachings on eternal truth based on Shruti (heard) and Smriti (memory). Shruti generally, include Vedas and Upnishads. Smriti include Upvedas, Purans, Vedangas (chanting of scriptures, grammar etc.), Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagwat Gita, Dharma Shastra (dharma of daily life, festivals, charity and pilgrimages and responsibilities of four ashrams), Darshana Shastra (six philosophical texts), Agama Shastra (practical aspects of devotion and worship) and Bhakti texts (of various poets & bhaktas).
Veda Vyasji in 3000 BC simplified and divided original one veda which are eternal into four viz. Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. Vedas have five Up-vedas. Vedas deals into Karma kanda or rituals, Upasana Kanda or Worshipping and Jnana Kanda or knowledge. The Up-Vedas are the texts on the auxiliary themes of the Vedas. Archery, defence, war, politics and spiritual science (Dhanurveda), associated with the Rigveda. Architecture (Sthapatyaveda), associated with the Yajurveda. Music and sacred dance (Gāndharvaveda), associated with the Samaveda. Medicine (Āyurveda) & Social, Economic & Political (Arthveda), associated with the Atharvaveda.
Upnishads contain the essence or knowledge portion of vedas. About 251 Upnishads are found in texts but only 108 are available.
Purans are 18 and composed of four lakh shloks (Brahma, Padma, Vishnu, Shiva, Brahmand, Narad, Markaandeya, Agni, Bhavishyottara, Brahmavaivart, Ling, Varah, Skand, Vaman, Kurma, Matsya, Garud, Bhavatavatam).

References:

http://veda.wikidot.com/shad-darshana
Pantanjali yogpradeep by Shri Omanand Teerth, published by Gita press Gorakhpur.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

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shad darshan - hindu philosophy

11/30/2017

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Shad Darshan

Sanatan Dharam has six systems of philosophy, which is called Shad Darshan. The six darshans are - Nyaya, Vaisheshik, Samkhya, Yog, Purva Mimansa and Uttar Mimansa or Vedanta, originated by sages - Aksapada, Kanada, Patanjali, Kapila, Jaimini and Veda Vyas respectively. They generally deal with four topics:

Existence and nature of Brahman
Nature of the jiva or the individual soul
Creation of the jagat or the world
Moksha or liberation and the disciplines that lead to it

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elements of vedanta

11/30/2017

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The elements of Vedanta are as follows:

1. Shankar’s Advait Vedant (788 – 820 AD) – non dualism – believes that this world is an illusion (maya); only Brahman (Parabrahman) is ultimate reality and jiva is not different from Brahman.

2. Ramanujacharya’s Vishishtadvait (1017 – 1137 AD) (wrote Shri Bhashya) – qualified monoism. His doctrine mentions 3 eternal realities i.e jiva (chit), jagat (maya) and Ishwar (parbrahman). Parbrahman is independent and yet controller of both chit and achit. He believed in Ashvarya Pradhan bhakti. Sri Vishnu, Sri Narayan, Sri Vasudeva, Sri Krishna are all considered as Parabrahman. Parbrahman has five forms: Para, Vyuh, Antaryami, Vibhav and Archa. Laxmi Narayan is divine couple. At the time of death only gross body is shed. Vaikunth’s muktas arrive to take jiva. Sanchit karma is removed only at the time of death, till then both sanchit & Parabdha karma remain.

3. Nimbarkacharya’s Dvaita-advait philosophy (1028 – 1125AD) (wrote Vedanta Parijat) – means dualistic no-dualism. He believed in three eternal realities – Brahman (Ishwar – Kridhna & Radha), Jiva (chit) and Jagat (Achit). According to Nimbark, there are five sadhanas – Karma (nishkam bhav), Jnan (knowledge of brahman & self), Upasna (meditating on Brahman – as antaryami - of sentment, of non-sentiment & as different from sentiment & non-sentiment) Prapatti (total self-surrender to parmatama) and Guruprasatti self-surrender to the spiritual preceptor).

4. Madhvacharaya’s Dvait Darshan (1294 – 1317 AD) (wrote Purnapragya Bhashya) - Advait regarded only Brahman as truth and the external world of matter as mithya-unreal. Dvait upheld the difference between Brahman and individual jiva and matter. The latter two are completely different between themselves and individual jivas also differ from one another fundamentally. Madav’s davit regard brahman as supreme reality and advocates its adoration. His school of bhakti identify with Vishnu and upasana of Narayan with Laxmi.He accepts both jivan mukti and videha mukti. When the jiva observes vows of Dharma, develops staunch faith, offers param bhakti as dos and accepts Parmatma’s sharanagati to please him, the parmatma graces the jiva with aparoksh jnan – direct vision.

5. Vallabhacharaya’s Shuddha davit (1479 – 1532) (wrote Anu Bhashya) – He upheld that Atmas & matter (maya) are real manifestations of Parmatama (Brahman) and not unreal. They are his parts.

Brahman is independent reality and is identified as Krishna
His essence is existence (Sat), Knowledge (Chit) and Bliss (Anand).
From his nature as Existence – springs forth life (pran), senses and bodies. From his nature as Knowledge – springs forth the jivas or atomic atmas. From his nature as Bliss – springs forth the antaryamins or the presiding deities of jivas.
Shri Krishna is one supreme Ataryamin – the inner ruler of all.
He is the abode of all qualities – good and seemingly bad.
Bhakti is firm and all-surpassing affection (sneh) for parmatma with a full sense of his greatness. It is only means of moksha.
It is loving service and attachment to parmatma.
It is gained through his grace, which destroys sins.

While Shankara’s concepts are based on Upanishads, other vedantists relied more on Purans more particularly on Vishnu Puran.
All the Vedantists agree on three points. They believe in God, in the Vedas as revealed, and in cycles. The belief about cycles is as follows:

All matter throughout the universe is the outcome of one primal matter called Âkâsha; and all force, whether gravitation, attraction or repulsion, or life, is the outcome of one primal force called Prâna. Prana acting on Akasha is creating or projecting the universe. At the beginning of a cycle, Akasha is motionless, unmanifested.
Then Prana begins to act, more and more, creating grosser and grosser forms out of Akasha — plants, animals, men, stars, and so on. After an incalculable time this evolution ceases and involution begins, everything being resolved back through finer and finer forms into the original Akasha and Prana, when a new cycle follows.
Now there is something beyond Akasha and Prana. Both can be resolved into a third thing called Mahat — the Cosmic Mind. This Cosmic Mind does not create Akasha and Prana, but changes itself into them.

References:

http://veda.wikidot.com/shad-darshana
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/99ed/84c9c959fb782c8eeca3b3b789af29568fbf.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
The complete works of Swami Vivekananda, Mayavati Memorial Edition, Volume I, Advaita Ashrama

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SANATAN DHARMA, THE ETERNAL FAITH

shad darshan - hindu philosophy

elements of vedanta

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