OBJECTIVE OF HUMAN LIFE

OBJECTIVE OF HUMAN LIFE

DHARMA (Righteousness)

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad views dharma as the Universal principle of law, order, harmony, all is all truth, that sprang first from Brahman.

Dharma is not just law, or harmony, it is pure Reality.

ARTHA (Livelihood, wealth)

Artha is objective and virtuous pursuit of wealth for livelihood, obligations and economic prosperity. It is inclusive of political life, diplomacy and material well-being. The doctorine of Artha is called Arthashastra.

KAMA (Sensual pleasure)

Kama means desire, wish, passion, longing, pleasure of the senses, the aesthetic, enjoyment of life, affection or love.

MOKSHA (Liberation, freedom from samsara)

Moksha literally means " release" is the last goal of life. It is liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and re-incarnation.

YOGA

Paths that one can follow to achieve the spiritual goal of life include:-

(a)  Bhakti Yoga (the path of love and affection)

(b)  Karma Yoga (the path of right action)

(c)  Raja Yoga (the path of meditation)

(d)  Jnana Yoga (the path of wisdom)

SCRIPTURES

The sciptures were transmitted orally in verse from to aid memorization, for many centuries before they were written down. The texts are classified into two classes: Shruti and Smriti

SHRUTI

It refers to Vedas, which form the earliest record of hindu scriptures.

There are four Vedas (Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva).

Each Veda is divided into four parts: the primary one, the Veda proper, being the Samhita which contains sacred mantras.

The other three-tier ensemble of commentaries are Brahmanas, Aranyakas & Upanishads.

Samhita and Brahmanas are called the Karmakanda (ritualistic portion), while the last two form the Jnanakanda (knowledge portion).

SMRITIS

Hindu texts other than the shruti are collectively called the Smriti (memory).

Most notable of the smritis are the epics, Mahabharata & Ramayana.

Bhagavad Gita is an integral part of Mahabharta and one of the most popular sacred texts of Hinduism.

It contains philosophical teachings from Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu).

Puranas which illustrate Hindu ideas through vivid narratives come under smritis.

CONCEPT OF GOD

CONCEPT OF GOD 

    Hinduism is a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning around the following concepts.

1. Monotheism.  It is the belief in the existence of one God or in the 

oneness of God.

2. Polytheism.  It is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled  

into a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, along with their own mythologies 

and rituals.

3. Panentheism.  It is the view that everything is part of an all   encompassing immanent God or that the Universe and God are identical.

4.  Monism.  It is a point of view within metaphysics which argues that the variety of existing things in the universe are reducible to one substance or reality and therefore that the fundamental character of the universe is unity.

5.  Atheism.  Disbelief in God.

The concept of God is complex and depends upon each individual and tradition and philosophy followed.

It is also referred as henotheistics ie involving devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of others.

The spirit or soul-the true self of every person is called the Atman- is eternal.

As per Advaita Vedanta, the Atman is ultimately distinct from Brahman, the supreme spirit. Hence, these schools are called non-dualist.

The goal of life, is to realize that one's atman is identical to Brahman the supreme soul.

The Upanishads state that whoever becomes fully aware of the atman as the innermost core of one's own self realizes an identity with Brahman and thereby reaches Moksha (liberation of freedom).

The schools of Vedanta and Nyaya states that Karma itself proves the existence of God. Nyaya being the school of logic, makes the logical inference that the Universe is an effect and it ought to have a creator.

The atman is dependent on God, while moksha depends on love towards God and on God's grace. When God is viewed as the supreme personal being, God is called Ishvara, Bhagavan or Parameshwara.

DEVAS

The Hindu scriptures refer to celestial entities called devas " the shining ones" which is translated as Gods or heavenly things.

AVATAR

Hindu epics and the Puranas relate several episodes of the descent of God to Earth in corporeal form to restore dharma to society and to guide humans to moksha. Such an incarnation is called an Avatar.

KARMA

Karma translates literally as action, work or deed, and can be described as the "moral law of cause and effect".

SAMSARA

According to the Upanishads an individual, known as Jiva-atma develops sanskaras from actions whether physical and mental.

THE UPANISHADS

THE UPANISHADS

1.  The Upanishads form the core of Indian philosophy.

2.  It includes the fundamental teachings of

     -  Concepts of Karma (action)

     -  Samsara (re-incarnation)

     -  Moksha (nirvana)

     -  The atman (soul)

     -  The Brahman (Absolute almighty)

     -  Yoga and Meditation

3.  The Upanishads are summits of thought on mankind and the universe, designed to push human ideas to their very limit and beyond.

4.  They give us both spiritual vision and philosophical argument.

5.  Upanishads are composed around 800-400BC.

6.  There are more than 200 Upanishads, only 13 have been identified as presenting the core teachings.

7.  The main figure in the Upanishads in Yajnavalkya, the great sage who propounded the doctrine of neti-neti.

8.  Other important Upanishadic sages are Uddalaka Aruni, Shwetaketu, Shandilya, Aitaraya, Pippalada, Sanat Kumara.

STRUCTURE OF THE VEDAS

STRUCTURE OF THE VEDAS

1.  Each Veda consists of four parts:

    (a)  The Samhitas (hymns)

    (b)  The Brahmanas (rituals)

    (c)  The Aranyakas (theologies)

    (d)  The Upanishads (philosophies)

2.  The collection of mantras or hymns is called the Samhita.

3.  The Brahmanas are ritualistic texts and include precepts and religious duties. Each Veda has several Brahmanas attached to it.

4.  The Upanishads form the concluding portions of the Veda and therefore called the Vedanta or the end of Veda and contains the essence of Vedic teachings.

5.  The Upanishads and the Aranyakas are the concluding portions of the Brahmanas, which discuss philosophical problems.

6.  The Aranyakas(forest texts) intend to serve as objects of meditation for ascetics who live in forests and deal with mysticism and symbolism. 

THE VEDAS

VEDAS

1.  The Vedas are considered the earliest literary record of Indo- Aryan civilization, and the most sacred books of India.

2.  They are original scriptures of Hindu teachings and contain spiritual knowledge encompassing all aspects of our life.

3.  Veda means wisdom, knowledge or vision, and it manifests the language of the gods in human speech.

4.  The laws of the vedas regulate the social, legal, domestic and religious customs of the Hindus to the present day.

5.  All the obligatory duties of the Hindus at birth, marriage, death etc owe their allegiance to the vedic ritual.

6.  It is believed that humans did not compose the revered compositions of the vedas, which were handed down through generations by the word of mouth from time immemorial.

7.  The Vedas were mainly compiled by Vyasa Krishna Dwaipayana around the time of Lord Krishna.

Classification

There are four Vedas:-

- Rig-Veda

- Sama Veda

- Yajur Veda

- Atharva Veda

The Rig Veda:  The Book of Mantra

1.  It is a collection of inspired songs or hymns and is a main source of information on the Rig Vedic Civilization.

2.  It is the oldest book in any Indo-European language and contains the earliest form of all sanskrit mantras that date back to 1500BC-1000BC.

3.  The Rig- Vedic 'samhita' or collection of mantras consists of 1028 hymns  covering about 10,600 stanzas, divided into eight 'astakas' each having eight 'adhayayas' or chapters which are subdivided into various groups.

4.  The hymns are the work of many rishis.

5.  There are seven primary rishis: Atri, Kanwa, Vashishta, Vishwamitra, Jamadagni, Gotama and Bharadwaja.

6.  The Rig-Veda accounts in detail the social, religious, political and economic background of the Rig-Vedic civilization.

The Sama Veda:  The Book of Song

1.  It is a purely liturgical collection of melodies. The hymns in the Sama Veda, used as musical notes, were almost completely drawn from the Rig Veda and have no distinctive lessons of their own.

2.  Sama Veda is a reduced version of the Rig Veda.

The Yajur Veda:  The Book of Ritual

1.  It is also a liturgical collection and was made to meet the demands of a ceremonial religion.

2.  Its a practical guidebook for the priests who execute sacrificial acts muttering simultaneously the prose prayers and the sacrificial formulae.

3.  There are six complete recessions of Yajur Veda- Madyandina, Kanva, Taittiriya, Kathaka, Maitrayani and Kapishthala.

The Atharva Veda:  The Book of Spell

1.  Its hymns are of more diverse character than the Rig Veda and also simpler in language.

2.  The Atharva Veda consists of spells and charms to ward of evils, and portrays a clearer picture of the Vedic society.

13 STEPS OF A VEDIC WEDDING

13 STEPS OF A VEDIC WEDDING

1.  VARA SATKAARAH  -  Reception of the bridegroom and his kinsmen at the entrance gate of the wedding hall where the officiating priest chants a few mantras and the bride's mother blesses the groom with rice and trefoil and applies tilak of vermilon and turmeric powder.

2.  MADHUPARKA CEREMONY.  -  Reception of the bridegroom at the altar and bestowing of presents by the bride's father.

3.  KANYA DAN  -  The bride's father gives away his daughter to the groom amidst the chanting of sacred mantras.

4.  VIVAH HOMA  -  The sacred fire ceremony ascertaining that all auspicious undertaking are begun in an atmosphere of purity and spirituality.

5.  PANI-GRAHAN  -  The groom takes the right hand of the bride in his left hand and accepts her as his lawfully wedded wife.

6.  PRATIGNA-KARAN  -  The couple walk round the fire, the bride leading and take solemn vows of loyality, steadfast love and life-long fidelity to each other.

7.  SHILA-AROHAN  -  The mother of the bride assists her to step onto a stone slab and consels her to prepare herself for a new life.

8.  LAJA-HOMAH  -  Puffed rice offered as oblations into the sacred fire by the bride while keeping the palms of her hands over those of the groom.

9.  PARIKRAMA OR PRADAKSHINA  -  The couple circles the sacred fire seven times. This aspect of the ceremony legalises the marriage according to the Hindu Marriage Act as well as custom.

10.  SAPTAPADI  -  Marriage knot symbolized by tying one end of the groom's scarf with bride's dress. Then they take seven steps representing nourishment, strength, prosperity, happiness, progeny, long life and harmony and understanding.

11.  ABHISHEK  -  Sprinkling of water, meditating on the sun and the pole star.

12.  ANNA PRASHAN  -  The couple make food offerings into the fire then feed a morsel of food to each other expressing mutual love and affection.

13.  ASHIRVADAH  -  Benediction by the elders.