The basis of our culture – Vedaas

Vedaas are considered to be the knowledge of God himself for the following reasons:

  1. We have got knowledge from our teachers. Our teachers got knowledge from their teachers. Our teachers’ teachers got knowledge from their teachers. If we go backwards like this, then, there can be no one other than God to give knowledge to the first man of the world.
  2. We need knowledge of all the subjects like Botany, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics et cetra to run our life-journey properly and basic knowledge of all these disciplines is there in the Vedaas. And there is not even the slightest mention of these subjects in any book called divine knowledge.
  3. It is necessary that such knowledge should be given to human beings, at the beginning of creation. Otherwise, it would be unfair to human beings born, before such knowledge was given. On this criterion, other books, which are called divine knowledge, fail miserably.

-Some people are of the view that we should not depend on Vedaas to know the truth. Instead, we should go on adopting the beautiful thoughts, wherever they are found. Let’s give sincere thought to this view. It is believed by all that no human being is perfect. When, it is certain that knowledge of every man is away from perfection, then, how is it right to take recourse to the words of a man, leaving the words of God, who is perfect? If, only, one hundred percent truth is acceptable, then, all of us will have to take refuge in Vedaas.

-Some people think that when a person is free to act, then, why the same thing should be imposed on everyone? Everyone can have his own truth. Why should everyone like Lata Mangeshkar’s voice? One can also like Asha Bhosle’s voice. Yes! It is okay. One person may like Lata Mangeshkar’s voice and the other person may like Asha Bhosle’s voice. But, there can be no difference in the rules of music for Lata Mangeshkar’s songs and Asha Bhosle’s songs. Let us try to understand this issue with the help of another example. Suppose, a person is wearing a red shirt. Now, in order to tell the truth, the others must say that such a person is wearing a red shirt. In saying so, his freedom to say is, in no way, hampered. His freedom to act means that he may refuse to tell the color of the shirt and he can tell wrong color of the shirt. But, we will call what he says is true, only when, he says that the shirt is red. Otherwise, he will be called a liar. Truth is same for all. Truth, falsehood, justice, injustice et cetra are determined by God and their knowledge is made accessible to us through Vedaas. Man only knows that fixed truth. The progress of man is possible, only by knowing that truth and acting accordingly. May this fact be helpful in awakening our faith in Vedaas.

 

-Our ancestors had great reverence for the Vedaas. Should it be the reason of our faith in the Vedaas? If so, wouldn’t it be superstition? We must understand the difference between doubt, reason and faith. When we understand that an idea may or may not be right, we call such knowledge doubtful. Logic used to arrive at the truth is called reasoning. When, belief is firmly established on the truth, determined by the use of logic, it is called Shraddha. A belief that has not gone through logic is called superstition. To have faith in the Vedaas, it is necessary that we test the truths mentioned in it through logic.

-Nothing should be believed, until it has been tested by one’s own conscience. There are more than 20000 mantras of Vedaas. What is the way to judge them, wisely? Observe 10, 20, 100, 1000 et cetra mantras of Vedaas. Keep increasing the number of mantras, prescribed to be tested, until there is any doubt in your mind about the veracity of the Vedaas. The language of the Vedaas is not Sanskrit, it is Vedic Sanskrit. It has been our misfortune that before Rishi Dayanand, all the people, whose commentaries on the Vedaas are available, were scholars of Sanskrit language, not that of Vedic Sanskrit. Arya Samaj is the only organization in the whole world which is trying to propagate and spread the Vedaas. Therefore, to know the truths mentioned in vedaas, study commentary of the Vedaas, made by a scholar, connected formally or informally with the institution of Arya Samaj, only.