Resumo de Back To The Vedas

Back to the VedasDid you ever see Star Trek? On Sundays, it was the one reason to get out of bed early-ish. Take off on a mission to explore the galaxy and make contact with alien beings, seemed just the right recipe to creep into a Sunday. Not so, for three sisters who took a five-minute walk to the next block from their home, to attend Sunday school, quite reluctantly, I may add. Well, not exactly Sunday school, but Baal Vihar classes run by the Chinmaya Mission. The sounds of the star ship, Enterprise, would accompany the three all the way to class. Once in class, it would take some time to actually land on terra firma. At nine, the youngest of the three, even the rest of the class would go in a semi-conscious state. They chanted shloks, told stories, had discussions, but, the only thing I understood, at the time, was the yum Prasad that we received at the end. It also signalled the fact that if we walked home real quick, we would reach in time for ?Different Strokes?. It took another nine years to realize that these classes were the beginning of another, more exciting exploration, to make contact with one?s own being. One shlok stood out for three reasons. It was simple, so was easy to chant; it had three words that I could understand all by myself and the third reason was more of a question, ?what was the connection between these words??The three words were Light, Death and Peace. The shlok:Om Asato ma Sadgamaya; Lead us from untruth to the truth;
Tamaso ma Jyotirgamaya; meaning: from darkness to light;Mrityorma Amritam gamaya. from death to immortality.Aum Shantih, Shantih, Shantih! Aum Peace, Peace, Peace!I had to find out more.In ancient times, there flowed the river Sindhu, better known as Indus. By the river, there lived a group of people known as the Aryans. The people across the river called it the Hindu and called the people by the river, Hindus. Much later (in a world fond of ?isms?), their Way of Life became known as ?Hinduism?. The Aryans knew it as Manav Dharm or ?Religion of Man?. Another name was Sanatan Dharm or Eternal Religion, a Religion founded on eternal truths based on questions such as these: where did the universe come from and how? Is there a Creator, what is she/he like? What is the relationship between the Creator and us, the created, if any? What happens to us when we die? Do we exist after our death? Did we exist before our birth? What is our purpose on this earth? Great Seers have pondered on these questions and, the basis of Hinduism today, could be considered as the eternal and super sensuous truths discovered by them. It is the essence of the Vedas and is what makes it truly timeless. It is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago. In true Vedic spirit, Hinduism is not a religion in the Western sense of the word; it is a system of spiritual development, covering all aspects of life as aids to self-realization.In the oldest and the most authentic of Vedic texts, the Rig Ved and the Yajur Ved, it is said that the Aryans enjoyed a high standard of material comfort. Yet, they spoke of heaven and there is practically no mention of hell. Today, we have access to a higher level of material comfort and are more familiar with ?hell? than we are with ?heaven?. We seem to need the fear of hell to be able to see the possibility of a heaven. We are of the concept that heaven must be a place away from this earth! They talk of karma, without being fatalistic. The belief that our present actions create our future, encourages taking complete responsibility of our own actions and inaction, thus, determining what becomes of us. Good was encouraged over the pleasant, as what seems pleasant may not always be good. Use, not abuse of the body was inculcated. Shariramadyam khalu dharmasadhanam meaning the body is the primary instrument to practice religion or dharma. It is considered the temple of the soul/higher self/God. Physical austerities were encouraged to the extent that it strengthens the mind. The renowned sage Pathanjali founded the yoga that has gained so much ground today. Asans and Pranayam are a part of Raj Yog, which is a part of Pathanjali?s Yog Sutras. This is most suited for those with a tendency to explore, know and gain absolute control over one?s mind, by first mastering one?s body. To keep in balance is fundamental, whether physical or mental. Sarvam Atyanta Garitam or too much of anything is bad is also reflected in the words of Mark Twain, ?Everything in moderation, including moderation?.

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