Please devise and discuss some practical means to promote.
SUBHASH CHANDER TEWARI
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Shree Hari Ram Ram
Please share your thoughts on this topic? Any additional suggestions, ideas on how to increase awareness? Gita Talk Moderators, Ram Ram
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Hari Om
A sadhak has stated : "Cultures come and go. Civilisations come and go. Principles come and go. Life-styles come and go. Faiths come and go. Beliefs come and go. Revolutions come and go. So called Religions come and go."
No ! Out of the above list , Faith, Belief, Religion at least these 3 should be deleted. "To believe" (Faith) is one of the "power" which a human has. If Jeeva is anaadi (beginningless) , then this power: "To believe" is also 'anaadi' ! A human has 3 powers: 1 To Know 2 To Do and 3 To Believe. In fact , in Holy Gita, one full chapter (Chapter 17) has been exclusively devoted to 'Faith/Belief/Shraddha' only. Belief is the yardstick of the type of human. From 'belief' only, you know as to whether a human is of 'Daivy Sampada' or of 'Asuri Sampada"(17:5) . 'As is your Shraddha, so are you' (17:3). Shraddha /Belief/Faith thus is an integral part of anaadi Jeeva. JUST AS: Shakti is the integral part of Shaktimaan. You can't separate Shakti from Shaktimaan just as you can't separate out heat from fire. SIMILARLY: Faith/Belief/Shraddha is integral part of Jeeva , who in turn is integral part of 'IS' ...Paramatma !!
The very God, actually, is subject matter of 'belief' only. God is not subject matter of 'knowledge' ! You can't believe in 'Hai' (IS) or 'All is God' on one hand and on the other hand say 'Belief comes and goes' and equate belief/faith/shraddha with other perishables. You can not do that without getting wrong. If you 'believe' in 'Hai' (IS) , you believe in 'belief' too. To Know and To Believe are two independent powers of Jeeva (who is anaadi and I hope Humble Saadhaka also believes that) . They have independent areas. There is necessarily no belief where there is knowledge, and vice versa. VIVEKA , who is also as beginning less (anaadi) as is human, shraddha, Religion etc , discriminates as to where these 2 powers are to be exercised.
To conclude, religion/faith/shraddha can not be said to be part of 'whatever rises, sets' as they are 'anaadi' (beginningless/ Eternal) ! There are no people (Scriptures) who have ever stated/ assigned : "As people assign the age of Vedic Culture (in thousands of years) they ascertain that it arose some thousand years ago, hence it won't last for ever" ! How can any Scripture state that? Who ascertained what Sir and when Sir? So long humans exist, Jeevas exist and the Jagdish exists... Religion/faith/belief/ Viveka exist. As simple as that.
Sir... Our Religion is referred as 'SANATAN DHARMA' ..Eternal Righteousness !!! "Eternal" means beginningless ... !,
Jai Shree Krishna
Vyas N B
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Society … Culture … Time … Decay …
I do not know what exactly is intended by culture here. But, to me culture means life style, social values, living conditions and natural ambience in a collective sense. There is an interesting incidence in Aayurvedic literature. Once upon a time, many great sages or scholars (there was no distinction between scholors and sages those days!) assembled in forest to brainstorm impending socio-hygenic issues arising due to certain changes in human behavior. The topic was: "The new culture called villages and its repurcussions on spiritual, social and personal hygene and health"! Ever since, the human concentration is increasing and the conjugate natural ambience is depleting!! The very same issues are still the forerunners in human problems today. The population density is exploding exponentially ever. My father has already witnessed nearly doubling in population in his life span so far. Today you see human concentrations in terms of millions.
Irespective of all ideals we can preach ourselves, we need to be cognizant of the raw realities of life. THE CULTURE IS DICTATED BY ONLY ONE FACTOR - DEMAND FOR AND SUPPLY OF RESOURCES. It is no surprise that the creatures become reckless, cruel and extremely selfish when the resource supply is cut-off! Same educated and sophisticated humans can adapt canibalism!! It is not a joke ... please observe documentaries of world war - II. The population adopts social norms (culture in other words) that suits its current dynamic conditions in regards to demand and supply. It is impossible to break this paradigm - the pradigm of survival! Survival is the ONLY parameter that runs the show in any society. The only appreciation the humanity has developed regarding peace at large is "secured survival". It strives hard to sustain that. The social norms just flood along the time taking shapes as needed for the hour in order to secure survival. Any wish to retract time is futile. No preaching can ever change this. Even if one wants to ... one can never live the way the hermits lived thousands of years back! Even if one is ready ... the people are not!! ... the nature is not!!
Jaata Dharma and Samaaja Dharma ought to conform with the dynamic social norms. Only then there is harmony between individual and the rest. Every society churns its values perpetually, creates its own leaders to enforce the ever changing norms on its population. Nature of any society is to attain dynamic equilibrium in its sustenance. It has been happening all the while. Some times the changes are through radiant peace head such as Buddha, some times through an icon of sacrifice and forgiveness such as Jesus, some times through a truthful ambassodor of peace such as Gandhi ... and, some times through tyrants such as Alexander, Ceasar, Napoleon, Hitler and many more. Both the creed arise from the same substratum - humanity - though the later outnumber the former to our misfortune :(.
If you mean Sanaatana Dharma by culture … how can it ever be under the clutches of any?! … how can THAT ever be corrupted??!! IT remains AS IS and AS EVER amongst the very creeds of good and bad being neither.
Respects.
Naga Narayana.
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Hari Om
Holy Vedas, Holy Gita (the principles contained therein), Yogas , Viveka (discrimination), Jeeva, Jagat, Jagdish ...they are all 'anaadi' (beginningless) ! They are not part of 'whatever that rises, sets' ! Sadhaks should not consider Vedic Principles to be perishable. We all should be promoting Vedic culture, no doubt, but we should not worry for sustenance of the same. Whoever believes in Sanatan Dharma will believe so. Many Divine Sadhaks have accordingly and rightly stated ..MA SUCHAH. My pranaams to Sadhak Sudhir Mathuria, Karan Rathore..! You are right, Sirs.
It is duty of Paramatma to re-establish the Dharma back in Jagat. In every yuga , He does that. Our Vedas and their teachings are therefore known as SANATAN DHARMA (Eternal/Beginning less Righteousness) ! They are not perishable or ever changing ..they will NEVER cease to exist and Paramatma will re-establish them, when they become too inaccessible. Readers should not make error of believing that like ice age or stone age , Holy Vedas also belong to some age and with time they will vanish. It is a wrong talk then because they are, actually, as eternal as is humanity itself.
Yes...as the clouds of Kaliyuga are getting denser and denser , there will be a considerable deterioration in availability of Scriptures in times to come. First and foremost duty of all of us is, therefore, to take benefit of them as expeditiously as possible, in this human birth only. Terrible times are ahead of us. Holy Ganges will also return to the Vaikunth very soon ..along with Saraswati and Padmavati ! Not even 100 years from now..! Huge deterioration in its level and flow is clearly evident. It is certain that by 2050 to 2100 , there will be no Ganges on the planet. As per Scriptures, the time of its getting unmanifest has already come. It was supposed to remain in Kaliyuga for 5000 years. Kaliyuga is already 5119 years old. Hence take benefit of Holy Ganges as quickly as you can. Along with Holy Ganges, other 'Tirthas' will also depart in the current century itself. By the end of this century , thus, only 2 Pilgrimage places will remain ...1 Kashi 2 Vrindavan ! Rest all 'Tirthas' will go back to the abode of Param Pita Parameshwar ! Later on, as Kaliyuga will spread its wings, Gods like Jagannathji, Shaligram will also leave the planet. Already Kaliyuga has reached even forests. A lot of rivers will dry. Hence Divine Sadhaks, instead of wasting time in peripherals, we should be doubly anxious about our emancipation. Even the promotion of Vedic principles by Gita Press , Gorakhpur will cease in times to come. We shall not get Scriptures, their interpretations, etc as easily as we are getting today. We must take benefit of them.
Terrible calamities are ahead of us, Divine Sadhaks ! The type of sins which are being practiced today (like foetus killing, abortions, family planning, cow slaughtering, dowry tortures, etc) were not practiced in the past, even in the regimes of fierce demons like Raavana, Kansa, Hiranyakashyap, Hiranyaksha..! What to talk of food, humanity at large will not even get water to drink in future !
Hence our immediate concern and duty is: Take benefit of Vedas, Gita, Holy Ganges, Pilgrimages as fast as we can , before they become very inaccessible.
Jai Shree Krishna
Vyas N B
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God and His creation does not need any protection or promotion. He
knows what to protect and promote and how t do that. The attraction of
humn mind and heart to pusue the Unknown Him through Bhakti-Prem, Karmya
Yoga, Raja Yoga and Gyan Yoga will ever remain as strong as ever,
whether such Yoga is practiced consciously or unconsciusly. Even then
life styles will change, the rituals will change, understandig of values
and morality will change over time as in the past. Whenever necessary in
times of instabilty, He will emerge in some form other to restore order,
peace and stability. That is what God tells us in Gita. However, it is
certainly God's will that some persons want to unite and take practical
steps to promote Vedic Dharma or Gita's Dharma. This wuill have its
consequences as may be desired by Him. We may do as our Gunas forces us to do. So, if we are forced by an impulse to promote Vedic Dharma or Gits's Dharma, wwe will practice that ourselves, encourage our children to do the same and demonstrate to others that our practicing of Dharma has been beneficial to us. Some of us while promoting our Dharma will not despise others who follow other religious practices or are disbelievers or against our Dharma, while some of us will despise these others and may even get into conflict with them Whatever each individual does is what he is forced to do by the influence of Maya and the inherent Guna properties. If this thought remains in our mind, whatever we do may not affect our happiness and stability of peace in mind.
Basudeb Sen
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Hari SharaNam,
As long as we live in the house, we must keep it a healthy place for our current and future family members. In my understanding, the Vedic Culture aims to keep not one or two or few but all the corners of the house clean to help its whole family in all different bodies live in healthy way and lead towards the ultimate health.
The one practical way, in my understanding, is to know/understand the culture (at least in essence) and live it first yourself with/without your small family and then let/help (but not force or change) others to feel the beauty of this culture. One may or may not join a group/organization aligned with Vedic Culture but remember the key is not the organization and its logistics but it is the culture which strives for the eternal welfare for the whole family in many possible ways.
May all be blessed!
Niteesh Dubey
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Hari Om
Yes , there is a talk of 'Ashwa-medha' sacrifice etc in Scriptures. Now pay attention:
Whoever does animal sacrifice , does it ONLY for fulfillment of desires relating to the world i.e. For worldly desires. One who desires his salvation/emancipation...does not indulge in animal sacrifice. In Gita Arjuna asked Krishna: Why does a man sin unwillingly? The Lord replied: Due to (worldly) desires. (BG 3:36/37) !
One who does 100 Ashwamedha Yagyas, becomes the INDRA (The Lord of all Demi-Gods). That Indra also suffers, gets frequently afflicted with sorrows and fear, hides himself, runs away like a coward, goes and pleads like a beggar for his survival to his higher ups..say Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh.. !! NOW THINK ..Dear Mike ! After doing 100 Yagyas as ordained by Scriptures, why again and again calamity comes on Indra ? Why does he not always remain happy and peaceful? Why he has to be fearful and hiding like Sugreeva or like a rat ? Why he has to worry for his kingdom ? Why he has to become a beggar in front of his superiors, saints? Why he has to go to humans like Karna and beg for his Kavacha and Kundals? Reason is: Violence practiced in Ashwamedha Yagyas. Indra has to suffer the punishment for violence made by him in those Yagyas. He gets sorrows in plenty against that sin.
There are 2 types of humans in this Universe. One- Who desire emancipation/Liberation . Two- Who desire worldly 'bhogas' ! Vedas/Scriptures are parents of all ! JUST AS: Parents spend money and buy toys made of sand for their child.. Because the child desires toy and becomes happy by getting that only .SIMILARLY: In Scriptures , the talk of animal sacrifice is narrated only for those humans who have worldly desires. ONLY for those people. In no Scripture, an animal sacrifice has been recommended for those people who desire Liberation...the very goal of a human being.
Tell me, Dear Mike, if it is mentioned anywhere in any Vedas etc that the result (phala) of animal sacrifice is Liberation/ Mukti / Emancipation/ God Realisation/ Self Realisation / Peace/Bliss/ Equanimity ..??? You will not find any co-relation.
Thanks for such really well thought and researched queries. We all are proud of you, your research and striving.
Jai Shree Krishna
Vyas N B
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Jay Shri Krishna
I believe that our Vedic Dharma is Sanatan i.e. no beginning, no middle and no end. It may seem like that its presence is fading but it reappears.
I agree that we should promote it but at the end of the day only Krishna takes care of it.
Regards
Sudhir Mathuria
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Hari Om
The most practical and effective way is: Live the Vedic principles yourself. Gita clearly recommends each human to practice himself the Vedic Principles and there can not be better method of promoting the same. Your children then will carry forward your conduct invariably. Setting examples therefore is the need of the hour.
Jai Shree Krishna
Vyas N B
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I agree that without promotion the Vedic culture cannot be protected. First and foremost one as to realise that the Vedas for everyone not just those equipped to understand it. The protectionism as in Caste system is becoming less and less relevant. Just like Gita talk as in this forum a Vedic talk forum could be established at a community level and later it needs to have a role at influencing government policy, otherwise criminality in politics can't be eroded.
Anil Bhanot
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There is no need of promotion for sanatan dharma.
just keep doing own-karma according to swa-dharma.swa-bhav,aatm-raksha.
Karan Rathore
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very elaborate and scientific approach --thanks stephen knapp
jai shree krishna
Chaman nigam
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Cultures come and go. Civilisations come and go. Principles come and go. Life-styles come and go. Faiths come and go. Beliefs come and go. Revolutions come and go. So called Religions come and go. All these needed promotion in one way or the other, for their coming and vanished, literally conforming to "whatever arises, never lasts for ever."
As people assign the age of Vedic Culture (in thousands of years) they ascertain that it arose some thousand years ago, hence it won't last for ever.
Ages like ice-age, stone-age, pri-historic age etc. arose some (thousand) years ago and do not exist at present, similarly whatever has arisen or arises (takes birth or begins to exist) will not last for ever.
Nothing is permanent except HAI (Paramaatmatattva, as defined by Swameejee).
Humbly,
Saadhaka.
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VEDAs are to be taught only when they are sought in right perspective!
It sounds like Rakesh and Vijay are two polarities in their radical observations. But, I agree with both!
I agree with Rakesh from spiritual angles. Preaching weakens the society to its core. Preached values such as Ahimsa triggers natural animal instinct in most - cowardice, run away from problems to survive! India has paid heavily in its post-Buddhist and post-Jain periods thanks to the slogan level appreciation of great values such as Ahimsa preached over centuries! Though the scriptural sources play an important role to start with, ONLY TRUE APPRECIATION matters to enable oneself spiritually.
To minimize such social chaos Vedas are meant to be taught only when they are sought … never to be preached to anyone who is not committed to the same! The same philosophy is emphasized by Vyaasa in Bhagavadgita very vocally … Na buddhibhedam janayet ...
Vedas are never written … because they exist only in one's understanding. Knowledge with half-baked appreciation is the most dangerous weapon to earth's existence - be it the great continental war in India in past or the world wars in the recent history or the worldwide unrest in humanity today. Well-documented body of knowledge such as Nuclear Physics can be well-used as well as ill-used by a powerful intellect! We are acutely cognizant of such dangers - same knowledge can become source of energy to live! Same can also become a nerve-racking paranoia of nuclear demolition of the very life on earth!!
Vedas are never preached … because they can shine only in one's experience. Inexperienced observation remain mere information in terms of images in memory. Only experienced observations become one's very nature. Vedic Knowledge is expected to become one's very nature! An inexperienced sharp intellect of Ashwatthaamaa does not realize what havoc a Brahmaastra is capable of generating - such a mind is incapable of withdrawing its emotional momentum. Only a well-trained and experienced sharp intellect such as Arjuna can apply wisdom to withdraw the same power for general welfare.
Therefore Vedic culture has imposed to teach Knowledge (Veda means knowledge) only for appreciation with right experience. It becomes Guru's responsibility to ensure the same. Of course, it has a loop hole like any other humanly ideas - there is room for individual exploitation. Mhabharata is a perfect example when humanity is mislead by a corrupt teacher such as DroNa. Well ... few individuals (even groups of people, or even the whole humanity) being "cheated off" such knowledge is justifiable when compared to global catastrophes that can unleash otherwise ... recent World Wars are great lessons if the humans want to really learn ...
Respects.
Naga Narayana.
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Dear Sadhak,
Not only in Gita ji but all those who followed it in content agrees that water is meant for thirsty only.
HAMEY YEH JAN LENA CHHIYE KI GYAN(WISDOM) ANUBHAV KA VISHAY HEI NIRDESH KA NAHI.
Those who propagate by hard selling the idea they actually doubt the greatness of the message in Gita otherwise such a epic would not have survived without marketing for so many centuries. Do wisdom need publicity/marketing or any appearance to convince others. All the factual work of science does not need marketing to the people who do not need to understand the subject. Spiritualism is ahead of science, therefore, does not need hard selling. We exactly do the de-service to the epic when we involve in such propagation and create controversy. We must ask our self this question and need to be brutally truthful to our feeling without getting into the ego of knowledge. Mahatma Gandhi also followed Gita but in such a beautiful way that he never sounded it in a controversial or religious way.
Hari Om
Raina
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OM-OM-OM
In my opinion each one of us must work as a missionary and help and reduce sufferings from those who need most and weave Vadic culture in thought process. Protection of vadic culture can best be achieved by sharing and expansion of knowledge.
Awtar Kaul
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Vedic Knowledge … Social Integrity … Personal Happiness
Vedic Rituals … Sacrifice … Sacrilege …
I also agree with Vijay from socio-political perspectives. Unity is the socio-political strength. India is the best example of all chaos that can inculcate into social ignorance thanks to raging invasions for more than a millennium!! The Nobel Laureate Naipal makes remarkable observations in his work, "India - A Wounded Civilization" in this regard. Though the cultural knowledge-base such as Vedic scriptures play an important role in background, social synergy plays the lead role here.
In this perspective, responding to Mike's radical observations - "but also Asvamedha, and all manner of sacrifices and carnage!" - is meaningful. I often hear such comments about many old cultures (which are conveniently named "paganism"!). I cannot help but to chuckle at the socially sophisticated ignorance in today's modern society. Yes killing an animal in a ceremony IS BAD! But do you see THE WORST in the gynormous ignorance grown under the very sophistication?!
Eating animals is naturally inherited in humans. But losing the value for Life is cultivated purely by human's artificial intelligence! In a great movie "God's must be crazy", there is a situation. The modern "intelligent and ignorant" humans have massacred an elephant to smuggle its ivory. The meat is left asunder. A bewildered "illiterate and wise" tribal man remarks, "What a pity! A precious life is shattered in greed for a useless thing! Such precious resource for Life (food) is being shattered with such indifference! Let me call my tribe to eat the meat and celebrate life with this god-given opportunity!"
Millions of lives are unceremoniously massacred today in seclusion to an extent that the general public has come to treat food as just commodity. Reverence to The Life is completely lost. Animals are massacred in abundance with absolutely no pity and respect. A ceremony ceremonizes the same living thing to be a god before being reverentially killed and eaten in order to sustain life. Moderns kill millions with no conscience and pretentious wisdom. Tribals used to kill few (ONLY IF REQUIRED! All animals know this and respect this except the stupid and arrogant modern human!!) with absolute reverence in their extra-ordinary innocence.
Mike, the society is filled with ordinary people - not extra-ordinary wise men. Therefore, it is required to distill the Knowledge to social level to promote social integrity and personal happiness in a society. Accordingly Vedas are composed in three parts - BraahmaNa, AaraNyaka and Vedaanta.
BraahmaNa is to educate man to survive in dignity. All rituals are meant for this. For example, animal sacrifice you are talking of. Horses, cows, goats etc. ... as well as vegetables, grains etc. are precious sources of life to preserve life as such. ANNAM BRAHMAA ITI VYAJAANAAT! Therefore, all rituals start with teaching people to worship life and celebrate living first. Imagine the value of life one gains while witnessing death in a life form with reverence as against today's modern intellects who are oblivious to the depths of life and death at large! The fact remains very clear how innocent humans that respected life once have become selfish organizing mass sacrilege of life in general!!!
AaraNyaka is where one is introduced to the danger of survival craves and how personal happiness is being thwarted in the very process of survival. The root cause for all miseries is rooted in the anxiety for survival that terrifies one with fear of death perpetually. Therefore, the student is led into deeper appreciations of life and death. Now, the same rituals shift their focus from society and world toward the individual. Every SACRIFICE is to observe the sacred LIFE-DEATH relations to its very core. The same rituals are now repeated in a completely different plane of reverence and appreciation.
ONLY THEN … Vedaanta - the study of THE REALITY that transcends life and death - is amicable to the student. Only then rituals of living start receding inward into the contemplative and meditative dominions and expand back into the universal dominion from within.
For example, the same Ashwamedha starts with sacrificing a horse or Ashwa (symbol of power and royalty, resource for survival) in the worldly domain in BraahmaNa to minimize the survival hurdles around; continues as bending and mending one's body and mind (Ashwa again) to develop individual appreciation in order to minimize one's tendency within that attracts miseries; and culminates into spiritual meditation where the very individual (again Ashwa) that perpetually seeks association with emotional baggage is sacrificed to attain THE ETERNITY that ever IS.
Pl. feel free to contact me if anyone is interested to explore the multi-faceted value system embedded in Vedic scripts and culture.
Respects.
Naga Narayana.
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Dear Sir,
In my Humble Opinion, adopting promotions like the corporate model works would dilute the lessons of Vedic Principles.
Vedic Principles don't need to be propagated like viral marketing. It will kill the essence. Moreover, Krishna himself tells in Gita not to give these lessons to non-believers. Only when people are thirsty, they look out for water. We shouldn't go in hard selling of water like corporate does. Its okay if ISCKON has adopted corporate model abroad, but atleast India should be spared of such exercises.
regds,
rakesh
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dear All,
I have mixed opinion there is need of awarness but at the same time it has to kept as no profit making as lot of false people are taking for ride of their lack of knowledage.
Any one in group from Middle east.
ALOK CHOUBISA
Ram ram
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Dear Geeta Sadhakas, Namaskar,
We must understnd the concept of Evolution....Evolution of Life forms, Evolution of Culture, Evolution of Languages, Evolution of Philosophy etc.....with TIME.
According to my understanding, Adi Manav was just evolved from Apes 70 lakhs Earth Years back...Gradually he came upto Vedic era, some 6 to 8 thousand years back. Philosophy of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagwad Geeta and so on is the same process of evolution...The beginning and culmination of Adhyatmic Era...Whatever Vedic Culture we have presently is the fevourable essence of Sanatan Dharma and is being well protected in the evolved stage....No further efforts are required.
Gee Waman
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Thank you Brother Stephen ji
I totally agree with you about the promotion aspects. We who profess Hinduism are not proactive and the points you have enumerated are easy to follow..... at least some of them can be immediately put in action.
Of course there are many groups who are doing a great job such as the Sai groups, Chinmaya missions, Vendanta societies etc. But the temples have to engage with the grassroots and be part of the solutions to their day to day struggles, like the Christian missionaries do.
I have been so fortunate because my parents taught me both the rituals and the philosophy of Sanatana Dharma. I wish all will get the same exposure.
In my small way, I work with children who come to the temple with their parents and give them practical knowledge using the Dharmic content with prayers to enhance their beliefs and show them that this way of life will produce the outcome they want to achieve.
Hari Om
lakshmi
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as i feel vedic culture and spirituality should be tought right from primary classes and special courses should be designed for that age group secondly older and uneducated people should also be tought or at least made aware of this .people should take this also as a social responsibility .it is my humble suggestion .jai shree krishna .
Chaman nigam
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Dear sadaks,
Vedic culture or Sanathana Dharma is never taken serious until the truth behind it understood. These truths are never easily available. People talk of Bagavath Geetha, Soul and body, heaven and hell, good and bad deeds Etc. But true impart of knowledge is unavailable. Unless it is given do`s and dont`s, not only Hindus, humanity at large will not benefit. Only when a person made to know that he benefits this and looses this, he show very keen interest on knowing further. Ex: In Kapila Geetha, it is said, a sperm in a womb how it develops stage by stage, when hair grows, nail grows etc and finally as infant on this earth. As a scientist will get dismayed and wants to know further. Again how this infant is given parents etc. It is said about Black hole- life span of earth planet in Upanashids and in old testament. If we impart these know how, then the vedic culture rejuvenates. By mating with neighbor wife, what is effect. A hot copper doll of the woman whom you had illicit love will be offered to you looking as natural, after your death. You will embrace her and get burns, then insects lives on it for years. Ref: Srimath Bagavatham. "Though shall not cast your eyes on neighbor`s", Bible says. What If I cast eyes is not there. If it was told, he would refrain thinking of its seriousness. This subject is vast. I remain in short.
B.Sathyanarayan
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-Shree Hari-
Namaste!
In Ch 32: 21 of Essence of Yogavaasishtha, it makes it quite clear that
the Veda-s are the highest authority.
I have read of water conservation in the Veda, the rights of widows, and
young women in the Veda,
but also Asvamedha, and all manner of sacrifices and carnage. Fire
ritual and so on.
All this ritual, what of this, is this necessary?
It seems to me that it is fine to preserve the Veda for academic
posterity, and maybe an understanding how all this complexity of the
Indian tradition started, but surely the Bagavadgita lays simply and
purely to guide one to 'Realization/Liberation: Chapter 7
19. At the end of many births the wise man comes to me, realising that
all this is Vasudeva (the innermost Self); such a great soul (Mahatma)
is very hard to find.
20. Those whose wisdom has been rent away by this or that desire, go to
other gods, following this or that rite, led by their own nature.
21. Whatever form any devotee desires to worship with faith—that (same)
faith of his I make firm and unflinching.
22. Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that (form),
and from it he obtains his desire, these being verily ordained by me
(alone).
23. Verily the reward (fruit) that accrues to those men of small
intelligence is finite. The worshippers of the gods go to them, but my
devotees come to me.
In summery the world does not need the the Veda although there are many
practical ideas locked within them.
See the words of Swamiji: 'Follow whatever you want to - the
Gita, Ramayan, Bible or Koran or anything else - but in the end you have to
remove your likes and dislikes - all are same. No likes or dislikes.
They have
to be removed. Gita is liked by all because there is no like or dislike
for any
particular path.'
Finally regard the following: "They are enveloped in darkness, in other
words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of
misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause
of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship
visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies
(human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater
darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful
hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time."
[Yajur Veda 40:9.]
Here is the paradox, on the one hand animal sacrifice and obscene acts
on the other hand the lines from Yajur Veda, and the pure lines of
Bhagavadgita.
Om ... Shanti ...
Mike.
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I agree that Vedic Culture must be protected and promoted. I believe that the strongest and surest way of promoting Vedic Culture is if
Of all religious groupings in the world Hindus are and have always been the most disunited between themselves to their common detriment. Hindus must unite at the time of every election, but without any jingoisms or notions of Hindu superiority or desire for dominance or to threaten anyone else, to ensure that they actually come out and vote and only vote for parties (candidates are not of much use as we have seen that the party whip is supreme) who safeguard Hinduism, Hindu interests and true secularism, in talk and actual deeds on a continuing basis and without appeasement of any group to create votebank advantage for themselves !
If we are not willing to do this basic and elementary essentials all talk of and efforts at protecting and promoting Vedic Culture will be futile.
Vijay
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Without Promotion Vedic Culture Cannot be Protected
By Stephen Knapp
Vedic culture has more to offer the world than many care to admit. It has always served the people as a gift from God, a gift from the great sages and rishis to bring humanity to a higher standard of consciousness and living, and a gift from all those Hindus who gave their lives for its continuation throughout the attacks of the last 1000 years from the invaders of India who tried to exterminate the Vedic tradition.
However, many people do not know the profound nature and depth of insights that the Vedic philosophy and tradition has to offer. And no one will know if it is not promoted and taught properly, which seems to be increasingly the case in India. It is not enough to simply do the worship or practice of Vedic Dharma, but a person also needs to know why to do these things. They need to know what's in it for them, and what they are going to get out of it? This is what needs to be explained. It is like this; even if you are an author of a great book, if no one knows about your book, no one will buy it. It has to be promoted. There is no question of this. In the same way, Vedic culture has to be promoted and then taught properly in order for people to realize what it really is and what it actually has to offer.
If you think you can merely sit back and do nothing, and people will still be attracted to investigate the Vedic tradition and its philosophy, then you do not understand the reality of the situation. If you think the acharyas and spiritual masters can merely sit on their high seats and everyone will come to see them at their ashramas and that is enough to preserve and protect Vedic Dharma, then you do not understand the reality of the situation. If you think that there is nothing to worry about because Sanatana-dharma is eternal and will always exist somewhere, then you do not understand the reality of this world, nor the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. When there are far more people in India converting to Christianity and Islam than to Hinduism, this is no time to sit on our laurels and merely watch to see what happens.
In the West, however, there are still many people who take up Vedic customs, and it continues to grow, but that is primarily because of its promotion, and the freedom that still exists to investigate it deeply. When people see how it can help them reach their true and higher potential, or a deeper level of spirituality and understanding about life, they become interested. They want to know how it can help them. And many are those who look for answers from the Vedic traditions, whether it be through yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, Jyotish, Vastu, or any of the other aspects of Vedic culture. But again, these have to be promoted and taught so people can understand how to proceed and use these for higher benefits.
For example, I've been a practicing Krishna bhakta or Hindu for 40 years, at least in this lifetime. I keep getting stronger in my convictions everyday. But that is because of my deepening realizations that come with the spiritual development that can be attained along the path of Vedic Dharma. And that comes from practicing it and taking it seriously. Then the proof of its validity becomes self-evident.
So, for the general masses, we must look to the future to see what Sanatana-dharma can do for society, and how it fits into the lives of others. But we must also see how we must preserve our place in the world, and protect the future of Vedic Dharma. It is one of the few cultures that actually promotes the freedoms of the individual and does not force a dogma on anyone, but offers a person to make their own choice and to take up any portion of it, according to one's interest and level of awareness. In other words, it does not force a set of rules and then punishments on those who do not follow them. It is not based on the fear that other religions often use to acquire converts and keep everyone in line, and, thus, a part of its congregation. We have discussed this more thoroughly in other articles.
However, the world today is extremely competitive, and every political party or institution is often engaged in promoting itself as the best of all others, and then criticizing and demeaning whatever competition it has. And that can be plainly seen in the world of religions as well. But it is not the nature of the Vedic tradition to do that. Nonetheless, if we are not going to be a doormat for everyone else, there are certain things we need to do.
First, we need to understand the danger of remaining silent. This is often viewed as apathy by many, which is used to the advantage of those who would rather see an end to Vedic Dharma. If we do not take a stand to defend our culture, then others will certainly use that to gain ground for themselves or whatever institution or religion they represent. Therefore, as I have related in other articles, we must understand the need to protect and even promote the Vedic path. The fact of the matter is that you cannot properly protect and preserve Vedic culture in today's world without its promotion.
A FEW WAYS OF PROMOTION
There are many simple and non-imposing ways to do this. It is not like you have to become a salesman, or take to the streets to demonstrate as political activists, or the like. But you can easily do one or a few of several things.
1. Create a spiritual revolution by widespread distribution of spiritual knowledge. There is no deeper spiritual knowledge than what is offered in the Vedic literature. Thus, the more that people have access to this knowledge, the more they will see the depths of it. Therefore, there is a great need for introductory literature and simple explanations of the lofty philosophy in the Vedic tradition. Such books, along with the likes of Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic texts need to be distributed on a wide-scale basis. People everywhere can take advantage of this and use it in their lives. ISKCON, for example, has shown so many different ways of accomplishing this, which anyone can learn how to do.
2. Books that enter mainstream markets with an accurate portrayal of Vedic Dharma and the reasons for its traditions are also very important, which is one area that I work in, along with making more kinds of introductory literature.
3. In this same line of thinking, websites and blogs have been very effective as well. This has also shown that people from many walks of life, even in India, are looking for this knowledge but do not always know where to find it. It has to be more accessible, and websites offer tremendous help in this way.
4. Radio and television shows are also very effective. I have had friends who have taken it upon themselves to arrange for making radio programs about various aspects of Vedic culture, or who have made television shows for the cable networks, which is much simpler than many people may think.
5. Courses for schools are also important. And by schools I do not mean necessarily public schools. There are many private or neighborhood weekend schools that are organized by parents who help train their own children as well as the children of their friends and neighbors in the ways of the Vedic customs, legends, histories, and philosophy. I have met with husband and wife teams in India that do this on Sunday mornings for all the children who want to attend their programs, or even here in America where temples offer fun classes for the children to attend and learn all about the Vedic tradition and the moral values that are part of it.
6. Classes in the temple for adults. Many temples in India do not distribute the Vedic knowledge or teach it. They are mostly open to do the worship and collect donations. But this is not enough to allow people to understand the depth and importance of the philosophy. Therefore, more temples need to create an atmosphere for greater understanding of the traditions they utilize. They need to be centers for higher knowledge and learning, not just a place for rituals that many people do not understand.
7. College and university student clubs and associations. This is easy to do for most any college or university students. They can get permission of the college to form a club or association based on furthering their understanding of Vedic culture, yoga, etc., and have meetings, activities, book readings, slide shows, guest speakers, dinners, and so on. This helps attract more students and encourages everyone to look at and participate in the Vedic tradition more deeply, and see how it really may be able to assist them in their own progress.
8. Acharyas and spiritual teachers should get out of the ashramas and tour and do programs, not only in the cities but also in the villages. They need to show how important it is to them that others also have the rights, freedoms and privilege to participate in the Vedic traditions and its philosophy. This can be very important and inspiring for the common masses to see, and it can create lasting impressions in the public that someone cares about their participation in Vedic culture if the Acharyas and spiritual teachers would do this on a regular basis.
9. Techniques of the Swadhyaya Movement. Beyond merely distributing books, there also needs to be the follow up in ways of engaging people and giving them association for enthusing them to stay together and learn and become active together. The Swadhyaya Movement is an organization that I have admired for a long time now, and who are most successful in this regard. Here is an institution that has been growing intensely for the past 60 years or so, and their techniques of sharing are quite simple but most effective. They mostly do one of two things: first individuals simply invite people they know to come to their meetings in which they learn more about the Bhagavad-gita and the Vedic culture, or they call up people they know and ask to come over for a visit and simply talk and become better friends. Then they may discuss the Bhagavad-gita and invite their new friends to their meetings simply to learn more about their own customs. Then they help serve each other on the basis of the teachings of Lord Krishna. Teaching and inspiring their youth is also very important. They have now developed into an organization of many millions of members worldwide through these simple means. There are many ways that other organizations can do this as well to grow and expand by merely being friends and growing in the Vedic tradition through fellowship.
10. Being Vedic ambassadors—showing by example & sharing what we know. I have explained more about this in other articles, but the above points can also fit into the idea of merely being a Vedic ambassador and simply showing others how the Vedic tradition and philosophy has helped you, and then share with others your story of how it has done that. This can be done on a personal level or through more technological media, as described above. But it requires very little but a friendly disposition and a little knowledge about your own culture to simply share it with others.
11. Taking care of others. Simply being nice and known as a Hindu or devotee is also part of being a Vedic ambassador. It lends for a good impression on other people about who and what you are. And often times I have seen that when people know you as a decent and upstanding person who follows a particular culture, they want to know more about it. They may ask questions, and how you respond will make a difference in the impression they have about the culture. This is all part of being a Vedic ambassador and helping promote the qualities that are attained by following the Vedic teachings.
12. Inviting others to participate in the colorful and joyful Vedic festivals can also be very effective. Everyone loves a good time, and if you invite others to join or participate in such festivals, it can create lasting impressions of good will. And if they are new to Vedic traditions, if you or someone can show them around and explain things to them about the meaning of what is happening, it will only increase their good impressions and what they get out of it. This may also lead to their desire to learn more or increase their participation in the culture. And all you have to do is simply show your friendly personality and be yourself.
People need a reason to unite, to feel unified for a cause. Are we going to supply the means and the reason for this? Or are we going to sit back and wonder why someone else should have done this? We have to see the need to do this and then get up and be active in the same way that Lord Krishna encouraged Arjuna to be active to defend Vedic Dharma. There are so many ways to do this, of which the above list is a few.
These are but important suggestions on how to easily promote the Vedic Dharma, which is necessary if we expect to protect and preserve it. There are, of course, many other things that can be done, many of which I have written about elsewhere. But see which ones pique your interest or fit your character and then move forward with a plan to help out, or team up and help with others who may already have some ideas or are engaged in such ways. This will greatly assist everyone in their own spiritual growth and development, and also help the world attain a higher recognition of who we are and the purpose of life, which we all share.
Further action plans and details of these are given in my book "Crimes Against India: And the Need to Protects its Ancient Vedic Tradition."
By Stephen Knapp
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Related Link:
http://www.swamiramsukhdasji.net (english)
http://www.swamiramsukhdasji.org (hindi)
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