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Vedic | | The Vedas are a vast set of spiritual teachings dating from the dawn of history. They
consist of the mantras of numerous great Himalayan yogis and seers, who were said to
have founded the spiritual paths for humanity at the beginning of this world-age over ten
thousand years ago. The Vedas are the origin of Hindu religion and culture and have
influenced religions and philosophies all over the world. | | The Vedas contain the basis for the spiritual traditions of India that arose in the
Himalayan region. The Vedas also contain keys to the Pre-Christian traditions of all Indo-
European peoples - the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Germans and Slavs - whose ancient
languages and cultures resemble the Vedic. The Vedas reflect the ancient solar religions
and enlightenment traditions that once dominated the world from Mexico to China. As
such, the Vedas represent the ancient global spiritual culture and yogic approach to life
behind the earliest mystical traditions of the world. | | The Vedas are centered in the deepest spiritual and self knowledge - the unity of the
individual soul with the Divine. They teach us that there is only One Self in the universe,
in which is bliss and liberation from the cycle of karma and rebirth. Vedic knowledge
expands from this central point to help us understand the meaning of our entire
existence on all levels including the physical body and the world of nature. The Vedas
present the mantric key behind the entire process of cosmogenesis. | | Vedic science represents an integral spiritual science, necessary to bring about a truly
harmonious global civilization. It provides both knowledge of our True Self as well as that
of the conscious universe in which we live, revealing all the secrets of nature and natural
law. | The Four Vedas
- The Rig Veda is the oldest of the four Vedas and presents the key wisdom of the
ancient Rishis. It reflects the power of the Divine Word or universal mantra. It is
the most important Vedic text that all the others derive from or are based upon.
- The Yajur Veda presents the Vedic ritual, which inwardly is a practice of Yoga
involving speech, breath and mind. About a third of it are mantras from the Rig
Veda.
- The Sama Veda is the Veda of music and song showing the ecstasy of Selfrealization.
It consists entirely of Rig Veda mantras set to a different and more
complex chant.
- The Atharva Veda provides additional special mantric insights for particular issues
including healing. It contains many mantras from both Rig and Yajur Vedas, as
well as many of its own.
| The Brahmanas and Aranyakas
The Brahmanas provide ritualistic interpretations of Vedic mantras that also reflect yogic
and mantric practices, much like the Yajur Veda. The Aranyakas extend this knowledge
on a meditational level. There are numerous and long Brahmana texts, notably Taittiriya
and Satapatha, but only a few Aranyakas, notably Taittiriya and Aitareya.
The Upanishads are clearest and most understandable portion of the mysterious Vedas.
They present the spiritual secret of the Vedas, the knowledge of the Supreme Self or
Divine I-am. They contain many yogic secrets as well. There are over a dozen old
Upanishads of the late Vedic period with over a hundred Upanishads from later times.
The Bhagavad Gita of Sri Krishna, which comes from the Mahabharata, is regarded as the
essence of the Upanishads and is perhaps the clearest and most significant single Vedic
text. | Vedangas and Vedic Astrology
There are six limbs of the Vedas of which the most important is Jyotish or Astrology. The
others are Chandas (Meter), Nirukta (Etymology), Shiksha (Pronunciation), Vyakarana
(Grammar), and Kalpa (Ritual). Most of these deal with sound and mantra.
Vedic astrology unfolds the entire science of time and karma, making it essential for our
right living both individually and collectively. Knowledge of our birth chart through Vedic
astrology helps us navigate through the winding streams of our karma toward the
timeless goal of our soul. Jyotish has its own vast literature like the Brihat Parashara
Hora Shastra or the works of Varaha Mihira. | Upavedas and Ayurveda
There are four Upavedas or Secondary Vedas of which the most important is Ayurveda or
Vedic medicine. The others are Dhanur Veda (martial arts), Sthapatya Veda
(Architecture) and Gandharva Veda (Music).
Ayurveda is not just a medical system but shows us how to find well-being and harmony
in terms of body, mind and soul, covering our entire nature physical, psychological and
spiritual. Knowing our individual Ayurvedic constitution and the appropriate life-style for
it we can maximize all the potentials of our being and attain the full life of our soul.
Ayurveda has many classical texts like Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and the
Ashtanga Hridaya of Vagbhatta. | Yoga
Yoga is the practice of Vedic knowledge that develops our inner faculties through
meditation, leading us ultimately to Self-realization. While there are many forms of Yoga,
the main classical system is the eightfold or Ashtanga system which constitutes the Raja
Yoga of Patanjali. This in turn reflects older traditions found in the Mahabharata, Puranas,
Upanishads and Vedas. Raja Yoga is an integral science of asana, pranayama, mantra
and meditation based upon dharmic living principles. Its popular physical side in the West
today is only its quite important outer aspect. | Vedanta
Vedanta is the practical philosophy that arises from the Upanishads and systematizes
their teachings. Its Advaita or non-dualistic form, such as found in the works of
Shankaracharya, teaches the unity of the soul (Jiva) and the Creator (Ishvara) in the
Supreme Self (Paramatman) or Absolute (Brahman) beyond time, space and karma.
Devotional philosophies of Vedanta, like those of Ramanuja, Madhva and Chaitanya,
emphasize the Divine as the Supreme Person (Purushottama) | Itihasa-Purana
These are epic, mythological and historical texts filled with much information, including
fascinating stories and allegories to teach us the secrets of the spiritual life. There are
about twenty Puranas and two Itihasas, the Mahabharata and Ramayana, the stories of
Krishna and Rama. Yoga, Vedanta, Ayurveda and Jyotish are common topics in them,
often explained in great detail. | Tantra
Tantra is a profound yogic path of ritual, mantra, and meditation. It centers on the
devotional worship of Lord Shiva and his consort, the Goddess or Divine Mother. Real
Tantra is concerned with the integration of male and female energies in the psyche
through internal yogic practices. The sexual Tantra popular in the West is only the lower
side of this greater system.
Tantric insights and practices are important in Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology. The
worship of the Ten Great Wisdom Forms of the Goddess (Dasha Mahavidya) is one of the
key Tantric practices, as is the Sri Vidya or knowledge of Sri Yantra. | Hindu Dharma
The following definition of Hinduism comes from the Supreme Court of India:
- Acceptance of the Vedas with reverence as the highest authority in religious and philosophical matters
and the Vedas as interpreted by Hindu thinkers and philosophers as the sole foundation of Hindu
philosophy.
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Spirit of tolerance and willingness to understand and appreciate the opponent's point of view based on
the realization that truth is many-sided.
- Acceptance by all six systems of Hindu philosophy of a great world rhythm, vast periods of creation,
maintenance and dissolution that follow each other in endless succession.
- Acceptance by all systems of Hindu philosophy of rebirth and preexistence of the soul.
- Recognition of the fact that the means or ways to liberation are many.
- Realization of the truth that though the Gods to be worshipped may be many, yet there are also Hindus
who do not believe in the worship of images.
- Unlike other religions or religious creeds the Hindu religion is not tied down to any final set of
philosophical concepts or beliefs as such.
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