Monday, June 15, 2009

Secrets of Love

There is so much said about love still it’s a mystery. If you see many and many people saying, "I Love You" but still there is so much of hatred in the world so much of suffering so much of hurt and pain. Why so? Perhaps we don't understand what love is or how to blossom in love :). Must have heard, supreme love is unconditional love that is true love or love without any expectations. More I ponder, more I found it a fairy tales. Here I am going to share with you my insight in the matter of love.

We all have heard don't have any expectation in love. Expectations kill the love. I found it like a fantasy. If you don't expect from the person whom you love whom else you will expect. On contrary I feel stronger your love is higher will be your expectations. Isn't it? Take an example, say you love three people Ram, Shyam and Hari and you are really close to Ram and sometime in life suppose you are in need for say some money $2000 or Rs 50,000 (or anything else just an example), you are in need. Now to whom you will go and ask for help. Definitely to one who is very close to you! Isn't it? You don't go and ask somebody whom you don't know. And now you ask Ram for help and Ram says or feels, you don't love him or your love is not pure as you are asking for something then it doesn't make any sense. Isn't it? So there will be expectations in love. Now what is the problem with having expectation? Problem is when you expect something from your loved one and your expectations are not fulfilled, it becomes a hurt. Any more close you are deeper is the hurt.

Now don't think that you can go and expect anything from the people you love. Though you can expect anything you want but it's not necessary that your all expectations will be fulfilled. so mind stay calm and doesn't get hurt. So for conclusion important insights which could be helpful are:

1. There are expectations in love or says expectations are only in love so when your loved one expect from you then mind doesn't doubt their love and it stays calm and centered.

2. All the expectations in love will not be fulfilled so when your expectations are not fulfilled, again with this insight mind doesn't get hurt and stays calm and centered.

I hope if we practice these simple insight things stay cool and warm and life goes smooth :)

All Glory to Gurudev!

Jai Gurudev

Love

ps: If you have any other insight, please do share it :)

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Bhartiya Sciptures

I am posting this as I think it is necessary. I feel most of today's India don't even know what are our great scriptures are. Even a week ago, I also didn't know all about it. So I felt, it will be good for general awareness and I encourage my blog readers to make a link to this post or copy this post to their own blogs, so that people at least know about the wealth our country has given to the world :)


1. Vedas: There are four Vedas. According to to the Muktikopnishad they had 21, 109, 1,000 and 50 branches (Total of 1180 branches).
a. Rigved
b. Yajurved
c. Samved
d. Atharvaved

2. Vedangas: There are six Vedangas (parts of the body of the Vedas):
a. Vyakaran: Science of Grammer.
b. Jyotish: Science of Astrology.
c. Nikrukt: Detailed dictionary of vedic words.
d. Shikcha: Science of pronunciation.
e. Chand: Poetry of Vedas.

f. Kalp Sutras: Vedic Dharma


3. Upveds: There are four upveds:
a. Arthved (science of sociology and economics) is related to Rigved.
b.
Dhanurved (science of defense and war and the making of its related appliances) is related to Yajurve.
c.
Gandharvaved (science of music, both singing and instrumental) is related to Samved.
d.
Ayurved (the medical science) is related to Atharvaved

4. Upnishads:
There were 1,180 Upnishads, related to 1,180 branches of the Vedas. Out of them eleven are prominent Upnishads. The Upnishads tell about the illusive nature of the world, introduce a correct understanding about the soul and God and they normally use the term brahm or a pronoun for all the forms of God. The 11 principle upnishads are Aitareya, Brhadaranyaka, Taittiriya, Chandogya, Kena, Isa, Svetasvatara, Katha, Mundaka, Mandukya, Prasna.

5. Shruti (means heard): is a term that describes the sacred text comprising the central canon of Hinduism and is one of the three main sources of dharma. The Shruti scriptures are of divine origin, whose truths were directly revealed to ancient rishis (sages) in their deep meditations.

6. Smriti (means remembered): It is collection of
codes related to the social living. The Smriti scriptures are of human origin and were written to explain the Shruti writings and make them understandable and meaningful to the general population.

7. Darshan Shastras: Darshan means vision (of reality). In Indian vedic system, the reality of life have been perceived from six different dimensions and that has taken the form of distinct doctrines or six different schools of philosophy called Darshan Shastras. These school strives for liberation of soul by using different means. For details please see the separate post on Darshan Shastras below.

8 Puranas: The
scriptures are of human origin and were written to explain the general feature of all the Puranas that they fully explain the creation aspect and also the dissolution aspect of the universe, give the description of all the Manus and tell the history. There are 18 Puranas: Brahm Puran, Padm Puran, Vishnu Puran, Vayu Puran, Bhagwat Maha Puran, Narad Puran, Markandeya Puran, Agni Puran, Bhavishya Puran, Brahm Vaivart Puran, Ling Puran, Varah Puran, Skand Puran, Vaman Puran, Kurm Puran, Matsya Puran, Garud Puran and Brahmand Puran.

9. Bhagwatam: It is Sanskrit for "The Book of God". Its primary focus is the process of bhakti, which is Sanskrit for "Union with God through devotion for Him", in which Krishna is unequivocally declared to be Svyam Bhagwan.

10. Itihas:
Ramayan and Mahabharat are called the ithihas (history) books because, along with regular description of their own topic, they also tell a lot about the general history of that period.

11. Yog Vashishtha: It is said that this book alone can lead to spiritual liberation. The profound conversation between Sage Vasistha and Prince Rama is of that between a great enlightened sage and a seeker who is about to reach completeness. This is amongst those rare conversations which directly leads to Truth. The truths, wonders and mysteries of Reality are revealed in a fabulous and grandiose way by Sage Vasistha. From time immemorial until now, this scripture is a well of wealth from which several understandings, scientific ideas, philosophies and perceptions have been realised.

12. Ashtawakra Geeta: Ashtavakra Gita presents the traditional teachings of Advaita Vedanta a clarity and power very rarely matched. It states one's true identity can be found by simply recognizing oneself as Pure Existence and that as individuals we are the Awareness of all things. H H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Guruji) has given commentary on Ashtawakra Geeta and these commentaries are available as 33 videos. It is one of most amazing knowledg one can get for jumping into deeper states of awareness and liberation. Benefits guaranteed.

13. Sri Madbhagwat Geeta: It
is the practical guide that gives the true knowledge of God and God realization.

This is the best I could search and understood. All are welcome to add their comments and help each other to understand this wealth of knowledge.

All glory to Gurudev.
Jai Gurudev

Monday, June 1, 2009

Darshan Shastras

Darshan (दर्शन) means vision (of reality). In Indian vedic system, the reality of life have been perceived from six different dimensions and that has taken the form of distinct doctrines or six different schools of philosophy called Darshan Shastras. These school strives for liberation of soul by using different means.

There are six Darshan Shastras called the six schools of philosophy. They are:
(1) Poorv Mimansa (पूर्व मीमांसा) by Sage Jaimini,
(2) Vaisheshik (वैशेषिक दर्शन) by Sage Kanad,
(3) Nyay (
न्याय दर्शन) by Sage Gautam,
(4) Sankhya (
सांख्य दर्शन) by Bhagwan Kapil,
(5) Yog (
योग सूत्र) by Sage Patanjali, and
(6) Uttar Mimansa or Brahm Sutra (उत्तर मीमांसा या ब्रह्म सूत्र) by Bhagwan Ved Vyas.
All the six Darshan Shastras are in sutra form।

Significance of the Darshan shaastras


1. Poorv Mimansa: (Poorv means prior and mimansa means striving thoughts) The Vedic literature is so extensive that it is hard even for a Vedic genius to comprehend and remember the theme of all of them. So Sage Jaimini, who was the pupil of Ved Vyas, wrote the Poorv Mimansa Sutras to facilitate the correct understanding of the Vedas. Its also called karma mimansa as it focuses on right action.


2. Vaisheshik Darshan: Sage Kanad discribes the root purpose of life is to receive happiness in this life (by renouncing worldly desires) and finally to receive the ultimate liberation (through the attachment of the true knowledge of the Divine).


3. Nyay Darshan: Nayay Darshan has emphasis on logic. Knowledge comes from perception, inference, comparison, and testimony. It describe the logical steps of how to determine the rights and the wrongs in terms of finding the absolute good for a person।


4. Sankhya Darshan: It explains the extent of mayic creation and the Divinity beyond that. It tells about the 24 aspects of maya and God, the Divine. Souls are parts of the Divine but they are eternally affiliated with maya. It tells that the entire mayic creation is worth discarding and only the Divinity is to be attained because that is the only source of Bliss.


5. Yog Sutras: These were given by Sage Patanjali and these sutras explain the practical process of heart purification which may qualify a person to experience the absolute Divine. It has four chapters and accepts three kinds of evidences for determining the aim of life (perceptual, inferential and scriptural). It also tells about five kinds of pain inflicting modes of the mind: ignorance, ego, attachment, hatred, and fear of death, with which a soul is always affected.


6. Brahm Sutra (Uttar Mimansa): It reveals this secret that God is absolute Divinity and absolute Bliss, and He is Gracious. So, yearn fully remember Him (स्मरंचित 4/1/10) and with His Grace (विशेषानुग्रहस्च 3/4/38) experience His absolute Blissfulness forever. The Brahm Sutra represents the theme of the Upnishads which are the essence of the entire literature of the Vedic realm.

This is the general outline of all the six Darshan Shastras