It is important to be moderate in all your activities.

[Guest guest]

Pujya Sri Swamiji's discourse

Indian center for culture and Temple (ICCT)

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

1st August 2003 - Friday, ICCT

 

 

 

 

 

What is Veda? How many types of Vedas are there? What do they convey?

Since time immemorial the knowledge that came to the human kind is the Vedas.

They are origin less. One person did not write it. It is learnt through one

to one relationship. It is said PRACHODAYAT. The Rishis had the insight to

grasp and absorb that knowledge and share it with the humanity.

 

 

 

Are only Brahmin permitted to learn?

No. It is accessible to one and all. Yajurveda deals with Karma Kaanda.

Rig-Veda teaches about varieties of God creation. Sama Veda deals with the

primordial sound and the Aakasha Tattva. The ether principle is dealt in that

Veda.

The Shruti, Laya is dealt there. In Atharvana Veda the code words of

Beejaksharas connected with the nature is mentioned there.

 

They deal with creation, Karma, Sound and the code words.

 

 

 

How many Puranas are there?

There are 108 important Puranas. Among them there are 18 even more important

ones. They convey the thought of Vedas through spiritual stories and fables

and mysticism. Ramayana and Mahabharata are two important epics and are equaled

with the Vedas for conveying the insightfulness in to human life. When we go

through the fable of Ramayana, one can learn the internal process that happens

in our own self. Hanuman is the Praana Vaayu in us. Our body is the forest of

Kishkindha. The Ravana and Kumbha Karna are the six internal enemies that

afflict us. Rama's search for Seeta is compared to the intellect's (Buddhi's)

search to merge with Atman (soul). This is Ramayana.

 

 

 

Maha Bharata conveys what is needed in today's world. If you want knowledge

about administration, MBA, Gambling, any knowledge you want can be found in

Maha Bharata. YOU can go and read it and it will help you. Collect Maha Bharata

book. With the story of that Maha Bharata, you will learn more about life

there.

 

 

 

What is Bharata Naatya?

Bharata was a great intellectual person who composed the Naatya Shastra

(dance treatise). He developed several styles of the dance and he created the

method to express the divine through the dance of human body. Bharata Muni is a

great artist par excellence. His creation developed over the centuries and we

have several forms of dance today.

 

 

 

Why do Brahmin's wear a small tuft (Shikha) on their head?

There is a statement in Veda - Agni Mukha - Man's basic face is the heat in

body, which assimilates food and digests through the fire in stomach. Rudra

Shikha - the final knowledge is assimilated through the Sahasraara Randhra (a

small hole), which is area that needs protection. It was to remind you to lead a

life of spiritual type. Today we have a style where many shave their heads.

Let us not go deeply.

 

 

 

Can women learn Vedas?

Interest, Shraddha (interest), and Samyama (patience) are needed to learn the

Vedic learning. Gaargi, Anasuya and Maitreyi mentioned in Puranas learnt

Vedas and propagated the Vedas.

 

 

 

 

 

Sri Swamiji sings Amba Maheshvari

 

 

 

Sri Swamiji sings Sri Datta Naamam Paluku Paluku

 

 

 

Chant the name of Dattatreya and forget your miseries and afflictions.

 

 

 

Divya Naama Sankirtana means singing of the names of all Gods. No

separations. Om.

 

 

 

Datta. What is Datta? Who is this Datta? I know Subramanya, Ganapathy,

Balaji, Devi. Who is this Datta ? Manasa Swami, please answer.

 

Swami Manasa: Datta means gift. When you mix all these deities and come as

one entity, it is Datta.

 

 

 

Why are there three heads and six hands to your Gods? Why do they have so

many funny noses? How can a three head God control if he has a running nose?

 

Well. Three heads represent creativity, protection and destruction(of sins).

This is Datta. Subramanya has six heads. That is why he is called Armuga. Why

is a monkey worshipped? We worship animals because we respect them. We

respect the creation and god's all pervasiveness. We don't want to kill a type

of

fish because Lord Vishnu took the incarnation of animals, rivers, mountains and

trees. So, we respect them all. It is the same single energy operating

everywhere. We respect all forms and types of creation. However big or small.

Cow

dung also is God. God is everywhere. In India massive deforestation took place

in

the last century. Now they are suffering from great famines. Jain sect

observes even more minutely. They even cover their mouth when they talk because

they apprehend that small creatures may get hurt by the air that comes out while

talking.

 

 

 

What is Bhakti?

 

Human attitude requires to cultivate a respect and love for divine. The love

for divine. Affection for divine. The practice of that is Bhakti Yoga.

 

 

If that attitude is for a wisdomful nature and to connect to higher ideas,

then Jnaana Yoga is the path.

 

 

 

All spiritual paths and religious types give out Jnana. We should not confuse

here. In order to develop wisdom, devotion is a important requirement. Self

surrender is important. What is self surrender? It is to get intimate with

Godly nature, liking it. Loving it unconditionally. This is Self surrender.

 

 

 

One gets affected by worldly passion. You float and get merged in it. It is

important to learn detachment. Here detachment means not divorcing your family.

It is important to be moderate in all your activities. Vairagya comes there.

Moderate Vairagya ensures you are not bonded to family alone but also to the

divine. Vairagya is separation from total bondage.

 

 

 

We sometimes hear that animal sacrifice is important to Kali Mata. It is not

correct. Even Shankaracharya condemned it. Some ignorant people do it. Hindu

Dharma does not approve it. I am not in agreement with killing of animals. I

don't think God can be pleased with animal cutting. Actually he will be more

happy if we cut our animal instincts of getting angry like tiger etc., We have

many animal attitudes. Proper teaching and proper understanding is important.

When we cannot give life to dead, you have not right to take away a life. First

create a goat. Then you can kill a goat.

 

 

 

Sri Swamiji sings Srinivasa Govinda followed by wonderful Govinda Nama

Keertana. Really wonderful and uplifting.

 

 

 

Sri Swamiji sings Alandu Alandu Vaa Vaa

 

 

 

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