Mission / Ashram News 33-41

& dislikes are just personal fancies and just imaginations. Nothing valid. A real challenging and exciting retired life is to explore such facts deeply. If real happiness doesnt depend on my fancy then what is the secret of happiness. So the beauty of a retired life is more in intellectual explorations of the fundamentals of life rather than some activity.

Karma and Gyan are two tools bestowed by God to us. By karma we can acquire necessary thing but another very important realization is that all what we acquire by karma is perishable and can satisfy us only momentarily and nothing acquired by karma can ever remain with us permanently. Moreover all karma is directed by some beliefs, and that which is a matter of belief continues to rule the roost. So the field of knowledge & belief is not only fundamental but more permanent. On realizing the fact that there has been a funny game going on in life. First we create personal fancies, define likes and then pursue them to acquire few joyful moments of life which are progressively reducing in intensity. So why not explore these beliefs. There have been so many beliefs. That basically we need something. That whatever we need comes from outside. etc etc. The time of retirement is the high time to revisit these extremely important facts, so that, if at all, we made some mistakes then they can be not only corrected but also our childtren do not make the same mistakes we made. The retirement time should be one of completely dissociation from all our beliefs and visiting them afresh to realize the truth, rather than to keep passing our time in the same old format. That is the objective of Sanyas Ashram. Think.

Sadhana Panchakam

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10 Swamini Samatananda

Sadhana Panchakam

The third sloka of Sadhana Panchakam begins with the inspiration to take up the study of Vedanta Vakyas and to see Sruti that is the Vedas, alone, as the means of knowledge.

Jqfrf'kj% i{k% lekJh;rke~%

Take refuge in the truth of Brahma.

‘Veda’ means knowledge. In Sanatan Dharma Vedas or Shruti alone is the valid means of knowledge. The meaning of Shruti in sanskrit is-’that which is heard’. It means theat the knowledge has been passed on from one generation to another by oral communication between a Guru and his disciple.

The most important feature of the Vedas is that they are ‘Apaurusheya’. Purusha in sanskrit means a ‘Man’. Apaurusheya means ‘not of a Man’. Vedas are revelations of knowledge. These revelations have been seen by Rishis in their seat of meditation when they have themselves awakened in the sate of Paramatma. Revelations are not inventions they are discoveries of that wich already exists. Truth always exists at all times and at all places. It only needs to be seen, realized, discovered and revealed. Just as we see in the classic example of the law of the gravitational force discovered by Newton. Newton did not create the gravitational force.

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Sadhana Panchakam

He only discovered and revealed to us that truth which already existed. So also the philosophical truth of life are revelations in the hearts of the Great Rishis. This was then passed on from one generation to another. In the course of time this philosophical truth for the sake of convenience was compiled in the form of Vedic texts or Scriptures. Thus Vedas are not given to us by any individual, but it is the truth that been discovered by the Great Rishis. That is why the knowledge in the Vedas is also said to be ‘Timeless’. Thus Vedas are a timeless truth which do not have any author, as such the knowledge is not given to us by any indivual being. It may be noted that whenever any kind of knowledge is given by an individual being, then that can easily be questioned, contradicted, changed or replaced by another human being in the course of time. But the revelations in the Vedas are discoveries

of the truth and not any personal understanding. This is a very important point to be understood because then only will a person understand the significance that Vedas alone are the valid means of knowledge. This truth also cautions us from falling prey to all such so called Saints and and self-proclaimed Gurus who impart knowledge which is based on an individualistic understanding rather than having the Vedas as the valid means of knowedge.

Vedas are the scriptures or Shastras’ A Shastra is that which takes us on a journey of evolution. The truth of life in the Vedas has been explained as a journey that begins with the practise of Karma and Upasana in the best possible manner. The practise and

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Sadhana Panchakam

understanding of Karma and Upasana then culminates in the ultimate knowledge of the Self by studying the Upanishads. Upanishads reveal the ultimate philosophy of life. Who am I? Who is Ishvara? How has the creation taken place? All such questions have been answered in the Vedantic or Upanishadic knowledge of the Vedas. Awakening in the ultimate truth of life fulfils the param purushartha that is attaining liberation here and now, from the cycle of constant seeking that is samsara.

In todays times passing on the knowlede of the Vedas is of great significance. In spite of such huge worldly achievements in the field of technology Man is still stressed and the most unhappiest of all beins. This suffering and seeking is due to the ignorance about one’s own self. Seeing one’s self as a limited being and then constantly seeking fulfillment outside. The Shruti says ‘Ayam Atma Brahma’-You are Sachidananda swaroopa. You are a fulfilled being. You need not seek contentment from superficial worldly joys. Realization of this truth alone will free us from constant seeking and suffering of samsara. Thus take refuge in the words of the Vedic scriptures.

It is the role of every Hindu to keep this Vedic Gyan Ganga alive and flowing.

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