Vedas

( From the book "From the Vedas" by Bharat Bhooshan )

About the vedas

It is believed that the Vedas were revealed through the medium of four seers—Agni, Vayu, Aditya and Angira—to provide guidelines and a code of conduct for the material and spiritual development of the man so that he could achieve what have been described as the most desirable objects for his pursuits —dharma, artha, kam and moksha.

It is emphasized by Vedic scholars (like Swami Dayanand and his followers) that the seers should not be treated as their authors but only their drastas (i.e., their perceivers or visualisers). They were chosen because of extraordinary purity of their hearts, sharpness of mind, receptivity and obviously, their proximity to God.

It is argued — and I think rationally - that as parents guide and instruct their children, so did God - our Father, Mother and Benefactor - by imparting His Supreme Knowledge through the Vedas.

Though all the Vedas deal with the three imperatives of spiritual growth, gyan (knowledge), karma (action)and upasana (devotion), the relative emphasis of these is different in the four Vedas. While there is an emphasis on knowledge in the Rigveda, it is action which is the central theme of Yajurveda. Devotion is the focus of Samaveda and in the Atharveda, the three are synthesised.( The Atharveda is also supposed to be the original source of the Ayurveda

Some of the fundamental ideas contained in the Vedas are as follows:-

• God, who is Omnipotent ,Omnipresent and Omniscient, is One and only One though He is called by the wise by various names. He alone should be praised and worshipped and no one else. One who surrenders oneself to the Will of God , is protected by Him from all fears, worries, sins, and deceptions and enjoys real peace and bliss.
• There is syntheses of the seemingly opposite factors in the Vedas - materialistic advancement and spirituality; faith and reason; individualism and socialism; and enjoyment and renunciation.
• There is also an equal emphasis on knowledge, action and devotion. It is stated in the Vedas that far from being opposed to each other, they are complimentary and form the basis of the Vedic ideology. Science and religion also go hand in hand in the Vedas.
• The Vedas provide comprehensive guidelines about one’s obligations and duties to oneself, to society, to country and to the universe as a whole. They also stress the need for an individual’s harmonious and all- round development laying equal emphasis on physical, mental and spiritual dimensions.
• Being rational, scientific and non- sectarian, they have a universal appeal. Completely above the considerations of caste, creed, race and religion, they very forcefully carry the message of universal brotherhood .
• They segment human life into four stages—Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Vanaprastha and Sanyasa with Moksha as the ultimate goal of existence.
• The Vedas recognize the weaknesses of the flesh and without condemning the sinners, tell us the ways to overcome the temptation to sin through eternal vigilance, will, determination and above all, God’s Grace. They provide hope for the redemption of morally the lowest of the low among us.
• They disapprove the life of sloth and indolence and rejecting fatalism or determinism, goad us to overcome obstacles with courage and faith in our ultimate triumph. It is clearly mentioned in the Vedas that we should aim to live for a hundred years engaged in action. Vedas also tell us, unambiguously, that only those who take positive action, can count on God’s help.
• Vedas command us to lead a virtuous life, practicing truth, non- violence, celibacy, purity, love, unity, sacrifice and charity.


There is not a single corner of human existence which is not illumined by the brilliance of wisdom contained in the Vedas. It is hoped that this English translation (which is in your hands now) will succeed not only in giving the flavour of the vedas but also in arousing your interest and curiosity in knowing more about them.

The Bhagwad Gita

( From the Gita by Bharat Bhooshan )

About the Gita

The Bhagwad Gita, which gives the essence of most precious teachings contained in the Vedas, the Upnishads and our other holy scriptures forms part of the great epic Mahabharata, said to have been written about some fifty centuries ago. According to Hindu mythology Lord Krishna was charioteer and guide of Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurushretra where Pandavas (Arjun and his four brothers) were pitted against Kauravas (their 100 cousins). Pandavas were fighting a righteous war to protect their honour after being cheated, dethroned, exiled and insulted by Kauravas.

However, Arjuna, confronted with the prospect of killing his kin as well as his teachers, was distraught. He asked Lord Krishna for guidance about the right course of action. Gita is about the discourse which Lord Krishna gave to Arjuna to help him.

The battlefield portrayed in Gita is very much akin to the every day life of the common man who faces problems and dilemmas similar to those which confronted Arjuna, It is this universal element in the teachings of Lord Krishna that make them relevant even today.

Some of these teachings in Gita are:

• While the human body is subject to decay, soul is immortal. After death, it passes from one body to another but never never dies, never truly ceases to exist. The analogy given in Gita to this process is that of a man changing his old garments for the new. Since it is the eternal law that one, who is born, must die, and one who dies, must be reborn, there is no reason or justification for anyone to grieve over the loss of someone dear or near to him.
• One should do one’s duty irrespective of its result; one’s right is to action only and not to its consequences.
• The main reasons behind commitment of sin are lust and anger which together with greed, constitute three gateways to hell. One should kill these three great enemies of mankind when they are still in the nascent stage.
• No doubt mind is unsteady and restless, but it can be brought under control through constant practice and dispassion.
• Dwelling on sense objects leads to attachment with them and from attachment is born desire; desire, when not fulfilled, causes anger and from anger springs delusion; delusion leads to confused memory which impairs reason; this paves way for loss of memory finally bringing about one’s ultimate ruin.
• For achieving stability of mind, therefore, the aspirant must withdraw his senses from their objects (as tortoise does its limbs when confronted with any danger),overcome attachment, desire, anger fear and ego and all other cravings and impurities.
• Knowledge is one of the sources of enlightenment. It also helps an aspirant in overcoming attachment and ignorance and destroying his sins the way fire burns the fuel . But knowledge, to be truly effective, must be accompanied by faith. Otherwise, one is constantly assailed by doubts and shall never realize God or get peace in this birth or the next.
• It is only when a man has overcome his desires by disciplining his mind and fixing his thoughts on God, and when as a consequence, he has achieved tranquility and stillness of mind, that he can be said to have achieved the state of mind called yoga.
• Yoga, in fact, is not gaining control or mastery over different parts of the body through physical exercises (as is generally understood ), but the pursuit of perfection , regulation of life, surrender to God and living in union with God.s
• All the activities of a man are governed by three gunas—attributes of Nature- which are: sattva,rajas and tamas. At any given period of time one or the other would be in a predominant position. All our actions,our sacrifices and charities are best when they are driven by sattva, ; they keep declining in their purity and excellence as they move downwards to the tamas. But all the three(including the sattva which leads one to acquisition of wisdom and happiness) bind the soul in one way or the other and, therefore, one should rise above them all to be able to achieve Brahma( which is the ultimate goal of human existence.)
• Man has within him all the divine qualities( like non-violence, celibacy and truth) and demoniac qualities( like pride, arrogance, conceit and anger). It is incumbent on the aspirant to keep developing the former and eliminating the latter for self- development.
• All our daily activities (including the routine ones like eating, sleeping worshipping or giving alms) should be dedicated to God as offerings. This is the way to freedom and liberation.
• God does not love or hate anyone in particular but surely one who is, among other things, friendly, compassionate, unattached, forgiving, pure and is above lamenting, hankering, grieving and also the pairs of the opposite (like sorrow and happiness or loss and gain), is very dear to Him.
• True renunciation(which is not basically different from yoga) does not consist in giving up such acts as the performance of rituals or sacrifices, charities or austerities( which are great purifiers) but attachment to such acts and the desire for anything in return.
• Remembering God and taking shelter in Him is the best and the easiest way to overcome all sins and merge with Brahma ending once and for all the cycle of birth and rebirth and tasting eternal bliss.
An attempt has been made in this selection to incorporate the slokas which throw light on the above basic teachings of the Gita leaving out others dealing with more complex concepts of the origin and evolution of the world , Purush and Prakrati, the vision of Lord Krishna’s “universal form”etc. Those interested in knowing about them have always an option to read the text with the help of hundreds of translations available in different languages all over the world .

Chanakya Niti

( from The Book of Ancient Wisdom by Bharat Bhooshan. )

About Chanakaya

Chanakya, a world- renowned philosopher-poet was the Chief Minister and preceptor of Great Maurya Emperor, Chandra Gupta.

Many editions of his works have been published under various titles such as Vriddh Chanakya (17chapters- 342 stanzas), Laghu Chankya (8 chapters- 109-173 stanzas), Laghu Chankaya (8 chapters-83-97 stanzas), Chankya Rajniti Sastra (8 chapters- 109-173 stanzas). Chanakya’s most popular version of his work ,Chanakya Darpan, considered to be the best and most authentic, has been used here for this collection.

Chanakya, who belonged to the Maurya period, is believed to have written this composition in the 3rd Century BC.

There is no doubt that spending five to ten minutes a day on this book will not only make him a better judge of man and matters but also a much spiritually refined soul paving a way for the all round development of his soul.

Niti Satak

( from The Book of Ancient Wisdom by Bharat Bhooshan. )

About Bhartrihari

Bhartrihari, who composed Niti Satak, besides two other famous works, Vairagya Satak and Sringar Satak, is said to be the brother of famous King Vikramaditya. Bhartrihari, author of these works of outstanding literary value with fascinating imageries and figures of speech should not be confused with a great grammarian of the same name who lived in the same era.

These works are believed to have been written in the 7th Century.

Dhammpad

( from The Book of Ancient Wisdom by Bharat Bhooshan. )

About Dhammapada

Dhammapada, carrying 423 verses, is based on Buddhist philosophy and the Buddhist way of life. The book which is of great spiritual significance and outstanding literary merit is popular both among Buddhist and non-Buddhist readers. Its popularity can be judged from the fact that it has been translated into several Asian and European languages.

Instead of being written by one poet, Dhammapada appears to be a collection of verses by several close followers of Lord Buddha.
While the definite date of its authorship is still not clear, scholars believe that it must have been written sometime between the 3rd and the 5th Century BC.

Hitopdesa

( from The Book of Ancient Wisdom by Bharat Bhooshan. )

About Hitopadesa

Hitopadesa is a collection of fables and stories based mostly on Panchtantra. In fact, it is said that 25 of the 43 stories of this book have their oirigin in Panchtantra. Some of its verses are are also either quoted verbatim or with slight variation from Panchtantra While the opinion of the scholars is again divided on the authorship and its period, it is believed to have been composed by Narayana, who was a poet in the court of King Dhaval Chand of Bengal in the 12th century.

While the definite date of its authorship is still not clear, scholars believe that it must have been written sometime between the 3rd and the 5th Century BC.

Vidur Niti

( from The Book of Ancient Wisdom by Bharat Bhooshan. )

About Vidur Niti

Vidur Niti, which forms integral part of the great epic Mahabharat was written by the philosopher- poet Vidur.

Divided into eight chapters, it has a total of 593 verses. It is said Vidur composed this book mainly to console the grieving King Dasratha.

While it is traditionally believed to have been written in 3000 BC, some scholars put its date between 5th century BC to 5th Century AD.

Panchtantra

( from The Book of Ancient Wisdom by Bharat Bhooshan. )

About Panchatantra

Vishnu Sharma is said to be the author of Panchatantra, a collection of some of the most ancient and popular fables and stories available in Sanskrit literature of this land. The Panchtantra has been translated into several world languages and is read all over the world.

In his introduction to the book, the author says that it was being written to inculcate knowledge (both worldly and spiritual) to the ignorant sons of King Amarsakti through the medium of fables involving the animal kingdom.

The word Panchtantra literally means a collection of five books. All the five books, entitled Mitrabhed, Mitralabh, Kokolukiyam, Aparikshit-karkar and, Labh Prakash though appearing to be independent to the layman , are in reality interlinked and bound to each other by the unity of theme, which is, how to survive in this world full of guiles and wiles and to achieve success in life

The Panchtantra is belived to have been written in 12th Century BC..

Kabir

( from the book A Hundred Couplets From Kabir by Bharat Bhooshan. )

About Kabir

Most of us have studied Kabir’s couplets in school. Some of the popular ones, which keep echoing in our minds even in our late life, are : “Kaal kare so aaj kar...”, “Karat karat abhyas kae...”, Aisi bani boliyai...”

As you go back to Kabir after a long gap (as I did) you discover that it is not only his practical wisdom,but his philosophical insights that strike you the most. You find that though his poetry, besides helping you lead a successful wordly life, also uplifts your entire being bringing you closer to God.

Kabir’s universality of love, his utter devotion to God, his fearlessness and adherance to truth, non-violence, purity and simplicity and above all, his sense of fellow-feeling and brotherhood (transceding all barriers of caste, creed and religion) impressed me the most compelling me to share this treasure with non-Hindi speaking readers.

Kabir exposed the hypocrisies, frauds, superstitions wrong traditions and rituals of his time irrespective of whether they existed in the Hindu or Muslim society.

For him most important of all was the cultivation of values and this is the reason why there is so much of emphasis in his poetry on truth, honesty, faith, contentment, kindness, charity, humility, patience, tolerance etc.

It can be said to the credit of Kabir, that though having no access to formal education (Masi kagad gahya nahin, kalam gahya nahin hath), he rose to be one of the greatest poets of his epoch.

Kabir’s strength obviously lies in his forceful messages and the extreme simplicity with which he conveyes them to the masses. His poetry has no literary flourishes or emblishments and yet is not devoid of imagination, sentiment, emotion or lyricism. His messages are relevant even centuries after they were delivered by him in the oral tradition to rid the people of ignorance and superstitions in which they were wallowing.

Kabir very rightly said about his poetry “Mein kahta hoon aankho dekhi, tu kahta hai kagad lekhe.” And it is this aspect of his poetry which contributes to its uniquness and greatness.

Another interesting thing about Kabir is that though drawn towards saints and sages from his early childhood and being the principal disciple of Swami Ramanand, he, did not take recourse to Sanyas (renunciation), but led the life of a simple grihasti (married person) with his wife (Loi) and children (Kamal and Kamali).

It is said that Kabir, as a new born baby, was left alone in a bush from where he was picked up by a childless couple named Niru and Neema (weavers by profession) who were responsible for his upbringing. The parents were rather concerned about Kabir’s growing sense of Vairagya (detachment) and thought that tying of marital knots would perhaps wean him away from his chosen path. But they were proved wrong. However Kabir never neglected his duties and responsibilities towards his family earning till the end bread and butter from hard labour which weaving involves.

there is a difference of opinion about the exact time in which Kabir lived. but it is generally believed that this saint poet, who took pride in describing himself as a mere weaver (Jati Julaha, naam Kabira), lived between 1398-1518.