veda-veda-ratas

This material world, the cosmic manifestation, is created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the living entities have come here to enjoy themselves. The Vedic instructions guide them according to different regulative principles, and intelligent people take advantage of these instructions. They thus enjoy material life without being disturbed. This is actually illusion, and to get out of this illusion by one's own endeavor is very difficult. The general populace is engaged in material activities, and when people are a little advanced, they become attracted by the ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas. However, when one is frustrated in the performance of these ritualistic ceremonies, he again comes to material activities. In this way both the followers of the Vedic rituals and the followers of material activities are entangled in conditional life. These people get the seed of devotional service only by the good will of the guru and Krsna. This is confirmed in Caitanya-caritamrta: guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija.    (More...)

Generally people are very much attracted to the fruitive activities sanctioned in the Vedic rituals. One may be very much attracted to becoming elevated to heavenly planets by performing great sacrifices, like those of King Barhisman. Sri Narada Muni wanted to stop King Barhisman from engaging in such fruitive activities. Therefore he is now directly telling him, "Don't be interested in such temporary benefits." In modern civilization people are very much interested in exploiting the resources of material nature through the methods of science. Indeed, this is considered advancement. This is not actually advancement, however, but is simply pleasing to hear. Although we are advancing according to such concocted methods, we are nonetheless forgetting our real purpose. Bhaktivinoda Thakura therefore says: jaḍa-vidya yata mayara vaibhava tomara bhajane badha. "Materialistic studies are the glare of maya only, for they are an obstacle to spiritual progress."    (More...)

The temporary comforts of life experienced either on this planet or on other planets are all to be taken as illusory because they do not touch the real purpose of life. The real purpose of life is to go back home, back to Godhead. Ignorant of the real purpose of life, people take to either gross materialistic activities or ritualistic activities. King Barhisman is herein requested not to be attached to such activities. In the Vedas it is stated that the performance of sacrifice is the actual purpose of life. A section of the Indian population known as the Arya-Samajists lay too much stress on the sacrificial portion of the Vedas. This verse indicates, however, that such sacrifices are to be taken as illusory. Actually the aim of human life should be God realization, or Krsna consciousness. The Vedic performances are, of course, very glittering and pleasing to hear about, but they do not serve the real purpose of life.    (More...)

The veda-vada followers of the Vedas are generally inclined to karma-kanḍa, the performance of sacrifice according to the Vedic injunctions. They are thereby promoted to higher planetary systems. They generally practice the Caturmasya system. Aksayyam ha vai caturmasya-yajinaḥ sukrtam bhavati: one who performs the caturmasya-yajna becomes pious. By becoming pious, one may be promoted to the higher planetary systems (ūrdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthaḥ). Some of the followers of the Vedas are attached to karma-kanḍa, the fruitive activities of the Vedas, in order to be promoted to a higher standard of life. Others argue that this is not the purpose of the Vedas. Tad yathaiveha karma jitaḥ lokaḥ ksiyate evam evam utra punya jitaḥ lokaḥ ksiyate. In this world someone may become very highly elevated by taking birth in an aristocratic family, by being well educated, beautiful or very rich. These are the gifts for pious activities enacted in the past life. However, these will be finished when the stock of pious activity is finished. If we become attached to pious activities, we may get these various worldly facilities in the next life and may take birth in the heavenly planets. But all this will eventually be finished. Ksine punye martya-lokam visanti (Bg. 9.21): when the stock of pious activity is finished, one again has to come to this martya-loka. According to the Vedic injunctions, the performance of pious activity is not really the objective of the Vedas. The objective of the Vedas is explained in Bhagavad-gita. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: the objective of the Vedas is to understand Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those who are veda-vadis are not actually advanced in knowledge, and those who are followers of jnana-kanḍa (Brahman understanding) are also not perfect. However, when one comes to the platform of upasana and accepts the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he becomes perfect (aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param). In the Vedas the worship of different demigods and the performance of sacrifice are certainly, mentioned, but such worship is inferior because the worshipers do not know that the ultimate goal is Visnu (na te viduḥ svartha-gatim hi visnum). When one comes to the platform of visnor aradhanam, or bhakti-yoga, one has attained the perfection of life. Otherwise, as indicated in Bhagavad-gita, one is not a tattva-vadi but a veda-vadi, a blind follower of the Vedic injunctions. A veda-vadi cannot be purified from material contamination unless he becomes a tattva-vadi, that is, one who knows tattva, the Absolute Truth. Tattva is also experienced in three features-brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. Even after coming to the platform of understanding tattva, one must worship Bhagavan, Visnu and His expansions, or one is not yet perfect. Bahūnam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate: after many births, one who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Krsna. The conclusion is that unintelligent men with a poor fund of knowledge cannot understand Bhagavan, Brahman or Paramatma, but after studying the Vedas and attaining the understanding of the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is supposed to be on the platform of perfect knowledge.    (More...)