.jpg) |
| Sri Sathya Sai Speaks |
I will tell you, in one line, the lessons learnt from the Vedic texts:
The purpose of life is realised if we understand that there is one God in all beings. One can say that this is Brahman but none can say that this is ‘the’ Brahman.
Importance of the Scriptures
The Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata are sacred histories of Bharatiyas. These sacred historical texts speak about idealism to humanity. Man today has succumbed to certain traits such as desire, greed and anger and has forgotten his true entity and is engrossed in this physical world. That is the cause for man’s restlessness and loss of peace. Narada, who is the exponent of all the sixty-four forms of education, felt bad because he lost his peace of mind. Narada learnt all forms of education. He had learnt education but did not experience the essence of education. The essence of the juice contained in the fruit is not known to the tree. The nectar contained in the flower is not realised by the twig. The sweetness contained in the texts is not enjoyed/experienced by the scholar. The essence contained in the sacred texts cannot be understood by the person following the Marg. Nivrutti does not understand Pravrutti and vice versa. Nivrutti is beyond Pravrutti. Pravrutti is present below Nivrutti. It is for that reason that all the sacred texts such as Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata are taught on the path of Pravrutti.
The one who composed Ramayana for the first time is Adi-Kavi Valmiki. The one who has written Bhagavata, and the one who composed Mahabharata which is considered to be the Panchama Veda (fifth Veda) is the Shlokadata - the ‘giver of all Shlokas’ is Veda Vyasa. Though he is the Shlokadata, the Lord is the Lokadaata (the giver of all the worlds).
What is the main ideal taught in Ramayana? If you enquire throughout the text of the Ramayana, you will understand that it is desire which is the main enemy. Mahabharata teaches that it is greed which subjects man to all humiliation. It is the Bhagavata that teaches man that it is anger which makes man forget his human nature and human qualities.
Inspite of all affluence, prosperity, power and strength, Ravana became a victim of desire and lost everything. In Mahabharata we see how Duryodhana, because of his greed, did not want to give away even a small piece of land. This is the sign of greed. Because of this bad quality of greed, he lost his whole clan and his entire kingdom. In Bhagavata the main story is of Prahlada. Hiranyakashyap and Hiranyaksha are away from God because of anger. Because of this anger, he subjected his son to all kinds of difficulties. Anger removes all human qualities. Greed narrows human feelings. Desire destroys life completely. The main enemies of humanity are these three anger, desire and greed. To conquer these three enemies one should go through these three sacred texts – Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata.
No comments:
Post a Comment