The Vedic scriptures?

---------------------

The Vedic scriptures are the spiritual literatures of the ancient Indian
culture, written in the Sanskrit language. They are comprised of a huge
collection of books which include material (mundane), religious (ritualistic)
as well as spiritual (monotheistic) knowledge. The expression "Vedic" is
derived form the Sanskrit word VEDA, which means knowledge or revelation.
According to the Vedic history, they were written down about 5000 years ago,
although this date is not accepted by modern Indology. The date, however, is
not very important because, without a doubt, the knowledge contained in these
scriptures was existing a long time before it was written down.

The Veda may be understood by simply accepting what the Veda says about itself.
Since the Vedic self-understanding may be amazing or even unbelievable to the
modern reader, it seems important to dedicate a few sentences to the clarifica-
tion of probable misunderstandings. The different opinions about the origin and
history of the Vedic scriptures are due to the fundamental difference of world-
views between the followers of the Veda and modern mundane scholars.

According to the indological world-view, such a thing as "Vedic scripture"
doesn't even exist. The collection of books mentioned in the beginning of this
article is not a consistent body of knowledge--modern Indology says--but a mere
accumulation of texts from different sources, written over a long period of
time, starting about 1000 or 1500 B.C., after the hypothetical Aryan Invasion
into the Indian Subcontinent. Only then, a "Vedic" culture was formed through
the mixture of tribes. If we believe this scenario, then it is natural to think
that the Indian scriptures be nothing but a mass of unsystematic mythological
texts.

Needless to say that the Vedic scriptures themselves maintain a completely
different version. They refer to very ancient cultures, timeless revelations
and divine incarnations. They also say that the entire body of Vedic knowledge
has a systematic structure and a clearly defined goal, being compiled by the
great Vedic Rishis (seers and sages), headed by Vyasadeva, about five thousand
years ago. This knowledge was then systematically put into a written form in
order to prevent it from being lost during in the upcoming age which was
foreseen as the Kali-yuga, the Iron Age, the most fallen in the cycle of ages.

The structure of the Vedic scriptures can be compared to a staircase with many
steps, with specific scriptures corresponding to each step. The Vedic
scriptures describe both the goal and the steps leading up to this goal. They
are non-sectarian because they respect people of all "steps"; they simply
encourage everyone to progress up to the next step. There is no question of
converting or pushing, because everyone has to walk for himself or herself. Or,
as the Vedic saying goes, "Even in a flock of birds, each bird has to fly for
itself."

The individual evolution is not limited to one single life. The Vedic
understanding is based on the concept of reincarnation which declares that the
steps of this symbolical staircase can also be understood as lifetimes. In
other words, the almost proverbial "Hindu" tolerance is originally based on a
solid philosophical understanding and shouldn't be confused with the attitudes
of merging, indifference, or "Everything is one."

From a superficial point of view, the Vedic scriptures may appear to be
unsystematic and even contradictory, but this impression can easily be
reconciled by finding out how each step is connected with the goal.

The four Vedas: The scriptures of this category are generally labeled as the
original Vedic scriptures. These four Vedas are known as RIG, YAJUR, SAMA and
ATHARVA. RIG means ritual, and it contains mainly hymns and prayers (Mantras)
in the worship of the universal forces called the demigods. YAJUR means
ceremony, and it mainly describes how to perform the rituals. SAMA means
singing; the scriptures of these categories contain many other mantras as well
as strict rules how to chant these mantras according to mystic vibrations.
ATHARVA means a priest who knows the secret lore; these scriptures describe
many different kinds of worship and invocations. In a broader sense, many other
scriptures of material knowledge are also counted to the Atharva, like the
Ayur-Veda (Pharmacological sciences and the means to maintain health.)

All of these teachings are supposed to encourage a human being to understand
that he is not an independent entity, rather he is a part of a universal body,
depending on many higher forces. The most important lesson of these four Vedas
is to learn that everyone has to accept higher authorities. If you link up with
these divine forces through the proper form and contents (ritual and under-
standing), then you will profit materially and experience some peace and
harmony.

Tantric scriptures: Not everybody is inclined to follow the methods of the
Vedas which demand strictness, purity, faith and patience. Impatient, ignorant
people demand results on the spot, and these can be obtained by magic, ghost
worship etc. By providing such knowledge, the Vedic scriptures encourage the
faith of such occult people so that one day, or lifetime, they may develop
interest in the higher aspects of the Veda. These literatures are within the
modes of passion and ignorance.

The Upanisads: Woven into the four Vedas are different kinds of philosophical
discussions, like the Aranyakas and Brahmanas. Most significant are the
Upanisads ("sitting beneath," i.e. knowledge obtained from a spiritual
teacher). These texts indicate that all material forms are transient; they are
temporary manifestations of an eternal energy, which in itself is beyond
material duality. They indicate the oneness behind the variety and inspire
people engaged in the rituals of the Vedas to go beyond their short-term
goals.

Vedanta-sutra: 560 condensed aphorisms which define the Vedic truths in most
general terms in order to provide a common ground of argument to all different
kinds of philosophical schools. Therefore, the commentaries to the
Vedanta-sutras are voluminous.

Itihasas: These are the historical works, mainly the Ramayana (the history of
the incarnation Rama), the 18 Puranas and 18 Sub-Puranas (universal history of
creation and annihilation, the incarnations and the great kings, saints and
teachers), and the Mahabharata (the history of ancient India [called Bharata],
leading up to the appearance of Krsna five thousand years ago). These
scriptures are very essential because they expand the understanding of the
Absolute beyond the abstract, impersonal platform. The Absolute is supremely
perfect and complete, that's why It is both impersonal AND personal. Actually,
the personal aspect is the original source of the secondary impersonal exis-
tence of the Lord, since an impersonal energy cannot be the source of persons.
The Itihasas reveal this personal feature, gradually introducing and identify-
ing it, culminating in the purely monotheistic revelations of Bhagavad-gita and
Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam: These sacred texts are designated even by
the Vedic scriptures themselves as the most important, essential revelations.
They directly describe the nature, energy and person of God, who is both the
immanent (as Visnu) and transcendent (as Krsna) source of everything, the cause
of all causes, of both the impersonal and personal manifestations.
Bhagavad-gita ("God's Song") are the words spoken BY God, and Srimad-Bhagavatam
("Divine Revelation") are the words ABOUT God, spoken by the representatives of
God.

This implicit structure of the Vedic scriptures sheds new light on the entire
Vedic tradition and deserves closer examination. However, since these
scriptures want to lead us to the supreme goal - God - it is not sufficient to
merely study them theoretically. They imply practical consequences. Mere
academic study of the Vedic scriptures can be compared to reading a cookbook or
a musical composition. If we don't come to the point of actually cooking or
playing, we've missed the point.



Reincarnation

--------------

Most of the information we receive from ancient cultures contradict the modern
world-view which tries to reduce everything, including life and consciousness,
to mere functions of matter. Accordingly, this modern world-view designates
itself as "materialism."

However, the spiritual teachings of all cultures in East and West as well as
the personal experience of millions of people indicate that life is neither
limited to matter nor a product of matter.

This is also the basic information we receive from the Vedic scriptures.
Essential to this context is the concept of life after death and life before
this present lifetime. Life and individual consciousness are not produced by
conception, rather conception initiates the development of a body, which can
only happen if a higher energy connects with the body to animate it. This
understanding leads to the concept of reincarnation.

Reincarnation is a good point to start the discussion of the basic Vedic
teachings. We have to know that the Vedic teachings propound reality beyond
matter. Neither life/mind/consciousness nor the material world are limited to
matter. Without keeping this perspective in mind, we will never be able to
comprehend the Vedic teachings.

Propounders of materialism have difficulty conceiving of such things as reality
beyond matter, life after death and reincarnation because they can not imagine
another kind of existence beyond the body. Therefore, in this short essay, I
would like to mention some recent investigations into the topic of life beyond
matter, and show how different modern insights correspond to the Vedic
teachings. Step by step, it may become plausible that we are not the body but
dwellers within the body, leading up to the perspective of reincarnation.

Near-death experiences: Again and again, people who returned to consciousness
after accidents or clinical death report that they were not unconscious
(although the body was), rather they are able to describe the scene and the
happenings during the time they were unconscious. They felt that they were
OUTSIDE of their mortal body, and found themselves in another kind of body
which was subtle and had abilities alien to the mortal (gross) body they'd
left. They could see people and things around them, but they remained in-
visible. People sometimes just walked through them. They could float through
walls. They experienced a kind of parallel world with other beings whom they
could talk to without speaking (telepathically). Their entire life, including
forgotten details, became visible to their astral eyes. The most famous
researchers into this fields are the physicians and authors Dr. Raymond Moody
and Dr. Sabom.

Astral journeys: What many people experienced in a unique, sudden experience
can also be repeated in testable experiments. For example, in different schools
of Tibetan Buddhism, monks practice leaving their gross body as part of their
mediational practice. Presently, more and more people discover this adventure,
and several astral travellers have accepted scientific testing. Remarkable
experiments were done by Prof. Hornell Hart (Duke University) and Prof. Charles
Tart (University of California) who had people claiming to be able to do astral
journeys to visit different places in their subtle body (while they remained in
a state of physical trance). When they awoke they described details of places
they'd never been to, mentioning many details which could be verified.

Research into reincarnation: The most impressive results are obtained by those
who tried to find out whether human beings do have previous lives. For this
purpose, hypnosis and spontaneous memories have proven to be most useful. By
hypnosis, people could experience regressions back to times before their birth.
They didn't end up in a non-existence or dark vacuum, rather they started to
relate events from a previous lifetime. They started to speak languages they'd
never learned in their present lifetime, they knew amazing details which they
couldn't possibly know, and so on. In hypnotic sessions done by different
hypnotists who didn't know of the results of the previous sessions, the people
remembered exactly the same lives with more and more details. Important work in
this field was done by the German pioneer of reincarnation therapy, Thorwald
Dethlefsen, and by the American psychologist Dr. Helen Wambach (and, of course,
many others).

Other impressive indications of reincarnation are cases of people who
spontaneously remember their previous life. The evidence becomes "hard" when
children of the age of four or five start to tell their parents of a previous
life. These children mention the name they had in their previous life, where
they lived, when and how they died, and they also recognize their (surprised!)
former children and relatives when they're brought to the place they mentioned.
Outstanding research work in this field was done by Prof. Ian Stevenson
(Virgina University).

All these cases can not be explained by any religious dogma of "only one life,"
or other materialistic dogmas. However, these examples are simply illustrations
of what the Vedic scriptures (and many other sources) have said long ago: Life
is eternal, and all living entities ("souls," in Sanskrit atma or jiva) are
parts of God. Since God is eternal, His parts are also eternal.

Reincarnation means the transmigration of the immaterial, immortal soul from
one body to another. The Vedic scriptures conclusively state that the
reincarnation of the soul doesn't need to be an eternal cycle of birth and
death. It can be stopped by the elevation of one's consciousness to the
spiritual platform, beyond the material duality, which includes the duality of
birth and death.



The modes of material nature (gunas)

------------------------------------

In modern physics - classical, quantum mechanistic, and holistic - one of the
most frequently used words is "natural laws." Since Einstein, efforts are being
undertaken to find a Grand Unified Theory which will condense all "natural
laws" to one universal formula able to explain both matter and consciousness.

Interestingly enough, in Sanskrit we have a hard time finding a corresponding
word for "natural law." Of course, there are words, like "hetu" (in
Bhagavad-gita 9.10), which directly refer to the laws of nature. Literally,
hetu means "a causing principle." But these words are rather rare.

However, there is word in the (meta)physical Sanskrit literatures as frequent
as the word "natural law" in the texts of modern physics. This word is "guna,"
generally translated as "mode of material nature."

This observation indicates a remarkable subtlety in the Vedic understanding of
the material nature. The concept of natural laws is very limited and relative
because, as the Vedic scriptures inform us, the material universe is a
multidimensional creation, each dimension having its own laws. It is a wild
speculation of the earthly scientists to assume that the laws observed "down
here" apply in the entire universe - although this belief is being accepted as
an axiomatic principle by most people.

Natural laws are limited to certain dimensions. For example, we know gravity,
electromagnetism, entropy, etc. But we have to be prepared to accept things or
beings which defy these laws. However, nobody and nothing within the material
world defies the gunas - the modes of material nature: "There is no being
existing, either here or among the demigods in the higher planetary systems,
which is freed from these modes born of material nature." (Bhagavad-gita
18.40)

Natural laws refer only to the workings of matter, the gunas refer to the
workings of both matter AND consciousness. However, the concept of gunas
doesn't equate matter and consciousness by reducing consciousness to a function
of matter, but it shows how consciousness and matter are interlined. Therefore,
the word guna is used. Literally it means "rope," those forces of the material
nature which bind the living entity to the material world. On the other hand,
this expression also indicates that matter can move and "live" only due to the
presence of the bound-up living entity.

Originally, the gunas correspond to the functions of the material existence:
creation, maintenance, dissolution. Therefore, there are three gunas:

SATTVA-GUNA, the "mode of goodness," characterized by maintenance as well as
knowledge, purity, and real happiness.

RAJO-GUNA, the "mode of passion," characterized by creation and building up, as
well as great endeavor for sense gratification and economic development.

TAMO-GUNA, the "mode of ignorance, or darkness," characterized by dissolution
and destruction, madness, indolence and sleep.

These modes of material nature are constantly influencing the consciousness of
the living entities. According to the predominance of a certain guna, a living
entity sees the world differently. Even different kinds of animals has a
different world-view, what to speak of the human beings, or the higher beings.
Every individual has his particular vision which determines what he sees and
what he does NOT see. This is dependent on their individual materialistic
consciousness which is dependent on the three modes of material nature.

As a TV-set only responds to TV-waves and a radio-set to radio waves, the
living entities, too, only respond to waves of their own "wave length." Thus,
the resonance of our consciousness determines what we see, what we do, what we
desire, what we say, what we eat, in other words, everything in our material
existence. Correspondingly, it also determines what vibrations we receive. By
choosing the modes we're in, we determine the quality of our own existence. In
this connection, a slogan often quoted in modern esoteric and holistic sciences
starts to make sense: "We are creating our own reality!"

Since the gunas determine the resonance of our consciousness, and the resonance
of our consciousness determines our "reality," it is most important to know the
science of the gunas. Many passages within the Vedic scriptures elaborate on
these gunas. Even within the Bhagavad-gita, which is not very voluminous (only
700 verses altogether), three chapters deal with the analysis of the subtle
nuances caused by the modes of material nature.

The influence of the gunas and their subtle nuances can be compared to the
mixing of the three basic colors, yellow, red, and blue. They can be endlessly
mixed, and each further addition changes the color. Actually, each species or
even each individual body can be compared to one of these specific mixings of
the three gunas. The gunas color our consciousness, and our consciousness
"colors" our body. This is literally true in the case of our astral body which
changes colors according to our states of consciousness. The subtle
energy-flows in our astral body influence the energy-flows in our gross body.
Thus there is a direct connection between the gunas we're in, and the state of
our astral and gross bodies. The Ayur-Veda goes so far as to analyze diseases
according to the influence of the gunas.

The Vedic guna concept shows how the entire cosmos is interlined just like a
living organism.

Our consciousness not only determines our present reality but also our future
reality, as the state of our consciousness at the time of death will determine
where our next birth will be. In other words, our body is nothing but an
expression of our own consciousness built up in our past. Our consciousness is
basically developed through our actions. As we act in a particular manner,
taking shelter of a particular mode of material nature, we develop a particular
kind of consciousness. Therefore, due to our actions now under the modes of
nature, we are creating our next body suitable to house our specific conscious-
ness.

The modes of material nature exist only within the material world. If we
compare the material world to an ocean, then the gunas are the waves within
this material ocean, which toss the living entity about until he learns the art
of purifying his consciousness and getting free from the entanglement of
material nature.

Rajo-guna and tamo-guna are the forces which drag higher and lower within the
ocean of material existence. Sattva-guna, however, is compared with the waters
near the shore. In sattva-guna, you're still in the ocean, but you have good
chance to get out. If you miss it, then sooner or later the waves of raja and
tamo-guna will pull you into the depths of the ocean once again.

In other words, being in sattva-guna (goodness) is good, but not good enough
for getting out. If we want to transcend the gunas we have to LEAVE the ocean,
leaving behind even sattva-guna (the warm waters near the shore). This can only
be done through the process of liberation described in all the Vedic
literatures.



What is matter? What is life?

-----------------------------

According to Vedic texts like the Upanisads, the Puranas and the Bhagavad-gita,
matter is energy (prakriti). Matter as basic substance is an eternal energy but
it produces temporary forms. All material objects are transient manifestations
of an eternal energy which manifests in different densities, thus building up a
hierarchy of dimensions from higher-dimensional realms down to our three-
dimensional world.

The sanskrit term prakriti literally means "that which brings forth." It also
means "female." This is like the English word "matter" which is derived from
the latin word materia, in which the latin word mater ("mother") is clearly
visible. This etymology indicates that matter is not an independent substance.
As a woman cannot produce a child without the help of a man, matter by itself
cannot produce anything without the assistance of a higher form of conscious-
ness. Matter does not even have an impetus to produce anything. Therefore, life
cannot be produced independently by matter; it can only be impregnated by the
Supreme Lord who is known in the Bhagavad-gita as the "seed giving father."

The observation that matter is an eternal energy which produces temporary forms
leads to a very deep understanding of reality. The biggest temporary form is
the universe itself. The Puranas explain that the universe is an emanation of
God's (Visnu's) breath, and it lasts simply for the duration of one exhalation
and inhalation. With each breath, countless universes are emanating from Visnu
in a seedlike form which begin to expand. After the emanation, Visnu multiplies
Himself in as many forms as there are universes, and He enters each of these
universes.

The Vedic scriptures give the following interpretation of this understanding of
creation: God is eternal, His energies are eternal, REALITY is eternal,
EVERYTHING is eternal. However, this eternality is reflected within the field
of matter as an eternal transformation. The material forms which transform are
temporary, but this constant transformation of temporary things is again
eternal. It manifests as rhythmic emanation and withdrawing of the universes.
To become attached to these temporary forms and take them as reality is called
maya (illusion).

This leads to another important step of understanding. The material creation is
a temporary manifestation. It has a beginning and an end, which is the basis of
duality. Temporality means duality! Everything in the material world is
depending on its opposite, that's why the material world is also called the
relative world. Beginning indicates an end, and an end indicates a beginning,
thus eternity is reflected within matter as the endless rhythm of creation and
annihilation. Birth means death will come. Death means birth will come. The
dualities are countless: positive-negative, young-old, male-female, hot-cold,
divine-demoniac, ad infinitum.

All things, in relation with their dual counterpart, form unities:
cause-effect, past-future, day-night, heat-cold, individual-society, and so on.
This applies on all levels, up to the level of the entire universe, which forms
a unity along with all other universes. This unity is called "the material
world."

However, the logic shouldn't stop here. It is stated by Krishna in the Bhaga-
vad-gita, and we can also see, that the material world is a place of duality.
The duality exists because the material world is temporary. Therefore, there
cannot be unity, or oneness, in the material world since the basic nature of
the material world is duality. This duality is opposed to the eternal reality
of God. God is the eternal reality, and the material world is the eternally
manifesting illusion. Krishna claims this material world as His energy, but he
clarifies it by calling it His separated energy. The separated energy is still
God's energy, but it is separated in the sense that it has a different function
than the non-material energy. Matter appears in temporary, illusory forms
(starting from the universe down to our own body), its factual reality as one
of God's eternal energies being hidden by the aspect of illusion.

Why does the material energy exist, and why is there an eternal rhythm of
temporary creations?

God's perfection is so perfect that it includes imperfection! Without the
aspect of imperfection, God would not be complete because the aspect of
imperfection would be missing. That's where the material world comes in.
However, this doesn't mean that the material world is imperfect. It is a
perfect creation, but within it imperfection is allowed: the existence of the
separated living entities who identify with the separated energy.

The concept of free will is the key to understand duality and individuality.
Individuality is the eternal principle of the spiritual reality, duality is the
eternal principle of the material illusory reality. This leads us to the most
important of all Vedic revelations: The spiritual reality is not void or
impersonal. Rather, everything which is reflected within the material world as
temporary forms is eternally existing in the spiritual world in its pure
original form. The spiritual world is the realm of God as transcendental
reality (Krsna), and God as immanent reality (Visnu) becomes the creator of the
material world. Why does He create the material world?

The only principle of the spiritual world is love. Love includes two aspects:
individuality and free will. The nice thing about love is that it is a
spontaneous, voluntary affection, culminating in the desire to please the
beloved person without even considering one's own pleasure as the pleasure of
the loved one is the beloved's greatest pleasure. This is real love in its
perfect, original and natural form. The original love is love of God. If you
love someone, you will want to serve them lovingly. In sanskrit, this loving
service to the Lord is called bhakti, "devotional service." Since love is
spontaneous, every living being has his free will and the freedom of choice.
God is not forcing anybody to love Him. We can choose: Do you want to be in the
spiritual world and lovingly serve the Lord, or do you want to come to the
material world and serve your self and thus your senses? The choice is ours.
When we take the choice of serving ourselves, and thus our material relations,
we enter the material world and try to imitate the Supreme Enjoyer and Con-
troller, Krishna. Therefore, this material world is a type of prison which is
cleverly keeping everyone chained by the shackles of material enjoyment.

If you analyze reality and illusion from this point of view, you will realize
that the material world is a prison for volunteers. By free will we came here,
and by free will we can become free from it. For more information on why we
came to the material world in the first place, please go to the section, "Why
we came to the material world."



Karma

-----

Cause and effect constitute the basic duality within this material world.
Whatever happens has a cause and will cause other effects, both directly and
indirectly. Chance doesn't exist. Everything is part of a higher cause-effect
structure. Cause and effect refer to the principle of action and reaction.
According to the Vedic teachings, this principle applies both on physical and
non-physical levels.

Newtonian physics is based on the equation action = reaction, saying that this
equation is restricted to mechanical processes. While Newton himself
contradicted any possibility of a physical cause-effect connection without
physical connection, modern quantum physics is indicative of the universal
aspects of the cause-effect principle. Pioneers like David Bohm went so far as
to propose the existence of a universal quantum potential field which
coordinates a hierarchy of explicit orders, thus allowing synchronization of
non-local physical events.

Of course, these are only abstract concepts, but they show that a closer
examination of the complex system of actions and reactions, both on atomic and
cosmic levels, will lead us to the conclusion that mere mechanic causality can
not explain everything. This is especially true regarding phenomena like
consciousness, life, individuality and destiny.

The Vedic version is that there is no such thing as chance. Everything happens
by the arrangement of higher authorities, also known as 'providence.' Whatever
happens has a cause and a higher purpose. This, of course, is strictly denied
by the propounders of the materialistic world-view. They will say that the
principle of cause and effect is certainly valid within the entire universe,
but only on the physical level. Life and consciousness, they say, are the
products of atomic combinations under the strict laws of physics (based on
causality), but still, life and consciousness are excluded from such causality.
They were produced by chance, and they work by chance. This kind of argumenta-
tion seems to be extremely inconsistent, one-sided and biased.

However, it can't be denied that the Vedic concept that nothing happens by
chance is difficult for Westerners to accept. If chance doesn't exist, do we
mean to say that a car accident, a murder, a raping, a concentration camp
happened simply due to predestination, and it HAD to happen because the causes
were set for this effect?

The Vedic concept of karma can shed a lot of light on these questions. Karma
refutes both the materialistic and fatalistic world-view. Karma extends the
principle of cause and effect from the physical level to the non-physical
levels of consciousness and destiny.

There are many misconceptions about the concept of karma. Some Christian
critics argue that karma corresponds to the principle of "an eye for an eye, a
tooth for a tooth," which is set up by men and denied by God. Propounders of
liberalism say that all human beings have free will, and everybody has to
decide for himself or herself what is right or wrong. There are no absolute
standards such as those indicated by the concept of karma. These misconcep-
tions arise due to a basic misunderstanding. Let us examine what karma actually
means.

Karma is the sanskrit word for "action." Since the sanskrit language is
multi-facetted, the literal meaning of this word implies much more than the
simple translation. Karma, derived from the root kri- (to do, to plan, to
execute), literally means "that which is caused and causing." This word
indicates that no action is independent. Each action or event is part of a big
network of causes, and it becomes itself a cause for future reactions or
events. This network of karma (action) is coordinated according to the LAW OF
KARMA, the law of action and reaction.

Most misunderstandings are due to the confusion of karma and predestination.
Karma is NOT predestination! The Vedic understanding of karma constitutes the
synthesis of predestination AND free will.

The wrong interpretation of karma can lead to amazing extremes. If you think
karma is just predestination, then whatever comes can't be changed, and
whatever happens was sanctioned by karma. This would allow you to think: "I can
exploit others for my purpose, or kill them in camps, or enslave them. If I can
do it, this means it was their karma, and I am not guilty. Because if it
wouldn't be their karma, I wouldn't be able to do it. But the fact that I am
able shows that I am allowed to do it." There are many beings on Earth and
beyond Earth who think like that; more than most humans imagine.

There are two big mistakes in this logic. First of all, free will definitely
exists, and secondly, karma is not the supreme law in this creation! Sometimes
philosophers simply consider that free will is the ultimate controlling factor
of our destiny, but although this concept is attractive, it is wrong. The
Supreme Lord, Krishna, also has His plan for the creation and sometimes causes
gross annihilation of the living beings who have become too sinful and who are
causing great disturbances on the Earth.

To understand karma in its true implication, we have to understand the sublime
synthesis of predestination and free will. Both of these aspects exist simul-
taneously. To conceive of this inconceivable reality, we have to consider both
sides of the law of karma: the point of view of action, and the point of view
of reaction.

Considering the point of view of reaction, we have to accept that whatever
happened to us was predestined, and it was sanctioned by the universal
authority (God, or Visnu who, as Supersoul, is present both within the universe
and within the heart of each living entity as the omnipresent witness and the
universal memory.) Whether we accept this point of view or not, the fact that
something happened can't be changed. We may call it chance or bad or good luck,
and thus avoid the lesson that we should learn, for this is the nature of
materialists.

To learn the lesson is very important, because each situation forces us to
react. This leads to the second aspect of karma, the point of view of action.
The circumstance we are presently in is set up by the laws of karma and is
predestined, but in each given situation we have our free will to decide how to
react. The fact that we have a free will doesn't make us "free" and indepen-
dent. Free will means only that we can choose how to act under the influence of
a specific set of circumstances, however, we cannot control the results of our
actions which then come upon us according to the higher law of karma.

The human being is not restricted to act in a specific manner; he has free
will, but along with this free will comes responsibility because the way we act
will determine the reactions. Thus we are free to choose our future, both in-
dividually and collectively. Whatever we do, creates a reaction that we must
enjoy or suffer. We are therefore constantly receiving the reactions of our
previous actions that we created using our free will. We are responsible,
therefore, for the happiness and distress which we are experiencing, while the
material nature is creating the conditions within which we enjoy or suffer.
Collective karma is simply the sum total of individual karma. If many people do
the same thing, or simply support or tolerate some action, then they are
collectively responsible for the results and will get a collective reaction
which can be either good or bad according to the action performed.

The law of karma is such that we are never a passive victim of predestination;
on the other hand, we are never free from the laws of creation, which are fixed
according to the will of the creator. The Supreme Lord also has His desires how
things shall go on in the material world. He is eager to see the living
entities become happy and advance in spiritual knowledge. Therefore, sometimes
He creates situations and causes things to happen which no one can avoid.

Therefore, the best thing is to live according to the will of the creator. This
is the ultimate responsibility of the human being: to learn that there is a
creator, and to learn how to use everything in harmony with the creator's will.
Then we can become free from the entanglement of the seemingly endless network
of actions and reactions. The science of getting freed from this material
network is described in the Vedic literature and is called yoga. To understand
how to perform yoga, please read the essay entitled, "Yoga."



Yoga<R>
----

Presently, one of the most popular philosophies of life states: "Everything is
relative. What is good for me is not necessarily good for others and vice
versa. Therefore, nobody shall tell me what to do or not to do, because there
are no `absolute truths' to follow. Everything is relative."

This materially attractive philosophy is based on a serious mistake of think-
ing. To say "EVERYTHING is relative" is in itself an absolute truth! How do you
know that EVERYTHING is relative?

Of course, it is very good that people have become suspicious of the term
"absolute truth." Just see how much cruelty was inflicted upon people, and
still is, in the name of the "Absolute." However, what those people
designate(d) as the Absolute had(has) nothing to do with the Absolute Truth.
Actually it was(is) the very contrary of Absolute Truth: absolutistic untruth.

We simply have to look at the word "absolute" to find out what it means. It
comes from the latin word absolutum (past participle of the verb ab-solvere, to
"unbind"), meaning "unbound," "unconditioned". The Absolute is not dependent on
something relative, rather everything relative is dependent on the Absolute.

Absolute means the all-inclusive, absolutistic means the all-exclusive.
Therefore, religions or philosophies which claim to be the only ones are not
absolute, but absolutistic because they exclude all others, thus becoming the
cause of splitting and hatred amongst men. Therefore, a true understanding of
the Absolute Truth is absolutely necessary.

The Vedic revelations identify the Absolute Truth as God, the Supreme Person.
Absolute means all-inclusive, so both personal and impersonal features have to
be there, because God is perfect and complete. God isn't just an abstract,
symbolic energy, but is both energy and person. As already discussed in the
essay entitled, "What is Matter? What is life?", the personal aspect is supreme
because from some impersonal origin, nothing personal would come. But since the
entire universe is full of sentient beings, God is also a sentient being, but a
unique, unlimited, absolute (=all-inclusive) PERSON. In Sanskrit this Supreme
Personality of Godhead is called God, or Krsna (literally: the All-attractive).
As Visnu, Krsna is the Supreme Creator of all the universes.

By definition, everything relative is connected with the Absolute. Perfection
means to realize this absolute relationship (and dependence). Imperfection, or
illusion (maya), means to ignore this relationship and think oneself to be
independent of the Absolute. Actually, only in relationship with the Absolute,
the relative has REAL sense and purpose. In sanskrit, this relationship between
the relative and the Absolute is described by a very famous Sanskrit word,
maybe the most famous yet most misunderstood - YOGA.

Yoga literally means "relationship; connection." We can still find this root in
the english word yoke, which graphically illustrates what yoga means - to be
yoked to the Absolute and to be guided by the Absolute.

By the way, there is famous word in latin which is synonymous to the sanskrit
word yoga, and it appears that this word not only shares the common meaning but
also the common destiny, because it is the most famous - and most misunderstood
- latin word there is: religio (re-connection with God).

Originally, religion and yoga were synonyms! Both refer to the relationship of
the infinitesimal with the infinite, the relationship of the living entities
with God. This relationship is eternal, but due to a misuse of free will, the
living entities within the material world have chosen to forget this
relationship and replace it with something else. Thus everyone thinks that
everything is more important than God. In the material world, everyone is ego-
centric.

This relationship with the Absolute, being eternal, is already there. We simply
have to discover it. It can be discovered by dis-covering--removing the
coverings. These coverings are not outside factors; they are the ego-centric
limitations of our own consciousness. The processes of yoga, or religio, are
ways to dis-cover our consciousness and expand its horizon until we see the
original source of ourselves and everything--the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.

Since there are different people, there are different processes of yoga. The
yoga processes can be compared to a staircase with many steps.

Basically, there are three categories of yoga: karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and
bhakti-yoga.

Karma-yoga means "yoga of action." The basic idea of karma-yoga is to be
active. The basic idea of jnana-yoga ("yoga of knowledge") is to become
passive. In perfection, both unite within bhakti-yoga ("yoga of love and
devotion"): giving up ego-centric action, becoming active in service according
to the desires of God.

The spectrum of karma is very broad. Leaving aside the gross materialists who
simply want to enjoy without consideration of piety or impiety, the path of
karma, as stated in the Vedas, directs the performer to engage in acts which
will elevate him materially. On this level one desires to live in harmony with
the universal forces (demigods) in order to have a comfortable life within this
material world of temporary objects. To attain this goal. the karmi performs
many sacrifices to please the demigods and ultimately attain a position in the
heavenly planets as servants of the demigods. There one finds material
happiness far beyond the imagination of the Earthly residents.

The more a karmi advances, the more he or she will understand that beyond the
temporary universal forces there is the supreme force, God, who alone can grant
us eternal peace and happiness. On this level, karma becomes karma-yoga and
leads to bhakti-yoga. Karma yoga means to work and create the fruits of
activity which are then offered for the satisfaction of the Supreme. Krishna
explains the difference between those who perform karma to gain the benedic-
tions of the demigods as opposed to those who worship Him by the results of
their actions. "Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their
fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the
planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet,
which is beyond the duality of manifested and unmanifested nature." (Bhagavad-
gita 7.23-24a)

The spectrum of jnana is also very broad. The common understanding of all forms
of jnana is: This material world is composed of transient, illusory forms. A
jnani (one who performs jnana) wants to detach himself from this material world
and thus attain liberation.

The ways of detaching oneself from these temporary forms of matter are various.
There are those who become self-torturers, paining or even mutilating their own
bodies. Others absorb themselves in philosophical studies, and others start to
follow the recommended forms of physical yoga, called astanga-yoga, the
"eightfold path of yoga," beginning with yama, niyama, asana and pranayama.
Hatha-yoga and raja-yoga as known in the modern world, dimly reflect this
physical form of yoga, although there is no comparison with the original
astanga-yoga.

Yama and niyama refer to the "dos and don'ts." You have to give up meat-eating,
ultimately all eating, you have to give up sexual activity, and retire into the
Himalayas. In order to survive in this tough environment, you have to activate
your internal prana-energies by bodily exercises (asanas) and by breathing
exercises (pranayama). Attaining the perfection of meditation (samadhi, the 8th
and highest level of astanga-yoga), the yogi sees God, the Supersoul, within
himself, and develops love of God, and the desire to please God directly. At
this point, the yogi gives up his body and is elevated to a place where he can
factually engage in a loving exchange with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
On this level, jnana- and astanga-yoga become bhakti-yoga: "A yogi is greater
than the ascetic (tapasvi), greater than the empiricist (jnani) and greater
than the fruitive worker (karmi). Therefore, o Arjuna, in all circumstances, be
a yogi. And of all yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in Me,
thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service--he is
most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My
opinion." (Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita, 6.46-47)

Bhakti-yoga continues the paths of karma-yoga and jnana-yoga. Since bhakti-yoga
is not a material process, it is not depending on material conditions like the
other two forms of yoga. It can be attained from all levels. This means, from
each step it is possible to connect with God and start to engage in devotional
service (bhakti-yoga). Bhakti-yoga is both practical and philosophical and
consists of nine main categories of engagement: sravanam kirtanam visnoh ...
"Hearing (sravanam) and chanting (kirtanam) about God (visnoh), especially
chanting the holy names of God, remembering God, rendering service, worshiping
God in the temple, offering prayers, becoming the servant of God's servants,
taking full shelter of the Lord, and surrender everything to God--these nine
processes are accepted as pure devotional service (bhakti-yoga)."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.23)



The incarnations of Krsna

-------------------------

"If God exists, then show me God!" Generation after generation, there are
people coming up with this demand, being very proud to have found the ultimate
argument against the believers in God.

Most religionists will reply that God is invisible and inconceivable, and this
is certainly true. The Vedic revelations, however, have a counter-challenge:
"Yes, God can be seen, but do you have the eyes to see God? Are you ready to
see God? Because, otherwise, you won't recognize God even seeing Him face to
face."

The way to become qualified to see and recognize God is through the practice of
yoga, or the process whereby the living entity becomes connected with the
Supreme. Everything in this world takes an effort, but when it comes to see
God, people think it has to be automatic. Do they expect to see God the way one
goes to see an animal in the zoo? What do they expect when they say they want
to see God? Please consider this point carefully. One who realizes the foolish-
ness of this desire can then inquire into the Vedic process of understanding
the Supreme.

God (Visnu) is the creator of everything. Just look around, and you'll
recognize the inconceivable power within the creation of the Lord. People have
become blind to this perspective which causes them to treat nature impersonally
without feeling responsible for its maintenance. Nowadays we can see what
happens when the leaders in the modern world lack this vision and simply
propagate materialism. It directly goes against the harmony of creation.
Materialism doesn't correspond to either reality or truth.

In Sanskrit, one expression for the universe is visva-rupa, meaning "the
universal body of God." Seeing this true nature of nature is the first step in
God realization.

At the same time, it is certainly true that God is omnipotent, omnipresent and
all-pervading. Even the creation is inconceivable, so what to speak of the
creator Himself. That's why Krsna uses a famous paradox to explain His connec-
tion to the material creation: "By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire
universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them. And yet
everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence!
Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am
everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My self is the
very source of creation." (Bhagavad-gita 9.4-5)

It is certainly true that God is inconceivable, but at the same time God has to
be conceivable, too, otherwise He wouldn't be perfect and complete. He would
lack the aspect of being perceivable. A true or complete revelation of God must
include both aspects.

As omnipresent energy, God is inconceivable. Within the creation, we find both
energy and individuality, therefore God, as source of everything, contains both
energy and individuality. This point can't be stressed enough because it is
most important, and it is the particularity of the Vedic revelations of God.
Since God is not just an impersonal, abstract principle conceived by human
minds, but the Supreme reality containing everything, He is both energy and the
energetic source, a person. God is not only a person. God is not only energy.
Both kinds of one-sided understandings lead to dangerous misconceptions, either
dogmatism and fanaticism, or agnosticism and impersonalism.

God includes everything. Being absolute, all dimensions are united within Him.
As the absolute, multidimensional entity, God is inconceivable and
imperceptible. Still He is perceptible through the effects of His omnipresence.
Furthermore, because God contains all dimensions, He must also contain those
dimensions perceivable to us. Still, being absolute, God will maintain His
inconceivable nature even while appearing within the material world.

It seems hard to understand how God appears within the material world, for this
implies a physical form moving in time and space within history. But, these
forms of the Lord do exist and appear periodically when the Lord incarnates.
God's incarnations are countless, just like the waves in an ocean. The most
important ones are described in the Vedic scriptures. Even the forms of the
Lord who will appear in the future are foretold. The most recent forms being
Krishna, who appeared 5000 years ago on the Earth, and Caitanya who appeared
500 years ago. Other incarnations have appeared in long-gone ages, such as Rama
who is described in the Ramayana. Other incarnations don't appear on earth but
on other planets, but since Their influence was universal, Their activities are
also recorded in the scriptures manifested on Earth.

The Lord also appears as His Vedic literatures, which are either spoken by Him
or about Him by realized sages. It is said in the Srimad Bhagavatam, that the
Lord has incarnated as the Bhagavatam just after His departure to the spiritual
world after manifesting His pastimes on Earth. Thus through the Srimad
Bhagavatam one can actually realize the presence of God.

Being absolute, the Lord can also desire to manifest Himself before our eyes in
a form that we can directly perceive in the temple. Thus, the Lord incarnates
as the arca-vigraha avatara, or the form of the Lord as the Deity in the
temple. Because we can only see gross material forms such as stone, wood,
metal, or paint, the Lord agrees to accept such forms for our benefit. Through
the proper Vedic ceremony and chanting of His holy names, an authorized
representative of God can call Him into the form of the Deity. This form may
then be worshiped and served with love and devotion. Through such love and
devotion the worshiper can get full realization of God and when sufficiently
advanced, can even hear and speak to Him. This is practically realized by many
devotees of Krishna in the temples even today.

Other forms of God are those paraphernalia items which are dedicated to God,
thus having become "spiritualized," e.g. temples, holy books, or sanctified
food. The Lord also appears in pictures, which are called "windows to the
spiritual world." But most importantly, the Lord appears as His sound
incarnation through the chanting of His holy names. The Vedic scriptures reveal
that in this present age of Kali, all perfection can be attained by such
chanting. By hearing about God, people can elevate their understanding, and by
chanting God's name, people can purify their consciousness in order to perceive
God in all His aspects.

The mantra which is most recommended by the Vedic tradition for the present age
is the Krishna-mantra, because it directly invokes the names of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama
Rama Hare Hare

In the present age, God will appear through His names. This is indicated by all
authentic messengers of God, like Jesus ("Thy name be hallowed!"). God, being
absolute, is non-different from His names, thus He becomes present where His
names are chanted.

In the present time when people are either disgusted with religion, fanatical
about it, or just uninterested, the Vedic revelation of God meets a great need
in human society. Here we meet God beyond human-made borders and philosophies,
beyond indifference and impersonalism, beyond nationalism, dogmatism and
absolutism. When one comes to understand the Supreme as He is, one comes beyond
all differences of opinion and unites under the banner of loving service to the
Lord.