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Ten Upanishads - Part I

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Ten Upanishads - Part I

The Vedas are divided into four parts, namely Samhitas, Brahmanam, Aaranyakam and Upanishad. The modern schools of Vedanta consider the Upanishads (means, taking nearer to Truth), as the high philosophical teachings of the Veda and as most important. The samhitai and others, which deal mainly with the rituals, and how to carry them about are considered by them as less important, and therefore, often even ignored, because in any case, the sanyasis do not carry them out. Paramacharya of Kanchi explains the lack of proper understanding of the importance of each one of these divisions by some beautiful simple examples.
1) He quotes "Sarvam Karmaakhilam Partha Gnana Parisamaapyata" - all these karmas, oh Partha, finally end in Gnana or Knowledge (iv - 32-33 of Bhagawad Gita). This is explained in the Karmakanda of Gita itself.
2) In Taitriya Kaatakam, (First Prasnam, Last Anuvaakam, fourth sentence), in the Karmakaandam itself, again, it is explained that one, who carries out merely the rituals, without understanding God or the ultimate Truth is like a man, who has just lit the stove, which is simply burning. When you light a stove, you have got to keep a vessel with the materials like rice, vegetables, etc. for cooking and taking it out as soon as it is properly cooked. The lighted stove is no more required. This process in Sanskrit is known as 'Pakvam'. Similarly, the word 'Pakvam' is also used for us to get enlightened by doing the rituals prescribed in the Samhitai (food cannot be cooked without heat), and once we are properly cooked in the path of Bakthi or devotion to God, we start understanding that the cooked food is the raw material like rice, themselves, and nothing external. Similarly God or ultimate Truth is within ourselves and nothing external. It only required the Karmakaanda rituals to cook us properly; then we have understood the Truth.
3) One who goes on doing the rituals or yagas etc without understanding its purpose, is like one who has just lit a stove, without putting the materials for cooking in a vessel, on it. It is merely a waste of precious LPG.
Similarly, one who wants to concentrate on the teachings of Upanishads only, without going through the process of cooking, is like one trying to have a fruit, without having to go through the stages of flowers, cross pollination, then a raw fruit, and finally a ripe fruit (different stages of Pakvam). Each stage is inevitable and one cannot reach a higher level without passing through the lower stage.
There is indeed a preparation and interplay between the Samhitas and Upanishads. For example, many important suktas like Naasaatiya Suktam, Purusha Suktam, trayambaka Mantram, etc are chanted in the Samhita part of the Vedas and not in the Upanishads. Similarly, some rituals like "naachiketaagni" etc are mentioned only in the Upanishads and not in the Samhitai.
 
Similarly, one who wants to concentrate on the teachings of Upanishads only, without going through the process of cooking, is like one trying to have a fruit, without having to go through the stages of flowers, cross pollination, then a raw fruit, and finally a ripe fruit (different stages of Pakvam). Each stage is inevitable and one cannot reach a higher level without passing through the lower stage.
There is indeed a preparation and interplay between the Samhitas and Upanishads. For example, many important suktas like Naasaatiya Suktam, Purusha Suktam, trayambaka Mantram, etc are chanted in the Samhita part of the Vedas and not in the Upanishads. Similarly, some rituals like "naachiketaagni" etc are mentioned only in the Upanishads and not in the Samhitai.


Dear sir,

Fully agree with what you had written but some individuals are born naturally with the inclination for the Jnaankanda portion of Vedas.

I read once that each one of us go through each stage but some have completed the Karmakanda portion in a previous life and hence born with the inclination for only Jnaankanda in this present birth.

Some might have even completed Jnanakanda in a previous birth but had a desire again for Karmakanda and might be born just to enjoy Karmakanda again.

So there is no real sequence which should come first and also no rigid classification of which is a "lower" level and which is a "higher" level.

There is an interplay of spiritual needs rather than stages of spiritual evolution.
 
Sowbagyavathy Renuka, Greetings.

Some might have even completed Jnanakanda in a previous birth but had a desire again for Karmakanda and might be born just to enjoy Karmakanda again.

Just curious. What happens if a person born again just to enjoy karmakanda? would they require to go through Jnanakanda again? or would they enjoy the karmakanda with a streak of jnanam in that? What are your opinions, please? Thank you.

Cheers!
 
hi renuka,
i have a doubt....each individual after death....they get another physical body sponteanously....or any waiting perod for karma to get
another birth...just curious...
 
hi renuka,
i have a doubt....each individual after death....they get another physical body sponteanously....or any waiting perod for karma to get
another birth...just curious...


Hi TBS garu,

In most text most of us have read there is a varying waiting period depending on one's Karma.

Some have it short,some have it longer.

I feel you already know the answer cos I am quite sure you believe in Pitr Karyam.


You see the practice of Pitr Karyam practiced by ever so diligently by TBs itself is quite an "evidence" that there is a waiting period isn't it?

Don't you think so?
 
Sowbagyavathy Renuka, Greetings.



Just curious. What happens if a person born again just to enjoy karmakanda? would they require to go through Jnanakanda again? or would they enjoy the karmakanda with a streak of jnanam in that? What are your opinions, please? Thank you.

Cheers!

Dear Raghy,

It all boils down to desires.

It depends what a person desires in this birth itself that will decide what he/she would be going through in his/her next birth.
 
The Bhagavad Gita says: "For whatever objects a man thinks of at the final moment, when he leaves the body - that alone does he attain, O son of Kunti, being ever absorbed in the thought thereof." And the last thought of the dying person inevitably reflects his inmost desire.
 
Hi TBS garu,

In most text most of us have read there is a varying waiting period depending on one's Karma.

Some have it short,some have it longer.

I feel you already know the answer cos I am quite sure you believe in Pitr Karyam.


You see the practice of Pitr Karyam practiced by ever so diligently by TBs itself is quite an "evidence" that there is a waiting period isn't it?

Don't you think so?
hi renuka lah,
i dont need any quote from bhagavad gita/upanishads....the soul needs a physical body....pitr karyam as karmakanda...i think

may be for satisfaction....like danam/pitr karyam as karmakanda....i think as the soul leaves present body and get immideatly

another body....punarapi jananam....punarapi maranam....just as cycle of life....as baalya/kaumara/yauvana,/jara /vaardhakyam/

mrithyu....again the same cycle.....these karmakandas just as good karma....nothing to do with soul...
 
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Dear Raghy,

It all boils down to desires.

It depends what a person desires in this birth itself that will decide what he/she would be going through in his/her next birth.

Sowbagyavathy Renu,

Did you say it boils down to desire? Then what about this life? What could have lead to such a lousy childhood, that worse, I would never wish that for anyone! Granted, after the age of 12, I found ways to find fun even in that; But couldn't see desire for that anywhere young lady! A curse, yes, I can agree. But a desire, I don't know.

Honestly, I don't think desires have any meaning when we lose this body. We got out of this body, no matter how worst was the situation, still show some regret for that loss then possibly we move on. When we step out, we know. I think we know everything that we had to know. I think it is the kind of a peace when you leave the examination hall. Whether you are going to score 15 out of 100 or 95 out of 100, it doesn't matter. You have the similar peace of mind. That is immediately after leaving the exam hall, before you worry about the external factors like society, peers and parents etc. I have been there for both results; I know exactly how I felt.

My lack of faith in reincarnations shouldn't restrict me from thinking about it though. I think, we choose to come back. Quite possibly, we need not comeback if we don't want to come back. I think we come back to complete some of the bits and pieces we left unfinished. All these desires come back to us once we got a body. Depending upon the body we got, circumstances we get trapped in our desires again change. In spite of all that, we may have our default qualities which decides the 'Lakshman Rekah' for our actions and for our desires connected to this body.

Young lady, I don't think desires decide our next birth. I could be wrong. Kindly share your views, please.

Cheers!
 
Young lady, I don't think desires decide our next birth. I could be wrong. Kindly share your views, please.

Cheers!

Ok I put back the question to you now.

If you feel desires do not shape our future births then what shapes our future births?
 
Ok I put back the question to you now.

If you feel desires do not shape our future births then what shapes our future births?

Sowbagyavathy Renuka,

I did mention my views in post #9. I can express my views once again. I believe, when we die, we loose our body and also we lose all our desire for sense gratifications. As we go along, we do shed some of the senses away; upon parting from this body, everything is finished. It's curtains. When that happens, we simply lose interest altogether. no sense gratification would urge us to comeback to the rat race again.

Let me explain this with an example. I am going to choose the biggest desire for this example. Majority of the persons with some harmonal impulse would desire sexual pleasure at one time or the other. Until that desire gets fulfilled, the drive gets stronger and stronger so strong, all the blood in the body just gets directed one anatomy in our body. At that time there is nothing in the mind larger than this pleasure. When that desire gets met, when that is finished, the next second mind drifts away from sexual desire. With in 30 seconds we are completly focusing on something else. That is the key for my belief.

Going by that above example, desires may not be strong enough to drive us to choose our next birth. I don't believe we are 'sent'. I believe we 'choose'. If I chose my lousy life, then there has to be some important reason for me to do that. May be I have already finished it; or not. I don't know. But, finish, I will; that's why I am here. Sense gratification is enjoyed since I got thisd body. My sense gratifications are just opportunistic. If I didn't have the opportunity, possibly my gratifications would have been directed for something different.

Your input, please.

Cheers!
 
IMO,

It is not just the desires that determines our next birth. Our thoughts and deeds that we have involved our self in alone determines our next birth.

Even if we shed our desires during the ripe old age, make our self straight and honest and wish to have no rebirth while on death bed, can not help us get liberated once for all without any rebirth.

If just wishing for no rebirth at the time of death OR from any time period of this present life, out of personal desire with some motive, having been done with all wrong and right deeds can help humans to be not born again, how can that justify the Karma Theory?

You desire or not in this present life, you yearn for certain things or not, you wish to have rebirth or not, what ever you do as a mere human, you would some how accumulate pending lessons, pending wisdom & certainly karma and end up in birth-death-rebirth cycle.

Sense of pleasures may or may not be fulfilled, may or may not occur, may or may not disappear, may or may not reappear (as per the tendencies of the genes/maturity of the soul), All that matters is how your managed with such senses and how you achieved your sense of pleasures? You may be rich or poor, you may be physically challenged or not, you may be educated or illiterate, you may be intelligent or not, All that matters is how you lived your life and completed your journey all the way?

Instead of yearning for liberation, live your life naturally with your best possible deeds and leave the natural evolution of soul with accumulated good thoughts and deeds. If you do that, everything else would fall in right place and the soul would have a happy and righteous living and would naturally work towards better refinement, having reborn under any circumstance, if having made to take birth again in due process of soul's evolution.

Get to know the essence of Vedas/Upanishads/Samhitas and be in spirituality (if you believe in and enjoy) and refine your soul for better. Sooner or later, your soul would get matured and composed and would deal with the human life in a righteous and balanced manner, having the physical body, in this physical world. The right time for liberation would strike on its own and would never be denied for the eligible soul.


Don't cheat yourself to attain Moksham. No need to even desire to attain Moksham and do good deeds only for that specific goal. Accept your true self, being your own best self critic and honestly work towards- attaining natural righteousness, good thoughts and doing good deeds out of love, compassion, responsibilities and commitments.


YES!!! We should accept that we "choose". The humans basic instinct is selfish some way that lead to accumulated Karma. Choose the right way to be in the right place!!!!


That's what Lord Kirshna has advocated - "Karmanye Vadikarasthe Ma Phaleshu Kadaachana"
 
Krishna describes this in the Gita as follows:

"One who at the final moment gives up their body remember any idea whatsoever certainly becomes the object of that idea, being absorbed in it by constant contemplation (8.6, Gita)
anta-kale ca mam eva
smaran muktva kalevaram
yah prayati sa mad-bhavam
yati nasty atra samsayah


"And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt."

yam yam vapi smaran bhavam
tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti kaunteya
sada tad-bhava-bhavitah


"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail."

For detailed reading please visit other sites on chapter-8.

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 8
 
I am afraid my main article has been sidetracked. However, to reoly to two points raised in the discussion:
W all know that ourkarmas and their effects are divided into Agami, Sanchitam and Prarabdham. The balance of the sum total of all these three decide whether a person gets totally out of the gravitational field and attains Moksha, never to return back to Earth,or, remains in Trishanku, until the person exhausts the benefits of his/ her good deeds and then returns to earth in a form befitting the balance of the Karmas or returns immediately in a form again depending upon the balance of the Karmas.
I am also reminded of a joke. When a person was dying and wreathing in pain, the God and the Goddess made a pact that either of them would carry that Atma to Moksha, depending upon what that person utters last, Amma or Appa. At the last moment, the dying person said, Ayyoh and died. There was very litle that the God or Godess could do.
Regards,
Ramanathan
 
Kindly read this part I, together with part II, which has been so kindly edited so as to be more readable by Mr. Moorthy and posted.
Thanks and regards,
Ramanathan.
 
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