Harish: Swamiji, I understood everything what you say but about Vedas I have doubt about brahmacharya. Its understandable that to maintain brahmacharya before marriage but how its possible to maintain in married life? What does brahmacharya actually mean? We can only control ourself in married life but to stay away from the partner after child doesn’t look practical idea. If husband have more control over his mind and wife not or vice-versa then surely there will be fight, isn’t it? Swamiji please guide!
Swami Ram Swarup: Being a lengthy subject of Brahmacharya, I’m unable to explain the same here. So I would advise you to read my book Brahmacharya Ek Dukh Nivarak Divya Manni worth Rs. 100/- excluding postal charges which will give you your answer including immense knowledge on Brahmacharya through ved mantras.
Only the vedic and all spiritual knowledge makes a man able to maintain brahamcharya and thus long, happy life. So, if husband or wife do not worship God, daily based on vedic philosophy like doing daily hawan, yogabhayaas and listening of Vedas under guidance of a learned acharya, then naturally people will go against Vedas and hence ruin their life. Due to lack of Vedas’ knowledge, nowadays our country is not being provided with the sufficient number of Rishi-Munis to spread vedic knowledge and warriors like Sri Ram, Arjun, Bheem etc., who first knew about Brahmacharya and vedic worship from Rishi-munis and maintained the same in their life.
So, we must also follow their path.
Basant: Swami ji I am confused. Par-Vairagya ka arth kya hota hai? Satyarth prakash me sattvik rajsik aur tamsik gunon ki gati aur prabhav bataye hain. usme likha hai ki jo uttam sattvik honge ve charon vedon ke gyata aur prakriti vashitv ki siddhi ko prapt honge. gyaneshwar arya ki Yog darshan me likha hai “vo ooncha vairagya hai atma ke gyan se gunon ke prati bhi ichchaa se rahit ho jana” matlab charon vedon ko bina padhe padhna chhod dena. Vedon me jo karm kahe gaye hain unko bhi chhod dena. aur aisa samajhna ki sara sansar dukhroop hai. sab karm dukhroop hain. sab kuch dukh hai ! jo vedon ko padhne me shram karte hain ve Aviveki hain. Vedon me se sirf apni kam ki cheez leni chahiye bas.
Swami Ram Swarup: Vedon ko chhodna ya vedon mein kahey hue karma ko chhodna to maha paap hai. Avidya grast pranni hee inko chhodta hai. Asal mein ved marg par chalkar hee to par-vairagya hota hai aur is stage mein hee Ishwar kee prapti hotee hai. Yog shastra sutra 1/16 mein Par-vairagya ke bare mein is prakar likha hai:-
I paste my article in this regard as under-
Sri Krishna Maharaj nein bhi Bhagwad Geeta ke 12th adhyaye mein kaha hai ki Hey Arjun! Jo sukh dukh, maan apmaan, ninda stuti mein bhee ek saman rahta hai, arthat uske chitta par inka kuchh asar nahin hota, weh ek samaan shanti mein rehta hai, phalswaroop na to weh ninda, apmaan, dukh aadi mein demoralize hota hai aur na hee mentally disturb hota hai. Kyunki us sadhak ko Yog shastra sutra 1/15 kee see sthiti prapt ho jaatee hai jismein kaha hai ki us sadhak ko achchha bura, dekhey-suney ka uske chitta par asar nahin hota, isey hee vairagya kaha hai. Aur par-vairagya to is sey bhi uttam hai jiska varnnan Yog Shasra sutra 1/16 mein kiya hai ki Ishwar kee banayee srishti mein Prakriti se baney sabhi padarthon se (arthat khana-peena, sona-chandi, building, dhan, parivaar, khud ka shareer, ghee, milk aadi) vritti hat jaati hai to usey pa-vairagya kehte hain aur isee stage mein sadhak ko Ishwar kee prapti hotee hai, aap yadi ichchha ho to meri pustak Patanjal Yog Darshan Part I and II worth Rs. 131/- and Rs. 300/- excluding postal charges padein. The book can be sent to you on receipt of your postal address, if you desire.
Sadhak ved marg par chalte hue yajeyn, Ishwar naam jaap, Yogabhyaas karte hue, indriya Sanyam kar leta hai aur kathor yogabhyaas dwara aisee stage par pahunchta hai jahaan weh sansar ke pratyek padarth se munh mod leta hai arthat ussey yeh sab kuchh achchha nahin lagta.
Dave: Swamiji pranam. swamiji I have a big problem. my mother does shraddh for my departed dad. but I have told her MANY MANY times that vedas do not tell us to do shraddh at all. but swamiji…SHE IS STILL DOING SHRADDH! What can I do swamiji? She gets angry when I tell her to stop doing shraddh. I have even told her about you but she doesn’t listen to what you say. She listens only to those chaprasi pundits in India. She involves me in shraddh as well. So what should I do Swamiji? Thank you for your time.
Swami Ram Swarup: My heartiest blessings to you, my son. Yes, almighty God in Vedas has preached a lot about the death, that when soul goes out of body, then no further deed is required to be done. People who are still doing shradh mean they lack Vedas’ knowledge. Therefore they are indulged in illusion and are ignorant. So, please in loving manner, you may arrange a way. So that your mother, in any Arya Samaj Mandir etc., starts listening to Vedas, then one day she will herself leave the blind faith of doing shradh, otherwise she will never leave it. I also paste some of my articles below:-
Anna Daan/Shradh to departed soul
Vedas are eternal knowledge which emanate direct from God at the beginning of every universe. Being the knowledge direct from God, each statement of Ved mantra is also eternal truth.
Thirty-ninth chapter of Yajurveda states about death. The soul when leaves the human body remains under control of a divine air named “Sutratma vayu”. Mantras tell that after wandering unconsciously for thirteen days in the space and planets like Sun, moon, etc., soul comes again on this earth inside the vegetation. Then either the soul enters the male living being’s body according to pious deeds and sins through pores or is duly mixed within vegetation and taken by a male person. Then the soul takes rebirth through parents.
This process is an eternal truth. However, if soul is religious and has done hard tapasya then the soul gets salvation. Only soul has to face the result of previous lives’ deeds through living being’s body. Since soul is alive whereas body is non-alive matter. So body does not face the result of deeds. When soul has gone out of body then how the soul will see, hear, taste, smell or touch or will be benefited of any pious deed etc.? therefore Vedas do not tell about the present system of shradh etc.
However, the pious deeds done to remember the departed soul by means of devotion or organising the holy Yajyen with Ved mantras, its result never goes in vain and the family is benefited.
Departed soul never meets again please. Even departed soul, when take rebirth, forgets every event of his previous life. As regards dreams Atharvaveda states that dreams of departed soul are not good so it is in your interest and welfare that you do not see dreams.
QUALITIES OF SOULS (JEEVATAMA)
Soul is alive. Soul has to face the result of his deeds. Soul takes body of human beings, animals, birds, trees etc., according to deeds of past lives. Soul feels sorrow, happiness etc., through body. When soul leaves body, it feels nothing but carries all karma to be faced in next birth through his chitta’s (chitta) vritti (vritti).
Souls are innumerable but are constant in number having similar qualities like being pure, immortal, alive etc. Soul is infinitesimally small, is invisible. The bodies of all living beings contain souls.
Not God but soul has desire, hatred/malice, merriment, sufferings, attachment etc. While attracting itself towards materialistic articles made of prakriti soul forgets his original form. As a result, soul recognizes himself as body. This is the stage of soul being unwise.
“NA TAM VIDATH YA IMA JAJAANANYUDYUSHMAKAMANTARAM BABHOOVA,
NEEHAREINN PRAVRITA JALAPYA CHASUTRIP UKTHASHASCHARANTI.”
(RIGVEDA MANTRA 10/82/7)
(TAM) that God (NA) not ( VIDATH) known (YAH) who (EMA) all worlds (JAJANN) creates and (YAT) from you (ANYAT) separate from other souls(YUSHMAKAM) from you (ANTARAM) with in all (BABHOOVA) is (NIHAREINN) fog like smoke (YAT) that God (PRAVARITAHA) covered (JALAPYAHA) baseless discussion (ASUTRIPAHA) satisfied only in Prann [breathing system] (UKTHASHASAHA) only paying lip service (CHARANTI) deals or behaves.
Meaning: Like an invisible matter which is covered with fog similarly dealing in only lip service and indulging in baseless discussion and are satisfied in their breathing system, Oh! Man-woman, you do not know the God who creates the five matters/universe and the God who is separate from other souls and who is within all.
After death
Yajurveda mantra 3/55, says, “DEVAIYAH JANAH NAH PUNAH MANAH DADATU” i.e., by blessings (preach and true education of Vedas) may learned Acharya give us next birth of human being so that we may again be able to learn the truth of Vedas and to get salvation. So one must always adopt true path by which he gets rebirth of human being to continue the real
spiritualism to get salvation etc., because Atharvaveda mantra 9/10/16 further says that human being who has done pious deeds and adopted true path they get pious human body in the next birth, otherwise soul gets the lowest/contemptible body, like animals, birds etc. Mantra is APAANG PRAANGETI SWDHAYAA GRIBHITAH AMARTYO MARTYENAA SAYONIHI. TA SHASHVANTA VISHUCHINA VIYANTA NYA NYAM CHIKYURN NI CHIKYURNYAM.
Soul according to its good or bad deeds(APANGETI) takes bodies of animals, birds, insects etc., and (PRANG) bodies of Rishis, Munis, i.e., (uuch Yoni) best bodies after leaving the present body. The soul (SWDHAYAA GRIBHITAH) duly attached with its own power of taking birth according to pious deeds and sins, enters other bodies (AMARTAYAH) though the soul is away from death, being immortal but after death of bodies, takes new bodies. These ideas of Vedas has very well been mentioned in Bhagwad Geeta shlok 2/20 wherein Yogeshwar Shri Krishna says (AJO NITYAH SHASHWATOAYAM PURAANNO NA HANYTE HANYAMANNE SHARIRE ) i.e., the soul is (AJAH NITAYAH SHASHWATOH) never takes birth and is eternal (NAHANYATE HANAYMANNE SHARIRE) in fact after death of body too soul is never dead being immortal. (TASHASHVANTA) this process of death and birth of bodies and souls is eternal.
(VISHUCHINA VYANTA) soul and bodies go far away to different directions [soul goes to Savita etc., {given below} according to Yajurveda chapter 39 and then takes birth and gets another body and five elements of body go to space and are mixed within air, fire etc., according to Yajurveda mantra 40/15] (ANYAM NICHIKYHU) many learned know about this fact (ANYAM NICHIKYHU) another who lack knowledge of Vedas, do not know the fact, i.e., we mostly know our body but not ourselves, i.e., soul. Death is sure i.e., the body will have to be cremated one day.
In Atharvaveda mantra 8/8/11 ‘Yamdut’ means = ‘YAM’ means God, and ‘dut’ means storm, cyclone, flood, earthquake, heavy rains, etc., etc., in mantra the air is Yam. So when a soul is to leave the body then by the power of God, sutratma air enters the body and takes the soul out of it then goes to Savita, etc.
In 39th chapter of Yajurveda the process of this cremation is mentioned. This process is also called as “NARMEDH YAJYEN”, “PURUSH MEDH YAJYEN” and “DAH KARAM” and “ANTEYESHATI KARAM”. Atharvaveda mantra 10/8/26 says “YEH CHAKAR SAH JAJAR” means He (God) who makes the body, He destroys the same one day. Sense of Yajurveda mantra 39/5 is that when the soul leaves the body then the soul wanders in so many places, takes another body according to its previous deeds (karmas). Yajurveda mantra 39/6 says that the soul after leaving the body, on the first day goes to Savita (sun), second day agnihi (fire), third Vaayu (normal air), fourth Aditya, fifth chandrma (moon), sixth ritu (seasons), seventh marutah, eighth brihaspati (tiniest air), ninth mitrah (breathing), tenth varunah (udan air), eleventh indrah (electricity), twelfth Vishvedevah (in all divine qualities). Then, after wandering in sky, gets body according to previous deeds. So these twelve days are completed, then after 13 days the soul takes another body. Rigveda mandal 10 sukta 135 says that normally soul after getting body faces the result of its past lives’ deeds and under influence of illusion (duly attracted towards illusion) does sins and again gets birth to face the sins. The soul is immortal and always separate from body. When an aspirant meets with a learned Acharya and gets spiritual education, then the fourth mantra says that the soul gets salvation.
