R. N. Mahanta: Respected Guruji, Charan bandana I would like to know what Vedas say about various rites, charities etc.which are done by hindus at places like Hardwar, Gaya, badrinath etc. Are the pitras really benefited by these offerings in their astral journey. Kindly throw some light on this topic Thanking you
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you.
Whatever you’ve stated in your question, such matter has not been mentioned in Vedas, please. So, being unauthentic, learned acharya, having eternal knowledge of Vedas and Ashtang Yoga Philosophy do not accept it. In this connection, I paste my articles below for your information please:-
Prabhu ka to sub sansaar Bhakt hai aur bahut hee kum aisey hain jo nastik hain, lekin prashna yeh hai ki Ishwar kis Bhakti se prasann hota hai aur kissey prasaann hota hai. Yeh sabhi sawaal gahan hain. Bhaav yeh hai ki Ishwar nirakar, sarvashaktimaann, Nirakar, sansaar ka palan-poshann evam sanghar karne wala hota hai. Isliye ek Ishwar ki Vishesh pooja kee jaati hai.
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.
Atma means jeevatma i.e., soul. Autobiography of soul is not written, please. Yog shastra sutra 1/2 states- “Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodhaha” i.e., when an aspirant does hard practice of ashtang yoga philosophy mentioned in vedas under the guidance of learned acharya of ashtang yoga and vedas philosophy then one day he becomes capable of destroying his previous as well as present life’s deeds. Then Yog shastra sutra 1/3 states “Tada Drashtu Swarupevasthanum” i.e., then soul gets situated in his form i.e., soul knows himself.
In the absence of the said worship, soul does not recognize himself. Soul being indulged in illusion, forgets his form. His form is that soul is pure i.e., never indulges in illusion. Actually, through five senses, mind and intellect, soul is attracted towards materialistic articles of world and hence, illusion effects him. So, soul is originally pure, immortal, alive, learned, eternal matter who neither takes birth nor meets with death. So, the said qualities can be stated as biography of soul. So, soul cannot be hurt or killed. Therefore, the question of self-defense does not arise. Defense is needed for human-body only wherein soul resides. Soul is pure (shudh) in his original form and can never be made or purified so its shuddhi is not required.
Atm- sakshi means self-realization. Soul has eternal, original, divine qualities amongst which some have been described above. So, sanskar of soul is not required. Sanskars get imprinted on chitta only.
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.
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 organizing 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.
kopil: Pranam Guruji,please give me the original meaning of the following mantras….
Yajurveda Ch 16, verse 39,Yajurveda Ch 7, verse 36,Yajurveda, Ch 13, verse 12,Yajurveda, Chapter 17, verse 38,Yajurveda, Chapter 17, verse 39,Atharvaveda, Khand 6, SÅ«kta 75, Mantra 1,Atharvaveda, 6.75.1,Yajurveda, Ch 7, verse 38,SÄmaveda, PrapÄthaka 1,DaÅ›ti 9, mantra 1,Yajurveda, Ch. 18, Verse 74,Atharvaveda, Khand 6, SÅ«kta 66, Mantra 3,Yajurveda, Ch 16, Verse 47,Yajurveda Ch 9, verse 9,Yajurveda Ch. 13, verse 13,Yajurveda, Ch. 29, Verse 39,Yajurveda, Ch. 18, Verse 34,Yajurveda, Ch. 6, verse 6,Yajurveda, Ch. 6, verse 1,Yajurveda, Ch. 6, verse 2,Yajurveda Ch 20, verse 36,Yajurveda, Ch. 16, verses 61-62,Yajurveda, Ch. 16, Verse 36.
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you.
Since the job is lengthy and cannot be explained here, so please send your postal address so that the translation of requisite mantras can be sent to you in due course. The translation will be in Hindi language, please.
