VidyaSagar: Namaste Guruji. Yajurveda mantra 40/3 asurya namathe loka andhena thamasavrutham thamstha prethyabhiganchanthi ye ke chathmahanoo janaah also 3rd one of Eshavasya upanishad. Sorry, if i quoted wrong. Can i have the word to word meaning of it and vedic meaning of it?
Swami Ram Swarup: Namasteji. Eeshavasyopnishad has been written by a Rishi where he has put all mantras of 40th chapter of Yajurved, by some changes in pronunciation. I’ve quoted Yajurved mantra 40/3 and not shloka of Eesh Upnishad.
Yajurveda mantra 40/3 –
Asurya naam tey lokaha andhein tamasavritaha.
Taanste pretyapi gachchanti ye ke chatmahano janaha.
(Lokaha) The persons who (Avritaha) are completely covered (Andhein) with the cover of darkness (Tamasa) of ignorance (Cha) and (Ye ke) those (Janaha) persons (Atmahanah) who are indulged in doing the deeds against the inner voice of soul (Tey) they (Naam) are famous (Asurya) as Asur i.e., sinners. Here, Asur means those who are indulged in illusion, do sins and their aim is only to – “Eat, drink and be merry”.
As a result, (Tey) those persons (Pretya) after death (Api) and also while being alive, (Gachchanti) get (Taan) the above said cover of darkness of ignorance to face sorrows.
Meaning- The persons who are completely covered with the darkness of ignorance and those who are indulged in doing the deeds against the inner voice of soul, they are famous as Asur i.e., devils–sinners. Here, Asur means those who are indulged in illusion, do sins and their aim is only to –“Eat, drink and be merry”
As a result, such persons after death and also while being alive get the above said cover of darkness of ignorance to face sorrows.
Idea – God has blessed us with human body to attain the aim of salvation. The said aim is attained by those who always discharge their moral duties while following vedic preach. On the contrary, those who are against Vedas and are indulged in illusion, are in the habit of doing sins.
Such people are addressed in the mantra as ‘Atma hanah’ i.e., they are indulged in illusion and being ignorant, always do deeds like sins against the Vedas, curbing their inner voice of soul. Hence, they are called “Asur” in the mantra. So, Vedas educate us that when soul gets the body of human being and thus takes birth, he is called man or woman, based on male or female bodies respectively. Now, if the person makes contact with learned of Vedas, he one day becomes learned and is called ‘Dev’ or ‘Devta’ and ‘Devi’ in case of female. On the contrary, if person makes contact with bad society and indulges in illusion, as a result, does impious deeds or sins like theft, cheating etc., then Vedas, based on his impious deeds call him Asur-devil. So, Asur (devils) have no horns on their heads and are not different from human beings but based on good or bad deeds, men or women are given the title of Dev or Asur respectively. Here, Vedas educate us to be learned and get the title of Devi/Devta and not Asur.
Based on Vedas knowledge, Kathopnishad states that he who is learned of Vedas and has his mind connected to soul i.e., his mind works under the guidance of soul, he is not subservient to his mind and senses but has full control over them.
The said learned person makes his married life heaven full of happiness since there is no heaven in sky and ultimately gets salvation. On the contrary, those who are not learned of Vedas-shastras etc., and whose mind is not connected with soul and works at its own, they are stated to be indulged in illusion and are called Asur (devils) whose flaws/shortcomings are stated above.
Further, Vedas and Kathopnishad shloka 3/5 preach us that those who are ignorant of Vedas, their mind always works against the soul. They have no control over their senses, mind and intellect and they always remain involved in sins. Such people are hypocrites as their thoughts, speech and deeds are altogether different from one other. Being indulged in illusion, they become habitual of committing sins.
As a result, they further completely become unable to overcome the illusion-sorrows and never experience spiritual as well as worldly pious pleasure, but duly covered with darkness of illusion they always face sorrows. We should follow Vedic path to destroy our sins, making our family life heaven and attain salvation why? Because, all human-beings unconditionally desire for pleasure and not sorrows, but as per Rigveda mantra 1/67/4 and 1/69/3, in the absence of worship of God, nobody can experience peace and pleasure, further in the absence of Vedas’ knowledge, nobody is able to know about God and His worship and in the end mantras state that without a learned acharya of Vedas, nobody is able to know Vedas’ knowledge. So, we must keep the said Vedic preach in mind that in the absence of learned acharya, when we’ll not be able to know about eternal and everlasting Almighty God and His worship, then how will we be able to get peace , worldly pious pleasure, spiritual happiness and salvation in the end. Naturally, as the above mantra states, we’ll be called Asur but due to the ill effect of illusion, we will think ourselves as gentlemen and learned (Yog shastra sutra 2/5 refers).
So, in the absence of knowledge of Vedas from learned acharya nobody is able to get pleasure. Such people, invariably face sorrows, early death, diseases, tensions, blind faith, illusion, ignorance and thus ruin their lives.
Yogender: Please send me Yajyen Karm book.
Swami Ram Swarup: Book is being sent to you, please.
Arwinder Singh: Gurujii I heard that there is a kalsarapyog in my kundli. I want to know what I have to do because in these days. I am Very upset in my work field. I am losing my money. Please tell me what to do.
Swami Ram Swarup: Kaal SarpYog& other such defects in astrology
Vedas are eternal and knowledge direct from God wherein such kaalsarpyog etc., are not mentioned, please. So you need not to worry. Please try to do havan daily even from gayatri mantra, which is a great worship of God and will give you benefit. The meaning of kaal is also time. So death comes according to time for which the God has given life to us. This is all based on our previous lives’ pious deeds and sins. So there is no effect of kaalsarpyog etc., in the life, but effect of deeds (karmas) only. So, one must do always pious deeds to be happy. Present pious deeds can burn our previous deeds also and life’s time can also be extended wide Yajurved mantra 3/62.
