sumitsehrawat
June 13th, 2005, 12:26 PM
The Hindu Scriptural literature, particularly the Upanishads deal not only with metaphysics but ethics and religion also, pointing out how man should know what he ought to do and what many hope for and also offering solutions, which, when followed will be soul satisfying. Various textual authorities provide us with a complete chart of tackling every fundamental problem and teach us the doctrines as regards the nature of God, Man and the World and the relationship between them. One of them spells out two paths that are laid before us - one to gain ephemeral pleasures which will entangle human beings in worldly pactivities (Preya) and the other, teaching Divine wisdom, enabling to cut asunder, the knots of worldly bondage (Sreya). Those who are fortunate will take recourse to Sreya whereas those who are devoid of any spiritualmerit and without any pious disposition will tread Preya and will naturally be deprived of spiritual gain.
The Upanishads proclaim : "Arise and Awake, approach a preceptor and learn from him about the means of God-realisation". The Upanishads have been described as the deep, stil, mountain tarns, fed from pure waters of the verlasting snows, lit by clear sunshine or by night, mirroring the high serenity of the stars. In one of them, eight traits of the Soul have been mentioned devoid of sinful links with ignorance (want of true conception of the Self); freedom from ageing; from death; no affliction for loss of desired objects; without any longing for food or enjoyment; no hankering after any material object; adherence to Truth and capable of achieving anything.
Individuals in bondage will be naturally inclined to indulge in material enjoyment and hardly one among them will possess the inquisitiveness to reach Divinity. So long as there is no awakening of devotion, one has to undergo rebirths and experience endless suffering. The highest gain in human existence is to approach God through devotion. The Kathpanishad says that God is free from any inauspiciousness. He is the store-house of all that is good.
"Listening with rapt attention to soul-enlivening narrations of the Supreme Being from the lips of devotees gives rise to unshakable faith in God, removing forthwith evil propensities from the heart and giving scope for developing a deep desire to realise Him".
December 18, 1990
The Hindu
The Upanishads proclaim : "Arise and Awake, approach a preceptor and learn from him about the means of God-realisation". The Upanishads have been described as the deep, stil, mountain tarns, fed from pure waters of the verlasting snows, lit by clear sunshine or by night, mirroring the high serenity of the stars. In one of them, eight traits of the Soul have been mentioned devoid of sinful links with ignorance (want of true conception of the Self); freedom from ageing; from death; no affliction for loss of desired objects; without any longing for food or enjoyment; no hankering after any material object; adherence to Truth and capable of achieving anything.
Individuals in bondage will be naturally inclined to indulge in material enjoyment and hardly one among them will possess the inquisitiveness to reach Divinity. So long as there is no awakening of devotion, one has to undergo rebirths and experience endless suffering. The highest gain in human existence is to approach God through devotion. The Kathpanishad says that God is free from any inauspiciousness. He is the store-house of all that is good.
"Listening with rapt attention to soul-enlivening narrations of the Supreme Being from the lips of devotees gives rise to unshakable faith in God, removing forthwith evil propensities from the heart and giving scope for developing a deep desire to realise Him".
December 18, 1990
The Hindu