Vedic Prachar 08-Feb-2009

Summarization of Discourse delivered by Acharya Ved Shrami and Dr. Sahadeo Hariprasad
(Summary provided by Mr. Vikas Bagga).
Key Discussion Points were of tying up the concepts of:
Dharmik as Bhagwan
Moorat and Amoorat Brahm
Summary of Acharya Vedshrami's discourse:
Continuing on the explanation of Bhagavad (bhagwaan) of Shrimadbhagavadgita, Acharya Vedshrami mentioned that anyone who is a Dharmik is also a Bhagwan. "Vedokhilo Dharm Moolam" (Vedic knowledge is the root of Dharm) and the true meaning of Dharm is only obtained by understanding the Vedas. Another verse explaining the same thing is "Ved Pratipaadito Dharm Adharmastad Viparyaya" (Whatever is described/said by Vedas is Dharm and anything against it is Adharm). What we live with and practice in the name of Dharm is second hand source of half baked information on what Dharm is.So, the need is to understand the true meaning of Dharm and be able to adopt and practice it and to understand that true meaning, we need to gain knowledge from Vedas and apply that knowledge in our daily life to achieve the ultimate aim of life. There are three categories of people with reference to knowledge:Vidvaan – (Who is knowledgeable and uses the knowledge rightly), Ajyaani – Ignorant (Who doesn't have knowledge), and Moorkh (foolish/conceited, who has the knowledge but doesn't implement it rightly OR he has little knowledge and he thinks that he has acquired all the knowledge). Thus we need to use our Buddhi – Intellect to make good decisions that further our understanding of our mun – intelligence, thus leading us on the path of Brahm too. Here are the explanations of Vidvaan, Moorkh & Ajyaani:

• Vidvaan: One who has knowledge, but still feels that he is limited in knowledge, and is always hungry for more knowledge. It is easy to teach him. An example of a Vidvaan: He observed water and fire and went to discover locomotives for hauling heavily loaded trains.
• Avidvaan: He is the one with no or very little knowledge. He is aware of it. It is also not very difficult to educate him. Example: It is easy to teach him on how to assemble or operate locomotives earlier discovered by a Vidvaan.
• Moorkh (fool): He is the one, who says that he has all the knowledge, and knows everything, and hence does not need any more knoweldge. It is nearly impossible to educate him. An example of a moorkh is that once while looking at water and fire, he proceeded to discover Hukka (an Indian article used for smoking tobacco).

Summary of Dr. Sahadeo Hariprasad's discourse:

The concept of Brahm was reinforced. Brham is the expansion of the Inner Self. It means growth in things that are Avayakt or Amoorat, things that are not seen, but can be felt only by study (Svadhyaya) and reflection (Chintan).The Parabrahm (Almighty God) is Sut-Chit-Aanand – (Sachidanand): "Existence-consciousness-bliss". This word has reference in the Ved. This phrase has 3 components:
Sat – Truth/Existence
Chit – Consciousness and
Anand – Bliss/Peace
This is the foundation on which we can dispel notions of idol worship (Moorti Poojan). Acknowledging the existence of God is Sut, but by creating an image of God (statue or picture) is implying that there is a second God (or limiting Him to place, statue and a form)? But we understand from the Vedas, the ultimate source of knowledge, that God is Formless, Omnipresent, and All-pervading and hence not limited to a place, time, form, body or an object such as a statue. Also from Vedas, we know that God is Indivisible, Un-duplicable or Un-comparable in Chit and Aanand, which means there can never be second or one more God, by putting a second to God, it fails the test of the second part of the phrase, Chit. The image or idol does not have a consciousness and consequently cannot be a source of Aanand too. The great Tulsidas wrote in the Ramcharitmanas that God is one who walks without Feet, Hears without ears, Listens without ears, sees without eyes and speaks without a voice. Tulsidas helps dispel the concept of Moorti Poojan. Thus don't go looking all over the place for God. Stop and look within yourself. Attainment of this Bliss is all that counts and nothing else matters.Satyarth Prakash is great starting point for one to seek truth and dismemberment from falsehood around us. Satyartha Prakash is a great source of information on various topics on God, Dharm, Family relations, education and various religions including Hinduism. This book derives information from Vedas and other scriptures such as Srimad Bhagvad Gita.

ShrimadBhagwadGita prachar at Atlanta Vedic Temple on 01/11/09

Summary of talk on ShrimadBhagwadGita, given at Atlanta Vedic Temple on 01/11/09 by Acharya VedShrami
(This is part of the continuing series of lectures on ShrimadBhagwadGita)
Summary provided by: Mr. Vikas Bagga

Currently the series is covering the Meaning of Bhagwd (Bhagwan)

3 main topics of discussion:

· First, the benefit of performing a YAGYNA.
· Second, satisfy your hunger with SOUL FOOD
· Finally, continued discussion on attributes of Bhagwan – DHARMA.

Plea for Performing Sunday Yagyna
The benefits are attainment of: Aayu, Pranam, Prajam, Dhanam – which means long healthy life, meaningful living, wealth and prosperity. We pray so that all our actions we do in daily life help spread our fame, increase our wealth and provide the intended benefit to all.

Second is a plea to devote a few minutes of our lives devoted to the study of Gita or the Vedas, contending that you may treat this as a bitter medicine with magical advantages such as beneficial to health – physical and mental well being, wealth, fame etc. An easy way to get benefits of knowledge is to attend Satsang, which leads you to the path of how to attain God (Ishwar ki prapti) and consequently attain Moksh. This is supported in both the Gita and the Vedas. To illustrate this:

Every being in his human life strives to achieve something. The ultimate goal for what you are trying to achieve, whether fame, wealth etc is to attain Happiness (Sukh) But at the same time every human being is also faced with hardships and sorrow. These are 2 sides of fast flowing river. We embark on our journey through life, in this river. We need to develop the tools in our life that help us steer clear of riptides and disturbances and plan to reach and stay in calm waters. This can be attained only by knowing Parmatma/Prabhu (God). For reaching this state we have to make efforts that can only be attained by knowledge of the Gita and Vedas.

A simple prescription.
We pay so much attention to the nutritional needs of our body. We focus on eating right, so our bodies may have the strength and energy to make us strong and intelligent. Similar to the way we understand and recognize the needs of our physical body and try and service it, we should understand the need of our Soul (Atma) and its need, which can be satisfied only by Soul Food. Soul Food is found by studying the Vedas, Gita, and going to Satsang. So please understand your inner and less discernable hunger and fulfill it by following the simple prescription.

Continuing the discussion of Meaning of Bhag is a person bestowed with Opulence. There are seven attributes to Bhag. The previously discussed was Aishwarya or having wealth. The next attribute is Dharma or duty. Following the tenets of Dharma make you Dharmik. Question is how do you become Dharmik? There are 3 stages to becoming Dharmik.

First, we need to continue to grow and attain – knowledge.
Second, attain qualities that move us ahead in life.
Third a combination of the above two will lead to the development of person that is indestructible. Outstanding example is SriKrishna.

Our human body and soul undergoes a constant seesaw battle of emotions that cause positive energy (good forces) and negative energy (negative energy) in our life. That is why we refer to our body as the Kurukshetra or the battlefield where Good forces (Pandav) has to battle bad forces (Kaurav). The soul is Dhriti-rashtra that has to be able to discern between the good and bad for the Body. If the soul is not fed the right inputs it will impair
the ability to make the right judgment.

Thus to serve our Dharma we have to be able to make sound and objective reasoning (Dhriti) and lead you to the path of righteousness (Dhair Dhairyant), which will make you a righteous person who is seen as protector of dharma and thus Dharmik. A person who has attained this attribute may be referred to as Bhagwan.

Vedic Prachar on ShrimadBhagwadGita 01/04/09

Summary of talk on ShrimadBhagwadGita, given at Atlanta Vedic Temple on 01/04/09 by Acharya VedShrami.
(This is part of the continuing series of lectures on ShrimadBhagwadGita)
English Summary provided by: Mr. Vikas Bagga

Currently the series is covering the Meaning of Bhagwd (Bhagwan)

Earlier Sections covered the topic on defining "Who Am I?" and meaning of the term "Bhag" (Wealth) and the six attributes for one to be called Bhagwan.

Last Sunday's talk concentrated on expanding the understanding of Bhagwan.
Bhagwan is to be differentiated from the terms God (English) or other terms such as Prabhu, Parmatma, Ish or Ishwar. The latter set of terms refers to Creator of the Brahmaand or the Universe. The Super Natural being.

Some of the terms that have been introduced are:
Bhag refers to Opulence or Excess. The term also refers to 'Superb'. Bhagwan is a term coined for any one who possesses these qualities.

Kurukshetra which implies the Self as a battlefield, Bhoomi which implies the operating platform or environment in which we exist and survive.

The word Gita just refers to a song or musical composition. Thus any reference to the holy book should be by its full phrase - ShrimadBhagwadGita and not just Gita,

Every parent would want to see the attributes of Bhagwaan in their child. There are 3 attributes be followed by every parent, if they would like to raise good kids.

1. Prashasta/Prashast: This refers to harboring purity of thoughts by the father and mother to be. It is implied that if you want to have great children, even before conception, both parents should do Tapsya (Tapasya implies a self-discipline or austerity willingly expended both in restraining physical urges and in actively pursuing a higher purpose in life) to obtain the purity of thought. To illustrate the point, Rukmini told Krishna that she wanted to have a offspring that was as great as Him, Krishna advised her they would need to do Tapasya to obtain great offspring.
2. Dharmik/Dhaarmiki: This does not refer to going to temples and swirling incense in front of moorti (idols) but reaching out to the soul.
3. Vidwaan/Vidushi: This refers to being learned intellectual. Self study is the knowledge we obtain that allows us to earn a livelihood, such as getting an education degree from school. But it is important for a person to obtain Shiksha of Vedic knowledge and scriptures. This also helps you become a Vidwaan/Vidushi and step forward to becoming Mahaan (Great).

Swasti - Refers to being healthy. This refers to our responsibility keeping our self and all our faculties (body parts/organs) to function as they were deemed to perform. Aswasth refers to being unhealthy or even allowing unhealthy conditions to prevail in ourselves. It is thus necessary and our moral obligation to maintain our health, if we want to develop the purest thoughts and intellect within us.