The value of scripture
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| The lectures of Swami Prakashanand Saraswati encapsulate the quintessence of Hindu scripture in English language |
We can have a quick survey of some of those important scriptures. The Vedas were scriptures that were revealed even before the beginning of human civilization. According to our Divine history of India, the very first people on this earth were all descended Saints. They appeared with the will of the God and started human civilization.
So from those days the Vedas exist. The Ved have many branches, but in gist, they point out two main things. God cannot be found through intellectual speculation or intellectual analysis or intellectual research. Then what to do? We have only one means of understanding something and that is through our intellect, but that is cancelled by the Vedas. But Ved didn’t say that you can never find God, it only said you cannot find Him with your intellect. Then what is path?
Instead, bhaktih: He can be found if you dedicate yourself. Dedication is not an act of the intellect; dedication is an act of the heart or you can say emotional mind. So through complete dedication you can find God.
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| The joy of devotion at Barsana Dham |
The Gita says you can find God through bhakti, through ananyaya, exclusive dedication. How can you do exclusive devotion? Say for instance you are in the world. You have a family, husband or wife, children, you have to support. You have a job. Don’t leave anything. Devote some time for God also. Do 50-50, put half your half mind in the world, and the other half mind in God. Even then it is quite enough. Suppose you had a great longing for God realization and you felt, "I must find God right now! Not tomorrow, not tonight, now!" And you supported your thought with your understanding. Here comes the right use of your intellect.
(Text and graphics used with permission from Swami Prakashanand Saraswati @ 2002-2009. All rights reserved.)