ET2 intro vedas

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It cannot be stolen by thieves, Nor can it be
taken away by kings. It cannot be divided among
brothers. It does not cause a load on your
shoulders. If spent It indeed always keeps
growing. The wealth of knowledge Is the most
superior wealth of all!
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• The Vedas, Ancient Persia, and Christianity
• Language The Sanskrit of the Vedas is closely
  related to Old Persian.
• Religion The Vedas in India and Zoroastrianism
  in Persia have common historical roots. Zoroaster
  is considered the first monotheist. He also
  believed the world was constituted by a struggle
  between good and evil.
• Many of the non-Judaic elements in Christianity
  are thought to be of Zoroastrian origin,
  especially the apocalyptic visions of the Book of
  Revelations.
• The New Testament even appeals to Zoroastrian
  authorities The Magi were Zoroastrian priests
  who practiced astrology and advised Persian
  Royalty.

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• There are four Vedas
• Rg Veda
• Yajur Veda
• Sama Veda
• Atharva Veda that each have four elements
• Hymnal portion (mantras)
• Ritual portion (brahmanas)
• Forest teachings (aranyakas)
• Philosophical portion (upanishads)

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• 1600-1000 BCE Early Vedic period of Indian
  civilization unfolds.
• 1000 BCE The Rig Veda, the first Vedic
  literature, composed.
• 1000-600 BCE Late Vedic period, Indo-European
  peoples culturally integrated and caste system
  emerges.
• An early primary deity is Indra, the warrior
  storm god who wields the thunderbolt like other
  Indo-European storm gods such as Zeus, Jupiter,
  and Thor.
• A central Vedic myth is the killing of the snake
  Vrtra by Indra. The duel between Indra and Vrtra
  is a symbol of the eternal war between good and
  evil and is one of the central elements of the
  Vedic sacrificial rite.

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• In Vedic times, Indra was the supreme ruler of
  the gods. He was the leader of the Devas, the god
  of war, the god of thunder and storms, the
  greatest of all warriors, the strongest of all
  beings. He was the defender of gods and mankind
  against the forces of evil. He had early aspects
  of a sun-god, riding in a golden chariot across
  the heavens, but is more often known as the god
  of thunder, wielding the celestial weapon Vajra,
  the lightening bolt. He has aspects of a creator
  god by giving order to the cosmos.

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Rgveda I.32 I now proclaim the heroic deeds of
Indra what he did first, the vajra-wielder, he
slew the dragon, bored through to the waters he
split through the bellies of the mountains. 1
He slew the dragon who lay on the mountain
Tvashtar (the smith of the gods) fashioned for
him the roaring Vajra (thunder-club). With a
sound like lowing milk cows, the flowing waters
ran quickly down to the ocean. 2 Bullishly, he
chose for himself the Soma (ambrosia of the
gods) he drank from the pressed (soma) in the
three soma-vessels. The Generous One (Indra)
took the missile, the vajra he slew him, the
first-born of dragons. 3 When, you, O Indra,
slew the first-born of dragons and thereupon
dispelled the sorcery of the sorcerers, then
producing the sun, the day, the dawn, you found
no enemy indeed at that time. 4 Indra slew
Vritra (the dragon), the greatest of Vritras,
with the vajra (slew) the shoulderless one with
his great weapon. Like branches/shoulders of a
tree hewn off by an axe, the dragon lies flat on
the ground. 5 Like one ignorant of battle,
badly intoxicated, (the dragon) challenged the
advancing great warrior, the presser of many
(he) did not escape the collision of his weapons
he who had Indra as a conqueror crushed together
the rivers (?). 6 Footless and handless he
fought Indra (Indra) struck him on the ridge
with his vajra. The gelded one who wished to be
equal to the bull, the serpent lay cut into
pieces strewn in many places. 7 He (the
dragon) lay there like a split reed, the rising
waters of Manu flowed over (him) the dragon lay
at the feet of those whom he had encompassed with
his might. 8 Vritra's mother's strength became
low Indra warded off her weapon. The mother lay
above, the son lay below Danu (Vritra's mother)
lay like a milk cow with her calf. 9 Vritra's
body was sunk in the midst of the never standing,
never resting water courses the waters flowing
over Vritra's secret, he who was conquered by
Indra lay in the long darkness. 10 The waters
were as wives of the Dasa (Vritra), guarded by
the dragon, shut up like cows by the Pani. The
orifice of the waters, which had been closed up,
he (Indra) opened after having slain the dragon.
11 You became a tail-hair of a horse there, O
Indra, when you struck against the missile you,
the unique god, conquered the cows you
conquered, O Hero, the Soma you let flow free
the seven rivers. 12 Not for him Vritra did
the lightning avail, nor thunder, no what mist
and hail-stones he scattered. When Indra and the
dragon fought, the Generous One Indra was
victorious (then) and for the future. 13 What
avenger of the dragon did you see, O Indra, when
fear came into the your heart, the heart of the
one who slew the dragon, when you crossed nine
and ninety streams like a startled eagle crossed
through the cloudy regions? 14 Indra, the
vajra-wielder, is king over that which moves and
that which stays still, over the tamed and the
horned he rules as king over humans, containing
(all) as spokes within the wheel's rim. 15
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Soma is a plant from which an intoxicating drink
was brewed. It was a central part in the Soma
Sacrifice. Soma is also a god. Considered to be
the blood of animals and the sap of plants, Soma
flows through all living things. He is
Inspiration to those who seek it, and so is the
god of poets. He is also the god of the moon. He
is the dwelling place of the venerated dead, as
well as the divine cure for evil.
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• Soma was one of the more important gods in the
  Rig Veda 120 hymns and one entire book are
  dedicated to him. He has many different forms. He
  is seen as a celestial bull, a bird, a giant
  rising from the waters, the lord of plants, and
  as an embryo.

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• The Soma drink, as divine ambrosia, helped the
  gods overcome obstacles. Indra was a great
  drinker of the substance before his
  confrontation with Vritra, he drank rivers of it
  to gain the needed strength. Soma was what gave
  the Vedic gods their immortality.
• It was also a drink for mortals, a golden-hued
  nectar derived from the Soma plant, possibly the
  species known as ephedra vulgaris. Soma brought
  hallucinations and ecstasy to those who consumed
  it and was considered a bridge between mortal and
  immortal worlds. This drink is the same as the
  Persian Haoma.

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The Philosophical and Religious Tendencies of the
Vedas

• From Pluralism to Monism, the many to the one.
• From polytheism of many gods via moments of doubt
  and monotheism to the unity of gods and nature in
  one fundamental and sacred whole of reality
  (Brahman).
• Note Brahma is a creator god. Brahman is the
  name of this fundamental reality. Brahmin is a
  member of the priestly caste.
• From the self as a soul who undergoes death and
  lives on in some spiritual location to self as
  going through reincarnation and being ultimately
  identical with the one.

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thou art that Atman Brahman
Why can the Upanishads be summed up in the
expression tat tvam asi thou art that?
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• Hinduism is not simply defined as following the
  practices and gods of the Vedas.
• The Vedas are considered one
• primary source of revealed truth (shruti).
• All of the orthodox schools of Indian thought
  and denominations of Hinduism accept the
  Scriptural Authority of both the Vedas and the
  Upanishads. The Bhagavad Gita is considered a
  third primary source.

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Hinduism has a diverse number of scriptural and
philosophical sources, which includes the Vedas
but is not solely defined by them just as
Christianity is not simply defined by the Torah
or Old Testament.
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• Some of the oldest and most important texts are
  the Upanishads, the conclusion or culmination of
  the Vedas.
• They were mostly written between the 8th and 6th
  centuries BCE and reflect a variety of
  philosophical and religious ideas and practices
  developed by sages.
• The word is derived from upa (near), ni (down)
  and shad (to sit). Meaning, the pupil sits down
  near the teacher.
• Knowledge cannot be transmitted through books, as
  it is transmitted primarily through example and
  experience.

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• The Upanishads introduced many of the most famous
  basic characteristics of Indian thought
• Meditation as the way to wisdom and the absolute,
  including practices such as austerities,
  meditation, yoga, etc
• The wise-man or sage who realizes the sacred not
  by sacrifices and rituals but by living a life of
  devotion or meditation out in the forest.
• Its authors are philosophers and mystics. They
  did not seek the heaven of the Vedas but
  liberation from karma and the cycle of
  reincarnation by becoming one with the absolute
  one (Brahman).

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• The Upanishads are also the basis of one of the
  greatest schools of Indian thought
• Vedanta was developed a 1000 years later
• by thinkers such as Shankara (8-9th C. CE).

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• The Upanishads thus offer an altered view of life
  and the sacred from the Vedas.
• Religion is about achieving freedom through
  looking within, inner ascent and self-realization
  in relation to the fundamental oneness of the
  world.
• The sensuous world is governed by karma, which
  causes rebirth, and the spiritual aims at union
  with the absolute either as itself (Brahman) or
  as a personal god (Ishvara).

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• Is someone performing Vedic rituals,
• Upanishadic meditation and philosophical
• reflection, devotion to Krishna in a traditional
• Hindu temple or a bunch of Americans in a Hare
• Krishna temple, or belonging to any of the six
• philosophical schools considered acceptable,
• or who worships God in other forms such as
• Shiva or the mother goddess (Durgha or Kali) in
  different cultures in South and Southeast Asia
• are they or how can they be said to be practicing
• the same religion (Hinduism)?
• Yes or no? Why or why not?

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• Part of the defining character of Hinduism is
  that it emerged from a pluralistic or
  multicultural environment of various forms of
  philosophical reflection, mythological
  story-telling, and religious ritual and devotion.
• Instead of suppressing this diversity of belief,
  Hinduism expanded to include a variety of
  religious practices and philosophical directions.
  This can be done through emphasizing the limited
  and symbolic character of human speech and
  language and in the diversity the oneness of the
  absolute (Brahman).

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• However, some positions were considered
  unacceptable in the 5th-Century BCE.
• These are the unorthodox (nastika) tendencies
• Charvaka (hedonistic materialism), Buddhism and
  Jainism
• (1) Do not rely on the authority of the Vedas
  and Upanishads, (2) deny the gods and
  Brahman/atman, and (3) enlightenment does not
  require any kind of religious devotion.

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• Buddhism and Jainism are connected in various
  ways with the spiritual revolution of the
  Upanishads
• All three emphasize the ideas of dharma and
  karma, of meditation and enlightenment.
• They tend to be critical of caste status and mere
  religious ritual as seen in the Vedas.
• The centrality of compassion and non-harm
  (ahimsa).
• The Upanishads themselves involve a number of
  different elements and viewpoints.

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Why are there such a diversity of creation
stories in the Upanishads? What is the purpose of
creation stories and can different ones be
compatible with one another? For example, why
are some creation stories agent-centered
(proceeding from Brahma, the god of creation),
whereas others describe an emanation from an
impersonal absolute (Brahman), and yet others
involve neither but rather some original physical
event like the cracking of the Cosmic Egg?
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Brahma, lord of creation
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Brhadaranyaka Upanishad

• B?hadara?yaka Upanishad (Sanskrit ??????????
  ???????) is one of the older, "primary" (mukhya)
  Upanishads from roughly the 8th to 5th centuries
  BCE.
• It is the longest of the Upanishads and the name
  literally means vast forest teaching.
• It is famous for a long discourse between the
  sage Yajnavalkya and the female philosophers
  Gargi Vachaknavi and Maitreyi (who was also his
  wife).
• Some traces of social customs can be discerned
  from the Upanishad. For instance, female
  students were allowed to study along with male
  students.
• The central message is about the underlying
  reality of Brahman and the neti, neti approach
  to indicate this.

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• From the unreal lead us to the real,
• From the darkness lead us to the light,
• From death lead us to immortality.
• Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.

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• Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
• Atman as universal and undifferentiated
  consciousness.
• Progressive definition of Brahman as
  world-source.
• MONISM or NONDUALISM
• Two forms of Brahmanformed and formless, mortal
  and immortalyet these are two aspects of one
  reality. All is one.
• This is called Universal love. What do we love
  and why is it loved? Love all beings and things
  because all reflect and embody the absolute.
• If you discover your true self, then what is
  there to fear? Liberation from fear and sorrow
• Fettered self dragged along by birth and death,
  by karma, whereas true self free of karma and you
  are freed by realizing it.

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• If ascetic or meditative purification is the only
  practical way of realizing Brahman, then being a
  Brahmin is not a question of caste or social
  status, but the ascetic life devoted to spiritual
  enlightenment.
• Since this true self (inner light within) is
  already you, thou art that, it must be possible
  to realize or discover it through some form of
  practice. Become what you are!
• How do you know this is true? Try it!
  Experiential verification through self-discovery,
  which is only possible through practice!

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Before developing the middle path, meditation
without injuring oneself through asceticism, the
Buddha is said to have practiced ascetic
meditation (left picture).
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• Who are the many gods and names of god?
• They are mere expressions of Brahman, the one and
  only true Godthe indescribable absolute as
• (1) inner principle expressed in (immanence),
• (2) the basis of (world-foundation), and
• (3) beyond (transcendence) all things.
• Another famous phrase is Neti, neti not
  this, not this Why is God unnamable and the
  absolute ultimately indescribable? How does this
  compare with Christian negative theology?

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• What is the moral theory
• of the Upanishads?
• Morality always consists of a measure and that
  which (or what) is measured
• (1) Mills utilitarianismutility as measure,
  consequences as measure.
• (2) Kants deontological ethics moral law as
  measure, intentions as measured.
• What is the measure and what is being measured in
  the Upanishads?

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• The basic moral-cosmological concept of Indian
  religions and philosophies is dharma.
• But dharma is reflected in your karma and thus
  dharma is the measure, karma or actions the
  measured.
• Karma is what you do, your actionsit is not only
  your intentions or desires.
• In Indian thought, one is what one does as
  opposed to being what one desires or intends.

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Early Indian thought is practical it always
requires the person to engage in practices, such
as actually following morality and leading a good
life.Mere belief, faith without devotion, or
mere contemplation, thought without living it,
are inadequate.Even devotional Hinduism
requires practices of devotion and not only
belief.
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• Become who you already really are! This can only
  be done by doing it.
• Because of karma, one becomes what one does do
  good and you will become good, only desire the
  good and not do it and you will become bad, just
  as doing bad will make you even worse.
• What makes up morality? The Three virtues of
  self-restraint, giving, and compassion.

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• The Shvetashvatara Upanishad involves the
  following elements
• Monism or Non-dualism all is one. This will
  become the basic concept of the Vedanta school
  of Indian philosophy (one of the 6 orthodox
  schools).
• Dualism, emphasizing the difference and abyss
  between the conditional and the finite (Yoga, as
  philosophical school, and Sankhya).
• TheismGod understood as first cause, knowledge
  of the absolute as a saving knowledge and
  overcoming of death. That is, only one personal
  God who rules the manifold world as creator and
  lord.

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• Theism in India
• This theism will be intensified in the Bhagavad
  Gita and its concern with absolute devotion
  (bhakti) to a personal God (Ishvara) rather than
  realization of an impersonal absolute (Brahman).
• The Hindu trinity Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Brahma
  is often replaced with the mother-goddess Durgha.
• Krishna, the lord of the Bhagavad-Gita, is an
  avatar or incarnation of Vishnu.
• Hinduism includes multiple paths to the
  absolutedevotion to a personal god, meditation
  and purification to a personal god or to an
  impersonal absolute, or even (Arjuna in the
  Bhagavad-Gita) the life of action by following
  ones duty as a householder and social agent.

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Images of Krishna playing the flute