VEDIC AGAMA AND DEVAS & DEVATAS
(DEVIS VERY MUCH INCLUDED)
by
Achintyachintaka
The recent articles on Vedic Agama, Village Agama, Hindu Polytheism, and "One Godism" seem to have confused a few of the
readers of www.sookta-sumana.blogspot.com
So, it would be imperative to search for the basic assumptions on which there is an agreement.
Brahman of Vedanta and Purusha of Sankhya are described as the offshoots of many discoveries of Vedas. Both are described as basic "realities" from which all realities emerge and are accepted widely as "Sat-Chit-Ananda," when combined into one word, "IT" is addressed as "SADCHIDANANDA."
Sat stands for existence meaning "It Exists". That adjective then
asserts that "IT" exists and is real. It is not an imaginary entity.
(Please note that "IT" (Tat) is not a "male" God as in the Abrahamic God)
Chit (Chid) means Consciousness. It is an assertion that Brahman is pure Consciousness and has no attributes of material world, like dimensions, (energy, mass, space, time, and other dimensions) Such consciousness, if accepted as the nature of reality
outside the brains, makes IT a sentient energy when Brahman acquires the attributes of energy. (See "Hinduness for World Peace and Harmony" on this blog www.sookta-sumana.blogspot.com and
"Demystifying Shri Ganesha" on this blog by placing the titles on google search engine). That is the primordial (sentient) energy with no mass, but only "vibrations," "wave form," or OM, when IT becomes the sentient energy. Mass is a magnificently concentrated energy which emerges much later in Vedic Cosmogony.
Ananda can be translated as Bliss. Those who experience this entity of Brahman describe experiencing the ultimate bliss.
All other devas and devatas are accepted as manifestations of this Brahmnan.
Since Brahman is consciousness as described above, all devas and devatas (including devis) are phenomena of consciousness.
Therefore, all "Devas" and "Devatas" (including Grama Devatas) must also be "Sat" and not imaginary entities. They exist spontaneously just like Brahman and all devas and devatas, and of course, Brahman itself is "Swyambhu" meaning spontaneously existing.
All devas and devatas are experienced as "bliss" when the devotee recognizes them at experiential level in an experience that is described as "Sakshatkaara." ("Sakshatkaar" may be remotely translated in the spiritual parlance as "actualization" at the level of consciousness, as if consciousness itself perceives itself or an aspect of itself with full intensity in appreciating its true nature)
Human beings have to reach a stage of evolution of their consciousness to realize the presence of devas, devatas (davis), and recognize them as realities. Such recognition must not be confused with imagining their presence. If imagined and if they do not really exist they are "ASAT" and no Hindu would want to worship anything that is "ASAT."
If any God or "Gods and Goddesses" that are purely figments of imagination, they have no place in Hindu polytheism. "One Godism" based on a concept of "Imagined One God outside of Nature" "creating and controlling Nature" has no place in Vedic Agama Hinduism. That concept must be dismissed as pure imagination although some Hindu scholars have compromised by accepting such concept of One Godism as part of Hinduism or equivalent to Vedic concept of God. There is no GOD of that type in Vedas.
Vedas preexist by many millennia the concept of "God" conceived by other cultures, meaning other than the Vedic Cultures. Such concept of God was pronounced as dead by Nietzsche. Stephen Hawking declared such "God" was not necessary for this Universe to be "created." Hindu view of cosmos and cosmogony must not be obfuscated by the Western and Middle Eastern concept of Abrahamic God that "created this world" because Vedas preexisted emergence of such primitive concept and are more realistic in comprehending the nature of Universe or Universes. Vedas by definition are knowledge of reality, with poetic elaborations.
The Vedic sages were not just discrete but realistic and quite wise in not anthropomorphizing Brahman, and for that matter also Purusha, its equivalent, described in Sankhya Darshana.
All that exists, exists in Brahman, which is Consciousness. Devas and Devatas are, therefore, by their nature phenomena of Consciousness.
Since there is no duality in Brahman there is no place for worship,
for all consciousness flows, like rivers flowing into ocean and merging with it, into Brahman. Likewise Purusha is present in all that exists including the individual consciousness.
This UNDIFFERENTIATED REALITY appears to become differentiated as soon as mass, energy, space (and "time," the function or dimension of space) become manifest. Such differentiated manifestation is eternally and cyclically occurring and the senses perceive these as palpable reality, which is called "Maya," as it is measurable (Maya from the Sanskrit root "mi" to measure). This is also called Prakriti in Sankhya.
A 180 degrees turn has to occur now in the frame of reference here to, in a manner of speaking, change the gears to view that the senses are themselves conduits for perception of palpable reality and reside in the realm of palpable reality which is springing from the undifferentiated REALITY. Each of the (five) senses have limited range of perception (tanmaatra) of their spectrum of reality for each species. Therefore, in order to perceive the reality beyond their reach or scope, there is a need for extension of senses (like electron microscope, or Hubble telescope, etc., for example.) Nevertheless, with all such extensions human brain may not even completely perceive a fraction of reality that "exists." Human brain may mathematically predict the presence of some aspects of reality that is beyond human perception (e.g. bosons) which may later be verified as to their existence when more acute extensions of senses become available.
Vedas are knowledge about what exists and not what can be imagined and are not limited to only what can be perceived by the senses. Anything that is purely imagined and therefore does not exist is "ASAT."
When it comes to what exists there is an assertion in the Vedas
that there was no time or place when there was any "ASAT" except in the imagination of human beings.
BRAHMAN IS ALL THAT EXISTS, EVER EXISTED, AND WHICH WILL ETERNALLY EXIST. (Please do not confuse this statement with the time limited existence of this Universe or rather the Universes that can emerge and dissolve over billions and billions of years.) The thesis of no possibility of a state of "ASAT" ever present in the Universes anywhere means something that exists does not come up or spring from "NOTHING." That is the thesis of "Nasadeeya Sookta" in the Vedas.
So far word "God" is not necessary at all to understand what is
stated above. "God" was not necessary for the existence of Brahman. Branhman always existed without any God creating IT. That is where the confusion in semantics occurs when scholars equated Brahman with God. Vedas never did use the word God but the word "Isha" was used as an equivalent of Brahman in "Ishavasyopanishada" in Vedanta. Some scholars have mistranslated the word "Isha" as "God or Godhead." Sooner Hindus understand that they have nothing to do with "God" and "Gods" and "Goddesses" described in Western literature and Western and Middle Eastern Religions better off all of the Hindus will be.
Hindus never needed "God" from the time of Vedas. The word "Deva" was unfortunately mistranslated by some as "God" and it is time to cast it out. Let Hindus stay with Brahman, Purusha, Prakriti, Prana, and their Devas and Devatas and "Devis", of course. Let them not buy any God any more as they have been badly damaged by the Western and Middle Eastern concept of God that is still being widely sold to Hindus to their peril. Let the God salesmen leave Hindus alone, Hindus have no use for "him". Study the nature of what is "God" that is being sold and why "One Godism" is a political ploy to build empires for the two dominating religions of the world, to further dominate over the entire population of the world and control and use all the natural resources for those who sell these "Gods" as God and Allah as "One God", Abrahamic God. Hindus need to stop being gullible and be proud they have the Vedic Agama as their system of spiritual advancement. They do not need any imported "God."
THERE IS A CONCERTED EFFORT TO SMUGGLE IN ONCE IMMATURELY JEALOUS FOREIGN ABRAHAMIC GOD WHO DECLARED HE WAS "THE ONLY TRUE GOD AND ALL OTHER GODS ARE FALSE" INTO INDIA AS HINDU GOD; HE NOW WANTS TO SAY HE IS THE SAME AS THE GODS OF PAGANS LIKE THOSE OF HINDUS, TAOISTS, CHINESE INCLUDING "KRISHNA"; HE IS AN ASTUTE POLITICIAN INDEED MOTIVATED BY HIS IMPERIALISTIC INSTINCTS NOW WANTING TO CLAIM ALL PAGANS ARE WORSHIPPING HIM and no one else, IF SO, WHY THERE IS A NEED TO PROSELYTIZE? THIS GOD TALKING WITH A FORKED TONGUE WILL NOT BE ABLE ANSWER ALL THESE SIMPLE QUESTIONS, BUT GULLIBLE HINDUS FEEL PRIVILEGED THAT ABRAHAMIC GOD FINALLY RECOGNIZED KRISHNA AS HIMSELF AFTER TORTURING THOUSANDS OF HINDUS AS IN THE GOAN INQUISITION
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goan_Inquisition) TO GIVE UP KRISHNA AND ACCEPT HIM AS THE GOD OF CHRISTIANS REPRESENTED BY JESUS. HINDUS REMAIN GULLIBLE, SEE FOR YOURSELF AT : onegodism.com/index.htm
The invaders of India have done enough damage and it is time that after the 65th Independence Day Hindus realize that they still do not really have independence because the One Godism powers owned India and contaminated it for many centuries and are still at work to own India and weaken the 80% majority Hindus by infiltrating their society physically like termites and corrupting them at intellectual level ("inculturation") which is worse because then Hindus will again go back to "Ishwar Allah Tero Nam-Stupidity," "all religions and all gods are equal/one" kind of stupidity, without using their intellect. Hindus have been so badly abused by these "One Godism" "believers" for several centuries and yet misinterpret it to their own peril. Secularism must not lead to such "STUPIDITY."
(To be continued.)
(DEVIS VERY MUCH INCLUDED)
by
Achintyachintaka
The recent articles on Vedic Agama, Village Agama, Hindu Polytheism, and "One Godism" seem to have confused a few of the
readers of www.sookta-sumana.blogspot.com
So, it would be imperative to search for the basic assumptions on which there is an agreement.
Brahman of Vedanta and Purusha of Sankhya are described as the offshoots of many discoveries of Vedas. Both are described as basic "realities" from which all realities emerge and are accepted widely as "Sat-Chit-Ananda," when combined into one word, "IT" is addressed as "SADCHIDANANDA."
Sat stands for existence meaning "It Exists". That adjective then
asserts that "IT" exists and is real. It is not an imaginary entity.
(Please note that "IT" (Tat) is not a "male" God as in the Abrahamic God)
Chit (Chid) means Consciousness. It is an assertion that Brahman is pure Consciousness and has no attributes of material world, like dimensions, (energy, mass, space, time, and other dimensions) Such consciousness, if accepted as the nature of reality
outside the brains, makes IT a sentient energy when Brahman acquires the attributes of energy. (See "Hinduness for World Peace and Harmony" on this blog www.sookta-sumana.blogspot.com and
"Demystifying Shri Ganesha" on this blog by placing the titles on google search engine). That is the primordial (sentient) energy with no mass, but only "vibrations," "wave form," or OM, when IT becomes the sentient energy. Mass is a magnificently concentrated energy which emerges much later in Vedic Cosmogony.
Ananda can be translated as Bliss. Those who experience this entity of Brahman describe experiencing the ultimate bliss.
All other devas and devatas are accepted as manifestations of this Brahmnan.
Since Brahman is consciousness as described above, all devas and devatas (including devis) are phenomena of consciousness.
Therefore, all "Devas" and "Devatas" (including Grama Devatas) must also be "Sat" and not imaginary entities. They exist spontaneously just like Brahman and all devas and devatas, and of course, Brahman itself is "Swyambhu" meaning spontaneously existing.
All devas and devatas are experienced as "bliss" when the devotee recognizes them at experiential level in an experience that is described as "Sakshatkaara." ("Sakshatkaar" may be remotely translated in the spiritual parlance as "actualization" at the level of consciousness, as if consciousness itself perceives itself or an aspect of itself with full intensity in appreciating its true nature)
Human beings have to reach a stage of evolution of their consciousness to realize the presence of devas, devatas (davis), and recognize them as realities. Such recognition must not be confused with imagining their presence. If imagined and if they do not really exist they are "ASAT" and no Hindu would want to worship anything that is "ASAT."
If any God or "Gods and Goddesses" that are purely figments of imagination, they have no place in Hindu polytheism. "One Godism" based on a concept of "Imagined One God outside of Nature" "creating and controlling Nature" has no place in Vedic Agama Hinduism. That concept must be dismissed as pure imagination although some Hindu scholars have compromised by accepting such concept of One Godism as part of Hinduism or equivalent to Vedic concept of God. There is no GOD of that type in Vedas.
Vedas preexist by many millennia the concept of "God" conceived by other cultures, meaning other than the Vedic Cultures. Such concept of God was pronounced as dead by Nietzsche. Stephen Hawking declared such "God" was not necessary for this Universe to be "created." Hindu view of cosmos and cosmogony must not be obfuscated by the Western and Middle Eastern concept of Abrahamic God that "created this world" because Vedas preexisted emergence of such primitive concept and are more realistic in comprehending the nature of Universe or Universes. Vedas by definition are knowledge of reality, with poetic elaborations.
The Vedic sages were not just discrete but realistic and quite wise in not anthropomorphizing Brahman, and for that matter also Purusha, its equivalent, described in Sankhya Darshana.
All that exists, exists in Brahman, which is Consciousness. Devas and Devatas are, therefore, by their nature phenomena of Consciousness.
Since there is no duality in Brahman there is no place for worship,
for all consciousness flows, like rivers flowing into ocean and merging with it, into Brahman. Likewise Purusha is present in all that exists including the individual consciousness.
This UNDIFFERENTIATED REALITY appears to become differentiated as soon as mass, energy, space (and "time," the function or dimension of space) become manifest. Such differentiated manifestation is eternally and cyclically occurring and the senses perceive these as palpable reality, which is called "Maya," as it is measurable (Maya from the Sanskrit root "mi" to measure). This is also called Prakriti in Sankhya.
A 180 degrees turn has to occur now in the frame of reference here to, in a manner of speaking, change the gears to view that the senses are themselves conduits for perception of palpable reality and reside in the realm of palpable reality which is springing from the undifferentiated REALITY. Each of the (five) senses have limited range of perception (tanmaatra) of their spectrum of reality for each species. Therefore, in order to perceive the reality beyond their reach or scope, there is a need for extension of senses (like electron microscope, or Hubble telescope, etc., for example.) Nevertheless, with all such extensions human brain may not even completely perceive a fraction of reality that "exists." Human brain may mathematically predict the presence of some aspects of reality that is beyond human perception (e.g. bosons) which may later be verified as to their existence when more acute extensions of senses become available.
Vedas are knowledge about what exists and not what can be imagined and are not limited to only what can be perceived by the senses. Anything that is purely imagined and therefore does not exist is "ASAT."
When it comes to what exists there is an assertion in the Vedas
that there was no time or place when there was any "ASAT" except in the imagination of human beings.
BRAHMAN IS ALL THAT EXISTS, EVER EXISTED, AND WHICH WILL ETERNALLY EXIST. (Please do not confuse this statement with the time limited existence of this Universe or rather the Universes that can emerge and dissolve over billions and billions of years.) The thesis of no possibility of a state of "ASAT" ever present in the Universes anywhere means something that exists does not come up or spring from "NOTHING." That is the thesis of "Nasadeeya Sookta" in the Vedas.
So far word "God" is not necessary at all to understand what is
stated above. "God" was not necessary for the existence of Brahman. Branhman always existed without any God creating IT. That is where the confusion in semantics occurs when scholars equated Brahman with God. Vedas never did use the word God but the word "Isha" was used as an equivalent of Brahman in "Ishavasyopanishada" in Vedanta. Some scholars have mistranslated the word "Isha" as "God or Godhead." Sooner Hindus understand that they have nothing to do with "God" and "Gods" and "Goddesses" described in Western literature and Western and Middle Eastern Religions better off all of the Hindus will be.
Hindus never needed "God" from the time of Vedas. The word "Deva" was unfortunately mistranslated by some as "God" and it is time to cast it out. Let Hindus stay with Brahman, Purusha, Prakriti, Prana, and their Devas and Devatas and "Devis", of course. Let them not buy any God any more as they have been badly damaged by the Western and Middle Eastern concept of God that is still being widely sold to Hindus to their peril. Let the God salesmen leave Hindus alone, Hindus have no use for "him". Study the nature of what is "God" that is being sold and why "One Godism" is a political ploy to build empires for the two dominating religions of the world, to further dominate over the entire population of the world and control and use all the natural resources for those who sell these "Gods" as God and Allah as "One God", Abrahamic God. Hindus need to stop being gullible and be proud they have the Vedic Agama as their system of spiritual advancement. They do not need any imported "God."
THERE IS A CONCERTED EFFORT TO SMUGGLE IN ONCE IMMATURELY JEALOUS FOREIGN ABRAHAMIC GOD WHO DECLARED HE WAS "THE ONLY TRUE GOD AND ALL OTHER GODS ARE FALSE" INTO INDIA AS HINDU GOD; HE NOW WANTS TO SAY HE IS THE SAME AS THE GODS OF PAGANS LIKE THOSE OF HINDUS, TAOISTS, CHINESE INCLUDING "KRISHNA"; HE IS AN ASTUTE POLITICIAN INDEED MOTIVATED BY HIS IMPERIALISTIC INSTINCTS NOW WANTING TO CLAIM ALL PAGANS ARE WORSHIPPING HIM and no one else, IF SO, WHY THERE IS A NEED TO PROSELYTIZE? THIS GOD TALKING WITH A FORKED TONGUE WILL NOT BE ABLE ANSWER ALL THESE SIMPLE QUESTIONS, BUT GULLIBLE HINDUS FEEL PRIVILEGED THAT ABRAHAMIC GOD FINALLY RECOGNIZED KRISHNA AS HIMSELF AFTER TORTURING THOUSANDS OF HINDUS AS IN THE GOAN INQUISITION
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goan_Inquisition) TO GIVE UP KRISHNA AND ACCEPT HIM AS THE GOD OF CHRISTIANS REPRESENTED BY JESUS. HINDUS REMAIN GULLIBLE, SEE FOR YOURSELF AT : onegodism.com/index.htm
The invaders of India have done enough damage and it is time that after the 65th Independence Day Hindus realize that they still do not really have independence because the One Godism powers owned India and contaminated it for many centuries and are still at work to own India and weaken the 80% majority Hindus by infiltrating their society physically like termites and corrupting them at intellectual level ("inculturation") which is worse because then Hindus will again go back to "Ishwar Allah Tero Nam-Stupidity," "all religions and all gods are equal/one" kind of stupidity, without using their intellect. Hindus have been so badly abused by these "One Godism" "believers" for several centuries and yet misinterpret it to their own peril. Secularism must not lead to such "STUPIDITY."
(To be continued.)
This is an excellent article since it clarifies many issues around the concept of Brahman and its difference from the word ' God'. The latter is an imaginary conception put forward by believers of the one god (their one god) in order to impose it on conquered peoples. It is also a limited concept and therefore philosophers like Neitzche could easily debunk it. Stephen Hawking could also blandly say that the concept of God is not necessary.
ReplyDeleteWhereas Brahman is an unlimited concept and therefore can be the centre of religious thought and life. Current discoveries in science, both hard core physics and astronomy, also indicate several lines of inquiry concerning an unlimited infinite. It can also be theorised in philosophical circles since the infinite Brahman can appear as limited space-time entities, centres of energy, matter and substance. These latter would be the Devatas of the Vedas. The word Devata is comprehensive, because it includes both Devis and Devas. These celestial beings enter human consciousness at various times, when the human mind is receptive.
Brahman also EXISTS, is not an imaginary conception. Hence, Sat (existing), Chit (Consciousness) and Ananda (Bliss).
The article gives an interesting and novel explanation of the relation between Devatas and Prakriti, because it seems to say that the Devatas are both part of the manifest Brahman (Prakriti) and also part of the unmanifest Brahman, . For reasons of convenience the author rightly uses the word IT when referring to the unmanifest Brahman. IT is gender neutral.
The call to abandon the use of the word 'God' by Hindus and instead use the noble word Devata is an important call.
Vijaya