The Vedas - Knowledge with Love

18/09/2024

"If you don't know you're in a war, you naturally have less chance to survive it."

The first step is to be aware of the environment you're living in, so you can understand how to navigate it. Is it friendly or hostile? Do I need to be cautious? Should I actively project myself? Is every food save in a shop or contain some harmful substances? Can I trust the information presented in the media, or is there a risk of manipulation (tactical warfare) aimed at shaping the public’s mindset?

All the propaganda nowadays—transgender, LGBTQ, etc.—serves the same mission: to destroy (normal/decent) families in the West.

There are already enough movements, with the WHO and Bill Gates at the forefront, which publicly states that there are enough people on this planet, they come with words like "The great reset" or "depopulating humanity", because the world is "overpopulated".

You can find the official website of "stop having kids" here: https://www.stophavingkids.org/

Their statement on the website is as follows (quote): "Antinatalism is the stance that it is wrong for humans as a whole to procreate. For SHK, antinatalism is a philosophical and ethical stance against human reproduction, rooted in harm reduction and rational consideration for future life. Antinatalism regards the implications that procreation has, both for humans, other animals, and the natural world. Many antinatalists consider intentional human reproduction (except in cases related to force) an irreversible, unnecessary, indefensible, and enduring form of harm, regardless of circumstances, situations, or consciousness in living."

However, for me, the most terrible, personally shocking, and saddest propaganda in the West is the evil and cruel message of "regretting motherhood".

There are plenty of books, videos, blogs (and other propaganda) already out for longer time that promote the idea that motherhood is a burden, with no joy—only self-sacrifice without any reward, and a woman has so many better and more important things to do than giving birth and raise children.

To top it off, there's a German book titled: "Regretting Motherhood – Why I Would Have Rather Become a Father" by Sarah Fischer: https://ariadne-buch.de/en/book/9/sarah-fischer-die-mutterglueckluege

From the book description: "Sarah Fischer loves her two-year-old daughter, but she regrets becoming a mother, as life as a mother still means many professional and personal limitations. Fathers have it easier, whereas women are forced into the role of mother and turn into self-sacrificing service providers whose own needs are meaningless. As if that weren't enough, they are expected to be happy about it because motherhood is 'fulfilling.' Anyone who dares to feel differently is considered selfish or a bad mother."

In this book, one of the enemy is, of course, the man, who, according to the book, has a much better position in this world, more opportunities, and—after all—a much better gender.....

Also the israeli sociologist Orna Donath wrote the more famous book:
"Regretting Motherhood: A Study": https://www.amazon.de/Regretting-Motherhood-Study-Orna-Donath/dp/1623171377/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2W3YLHEAD1MSK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZaF1M6NL3ditsUQHf92zQB_sjYSDc7dzd62Xzyp3XR1UN2NJ42OajgaCNy0YiKm1xmXpw5hPndV6iu__eziAQbDRXvuEPf6w0D6kK7qBKrk0MvfwGHWyGggaINKiRJAUTw7S8OPZibo6NMia47HHUlzWDk-5WmK4D5ATrZCNe3XgCSqiKGXytlvVYwafxINTg8hDA5-nqHeqxEr62SHVeg.r2ey9b4cc2sIWYhcGqs5y3r_Zvn50v84dJ5S6zhGcLY&dib_tag=se&keywords=Regretting+Motherhood%3A+A+Study&qid=1726668433&sprefix=regretting+motherhood+a+study%2Caps%2C919&sr=8-1

The topic is serious and widely spread.

In Germany (and likely across Europe), there is already a noticeable trend among young women (20-25 years old) to sterilize themselves. Birth control pills or other contraceptives aren't enough, as these women have already decided at a young age that they never want to have children, no matter the circumstances. They believe to already to know, their life's purpose lies elsewhere, mostly in building a career.

We should also remember that Germany, with around 84 million people, is the largest country in Europe after Russia and wields a strong influence. Could this be why the "forces" and "propaganda" are so strong in German-speaking regions?

For those who understand German, here’s a good YouTube video on the topic:
https://youtu.be/0jMCVrZC5ME?si=34xx4lpo1FZVTz01

The situation is serious, and the need for strong, happy, and healthy families is more important than ever. But here, I see the problem too.
May God bless us all.

23/01/2024

I have invested quite some time in extending a single footnote, but in doing so, the subject is more or less comprehensively covered, providing a profound understanding of what Caitanya-caritāmṛta implies when it refers to Hari-bhakti-vilāsa as a 'vaiṣṇava-smṛti.'

Here is the verse and the footnote:

“prabhu ājñā dilā ‘vaiṣṇava-smṛti’ karibāre

Sanātana folding his hands and said:
Prabhu, you have ordered me to write a vaiṣṇava-smṛti[1] .
(CC Madhya 24.324)

[1]:
The Vedas are divided into two categories: Śruti and Smṛti:

Śruti: That which is heard; revelation, as distinguished from smṛti (tradition); infallible knowledge that was received by Brahmā or by the great sages in the beginning of creation and which descends in disciplic-succession (sampradāya) from them; the body of literature that was directly manifest from the Supreme Lord. This applies to the original four Vedas (also known as nigamas) and includes the Upaniṣad. Śruti = four Vedas, they are not open to everyone, one has to be a Brāhmaṇa to read and study them.

mahato bhūtasya niḥśhvasitametadyadṛigvedo
yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo ’thavaṅgirasaḥ

The four Vedas—Ṛig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sāma Veda, Atharva Veda—all emanated from the breath of the great One [Bhagavān]. (Bṛihadāraṇyak Upaniṣad 4.5.11)

Smṛti-śāstra: Literally, that which is remembered; tradition as distinguished from śruti, which comes directly from Viṣṇu’s breath (revalation). The body of sacred literature that is composed in pursuance of the śruti (in contradistinction to śruti, or that which is directly heard by or revealed to the ṛṣis). These include the six Vedāṅga, the dharma-śāstra (such as Manu-saṁhitā), the Purāṇas and the Itihāsas (Vedic histories). They are open to everyone. Doesn’t matter which varṇa, everyone can read and study them.

Smṛti was usually written to explain the Śruti writings and make them understandable and meaningful to the general population.

The Śruti is often used as synonym for the word Veda. Also Śruti are ‘usually’ more authoritative then Smṛti-śāstras.
The subordinate status attributed to smṛti is acknowledged within the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya. Jīva Gosvāmī, commenting on his own Tattva-Sandarbha in Sarva-samvādinī cites a passage, “śruti-smṛti-virodhe tu śrutir va balīyasī – ‘In the case of a contradiction between śruti and smṛti, śruti indeed is of more force.’ And Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s ṭīkā in his Govinda-bhāṣya commentary on Vedānta-sūtra 2.1.1,"If there is divergence between two smṛti texts, there can be no other means for settling die issue than recourse to śruti.” Thus, only that [smṛti-text] which is in conformity with śruti is to be respected. This clearly subordinates the authority of any smṛti text to that of śruti, whereas Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇavas would subordinate even the four Vedas to the Śrīmad Bhāgavata.

But the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (1.3.40) says, the text (SB) is the same (sammitam) as the Vedas and the highest of all śāstras, surpassing even the (four) Vedas (śruti). This is also established by Jīva Gosvāmī in the entire Tattva-Sandarbha and in Bhāgavata-Sandarbha 95. Furthermore, the Śruti itself confirms the authority of Smṛti texts, which is important for establishing that the Smṛti are also considered Veda (Śruti):

ṛgvedaṃ bhagavo 'dhyemi yajurvedaṃ sāmavedam ātharvaṇaṃ caturtham itihāsapurāṇaṃ pañcamaṃ vedānāṃ vedaṃ pitryaṃ rāśiṃ daivaṃ nidhiṃ vākovākyam ekāyanaṃ devavidyāṃ brahmavidyāṃ bhūtavidyāṃ kṣatravidyāṃ nakṣatravidyāṃ sarpadevajanavidyām etad bhagavo 'dhyemi

Venerable Sir, I have studied the Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharva Vedas, and also the Itihāsas and Purāṇa, which are the fifth Veda. As well Pitṛyāṇa (ancestral rites), Rāśiṃ (astrology), Daivaṃ (omens), Nidhiṃ (science of chronology), Vākovākyam (words of great sages), Ekāyanaṃ (logic), Devavidyā (knowledge of gods), Brahmavidyā (knowledge of Brahman), Bhūtavidyā (knowledge of spirits), Kṣatravidyā (knowledge of warfare), Nakṣatravidyā (astronomy), and Sarpadevajanavidyā (knowledge of snakes and demons). (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.1.2, quoted in TS 13.4) [Jīva Gosvāmī quotes only a part of the verse, this here is the complete verse]

ṛcaḥ sāmāni chandāṃsi purāṇaṃ yájuṣā saha
ucchiṣṭāj jajñire sárve divi devā diviśrītaḥ

The Ṛg, Sāma, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas appeared from the mouth of Bhagavān along with the Purāṇa and all the devas residing in the celestial planets. (Atharva Veda 11.7.24, quoted by SND in his ṭīkā to TS 13)

And Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says itself it is a (Vaiṣṇava-)Śruti:

kathaṁ vā pāṇḍaveyasya rājarṣer muninā saha
saṁvādaḥ samabhūt tāta yatraiṣā sātvatī śrutiḥ

My dear [Sūta], how, moreover, did the conversation occur between the sage-like king [Parīkṣit], who appeared in the Pāṇḍu dynasty, and the introverted sage [Śuka], in the course of which this Vaiṣṇava Śruti (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) was disclosed? (SB 1.4.7)

śākhāḥ sahasra‐nigama‐drumasya pratyakṣa‐siddho na samagra eṣaḥ purāṇa‐vākyair avigīta‐śiṣṭācāraiś ca tasyāvaya-vo’numeyaḥ.

There are thousand branches of the Veda (śruti) tree. Its entirety cannot be perceived, [but] its parts should be inferred from the statements of the Purāṇas (smṛti) and the conduct of those who are consistent and wise. (Pāñcarātrika, quoted in CCN 6.42)

Nonetheless, even the smṛtis (Purāṇas, Dharma-śāstras, Tantras, Itihāsa, and Bhagavad-gītā) are considered less authoritative from a purely Vedic standpoint compared to the śrutis (the four Vedas: Ṛig, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharva), in the perspective of the other four sampradāyas, the writings of recent times, such as those by the Gosvāmīs 500 years ago, hold less authority than the smṛtis. (As explained in a previous footnote, the Gauḍīyas have their origin in the Madhva-sampradāya, but due to their essential philosophical differences, they are considered a separate sampradāya from the Madhvas).

For Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇavas, the writings of the ācāryas, especially the ṣaḍ-gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, are considered equally or even more authoritative and important than all the śrutis and smṛtis together.

Even Mahāprabhu and the Gosvāmīs based their sampradāya fully on the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. The reason why Sanātana Gosvāmī should additionally write a Vaiṣṇava-smṛti (śāstra) is to prevent accusations against the Gauḍīyas of having only new śāstras written by the ācāryas (Rūpa, Sanātana, Raghunātha, and Jīva Gosvāmī). Critics might argue that these texts lack antiquity and authority compared to traditional Smṛtis and Śrutis, which are crucial for acceptance as a genuine sampradāya.

Therefore, Sanātana Gosvāmī was instructed by Mahāprabhu to compile the law book of the Gauḍīyas – Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (HBV), which consists entirely of quotations from the smṛtis. This ensures that nobody can accuse them of lacking antiquity and authority by quoting the smṛtis and establishes them as Vaiṣṇava rules that every Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava must follow. Hence the term "vaiṣṇava-smṛti."

HBV was partly undertaken for social acceptance in religious society. Despite no Gauḍīya guru following HBV to the letter, including my guru, who incorporated relatively much of it into the daily sādhana for his śiṣyas.
It is neither necessary nor possible to follow HBV completely. Thus, there was evidently a socio-political motive in compiling HBV.

Volume Two of 'The Sweetness of Braj' will most likely be finished in a few months, with good luck.

23/04/2022

A woman should keep perfecting the following three main qualities, in order to be able to have a successful relationship.

✅ The first quality:

- Perfection in the art of cooking. The ability to cook tasty and healthy. Many of today's women between the ages of 16 and 30 are not even able to bake a delicious cake. I'm not even talking about baking bread, which is actually more difficult. I can still remember my childhood, when I would visit the guests with my parents, so I could always see how the women exchanged recipes with each other. But today you pay a visit to other people and see how the table is set with some cookies from the supermarket.

A man is a gourmet. The art of cooking is actually ruled by the planet Mars, which is a masculine planet if you look at it from an astrological point of view. This is exactly why you can see that the best chefs in the world are the men. And a man is all the more enthusiastic when a woman manages to impress him with her cooking skills.
There is a popular saying: "On the way to a man's heart lies his stomach."
If a woman wants to impress a man, she should know this wisdom.
At least once a month the woman should study a or few new dishes that will please all family members.

✅ The second quality:

- Say only pleasant words to the husband. It is rhetoric - the art of delivering an inspirational speech. Talking to a man in a way that makes him feel like a hero around you.
"I believe in you. You can do it. I see you're trying."
The man will feel like a student at school who is told by the teacher:
"I see you're trying. I believe in you. You can do it."
It does the boy good to hear such words from his teacher.
In that sense, a woman is like a coach. Even if she's not an Olympic champion herself, a good trainer can still breed an Olympic champion. With pleasant and inspiring words, a woman can literally transform a man so that he will grow wings.

✅ The third quality:

- To be satisfied with the material situation that the husband delivers with his honest work. When the woman begins to be dissatisfied with what he is doing, along the lines of:
"Look at my father. Look at my girlfriends, their husbands have already bought houses. Look at the neighbors. My girlfriend was recently in the Maldives.” - so it's a blow to the man and to love in this relationship in general. When a woman says such a thing to her husband, it is like a liver punch to the man. One must not compare one's own destiny with other destinies. Each person has their own destiny.
I know many good and stable families, and everywhere I see that the material status of the family is not the highest, but the wife always follows her husband everywhere, even if the husband does not have to make easy decisions.
_____________

Alexander Usanin, Russian book author.

26/10/2021

A nectar and important verse from The Vedas (in the picture of this post), which reveals the secret: "which people will become happy in this times"

*Kali Yuga started according to the Vedas 5000 years ago and its the most materialistic yugas of all 4 yugas.

In this yuga (age) people are very materialistic, they identify themselves with matter (the body) and forget that they are the soul in the body, and therefore they seek happiness in matter.

As you can see nowdays, everyone wants alot of money because people things real happiness is external. We destroy the planet because of our economy, but still we have more depression and su***de on the plant as never before.

And why?

Because real happiness lies inside us. We have to learn that only God will make us happy, because we are a part and parcel of God.

The Vedas are full with a scientific analysis of what is the soul, from where comes the soul and what the soul really needs.

Bhagavad-gita is the most basic and important.

Chapter 2 is all about the soul.

देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।
तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ॥१३॥

"As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change."
(Bhagavad-gita 2.13)

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि-
न्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः ।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥२०॥

" For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain."
(Bhagavad-gita 2.20)

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय
नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि ।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा-
न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ॥ २२ ॥

As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.
(Bhagavad-gita 2.22)

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः ।
न चैनं क्ल‍ेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥ २३ ॥

The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
(Bhagavad-gita 2.23)

09/08/2021

Excellent explanation about the vedic scriptures

Purchase the book here: https://sanskritnontranslatables.com/ The word shastra, in the Hindu tradition, denotes the Vedas including the Upaniṣads and all the...

06/07/2021

A wonderful introduction video about bhakti yoga

From Russia with BhaktiSpeaker: Bhakti Vijnana GoswamiVideo: Shaktyavesha-avatara dasaLocation: London (Bhaktivedanta Manor)

30/10/2020

☝️Never argue with a man when you are a woman. An argument brings hatred of a woman from the man sides, because the argument represents the male energy. If you want to argue with a man, you challenge him. Whenever a sane man is challenged, for him it is like a boxing match in the ring:
“I only see the goal. The goal must be destroyed. "
Whenever a woman starts arguing with a man, at that moment he does not distinguish who is standing in front of him - for him, those who argue with him are all men, even if the other person is wearing a skirt.

A argument does not help at all, because everyone will stick to their opinion after the argument anyway. Everyone sticks to their opinion, but the relationship gets worse. So why the argument? The saying "Truth is born in a quarrel" is absolute nonsense, especially in a relationship between a man and a woman.
___________

👨‍🏫Sergei Serebryakov

14/10/2020

Give yourself from 1 to 10 for each point:

1. Early rising in the morning
2. Japa
3. Gayatri
4. Reading
5. Hearing lectures / audiobooks
6. Service to the mission
7. Maintaining Krishna Consciousness at home or in the ashram
8. Carrying for the Deities
9. Using the fruits of work to support Krishna Consciousness
10. Formally studding the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness
11. Offering what we eat
12. Developing qualities of the mod of goodness,
13. being equipoised
14. Being sense controlled
15. Austerity in service
16. Cleanliness
17. Tolerance
18. Simplicity
19. Straightforwardness
20. Cultivating knowledge
21. Realization
22. Material happiness
23. Spiritual happiness
24. Health
25. Mental peace
Now you have to total that. And the score divide by 25.

Each of these areas we can look where our stronger sides are, where our wicker sides are. I am not saying that these questions are perfect but they give is a kind of insight to where we stand.

Every now and then we can make an inventory of our spiritual life and how it is going.

Kadamba Kanana Swami
Webinar 09-10-2020

11/09/2020

प्राणायामैर्दहेद्दोषान्धारणाभिश्च किल्बिषान् ।
प्रत्याहारेण संसर्गान्ध्यानेनानीश्वरान्गुणान् ॥ ११ ॥

prāṇāyāmair dahed doṣān
dhāraṇābhiś ca kilbiṣān
pratyāhāreṇa saṁsargān
dhyānenānīśvarān guṇān

Translation

"By practicing the process of prāṇāyāma, one can eradicate the contamination of his physiological condition, and by concentrating the mind one can become free from all sinful activities. By restraining the senses one can free himself from material association, and by meditating on the Supreme Personality of Godhead one can become free from the three modes of material attachment."

Purport from Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

According to Āyurvedic medical science the three items kapha, pitta and vāyu (phlegm, bile and air) maintain the physiological condition of the body. Modern medical science does not accept this physiological analysis as valid, but the ancient Āyurvedic process of treatment is based upon these items. Āyurvedic treatment concerns itself with the cause of these three elements, which are mentioned in many places in the Bhāgavatam as the basic conditions of the body. Here it is recommended that by practicing the breathing process of prāṇāyāma one can be released from contamination created by the principal physiological elements, by concentrating the mind one can become free from sinful activities, and by withdrawing the senses one can free himself from material association.

Ultimately, one has to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead in order to be elevated to the transcendental position where he is no longer affected by the three modes of material nature. It is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā that one who engages himself in unalloyed devotional service at once becomes transcendental to the three modes of material nature and immediately realizes his identification with Brahman. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. For every item in the yoga system there is a parallel activity in bhakti-yoga, but the practice of bhakti-yoga is easier for this age. What was introduced by Lord Caitanya is not a new interpretation. Bhakti-yoga is a feasible process that begins with chanting and hearing. Bhakti-yoga and other yogas have as their ultimate goal the same Personality of Godhead, but one is practical, and the others are difficult. One has to purify his physiological condition by concentration and by restraint of the senses; then he can fix his mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called samādhi.

Srimad Bhagavatam 3.28.11

07/09/2020

Vedic literature, as the earliest existing literature, is the original cultural heritage of humanity, as it contains side-by-side descriptions of material and spiritual knowledge, relevant for both social and spiritual upliftment of humanity at large.

This is a video essay on Vedic Literature, written by Ajitananda Prabhu, teacher and librarian at the Bhaktivedanta Academy.

Bhaktivedanta Academy is an educational institution established by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The Academy is based in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India, and provides education for boys and adult students on the principles of the Vedic gurukula system.

https://youtu.be/doUiHJ6Wjog

Vedic literature, as the earliest existing literature, is the original cultural heritage of humanity, as it contains side-by-side descriptions of material an...

06/09/2020

Whats the highest Happiness?

The Vedic scriptures describe different types of happiness.

In Bhakti-rasamrita Sindhu, Rupa Goswami establishes the happiness derived from bhakti (loving devotional service to God) as something unparalleled: “If multiplied billions of times, the transcendental pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realisation still could not compare to even an atomic portion of the ocean of bhakti, or transcendental service.” (Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu 1.1.38)

As we journey through the Vedic scriptures, we’ll find different types of happiness (ananda) outlined, each one higher than the other.

Jadananda (happiness of dull matter): This happiness, derived from the mind and senses, is of the lowest quality, but nevertheless the most sought after in the material world. Such happiness will ultimately bring frustration since it is limited, temporary and riddled with dualities. Krishna therefore declares: “An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. Such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them." (Bhagavad-gita 5.22)

Brahmananda (happiness of Brahman): This happiness, derived from realisation of the impersonal energy of Brahman (God), is of a higher quality than the material. There is a sense of relief, since one has now escaped the duality of the materiai world. Despite this, the soul naturally searches for more, since heartfelt spiritual expression and loving interaction is lacking in the impersonal realm.

Premananda (happiness of pure love): This happiness, derived from loving relationships with the Supreme Person and His devotees, is the epitome of experience. The Srimad-Bhagavatam explains how a person in prema, love of Godhead, starts manifesting a variety of incredible symptoms: “As his heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion." (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.40)

Interestingly, the Vaisnava acaryas talk about another type of happiness:

Sevananda (happiness of service): The uncommon symptoms of happiness in pure love are rarely obtained, but some devotees even distance those symptoms because it interrupts their devotional service to God. If premananda interrupts their seva, they prefer to relinquish it, since the happiness of service is the goal of the life. Srila Prabhupada cites the example of Daruka: “When he was engaged in such service, he was filled with ecstatic love, and the symptoms of ecstatic love become manifest in his body. But Daruka was so serious about his service that he checked all of these manifestations of ecstatic love and considered them hindrances to his engagement." (Nectar Of Devotion Chapter 37)

Sutapa Prabhu

28/08/2020

What is the most difficult yoga asana of all yoga asanas?
"Dandavats." Offering obeisances.
You find yogis, the greatest yogis in the world, they can twiste their body in every yoga asana, but they can not right flat for the Lord or a other devotee or the spiritual master. This is a very import practice of humility and to give up our false ego.

Radhika Raman