Walk With Me

Author(s): Chandanaji Acharya, Vastupal Parikh
Publisher: Veerayatan

Page 18

Walk With Me
When I was growing up, my parents - Vasubhuti and Prithvidevi sent me to the nearby Varanasi city (also called Banaras). There I learned the meaning and the philosophy of Vedic sutras. Varanasi was an exciting place where Vedic scholars from across India came to learn and participate in philosophical debates. I honed my intellect and began participating in these debates, winning one after another. According to our tradition, the loser accepts the winner as his Guru and becomes the disciple. I never lost a single debate. As a result, I now have 500 disciples.
I can confidently say that I am the greatest guru. No one is as bright and learned as I am. Many have challenged but no one as yet has surpassed my intellectual supremacy. Still, I readily admit that I do not understand everything. Although I am well conversant in the Vedas and the rituals, sometimes I am uneasy about certain things in our scriptures. Our early Vedas say that, for instance, "like every thing else, atma originates from five elements of nature (fire, water, earth, air and sky) and disperses into the same elements upon death." Are Vedas saying that atma is destructible, and that hence there is no rebirth? If so, why do so many of us believe in life-after-death? Why do our early Vedas repeatedly mention that the Arhat's achieve a better life in their next birth by observing vows to purify their atma?
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