World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 873

Upanisad-6-7]. Vedic religion tells us to love all beings; by loving others we love ourselves, by hating others we hate ourselves, because same divinity, same divine consciousness resides in every being and everything. * The real seer is he, who sees all as his own self ', says the Bhagavadgita [Atmavat sarvabhutesu yah paśyati. sa paśyati-V1.32; XIII.2]. The golden rule taught by Vedic religion is : 'one should never do that to another which one considers undesirable for oneself [Ātmanah pratilūlāni pareşām na samācharet. - Mahābhārata.V.XV.17]. Still, The picture in this world is paradoxically opposite to the highest ideals of the scriptures. People know the fruit of merit is good, even then they commit sin and though they know that the fruit of sin is bad and there is punishment in the world herefter, still, they knowingly never try to attain merit. Therefore the Vaidika religion has tried to reach the mind of each individual through the system of education combined with samskāras, the code of conduct. in the Dharmasastra literature (Smrtis).through the system of Varna and Āśrama and through the walls of merit and sin erected within.
The concept of Supreme Reality or God as Absolute Existence, Absolute Consciousness and Absolute Bliss, which - pervandes entire universe and noting is without is its presence, is very high ideal, which is beyond the grasp of common people. Common people cannot worship or meditate on abstract all pervading pure consciousness. Some kind of symbol or image is required for the mind to worship or to meditate. So, Vedic religion gave freedom to its followers to imagine God in any form. One can worship him or meditate on Him, in any form, by any name, according to one's own temperament and liking. We can worship Him in any form such as through idols, images or pictures as imagined by us. These are just symbols of God token for the supreme. The many names and forms of God suit the multifarious tastes of people and their different levels of spiritual evolution, but the God is one in spite of many names and forms. Followers of Vaidikadharma, thus worship different forms of 'God, Such as Lord Ganesa Siva, Visnu, Sakti (universal Mother], Saraswati, Lakşmi,Sun and so on. This multiplicity is due to different levels and interests of aspirants, but there is oneness behind it. Not only this, each of these Gods is known by thousand names. Each God is praised as creator, sustainer, destroyer, Absolute existence, consciousness and bliss, because,every god worshipped is expression of one universal Consciousness. It is firm belief of every follower of Vaidikadharma that as the rain water fallen form the sky, ultimately reaches the ocean, similarly worship offered to any god, gods or golddesses finally reaches the same one God or the ultimate Reality.[Ākāśāt patitam toyam yathā gacchati sāgaram. Sarvadevanamaskārah keśavam prati gacchati.- Quoted in Foundations of Hinduism - Y.S.Shastri,p.157). The Vaidikadharma does not assign an unalterable or rigidly fixed form or name to the Deity.
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