Living Sannyasa Vision Satsangs

 

What is a Vedic Lifestyle?

The lifestyle of each civilization and culture depends on something. For example, the modern-day culture depends on technology and information. In the vedic culture the dependency was on the idea of sat, truth. The idea of sat became so ingrained in society that even at home and in one’s profession the emphasis was on how to express sat.

The vedic culture was an attitudinal culture, which found its support in a specific type of attitude. Today the effort of every human action is to gain some benefit, a return or a result which is mainly economical. That is the focus of one’s performance today – whatever one does, it is for money. The emphasis is not on quality but on wealth. In the days of vedic living, the focus was the cultivation of qualities, which would distinguish the individual in society as an intellectual, a siddha or an aspirant.

They conceived of four guards guarding the divine kingdom who do not allow anyone into the divine kingdom unless one has become friendly with them, either with all four or at least with one of them. The guards are shanti, peace, atmavichara, reflection, santosha, contentment, and satsang, developing, cultivating a positive environment and attitude. Depending on one’s personal inclination, one would tend to become friendly with one of the guards, one specific idea, and as one developed and evolved in that idea, one’s routine and mind-set would change.

THE INDIVIDUAL

The vedic lifestyle can be divided in different compartments. The first compartment is the individual and the search for the ideal way to express themselves in the best manner in society. As an individual one needs to be educated into the ways of the world and cultivate positive samskaras to maintain harmony at home and in society. One starts with education, with kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, college. Education becomes the main pursuit of an individual along with the attainment of samskaras which is the positive or negative influence of the family, one’s culture, religion and society.

Ashramas

Samskara indicates a high receptivity of the mind. Samskara is not something that one learns, samskara is something that one naturally imbibes. Education is something one learns; one does not naturally imbibe education. The effort for the individual was vidya adhyayan and samskara graham, cultivation of wisdom and imbibing positive samskaras.

According to the vedic tradition, in the course of one’s life there are sixteen levels of samskaras, shodas samskaras, which represent the beginning of a new condition or situation in life. This process begins well before birth. Each samskara is an entry into a way of life and study. This is brahmacharya ashrama when acquisition of knowledge and samskara is the primary focus of the individual.

The next level for the individual is of responsibility and interaction in life. One takes on the responsibility of economic and social security in view of raising a family. One’s profession indicates social and economic responsibility and allows one to use one’s skills in the best possible manner and survive through one’s earnings. Besides that, one may take on the responsibility and be the catalyst for the development of new life. This grihastha ashrama, the householder life, involves participation, activity, understanding and interaction with people, society and the world. The householder lives in a more responsible and mature manner than the student of the brahmacharya ashrama.

These are the most important ashramas. Vanaprastha ashrama is an extension, a continuation of the grihastha ashrama, except that certain activities have changed, the direct participation in society has changed and is reduced. The baton has been passed on to the next generation. Sannyasa ashrama is an extension of the grihastha ashrama. Renunuciation or tyaga, isolation, tapas or austerity, and sadhana were important, yet in relation to one’s lifestyle sannyasa ashrama was a continuation of the grihastha lifestyle.

In those days, sadhus were grihasthas, called rishis and munis. They were householders, who used to run gurukuls where children could be educated and trained, yet they were also recognized as tyagis, renunciates. They were not social householders but renunciate householders. The rishis and gurukuls became the medium by which ideas, education, samskaras and skills were imparted to people. The rishis were socially skilful and spiritually aware people. They were the professors, the scientists and the bankers of knowledge.

Gurukul

The rishis prescribed a routine for the individual which covered health, diet, sleep, the hours of activity and a variety of activities. Emphasis was given to physical health, and in every gurukul physical training was given daily. As part of the physical training and education, yoga and different types of martial arts were taught. The rishis taught skills of survival, skills for industry, commerce, trade, management and governance. Students were given every kind of training so they could face the difficulties and hardships of life.

In a gurukul, social distinction of poor and rich had no influence. The child of a king and the child of a beggar would study together, sleep in the same room, eat the same food, do the same work. Social hierarchy did not matter in gurukul ashrams; they were open to all. The training in the gurukul was not only academic but also practical and scientific. Each gurukul excelled in one subject, or in one activity. There were many gurukuls which excelled in the use of land and agriculture; they were like a modern agricultural university of today. This idea of specialization has continued in form of institutions such as agricultural universities, medical colleges, business schools and other specialized institutions of learning.

Where the Sushruta was the rishi, his gurukul was like a medical college; where the Bharadwaja was the rishi, his gurukul was like a herbal research centre, a Ayurvedashala. Every seer or rishi became expert in one topic, one subject, which allowed for specialization along with regular education.

Nature

Another central idea of the vedic culture was of the oneness of the individual with nature. The individual is not different to nature. Nature is not an object to be used, but an idea to be revered. A river is not just a river, it became a devi, a luminous being, a mountain was not a mountain, it became a giriraj, a king, trees were not trees, they became devis and devatas. The connection with and appreciation of nature not as an object but as a personification of a higher power was an important concept of vedic times.

People of the vedic civilization realized that the whole of creation, the human body, all of nature and the universe are made from the five tattwas or elements – earth, water, fire, air and space. Different composition, permutation and combination of five elements give birth to a different creation. Some combinations become planets, stars and galaxies; some combinations become life forms, human beings, animals, insects and reptiles. It was the combination of the five elements which is the cause of everything that one experiences and perceives. These five elements have to be nurtured, protected and cared for. Life is ensured only if these five elements are maintained.

Respect for the five elements became the beginning of nature worship and animistic beliefs, and communication with nature happened through mantras. People found that they could communicate with trees, birds, insects and reptiles. Their communication was non-verbal; it was a mantra communication. Mantras became the medium through which nature used to be worshiped.

This idea is still alive. In the 1960s, an experiment was conducted in the UK known as the Findhorn experiment. A group of people started growing plants on a big farm. It was not done for commercial purpose. They were talking to the trees, plants, water, the elements and they found that spirits came alive. They could speak to the spirit of the tree, the spirit of the plant. The size, shape and colour of the produce was different to the market produce. The naturally grown produce was bigger, healthier, tastier, more solid and compact.

The idea of being able to communicate with the tattwas, the elements, and the forms of the elements is a vedic concept. Today scientists are experimenting with the effect of vibration, spandan, and are looking into the effect of words on water crystals. A drab-looking water crystal swells up and becomes big, shiny and bright when one says, “I love you.” Water that is abused, changes. Water that is praised, changes. Water is not even animate, sentient, conscious, yet response is there.

Gods and goddesses

The routine of the individual started with mantras, called jagaran mantras, waking up with the chanting of the mantra. Today in temples of South India, jagaran mantras are chanted every morning to wake up the deity. The morning started with mantras offering of respect to everything. That offering of respect was so deeply engrained that animals were also looked after. People would go out of their house with four rotis in their hands and feed a cow. In rural areas of India, people still follow this custom. Villagers still feed a cow, stray dogs, goats and chickens.

During the vedic culture, the entire day revolved around the idea that divinity pervades everywhere. Looking at the sun and stars, or at animals and people, everywhere the presence of divinity was perceived and felt. Religion was not divided into sects. Today religion is divided into sects, and in Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism there may be many branches. In vedic times, there was one Brahman, the supreme one who used to control other devis and devatas. They in turn controlled the created nature.

There are thirty-three types of gods. In Sanskrit ‘koti’ means types and crores. When the British came to India, they understood the word not as types, but as crores. The idea that there are thirty-three crores of gods and goddess in India is absolutely incorrect. There are only thirty-three gods. They are the twelve Adityas, the eight Ashtavasus, the eleven Ekadas Rudras and two Ashwani Kumaras. They make thirty-three koti or types of gods and goddesses, and beyond them is Brahman.

The twelve Adityas represented every month or one whole year. The eight Ashtavasus represented the three-hour period, the prahars in a day. The two Ashwani Kumaras represented waking and sleeping, day and night. The eleven Ekadas Rudras represented the five organs of action, the five senses of perception and cognition, and the mind. The rituals which the vedic civilization developed were based on these thirty-three deities.

After the vedic age came the puranic age with gods like Indra, who was the king, the main speaker, Varuna, Agni, Vayu, Soma and Kubera. In the puranic age the ritualistic karmakanda came into existence and the gods became more personal, individual, devis came into existence and temples were created for each god and goddess. It was during the puranic period that each devotee vied for the prominence and supremacy of their chosen deity.

Unified field theory

The vedic era evolved with the understanding that all is part of the same nature. Human life is interconnected with the cosmic existence and with the entire universe or multiverses. The concept of the unified field theory is a vedic concept. Scientists say that everyone is interconnected and dependent on each other for survival. For example, human beings are dependent on bees, for without the existence of bees human beings will be extinct. Each life form is depending on another life form to survive. Therefore, in the vedic civilization life was always considered to be precious. The question was how to protect and preserve life, and a routine was devised so that each individual could derive the best from life.