Introduction to Vedic Knowledge - Brossura

Devi, Mata Parama Karuna

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1482637170 ISBN 13: 9781482637175

Casa editrice: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

Riassunto

The word "Veda" literally means "knowledge" and applies to a certain number of sacred scriptures compiled in Sanskrit language (according to the information contained in the texts themselves) about 5000 years ago, at the beginning of the age of cultural and moral degradation in which we presently live.However, the material from which the present collection has been compiled is much more ancient, and constitutes the accumulated results of many generations of Rishis (realized sages) that engaged with full dedication in a life of reseach, meditation, introspection and revelation based on direct personal experience.The Vedic scriptures elaborate on all the branches of knowledge, both at theoretical and at practical levels, and include physics, medicine, surgery and pharmacology, agriculture, management of animals, sociology, politics, psychology, economy, mechanics, mineralogy, astronautics, astronomy, astrology, grammar, logic, mathematics, geometry, military science, music, dance and figurative arts, handicrafts, architecture, and so on.The science that is considered most important in the Vedic cultural system studies the very subject of the learning process: it examines the living being, that is the origin of awareness, intelligence and ability to interact with the universe. This science can be only roughly compared to the concept of "religion" that is current in western culture, because it includes teachings on theology, philosophy, metaphisics, ethics and spirituality that are in perfect accordance to the other sciences and integrate them, and allow the individual to directly attain a level of personal awareness and perfection that is not different from the Godhead itself.The Vedic scriptures are numerous and voluminous, and although they are organized in a logical and practical way, it is not easy to study them without expert guidance.The teachers of Vedic tradition recommend that one begins the study of the Vedas by reading the three basic systems, called prasthana traya, respectively:1. Bhagavad gita (included in the Mahabharata)2. Upanishads3. Vedanta sutrasThese three sources are particularly important because they "summarize" the essence of Vedic knowledge in daily practice, in philosophical thought and in logical understanding respectively.After a careful study and a good understanding of these texts, both in theory and in practice, the Vedic student can proceed to read the collections of highly symbolic hymns known as Samhitas, divided into the four categories called Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva Veda.After that, the student will be better equipped to understand their commentaries called Brahmanas and Aranyakas, that apply their symbolic meanings to the practice of connecting the human microcosm with the universal macrocosm, both for the external ritual activities and the inner meditation.The epic and historic texts known as Itihasas and Puranas support this process with a great wealth of examples from the lives and experiences of great personalities in history. The "secondary Vedas" called Upangas and Vedangas contain purely technical information in the form of manuals for practical consultation.

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Informazioni sull?autore

Mataji Parama Karuna Devi is the founder and director of the Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center, an Institute for the preservation and the propagation of Vedic knowledge in India and at global level. A sannyasini, a writer, a teacher and a social worker, she has been studying and practicing Vedic philosophy and sadhana since 1970. In 1978 she moved into an ashram to engage exclusively in the study and practice of Vedic spirituality. She has actively worked at the translation and publication of the literary works of the founder or the movement, as well as at the personal service of the Deities in the temple and in preaching especially through radio programs at Radio Krishna Centrale. Subsequently, she traveled around the Indian subcontinent, from the Himalayan foothills to the extreme south, visiting Vrindavana, Mathura, Dvaraka, Gujarat and Rajasthan, Herakhan, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayaga, Calcutta, West Bengal, Tripura, Manipur, Orissa and especially Jagannatha Puri, Tirupati, Kanchipuram and Tamil Nadu, Madras, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Trishur, Udupi, Guruvayur, Mangalore, Bangalore and Bombay. In a cultural and spiritual full immersion, she lived as a local person among the local people, attending the traditional Hindu temples and meeting many extraordinary personalities at a very high level in the religious field. In 1994 she moved to Jagannatha Puri in Orissa, where she establishes the Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center. In 1996 she is appointed as member of the Organizing Committee for the Gopala Utsava at the orthodox Hindu temple of Sakshi Gopala, and subsequently she is invited to many conferences, congresses and other cultural and academic events, by Bharatiya Itihasa Sankalana Samiti, Academy of Yoga and Oriental Studies, Utkala University, Jagannatha Sanskrit Vidyalaya andKarma Kanda Vedic Gurukula. After the tutelage of Bhagavan Mishra (deula purohita of Sri Jagannatha Puri Mandir), Jagannatha Mahapatra (mukti mandapa brahmana ofl Sri Jagannatha Puri Mandir) and other prominent personalities of the orthodox Hindu community in Puri, she enters the traditional purification ceremonies called suddhi, prayaschitta, vratyastoma and diksha, which officialize her affiliation to orthodox Vedic Hinduism. She has translated and compiled many religious and spiritual texts, regularly publishes articles and discussions on Internet and corresponds with her students from various nationalities.

Dettagli dell'edizione

• Editore: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Data di pubblicazione: 2013
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 1482637170
• ISBN 13: 9781482637175
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 400
• Contatto del produttore: Manufactured by Amazon on behalf of the author; https://www.amazon.it/hz/contact-us; ; c/o Amazon Media EU S.à.r.l., 38 Avenue John F. Kennedy; Luxembourg; L-1855; Lussemburgo