Ganga Prasad Upadhyaya - The Vedic View of life

The Vedic View of Life

The Vedic View of Life

Pandit Ganga Prasad Upadhyaya

Philosophy is the background of all human activities. It is an invisible wire-puller. It colours the entire human life.

Though apparently, philosophical fundamentals are Editor

confined to a selected few of the thinkers, masses cannot Bhavesh Merja

remain uninfluenced. The waves of philosophical thoughts spread far and wide and permeate every stratum of life.

Just as every rise and fall of our footsteps is subject to the invisible law of gravitation and even an animal who has no idea of any law of nature submits, though unconsciously, to that law, similarly all people submit to November 2013 - 2000 Copies

philosophical thought, either consciously or unconsciously.

If we look deep into the ways of Eastern living, we find Price : Rs. 5

the whole life falling victim to this wave of pessimism.

The entire oriental conception of life can be epitomized in one word pessimism. The Easterners look upon life as Arya Samaj

something evil, a thing which is worth being renounced.

Lord Buddha described the world transitory, full of sorrow Navadera - Bharuch

and suffering, though he accepted possibility of Gujarat (India)

emancipation. The great Shankaracharya regards the 392001

world as big illusion, a maya. It is common to compare life to a bubble on the surface of water or to a dream.

(Printed by: Crystal Forms Ltd. - Ankleshwar) The insubstantiality of life is a theme that is more popular The Vedic View of Life : 2

with the poets and savants of the East. The renunciation Such pessimistic attitude can be noticed in most of of the world has always been the chief aim of the sages.

Schools of the East and especially of India. For thousands Pessimistic philosophy negates the very purpose and of years before Maharshi Dayananda Sarasvati (1824-meaning of life.

1883) the Indians have been leading an almost inactive life; with few elementary wants. The Indian philosophy Optimism is the chief motor of all human institutions. All prompted from the evil world was given a contemptuous progress depends upon hope. As soon as you are place. There have been occasions when some Shivaji, convinced of the unreality of life you are deprived of the or some Govind Singh rose and made efforts to consider generative power of all activities. If the world is unreal, if the hard facts and to see the world boldly in the face. But we stand face to face with a big illusion, an abysmal as they could not change the mentality of the people to nothingness, what is it that we should work for? If the the desired extent what little they could do was soon world is nothing but a dream; then all our troubles and undone. Consequently one hardly finds any significant joys, all activities and inactivities are only a dream and progress, invention, discovery, or adventures, or we are no more than dreamers. All patriotic and achievement during the past few centuries. In fact, nothing philanthropic institutions, all efforts to alleviate the that can be the sign of wakefulness of a nation have sufferings of men and animals are meaningless. What been achieved by Indians. Just as a magician spreads do discoveries and inventions mean to a man who feels his magic pieces before an audience and the spectators that the world in which he lives is an illusion? Who will though amused never care to get either his fruits or coins, like to improve the life if, however improved, it is no more just so an Indian sage thinks that the world before him is than a bubble?

the work of a great magician who shows this or that What pleasure can the Universe vouchsafe for him who either to amuse or to delude him. With this conception of looks upon it as a prison house? What beauty can the life he develops an attitude of complete indifference to sun, the moon, the stars and other objects present to the world, its problem and welfare.

him who thinks that sheer misfortune has brought him to The great Shankaracharya realizing this weak point in this life, which, the sooner comes to an end, the better?

the theory of maya and to counteract the evil divided the Will he like to pray that this life of prison be lengthened?

whole department of life into two parts actual or Will he pray that others in the form of sons, grandsons Parmarthic and work-a-day or Vyavaharik. He enunciated and friends should also come and share with him the that from the ultimate standpoint world is unsubstantial miseries of imprisonment? Who among the most foolish or illusory but for all practical purposes it is real. He of prisoners, is such a fool that, when destined to hoped that this proviso would provide man with sufficient imprisonment might request the jail authorities to drag with motive power to work. But the remedy proved as fatal as him to the prison house, his family and friends?

The Vedic View of Life : 3

The Vedic View of Life : 4

the disease. Suppositions are a weak support to solid We would first look to the Vedas, the books that can safely actions. The feeling of Parmarthic or actual nothingness be our postulated fountain head of all religious life of India.

lingered behind the supposed reality of the world, and we never made that serious progress which is the outcome The one thing that strikes us most is that the Vedic prayers of faith in the reality of life.

are superbly realistic. Pessimism is conspicuous by its absence. And if there is a tinge any where, it is remarkably The Glorious Past

insignificant. No where has it been hinted that life is nothing. Long fellows Life is real, life is earnest reflects If we look at the past of India we are amazed at the Vedism more than Christianity. The famous verse of the progress which was made. Such a glorious past was Yajur Veda which every Arya is enjoined to recite both never in the fate of any nation. Even the remnants of the morning and evening, testifies to this

past glory are dazzling enough. The grand buildings of which a few pieces are brought to light now and then, rPp{kqnsZofgra iqjLrkPNqeqPpjr~A

through excavations, show that marvellous must have i;se kjn% kra those kjn% kra k`.kq;ke kjn% kra been the Indian architecture. Ancient Indian art and ancient iz czoke kjn% krenhuk% L;ke kjn% kra Hkw;p kjn% krkr~AA Indian literature are such as any nation can be proud of.

Yajur Veda : 36.24

Their linguistic achievements are simply wonderful. Where That great eye (God) has already placed in our being a is a language more perfect than Sanskrit? Then while potentiality or seed-power kqe~ .May we see a hundred other civilizations nave crumbled to pieces at slight years! May we hear the (Vedas) a hundred years! May cataclysms, the civilization of India has stood a test. It we preach a hundred years! May we live free vnhuk%

has defied the wildest storms. It has survived the most a

hundred years! Aye several centuries.

violent shocks.

Pessimism can not stand before such hopeful prayers. A Living Vedic Philosophy

prayer for a full century of healthy and useful years of life How is all this possible? Had the Indians been ever has charms of its own. Who will like to remain in dream pessimistic as dreaming, as illusion-struck, as they have for a hundred years? Who will like to stay in a world which b ee n f or du rin g the pa st fe w cen turies, such is all pain, all misery, all afflictions, even for a day? Is it not achievements would have been simply out of question?