Brahma Vendanta

Is India the cradle of all religions?
India is the cradle of all religions on earth. One of the works that has had a great influence on this is the Brahma Sutras. The Brahma Sutras, also called the Brahma Vedanta, are rightly seen as a foundational work of Indian philosophy. It contains the doctrine of so-called Absolute Monism, which means that only the existence of Brahman, as the Supreme Deity, is recognized and rejects all philosophical movements that deny such an approach or have a different interpretation. This unique work is attributed to one of India's greatest philosophers, Vyasa. The Indian epic “Maha Bharata” and the “Bhagavad Gita” are also attributed to him.

Why did Vyasa adhere to monism (there is only one God)?
Vyasa's intention in writing the Braha Sutras was to make it completely clear that behind everything in this world there is only one Absolute Entity. This tendency towards Monism can be explained in cultural-historical terms. India has a religious culture with countless gods. Egyptian, Greek and Roman culture also had a wide range of gods and god worship. Ancient temples are proof of this. Many wars arose to prove that their god was the strongest and greatest.

Is religion a melting pot of influences?
Religions have demonstrably influenced each other through the ancient trade routes and conquests of one people over another. Over the centuries, religious practices have become something of a melting pot. For example, the goddess Isis from the Egyptian kingdom of gods can be compared to mother Mary from the Roman Catholic church. The so-called pagan gods have also had their influence on church tradition. Many Christian festivals, such as Christmas, remind us of this distant past of worshiping gods. Jewish tradition once knew the tribal god Jaweh, who was later embraced by Christian tradition as the Supreme deity. Esoterically speaking, the gods were placed in a certain hierarchy where they represented certain powers or entities. An example of this is Wodan, the thunder god or Neptune, the sea god.

Which form of Yoga does Brahma Vendanta fall under?
Looking at the structure of the Brahma Sutras, you can conclude that this work belongs to Jnana Yoga. The word Jnana means knowledge. Through reasoning and logic, all Indian movements that interpret Reality are examined and substantiated by Vyasa. This applies to both Sankhya philosophy and Buddhism. Even Patanjali's Yoga Sutras have been criticized and discarded in this Shastra, because Patanjali recognized the Primordial Matter (Prakritti) as an essential element in creation. Such a philosophy is therefore rejected in principle by the Brahma Sutras. This cosmic primordial substance is not seen as an intelligent entity. The only Absolute Intelligence is that of Brahman.

How did the holy books come to us?
The Brahma Sutras, also called the science of Brahman, are interpretations of the Vedas and Upanishads. The Vedas and Upanishads are considered sacred and eternal in India.

The Vedas (according to tradition) came to us “through the breath of Brahma”. It is recorded in the cosmic memory or the so-called “Akashic Records”. The later Upanishads and Samhithas are all texts that were intended to make the Vedas more accessible to the common people and students of Yoga. They all belong to the Vedanta philosophy. The Vendanta is the authentic result of transcendent experiences or of direct realizations of great Hindu Rishis or Indian saints. To achieve these realizations, they all practiced Yoga. Yoga is timeless and goes back to prehistoric times.

A good example of how Yoga has come to us can be found in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. One day Siva, the god of Yogis, taught his wife Parvatti Hatha Yoga. A human fish Matyendra supposedly secretly watched the exercises. Matyendra conveyed this to his followers. He later became the King of the Pisces.

From there Yoga was spread among all beings on earth. Matyendra is an example of a realized being (fish-man). All beings know examples of this. According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, there are 8.4 million postures (asanas). That's the number of beings on Earth. The secret teaching states that the soul has taken Yoga with it as a divine quality in all stages of evolution of its “material vehicles” (elements, stones, plants, fish, amphibious animals, people, etc.).

Only in the vehicle of man is the soul capable of Self-realization. It is even written in the Upanshads that the gods are therefore jealous of man. The physical body was created “in God's image.” This means that all stages of consciousness, including the divine, are accessible if one knows the secret keys from Yoga Vidhya. In this view, the body is seen as the “temple of the soul”. It also holds the view that all stars, planets, suns and moons and the like in the universe have also passed through all stages of consciousness and there represent a higher cosmic order (system).

Most of the Hindu holy books were originally committed to the memory of the priests. This religious poetry was passed down orally until it was finally put into writing. For example, the earliest manuscript of the RigVeda dates from almost 3,500 years ago and was written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is an original, very old language. The signs are - it is said - taken from the whirls in the mind (Citta-vrttis). The signs in Sanskrit therefore also work as mantras.

Why were the Brahma Sutras written?
Vyasa wants to cultivate discernment in people, so that there is no longer any need to fight over interpretations. Despite that principled position, namely that everything is Brahman, in my humble opinion there remains room to consider not only the Absolute Reality, but also the relative (temporary) reality of this manifested world, because through insight into the Higher (eternal) ) we may be better able to understand everything that becomes visible in time and space and vice versa. It sharpens our discernment and makes us healthy critical. Attaining discernment belongs to the interested and serious practitioner of Jnana Yoga. Jnana Yoga evolves (through meditation) through this total image into Vijnana Yoga (higher knowledge).

The underlying intention of the Brahma Sutras is also to remove misidentification in life, for it is a product of ignorance of the Originality of our existence. This misidentification of our minds with the physical, temporal world is the root cause of human suffering and the cycle of birth and death. Such identification results in viewing the world from the perspective of the ego and the mind. That identification is done through the senses. The Brahma Sutras help recondition our minds by repeatedly (almost ad nauseam) pointing out that everything is just Brahman. Through that knowledge about Brahman we will be able to ultimately liberate ourselves. This knowledge will bring us to the realization that the spiritual man has always been liberated. This ultimate realization is the ultimate goal of our life here on earth.

The Upanishads seem at first glance to be full of contradictions. They do not contain a consistent system of thoughts. This is perhaps also one of the reasons why Vyasa (a Yogi sage from India) - in addition to the reference that everything is Brahman - systematized the philosophy of the Upanishads in the Brahma Sutras. The Sutras (aphorisms) refute all so-called contradictions that have arisen due to wrong interpretations. For those who have true understanding, there are no contradictions. For them, there is only one Absolute Brahman who is Sat-Chit-Ananda (divine consciousness and bliss). The appearance of this world is only caused by Maya, the illusory power of Brahman which itself is “neither This nor That” (Nirguna).

Brahman is the only Reality. The individual soul (Jivatman) has limited itself by ignorance and identification with the body. The divine origin has been forgotten. Through selfish activities the soul enjoys the fruits of its actions. He becomes an Actor and Hedonist. Through experiences in this life, that divine origin must be rediscovered. Through study or meditation on Brahman he acquires that original knowledge again. The knowers of Brahman go to Brahmaloka and receive final liberation by realizing this supreme knowledge. Knowledge of Nirguna Brahman is the only path to liberation (Moksha). This line of thought is in line with the Biblical story of paradise and the fall of the soul of man.

The story of the Fall
God had created a paradise (Garden of Eden) and the soul man. The soul people broke the commandment of God and still ate the fruit of the tree of good and evil. From that moment on, man became flesh and blood and had to die. Adam and Eve were banished from Paradise and angels with flaming swords were placed as guards at the four gates to prevent man from eating the fruits of the tree of knowledge again. In the “sweat of their brow” they now had to earn their bread and the women had to bear children. Adam lived to be 930 years old. The first descendants then lived to be over 900 years old (Genesis).

What background knowledge do you need to understand the Brahma Sutras?
As shown in the story of Adam and Eve, you must have knowledge of the Bible. In addition to knowledge of the Bible, you can only properly understand the Brahma Sutras if you also have some knowledge of the 12 classical Upanishads. You will also gain more insight if you know more about the background of Indian tradition and the different philosophical directions in Yoga. For that reason I will first give some explanation of the Indian tradition.

What are the contents of the Vedas about?
The Vedas are collections of sacred hymns. These hymns were revealed to the priests. They are called “Shrutis” in Sanskrit. That means “that which needs to be heard”.
There are four Vedas that were intended for the head priests. These led the Soma offering. The latter is a sacrifice in which hallucinogenic substances (soma juice) were used for divine experience during worship services in the temples. Within Yoga, this use of stimulants has now been renounced.

1. Rig Veda (worship of wisdom)
This work is the most important part, consisting of more than 1000 hymns divided into several books. They were tributes to the Indian gods, but mainly to the god Indra (comparable to Hercules), the god par excellence of the Ksatriyas (warriors and princes). Most gods were the embodiment of natural phenomena, such as the sun, moon, rivers, ocean, mountains, etc. This Veda points to an ancient belief that the many gods together formed one large and complex whole, in which they depended on each other to maintain the order of things. to maintain existence Society had to be a reflection of this divine order. This gave rise to the caste system, i.e. strictly separated classes. The highest three castes were allowed to call themselves Aryas (nobles) and read the Vedas. The literate were the Brahmins (priests). Then came Ksatriyas (warriors, princes). Waisyas (merchants, landowners). Finally, the Shudras (subordinates) and Parias (casteless or subject peoples).

2 and 3. Sama Veda and Athara Veda
These collections deal exclusively with ritual matters. The Sama Veda is about singing and music to accompany sacrifices. The Athara Veda provides guidelines for the other matters of ceremonial worship.

4. Athara Veda
This book contains a lot of knowledge about medical matters and is intended for the native medicine man. The very early Vedic religion was very focused on the world and nature. In mythical tradition, the Hindus worshiped personified forces of nature such as Indra (thunder god), Agni (fire), Wajoe (the wind god). Maroets (the storm gods), Rudra (the lightning god) and Yama (the god of death). A number of these gods are also found in the Upanishads.

In the later Vedic era people began to become more religious. Then came into being the now common concepts such as Atman (breath of life that maintains the body), Dharma (right way of life), Brahman (the universal spirit or Rita the impersonal principle that governs the universe and gives it order and rhythm). The following verse addresses this original principle:

There was neither death nor immortality then, there was no distinction of day and night. That One breathed without breath by inner strength, by the power of its own fervor. That One was born (Book 10, 129:2-3)

What is the difference between the Vedas and Upanishads?
The Upanishads are evolved, more “modern” elaborations of the Vedas and written down by Rishis (wise men). Without a doubt, the Upanishads (literally “sitting down”) are among the most impressive religious texts of our world. They date from about 600 to 200 BC. They are also called “forest books” or “secret teachings”. Apprentices in the forest were taught this doctrine at the feet of a master.

The Upanishads are more philosophical, poetic and substantive than the Vedas. If you study the Upanishads you get the idea that everything is in the Spirit, that everything that exists is a realization of the Spirit and that one's own mind is a revelation of the All Spirit. This is evident from the following text:

The One is beyond all creation and yet dwells in every being and in every thing. It is the All-Spirit that thinks and puts its worlds outside of itself and again withdraws into itself, dissolving them like a dreamer the shapes of his dream (Mandukya Upanishad 2,1.1.).

What is the significance of making sacrifices in India?
The sacrifices explained in the Vedas were of a tangible, external and ritual nature. Sacrifices in the Upanishads are more symbolic and seen more as a spiritual sacrifice. Monism also became increasingly popular over time. Traces of this could already be found in the Vedas. In the early Upanishads the supreme Deity was still referred to as “Brahman”, as a mighty creative word of Pradjapati, as a primordial vibration that has realized the divine plan. See the following text:

And what else is beyond threefold time, that is also the word AUM. For verily everything here is Brahman, this Self is Brahman (Mandukya Upanishad 1, 1-2).

Thus one knew a twofold Brahman, one temporary and one untemporary, one limited and one unlimited, one in multiplicity of revelation and the other in unrevealed Oneness. This temporal principle is called Brahma, the Lord and Father of all creation. The primordial vibration became the Aum. The Bible also refers to this same principle. The Gospel of John begins: In the beginning was the Word (AUM), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All this was in the beginning with God (Gospel of John).

Which are the most important gods in India?
Besides Brahma, two other gods became popular in India. Vishnu (guardian of the world order) and Siva (God of the life cycle). In addition, people worshiped Devi (the mother goddess, comparable to mother Mary). Lakshmi (the Lotus Goddess) and wife of Vishnu. She represents love and beauty. Ganesha (the Elephant God) is the much-revered son of Siva and Parvati. This god represents success in this world. Also a popular god is Hanuman (the monkey god). He stands for strength, versatility and service. He appears in the epic Ramayana. The Devas are the nature gods of the Vedic era.

What is the meaning of immortality?
As you have read in the story of Adam and Eve, the soul man was immortal. Man became mortal through exile from paradise. After death, man was taken back into “eternity”. The first humans lived quite a long time (over 900 years). Due to the further fall into sin, man lived shorter and shorter. From such stories you can discover the evolution of man. So you could say that the first humans were gods. Stories of such god-people occur in the mythology of various peoples. Myths are sacred, traditional stories of a people about their origins and religion. A good example is the demigod Hercules. He became famous by completing 12 difficult assignments. Hercules was the son of Zeus and the earthly mother Almene. In Greece, Hercules was venerated as “protector against evil”.

The aspect of earning back “immortality” also occurs in the Vedas. This concept of immortality in the Upanishads has been increasingly emphasized over the years. Whoever comes to know Atman or Brahman attains immortality. The end goal of all spiritual pursuits in this temporary world. Both concepts (Atman or Brahman) referred to the same principle and are also used interchangeably in the Upanishads. To achieve immortality, the lower levels of consciousness had to be transcended in the course of lifetimes (reincarnation). Thinking and feeling had to be purified, so that the inner, spiritual light and silence of Atman (Brahman) can emerge. Only peace is realized in that. A state of being freed from everything that binds us to the temporary. “He has escaped the world of seed,” as stated in the Mandukah Upanishad (3, B.2)

How does Yoga fit into the image of “immortality”?
To get a good idea of ​​this, we have to go to the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita (the Song of the Lord) is the most popular and venerated Indian Upanishad. The Gita tells how Arjuna became rebellious at the idea of ​​having to kill his relatives. Krishna (Arjuna's charioteer and an incarnation of Vishnu, comparable to the Christian Jesus), objects that as a Ksatrya (warrior or nobleman) he is obliged to fight according to his dharma. Then a beautiful dialogue arises. In it Krishna explains the deeper meaning of all Yoga forms in the middle of the battlefield (of the soul Kurushetra). Krishna mentions the following ways to achieve “immortality”: acquiring spiritual knowledge (jnana) and discernment (vivekhyati), right action (karma), following your life purpose as befits your birth (dharma) and loving devotion to the Lord (Bhakti). We will now go into more detail about the importance of Yoga to achieve “immortality”.

What is the deeper meaning of Yoga in relation to the holy books?
Yoga is the science of religion or the science of the soul.
Its purpose is to find man “God” (Brahman). It is based on the idea that the ultimate Truth can be realized within yourself from an intuitive feeling in meditation. For this it is necessary to remove your ego barriers. Patanjali calls this Citta-Vikshepas. He lists nine obstacles. These are: illness, lethargy, doubt, heedlessness, laziness, worldliness, delusion, delusion, inability and inconstancy. These obstacles lead to self-alienation. This means that you are alienated from the feeling of who you really are, namely a God-man.

The mind is confused by these hindrances and the outward symptoms of a confused mind are: despair, nervousness and labored breathing. He considers it of great importance to have a clear higher purpose in your life and to cultivate an attitude of kindness, compassion and indifference to happiness, misery, virtue and wickedness. (sutra 30-33).

The path of rediscovery of your true self, according to the ancient Yoga scriptures, runs through the spine and the energy centers. This path is able to expand your consciousness and release your limitations. Through the cosmic vibration (Pranava Sabda: AUM) a person can be raised to Christ consciousness (son of God) and to God the Father (Brahman). Jesus also refers to this by saying that the Kingdom of God is within reach for everyone who wants to hear and see. However (as the Bible says) many are called, but few answer that call. The Bhagavad Gita (11:69) states: “That which is night to the creatures (who neither hear nor see) is day to those who have attained mastery over themselves.” All the great teachers (Buddha, Jesus, Mohamed) practiced Higher Yoga and had achieved mastery. Such mastery gave them abilities to heal and to awaken the soul power in people. Especially in the “dark periods” of human existence, they indicate the direction on this sacred path.

The word Yoga literally means “to yoke”. More freely translated: “control of body and mind or “unification with the inner or divine Self”. The word “control” is interpreted differently in Yoga than the word suggests. Control is the art of letting go. Yoga applies a collection of psycho-somatic techniques to support people in their personal development. For example, Yoga exercises are aimed at controlling emotions, senses and thoughts. Through the practice of these Yoga techniques, every person can achieve the goal of the Upanishads, namely obtaining immortality.

Yoga has different forms. Some forms focus more on physical development, while other forms approach mental development more closely. Together they form a spiritual ladder that connects heaven and earth. Examples are: Hatha Yoga (sun and moon), Laya Yoga (rising), Mantra Yoga (sound), Tantra Yoga (sexuality), Jnana Yoga (knowledge), Karma Yoga (action), Kundalini Yoga (serpent power), Bhakti Yoga ( love) and Raja Yoga (classical Yoga). This last form of Yoga has the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as its basis.

There are various Samhithas that have further elaborated the Yoga exercises, such as: Siva Samhitha and Gheranda Samhitha. The Asthavakra Samhitha has a more philosophical slant. The most commonly used version for Yoga techniques is that of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika from Svatmarama. Shankya philosophy gave rise to insight into the subtle anatomy of man according to the Yoga tradition. The Sankhya is also known as the science of the Soul.

Many Yoga exercises, especially breathing and meditation, are given a mystical meaning that not everyone understands. It is important to realize that the Upanishads and Yoga are both based on spiritual life experience and development of consciousness. Classical Yoga knows no dogmatism and is reconciled with all religions on earth. Finally: What is the System of Yoga according to Patanjali? Patanjali's Yoga Sutras form the philosophical basis for contemporary Yoga. The elaborated system in the Yogasutras has eight steps (astangas). Application of these steps is called the “royal path”. Hence the name “Raja Yoga”. The eight steps in Raja Yoga are:

Yama refers to the five universal norms that apply to all beings on earth:
Ahimsa: non-violence
Satya: truth
Asteya: non-stealing
Brahmacharya: chastity
Aparigraha: renunciation of attachment to possessions
Niyama refers to the five personal precepts
Shaucha: physical cleanliness
Santosha: contentment
Tapas : burning zeal or discipline
Svadhyaya: self-contemplation
Ishvarapranidhana: complete surrender to Ishvara (Brahman)
Asana: physical exercise
Pranayama: breathing and energy control
Pratyahara: withdrawal into the senses
Dharana: concentration
Dhyana: meditation
Samadhi: contemplation or complete surrender
These Upanishads are in chronological order: Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Kaushitaki, Kena, Kathaka, Isha, Mundaka, Prasna, Mandukya , Swetashwatara, Maitrayana Upanishad. The Bhagavad Gita is also considered an Upanishad.
2Use has been made of the book worth reading with the title “The Vedas – timeless wisdom from the Indian tradition” by Virander Kumar Arva, publisher Libero. In addition, from Upanishads, from Ir. JA Blok, publisher Ankh Hermes BV.