What are the Vedas?

Veda means knowledge. The original knowledge is the teachings of the Vedas. In the
conditioned state our knowledge is subjected to many deficiencies. There are four defects
that a conditioned soul has: committing mistakes, subject to illusion, cheating propensity
and imperfect senses. These deficiencies make us unfit for having perfect knowledge.
Therefore we accept the Vedas as they are.
Vedas are apaurusheya, which means they are not compilations of human knowledge.
Vedic knowledge comes from the spiritual world, from Lord rishna, the !upreme
"ersonality of #odhead. In the beginning the first living creature was $rahma. %e
received the Vedic knowledge from rishna.
The Vedas are compared to desire tree because they contain all things knowable by man.
They deal with mundane necessities as well as spiritual reali&ation. 'bove and beyond all
departments of knowledge there are specific directions for spiritual reali&ation. (egulated
knowledge involves a gradual raising of the living entity to the spiritual platform, through
varna )brahmana * intellectual, kshatriya * ruler, vaishya * merchant, shudra * worker+ and
asrama )brahmacharya * student, grihastha * family, vanaprastha * retired, sannyasa *
mendicant+. The highest spiritual reali&ation is knowledge that the "ersonality of
#odhead is the reservoir of all pleasures, spiritual tastes.
,ormerly there was only the Veda of the name -ajur. The sacrifices mentioned in the
Vedas were means by which the people.s occupations according to their orders of life
)namely brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa+ could be purified. To
simplify the process and make them more easily performable, Vyasadeva )the empowered
incarnation of rishna+ divided the one Veda into four, (g )prayers+, -ajur )hymns for
oblations+, !ama )same prayers and hymns in meters for singing+, 'tharva )body/world
maintenance and destruction+ in order to e0pand them among men.
Thus the original source of knowledge is the Vedas. There are no branches of knowledge
either mundane or transcendental, which do not belong to the original te0ts of the Vedas.
They have simply been developed into different branches. They were originally rendered
by great seers. In other words, the Vedic knowledge broken into different branches by
different disciplic successions )known as shakhas+ has been distributed all over the world.
1o one, therefore, can claim independent knowledge beyond the Vedas.
The te0ts of the Vedas are known as !amhitas. 2ithin these !amhitas there are portions
known as 3antras, which contain prayers in the form of potent sound compounds
revealed to great seers for different purposes. In the Vedic civili&ation three orders of life
lived in the forests. 4nly grihasthas inhabited the cities. The regulated knowledge for
living in the city, is revealed in the books known as $rahmanas, whereas the regulated
knowledge for living in the forest is revealed in the books known as 'ranyakas.
Shruti, Smriti and Nyaya

There are three different sources of vedic knowledge, called prasthana*traya. The
5panishads are known as shruti*prasthana, the scriptures following the principles of si0
limbs vedic knowledge )Vedangas+ as well as 3ahabharata, $hagavad*gita, and "uranas
are known as smriti* prasthana and Vedanta*sutras which present the vedic knowledge on
the basis of logic and arguments is known as nyaya*prasthana. 'll scientific knowledge
of transcendence must be supported by shruti, smriti and a sound logical basis )nyaya +.
!mriti and nyaya always confirm that which is said in the shruti.
Vedic injunctions are known as shruti. ,rom the original Veda !amhitas up to the
5panishads are classified as shruti. The additional supplementary presentations of these
principles as given by the great sages are known as smriti. They are considered as
evidence for vedic principles. 5nderstanding the ultimate goal of life is ascertained in the
Vedanta*sutras by legitimate logic and argument concerning cause and effect.
There are si0 aspects of knowledge in the Vedas known as Vedangas:
Siksha * phonetic science
Vyakarana * grammar
Nirukti * conte0t )conclusive meaning+
Candas * meter
Jyotish * time science )astronomy 6 astrology+
Kalpa * rituals
The seers who have reali&ed these aspects of knowledge from the Vedas, have composed
sutras )short but potent phrases which convey a lot of meanings+ on each Vedanga. alpa*
sutras are of four categories, vi&., shrouta )collective sacrifices+, grihya )family rituals+,
dharma )occupational duties+ and sulba )building of sacrificial fireplaces, altars etc.+.
'ccording to the different levels of conditioned consciousness there are instructions in
the Vedas for worship of different controllers, with the aim of reaching different
destinations and enjoying different standards of sense enjoyment. 'gamas )emanated
scriptures+ are books which are classified into five for this purpose:
Energy * !hakti )!hakta 'gamas+
Visible source (Sun) - !urya )!oura 'gamas+
Controller * #anapati )#anapatya 'gamas+
Destroyer * !hiva )!haiva 'gamas+
Ultiate source * Vishnu )Vaikhanasa 'gamas+
,or those who are below standard for vedic purificatory process, Lord !hiva gave the
Tantra sastras. These have two general classifications, right and left. 2hile the right
aspect contains regulations for purification for those who are grossly engaged in meat
eating, into0ication and illicit se0, the left aspect contains low class activities like black
magic etc.
,rom the point of view of common human activities sense gratification is the basis of
material life. To cater to this aim, there are three paths mentioned in the Vedas:
The karma*kanda path involves fruitive activities to gain promotion to better planets.
5sing the methodology from the first five Vedangas, the alpa*sutras e0plain this path.
5pasana*kanda involves worshiping different controllers for promotion to their planets.
The 'gamas e0plain this path.
7nana*kanda involves reali&ing the 'bsolute truth in impersonal feature for the purpose of
becoming one. The 5panishads e0plain this path.
Though these paths are all from the Vedas, and the Vedas do e0plain them, one should not
think that that is all the Vedas have. The real purpose of the Vedas is to gradually push
one in the path of self reali&ation to the point of surrender in devotional service to the
!upreme "ersonality of #odhead, !ri rishna.
Upanishads and Darshanas

Vedanta and Six Systems of Philosophy

5panishad means receiving knowledge while sitting near the teacher. These are
conversations between self reali&ed souls and their students on the subject matter of
'bsolute truth. The philosophical aspects of all the important processes and practices of
knowledge )known as vidyas+ that are given in the Vedas are discussed in the 5panishads.
Veda means knowledge and anta means end. 5panishads are known as Vedanta, end of
knowledge.
In the 5panishads the description is more or less negation of the material conception of
everything, up to the !upreme Lord. It is very important to note that there is no denial of
the spiritual, absolute, transcendental conception in the 5panishads. The purpose of the
5panishads is to philosophically establish the personal feature of the 'bsolute Truth as
transcendental to material names, forms, 8ualities and actions.
There are 9:; 5panishads, as accepted by disciplic succession. 'mong them the
following are considered as topmost:

9+ Isa
<+ ena
=+ katha
>+ "rasna
?+ 3undaka
@+ 3andukya
A+ Taittiriya
;+ 'itareya
B+ Chandogya
9:+ $rhad*aranyaka
99+ !vetasvatara
Darshana means sight or vision. In the Vedanta philosophy, the first 8uestion is, what is
the source of everythingE There are philosophers who saw different stages of the original
source, and e0plained philosophy according to their vision. These are known as
darshanas. They are also known as sad*darshanas )si0 systems of philosophy+.
The si0 philosophical treatises are:
9. Nyaya propounded by #autama
<. Vaisesika propounded by anada
=. Sankhya propounded by apila
>. !oga propounded by "atanjali
?. "ur#a (kara) $iasa propounded by 7aimini
@. Uttara (braha) $iasa propounded by Vyasa
Nyaya-darshana, the philosophy of logic, maintains that the atom is the cause of the
cosmic manifestation.
Vaisesika-darshana, philosophy of specialised logic, maintains that the combination of
atoms is the cause of the cosmic manifestation.
Sankhya-darshana, philosophy of analytical study, maintains that the material nature is
the cause of the cosmic manifestation.
!oga-darshana, philosophy of mystic perfections, maintains that universal
consciousness is the cause of the cosmic manifestation.
"ur#a (kara) iasa-darshana, philosophy of actions and reactions, maintains that
fruitive activities are the cause of the cosmic manifestation.
Uttara (braha) iasa-darshana has two different categories:
The impersonalists maintain that the impersonal $rahman effulgence is the cause of the
cosmic manifestation.
'fter studying the si0 philosophical theses, Vyasadeva completely summari&ed them all
in his Vedanta*sutra darshana: The 'bsolute Truth is the !upreme "ersonality of
#odhead, who is the cause of all causes.
'nyone who wants to establish his own philosophy certainly cannot e0plain any scripture
according to the principle of direct interpretation. 'mong the si0 kinds of philosophers up
to the impersonalist brahma*mimamsa philosophers, none really cares for the !upreme
"ersonality of #odhead, who is the cause of all causes. They are always busy refuting the
philosophical theories of others and establishing their own.
1yaya and Vaisesika philosophers by accepting atoms as source have rejected the
!upreme "ersonality of #odhead.
The !ankhya philosophers do not accept the !upreme "ersonality of #odhead, because
after scrutini&ingly analy&ing the material elements, they have come to the conclusion
that material nature is the cause of everything.
The -oga philosophers imagine a form of the 'bsolute Truth within many forms, and
thus do not give any information about the transcendental "ersonality of #odhead.
"urva )karma+ mimamsa philosophers maintain that if there is a #od, %e is subjected to
our fruitive activities. Therefore they do not see any need to become devotees of the
!upreme "ersonality of #odhead.
The impersonalist 5ttara )brahma+ mimamsa philosophers say that everything is an
illusion. %eaded by philosophers like 'stavakra, they stress the impersonal $rahman
effulgence as the cause of everything, rejecting the transcendental "ersonality of
#odhead, who is also the source of that $rahman effulgence.
!rila Vyasadeva wrote the Vedanta*sutras and taking the essence of all vedic literature,
established the supremacy of the !upreme "ersonality of #odhead.
Vedanta Sutra and Bhashyas
Vyasadeva is an incarnation of rishna. %e compiled Vedanta*sutra to enable one to
understand the 'bsolute Truth through infallible logic and argument.
Veda means knowledge, and anta means the end. In other words, proper understanding of
the ultimate purpose of the Vedas is called Vedanta knowledge.
' sutra is a code that e0presses the essence of all knowledge in a minimum of words. It
must be universally applicable and faultless in its linguistic presentationF this is the
definition of sutra according to Vayu and !kanda "uranas.
nowledge which is given in the Vedanta*sutra is supported by the 5panisads. Vedanta*
sutras are known as nyaya*prasthana, legitimate logic and argument concerning cause and
effect giving the conclusive understanding of the sruti*prasthana, the 5panishads.
Vedanta*sutra, which consists of codes revealing the method of understanding Vedic
knowledge, is the concise form of all Vedic knowledge. It begins with the words athato
brahma-jijnasa: G1ow is the time to in8uire about the 'bsolute TruthG. The human form
of life is especially meant for this purpose, and therefore the Vedanta*sutra very concisely
e0plains the human mission. 'ccording to the great dictionary compiler )osakara+,
%emacandra, Vedanta refers to the purport of the 5panishads and the $rahmana portion
of the Vedas.
The Vedanta*sutras are also known by the following different names:

)9+ $rahma*sutra
)<+ !aririka*sutra
)=+ Vyasa*sutra
)>+ $adarayana*sutra
)?+ 5ttara*mimamsa
)@+ Vedanta*darsana
The Vedanta*sutra consists of four chapters. The first two chapters discuss the
relationship of the living entity with the !upreme "ersonality of #odhead. This is known
as sambandha*jnana, or the knowledge of relationship.
The third chapter describes how one can act in his relationship with the !upreme
"ersonality of #odhead. This is called abhideya*jnana.
The fourth chapter describes the result of such action. This is known as prayojana*jnana.
$ecause the Vedanta*sutra is in codes which contain a lot of knowledge, it re8uired
commentaries )bhashyas+.
!ripada !ankaracharya wrote his commentary on Vedanta*sutra based on monism
)advaita * not two+. %e established that #od and the living entity are one. 1ot accepting
the transformation of the energy of 'bsolute Truth, which is the actual e0planation of the
Vedanta*sutra, he introduced the theory of illusion. %e claimed that everything is one
with !upreme.
There are other )theistic+ commentaries by vaishnava acharyas:
1imbarka * dvaitadvaita )oneness and dualism+
Vishnuswami * suddhadvaita )purified oneness+
(amanujacharya * visistadvaita )specific oneness+
3adhvacharya * dvaita )dualism+
$aladeva Vidyabhusana * acintya bhedabheda )inconceivable oneness and difference+
In each of these commentaries, the !upreme "ersonality of #odhead is established as the
cause of all causes, the cosmic manifestation is established as transformation of %is
inconceivable energies, and devotional service is described very e0plicitly.
Puranas, Itihasas and Kavyas
"uranas are compiled from related historical facts which e0plain the teachings of the four
Vedas. In the Chandogya 5panishad, the "uranas and the 3ahabharata, generally known
as histories, are mentioned as the fifth Veda.
!rila Vyasadeva, due to his kindness and sympathy toward the fallen souls, supplemented
the Vedas with "uranas which easily e0plain the Vedic truths, intended for different types
of men.
'll men are not e8ual. There are men who are conducted by the mode of goodness, others
who are under the mode of passion and others who are under the mode of ignorance. The
"uranas are so divided that any class of men can take advantage of them and gradually
regain their original position and get out of the hard struggle for e0istence.
'll the stories mentioned in the "uranas are actual histories, not only of this planet but
also on millions of other planets within the universe.
In the "uranas, )which are classified under the three modes+ as a matter of course, !rila
Vyasadeva has certainly given descriptions of the glories of rishna, but not as many as
given to religiosity economic development, sense gratification and salvation . These four
items are by far very inferior to engagement in the devotional service of the Lord.
Therefore, in the pure*goodness "urana, vi&., !rimad $hagavatam, !rila Vyasadeva
proclaims that the prime necessity of human life is to reali&e one.s eternal relationship
with the Lord and thus surrender unto %im without delay.
Itihasas are literatures describing historical events pertaining to either a single hero or a
few heroic personalities in a lineage: for e0ample, (amayana describing the pastimes of
!ri (amachandra and 3ahabharata describing the pastimes of the "andavas in the lineage
of the urus. In these books there are topics on transcendental subjects along with
material topics. The $hagavad*gita is a part of 3ahabharata. The whole idea of the
3ahabharata culminates in the ultimate instructions of the $hagavad*gita that one should
give up all other engagements and should engage oneself solely and fully in surrendering
unto the lotus feet of rishna. The conclusive teaching of the (amayana also is to fully
surrender and take shelter of Lord !ri (amachandra.
avyas are dramatic poetical presentations of selected histories from the Itihasas and/or
"uranas, some e0amples are (aghuvamsa, 3eghaduta, !akuntala.
'll the vedic literatures, are put into systematic order for the benefit of the fallen souls
who are detached from the transcendental loving service of the Lord, It is the duty of the
fallen souls to take advantage of such literatures and become freed from the bondage of
material e0istence.
Panharatras

pancharatrasya kritsnasya
vakta to bhagavan svayam
The "ancharatra system is spoken by the !upreme "ersonality of #odhead )just like the
$hagavad*gita+F there are 9:; "ancharatra books in which the system of worship of the
Lord in %is Deity form is e0plained to and through the great authorities of devotional
service, vi&., Lord $rahma, Lord !iva, #oddess Lakshmi etc., "adma "ancharatra,
1arada "ancharatra, %ayasirsa "ancharatra, Laksmi*tantra, and 3ahesa "ancharatra are
some of the most important books of "ancharatra.
5nder the Vedic vidhi )rules+ a student is re8uired to be a bonafide son of a brahmana or
twice born, but a sudra can be elevated to a brahmanas position by "ancaratrika vidhi.
's human society becomes degraded by the influence of the age of ali, people become
unfit for the vedic system. !o the "ancharatra system of making one 8ualified by
initiating him into the process of devotional service by which he is engaged fully in the
service of the Deity form of the Lord is the only practical method for deliverance in this
age of ali.
"ancharatra books contain elaborate descriptions on the subject matter of the e0pansions
and incarnations of the !upreme "ersonality of #odhead, especially the Deity
incarnations, detailed information on day to day worship of the Deity forms, methods of
purification of the worshipper and process of practical meditation, process of installing
temple and Deities, and instructions on how to conduct different festivals in glorification
of the pastimes of the Lord.
In the four authori&ed sampradayas, the acharyas have compiled Deity worship manuals
based on these "ancharatra books. Lord !ri Chaitanya 3ahaprabhu instructed (upa
#oswami and !anatana #oswami in the subject matter of "ancharatra and advised them
to write books on this subject.
!rila !anatana #oswami compiled %ari bhakti vilas, giving elaborate descriptions of
vaishnava regulative principles and practice. !rila (upa #oswami made his treatise on
the subject, vi&., $hakti rasamrta sindhu with profound knowledge of revealed scriptures
and authoritative references from various Vedic literatures, especially 1arada
"ancharatra.
!rila "rabhupada gave a summary study in prose on $hakti rasamrta sindhu, in his book
1ectar of Devotion. Thus the codes of conduct book for the rishna conscious devotees,
the 1ectar of Devotion, is the "ancharatra book for the rishna consciousness movement.
!he "our Boo#s

rishna Consciousness or "rema Dharma is compared to a lotus flower that gradually
unfolds in due course of time. 't first it is manifest in a budding stage which gradually
blooms until it reaches its fully blossomed stage.
Bhagavad-gita As It Is:
This book is the a, b, c book of spiritual education. This is the essence of the knowledge
imparted in the 5panishads . !ince $rahma*sutras give conclusive meaning to the
5panishads , $hagavad*gita is also the essence of the subject matter of the $rahma*
sutras. Vedic knowledge is complete because it is above all doubts and mistakes, and
$hagavad*gita is the essence of all such Vedic knowledge. 4ut of many standard and
authoritative revealed scriptures, the $hagavad*gita is the best.
In the present age people are so absorbed in mundane activities that it is not possible for
them to read all the Vedic literatures. This one book, $hagavad*gita 's It Is will suffice
because it is the essence of all vedic literatures and especially because it is spoken by the
!upreme "ersonality of #odhead.
The whole $hagavad*gita centers around the declaration that rishna is the !upreme
"ersonality of #odhead, and that the ultimate perfection of life for the living being is to
fully surrender unto %im.
Nectar of devotion:
$haktirasamrta sindhu by !rila (upa #oswami is a treatise on the codes of conduct of
devotees compiled in %aribhakti vilas by !rila !anatana #oswami. !rila "rabhupada gave
a summary study of $haktirasamrta sindhu in his book 1ectar of Devotion, thus
providing the "ancharatra for the devotees of the rishna consciousness movement.
The 1ectar of Devotion teaches us how to turn that switch that will immediately brighten
everything, everywhere, by engaging in the simple and natural method of loving rishna,
the !upreme "ersonality of #odhead. Hven those who are completely confused and
frustrated in life, can e0tinguish immediately the fire of material e0istence burning within
their hearts, by learning this art of devotional service as directed in the 1ectar of
Devotion.
The 1ectar of Devotion is specifically presented for persons who are engaged in the
rishna Consciousness movement.
Srimad-Bhagavatam:
2ithin the Vedic literature, there are two systems of education. 4ne deals with
transcendental knowledge )para vidya+ and the other with material knowledge )apara
vidya+. The Vedas and their corollaries the si0 Vedangas deal with the inferior system of
material knowledge, vi&, to improve religion )dharma+, economic development )artha+,
sense gratification )kama+, and liberation )moksa+.
's far as Vedic literature is concerned, Vedanta*sutra is accepted as the para vidya.
!rimad $hagavatam is an e0planation of that para vidya. It is the fully matured fruit of
the desire tree known as Vedic literature.
!rila "rabhupada has given his $haktivedanta )devotional Vedanta+ translations and
purports on !rimad $hagavatam as the graduate study for the devotees of the rishna
consciousness movement.
Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta:
!ri rishna appeared as !ri Chaitanya 3ahaprabhu to give practical demonstrations of
the teachings he gave as rishna. %e relished the descriptions of rishna lila given in the
!rimad $hagavatam by Vyasadeva.
!rila Vrindavan Das Thakur, the Vyasa of Chaitanya $hagavata described Lord
Chaitanya.s pastimes. ,ollowing in his footsteps !ri rishnadas aviraj #oswami,
composed !ri Chaitanya Caritamrta, in which the teachings of !ri Chaitanya 3ahaprabhu
are described in great detail.
4ne begins with $hagavad*gita and advances through !rimad $hagavatam )for which
conducting life according to the codes of 1ectar of Devotion is a must+, to the Chaitanya
Caritamrta. 'lthough all these great scriptures are on the same absolute level, for the sake
of comparative study Chaitanya Caritamrta is considered to be on the highest platform.
!rila "rabhupada says in his preface to the Chaitanya Caritamrta, GI sincerely hope that
by understanding the teachings of Lord Chaitanya human society will e0perience a new
light of spiritual life which will open the field of activity of the pure soul.G
!rila "rabhupada says in his purport to te0t 99; of chapter twenty*two, in the 3adhya*lila
of !ri Chaitanya Caritamrta:
"In our rishna consciousness movement !e have therefore "imited our study of #edic
"iteratures to Bhagavad-gita$ Srimad Bhagavatam$ Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta and
Bhaktirasamrta sindhu% &hese four !orks are sufficient for preaching purposes% &hey are
ade'uate for the understanding of the phi"osophy and the spreading of missionary
activities a"" over the !or"d%"
The whole ocean of Vedic literature is contained in these four books of !rila "rabhupada *
as you have seen through these lessons. If a student sincerely studies these four books
analytically and systematically, then these four books are enough..