Vedic Philosophy

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Most of us spend our lives searching for happiness, comforts and pleasures & trying to prevent or avoid suffering. When we are successful, we do indeed find satisfaction. But we have to acknowledge that these pleasures are transitory and short lived. All of us have searched for peace, joy and fulfilment in material things. Family, Friends & looking for name & fame. A cynic tells us that sex, money& fame make the world go round. But peace and contentment elude us .

There is a deep yearning in our hearts to achieve a state of mind where we are at peace with ourselves and are not constantly buffeted by contradictory emotional storms & desires that rage in our mind. Is it a pipe dream? Can such a state of mind be achieved?

The scriptures in every religion have tried to answer these fundamental questions in different ways for thousands of years. In this book, I am writing the belief system illustrated in Vedic tradition.

Dr. Satya Pal Arya was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. After the partition, his family moved to Himachal Pradesh, India. He finished his medical school education at All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi, India. He migrated to the United States in 1970. He finished his post graduate training in the specialty of Ears, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck surgery at Case Reserve University at Cleveland, Ohio. He is currently in Private Practice of E.N.T. Surgery in California.

During his childhood, he was exposed to Vedic Philosophy due mostly, to the influence of his uncle, Prof. Ram Prashad Vedalankar, who was teaching Vedas at Gurukul Kangri at Haridwar (India). Prof. Ram Prashad Vedalankar was a true Karma Yogi and had a level of character and integrity rarely seen. He was also deeply influenced by the writings of Swami Daya Nanda, Founder of Arya Samaj. He has extensively studied most of the Vedic scriptures. This book represents a brief synthesis of his life time of studying the Scriptures.

Most of us spend our lives searching for happiness, comforts and pleasures and trying to prevent or avoid suffering. When we are successful, we do indeed find satisfaction. But we have to acknowledge that these pleasures are transitory and short lived. All of us have searched for peace, joy and fulfillment in material things, family and friends and looking for name and fame. A cynic tells us that sex, money and fame make the world go round. But peace and contentment elude us.

There is a deep yearning in our hearts to achieve a state of mind where we are at peace with ourselves and are not constantly buffeted by contradictory emotional storms and desires that rage in our minds. Is it a pipe dream? Can such a state of mind be achieved?

One point of view is that this is how life is, consisting of ups and downs, pleasures and sorrows and duality. This state of calm and peaceful mind is an illusion.

Throughout the human history, many religious and spiritual scholars have stated categorically that not only this mental state is possible, but it should be the noblest goal of every one's life. Since this book is based on Vedic and ancient Aryan scriptures, I will try to answer from that tradition.

There is a famous verse in Rigveda which state," I know about an Exalted Conscious Being who is all knowing and untouched by any kind of limitations or ignorance. Only by knowing or realizing Him, we can cross the sea of misery, suffering and even conquer death. I don't know of any other way."

The Rishi in Shvetashvater Upnishada says," The day when we can roll the space into a sleeping mat and be able to rest on it, that day we can conquer death and suffering without knowing God." Just as it is impossible to roll the space into a mat, it will not be possible to transcend human suffering without Self Realization.

These are very unambiguous statements. We are left asking whether God exists. What is He like? Where does He live? Is it possible to know Him? How can we know Him? Who am I? What is the purpose of Life? What is my place in the scheme of things?

The scriptures in every religion have tried to answer these fundamental questions in different ways for thousands of years. In this book, I am writing the belief system illustrated in ancient scriptures of four Vedas, eleven Upanishads, six schools of Philosophy, Yoga Shastra written by Sage Patanjali, Manusmriti, Bhagvad Geeta and many other spiritual books in the Vedic tradition. I hope this effort gives my readers better understanding of ancient Vedic Philosophy and guides them in search of divine life.

Human life is a blessing. Those who realize this, value it and want to utilize it and strive for truth, the knowledge for which our soul is craving for! This book is for those aspirants who understand the first statement and are interested to know the path which is taught by Vedas, by sages and researchers of ancient and modern times, the true path that leads to the happiness of the soul. The book gives insight of Vedic Teachings as depicted by philosophers who have de-voted their life to find the truth and sacrificed their life in the service of mankind.

The author has tried to bring the true picture of growth of Hinduism and its various branches. This overview and brief introduction is included to compliment the association with the context. The answers to questions of life in direct, simple and interactive style in conversation mode and the elaboration to the point deserve credit to the author. The author is a voracious reader and has faith in Vedic Sanskriti and its teachings as reflected through his writing.

Veda, the sacred book of knowledge owes respect by all. Its principles, give you directions to lead life in right manner. This book gives you the glimpse of true notes and writing of sages and saints who lead their lives walkin& on the path of truth and devoted it for almighty and service of mankind.

The book give essence of Vedic knowledge and doctrine of life in a nutshell packaged for seekers of truth. What is Yoga? Where does it lead to? Death, what is it? 'What happens after death? The soul, its limits and strengths etc. are the topics gravely touched and explained. With this book the author has tried to follow the principle-: " Ved ka parana paraana our sunana sunaana sab aryon ka param dharm hai" i.e. " It is prime duty of each Arya-great intellectual being to read, teach and listen , recite the Ved Epic....".

**Contents and Sample Pages**