Study of Vedas

[Vaidya Sundaram]

namaskaram.
 You seem to be on the opinion that if you follow your conscience, you are
doing OK. I have included some portions of  your posting(s) below for
reference on this ... - please refer to a truly inspiring speech by HH
Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swami of kanchi - the article is titled Sastras
or Concience, and the url for this on the web is
http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part4/chap4.htm - let me quote only a
few sentences here - "These treatises are the authority on which dharma is
founded. You find the form of things, the image, with your eyes; you
perceive sound with your ears; you know dharma with the help of
Dharmasastra. (...) In matters of the Self, of dharma and religion, the
Vedas are in the forefront as our guide. Next come the dharmasastras. Third
is the conduct of the great sages of the past. Fourth is the example of the
virtuous people of our own times. Conscience comes last in determining
dharma"

 HH clearly address your point head on - do you choose through concience (or
choice based on one's own convictions arrived at by repeated ponderings with
the expertise of only one intellect) or do you go by the recommendations of
the Sastras, which is really only a well formulated set of processes arrived
at by the experience and learning and applied discrimination of not just one
indicidual but a whole civilization ahead of us.

 One must also bear in mind that learning upto the death bed does not mean
that the knowledge dies with the physical death. I know of a several great
men of today and yesteryears who took great pains to learn the vedas upto
the day they died. They had the conviction that such effort would bear fruit
and they would be able to continue such learning in their immediate next
births. Let us not delude ourselves into thinking that the effor we make in
this life is sufficient. Shri Krishna Bhagawan himself says so when he says
(7.19) bahunaam janmanaam ante jnaanavaan maam prapadyate - At the end of
many births the man of Knowledge attains Me - please also refer BG 4.38 - On
earth there is no purifier as great as knowledge; he who has attained purity
of heart through a prolonged practice of karamayoga automatically sees the
light of truth in the self in course of time. - He clearly says the practice
of karma yoga is the way to go, and it is prolonged.

So, let us not delude our selves that we can figure this maya out; let us
atleast not discourage people who want to learn the vedas; if you so fully
believe divine will, why do you refuse to follow what that will is telling
you through the sastras?

bhava shankara desikame sharaNam
Vaidya.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Srikrishna Ghadiyaram" <srikrishna_ghadiyaram at YAHOO.COM>

> Some time ago, I too felt that I should have learnt
> the Vedas under some unexplicable emotion; rather when
> I hear that this Vedic knowledge is endangered, as if
> I am going to save it. But I realized it was not "I"
> who can do it, the Supreme has His plans for it. It is
> for me to use my time effectively to learn the
> essentials at first and get into a more contemplative
> life style, withdrawal and identify my own attachments
> and get over those short comings. In my view they are
> more important than at first emotionally deciding to
> learn Samhitas. After all the Goal is Realisation not
> memorisation of Samhitas.

> I also read Malayala Swami saying that it is good to
> live for one year in an asram before taking Sanyasa.
> It seemed practical to me. We have a scope to evaluate
> ourselves, and do not do things out of a temporary
> mental situation.
>
> Swadharma is not a matter of Sanyasa or otherwise.
> Yes, one has to do present duties and confirm to
> Sanyasa dharma too if adopted.

> I guess it is upto ones scheme of evaluation or
> evolution of mind.