Ishvar ( God)
The first golden rule of Arya Samaj says-
‘ The primordial root of all
true knowledge and objects made known by the true knowledge is the supreme God’.
Arya Samaj believes that when a person gets tempted to do something which
is wrong , than his conscience makes him feel fear,doubt and shame in his
heart; similarly when he initiates to do something which is good his conscience
makes him feel fearless, confident and proud with joy. This system of
conscience is not driven by person himself but by Ishvar (God).
Arya samaj argues that when a person sees a unique thing say An Eifel
Tower or a Statue Of Liberty , than there are two types of knowledge come into
the mind of the beholder – first the physical and visible form of the thing and
second the imagination of its maker which is invisible at that time. When one
looks around in the universe he comes across vast verities of things and
systems – the only answer to their maker and manager is – one and only Ishvar.
The bodies of all living beings and the complex functioning of each and
every limb, the earth filled with so many metals and minerals , the birth of
trees out of small seeds, creation of innumerable kinds of leaves, flowers,
fruits, grains, roots etc. , billions of planets, stars, sun, moon – not only
their creation but also their management of movement under disciplined systems
– all these make one believe in Ishvar.
Aryasmaj believes that like one cannot see by his ears the views, and
cannot hear words by his eyes , similarly he cannot see or realize Ishvar
without his clear innermost(antahkaran) and proper knowledge and proper
practices of yoga and meditation . The way one can’t get the benefits of education
without acquiring education, similarly without acquiring knowledge of requisite
science and other tools like meditation one cannot see or feel the existence of
Ishvar.
Aryasamaj firmly declares and believes that there is one and only one
Ishvar in the whole universe, and we bow our head, worship and pray with our
total belief in Him; other than that there is no one comparable to Him and
worth any prayer or belief. Therefore
followers of Aryasamaj , as their daily
ritual perform Yajna (Brahmyagya) which is a combination of Sandhya
– recital of selected Vedic Mantras , Swadhyay – self-study about him,
and Satsang – a group exercise to pray and talk about Ishvar.
To save people from wrong notions about Ishvar, Arya Samaj has defined
Ishvar in the second Golden Principle of Arya Samaj, which reads like this –
‘God is self-existence, intelligence and bliss -
personified. He is devoid of form, omnipotent, just, benevolent, eternal,
infinite, unchangeable, without a beginning, incomparable, support of all from
within, undecaying, imperishable, fearless, holy and the maker of the universe.
To him alone is worship due.’
Ishvar is addressed by many names each name representing his each
quality. None of his names is meaningless. Each name symbolizes either his
quality or his actions or his nature. People wrongly start believing each name
as a different Ishvar. In spite of so many names the main name of Ishvar is AUM.
Stuti (Praise), Prarthna
(Prayer) and Upasana (Worship)
We praise Ishvar for all his great qualities as we are the beneficiary of
all his creations, such praise is called Stuti. While doing Stuti, we express
our gratitude to him.
When we are doing some major work with our full might, at that time, we
seek help from Ishvar, so that, in spite of all our hard work, we should not
fail in our endeavour. Such request to Ishvar is Prarthna.
Upasana has got deep meaning. Our object of life is to attain the level,
where we get to see Ishvar through the eyes of our mind. Practicing the tools
of such attainment is called Upasana. These tools are called Ashtangyog ( 8
kinds of Yoga), which consists of – Yam, Niyam, Aasan, Pranayam, Pratyahar,
Dhaarna, Dhyan and Samadhi. All these
yogas need to be studied in details for deeper knowledge.
When one who is suffering due to very cold climate, feels comfort when he
sits near fireplace , similarly a person suffering from the misery and defects
in his life gets complete relief and ease when he comes closer to Ishvar. His
own life gets influenced by the qualities of Ishvar which are attainable for
human beings. Arya Samaj thinks that on performing Stuti, Prarthna and Upasana, a person becomes
so strong in his heart and mind that he becomes fearless in facing any kind of
misery and problems. Ishvar fills his heart with courage, patience and wisdom.
Devta
The word Devta means the ‘Giver’. As per deeper meaning of the word Devta
– it means the giver of enlightenment, provider of true knowledge and blessings
and who is a huge place himself in which all are accommodated. This definition
clearly states that Devta means Ishvar. He is the largest giver of the
universe. He provides us light by way of
sun, moon, fire (agni), lightening (vidhyut) etc. He provided the mankind with
true knowledge by providing four Vedas in the beginning of the Shrishti
(Creation Of Universe). His knowledge is the original source of knowledge of
all Gurus, Parents and other preachers. He has provided us the facilities like
water, air, vegetation etc. in the universe which accommodates all living beings.
People believe that there are different Devtas as different Ishvars; this
is a misconception. Ishvar is one and only one, he is recalled by different
name for his different qualities. Different names of Devta are Vasu, Rudra, Aaditya, Indra and Prajapati.
The word ‘Vasu’ covers
eight vital components of universe- Earth (Prithvi), Water (Jal), Fire
(Agni), Air (Vayu), Firmament (Aakash), Moon (Chandrama), Stars (Nakshatra), and
Sun (Surya). Vasu is one who
accommodates all these eight within himself.
Rudra Devta is responsible for the continuity of a life in a body. Rudra consists of
ten types of Pran (source of life) , which are named as praan, apaan, vyan,
samaan, udaan, naag, koorm, krukal, devdatt and Dhanjjay along with the
eleventh element- Jeev or the life .
Aaditya consists of the time and its measurements. Aaditya consists of all 12
months of vedic calendar, which is used as a tool to measure time as well as
age of everyone and everything.
Indra Devta is the lightening which is provider of prosperity and knowledge.
Prajapati includes yajna and animals – which are instrumental in purification of
air and water and parenting of all live
beings.
Devta also includes – grains, breath, name, place and birth.
Five Devtas (Panchya-dev) includes father and mother, guru, guest and
Ishvar.
Five Senses of human, also known as Gyanendriyas along with the sixth are
also referred as Devta.
In this way all livings, non livings, visible, non visible are all
covered under the word Devta. Arya Samaj worships all these qualities of Devta
by doing Agnihotra or Devyagya; also known as yajna. The Agnihotra is a symbol
of benevolence as it spreads the endearing smell which is useful for living
beings spread through the atmosphere. Performing a Pooja of a devta implies
taking the right use of that quality of Devta which is relevant for a
particular objective and not any kind of ritual.
Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesha-Ganesha
etc.
Arya Samaj believes that there is one and only one Ishvar; but in Vedas
Ishvar is referred by different names as per the attributes of Ishvar in
description . Few names are – Brahma, Vishnu, Mahadev, Laxmi, Kuber, Shakar,
Rudra, Yagya, Ganesh, Ganpati, Visheshvar, Devi, Shakti, Shree, Sarsvati,
Dharmraj, Yama, Kaal, Shesh, Swayambhu, Kavi, Shiv etc. The different image, sizes and shapes
assigned to these names are all manmade. Images come out of imagination of
people only; because Ishvar is formless. The different imaginations of images
are also based on the quality of Ishvar described along with that name
referred. Whatever will exist in a visible form will have a birth as well as
death- which is not possible with Ishvar. Therefore Arya Samaj neither believes in these manmade images and
idols and nor does it worship these mortal subjects.
Jeev ( Also Called Jeevatma or Soul)
Jeev is the power which keeps a
human, animal, birds, fishes or any living being alive. A human body without
soul is just material. Like Ishvar is immortal without its birth, death or
decay, similarly Jeev also possess the same properties. Ishvar is present
everywhere in the universe, therefore also known as ‘Sarvagya – one who knows
everything in universe’ ; but the Jeev (Aatma) being contained inside a body,
is called ‘Alpagya- one who knows little’. The relationship between Aatma and Parmatma is that of a son and a father or of a servant and the
master.
Since eternity, Aatma has been
being rewarded or punished for its good or bad deeds during its being in a
body; the ultimate goal (lakshya) being the Moksha ( Relief from the cycle of birth and death). Ishvar is
always accompanying the Aatma and watching all its deeds. Ishvar decides the
reward or punishment based on the performance of the Jeev.
Ishvar has empowered Jeev with
different kinds of qualities and strengths. Jeev also enjoys the freedom of
doing his acts- good or bad acts. How will a Jeev be born in his next birth is
determined by his acts. He gets elevated to better life for his good acts and
downgraded to other Yonis of animals
for his bad acts. This cycle of life and death, movement between different
yonis continues.
Ishvar being our Guru also, has
provided us with the sacred knowledge of Vedas at the time of formation of
Shrishti ; however he has given us freedom to be benefitted with this knowledge
and do good deeds or to ignore the knowledge and make mistakes.
Arya Samaj believes that ‘Jeev’
and ‘Ishvar’ are two distinct powers. Unlike Jainsim- Arya Samaj does not
believe that Jeev can ever be Ishvar; nor do Arya Samaj believes the Jeev being
a part of ishvar which is performing a magic like a hypnotist as believed by
Brahma-vaadis. Arya Samaj disagrees with Christianity and Islam also which
simply believes that God or Allah said- let there be life and it was there !
Arya Samaj is of a strong opinion that Jeev is an independent existence other
than God. The major difference is that Ishvar is one, whereas Jeev-atmas are
numerous; Ishvar knows everything; Jeev-atma knows very little; Ishvar is
Omnipotent; jeev-atma has limited strength; Ishvar is the provider of ultimate
award/punishment based on karmas and the Jeev-atma is the reciver of the same.
Vigyan (Science)
Science is a very important arm
of knowledge. In fact Science is one true supporter of truth. It believes what
it finds logical and provable. This limits their imagination. Scientist lost
their interest in religion and spiritualism because of induction of lies and
stories of miracles and all the unbelievable stuff,
Arya Samaj believes that Science
is the true believer of the principal rules of the universe. The true religion
and science are complimentary to each other and not against each other as is
being made out by many.
Punarjanm (Reincarnation )
Ishvar has designed a cycle for
the Jeev-atmas. When a Jeev-atma gets birth in some form, Ishvar provides it
with strength and qualities to perform. If it performs with good deeds it gets
awarded during its life time also after the life is over. For its good deeds it
gets promoted to a better life in the next birth; and for its bad deeds it gets
demoted to a worse Yoni. Arya Samaj also believes that Ishvar has made the
Human Yoni for doing good or bad deeds based on its own mind and thoughts;
whereas Ishvar has created other yonis of animals etc. for the purpose of
completing a sentence of punishment given by Ishvar. Manushya Yoni (human) is
for Karmas and Bhogas both; whereas all other yonis of the animals are only
Bhog Yonis- the lives for settling the punishments of previous births. The
ultimate state of reward for good deeds done in Manushya Yoni is the attainment
of the state of Moksha. Moksha is an ultimate state of the Happiness of being
close to the Ishvar ; in which the Jeev is freed from being reborn in any of
the Yonis.
What makes Arya Samaj believe in
this theory of Reincarnation based on Karmas are the following queries of human
mind-
1. Why do we see varieties of Jeev- human and animals,
enjoying or suffering in different ways? The results are indicative of earlier
deeds.
2. If there was no reincarnation after death, than what is the
purpose of doing any good deeds during one’s life time ?
3. We cannot remember the incidents of previous life; as we
forget so many incidents or things of our present life as well.
We don’t remember things of
previous birth and that is boon for us; had we been remembering everything of
our previous births, life would have been very difficult with all the knowledge
of old sufferings, relations, success-failures, animosity etc.
Destiny ( Prarbdh or Luck or Chance)
The environment in which we get
our birth is due to the deeds of our previous birth. During this life also what
we generally get – pains-pleasures, success-failures, sufferings-happiness –
are all outcome of our deeds of the present life. Many a times there are
exceptional situations; when we do our best and yet we are not rewarded;
sometimes we have done nothing wrong and yet we get punished- such unexpected
outcome are also called Destiny or Prarbdh. Destiny or Prarbdh are nothing but the
rewards or punishments of our accumulated good or bad deeds of previous birth.
As we don’t know the details we often call such results – ‘desire of Ishvar’ ;
but in fact those unexplained results are also the results of our own deeds.
One should not over emphasize on
Destiny and should focus on his own deeds; for the simple reason, he cannot
control the outcome of destiny but he can improve his life with good deeds of
present birth. One should accept the destiny as his own due share from Ishvar,
but on the basis of his own deeds.
Is Moksha a permanent state ?
Generally most of the religious
groups who agree with the concept of Attainment of Moksha , believe Moksha as
the ultimate reward for Jeev-atma. They
also believe that Moksha is a unique state of Happiness. The concept of Moksha
encourages people to do good deeds only. But while others are silent about the
duration of the Moksha-tenure, believing it to be a permanent state which never
changes, Swami Dayanand differs on the subject.
Swami Dayanand worked out, based
on ancient scriptures, that the state of Moksha is not unlimited; he said that
the duration of tenure of Moksha (Mukti) is equal to the duration of 36000
Shrishti - Kaals ( the time between Shrishti and Pralay).
Swamiji , in support of his
theory, gave following logics-
1. There cannot be unlimited reward for limited performance.
2. Jeev being in a continuous existence cannot remain
stationed in one end.
3. If the process of getting into Moksha is irreversible,
there is a risk that someday, the shrishti will become life less as there will
not be any Jeev left out of Mukti.
4. Jeev does so many efforts for small worldly pleasures;
hence no performance can be huge enough to grant him a permanent state of
Mukti.
5. Such long duration of 36000 Shrishti-kaals is almost an
eternity in comparison of the life of a jeev in a worldly body.
6. A permanent state of Mukti takes away the freedom of Jeev
to perform; in fact it’s very purpose becomes without any aim.
Traitvaad
The Shrishti (universe) is the
outcome of three factors which are true
and present at all times; as they have always been there and will continue to
be there. There is no beginning or end of all the three factors. The three
factors are – Ishvar (Almighty God),
Jeev (Souls) and Nature (Prikriti). The way in the
process of making a product there are three factors – 1) The raw material 2)
The equipments or machines and 3) The person operating the process; similarly
in the process of running the Universe Nature acts as the raw material, Jeev as
the machinery and Ishvar as the Operator of the whole system.
Ishvar created the universe with
the help of the available forms of Prikriti; he gave the freedom to all souls
to perform by living in human body or any other living being; he made
provisions to reward or punish the soul for its karmas as a human. Hence Ishvar
is supreme having provided the system to the cycle of Shrishti.
Aryasamaj believes in the theory
of Traitvaad.
Shrishti (Universe) and Yug ( duration of each shrishti)
Our ancient scriptures suggest that
the duration of each Shrishti is
four Arab ( 1 Arab= 100 Crores) and 32 crores , that means 432 crore years.
After this duration the Pralay
(total devastation) takes place. The duration of each Pralay is also same as
one Shrishti , that is 432 Crore years. The period during the Shrishti is
called Brahm-Din ( God’s Day) and
the period during a Pralay is called Brahm-Ratri
( God’s Night).
Another unit of time known as Chaturyugi consists of 33 lacs and 20
thousand years. One Brahm-Din accommodates 1000 Chaturyugis. One Chaturyugi
consists of 4 Yugs, which are called
– Satyug, Dwapar, Treta and Kaliyug. Kaliyug is nothing but an
unit of time being a part of a Yug. Generally people talk of Kaliyug as the
worst time but that is not true. It is just a unit of time.
Jaap
Repeatedly pronouncing a word, a sentence or a mantra is
called Jaap. Arya Samaj believes
that Jaap is an essential act of worshipping Ishvar. Jaap is something which is
to be done by one for oneself; no one else can perform Jaap on somebody’s
behalf. Sandhya – a set of mantras
starts with Jaap of mantras by every Aryasamaji. A proper Sandhya involves the
focus of mind and not just reciting mantras while the mind is wandering. Arya
Samaj recommends the Jaap of AUM in
the heart with complete mind focused on the pronunciation from within. A Jaap
of Gaytri Mantra is useful, if we concentrate on the prayer written therein.
There are mantras in Sandhya which are more useful for Jaap
if coupled with process of Pranayam. Similarly Jaap of other mantras while
concentrating on the meanings of mantras controls our mind and keep it focused
as per the guidelines.
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