Remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness

 

Photos of a Full Moon and the clouds using my new Mobile - ASUS Zenfone 2.Not bad for a night shot, the First one taken using a normal mode and the other one using the night mode.

I am sorry to say that, I have been extremely busy both at work and with family. Hopefully, I get some time next week to write something.I need both, an inspiration from Krishna and some time to think and write. Talking about the inspiration actually, in Bhagavad Gita 15.15 Lord Krishna Says,

“sarvasya cāham hrdi sannivisto

 mattah smrtir jñānam apohanam ca

 vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo

 vedānta-krd veda-vid eva cāham

Translation: I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

Purport: The Supreme Lord is situated as Paramātmā in everyone's heart, and it is from Him that all activities are initiated. The living entity forgets everything of his past life, but he has to act according to the direction of the Supreme Lord, who is witness to all his work. Therefore he begins his work according to his past deeds. Required knowledge is supplied to him, and remembrance is given to him, and he forgets, also, about his past life. Thus, the Lord is not only all-pervading; He is also localized in every individual heart. He awards the different fruitive results. He is worshipable not only as the impersonal Brahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the localized Paramātmā, but as the form of the incarnation of the Vedas as well. The Vedas give the right direction to people so that they can properly mold their lives and come back to Godhead, back to home. The Vedas offer knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and Krsna in His incarnation as Vyāsadeva is the compiler of the Vedānta-sūtra. The commentation on the Vedānta-sūtra by Vyāsadeva in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives the real understanding of Vedānta-sūtra. The Supreme Lord is so full that for the deliverance of the conditioned soul He is the supplier and digester of foodstuff, the witness of his activity, and the giver of knowledge in the form of Vedas and as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Krsna, the teacher of the Bhagavad-gītā. He is worshipable by the conditioned soul. Thus God is all-good; God is all-merciful.

Antah-pravistah śāstā janānām. The living entity forgets as soon as he quits his present body, but he begins his work again, initiated by the Supreme Lord. Although he forgets, the Lord gives him the intelligence to renew his work where he ended his last life. So not only does a living entity enjoy or suffer in this world according to the dictation from the Supreme Lord situated locally in the heart, but he receives the opportunity to understand the Vedas from Him. If one is serious about understanding the Vedic knowledge, then Krsna gives the required intelligence. Why does He present the Vedic knowledge for understanding? Because a living entity individually needs to understand Krsna. Vedic literature confirms this: yo 'sau sarvair vedair gīyate. In all Vedic literature, beginning from the four Vedas, Vedānta-sūtra and the Upanisads and Purānas, the glories of the Supreme Lord are celebrated. By performance of Vedic rituals, discussion of the Vedic philosophy and worship of the Lord in devotional service, He is attained. Therefore the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Krsna. The Vedas give us direction by which to understand Krsna and the process of realizing Him. The ultimate goal is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.4) confirms this in the following words: tat tu samanvayāt. One can attain perfection in three stages. By understanding Vedic literature one can understand his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by performing the different processes one can approach Him, and at the end one can attain the supreme goal, who is no other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this verse the purpose of the Vedas, the understanding of the Vedas, and the goal of the Vedas are clearly defined.”

Translation and Purport by  His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupad.

As explained by the Lord and Srila Prabhupad, the ultimate object and essence of learning vedas is to know the Ultimate Supreme reality which is Lord Krishna himself. But, so many times people get misguided and loose track, the great philosophers, highly knowledgeable scholar of Vedas, they think that to read Vedas is to enjoy in this life, get liberation from this body and attain heaven and again enjoy there. Infact, in the discussion between Narada and Vyasadev, Rishi Narada explains to Vyasa who is his student that, even though you have compiled the Vedas, Brahma Sutras, Upanishads and other Puranas which explain so many things and give so much knowledge, all of them does not talk about the sweet, nectarean  Glories, pastimes of Supreme Personality of Godhead and his devotees. And, infact whatever you have written in the Vedas will actually make people enjoy their senses albeit in a controlled and regulated way. Thus, you write a book that explains about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and his devotees etc.

And, that is how the Srimad Bhagavatham was written which consists of 18,000 slokas describes the ten subjects, which are (1) the creation of the ingredients of the cosmos, (2) the creations of Brahma, (3) the maintenance of the creation, (4) special favour given to the faithful, (5) impetuses for activity, (6) prescribed duties for law-abiding men, (7) a description of the incarnations of the Lord, (8) the winding up of the creation, (9) liberation from gross and subtle material existence, and (10) the ultimate shelter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

One more interesting point is the remembrance and forgetfulness, both come from the Lord. So does this mean, God is responsible for what ever we do? No, not really. Please refer to my previous blog post - http://ausram.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/fate-and-destiny-say-no-to-fatalistic.html