Ananthan: 1.Sir,do you believe that quran,bible and vedas are from the same one GOD? If so do we have to follow every scripture?
Swami Ram Swarup: This is not a matter of believing by one or for all, but it is matter of believing the truth only because truth prevails. In every religious where truth exists then we have to follow the truth but here we will have to understand that when the creation starts after expiry of the period of final destruction then there exists no any spiritual Guru/learned who could give the knowledge to the non-sexual creation. Then only the eternal knowledge of the Vedas emanates direct from God and is originated in the heart of four rishis from where it spreads in the human beings and they become learned. There is a fundamental law that the knowledge is gained when it is given by somebody. So, in the beginning of the creation, the knowledge is gained by the four rishis and is given by the God. When the people become learned gaining the Vedic knowledge then the learned rishis, munis, naturally started writing their spiritual books like 6 shastras, upnishad, Valmiki Ramayan and Mahabharat epic, etc. So, we will have to say that the traditionally people got the knowledge and the religious books were written accordingly.
Ananthan: 2.Quran mentions in about 2000 verses about the importance of monotheism and the concept of heaven and hell.our atharvaveda also speaks about heaven and hell. Do you think of any similarity? Quran and Bible mentions about angels like Gabriel and Michael. Do vedas say anything about such things? (in Rigveda several verses mention about a creature called ‘maruth’are these things angels or what)
Swami Ram Swarup: Vedas never speak about heaven and hell. Please refer to the article below:
Swarg Narak
Swarg and narak are on earth only based on the deeds of previous lives’, because the deeds of present life will be borne in the future life. Punishment is given to bear the result of past deeds only without considering that individual repents or not. If one has to repent then while experiencing enjoyment of worldly articles, he always sees the other poor, defaulters, orphans, lame, leprosy patients and moreover several deaths which cause sorrows, as the result of previous deeds. But very few repent and become ascetic. In this connection Rig-Veda mantra 10/135/2 says that God has given the human body to face the result of the past sins. And whatever sins the individual does in the present life he will face the same in the next births. But those who go to a learned Acharya and follow the true path while discharging family duties, they kill the previous sins in this life and have no sin to bear in the next life because such persons always do pious deeds under the guidance of a learned Acharya who knows Vedas.
The person is given punishment in another life because he has to face the result of the deeds of past lives’ in the present birth and thus no scope of bearing the sins in the present life of deeds (sinful) done in the present life. This is a fundamental law of Vedas which I have written so many times stating three types of karmas and would request you to please see www.vedmandir.com also in this connection. This human life is only blessed to go to a learned Acharya, to understand philosophy of good and bad deeds, sins, philosophy of worship, aim of life, duties etc., as is also said in Rig-Veda mantra 10/135/3.
Vedas do not speak about angels. However, Vedas speak that the devotee who starts learning Vedas and practice of ashtang yoga philosophy, perform havan from Veda mantras, does service of parents and Acharya, does name jaap of God daily, he then is awarded the pious name of dev-devta and devi, etc.
And he who is against the Vedas and never follow Vedic path, or never make contact with the learned Acharya, vidvaan, sant, yogi, etc. and is involved in illusion. He is given the name of asur, raksas, devil, etc.
Marut means manushya that is human being who one day who has to meet with mrityu i.e. death.
Ananthan: 3.do vedas mention about any pilgrimage?
Swami Ram Swarup: Yes, but Vedas tell about different type of preach on this matter. Vedas tell that there are two types of pilgrimage – 1st so boat is called pilgrimage as it carries us from one bank of the river to the other. 2nd name of the pilgrimage is the place of a learned Acharya of Vedas and ashtang yog philosophy where the devotees goes and resides to get the Vedic knowledge and yog philosophy which enable them to cross the cycle of death and birth from this world.
Ananthan: 4. Do vedas tell about any idol worship?
Swami Ram Swarup: No please. Vedas is an eternal and everlasting knowledge which emanates direct from God. I need to say that God and the learned of Vedas never tell lie whereas the ordinary man and woman are in the habit of telling lie, say Shatpath Brahman Granth.
So when God Himself states in the Vedas, especially in Yajurved mantra 40/8 that He is formless, Omnipresent, Almighty, gives the knowledge of the Vedas, and in the other mantra God straightaway states, ‘Na tasya pratima asti, yasya naam Mahat’ that is who is known as the greatest, unchangeable, He (the God), is formless and therefore has no any idol. He has no shape. He is everywhere and therefore needs no necessity of having any organ and shape, being Almighty. Because He controls the universe without any shape and organs then why He would build His form/shape when without shape every divine deed of the universe is being done.
You see this has no any importance if we do or discharge our duties with our senses, perceptions, mind and intellect, etc. Its important, surprising case is this that God is controlling the universe without any shape that is why He is called God. His all divine knowledge, power and deeds are natural are being done automatically due to only by the smallest matter of his divine power. I mean to say God does not do any deeds but due to influence of his one atom power, all world is being controlled, say Yajurved mantra 31/3. So you can imagine automatically of the Almightly is unlimited, unchallengeable and unchangeable. Problem is this that people have become into the habit of listening and studying the religious book written by man or woman, or the lecture delivered by man or woman but not by the learned Acharya of Vedas and ashtang yog philosophy.
When the world, as in the ancient period, will get into the habit of listening the Vedas then all doubts will be over and peace will be maintained in the whole of the world, as before.
Ananthan: 5. Vedas mention about havan and Quran about salat and Bible also speaks of events like Jesus prostrated in a specific direction to please God. Which type of prayer we should follow or any of this we like?
Swami Ram Swarup: Everyone is free to say anything and to do any spiritual deed at their own but when the question of Vedas would arise our ancient rishis, as well as present rishis/learned Acharyas would automatically start throwing light on the eternal and everlasting knowledge of Vedas which emanates direct from God in the beginning of every non-sexual creation.
Ananthan: 6. Muslims argue that Sri Ram and Sri Krishna are just prophets but not God. What do you think?
Swami Ram Swarup: It is not a matter of thinking of human being but it is a matter of the preach of the God, which exists in the Vedas and Vedas never promote incarnation because it is not possible in any circumstances that God will come in womb of a mother because God already exists there, being Omnipresent. So, Sri Ram and Sri Krishna were not avatar (God). They followed the Vedic knowledge and the God according to the Vedic philosophy originated in their heart. So, they are ever-adorable because God was originated in their heart but they were not God. Similarly our rishi munis are also adorable because the God also originated in their heart. The ancient as well as present rishi who have followed Vedas, done ashtang yog philosophy and thus attained salvation/realized God, are also adorable, but they were also not God, according to Atharvaved mantra 4/11/7. Sri Ram, Krishna, and all ancient and present Rishis are like God but not God.