Taniya: Pranaam guru maharaj ji

Maharaaj ji,If we do Havan everyday and chant the name of God (naam jap) , will the sins committed in our past lives be cut off, they will not trouble us in this life.

Swami Ram Swarup: Yes beti he who performs daily hawan and yaj and also does name jaap of God daily then his/her previous lives’ sins are destroyed definitely. My blessings to you beti.

Debasish: Pranams Swamiji….what is Agama?? Is it equivalent to the Vedas?..What is Vedanga….is it different from Vedanta i.e the Upanishads… being both are the extract of same eternal Vedas… Thank you.

Swami Ram Swarup: In yog shastr pratyaksh, pramaan aur agam teen pramaon ke vishay mein kaha hai, article pasted below——

“PRATYAKSHANUMANAAGAMAHA PRAMANNANI”.

In aagam pramaan, there are two pramaan(proofs) to realise truth:

1. “Aaptopdeshaha Shabdaha” (Sankhya shastra sutra 1/66). That is a Rishi who knows Vedas and has realized God by practicing Ashtang Yoga, is considered a proof to realise truth of traitwad cited above, which means that whatever he says is true, because he only says his experience of Samadhi (salvation) and hard study of Vedas and practical yajyen that is why, Kapil muni has told in his said sutra that the preach of such Rishis is true and is considered a proof to determine the truth.

2. Second proof in Aagam pramaan is- Four Vedas but Vedas have not been written by any Rishi etc. Vedas are the knowledge originated in the heart of four Rishis at the time of creation. So, Vedas are considered as “Swataha pramaan” (self-proof) being the knowledge direct from the God. So, Vedas need no proof. On this matter of Vedas, there are so many ved mantras like Yajurveda mantra 31/7. The said mantras says that Rigveda, Samveda, Atharvaveda and Yajurveda is the eternal knowledge from God, that is, Vedas emanated direct from God, so are self proof, that is why, Rishi Patanjali says in his Yoga Shastra Sutra-1/26.

 “Saha Eshah Poorvesham Api Guruhu Kalenaan Avachedat” that is the Almighty God is the first Guru of the ancient Rishi at the time of first non-sexual creation. The God by His power originated the knowledge of four Vedas in the heart of four Rishis and thereafter the Rishi-munis of such qualities have been our Guru. Vyas muni commenting on this Sutra 1/26 says that at the time of creation, there was no Guru to give knowledge to the persons because every Rishi left his body in the previous creation, which creation had been destroyed in the final destruction of universe (Pralaya) and as a principle, until knowledge is given by anybody, the knowledge cannot be attained. So our first Guru is Almighty God, Him self who gave the knowledge of four Vedas, which was followed by our ancient Rishis traditionally and we have to follow to maintain the eternal culture and realise Prakriti, soul and God, being the main objective of this human life. Therefore, in the whole world, that path or the knowledge is true which tallies with four Vedas. This fundamental law of God must be known by everybody seriously to reach the truth. Unluckily, most of the saints are talking at their own accord and what a wonder even that they usually tell not to study the Vedas, not to perform the holy Yagna and not to follow the Yoga Philosophy; which are against the Vedas, the knowledge of God.

So agam means Rishi praman evam ved praman.

Yes vedang means the books written by rishi muni which assist to learn the Vedas like divine sanskrit, ashtadhayi, six shastras etc.