Priyanshu: Pranam guruji! I have two questions! The first is that where does the soul goes after getting free from birth and rebirth? Will the person loose his individuality or will he be conscious of his existence?
Second question ueh hai ki kya Vishnu aur Shiv naam Vedas me mentioned hai? Main ye to janta hu ki Vedas ek hi God ke baare me baat karte hai alag alag naam se.. to kya usme do naam Vishnu aur Shiv bhi hn?
Aapka keemti samay dene ke liye dhanyawad!
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you.
Soul in the period of salvation always remains with God and realizes daily anand, anand and anand. Soul is free to do any act in the world or in the sky. He can even wield body when desires to enjoy etc.
Yes, beta Vishnu and Shiv names are mentioned in vedas but both the names are of Almighty God Who creates, nurses and destroys universe.
I paste some of my articles in this regard:-
Names of God
In the Vedas there is only one God but has so many names according to His qualities. For example His name is OM which means the God is the saviour of all. His name is SURYA (sun) i.e., sun has light but sun takes light from God because God has the supreme and Divine light of His own. His name is Chandrma (moon). Moon gives peace, calm, cold and charming light so the name of God is also Chandrma (moon) because God gives peace, calm etc., to those who worship etc., etc. we all people do not worship thirty three Goddesses as briefed above. Shiva means Kalyan i.e., happiness, welfare, good fortune and benediction etc., i.e., He who does welfare to human beings, He is Shiva and He is only one Almighty God said above. Vishnu means He who is everywhere and He is only one Almighty God.
Rig-Veda mantra 1/164/46 says,” EKAM SADRUPA VIPRAH BAHUDHA VADANTI,” i.e., EKAM SATAM means
is one i.e., God is one but VIPRAH = Rishis, Munis who were/are learned of Vedas, BAHUDHA VADANTI utter so many names of God mentioned in Vedas like AGNIM YAMAM MATRISHVANAM AAHUHU meaning-the names of God are Agni, Yam, Matrishva and AAHUHU means “says”. In Yajurveda mantra 32/1 the names of God stated are AGNI, ADITYA, VAAYU, CHANDRMA, SHUKRAM, BRAHM, AAPAH, and PRAJAPATIHI ETC, ETC, ETC. I would explain the meaning of above all the names of God in brief due to shortage of time and space.
AGNI= agrini i.e., at the top or who comes first or who was before the creation and according to the said qualities, here the meaning of Agni pertains to God i.e., God is eternal and therefore exists always before the creation etc. that is why Rigveda mantra 1/1/1 says AGNIM Eedey – in the said mantra the meaning of Agni is God according to the qualities and situation. Meaning of Eedey is desire. Therefore the meaning of Agnim Eedey is , “I am desirous of God. Similarly YAM means controller of universe, Matrishva means air i.e., like the air God gives life to human beings. Aditya means which can not be broken into pieces, Chandrma means like moon God gives calm/peace, Shukram means Almighty, Brahma means the superior/the biggest/the greatest etc., in the universe, Aapah means omnipresent, Prajapatihi means one who nurses the universe. So all the said meanings have the qualities of God and hence the name of God in the
Vedas, but these are always uttered by Rishis Munis, who are learned of Vedas, as mentioned in Rig-Veda mantra quoted above. Therefore only Rishis Munis who are learned of Vedas, utter or tell the holy name of God mentioned in Vedas and those who do not know Vedas can never utter the above holy names of God. But the said holy names, on the other hand, are even of surprising nature to them.
One thing more, the holy names of God in the Vedas are according to the nature, knowledge and deeds (God creates, nurses, destroys and controls the universe etc.) of Almighty God. Therefore those names are eternal and countless. So I am not able to mention here infinite names of Almighty God being beyond imagination, beyond calculation and beyond description etc., and we have to worship the said Almighty God whose description is in four Vedas, whose study has mostly been made to be stopped by the present saints who are against the Vedas and speak only charming stories etc., and never tell about Vedas. Whereas the description of Vedas is in Geeta, Ramayana,
six shastras, Upnishads and all ancient holy books. The reason why the present (most of them) saints do not quote Vedas is that they do not study the Vedas, do not do Yajyen and do not obey Ashtang Yoga Philosophy mentioned in Vedas which was also adopted by Shri Ram, Shri Krishna, Mata Sita, King Harishchandra, king Dashrath and their subjects/ public etc. Therefore we must be aware of false prophets.
Are Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh Gods?
Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh are not God. Vedas tell that there is only one formless God who never takes birth. He creates, nurses and destroys the universe. His power is enough to create and control the whole universe. He is Almighty i.e., He has all unlimited powers and therefore He does not need any assistance to create, nurse and destroy the universe by Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh. If God needs assistance then He will not be called Almighty. So God does not need any support but we all humans as well as all living beings need His support and blessings everytime. However, in Vedas, there are innumerable names of Almighty God according to His divine qualities. So Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh etc., are also the names of the formless Almighty God. Brahma means the greatest. Vishnu means omnipresent and Mahesh means the greatest.
DCB: The Brihadaranya Upanishad tells us that we should be desireless. Though we become free from the desire of the worldly things, yet we desire for moksha or bhakti. Could you clarify it,Swamiji? Thanks.
Swami Ram Swarup: You are right, beta. For example 721 mantra of Samved states that learned men/women desire to realise God.
