Deepak: Swamiji charan sparsh thanks for blessings i wanted to know that yesterday I called pandit ji from a peeth, for havan, pandit ji came and done havan , it was same method how you told us, but one thing was diffrent , he did ganesh pooja before starting havan and in last he did gaytri aarti also, and in gaytri shakti peeth also they have big murti of gaytri mataji.
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you. You are welcome, my son. As you know, idol worship is not mentioned in Vedas, so Ganesh pooja was performed by the pandit on his own accord. Gayatri is a ved mantra mentioned in three Vedas and therefore, statue of Gayatri mantra can never be made. You see, When Ved mantras emanate from God, the mantras were not in the form of book and not emanated by recitation. Ved mantra is formless knowledge, so its statue can never be made. However, those who make statue of it may do so at their own accord.
Mitesh Dalal: Pranam Guruji, You said God never take birth, but in Bhagwatgita Shri Krishna claim that he is supreme God and take birth whenever necessary. Is Shri Krishna a God?
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you. In this regard, I paste my answer as under-
Yogeshwar Sri Krishna Maharaj has never declared himself a God in Bhagwad Geeta. Sri Krishna maharaj was a learned of Vedas and this fact has been stated by him several times in Geeta’s shlokas. Preach of Krishna is based on vedic philosophy. Therefore, to know the fact of Bhagwad Geeta, one will have to listen/study Vedas first, then this misunderstanding will be cleared. The correct meaning of the shloka regarding righteousness and unrighteousness is as under-
“YADA YADA HI DHARMASYA GALANIRBHAVTI BHARAT,
ABHUTHANAMDHARMASYA TADAATMAANAM SRIJAMYAAHAM”
Meaning: – Oh! Arjun, belonging to clan of Bharatvanshis as and when harm is done to the religion or righteousness of the society and injustice, unrighteousness propagates all over, it is then that I create atma (take body). This is the meaning based only on wordings (literal meaning) but the secret of the shloka is –
Idea:- according to Rigveda mantra 10/129/7, God is the lord/master of Prakriti and souls. Yajurveda mantra 40/8 states God is pure and away from sins. Hence, no Yog maya or illusion can overpower God to force Him to take Avtar and then to suffer sorrows or enjoy happiness like ordinary human beings. Hence, God can never become soul and vice versa; say Vedas.
Yajurveda chapter 31, Atharvaveda kand 19, sukta 6, Samveda mantra 617 to 621 and Rigveda mantras 10/90/1-3 prove that prakriti comprising of three qualities viz Raj, Tam and Satva is non-alive whereas God and souls are alive matters. Moreover, the three matters – alive God, alive souls and non-alive prakriti are eternal.
The given shloka signifies that whenever there is downfall in pious deeds to be done according to vedas and increase in irreligious deeds /sins, which are against Vedas then the idea of the above shloka is this that Sri Krishna Maharaj prays to God that God gives him power to take birth to kill the culprits kauravas because fundamental law of Vedas clearly states that God never takes avtar.
In addition, I would like to tell you that I have written detailed comments on Srimad Bhagwad Geeta (in Hindi) including chapter 1-12 worth Rs.400/- excluding postal charges If you desire, the book can be sent to you on receipt of your postal address.
Basant: Namaste swami ji, what is brahm-vidya? Is it yog vidya ? Or Srishti vidya ? Or upanishad vidya?
Swami Ram Swarup: Mera aapko ashirwad. Vedas are eternal knowledge which emanate directly from God, in the beginning of the earth. In the Vedas, as I’ve already mentioned, there are three educations which include Srishti Vidya and Ashtang Yog Vidya amongst other elaborate knowledge. As regards, Upnishads, these have been written by Rishi-munis. However, this should be known that all Rishi-munis who have written ancient holy books like shastras, Valmiki Ramayan, Mahabharat (Bhagwad Geeta) etc., they first listened to Vedic knowledge from their learned acharya and thereafter the Rishi wrote the above quoted holy books in which every Rishi has quoted the reference of eternal knowledge of Vedas.