Alvin: Pranaam Guruji,
I hope you are well. I have some questions that I hope to clarify with you.
A) As you have said, Vedas was an oral tradition up till the Mahabharata times and Ved Vyas Ji wrote this on Bhoj patra..? Why did he decide to break this tradition of oral teaching or delivery of Vedas from beginning of creation of man on earth?
B) I also read somewhere on this website, that after Mahabharat the culture of Vedas was forgotten or not practised.. as mostly women and children remained after mahabharat. However is it not also true that women as well as men followed this culture from the beginning .. so how was it not carried on after Mahabharat if the women who followed vedas remained?
C) Is it true that there a period of 14 years of famine .. and this was the reason people forgot…before Ved vyas ji decided to write Vedas on paper?
D) is it true, that what Ved vyas Ji wrote on paper is only 8% of the total actual Vedas that was said originally ? As what wrote was from his recollection at that time?
E) Where is yoga originated from ? Is it eternal knowledge from Vedas? Is there such thing as adiyogi? The original and first person who taught yoga? I understand patanjali compiled all several types of yoga and made it into asthanga yoga.. is this correct? Bahaut Dhanaywaad, Pranaam Guruji.
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you.
1.) You see, still Vedas are oral tradition. Fundamentally the eternal and everlasting definition of the Vedas is this that Vedas emanate directly from God, at present and will be uttered by an educated person or saint, those voices uttered by the said persons will not be considered Vedas, keeping in view the above quoted fundamental law.
So, as per Kapil Muni’s Sankhya Shastra Sutra, the Rishi does not utter ved mantras at his own desire but God inspires him because God being formless, cannot speak. So, the Rishi who has realized God in Samadhi does not speak Vedas at his own will but when God inspires him, then he speaks. Therefore, Vedas like Yajurveda mantra 40/10 state that one should listen Vedas from a Mantradrishta Rishi. Apart from said Rishi, those who speak Vedas infact they do not speak vedas but Sanhita. So, to listen to vedas one has to seek the shelter of an alive Yogi-Rishi.
Ved Vyasji did not break the oral tradition of giving preach of vedas. You see, Rishis-Munis, Yogis always do such deeds which are beneficial for human-beings. Vyas Muniji, born during Mahabharat time period, till such time the knowledge of four vedas started diminishing and sinful acts started. Secondly, Rishis like Vyas Muniji are capable to see the future also. He therefore thought that oral tradition of giving Vedas’ knowledge will sure be distorted due to the sinful deeds of Duryodhan etc. vedic knowledge was being over-sighted. That is why, Vyas Muniji wrote Vedas on Bhojpatra because He remembered Vedas mantras by heart traditionally and now we see that the pious act of writing Vedas on Bhoj patra by Vyas Muniji has become most fruitful act.
2.) Vedas always preach that mere study/learning by heart of Vedas will be of no use until its preach is attained and held in daily life and man and woman, by doing hard practice of Ashtang Yog and by doing Yajyen etc. realise God. In this connection, Vyas Muniji also states in Mahabharat that he is wretched of wretcheds who listens to Vedas but does not follow its preach in daily life. Rigved mantra 1/164/39 also states that if a person daily studies Vedas but has not realized God then ved mantras will be of no use for him. So, the view of the said facts, that remaining people were not so much learned of Vedas and were not Yogi, Rishi-Munis and the earth after Mahabharat war became devoid of Rishis–Munis-Yogis.
Hence, the sun of Vedas started setting down. There is a saying that- “Two swords do not fit into one scabbard.”
Therefore, if the ladies or gents would have been Rishi-Munis, Yogis then the question of downfall of the vedas could not have arisen and when the downfall has taken place then sure there were no learneds as quoted above.
3.) It is not true that after a period of fourteen years of femine, people forgot Vedas after which Ved Vyasji wrote Vedas.
4.) No, please. This is also not true that What Ved Vyasji wrote on paper (Bhojpatra) was only eight percent of total actual Vedas.
5.) Ashtang Yog vidya is an eternal knowledge from all four Vedas i.e., Vedas are the origin of Ashtang Yog philosophy. For example- Yajurveda mantra 7/4 preaches that Oh! aspirant you are capable to learn Ashtang Yog Vidya, do daily prannayaam and protect the ‘Som’ i.e., pleasure of realization of God. In Anaadikaal i.e,. in the beginning of the creation, yes, there were Yogis like Brahma, Manu Bhagwan etc. they are called Adi Yogis i.e., the Yogis who existed in the beginning of the creation.
First four Rishis gave vedic knowledge including Yog philosophy to Brahma and Brahma further spread the same and thus there became a tradition of Guru and disciple.
No, Patanjali did not compile several types of Yog because he was real Yogi who realized God after attaining Dharammegh Samadhi. Moreover, in the world God only preached one and single Ashtang Yog Philosophy through Vedas, not any other Yog. Other types of Yog are man-made and destructive.
