Swami Ram Swarup ji, Yogacharya
No doubt, all the people by their nature have keen interest in worshipping God to destroy the sorrows but still a doubt arises in many hearts that ” Where does the God reside and the way to realise Him?”
Some say that God is movable but infact being omnipresent, He has got no space to move. Several say that He takes Avtar but Vedas deny because there must be some reason to take Avtar, which does not seem to exist. Being Almighty, God needs no help to kill anyone or to do any pious deed in the universe.
Within two to two thousand five hundred years, people have also made their own ways to worship God and hence sects have arisen but when we pay our attention towards the entire world we see that people are not happy and peaceful etc. I would like to quote here reference of Yog Shastra sutra 1/7 wherein Rishi states that to decide the truth, the evidence of ved mantras is essential.
Mahrishi Vatsayayan also states:-
“Pramaannayehee + arthpareekshannam Nyayaha” i.e. to examine all the matters of the world by giving evidence is called justice. So it is sad that in the present times, so-called saints do not study vedas in the absence of which, they have oversighted the fundamental to give evidence of ved mantras in support of their so-called self-made preach and way to worship and in their written scriptures etc; what deems fit to them, that one is being spread unauthentically.
So, why don’t we follow Vedic preach wherein God Himself states that He is nearest only to those who follow the vedic path and attain vedic knowledge otherwise He is far away from those who are ignorant, irreligious, donot practice Ashtang Yog and worship according to Vedas and indulge in illusion ( Atharvaved mantra 10/8/15 refers). Learned who praise, pray and worship omnipresent, Almighty God in Yajyen according to vedas, they only realise Him. In this regard, Yajurved Mantra 40/5 also preaches that God is always away from those who are lazy and do not try to realise Him. But He is so nearest to those, who are hardworking, follow vedic path and worship Him accordingly that He manifests within their heart.
Nowadays, mostly the people are not trying hard in vedic field as compared to the ancient times; so being ignorant they are trapped in the net of so-called false prophets who mislead people against the vedas and ask them to follow their short-cut path of worship.
The so-called saints mostly persuade people to believe that especially in kalyug, they need not to do any vedic worship like Yajyen, agnihotra, practice of Ashtang Yog etc. but to do only name-jaap (Ram naam) etc. to cross over the sea of sorrows i.e., to attain salvation. Such saints also scare the public by saying that Vedas are difficult to understand and therefore should not be followed. The said thoughts are being spread within the public but the study of four vedas negates the same, being their unauthentic views.
In Rigved mantra 3/56/1, God states that the fundamental laws made by Him in vedas are ever unchangeable and unchallengeable. How learned Rishi-Munis and Rajrishis like Sri Ram, Sri Krishna Maharaj etc. could forget the Rigved mantra 10/92/3 wherein it is preached that we must follow and hold all the true principles and teachings of Almighty God mentioned in vedas. Secondly, vedas and vedic Sanskrit language are not difficult to understand because principally vedas are not to be read but to be listened from a learned Acharya only and you see study of any book may be difficult but listening of vedas is not difficult.
Let us pay our attention towards the fundamentals of vedas that God is ever impartial. Therefore how He would allow the ancient public of Satyug, Treta, Dwapur to follow vedic path, do daily Agnihotra/ Yajyen with ved mantras, study vedas under the guidance of learned Acharya and to do hard practice of Ashtang Yog to control all senses and perceptions while discharging all moral duties to attain salvation and during the present time of kalyug, God would exempt the people from doing the same and would only allow them to do simply the name jaap to cross over the sea of sorrows on the pretext that Kalyugi public is busy in several types of work and has no time to do hard vedic worship.
Has God here changed His rules and regulations and has favoured the people of kalyug then what about His above quoted unchangeable fundamental laws and what about His impartiality? So, being impartial and non-merciful to the culprits, definitely God does not favour the present Kalyugi public. Such false statements can only be spread by those who do not know Vedas or are against the Vedas.
Several ved mantras speak that God has unlimited knowledge. Therefore for the benefit of human-beings, [being His nature of benevolence] He has blessed us with the knowledge of Vedas to destroy the sorrows and attain salvation. Yajurved mantra 31/18 clarifies that apart from this, there is no other way to overcome the sorrows of the cycle of birth and death and attain salvation.