How to start studying the Vedas? How to study the Vedas?

Where to start studying the Vedas? The traditional method of studying the Vedas involves finding a spiritual teacher and learning from him. This process is called “Shru“. Shru, which means “to listen” or “to serve”. The most direct and effective way to study the Vedas is to find a spiritual teacher and serve him. If the spiritual teacher is satisfied with the disciple, he will impart true knowledge to him.

To know the truth, hand yourself over to your spiritual teacher. Question him humbly and serve him. Self-realised souls can give you knowledge because they have seen the truth.

Bhagavad-Gita. 4.34

The basic method is to find a spiritual teacher and obey him. But we live in a time when spiritual teachers are unknown, or very busy, or few, or inaccessible. What should we do then, because we want to realise knowledge, and the Vedas do not provide any other method?

Where to start studying the Vedas:

• search for a spiritual teacher
• Vedic reading
• lectures and materials on Vedic philosophy
  • Srila Prabhupada
• yoga practice:
  • bhakti
  • dhyana
  • karma
  • ashtanga
• the study of sacred texts, shastras
  • Bhagavad-Gita
  • Srimad-Bhagavatam
  • Chaitanya-charitamrita
• Reading literature consistent with Vedic knowledge

This is where books and lectures recorded on the Internet come in handy. They are openly available and even very intimate knowledge can be found just by listening carefully to what spiritual teachers say, just by watching videos on YouTube. This will also be listening, but there will be no personal relationship between the teacher and the student, so this method, although permissible, is not fundamental in acquiring competence. It is possible to acquire knowledge through proper listening, but the real transformation and unfoldment of spiritual potential is obtained when one serves a spiritual teacher. Thus, a good student has the right to become a good teacher, the possessor of knowledge. Outside of training with a spiritual teacher, it is impossible and simply dangerous to become a teacher oneself, because the standards are very high.

The aims of Vedic knowledge

It is important to realise that Vedic knowledge is not one-sided and it can cater to the needs of a wide range of people. Vedic knowledge is aimed at both material prosperity and the spiritual path. It is up to the individual to choose one of these paths. But Vedic philosophy itself states that happiness cannot be achieved by material paths, as we are all eternal souls and our natural and most obvious sense of happiness is spiritual happiness, arising from the realisation of being an eternal soul. Among the goals of Vedic knowledge are chaturartha: kama, artha, dharma, moksha. But this refers to the section of karma-kanda, i.e. the section devoted to pious activities with the aim of acquiring various forms of pleasure: fame, wealth, beauty, honour, power, authority, might, worship, etc.

The supreme goal of Vedic knowledge is to realise the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is the Supreme Lord Krishna. The Vedanta-sutra defines the Absolute Truth as that from which everything emanates. In one of the four Vedas it is written that all worlds emanate from Vishnu. Vishnu is an expansion of Krishna, thus the ultimate truth is Krishna. The endeavour to comprehend the Absolute Truth will be directly related to the comprehension of Krishna.

But the Vedic philosophy also allows a person to simply remain on a pious level, continuing to enjoy the material world within the prescribed limits. This level is permissible, although it is considered somewhat low, because the conscious refusal to strive for liberation from this world betrays in man, from the Vedic point of view, a lack of reason and ignorance. The natural tendency of a living being in the material world is to degenerate, and this is because the refusal to strive to free oneself from the captivity of the illusory world is the result of a weak mind. A weak mind is usually subject to the fluctuations of the mind, which gives lust an opportunity to overpower the will of the mind. Sooner or later, lust will push to such an act, which is defined as sin, which will inevitably lead the living being to hell. This is how degradation occurs in the absence of attempts to liberate oneself from the material world through spiritual self-awareness.

Exploring the vedas: motive

Before embarking on the study of the Vedas, it is important to understand what inner motive guides you towards the study of Vedic knowledge. Most of the time it is curiosity, since people do not know what the essence of Vedic knowledge is, yet it looks attractive enough, most people come to the study of the Vedas simply out of curiosity. This is a normal endeavour, especially if there is no clear idea about this knowledge. It is interesting precisely because it is not clear.

But if there are other goals, that’s pretty much it:

• Seeking to gain power, honour or authority, through asceticism, knowledge or sacrifice
• desire to get rich (artha)
• striving to realise the Absolute Truth
• consciousness-raising
• striving to acquire good karma and get rid of bad karma, i.e. striving to get rid of suffering
• or just a desire to diversify life with something unusual, to have a new experience

The desire to get rid of suffering, to get rich, to comprehend the Absolute Truth and curiosity are defined as the aspirations of pious people for spiritual self-recognition through one or another external motive.

O best of Bharat, four kinds of righteous persons take to the path of devotional service to Me: those who suffer, those who seek wealth, those who are inquisitive and those who strive to realise the Absolute Truth.

Bhagavad-Gita. 7.16

In pursuit of these goals, one should without any doubt turn to spiritual knowledge, find a spiritual teacher, listen to spiritual instructions, read spiritual literature and sacred texts. Thus achieving the highest goal. The fruits of achieving such a goal remain with the soul forever and cannot be lost.

The other aims are for one’s own independent enjoyment separate from the spiritual path. The purification of karma is meant to be enjoyed in the future, while the pursuit of honour, power or fame is meant to be enjoyed in the present. Such goals direct one to the karma-kanda section describing ascescesis, sacrifices, charity, and the practices of ashtanga yoga: yama-niyama, asana, pranayama, and so on. Dhyana – meditation – is also included there.

Thus, Vedic knowledge can fulfil all reasonable human aspirations. The study of the Vedas is in any case described as a favourable activity, given that it itself elevates consciousness to the level of virtue. And it is at the level of virtue, sattva-guna, that happiness, intelligent understanding of life and realisation of the value of the spiritual path become available. Thus, the study of the Vedas does not force one to leave everything and go to a monastery, but leaves some space for choice and quiet elevation of consciousness. On the other hand, the study of the Vedas can also consist in leaving all one’s worldly affairs, settling down with a teacher and giving oneself completely to the spiritual path. The Vedas provide an opportunity for a wide variety of people to fulfil their rational needs: for development, realisation, purification of consciousness or attainment of a higher goal. Therefore, there is simply no reason to postpone the beginning of the study of the Vedas.

Where to begin the study of the Vedas?

One should begin the study of the Vedas by searching for a spiritual teacher. If this is not possible, one should study Vedic literature on one’s own and listen to publicly available lectures without giving up the desire to find a spiritual teacher. One should start studying Vedic literature with books that are written specifically for the general public, which do not touch on too complex topics and a lot of terms. But the best option would be to read Srila Prabhupada’s books and his commentaries on the shastras. Listening to lectures on Vedic topics will also be helpful. When you have a more or less conscious understanding of philosophy, you can begin to study the Bhagavad-Gita. Until the moment of acquiring basic concepts, reading Bhagavad-Gita will be very conditionally understandable. That is, the case when a person reads the Bhagavad-Gita completely and nothing is stored in his head is a common case. One can start studying the Vedas right away from Bhagavad-Gita, but one should understand that realisation will come only by 3-4 readings. However, it is worth it.