Scriptures as signposts

The Vedas are held to be the main and original source of all knowledge, temporal and transcendental. This includes divine knowledge of God, the mystery of creation, etc, as well as all else pertaining to the attainment of all the goals of human existence. The Vedas are infinite, eternal and endless, and are believed to be ‘apaurusheya,’ that is, not made by any human being. They are known as Sruti and the authority of the Vedas does not depend on anything external for they are considered to be the very breath of the Supreme Brahman and hence the very word of God.

In a discourse, Swamini Satyavratananda drew attention to the fact that humanity owes a tremendous debt to the Vedas for the concern and care they bestow on the life now and here after of each and every created being. But the Vedas are difficult to comprehend. So the rishis and sages well versed in Vedic thought have written sutras on each of the four Vedas. Sutras are in the form of concise and aphoristic statements and are classified on the basis of the topics dealt with. ‘Saruta’ sutras deal with Vedic rituals and rites, and ‘grihya’ sutras with rituals pertaining to family life and the welfare of every human being. Yet another type is ‘dharma’ sutras that explain the moral and ethical code of living by following which one can attain the highest Purushartha, moksha. Since it was not easy for all to unravel the meanings in the cryptic statements of the sutras, there evolved the Smritis comprising the Itihasas and the Puranas. Herein the same topics are presented in simplified version so that all can grasp the core ideas of the goals of life. It is hence apt that the Vedas are fondly referred to as Veda Mata, for the profound values of life they impart to all beings to help them evolve spiritually.