Kindle Notes & Highlights
It may appear that the Koran and Vedic literature are conflicting in their precepts. Actually their essential principles are basically the same. God is one. Since God is one, His religion is also one.
Differences arise not because of different scriptures; rather, they are caused by different levels of understanding.
When one comes to the final state of obedience to God there is oneness in religion. Consequently, on the level of full surrender, there are no differences between the Koran and Vedic literature. It is seen that differences exist even among the followers of a particular faith in the understanding of their own scriptures. Differences are not due to the content of the holy book itself. Differences exist because different kinds of thinkers have different spiritual conceptions. Differences of opinion arise due to the diversity in people’s nature and experiences.
Different interpretations are manufactured according to one’s level of perception, feelings, realizations and taste.
The defect has not to be found in the Koran or in Vedic literature; rather, it is because people are attached to different aspects of the scriptures that suit their particular taste. One may even fervently believe that his version of understanding is the only real meaning of the scriptures. In this way differences are sometimes created.
There is no doubt that both the Vedic system and the Koran are of divine origin. Their contents speak for themselves. The Vedas seem different, because its teachings give, as an option, a gradual process of how to reach pure monotheism. It may seem that Vedic knowledge does not stress monotheistic worship; however, the original Vedic system was highly monotheistic. True religion has to be purely monotheistic. The original Vedic tradition is monotheistic and it has very little to do with the modern conception known today as the Hindu religion.
Hinduism is a foreign name. The words “Hindu” and “Hinduism” are not found in the Vedic literature, which favors the term sanätana-dharma meaning eternal occupation. This phrase elucidates that the natural occupation of the eternal soul is to serve God free from any artificial social or ethnic designations.
The truths of the Koran may appear to be easily comprehended, but they are actually very difficult to clearly understand. As stated in the Koran itself: “None will grasp the message but men of understanding [Koran 2.269]”. For
Muslims are restricted in their diet. Prohibited foods include pork products, blood, the dead and rotting body of an animal, and alcohol.
To grow in understanding, respectful communication between opposing parties is needed. Willingness to exchange different ideas is also helpful in one’s own personal spiritual journey. For this it is necessary to put aside any preconceived ideas and first hear with an open mind.
Shré Chaitanya Mahäprabhu said to the saintly Muslim: The Koran certainly establishes that God is formless, but at the end it refutes the conception that God is formless and establishes that God is a person [CC Madhya 18.189].
The Koran accepts the fact that ultimately there is only one God. He is full of opulence [CC Madhya 18.190]. According to the Koran, the Lord has a supreme, blissful, transcendental body. He is the Absolute Truth, the all-pervading, omniscient and eternal being. He is the origin of everything [CC Madhya 18.191].
No conditioned soul can get out of material bondage without serving the Supreme Lord.
Later, we will show that the Koran does contain different paths of religion such as fruitive activities, speculative knowledge, mystic power and ultimately devotional service to the Supreme Lord just as Vedic literatures do.
The Vedic system strives not for academic knowledge for its own sake, but for the transformation of one’s consciousness from material to spiritual.
The purpose of Vedic knowledge is to free the sincere inquirer from the suffering of birth, death, old age, and disease. Apart from these miseries, the Vedic writings describe another threefold set of miseries: miseries arising from the body and the mind, miseries inflicted by other beings such as humans, mosquitoes and beasts, and miseries arising from natural disturbances such as severe cold, heat, flood, earthquake, or drought.
The Vedic literature teaches that no one can find happiness in the material world. The forces of time and death force everyone to leave whatever is acquired through a lifetime’s undertaking. Indeed, the earth is described as a p...
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“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniñhads, Puräëas and Närada-païcarätra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society (Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu 1.2.101).”
“The Vedas are directly manifested from the infallible Supreme Lord [Bg. 3:15]”. Since human beings are limited and imperfect, their perception, theories, and speculations cannot be perfect. The Vedic process of learning is to receive knowledge by hearing from the highest authority, which is coming directly from God and handed down without change through the chain of disciplic succession of spiritual teachers.
For instance, Vedic knowledge was imparted to Brahmä through oral reception. Indeed, Brahmä received the knowledge directly from the Supreme Lord, who then instructed it to his son Närada, whose realizations appear throughout Vedic literature. And Närada instructed it to His disciple, the sage Vyäsadeva. Thus, the message of Vedic literature descends through a chain of disciplic succession that is still present today. Formerly Vedic scripture came down by word of mouth from teachers to their disciples, but thousands of years ago, the sage Vyäsadeva compiled all the Vedic scriptures in written
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Hearing God’s message is imperative when one inquires about subject matter beyond the purview of one’s limited senses and power of reason.
The aim of the Vedic system is to elevate one from a state of ignorance to a state of pure goodness. Ignorance is opposed to goodness. In ignorance, affected by lust, hate and greed, one becomes illusioned. An illusioned man cannot understand what is what. Instead of advancing in spiritual revelation, one becomes more and more degraded. In ignorance, one does not possess perfect wisdom nor does he know what real enjoyment is. Bewildered by his passions, one strives for pleasure that results in suffering. Only in goodness one is able to see things as they are for one’s true benefit.
According to the Vedic system, persons who are only engaged in planning a higher standard of materialistic life consisting of eating and mating are no better than animals.
“Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But the special property of the human is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals [Hitopadesh].”
To gratify his senses and attain material comforts a person will work like a beast of burden. Such people won’t lift a finger for the service of God.
“Not a penny did they spend, nor did they traverse a land [Koran 9:121]”. “The hypocrites did not experience any hardship, thirst, fatigue and hunger in the service of God. No harm did they receive from the enemy [Koran 9:120]”.
In the third level, budding consciousness, one realizes that large amounts of material possessions cannot give real happiness.
Mysticism is a process that is performed through contemplation on the Supreme.
The chief cause of suffering is negligence of our connection with God.
When a person loses interest in the paths of fruitive activities, speculative knowledge and mysticism, one comes to the path of devotional service. This is the highest development of human consciousness.
Fully bloomed consciousness is put forward in the following Koranic and Vedic verses. “Who remembers Allah while standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and who reflects on the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord! You have not created this in vain! Glory unto You! [Koran 3:191]”. “Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion [Bg.9.14]”.
Different parts of the Vedic teaching focuses on different processes for different categories of people. In the first level of veiled consciousness, books about spirits, black arts, and black magic are given. In the second level of shrunken consciousness, the four Vedic literatures, namely the Åg Veda, Yajur Veda, Säma Veda, and Atharva Veda are recommended. In this platform one is situated on the path of fruitive activities. In third level of budding consciousness, the Upaniñhads are advocated. In this platform one is situated on the path of speculative knowledge. In fourth level of blooming
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Çrémad—Bhägavatam is considered the direct commentary on the Vedänta-sütra.
Doubts begin from the misconception of the material body, which is accepted as the self. Uncertainties due to misconceptions of “myself” and “mine”, “my body,” and “my community” cause bewilderment for the soul.
The common force that drives everyone to serve in different ways is a search for higher standard of happiness. However, happiness cannot be achieved just by pampering the material body.
“The life of this world is nothing but comfort and illusion [Koran 3:185]. Know that your worldly possessions and children are just a temptation for you and with God is the greatest reward [Koran 8:28].
“In time of disaster they used to pray to God, ‘O Lord, forgive our sins, absolve anything we may have done that transgressed our duty, steady our steps and help us against those that resist faith [Koran 3:147]’”. “Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me—and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me [Bg. 4.10]”.
Therefore, at present the Vedic system recommends that, rather than killing impious persons through a holy war, it is better to remove their tendency for ungodly acts through the recitation of the holy names of the Lord.
In the Vedic system fighting is more understood as doing one’s prescribed duty for the satisfaction of the Lord.
The great jihad is the jihad against material desires and the evil residing within oneself. The
People of godly character never cause unnecessary suffering to anyone.
To seduce or to originate fear, the Koran and the Vedic texts use reward and punishments to lure the ignorant.
Suffering the consequence of sin arise when duty is performed with a perverted materially contaminated consciousness.
Duty has to be performed for the sake of the Lord. He, who acts for his own selfish sake, will be subject to the reaction of good or bad. He, who has completely surrendered himself to God, is free from any reaction.
Freedom from sinful reactions is possible by possessing the knowledge of how to work in detached way [Bg.2.39].
One has to do his duty with the knowledge that he is an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. Without this knowledge, while acting, one will be subject to fear.
A person who controls the senses while serving God attains great faith in the Lord.
Doubts, that cause great bewilderment for the soul, begin with the misconception of identifying the soul with a certain family, nation and community.
There was a quarrel between the Jews and the Christians as to whether Abraham was a Jew or Christian. The Jews claimed that he was Jew and the Christians claimed that he was a Christian. However, for God, Abraham’s faith was more important than his belonging to a certain community.
One may pretend to belong to a particular type of faith with reference to a particular religious sect, or a great religious leader, but it is one’s faith and how sincerely one follows the instructions of the Lord that determines how much one is firmly convinced about the existence of God.
