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described by the following hierarchy: Matter
(prakrti)
has
eternal existence, called
sat.
The individual infinitesimal soul
(jiva- tma-)
is eternally conscious too, in addition to being
eternally existent, i.e.
sat
and
cit.
God
(Isvara)
is in eternal
bliss too over and above being ever existent and conscious,
i.e.
sat cit
and
ananda —
this gives rise to the compound word
saccidananda,
commonly referring to God in the Indian culture.
The finality of all the human attempts is to be with Him who is
the infinite reservoir of bliss. There is no other way to enjoy
the life —
nanyah pantheilt vidyate ayanaya
(Yajurveda). This
is what makes it important that one must gain true spiritual
knowledge about the individual soul and God, their true
characteristics and attributes, the methodology the soul could
adopt to enjoy proximity to God in the present life and
thereafter, and other related issues. Only Vedas deal with these
issues in a rational, rigorous and convincing manner.
The present spiritual literature available in the world can be
broadly classified into two groups. In the first group exist the
religious texts claiming to spell out the code of conduct but
they fail to convince us on philosophical grounds. Then there
is the second group of books that seem to develop a wonderful
philosophy but they lack in inspiring moral code of conduct.
Only Vedas are the books in the world that they can
authoritatively guide us both in deep morality and high
philosophy; they can satisfy both our hearts and heads
simultaneously.
The well-known Rgvedic hymn describes the creation through
an interesting replica of a tree inhabited by two birds:
Dva supania sayuja sakhayd samanam vrksam parisasvajc7te
i.e., There is a tree
(vrksa
meaning
prakrti,
i.e. matter)
inhabited by two birds (two conscious beings) — one of the
two eats the fruits on the tree (the soul is the end user of the
creation) and the other one (God doesn't eat the fruits) is merely
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